The earls of Lancaster, Hereford, and Arundel, were soon apprized of Warwick's fuccefs, and informed that their common enemy was now in cuftody at Warwick caftle. Thither, therefore, they hafted with the utmost expedition, to hold a confultation upon the fate of their prifoner. This was of no long continuance; they unanimoufly refolved to put him to death, as an enemy to the kingdom, and gave him no time to prepare for his execution. They had him inftantly conveyed to a place called Blacklowhill, where a Welsh executioner, provided for that purpose, fevered the head from the body. There appeared a deeper fpirit of cruelty now entering into the nation, than had been known in times of barbarity and ignorance. It is probable, that the natural flaughters committed by the Chriftians and Saracens upon each other, in the Crufades, made the people familiar with blood; and taught Chriftians to butcher each other with the fame alacrity with which they were seen to deftroy infidels, to whom they feldom gave any quarters.

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The king, at first, seemed to feel all the re fentment which fo fenfible an injury could produce; but equally weak in his attachment and his revenge, he was foon appeafed, and granted the perpetrators a free pardon, upon their making a fhew of fubmiffion and repentance. apparent tranquillity was once more established among the contending parties; and that refentment which they had exercised upon each other was now converted against the Scotch, who were confidered as the common enemy. A war had been declared fome time before with this nation, in order to recover that authority over them, which had been established in the former reign, and a truce was foon after concluded; but the terms of it being ill obferved

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on both fides, the animofities were kindled afresh, and the whole military force of England was called out by the king; together with very large reinforcements, as well from the continent, as other parts of the English dominions. Edward's army amounted to an hundred thousand men ; while Bruce, king of Scotland, could bring but a body of thirty thousand to oppofe him. Both armies met at a place called Banockburn, in the kingdom of Scotland, within two miles of Stirling; the one confident in numbers, the other relying wholly on their advantageous pofition. Bruce had a hill on his right flank, and a bog on his left; with a rivulet in front, on the banks of which he had caufed feveral deep pits to be dug, with fharp ftakes driven into them, and the whole carefully concealed from the view of the enemy. The onfet was made by the English; and a very furious engagement enfued between the cavalry on both fides. The fortune and intrepidity of Bruce gave the first turn to the day. He engaged in fingle combat with Henry de Bohun, a gentleman of the family of Hereford; and at one ftroke clove his fkull with his battle-ax to the chine. So favourable a beginning was only interrupted by the night; but the battle renewing at the dawn of the enfuing day, the English cavalry once more attempted to attack the Scotch army; but unexpect edly found themfelves entangled among thofe pits which Bruce had previously made to receive them. The earl of Gloucefter, the king's nephew, was overthrown and flain: this ferved to intimidate the whole English army; and they were foon ftill more alarmed by the appearance of a fresh army, as they fuppofed it to be, that was preparing, from a neighbouring height, to fall upon them in the This was only compofed of waggoners and attendants upon the Scottish camp; who had been fup

rear.

fupplied by the king, with standards, and ordered to make as formidable an appearance as they could. The fratagem took effect; the English, intimidated by their loffes, and diftracted by their fears, began to fly on all fides; and throwing away their arms, were purfued with great flaughter as far as Berwick,

Edward himself narrowly escaped by flight to Dunbar, where he was received by the earl of Marche, and thence conveyed in fafety by fea to Berwick. This battle was decifive in favour of the Scotch. It fecured the independence of the crown of that kingdom; and fuch was the influ ence of fo great a defeat upon the minds of the English, that for fome years after no fuperiority of numbers could induce them to keep the field againft their formidable adverfaries.

Want of fuccefs is ever attended with want of

A. D. authority. The king having suffered

not only a defeat from the Scotch, but 1314 alfo having been weakened by feveral infurrections among the Welth and frifh, found his greatest afflictions ftill remaining in the turbulence and infolence of his subjects at home. The nobility, ever factious, now took the advantage of his feeble fituation to depress his power, and re-establish their own. The earl of Lancaster, and those of his party, no fooner faw the unfortunate monarch return with difgrace, than they renewed their demands, and were reinftated in their former power of governing the kingdom. It was declared, that all offices fhould be filled from time to time by the votes of parliament, which as they were influenced by the great barons, thefe effectually took all government into their own hands. Thus, from every new calamity, the ftate fuffered; the barons acquired new power; and their aims were not so much to reprefs the

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enemies of their country, as to foment new animofities, and strengthen every foreign confederacy.

A confirmed oppofition generally produces an opposite combination. The king finding himself thus fteadily counteracted in all his aims, had no other refource but in another favourite, on whom he repofed all confidence, and from whofe connexions he hoped for affiftance. The name of this new favourite was Hugh Defpenfer, a young man of a noble English family, of fome merit, and very engaging accomplishments. His father was a perfon of a much more estimable character than the fon; he was venerable from his years, and respected through life for his wifdom, his valour, and his integrity. But thefe excellent qualities were all diminished and vilified from the moment he and his fon began to fhare the king's favour. The turbulent barons, and Lancaster at their head, regarded him as a rival, and taught the people to defpife thofe accomplishments that only ferved to eclipfe their own. The king, equally weak and unjuft in his attachments, inftead of profiting by the wifdom of his favourites, endeavoured to ftrengthen himself by their power. For this purpofe he married the younger Spenfer to his niece; he fettled upon him fome very large poffeffions in the Marches of Wales; and even difpoffeffed fome lords unjustly of their eftates, in order to accumulate them upon his favourite. This was a pretext the king's enemies had been long feeking for; the earls of Lancafter and Hereford flew to arms; and the lords Audley and Ammori, who had been difpoffeffed, joined them with all their forces. Their firft measure was to require the king to difmifs or confine his favourite, the young Spenfer, menacing him in cafe of a refufal, with a determination to obtain by force, what fhould be denied to their importunities. This requeft was

fcarce

fcarce made, when they began to fhew their refolution to have redrefs, by pillaging and destroying the lands of young Spenfer, and burning his houfes. The eftates of the father foon after shared the fame fate; and the infurgents having thus fatiated themselves with the plunder of this moft opulent family, marched up to London, to inflict with their own hands, that punishment which had been denied to their remonftrances. Finding a free entrance into the city, they fo intimidated the parliament that was then fitting, that a fentence was procured of perpetual exile against the two Spenfers, and a forfeiture of their fortune and eftates. But an act of this kind, extorted by violence, was not likely to bind the king any longer than neceffity compelled him. Some time after, having affembled a fmall army to punish one of the barons, who had offered an indignity to the queen, he thought it a convenient opportunity to take revenge on all his enemies at once, and to recall the two Spenfers, whofe company he fo ardently defired. In this manner the civil war was kindled afresh, and the country once more involved in all the horrors of flaughter and devaftation.

The king had now got the start of his adverfaries, and haftened by forced marches towards the borders of Wales, where the enemy's chief power lay. Lancaster, however, was not flow in making head against him; having fummoned together all his vaffals and retainers, and being joined by the earl of Hereford. Still farther to ftrengthen his party, he formed an alliance with the king of Scotland, with whom he had long been privately connected. But his diligence on this occafion proved ineffectual; the king at the head of thirty thousand men preffed him fo clofely, that he had not time to collect his force together; and, flying from one place to another, he was at last stopt

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