ENGLAND. 



623 



History, ting to the royal tent, would have carried off or killed 

 the young monarch, had not his attendants, suddenly 

 awaking, made such resistance as allowed him time to 

 escape. His chaplain and chamberlain both fell by the 

 hand of Douglas, who, disappointed in his object, 

 fought his way back through a host of foes to the Scot- 

 tish camp. On the ensuing night the Scots decamped, 

 ami before morning had got so far the start of the Eng- 

 lish, as rendered all pursuit unavailing. Edward, it is 

 .said, wept bitterly when he heard of the enemy's escape; 

 and returned to London highly incensed against Morti- 

 mer for preventing his attack upon the Scottish camp. 



This nobleman, having in a manner assumed the 

 sovereign power, treated the regency with the utmost 

 neglect. He never consulted them on any public mea- 

 sure ; affected the state and dignity of a sovereign 

 prince; and was always surrounded with an armed 

 force. He was sensible of the general hatred in which 

 he was held, and endeavoured to confirm his power, by 

 securing peace abroad, and destroying his enemies at 

 home. He entered into a treaty with the King of Scot- 

 land, in which it w ;is stipulated that the princess Jean 

 should l>e married to David, the son and heir of Robert 

 Bruce, and that, upon Robert's paying 30,00>') marks, 

 the English parliament should acknowledge the inde- 

 pendence of Scotland. He then procured the execution 

 of the Earl of Kent, and the imprisonment of the Earl 

 of Lancaster, under a pretence of their having been en- 

 gaged in a conspiracy to restore the late king, wkom 

 they supposed to be alive. The peace with Scotland dis- 

 appointed the hopes of the nation, and spread universal 

 discontent ; and the outrages again.st the princes of the 

 blood opened the eyes of the young king to the danger 

 of his situation. He felt also the bondage in which he 

 was held by his insolent minister, and longing to be 

 free, he secretly communicated his wishes to Lord Mon- 

 tacute, who engaged several other noblemen to join him 

 in delivering the king and kingdom from the tyranny 

 of Mortimer. The queen-dowager and her lover resi- 

 ded in the castle of Nottingham. Hut as the place was 

 strictly guarded, and the keys of the gates were every 

 evening carried to the queen, the conspirators were ad- 

 mitted through a subterraneous passage by the gover- 

 nor. They seized upon Mortimer before he thought of 

 his danger ; and, hurrying him before the parliament, 

 which was then sitting, he was condemned to death for 

 his many crimes and misdemeanors, without being 

 allowed to plead in his defence. He was hanged upon 

 a gibbet at Elmes near London ; and Isabella was con- 

 fined for life to the castle of Risings, with a pension of 

 L.4000 a year. 



Edward having now taken the sceptre into his own 

 hands, began his reign by correcting the disorders and 

 suppressing the numerous gangs of robbers, which had 

 increased to an alarming decree during the convulsions 

 of the former reign, and the lawless administration of 

 Mortimer. He then directed his attention to Scotland, 

 which was again involved in a civil war by the death 

 of Robert I. and the pretensions of Edward Raliol to 

 the crown. David Bruce was only seven years of age 

 when his father died ; and he was soon after deprived 

 of his able guardian, Randolph, Earl of Murray. Tli. 

 of this great warrior and statesman would have been felt 

 in the proudest days of the Scottish monarchy; but in 

 the present distracted state of the kingdom, it was a 

 death-blow to the cause which he supported ; and Baliol, 

 by the assistance of Edward, was raised to the throne. 

 His reign, however, was but of short continuance. His 

 tame subjection to England excited the general indig- 

 nation of the Scots ; and Edward, with all his power, 



found himself unable to subdue the spirit of that war- History. 

 like people. But his attention was soon drawn off to v "" T"' ' 

 more important conquests. 



Philip the Fair left three sons, Louis Hutin, Philip 

 the Long, and Charles the Fair, who were all succes- 

 sively kings of France, but who all died without lea- 

 ving any male heirs; and one daughter, Isabella Queen 

 of England. On the death of Charles, the male succes- 

 sion to the throne devolved upon Philip de Valois, 

 Charles's cousin-german. Edward, however, whose Claims the 

 ambitious mind was always alive to every prospect of crown of 

 aggrandisement, laid claim to the crown of that king- Prance, 

 dom in right of his mother ; but, as the title of Philip 

 had been universally acknowledged by the French na- 

 tion, he did not think proper to insist in his pretension* 

 at present, and probably would never have farther 

 thought of them, had not some circumstances occurred 

 which kindled a quarrel between the two sovereigns. 



Robert d' Artois, who was descended from the blood- 

 royal of France, and was married to Philip's sister, had 

 been deprived of the county of Artois by Philip the 

 Fair, and in attempting to recover it by forgery, was 

 detected, and obliged to fly the kingdom. He fount) 

 refuge and protection in the court of England, and. 

 being a man of abilities, was soon admitted into the 

 councils and confidence of the king. This excited the 

 resentment of the French monarch, who had also given 

 serious cause of complaint to Edward, by protecting the 

 exiled David Bruce, and encouraging the Scots in all 

 their struggles for independence. Mutual threatenings 

 and recriminations soon led to open hostility. Ed- 

 ward, at an immense expence, had formed alliances in 

 the Low Countries, and on the frontiers of Germany ; 

 but it was difficult to bring so many petty sovereigns 

 to act with union and determination. He was at last, A. D. 1339. 

 however, enabled to appear in France with an army of Fruit 

 /50.000 men. Philip opposed him with a force double cxpcditiun 

 its strength ; but instead of coming to any decisive ac- to 1 ' rance - 

 tion, they merely encamped in face of each other, and, 

 after some mutual bravados. lvdw:;rd was compelled by 

 his exhausted finances to retire into Flanders, and dis- 

 band his army. 



The debts which he incurred in this fruitless expe- 

 dition, and his preparations for another campaign, obli- 

 ged him to have recourse to parliament for an extraor- 

 dinary supply. This was granted upon condition of 

 his confirming the two charters, and the privileges or' 

 boroughs, and of remedying some lesser abuses. But 

 as Edward had now assumed the title of King of France, 

 and had quartered the arms of France with those of 

 England in his seals and ensigns, the parliament thought 

 it necessary also to declare that they owed him no obe- 

 dience as Kint; of France ; and that, whatever might be 

 the issue of his present enterprize, the two kingdoms 

 must for ever remain distinct and independent. Ha- 

 ving equipped a fleet of2;iO sail, the king again em- 

 barked for the continent ; but was met off the Flemish 

 coast by the French fleet, consisting of 400 ships man- 

 ned with 40,000 seamen. The action was begun by 

 the English, who had gained the wind of the enemy. 

 It was long and fiercely contested ; but the Flemings, TJ IC French 

 having descried the battle from their shores, issued from Beet defeat, 

 their harbour- with a considerable force, and decided e<!, 

 the day in favour of Edward. The French in this en- Jime 13> 

 gagement lost 230 ships and 30,000 men. But this 13ia 



B was followed by no event of importance on shore. 

 Edward took the field with 100,000 men, but was foil- 

 ed in an attempt upon Tournay; and the only conse- 

 quonce of all his mighty preparations was a truce fur 

 twelve months. Disappointed at the unsuccessful issue 



