Henry, remembering full well that his title to the crown was derived from the voice of the people, far from testifying resentment at the interference of that hitherto disregarded branch of the legislature of England, the commons, summoned the inimical members of his household to attend him in parliament, February 9th, 1404, which they did, with the exception of the abbot of Dore. The king then, in his speech from the throne,' said, "That he neither knew nor could imagine any particular cause or reason why the accused ought to be removed out of his household; nevertheless, as the lords and commons thought proper to have it so, considering it to be for the good of the realm, and most profitable to himself, to conform himself to their wishes, he would discharge them from his household forthwith." Our sovereign lord, continues the record, said further, "that he would do as much by any who were about his royal person, if they should incur the hatred and indignation of his people."

The commons next appointed a committee of lords, February 22, to make further regulations and alterations in the appointments of the royal household, especially in those connected with the queen, when it was resolved,-" That all French persons, Bretons, Lombards, Italians, and Navarrese whatsoever, be removed out of the palace from the king and queen, except the queen's two daughters and Maria St. Parensy, excepting likewise Nicholas Alderwyche and John Purian, and their wives." This was conceded by Henry, and put into execution that very day, and we do not find that the queen offered any resistance to the wishes of the subjects and counsellors of her husband; but the lords agreed to indulge her with a Breton cook, two knights, a damsel, two chambermaids, one mistress, two esquires, one nurse, and one chambermaid for the queen's daughters, and a messenger to wait on them at certain times. In addition to these persons, Joanna retained eleven Breton lavenderers or washerwomen, and a varlet lavenderer. Much

1 The substance of Henry's patriotic declaration is abstracted from the Rolls of Parliament, 5th of Henry IV. See also Guthrie's folio Hist. of England, vol. ii.; and Parl. Hist. vol. ii.

* Parliamentary Rolls, 5th of Henry IV., p. 572. Parliamentary Hist. Guthrie's Hist. of England. 3 Parliamentary Rolls, 5th Henry IV., p. 572.

wiser would it have been of Joanna if she had taken example by the politic condescension of the king to the wishes of his subjects, and yielded an unconditional assent to the dismission of her foreign attendants, since the retention of her Breton cook, chambermaids, and washerwomen, drew upon her a second interference from parliament.'

In this year the commons presented a petition to the king, praying, among other things, "That the queen would be pleased to pay for her journeys to the king's houses, as queen Philippa had been used to do." Joanna had no settled. revenue, as queen of England, at the time when this implied remonstrance was made by the commons to king Henry, who was himself in the most urgent want of money, harassed with perpetual rebellions, especially in Wales, and without means to pay his mutinous and discontented troops their wages. "Every source of revenue had been anticipated, and it is scarcely possible to imagine a government in greater distress for money than that of Henry IV. at that moment." If Joanna had not been in the receipt of a splendid dower as duchess-dowager of Bretagne, she would have found herself involved in the most embarrassing straits when queen of England.

Pecuniary cares and popular discontents were not the only troubles that disturbed the wedded life of Joanna of Navarre, who, though no longer young, was still sufficiently attractive to become the theme of the following amatory stanzas, from no meaner a pen than that of a royal Plantagenet poet, Edward duke of York, cousin-german to king Henry:

"Excellent sovereign! seemly to see,3

Proved prudence, peerless of price;
Bright blossom of benignity,

Of figure fairest, and freshest of days!
I recommend me to your royalness,
As lowly as I can or may;
Beseeching inwardly your gentleness,
Let never faint heart love betray.

1 Parliamentary Hist., vol. ii.

2 Preface to Acts of the Privy Council, by sir Harris Nicolas.

Walpole declares there is no doubt that the verses are by the duke of York; and as they are addressed to the queen of England, there was no other at that time but Joanna of Navarre.

Your womanly beauty delicious
Hath me all bent unto its chain;
But grant to me your love gracious,
My heart will melt as snow in rain.
If ye but wist my life, and knew
Of all the pains that I y-feel,
I wis ye would upon me rue,
Although your heart were made of steel.
And though ye be of high renown,
Let mercy rule your heart so free;
From you, lady, this is my boon,
To grant me grace in some degree.
To mercy if ye will me take,
If such your will be for to do;
Then would I truly for my sake,

Change my cheer, and slake my woe."

The arrest of the duke of York, who, after a series of loyal and valiant services to king Henry, was, on a very frivolous pretence, committed to a rigorous imprisonment in Pevenseycastle, is possibly no less attributable to the personal jealousy of the king, than the outrageous conduct of Joanna's first husband, the duke of Bretagne, towards his old friend Clisson was to the same baleful passion. The virtuous and matronly deportment of Joanna, however, both as duchess of Bretagne and queen of England, were such as to prevent the slightest shade of suspicion from resting on her conduct. Whatever might have been the offence of the duke of York, Henry's displeasure was but temporary, for in the course of three months he was released, and restored to his old employments.'

Queen Joanna used her influence successfully with her royal husband Henry IV. to obtain of him the pardon of his great enemy, Maude countess-dowager of Oxford, who had excited an insurrection by spreading a report that Richard II. was living, and distributing little harts of silver in his name, as a token to his friends and adherents that his return might be expected. For this offence she had been committed to prison, and her goods confiscated to the use of king Henry; but, at the intercession of queen Joanna, he freely restored the whole

The duke of York's ostensible crime was a supposed participation in the abduction of the heirs of Mortimer; but that he had never failed in his loyalty to the house of Lancaster was proved by Henry prince of Wales falling on his knees in parliament, and declaring that his life, and all his army in Wales, had been saved by the gallantry and wisdom of York.-Tyler's Henry V.

of her forfeit lands, tenements, and personal effects, and set her at liberty.1

2

The year 1406 commenced with fresh remonstrances from parliament on the subject of Joanna's foreign attendants. The commons having now assumed a decided voice in the legislation of England, John Tiptoft, the speaker, in his celebrated address for liberty of speaking, took occasion to comment on the disorderly state of the royal household, remarking, at the same time, " that the order of that house for removing aliens from the queen's court had been very ill observed." It was, on this, agreed-"That certain strangers, who did seem to be officers about the queen, should by a certain day depart the realm." Whereupon a writ to proclaim the same was directed to the sheriffs of London, the aliens being charged, withal, to bring in all patents of lands and annuities granted them by the king or queen. The parliament also took the liberty of recommending the sovereign to observe the strictest economy in his household. Henry received this advice very graciously, and promised to retrench all superfluous expenses, and restricted the expenditure of his establishment to 10,0007. a-year. He likewise declared his wish for the reformation of all abuses, and requested the parliament to take order for the payment of the debts of his household, and to grant a suitable income to his queen, for the maintenance of her state.3 The request for the dower of queen Joanna was presented by John Tiptoft, the speaker, and others of the commons; and by vote of this parliament she was endowed with all the revenues enjoyed by Anne of Bohemia, the first queen of Richard II., to the value of ten thousand marks per annum; so that with wards, marriages, and other contingencies, her income was equal to that of any previous queen of England. King Henry granted a safe-conduct, January 4th, 1406, to John de Boyas, "the secretary of his dear and royal consort Johane, to enable her to negotiate certain matters in Bretagne with regard to her dower there; also for him to bring horses and other

'Collins's Ancient Families. Rymer's Fœdera, vol. viii. p. 379.
2 Parliamentary Rolls, 5th and 6th of Henry IV.

Parliamentary Rolls, 6th of Henry IV.

3 Ibid.

things for her use, provided nothing be attempted to the prejudice of the people and crown of England." Henry, at the same time, granted letters of protection to the masters of two ships from Bretagne, bringing lamps and other articles for the use of the queen.'

This year Henry's youngest daughter, the princess Philippa, was married to Eric, king of Sweden and Denmark. About the same period, Joanna was compelled to resign her two youngest daughters, Blanche and Marguerite of Bretagne, to the repeated importunities of the duke their eldest brother, that prince having concluded marriages for both, which he considered would greatly strengthen his interests. On the departure of her daughters, queen Joanna retired with the king to her jointure-palace, Leeds-castle, in Kent, to avoid the infection of the plague, which raged so dreadfully in London, that thirty thousand people fell victims to its fury. After spending the greater part of the summer at Leeds, the king and queen, designing to visit Norfolk, or, as some say, Pleshy in Essex, embarked at Queenborough in the Isle of Sheppey, with the intention of going by sea. The royal vessel was followed by four others with the attendants and baggage, when they were suddenly attacked by pirates lying in wait at the Nore, who took four of the king's ships, and carried away sir Thomas Rampstone, the vice-chamberlain, with all the king's furniture, plate, and wearing-apparel. The king himself had a very narrow escape of falling into the hands of those bold adventurers.3

Joanna took infinite pains to promote a good understanding between her husband and the duke her son. Henry, in his letters to the duke of Bretagne, May 1407, addresses him

1 Rymer's Fœdera.

* Blanche was married at twelve years old to the viscount Lomagne, eldest son of Bernard count of Armagnac, June 30, 1406. The following year, Marguerite was espoused to Alan de Rohan, count of Poerhaet, the grandson of sir Oliver Clisson: she died suddenly on the day of the marriage, June 26th, 1407. It was pected, afterwards, that both these princesses were poisoned. The prior of Joscelin and a priest of Nantes were accused of this crime, and imprisoned; but nothing decisive could be proved.-MS. Ecclesiastical Chronicles of Nantes. Actes de Bretagne. Dom Morice, Chron. de Bretagne.