a body of ten thousand men, marched towards London, demanding a reformation of the government, and the removal of the duke of Somerset from all his power and authority. He had hopes from the beginning that the citizens would have thrown open their gates to him; but was much mortified when he found that he was refused admiffion. Upon this retreat into Kent, a parley enfued between the king and him, in which the duke ftill infifted on the difmiffion of Somerset, with which the king feemed at length willing to comply. The duke of York was therefore perfuaded to pay his refpects to the king in his tent ; but on repeating his charge against the duke of Somerset, he was furprised to fee that minister step from behind the curtain, and offer to justify his innocence. York now perceived his danger, and repreffed the impetuofity of his accufation. As foon as he left the prefence, the king commanded him to be apprehended; but fuch was this nobleman's authority, or fuch the timidity of the king's council, that they fuffered him to retire to his feat at Wigmore, upon promising strict obedience for the future,

But a reconciliation thus extorted could be of no long duration; York still fecretly aspired at the crown, and though he wifhed nothing fo ardently, yet he was for fome time prevented by his own fcruples from feizing it. What his intrigues failed to bring about, accident produced to his defire. The king falling into a diftemper, which so far encreased his natural imbecility, that it even rendered him incapable of maintaining the appearance of royalty, York was appointed lieutenant and protector of the kingdom, with powers to hold and open parliaments at pleasure. This was a fatal blow to the house of Lancaster; and all the adhe

rents

rents of that party were difmiffed from court, and the duke of Somerset was fent to the Tower.

York being thus invefted with a plenitude of power, continued in the enjoyment of it for fome time, but at length the unhappy king reA. D. covered from his lethargic complaint; 1454. and, as if awaking from a dream, perceived with furprize, that he was ftripped of all his authority. Margaret, his queen, alfo did all in her power to rouze him to a sense of his unworthy fituation, and prevailed upon him to depofe the duke of York from his power; in confequence of which, that nobleman had inftant recourfe to arms. The impotent monarch, thus obliged to take the field, was dragged after his army into St. Alban's, where both fides came to an engagement, in which the Yorkifts gained a complete victory, and the duke of Somerfet was flain. The king himself being wounded, and taking fhelter in a cottage, near the field of battle, was taken prifoner, and treated by the victor with great refpect and tenderness. From thence he was, fhortly after, led along in triumph to London; and the duke of York permitting him ftill to enjoy the title of king, he referved to himself the title of protector, in which confifted all the real power of the crown.

Henry was now but a prifoner, treated with the fplendid forms of royalty; yet indolent and fickly, he feemed pleafed with his fituation, and did not regret that power which was not to be exercised without fatigue. But it was otherwife with Margaret, his queen. She, naturally bold, active, and endued with mafculine courage, could not be content with the appearances of that authority, which her enemies alone permitted her to exercife; the continued to excite the wretched monarch to a vindication of his real dignity, and

to

to spur him on to independence. He was, therefore, once more induced to affert his prerogative; and the duke of York was obliged to retire; to be in readiness to oppose any defigns again?t his liberty and life. At first a negotiation for peace was entered upon by both parties; but their mutual diftrufts foon brought them into the field, and the fate of the kingdom was given up to be determined by the fword. Their armies met at Bloreheath, on the borders of Staffordshire, and the Yorkifts gained fome advantages. But Sept. 23. when a more general action was about to ensue, the night before the intended 1459. engagement, Sir Andrew Trollop, who commanded a body of veterans for the duke of York, deferted with all his men to the king; and this fo intimidated the whole army of the Yorkifts, that they feparated the next day, without ftriking a fingle blow. The duke of York fled to Ireland; the earl of Warwick, one of his boldeft and ableft fupporters, efcaped to Calais, with the government of which he had been intrufted during the late protectorship; and all the party, thus fuppreffed, concealed their intentions for a more favourable opportunity. Nor was this opportunity long wanting; Warwick having met with fome fucceffes at fea, landed in Kent, and being there -joined by fome other barons, he marched up to London, amidst the acclamations of the people. The city immediately opened its gates to him; and his troops encreafing on every day's march, he foon found himself in a condition to face the royal army, which haftened from Coventry to attack him. Never was there a more formidable divifion of interefts, or greater inveteracy between the chiefs of either party than the present. Warwick was one of the most celebrated generals of his

age,

age. formed for times of trouble, extremely artful, and inconteftably brave, equally fkilful in council and the field, and infpired with a degree of hatred against the queen which nothing could fupprefs. On the other fide, the queen feemed the only acting general: fhe ranged the army in battalia, and gave the neceffary orders, while the poor king was brought forward, an involuntary fpectator of those martial preparations. Both armies met on a plain near Northampton; the queen's forces amounting to above five and twenty thousand men, the earl of Warwick's to near double that number. While the queen went about from rank to rank, the king remained in his tent, awaiting the iffue of the combat with female doubts and apprehenfions. The battle continued for five hours, with the utmoft obftinacy; but at length the good fortune and the numbers of Warwick were feen to prevail. The queen's army was overthrown; and fhe had the misfortune to fee the king once more made a prifoner, and brought back to his capital in triumph.

The caufe of the Yorkifts being thus confirmed by the strongest arguments, thofe of power, a parliament was called to give it their more formal fanction. The duke of York, whofe profpects. began to widen as he rofe, from being contented with the protectorfhip, now began to claim the crown. It was now, for the first time, that the houfe of lords feemed to enjoy an unbiaffed deliberative authority; the caufe of Henry and the house of York was folemnly debated, each fide producing their reafons without fear of control. This was the first time that a spirit of true rational liberty ever appeared to exert itself in England, and in which recent conqueft did not fuperfede all deliberation. The duke of York, though a con

queror,

queror, could not entirely gain his caufe: it was determined that Henry fhould poffefs the throne during his life; and that the duke of York fhould be appointed his fucceffor, to the utter exclufion of the prince of Wales, who, yet but a child, was infenfible of the injury that was done him.

The queen, to all appearance, now feemed utterly deftitute of every resource; her armies were routed, her husband taken prifoner, and the parliament difclaimed her caufe; yet, though he had loft all, the still retained her native intrepidity and perfeverance. She was a woman of a great mind, and fome faults, but ambition feemed to be the leading paffion in all her conduct. Being now a fugitive, diftant from the capital, oppofed by a victorious army, and a confummate general, the ftill tried every refource to repair her difaftrous circumftances. She flew to Wales; there endeavoured to animate her old friends, and to acquire new. The nobility of the North, who regarded themselves as the moft warlike of the kingdom, were moved by indignation to find the fouthern barons difpofe of the crown, and fettle the government. They began to confider the royal caufe as unjustly fuppreffed; and the queen foon found herself at the head of an army of twenty thousand men, ready to fecond her pretenfions. She and her old enemy, the duke of York, once more

met upon Wakefield Green, near Dec. 24,

1460.

the caftle of Sandal; and victory on this occafion declared itfelf in favour of the queen. The duke of York was killed in the action; and his body was found among the flain, his head was cut off by Margaret's orders, and fixed on the gates of York, with a paper crown, in derifion of his pretended title. His fon, the earl of Rutland, a youth of seventeen, was taken prifoner and killed in cold blood, by

lord