ensue. John reluctantly consented to let the cardinal-legate go to the English camp, and represent to the English prince the great danger in which he stood. "Save my honour," said the Black Prince, "and the honour of my army, and frequently offered to his wars in France. His king to avoid the carnage which must inevitably army was immense, and composed in great part of tried soldiers. As if nations were to be bought and sold, and made over by sheets of parchment, he purchased, at Roxburgh, on the 20th of January, all Edward Baliol's rights to the Scottish throne for 5000 marks, and a yearly annuity of £2000 a vast deal more than they were worth. With these title-deeds in his chest, the King of England marched through the Lothians, burned Haddington and Edinburgh and wasted the neighbouring country. But here again he was compelled to retreat by want of provisions. The Scots, who could not meet him in the field, harassed his retiring forces, and inflicted a dreadful vengeance on the rear, and on all stragglers, for the horrible devastations they had committed. From this time Edward Baliol drops out of notice, and he died a childless and a childish old man in the year 1363. Edward neither renewed the war in Scotland, nor reinforced his son in France; for the Black Prince,' as late as July in the following year, took the field with only 12,000 or 14,000 men, few of whom were English, except a body of archers. The prince, however, took a good many towns and penetrated into Berri, in the very heart of France. The King of France, crossing the Loire at Blois, made for the city of Poictiers. Prince Edward, ignorant of John's march, turned to the south-west, and marched also for the same city. On the 17th of September the English van came unexpectedly upon the rear of the great French army at a village within two short leagues of Poictiers; and Prince Edward's scouts soon after discovered that the whole country swarmed with the enemy, and that his retreat towards Gascony was cut off. "God help us!" said the Black Prince; 66 we must now consider how we can best fight them." On the following morning, (Sunday, the 18th of September), John drew out his host in order of battle: he had, it is said, 60,000 horse, besides foot; while the whole force of the Black Prince, horse and foot, did not now exceed 10,000 men. But Edward had chosen a most admirable position, and the issue of this battle, indeed, depended on his "military eye" "the sinewy arms of the English bowmen. When the battle was about joining, a legate of the pope, the Cardinal Talleyrand, arrived on the field, and implored the French and on ກ 2 1 It appears to be now that the younger Edward was first called the "Black Prince," from the colour of his armour, which, says the Père d'Orleans, "gave eclat to the fairness of his complexion, and a relief to his bonne mine." 2 Sir J. Mackintosh. 3 The portrait was probably made about the time of the battle of Poictiers, when the prince was twenty-six years of age, and he is accordingly represented as a beardless youth, bearing strong traits of resemblance to his father. His helmet, sur EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE.3-From a portrait in the Painted I will listen to any reasonable terms." The car- rounded by a coronet, resembles that on the effigy at Canter bury, in other respects his armour varies but little from that of King Edward. The title of Black Prince leads us to associate his likeness with a dark suit of plate and mail, although in our painting he is not so distinguished; but he perhaps did not introduce this peculiarity in the armour which be wore on pompous occasions, and in which he is no doubt here represented.-Shaw's Dresses and Decorations of the Middi Ages. some banks round their strong position, which could only be approached by one narrow lane. They also arranged their baggage waggons so as to form a rampart or barricade, as had been done at Crecy. On the following morning, Monday, September 19, the trumpets sounded at earliest dawn, and the French again formed in order of battle. Soon a mass of French cavalry charged along the lane to force Edward's position, but such a flight of arrows came from the hedges that they were soon brought to a pause, and at last compelled to turn and flee, leaving the lane choked up with their dead and wounded, and their fallen horses. Of the two marshals of France who led this attack, Arnold d'Andreghen was wounded and taken prisoner, and Claremont, the other, was killed by the stout bowmen of England. After this success, Edward became the assailant. Six hundred English bowmen making a circuit, suddenly showed their green jackets and white bows on the flank and rear of John's second division. "To say the truth," writes Froissart, "these English archers were of infinite service to their army, for they shot so thickly and so well that the French did not know which way to turn themselves." The second division scarcely waited to feel the points of their arrows. Eight hundred lances were detached to escort the French princes from this scene of danger, and presently after the whole division dispersed in shameful disorder. At this sight the knights and men-at-arms under the Black Prince, who had as yet done nothing but looked on, mounted their horses. As soon as they were mounted, Sir John Chandos said to the prince, "Sire, ride forward, the day is yours! Let us address ourselves to our adversary, the King of France. was beaten to the ground; but he rose and still strove to defend himself, while the English and Gascons pressed upon him, crying, "Surrender, or you are a dead man!" They would have killed him, but a young knight from St. Omer, named Sir Denis, burst through the crowd and said to the king in good French, "Sire, surrender!" The king said, "To whom shall I surrender? Where is my cousin, the Prince of Wales?" "He is not here," replied Sir Denis; "but surrender to me and I will conduct you to him." "But who are you?" said the king. "Denis de Morbecque," he answered, "a knight of Artois; but I serve the King of England because I cannot belong to France, having forfeited all I had there." King John then gave him his right 1 Royal, Paris. hand glove, and said, "I surrender to you." There was much crowding and struggling round about the king, for every one was eager to say"I took him." At last John was removed out of a situation of great danger by the Earl of Warwick and the Lord Cobham, who saluted him with profound respect, and conducted him, with his youngest son Philip, to the Prince of Wales.? Well I know that his valiancy will not permit JOHN, KING OF FRANCE. From a painting in the Bibliothèque him to flee, and he shall remain with us, please God and St. George!" Then the prince said to his standard-bearer, "Advance banners, in the name of God and St. George!" They went through the lane, charged across the open moor where the French had formed their battalia, and the shock was dreadful. The constable of France stood firm with many squadrons of horse, his knights and squires shouting, "Mountjoy, St. Denis!" but man and horse went to the ground, and the duke was slain, with most of his knights. The Black Prince then charged a body of German cavalry, who were soon put to flight. A strong body of reserve, under the command of the Duke of Orleans, fled without striking a blow. But Chandos was not mistaken as to the personal bravery of John; that king led up a division on foot, and fought desperately with a battle-axe; and when nearly all had forsaken him, his youngest son Philip, a boy of sixteen, fought by his side. John received two wounds in the face, and VOL. I. Edward received his illustrious captive with the greatest modesty and respect, treating him with all the courtesy of the most perfect chivalry. He invited him to supper, waited on him at table as his superior in age and dignity, soothed his grief, and praised his valour. The day after this victory, Edward continued his march. He passed through Poictou and Saintonge without meeting with any resistance; for killing a man in an affray. the French nowhere rallied to rescue their king, | trouble and insult the Scots on many occasions, and, coming to Blaye, he crossed the Garonne, and the intrigues of his agents added to the unand presently came to the good city of Bordeaux. happiness of that people; but when Edward was He then concluded a truce for two years with engaged abroad, the Scots breathed more freely. the Dauphin Charles, and in the spring he re- King David died in February, 1371, and his proturned to England, taking King John and Prince ject died with him: his nephew, the Stewart of Philip with him. Their entrance into London Scotland, ascended the throne without opposi(24th April, 1357) was magnificent, and John tion, taking the title of Robert II.; and though himself was treated not as the prisoner, but the Edward at one moment seemed inclined to unhero of the triumph. dertake another Scottish war, old age, the loss of his son the Black Prince, and other misfortunes, prevented his so doing. Of all his conquests in Scotland, none were permanent except that of the town of Berwick. The house of Stewart held the independent crown of Scotland for two hundred and thirty-two years, and then James VI. succeeded by inheritance to the throne of Eng land, thus laying a better foundation for the happy union between the two countries than could ever have been effected by conquest. Edward's proceedings with his other kingly captive may be briefly related. Two legates of the pope followed John and the Prince of Wales to London, where they laboured to promote an amicable arrangement between England and France. Edward readily consented to waive his absurd claim to the French crown, and to liberate John, on condition of receiving an enormous rans ̧m, and the restoration of Normandy, of the heritage of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and of all the provinces which had belonged to Henry II., to be held in separate sovereignty without any feudal dependence on the French King. John hesitated and tried to gain time, but time only increased the wretchedness and weakness of his kingdom, which fell into a frightful state of anarchy. Paris, and nearly all the provinces of France, were converted into human shambles by factions and insurrections. The peasants, or serfs, rose against their lords, plundered and burned their castles, and massacred the nobles—men, women, and children-wherever they could find them. This horrible Jacquerie, which was but faintly imitated in England during the next reign (by Wat Tyler and Jack Straw), lasted the greater part of the years 1357 and 1358, and was not Edward soon showed an inclination to renounce his French scheme, and to follow up the Scottish project by other means than those of conquest. As early as the year 1351 he had opened negotiations with the Scots for the liberation of their king, but the ransom he then fixed was extravagantly high; in 1354 these negotiations were renewed, and the Scots consented to pay 90,000 marks in nine years; but their allies, the French, induced them to depart from this agreement, and, leaving their king a prisoner, they prepared to invade England. Edward's victory over their allies at Poictiers made the Scots willing to treat again, and the English king, in spite of those successes, was not in a condition to renew a war in the north. On the 3d of October, 1357, a treaty was concluded, the Scots agreeing to pay one hundred thousand marks in ten years, and to give hostages as security for such payments; and in the month of November, David, after a captivity of eleven years, recovered his liberty and returned to Scotland.' It was soon made to appear that his long residence in England and intimate association with Edward had produced their effect on his weak mind, and that Edward, in discontinuing the struggle by arms, had not renounced his ambitious hopes. In 1362, David's wife died childless, and, in a parliament held at Scone in the following year, David coolly proposed that they should choose Lionel, Duke of Cambridge, Edward's third son, to fill the throne in the event of his dying without issue. At this time the next heir was the Stewart of Scotland, the son of David's eldest sister. David hated his nephew, and this feeling may have had a great share in influencing him to make this strange proposal. But the parliament of Scotland re-suppressed without slaughter equally atrocious jected the project with indignation. The death of Edward Baliol without children, which happened soon after this conference, made David less careful in his proceedings: he went to London and agreed, in a secret arrangement with Edward, that, in default of the King of Scots and his issue male, the King of England for the time being should succeed to the throne of Scotland. The King of England took advantage of the debt owing to him for David's ransom, to 1 Rymer; Hailes. on the part of the government. This dreadful state of things conquered the pride of Johu, and he signed the treaty of peace as dictated by Edward; but the French nation, divided as it was, unanimously rejected it. Edward, enraged at what he termed the bad faith of the enemy, passed over to France in the autumn of 1359, with an army more numerous than any which he had hitherto employed on the Continent. From 2 Kymer. 3 So called from Jacques Bon-homme, or James Goodman, a name applied in derision to the French peasantry. his convenient landing-place at Calais, he poured his irresistible forces through Artois and Picardy, and laid siege to Rheims, with the intention, it is said, of being crowned King of France in that city. But the winter season and the strength of the place baffled his efforts: after losing seven or eight weeks, he raised the siege, and fell upon Burgundy. The duke was forced to pay fifty thousand marks, and to engage to remain neutral. From Burgundy Edward marched upon Paris, and, on the last day of March, 1360, the English encamped in front of that capital. He, however, was not strong enough to besiege Paris: the dauphin wisely declined a challenge to come out and fight; and in the month of April, a want of provisions compelled Edward to lead his army towards Brittany. His route was soon covered by men and horses, who died from want or dropped from the severe fatigues they had undergone in this winter campaign. Edward's heart was touched; but it was a terrific tempest of thunder, lightning, wind, hail, and rain, which he encountered near Chartres, and which reminded him of the day of judgment, that completely subdued his resolution, and inclined him to an amicable treaty.' An armistice was arranged, and, on the 8th of May, 1360, the great peace was concluded by the treaty of Bretigny. "The King of England, Lord of Ireland and of Aquitaine," as Edward was now content to style himself, renounced his pretensions to the crown of France, and his claim to Normandy, Anjou, and Maine, and some other territories that had belonged to his ancestors: he restored all the conquests made by himself and his son, with the exception of Calais and Guisnes, and reserved to himself Guienne and Poictou, with their dependencies, Saintonge, Angenois, the Limousin, Perigord, Thouars, and other districts in the south, and the county of Ponthieu in the north-west, the inheritance of his mother. The Dauphin of France agreed that Edward and his heirs for ever should have full and free sovereignty of the countries ceded by this treaty; that 3,000,000 crowns of gold should be paid in six years as John's ransom, and that sixteen of the prisoners taken at Poictiers, twentyfive French barons, and forty-two burghers chosen in the richest cities of France, should be constituted hostages for the faithful fulfilment of the articles. In July, John was sent over to Calais. Three months were spent in explanations and attempts at mutual deception, and then this treaty was ratified at Calais on the vague 1 Froissart: Knyghton; Rymer. condition that the really important clauses should remain in suspense and not be executed till the feast of the Assumption, or that of St. Andrew, in the following year. On the 24th of October, 1360, there was a solemn interchange of oaths in the church of St. Nicholas at Calais. On the following day, King John was set at liberty. John, with all his faults and vices, was sensitive on the point of honour, and a scrupulous observer of his word; but the impoverished condition of his country, and the decided and violent opposition of his sons and great nobles, prevented his fulfilling any of the important parts of the treaty. It is not so written in the annals of France, but it appears to us pretty evident, that the uncomfortable life he led in his own dominions had a good deal to do with what followed. The Duke of Anjou dishonourably broke his parole, and, fleeing from Calais, where he was living as one of the hostages, repaired to Paris. His father the king was much affected by this breach of honour, and he felt that part of his own conduct since his return required explanation. It is said that he also hoped to obtain some modification of the treaty of Bretigny, and to speak with Edward about a new crusade. The French courtiers laughed at his scruples, but, to their astonishment, he went over to London, where Edward received him with every token of affection. It was then said, in France, that it was his violent love for an English lady, and not his honour, that induced him to put himself again in the power of his enemy. John quietly took up his old quarters in the Savoy; but soon after his arrival, and before any business was transacted, he fell dangerously ill. He died at London, in the month of April, 1364.* The dauphin, now Charles V., held the treaty of Bretigny in the same state of suspense, and complained bitterly of the ravages committed in his dominions by the "companies of adventure" which had been in the service of the Black Prince. The truth was, that many of these lawless bands had been in the pay of France, so that Edward was not accountable for the whole of the mischief. The "free companions," as they called themselves, were mercenaries, vagabonds, and adventurers, from nearly every country in Europe, who sold their services to the best payers, and when peace was concluded between the sovereigns, they associated together, and carried on a war on their own account. They defeated a royal army led against them by John de Bourbon, who was mortally wounded in that action. They made Charles tremble in Paris, and the pope at AvigEdward engaged to clear the country of non. 2 John, as a prisoner, was at first no party to the compact, them, but Charles had no wish to see another but when he went to Calais, on parole, he was considered as a free agent. That is, the 15th of August or the 30th of November, 1361. Rymer: Froissart; Continuator of Nangis; Villaret. turers who had taken service under Don Enrique, there were several English captains; and such was Prince Edward's popularity among the com what was preparing, 12,000 men abandoned their new master, and returned with all speed to join Edward in Guienne. As Pedro's promises were most liberal, and the fame of Edward so prevalent, they soon marched with 30,000 men. The King of Navarre, who was master of that pass of the Pyrenees, was bought over; and in the midst of winter, snow-storms, and tempests, the Black Prince led his army in safety through Ronces valles. On the 3d of April, 1367, Don Enrique met the invaders in the open plains between Navarete and Najara, with an army which is represented as being three times as numerous as that of Prince Edward and Don Pedro. The battle was begun by the young Duke of Lancaster, who was emulous of the military fame of his brother Edward. In the end the Black Prince gained a complete victory; Eurique fled, and Don Pedro English army in his territory. Events in Spain afforded opportunities of getting rid of the marauders. Pedro IV., called the "Cruel," was then legi-panions generally, that as soon as they knew timate King of Castile, but his atrocities provoked an insurrection. He was, however, strong enough to defeat the insurgents, who fled for refuge to the King of Arragon. The latter sovereign was unable to resist the arms of the tyrant, who made war upon him; and then the Castilian exiles, among whom were two illegitimate halfbrothers of Pedro-Enrique, Count of Trastamara, and Tello, Count of Biscay - fled into France. Among his many recent murders, Pedro the Cruel had poisoned his wife, a French princess. It occurred to Enrique of Trastamara, or probably it was suggested to him by the French court, that he might collect among the veteran "companies" such a force as would give him a decided superiority over his half-brother Pedro. The King of France gave money; the pope gave more; and 30,000 of the adventurers put themselves under the command of the celebrated warrior Dugueselin and of Don Enrique, and, march-re-ascended the throne. Misfortune had not ing across the Pyrenees, drove the tyrant from his throne. Don Pedro, who had not even the satisfaction of fighting a battle in his defence, fled through Portugal to Coruña, where he embarked in the first ship he found, and sailed with his daughters for Bordeaux. The Black Prince was residing at Bordeaux, and regarding him as a legitimate sovereign dispossessed by rebels and traitors, he gave the tyrant a most friendly reception. His father took the same view; and it was soon determined to restore the fugitive king by force of arms. Charles of France at the same time took measures to support Don Enrique. The Black Prince had been married some time to a beautiful widow-his second cousin-Joan, Countess of Kent,' who had been familiarly and endearingly called "the Fair Maid of Kent;" but the arrival of Pedro's daughters was not without its effect; and the marriage of two of them to Edward's brothers, the Duke of Lancaster and the Earl of Cambridge, which took place a few years after, gave rise to the claim of an English prince to the throne of Castile. For the present the fair Spaniards remained at the gay and splendid court of Bordeaux, while their father and the Black Prince and the Duke of Lancaster raised their banners of war. Among the adven I The history of this fair lady, the mother of the unfortunate Richard II., as of an elder brother (Edward) who died in infancy, is rather curious. She was daughter and heiress to the Earl of Kent, uncle to Edward III., who had been put to death at the beginning of the present reign, by Mortimer and Isabella. She was married when very young to Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, from whom she was divorced; she then espoused Sir Thomas Holland, who assumed in her right the title of Earl of Kent, taught him mercy; Pedro wanted to massacre all his prisoners, but this Prince Edward prevented. After being half-starved in the country he had won for another, and contracting heavy debts and a malady from which he never recovered, Edward was obliged to lead his army with all haste back to Guienne. Pedro had soon cause to deplore his departure: in little more than a year his bastard half-brother returned to Castile, and defeated him in battle. A conference was arranged, but, as soon as the two brothers met, they flew at each other with the fury of wild beasts. and in the struggle Don Enrique killed Pedro with his dagger. The bastard, who was still supported by Charles of France, again took possession of the throne.3 The wary Charles had been recovering strength while the English were losing it; he was now almost ready for an open war, and he bound En rique by treaty to assist him as soon as he should declare it. At the same time he conciliated the King of Navarre, and entered into a secret understanding with the disaffected lords, vassals of the Black Prince, whose lands lay near the Pyrenees For seven years the treaty of Bretigny had been little more than a dead letter: John's ransom had never been paid; many of the hostages, breaking |