Kings of Caftile, or their Succeffors, a ftandard of the arms of England, to be borne in the fame place for the honour of that kingdom. He also grants in the fame contract fome other privileges to the English, which prove the greatness of Don Pedro's obligations.

7

The Prince of Wales now employed all his thoughts to perform with honour the adventure he was engaged in: he was at this time in the flower of his life, being in the thirty-fixth year of his age, of full ftrength of body, in perfect health, and of undaunted courage well tempered with experience and difcretion. How fad a reverse did this unfortunate expedition occafion!

The Companions who had obeyed his fummons amounted to twelve thousand, and were maintained by him during the winter at an amazing expence; befides these he took into his pay all the valiant men that offered of whatever country. Τα enable him to do this, he caused the greateft

greateft part of his plate to be melted down, and borrowed large fums from his friends in England. Satisfied with the propriety of his own conduct, he endeavoured to inspire his Lords and Knights with favourable fentiments of the cause he had undertaken : with great humanity he buried the vices of the Man in the fufferings of the King; and perfuaded, according to the defpotic opinion of all the Monarchs of thofe rude times, that no subjects had a right to depofe their Sovereign, however tyrannical his conduct, much less that it became a baftard Brother to ufurp a throne, he was confcious that his exertions in defence of the banished King were founded on honour and equity.

Whilft the Prince was busied at Bourdeaux in preparations for the Spanish war, the Princefs his Confort was delivered of another Son, to whom he gave the name of Richard; and he was called, according to the custom of that age, Richard of Bourdeaux. This Prince, after the death

of his Father, and elder Brother Edward, who died at the age of feven years, fucceeded his Grandfather Edward the Third, and wore the crown of England twentytwo years

*

On the Sunday following, being the tenth of January, the Prince of Wales left the city of Bourdeaux with a royal equipage, having fent the greatest part of his forces before him, and arrived in the evening at Dax, where he met his Brother the Duke of Lancaster, who had landed with his troops in Bretagné, and marched through the provinces of Poictou and Sainctonge.

Sir John Froiffart relates, that on the day of this Prince's birth, as he fat at dinner in Bourdeaux, Sir Richard Ponchardon, a valiant Knight of England, fkilled in the aftrological fcience, came to him within two hours after the Prince was born, and faid, "Froif"fart, write down and remember, that this morning my "Lady the Princefs is brought to bed of a fair Son, on "this twelfth day, which is the day of the three Kings; "and though he is but, the fecond Son of a King's Son, "yet he fhall be King."

The

The Princess of Wales beheld with a fecret dread this first feparation from her beloved Lord: the weak ftate fhe happened at that time to be in added weight to the blow; but the confideration that an increase of glory to her Edward, whose renown was dearer to her than life, would be the reward of this abfence, and the pleasing expectation of feeing him return crowned with fresh laurels, banished every complaint. Her fighs however could not be fuppreffed; amidst all her pomp anxious apprehenfions would frequently intrude, and for a moment permit tenderness to triumph over reafon. The feelings of the Prince were no less pungent; but engaged in the cause of Humanity, and intent on glorious deeds, he fuffered not even the excitations of love to retard the great purposes of his foul. Their adieu was uncommonly tender; that of Hector and Andromache, however elegantly defcribed, could not proclaim with greater energy the fufceptible heart or the exalted mind.

After the junction of his troops with thofe of his Brother, the Prince continued his march towards Caftile; but though the King of Navarre had folemnly engaged to grant the English forces a free paffage through his kingdom, yet on their approach they found great obftructions; it was even rumoured that he had declared for the new King of Caftile. The inconfiftency of his character rendering this report probable, Sir Thomas Calverley, with fome of the Companions who formed the Prince's van, took the town of Puente de Reyna and the city of Miranda, which belonged to him. This induced the King of Navarre to send a Nobleman to the Prince to make his excufes, which he did with fo much plausibility, that the Prince fmothered his refentment, but infifted on his Master's meeting him to perfect the accommodation. The King was obliged to fubmit to this degradation, and met the Prince of Wales in perfon on the frontiers of his dominions, where, after feveral conferences, the laft treaty was ex

plained