and his government. “ He said that Rich- 
ard intended to bring secretly to his 
court, a croud of knights and lords, 
French, Bretous, and Germans, and that 
-by their assistance, he would dord it, (seig- 
nevoriroit ) and domineer wore grandly 
(sic) and more powerlully in the king- 
dom of England, than any of his prede- 
ycessors, kings, had done, and then he 
would be able to impose such subsidies, 
such tallages, such impositions, as he de- 
sired.” 
These letters, says the editor, had 
their effect. Scroop hastened to Ireland, 
to inform the king. At the news, recol- 
lecting what the late Duke of Laticaster 
had often told hin of his son, “ Ha, (he 
cried) good uncle of Lancaster, God have 
mercy on your soul! If I had believed 
_you, this man would not have vexed me, 
and you told me that I should do wrong 
to pardon him, for he still harrasses me : 
three times have [ pardoned his attempts 
upon'me, and see, here is the fourth time 
he persecutes me.” 
He hastened to pass over to England, 
to defend the crown, which was flying 
from him: his army was about thirty-two 
thousand men, foreigners and natives, but 
the latter were ill affected. Some days 
atter his landing in Eugland, when he 
rose one morning to say his hours, as he 
was used toro, he leaned upon a window, 
and looked at the fields, where his army 
was lodged, and when he saw bat very 
few people, was quite astonished: his 
army of thirty-two thousand was. re- 
duced to six thousand: all the rest bad 
deserted during the night, and gone to 
join the Duke of Lancaster; it’ was ef- 
fected by the letters which the prince had 
sent to the king’s army, as well as to the 
towns, commonalties, and great men of 
the realm, &c. All abandoned the un- 
furtunate Richard: he abandoned bim- 
self: he quitted the few troops which re- 
mained with him, fearing lest they should 
deliver him up to the Duke of Lancaster; 
for they were all mercenary strangers, 
prepared to sell themselves to the best 
bidder; this was the advice of his epuusel : 
he had no alternative, but in the choice 
of his retreat: the Earl of Salistrury, and 
many others, wished him to embark and 
retire to Bourdeaux: the Earl of ifun- 
tingdon, his brother, was of opinion, that 
he should shut himself up in the castle of 
Conway, where he would be in safety. 
‘© We shall be so also, at Bourdeaux,”’ 
said the king. “ Yes, Sire, but that would 
‘be co abandon every thing; they will say, 
thab you are guilty; that you have de- 
y 
. 
510 Account of the last Days and Death of Richard II? [Jan. ft, 
posed yourself. Stay in England: this 
castle gives you the freedom of the sea: 
you will be always in time to withdraw to 
Bourdeaux, or elsewhere, if events force 
you to quit the kingdom.” The king 
adopted this advice, and sent the Earl of 
Huntingdon to negociate with the Duke 
of Lancaster. When he came into the 
duke’s presence, Huntingdon dropt one 
knee on the ground, and said, “ Sir, it is 
perfectly right that I should pay you 
obeisance, for your father was the son of 
a king, and my wile is your ister. 
“Rise, brother in law,” said the duke, 
drily enough, (assez sechement, ) you have 
not always done so.” Afterwards, taking 
him by the hand, he drew him apart, 
and they talked along time together, but 
what they said, Ido not know, [This 
shows further, that the author was an 
eye-witness, whether he was in the army 
of the Duke of Lancaster, or what is 
more probable, in the suite of the Earl 
of Huntingdon.] The duke kept Hun- _ 
tingdon with him, till the return of. the 
Earl of Northumberland, whom he had 
on his side sent to the king; he was de- 
tained as an hostage; he did more, he 
gave Huntingdon his own order;* and 
took away that of Richard. THuntingdon 
was quite nonp/lussed (interdit) and began 
to weep, and remained a long time with- 
out speaking. The Earl of Rutland, son 
of the Duke of York, ‘said to him sneer- 
ingly, “ Good cousin, doo’t be vexed, for 
please God things will do well” 
Another advantage, which the Duke 
of Lancaster took of the arrival of the 
Karl of Hantingdon, was to compel him 
to wrire to the king, to say, that he had 
entire confidence m the Earl of Northum- 
berland, whom the duke had sent, and 
Northumberland himself. was charged 
with the letter: when he appeared before 
the king, the latter asked him, if he had 
not met his brother on the road, “ Yes, 
Sir, (he replied,) and here is a letter 
which he has given me for you.” Nor- 
thumberland, in the name of the Duke of 
Lancaster, demanded no other conditions 
of peace, than the restoration of the 
estates of the house of Lancaster, and 
the appointment of the duke to the office 
of chief justiciary of England.f The 
king deliberated in private with his 
friends, and put a confidence in them, 
with which he would have done well to 
dispense. ‘In truth, (said he,) what- 
* Livery or badge. j 
+ This was, in that time and long before, 
the prime minister, Editors. Ahad 
: even 
