C04 ENGLAND. 
himfelf the government of the kingdom. “ Yes, (re¬ 
plied he,) I have long been under the government of tu¬ 
tors; and I will now firftfliew my right to power by their 
removal.” *He then ordered Thomas Arundel, whom 
the comrniffioners had appointed chancellor, to give up 
the feals, which he next day delivered to William of 
Wykeham, bifliop of Winchefter. He next removed the 
duke of Gloucefter, the earl of Warwick, and other 
lords of the oppofition, from the council. The bifliop 
of Hereford loft his office of treafurer; the earl of Arun¬ 
del was deprived of the poft of high-admiral; all the 
great officers of the houfehold, as well as the judges, 
were changed; and all the offices felt the influence of 
this unexpected revolution. 
The king, t it it s for the fil'd: time at liberty to conduct 
his own affairs, began by extending It is moderation to¬ 
wards thofe who had endeavoured to deprefs his power: 
he appeared to be entirely reconciled to his uncles; and 
he remittedTome taxes, which gained for a time the af¬ 
fections of the people. But he was unfortunately defi¬ 
cient in that conduct and demeanour which commands 
refpeCt: he was fond of idle pleafure and vain oftenta- 
tiou ; he admitted the meaneft ranks to his familiarity ; 
and his converfation betrayed alike the want of morals 
and abilities. His military talents, on which mankind 
ever place a high value, were feldom exerted, and never 
with fuccefs. The French war was fcarcely heard of; 
and forne fuccefsful inroads of the Scots, particularly that 
which brought on the difputed victory at Otterbourne, 
were only oppofed by thofe barons wliofe poffeflions lay 
along the frontier. Richard gained indeed fome reputa¬ 
tion for arms in Ireland; but his fucceffes there were too 
indefinite to give him a decilive character. From this 
natural deficiency of vigour and aCtion, the fmall regard 
which the public bore his perfon, difpofed them to mur¬ 
mur againft his adminiftration, and to receive with avidity 
every complaint fuggefted to his prejudice. 
Whether the duke of Gloucefter was hurt at this ob¬ 
vious imbecility in his royal nephew, or afpired to the 
throne by fomenting jealoufies againft him, mult for ever 
remain undecided ; but certain it is, that he ufed every 
artifice to increafe the averfion of the nation againft him, 
and to eftablilh his own popularity. He reprefented the 
peace which had been concluded with France, A . D. 1396, 
as the refult of the king’s cowardice; and plaufibly ap¬ 
peared to lament that Richard fliould have degenerated 
fo far from the heroic virtues of his father. He frequent¬ 
ly fpoke with contempt of the king’s perfon and govern¬ 
ment, and deliberated concerning the lawfulnefs of throw¬ 
ing off all allegiance to fitch a fovereign. Thefe were 
infults that betrayed a difpoiition to rebel; and therefore 
the king’s friends advifed the ridding himfelf entirely both 
of him and his faCtion. He accordingly ordered his uncle 
of Gloucefter to be arrefted and fent to Calais, at which 
place there was no danger of a refcue from his numerous 
adherents. The earls of Arundel and Warwick were 
feized at the fame time; and a parliament was fummoned 
at Weftminfter, which the king knew would be obedient 
to his will. This parliament annulled for ever the cont- 
mifiion of fourteen, which had ufurped his authority ; 
they repealed all thofe a6ts which had condemned the 
king’s minifters ; arid revoked the general pardon which 
the king had granted, upon his afluming the reins of go¬ 
vernment. In confequence of this revolution in ftate 
affairs, feveral of the party of Gloucefter were impeached, 
condemned, and executed., Fitz-Alan, archbifltop of 
Canterbury, was banifhed the realm, and his temporali¬ 
ties fequeltered. The earl of Arundel in vain pleaded 
the king’s general pardon, to ftop his execution; the earl 
of Warwick, (hewing ligns of contrition, had his life 
fpared, but was banifhed to the iile of Man. A warrant 
was next iflued to the governor of Calais, to bring over 
the duke of Gloucefter, and to take his trial, as other 
leaders of the confederacy had already done; but he had 
been previoufly difpatched in prifon by his keepers, as 
the fureft expedient to fupprefs his party. 
The private affallination of a nobleman fo popular as 
the duke of Gloucefter, failed not, to increafe thofe ani- 
mofities which had taken deep root in the kingdom. The 
aggrandifement of fome new favourites contributed ter 
make the king odious; but it was his weak and arbitrary 
government which finally fet his fubjedts againft him. 
After the deftrudtion of the duke of Gloucefter, and the 
leaders of his party, a mifunderftanding broke out among 
thofe noblemen who inftituted the profecution. The earl 
of Hereford appeared in parliament, and accufed the duke 
of Norfolk of having fpoken treafon againft the king. 
Norfolk denied the charge ; and offered to prove his in¬ 
nocence by fingle combat. As proofs were wanting for 
legal trial, the lords readily acquiefced in that mode of 
determination; the time and place were appointed ; and 
the whole nation waited with anxious fufpenfe for the 
event. At length the day arrived on which this duel 
was to be fought; and as combats of this kind are (till 
in force by our law, (fee the article Battel, vol.ii. 
p. 809,) it may not be amifs to deferibe the ceremonies 
on this folemn occafion. Hereford, the challenger, firft 
appeared on a white charger, gaily caparifoned, armed"at 
all points, and holding his drawn {"word. When he ap¬ 
proached the lifts, the marefchal demanded his name and 
bufinefs ; to which he replied, “ I am Henry of Lancaf- 
ter earl of Hereford, come hither according to my duty, 
againft Thomas Mowbray duke of Norfolk, a falfe trai¬ 
tor to God and the king, the realm and me.” Then 
taking the oath that his quarrel was juft and true, he de- 
fired to enter the lifts, which being granted, he fheathed 
his fword, pulled down his beaver, crofted himfelf on 
the forehead, feized his lance, pafled the barrier, alighted, 
and fat down in a chair of green velvet, placed at one end 
of the lifts. He had fcarcely taken his feat, when the 
king came into the field with great pomp, attended by 
the lords, the count de St. Pol, who came from France 
on purpofe to fee this famous trial, and ten thoufand men 
at arms, to prevent tumults and difturbances. Richard 
being feated in his chair of ftate, the king at arms pro¬ 
claimed that none but fuch as were appointed to marfhal 
the field, fhould prefume to touch the lifts upon pain of 
death. Then another herald proclaimed aloud, “ Behold 
here Henry of Lancafter earl of Hereford, who has entered 
the lifts to perform his devoir againft Thomas Mowbray 
duke of Norfolk, on pain of being counted falfe and re¬ 
creant.” Juft then the duke of Norfolk appeared in 
arms, mounted upon a barbed horfe, with a coat of arms 
of crimfon velvet, embroidered with lions of (liver and 
mulberry-trees; and, having taken his oath before the 
conftable and marefchal, entered the field, exclaiming 
aloud, “ God defend the right.” Then, alighting from 
his horfe, he placed himfelf,in a chair of crimfon velvet 
oppofite to his antagonift, at the other end of the lifts. 
After which the marefchal having meafured their lances, 
delivered one to the challenger, and fent a knight with 
the other to the duke of Norfolk ; and proclamation was 
made that they fliould prepare for the combat. Accord¬ 
ingly, mounting their horfes, and clofing their beavers, 
the trumpets founded to the charge. The earl of Here¬ 
ford began his career with great violence ; but, before 
he could join his antagonift, the king threw down his 
warder, and the heralds interpofed. By the advice and 
authority of his parliamentary commiflioners he flopped 
the combat, and ordered both the champions to leave the 
kingdom. The duke of Norfolk he banifhed for life, 
but the earl of Hereford only for ten years. Thus the 
one was condemned to exile without being charged with 
any offence, and the other without being convitted of 
any crime. The duke of Norfolk was overwhelmed with 
grief at the judgment awarded againft him ; he retired to 
Venice, where he died of a broken heart. Hereford’s be¬ 
haviour on this occafion was refigned and fubmiflive, 
which 
