ENGLAND. 



I! T-. . 



Ihikcrf 

 York pro- 



Cruelty of 

 the king. 



Battle of 



'! vumn. 

 MaichifSth 



638 



y. .T.I 1 lii- affability, hud secured their allci : 

 but they Mere a- v i. :mtcd with his nature, 



whic'. i and Him IK- W.LS more deci- 



ded and rcaolute Ulan his father, hut In- had none of his 

 mildness and moderation. Aware how prejudicial 

 these estimable qualities were to his lather's can- 



' 1 to throw aside all reserve; to insist o|x-nly on his 

 right to the throne; and to a.mme at once the title and 

 dignity il' a king. He assembled the people in St John's 

 1 ..!.!-: aiul alter Warw irk h.id harangued them on 

 the title of I dward. and the tyranny of the rival fami- 

 ly, they were asked, whether they would have 1 lenry of 

 Lancaster, or Edward, Duke of York, for their king.' 

 multitude unanimously shouted, " a York!" I'p- 

 oii this, on assembly of bishops, lords, and other JHT- 



of distinction, was immediately eallcd at Baynard 

 Castle, who r.ttilied the popular election, and die Duke 

 was next day proclaimed in London by the name of 

 Edw.trd IV. 



The new monarch was every way fitted, both by his 

 talent* and his dis|xitions, for the dangerous situation 

 which he had to maintain. Bold and enterprising, vin- 

 dictive and cruel, lie was unawed by danger, and inca- 

 pable of pit}-. He seemed to exult in scenes of slaugh- 

 ter and devastation ; and, during hi^ rrign, the scaf- 

 fold, as well as the field, incessantly streamed with the 

 noblest blood of England. The first act of his govern- 

 ment gave symptoms of his sanguinary disposition. A 

 harmless tradesman, who kept a shop at the sign of the 

 crown, had said, in a punning humour, that he would 

 make his son heir to the crown, which gave such of- 

 fence to the king, that the poor man paid for his wit 

 with the loss of his head. But Edward was soon cal- 

 led to gratify his savage nature with nobler deeds of 

 cruelty. Margaret, in a few weeks, hail collected an 

 army of 60,000 men among her partizans in the north, 

 and was returning to the capital to strike her strongest 

 blow. But she was met at Touton by 40,000 York- 

 ists, under Edward and Warwick. Previous to the en- 

 gagement, a body of Yorkists under Lord Fitzwalter, 

 had been dispatched to secure the passage of the river 

 Are at Ferrybridge, but they were driven from their 

 post with great slaughter by Lord ClilFord, and their 

 leader slain. The disaster at Ferrybridge was reven- 

 ged by the defeat and death of Clifford by Lord Fal- 

 conberg, who recovered that imjxjrtant post This 

 was immediately followed by a general battle, on the 

 issue of which depended the fate of the contending fac- 

 tions. As the Queen's army advanced to the charge, 

 they were blinded by a shower of snow, which blew 

 lull in their face ; and Lord Falconberg, taking advan- 

 tiige of this circumstance, led out some infantry before 

 the line, and after discharging a volley of arrows, imme- 

 diately retired. The Lancastrians imagining that they 

 had conic within reach of the opposite army, let fly all 

 t!.i ir arrows, which fell short of the enemy. Edward 

 then advanced with his main body, and dealt such ha- 

 voc among the dismayed Lancastrians, that they were 

 totally defeated. As this prince had issued orders to 

 give no quarter, the routed army was pursued with ter- 

 rible slaughter, and .%',()OO men, among which were 



of toe principal nobility, are computed to have 



fallen in the Uittle and pursuit. Margaret, with her 



v>n and husband, (led immediately to Scotland, and 1' d- 



\vard proceeded to Yo'"k. He took down,, from the 



.f that city, the heads of his lather and the Earl 



bury, which he buried with their Ixxlies, and put 



in their place the heads of the conqui red generals 



* )n the return of the king to London, a parliament 

 \vas assembled, 'which now, overawed by his success, no 



1 between the rival families, but imme- 

 diately recognised his title, and confirmed his authori- 

 ty. They were also ready in their servility 



venge ugainst his enemies ; and they p::-ed an 

 act of forfeiture and attainder against Henry 1 VII. his 

 queen, and infant son. This act was extended to the 

 principal nobility and gentry that adhered to their 

 and their estates were vested in the crown. 

 But though the victorious Edward had endeavoured to 

 secure his elevation by the >hov\ of legal authority, and 

 by the extirpation of his adversaries ; there were 'many 

 in the kingdom still warmly attached to the Hoi 

 Lancaster. The Earl of Oxford and hi-, son wen- de- 

 ! in a correspondence with Margaret, were tried by 

 martial law, and immediately executed. Sir William 

 TV ml and some others suffered in the same arbitrary 

 manner, and for the same crime. The rigours of the 

 government, however, instead of reconciling the tlis- 

 atfccted to it authority, only increased their animosity, 

 and the people soon discovered thai they had exchanged 

 a weak rider for a tyrannical one. 



The battle of Touton had not extinguished the ! 

 of Margaret. She had engaged the assistance of France 

 and Scotland, by promising to the one the sun-end, r 

 of Calais, and to the other the delivery of the import- 

 ant fortress of Berwick, should her family be again re- 

 stored to the throne of England. Thus supported, she- 

 resolved to make another effort against her enemies, and 

 having received from Louis XL 2000 men at anns, and 

 being farther reinforced by many of her own partisans, 

 and a numerous train of Scottish adventurers, .-he made 

 an inroad into England. Her ill-fortune, however, still 

 attended her. Her forces received a check at Hedge- 

 ley moor, which was soon after followed by a complete 

 defeat, near Hexham, by the Yorkists, under Lord 

 Montague, brother to the Earl of Warwick, and warden 

 of the East Marches. The Duke of Somerset, and the 

 Lords Roos and Hungcrford, were taken in the pursuit, 

 and immediately executed. The unfortunate queen, 

 fly'ng with her son from the rage of her enemies, was 

 benighted in Hexham forest, and fell into the hands of 

 robbers, who regardless, perhaps ignorant, of her qua- 

 lity, stript her of her rings and jewels, and treated her 

 with great indignity. She, however, found means to 

 escape, while they were quarrelling about the spoil, and 

 retired into the thickest of the wood. Overcome with 

 terror and fatigue, she sunk down in despair, but was 

 suddenly roused by the appearance of a robber, with 

 his sword drawn. Seeing no way of escape, she re- 

 solved to trust to his .mercy, and boldly advancing, she 

 presented to him the young prince, " Here, my friend," 

 said she, " I commit to your care the safety of your 

 king's Mill." The man, surprised by the singularity of 

 this adventure, and pleased with the Confidence rejxjscd 

 in him, oliered her his protection, and gave her every 

 assistance in his power. By his means, she remained 

 concealed for some time in the forest, and then made 

 her escape beyond seas, to her father's court, where she 

 lived for several years in privacy and retirement. Her 

 husband was not so fortunate; for after lying concealed 

 for about a year among his friends in Lancashire, he- 

 was discovered, and committed a prisoner to the Tower. 



Edward being now firmly fixed upon the throne, and 

 freed from all fears of danger from his enemies, gave 

 loose reins to his libertine disposition, and indulged in 

 all the dissipations and amusements of a luxurious court. 

 His debaucheries and amours became so open and un- 

 restrained, that Warwick, apprehensive that tiny i 

 spread disaffection among his subjects, advised him to 

 marry ; and Edward, in order to give greater security to 



A pariU- 



. i,n- 

 timis i 

 authority of 

 K.Uar.1. 



Di-eonuiiM 



still prevail. 



Margaret 



return?. 



And is ili'- 

 A. D. UiH. 



II. r dan- 

 gers in the 

 forest. 



Ami < 



The I, 

 conduct. 



