589 
E N G- 
try acknowledged the conqueror. Baliol now found that 
a ready fubmillion was more to be preferred than an ob- 
ftinate refinance. He haftened, therefore, to make' his 
peace with the viftor, and expreffed the deeded concern 
for his difloyalty. To fatisfy Edward ftill farther, he 
made a folernn refignation of the crown into his hands; 
and the whole kingdom fubmitted to his authority. But 
the unfortunate monarch was carried prifonerto London, 
and committed to the Tower.' Two years afterwards he 
was banifned to Trance, where he died. 
Thefe fucceffes determined Edward to turn his arms to 
the continent, where he hoped to recover a part of thole 
territories that had been v. relied from his crown during 
tht imbecility of his predeceftors. Nor was Edward re- 
mifs in making treaties, with feveral of the continental 
princes, whole aftiftance lie pure haled, though greatly to 
the diminution of his revenues. He even colleiSted an 
army from the Eqglifh jails, which had been filled with 
robbers in the former reign, and who were now made 
ferviceable to the (fate. This army, though at firft luc- 
cefsful, under the command of John de Bretagne earl of 
Richmond, was eventually repulfed by the French, un¬ 
der the command of Charles, brother to the king ol 
France. Yet it was not eafy to dilcourage Edward. In 
about three years after, he again renewed his attempts 
upon Guienne, with an army of feven thqufand men, un¬ 
der the command of his brother, the earl of Lancafter. 
That prince gained fome advantages over the French at 
, Bourdeaux : but being feized with a dilfemper, of which 
lie died at Bayonne, his army was dilbanded. 
The king, finding thefe attempts unfuccefsful, refolved 
to attack France in a different quarter. He formed an 
alliance with John earl of Holland, by giving him his 
daughter Elizabeth in marriage'; and alio with Guy earl 
of Flanders, whofe alii fiance he bought for feventy-five 
thoufand pounds. By thefe alii Hants he entertained 
hopes of recovering his French dominions ; and he ac¬ 
cordingly fet about providing lhoney for the arduous un¬ 
dertaking. Thefe negotiations however occalioned fo 
much delay, that when he took the field in Flanders, at 
the head of an array^of fifty thoufand men, the feafon of 
action was loft ; yet the king of France was glad to come 
to an accommodation ; and Edward agreed to fubmit their 
differences to the arbitration of the pope. By this me¬ 
diation their friendfhip was cemented by a double mar¬ 
riage ; that of Edward with Margaret, Philip’s filler ; 
and that of the prince of Wales with Ifabella, the French 
monarch’s daughter. Philip alfo reftored Guienne to the 
Englifti. 
But though this expedition was thus amicably termi¬ 
nated, yet the expences of fitting it out were not only 
burthenfome to the king, but in the event even threaten¬ 
ed to fiiake him on his throne. In order to conciliate 
the regard of his people, he raifed his fupplies through the 
organ of his parliament ; and that auguft body was now 
modelled by him into the form in which it continues at 
this day. He iffued writs to the ftieriffs, enjoining them 
to fend to parliament, two knights of each lb ire, (as in 
the former reign,) and two deputies from each principal 
town within the fit ire, empowered by their condiments 
to grant fuch demands as they fliould think reafonable 
for the fafety of the ftate. The charges of thefe depu¬ 
ties were to be borne by the borough which Lent them; 
and lo far were they from confidering this privilege as an 
honour, that nothing could be more dilpleafing to any bo¬ 
rough than to be t bus obliged to fend a deputy, nor to any in¬ 
dividual than to be thus cholen. Such was the confiitu- 
tion of that parliament, to which Edward applied for 
aftiftance againft France. He obtained from the barons 
and knights, a grant of the twelfth of their moveables ; 
from the boroughs, an eighth ; and from the clergy he 
determined to exadb a fifth ; but he there found an unex¬ 
pected refiftance. The pope had fome time before iffued 
a bull, prohibiting the clergy from paying taxes to any 
temporal prince, without uermiffion from the fee of 
VoL. VI. No. 375. 
j A N. D. 
Rome ; and thofe of England now pleaded confcience, in 
refufing to comply'with the king’s demand. They al¬ 
leged, that they owed obedience to two (overeigns, a 
fpiritual and a temporal; rhat their eternal happinefs 
bound them to obey one, while only their worldly affairs 
led them to acknowledge the other. Edward was highly 
difpleafed with their duplicity, and employed their own 
arguments with great force againft them. He fefnfed 
them his temporal protection, ordered his judges to hear 
no caufe brought before them by the clergy, but to de¬ 
cide all caufes in which'they were defendants : and to do 
every man ftriCl juftice againft them. In this outlawed 
lituation, they fullered numberlefs evils from the hand ot 
every ruffian, while the king’s officers remained uncon¬ 
cerned fpeffators of their oppreftion. Whenever the cler¬ 
gy ventured from home, they were plundered or robbed 
of their clothes; the primate himfelf was attacked on 
the highway, and dripped of his equipage and furniture. 
Thefe feverities at length prevailed ; and the clergy 
agreed to leave the fums they were taxed in their churches 
to be taken away by the king’s officers. Thus at once 
they obeyed the king, without incurring the cenfure of 
the pope. But though thefe fums were very great, yet 
they were by no means adequate to the wants of the (late. 
New taxes were therefore impofed. Edward laid a duty 
of forty (hillings a fack upon wool ; he required the 
(lierift's of each county to fiipply him with two thoufand 
quarters of wheat, and as many of oats, without confider¬ 
ing how they were to be obtained. Thefe he levied by 
the way of loans, promifing to pay an equivalent, when¬ 
ever the affairs of the ftate would allow him fo to do. 
Such modes of oppreftion were not to be endured by the 
people, without murmuring; and the powerful barons, 
jealous of their own privileges, as well as of the national 
liberty, gave countenance to the general difcontent. 
The firft fymptoms of this fpirit of difcontent appeared 
upon the king’s ordering Humphrey Bohun, the confta- 
ble, and Roger Bigod, the marefchal, of England, to take 
the command of an army deftined for Gafcony, while he 
himfelf intended to make a diverfion on the fide of Flan¬ 
ders. Thefe two powerful noblemen ref u fed to obey his 
orders, alleging, that they were obliged by their offices 
to attend him only in the wars, and not to conduft his 
armies. A violent altercation enfued. The king, ad¬ 
drefling himfelf to the conftable, cried out, “ Sir earl, by 
God, you (hall either go or be hanged.” To which the 
haughty baron replied, “ Sir king, by God, I will neither 
go nor be hanged.” This opposition defeated the cam¬ 
paign, and taught the king a ufeful leffon: he found he 
had driven prerogative too far; and, with that prefence 
of mind which was ever at his command, hedefired to be 
reconciled to his barons, to the church, and to his people. 
He pleaded the urgent neceftities of the ftate, and promif- 
ed to redrefs all grievances, to reftore the due execution 
of the laws, and to make his lubjefts compenfation for 
the Ioffes which they had fuftained/ Thefe generous 
profeftions at once allayed the difeontents of the nation ; 
and the king embarked for the continent in Auguft: 1297, 
where he negotiated a truce with Philip ; but not till af¬ 
ter he had paid his continental allies immenfe fums, for 
which no fervices whatever had been performed. During 
his abfence, the two noblemen Bigod and Bohun, attended 
by a great body of cavalry and infantry, took poffeftion of 
the city gates, and obliged the king’s council to fign the 
Magna Charta, and to add a claufe, to fecure the nation 
for ever againft all impolitions and taxes, without the 
previous conlent of parliament. This the council agreed 
to fign ; and the king himfelf, when it was fent over to 
him in Flanders, did the fame. Thefe conceffions he 
confirmed upon his return ; and thus, after the ftruggles 
of an age, the Magna Charta was finally eftablifhed ; nor 
was it the lead honourable circumftance in its favour, 
that its confirmation was eftablifhed by one of the great- 
eft princes that ever fwayed the Englifti feeptre. 
But though the confirmation of the Great Charter was 
7 L obtained 
