ENGLAND. 
its captive monarch • and yet, fuch was his abfurdity, 
that he prepared for a croifade to the Holy Land. Had 
liis exhaufted fubjeCts been able to equip him for this 
projeCt of knight-errantry, it is probable he would have 
gone through with it; but their miferies were fuch that 
they were even too poor to pay his random. This was a 
breach of treaty that John would not fubmit to; and he 
w'as heard to exprefs himfelf in a very noble manner upon 
the occafion : “ Though (fays he) good faith (hould be 
baniflved from the reft of the earth, yet (lie ought ftill to 
retain her habitation in the bread of kings.” In confe- 
quence of this declaration he actually returned to Eng¬ 
land, and yielded himfelf up a prifoner, lince he could 
not be fet honourably free. It has been laid, that his 
palfion for the countefs of Salifbury was the real caufe of 
this journey ; but we have no foundation for fitch report. 
He was lodged in the Savoy, the palace where he had be¬ 
fore refided ; and where he foon after clofed a long and 
unfortunate reign, by his death, which happened on the 
8th of April, 1364. 
Charles, furnamed the Wife, fuceeeded his father on 
the throne of France ; and this monarch, merely by the 
force of a finely conducted policy, reftored his country 
once more to tranquillity and power. He quelled and 
ditlipated a fet of banditti, who had aftociated themfelves 
under the name of Companions, Les Cowpagne'cs, and who 
had long been a terror to the peaceable inhabitants. He 
had them inrolled into a body, and led them into the 
kingdom of Caftile againft Peter furnamed the Cruel, whom 
his fubjeCts had dethroned, and who, by means of an al¬ 
liance with the Englifh, endeavoured to get himfelf re- 
inftated upon the throne. In confequence of tliefe alli¬ 
ances, the Englifh, who fupported the intereft of Peter, 
and the French, who maintained that of Henry, again 
came to an engagement ; their armies on the one fide 
commanded by the Black Prince ; on the other, by Henry 
of Tranftamare, and Bertrand du Guefclin, one of the 
molt confummate generals in the French fervice. In this 
battle, which was fought April 3, 1367, the ufual good 
fortune of the prince of Wales prevailed ; the French 
loft above twenty thoufand men, while only four knights 
and forty private men on the fide of the Englifh were 
{lain. Neverthelefs, thefe victories were attended with 
but few good effefts. The Englifh, by their unlimited 
fupplies, had been quite exhaufted, and were unable to 
continue an army in the field. Charles, on the other 
hand, cautioufiy forbore coming to an engagement, but 
was contented to let his enemies vvafte their ftrength in 
attempts to plunder a fortified country. As often as 
they retired, he was fure to fully forth, and poftefs hini- 
felf of fuch places as they were not ftrong enough to de¬ 
fend. He firft fell upon Ponthieu ; the citizens of Ab¬ 
beville opened their gates to him; thofe'of St. Valois, 
Rue, and Crotoy, followed the example; and the whole 
country was, in a little time, thus reduced to total fub- 
mifiion. The fouthern provinces were, in the fame man¬ 
ner, reduced with equal fuccefs ; while the Black Prince, 
deftitute of fupplies from England, and wafted by a con- 
fumptive diforder, was obliged to return to his native 
country, leaving the affairs of France in a tottering con¬ 
dition. 
Thefe untoward circumftances excited the refentment 
of the king of England to the utmoft pitch ; and he re- 
folved to take fignal vengeance on his enemies on the 
continent. But the favourable opportunity had pafted 
by ; and all his great defigns were uniformly abortive. 
The earl of Pembroke, with his whole army, were inter¬ 
cepted at fea, and taken prifoners by Henry king of Caf- 
tile. This nobleman in perfon attempted to embark with 
an army for Bourdeaux ; but was detained by contrary 
winds, and obliged to lay afide the expedition. Sir Ro¬ 
bert Knolles, one of his generals on the continent, at the 
head of thirty thoufand men, was defeated by Bertrand du 
Guefclin; while the duke of Lancufter, at the head of 
twenty-five thoufand men, had the mortification of lee- 
Vol. VI. No, 376. 
601 
ing his troops diminifhed by defertion, without ever 
coming to battle. Such were the fading laurels of Ed¬ 
ward III. in the wane of life; when, too, he had the 
mortification to fee his authority defpifed at home. In 
vain he fought folace, in his old age, in the arms of 
Alice Pierce, a favourite courtezan ; this only ferved to 
exafperate his people againft him, and to turn their pity 
into contempt. But what, of all other things, ferved 
to caft a gloom upon the latter part of this fplendid reign, 
was the approaching death of his 1110ft magnanimous (on, 
Edward the Black Prince, whofe conftitution bowed to 
the fymptoms of a fpeedy difFolution. 'Phis valiant and 
accomplilbed hero died on June 8, 1376, in the forty-fixth 
year of his age, leaving behind him one fon, and a cha¬ 
racter without fpot or blemilli. His affability, clemency, 
courage, and liberal difpofition, have been celebrated by 
innumerable hiftorians. Though born in the iron age in 
which military virtues alone were held inefteem, he cul¬ 
tivated the arts'of peace; and feemed ever moft happy 
in harmonizing the difcordance of parties, and in pro¬ 
moting the bleftings of domeftic life. The parliament 
teftified their veneration for his memory, by attending his 
remains to the cathedral of Caterbury, where he was in¬ 
terred. 
The king ivas moft fenfibly affiiCted at the death of his 
fon; and tried every art to remdve his forrow. He had 
baniftied Alice from his prefence fome time before; but 
took her again, in hopes of finding confolation in her 
company. He removed himfelf entirely from the duties 
of the (late, and from aCtive life ; and left his kingdom 
to be plundered by a fet of rapacious minifters. He did 
not long furvive the confequences af his degenerate con¬ 
duct ; but died about a year after the prince, at Shene, 
in Surry, deferted by all his courtiers, and plundered by 
his faithlefs courtezan. He expired in the fixty-fifth year 
of his age, and the fifty-firft of his reign, on the firft of 
June, 1377. 
Edward III. was in his perfon well (haped, tall, ftrong, 
and aCfive ; his countenance was comely, his air maj el- 
tic, and his addrefs engaging. He much excelled, and 
greatly delighted, in the manly exercifes of thofe times, 
particularly tournaments, which were often celebrated 
at bis court with great magnificence. His genius, both 
for learning, politics, and war, was far above the com¬ 
mon rate. He underftood feveral languages, and was 
well verfed in the learning of his time, as well as a mu¬ 
nificent patron of learning and learned men. England 
enjoyed, by the prudence and vigour of Edward’s ad- 
miniftration, a longer interval of domeftic peace and tran¬ 
quillity, than (he had been blelt with in any former period, 
or than (lie experienced for many years after. He gained 
the affeCtions of the great, and curbed their licentiouf- 
nefs: he made them feel his power, without their daring, 
or even being inclined, to murmur ; his affable and oblig¬ 
ing behaviour, his munificence and generofity, made them 
fubmit with pleafure to his dominion; his valour and 
conduCt made them fuccefsful in moft of their enter- 
priies ; and their unquiet fpirits, directed againft a pub¬ 
lic enemy, had no leilure to breed difturbances, to which 
they were naturally lo much inclined, and which the fpi- 
rit of the government feemed fo much to authorife. This 
was the chief benefit which refulted from Edward's vic¬ 
tories and conquefts. His foreign wars were, in other re- 
fpeCts, neither founded in juftice, nor directed to any very 
falutary purpofe. His attempt againft the king of Scot¬ 
land, a minor, and a brother-in-law, and the revival of 
his grandfather’s claim of fuperiority over that kingdom, 
were both unreafonable and ungenerous : and he allowed 
himfelf to be too foon feduced by the glaring prcfpeCts 
of French conqueft, from the acquifition of a point which 
was practicable, and which might really, if attained, have 
been of lading utility to his country and to his fuccef- 
fors. The love of glory was certainly the predominant 
palfion of Edward, to the gratification of which he did 
not fcruple to facrifice the feelings of humanity, the lives 
7 O of 
