ENGLAND. 



617 



Uistoir. derive any advantage. Their future conduct betrayed 

 their selfish and ambitious views ; and the object of all 

 their subsequent measures seems to have been, the con- 

 tinuance of their authority, and the aggrandizement of 



wns< themselves and families. They deposed all the chief 



officers of the crown, and filled their places with their 

 own creatures. They assumed the custody of all the 

 castles ; and even imposed an oath upon all the lieges, 

 that they would execute and obey all the ordinances of 



A. D. 12,59. the 24 barons. Eren Prince Edward, the king's eldest 

 son, and the king of the Romans, after some opposi- 

 tion, were compelled to take this oath. They bound 

 themselves also to stand by each other with their lives 

 and fortunes ; and during the interval of the sessions, 

 the whole authority of parliament was vested in a com- 

 mittee of twelve. 



These proceedings opened the eyes of the nation 

 to their selfish intentions; and as they had prolong- 

 ed their authority from time to time, under the pre- 

 tence that their task wr.s not yet brought to a con- 

 clusion, the people became apprehensive that they 

 wished to establish their own power upon the ruins 

 of the royal prerogative, and called loudly for a ter- 

 mination to their intended regulations. The knights 

 of the shires, who seem to have assembled in a sepa- 

 rate house, also remonstrated against the slowness of 

 their proceedings ; and appealed to Prince Edward to 

 interpose in behalf of the nation. Edward sent a mes- 

 sage to the barons, requiring them to hasten the con- 

 clusion of their undertaking, as he was determined to 

 resist their usurpations at the hazard of his life. The 

 popular voiite was now on the side of the king. The 

 barons had enjoyed the sovereign power nearly three 

 years ; but, instead of employing it for the good of the 

 nation, they had openly abused it to the promotion of 

 their own interests. Jealousies and animosities had al- 

 so crept into the council ; and the defection of the Earl 

 of Gloucester, whose moderation ill suited with Lei- 

 cester's ambitious projects, revived Henry's hopes of 

 regaining his lost power. Leicester, enraged at the op- 

 position he met with even from his own party, had re- 

 tired to France in disgust. 



The barons being thus in a manner disunited and 

 deprived of their leader, the king took advantage 

 of their quarrels ; and having received from the Pope 

 absolution from his oaths anrl engagements, he re- 

 sumed his authority. He removed all the officers ,i)i- 

 pointed by the barons ; placed new governors in the 

 castles ; summoned a new parliament ; and offered to 

 refer all the differences between him and the Earl of 

 Leicester to the mediation of Margaret, Queen of 

 France. That bold and turbulent nobleman, how- 

 ever, rejected all interference of a foreign court ; and 

 trusting to his influence over the barons, and the 

 unsettled state of Henry's government, meditated ;in 

 insurrection for the recovery of his power. He had 

 even enticed over to his party Gilbert, the young Earl 

 of Gloucester, and Henry d'Allmaine, the 'son of the 

 King of the Romans ; and having entered into a confe- 

 deracy with the Welsh, who had made an irruption in- 

 to England with 30,000 men, he secretly came over 

 from France, and commenced an open rebellion. He 

 w*g favoured and supported by the Londoners, who 

 broke out into open sedition, and committed the most 

 horrible excesses. He had also seized the person of 

 Prince Edward, who was the very soul of the royal 

 cause; and had assumed such an imposing attitude, 



A. D. 1263. that the king was glad to submit to an accommodation. 

 By this treaty, the barons were again reinstated in the 

 vol.. VHU PAO.T n. 



sovereignty of the kingdom ; and, at a parliament held H: 

 at Westminster, they insisted that their authority should ^^-y^ 

 continue during the lives both of Henry and Edward. 

 These ignominious terms were submitted to by the 

 king, but were rejected by his son, who exerted him- 

 self with such success in the defence of his rights, that he 

 prevailed upon many, who had adhered to the barons, 

 to join the royal cause. 



Hostilities were again renewed ; but the universal Both sije , 

 clamour of the people for peace was so strong, that appeal to 

 both sides agreed to submit the dispute to the arbi- Louis IX. 

 tration of Louis IX. This prince, instead of avail- 

 ing himself of the distractions of a rival state, to ad- 

 vance his own authority, or to extend his domi- 

 nions, had, during the whole struggle, acted with 

 the greatest moderation and integrity. Whenever he 

 interposed in the affairs of England, it was with the 

 sincere intention of composing the differences between 

 the king and his nobility, and he always recommended 

 to both parties every peaceable and conciliatory mea- 

 sure. When appealed to by both parties, he declared 

 the impartial and honourable dictates of his mind. He 

 annulled the provisions of Oxford, and re-established 

 the royal authority as it stood before the meeting of the 

 mad parliament ; he confirmed the people in all the 

 privileges and liberties which they enjoyed by any for- A D jgg^ 

 nier concessions or charters of the crown ; and ordered 

 a general amnesty to be granted for all past offences. 

 Though Leicester and his associates had sworn to abide 

 by the award of the French monarch, yet they deter- 

 mined to reject this equitable sentence, and to procure 

 by arms more advantageous terms. The country again 

 became the theatre of a civil war. The king and prince ^ f 

 assembled their vassals, and prepared for defence, the civil 

 They were reinforced by some of the bravest barons of wars. 

 the north ; and the first advantages were in their fa- 

 vour. Northampton was carried by assault ; and Lei- 

 cester and Nottingham opened their gates at their ap- 

 proach. The rebels, however, were in possession of 

 London, and had laid siege to Rochester. The royal- 

 ists hastened to its relief, and Leicester fell back upon 

 the capital. But being strongly reinforced, he deter- 

 mined to give battle to the king. The armies met near 

 Lewes, in the county of Sussex. The battle was be- Battle of 

 tjun by Prince Edward, by attacking with great fury Lewes, 

 the Londoners, who composed the van of the rebel ar- 

 my. He drove them off the field with great slaughter ; 

 but while he was eagerly pursuing the advantage which 

 he had gained, his father and uncle were defeated by 

 Leicester, and taken prisoners. The prince attempted 

 to retrieve the fortune of the day ; but his followers were 

 intimidated, and he was obliged to submit to Leices- 

 ter's terms. The rebel demanded that the prince and 

 Henry d'Allmaine should surrender themselves as pled- 

 ges in place of the two kings ; that all the other pri- 

 soners should be set at liberty ; and that the final agree- 

 ment should be settled under the direction of the King 

 of France. 



Leicester had no sooner got the royal family into The king 

 his power, than he forgot his agreement with Ed- and his son 

 ward. He still detained the king as a prisoner, and detained as 

 assumed the sole direction of affairs in the kingdom. P*' s ners b / 

 He engrossed to himself the ransom of all the prison- ' 

 era ; and seized on the estates of eighteen barons as his 

 share of the spoil in the battle of Lewes. He even 

 treated hi confederates with the most wanton insolence; 

 and protected the pirates of the cinque-ports upon con- 

 dition of receiving a third of their prizes. Knowing 

 that this usurpation of authority could not continue 

 4 i 



