ENGLAND. 
depend ; but tills reinforcement occnfioned, in the ilfne, 
the immediate ruin of the duke of York’s party. When 
the royal army approached, and a general adtion was 
every hour expefted, fir Andrew Trollop, Who com¬ 
manded lie veterans, deferted to the king in the night¬ 
time ; and the Yorkifts were fo difmayed at this in fiance 
of treachery, which made every man fufpicious of his 
fellow, that they feparated next day, without (hiking a 
firoke. The duke fled to Ireland; and the earl of War¬ 
wick, attended by many of the other leaders, efcaped to 
Calais, where his great popularity among all orders of 
men foon drew to him partifans; while the friends of the 
houfe of York, in England, kept themfelves in fecret 
readinefs, to rile on the fil'd fumtnons. 
Warwick having met with fome fuccelfes at fea, landed 
in Kent, with the earl of Salifbury, and the earl of Marche, 
elded; fon of the duke of York ; and being met by the pri¬ 
mate and other perfons of didindlion, he marched, amidfl 
the acclamations of the people, to London. The city im¬ 
mediately opened its gates to him ; and histroopsincreafing 
on every day’s march, he foon found himfelf in a condition 
to face the royal army, which liaflehed from Coventry to 
attack him. A battle was fought at Northampton ; and was 
foon decided againfl the royalids by the infidelity of lord 
Grey of Ruthin, who, commanding Henry’s van, deferted to 
the enemy during the heat of adtion, and fpread a con- 
flernation through the troops. The duke of Bucking¬ 
ham, the earl of Shrewfbury, the lords Beaumont and 
Egremont, and fir William Lucie, with many other per¬ 
fons of quality, were killed in the action ; the common 
people were fpared by order of the earls of Warwick and 
Marche. Henry himfelf was again taken prifoner; and 
as the innocence and limplicity of his manners, together 
with his misfortunes, rendered him an interefting objedt, 
he was treated with abundant refpect. 
A parliament being fummoned in the king’s name at 
Weft minder, the duke foon after appeared there from 
Ireland ; and (fating to the houfe of peers his own claim, 
exhorted them to do juftice to the lineal fucceflion. The 
lords remained for fome time in fufpenfe ; but at length 
declared in favour of the claim of the duke of York. It 
was decreed, however, that Henry fhould continue to pof- 
fefs the crown during the remainder of his life; that the 
adminiftration of the country fliould in the mean while 
remain with Richard; and that he fliould be acknow¬ 
ledged the true and lawful heir of the monarchy. In this 
decifion the duke acquielced; and Henry, had he even 
been at liberty, would not probably have objefted to it. 
The liig'h-fpirited Margaret, however, fpurned at the 
compact, and refolved to aflert in arms the rights of her 
family. After the battle of Northampton, (lie fled to the 
north, w'here her affability, infinuation, and addrefs, 
among the northern barons, raifed her an army at leaft 
twenty thoufand ftrong, with a celerity which was neither 
expedted by her friends, nor apprehended by her enemies. 
The duke of York, informed of her intentions, haftened 
with a body of five thoufand men, to check her progrefs ; 
but on his arrival at Wakefield, finding himfelf fo much 
outnumbered by the enemy, he threw himfelf into Sandal 
caftle - r and was advifed by the earl of Salifbury, and other 
prudent counfellors, to remain in that fortrefs, till his 
fon, the earl of Marche, who was levying forces on the 
borders of Wales, could advance to his afliftance. The 
duke, however, who pofleffed perfonal bravery in an emi¬ 
nent degree, thought that he fliould be for ever difgraced, 
if by taking fheher behind walls, he fliould for a moment 
refign the vitlory to a woman. He therefore defcended 
into the plain, and offered battle to the enemy, which was 
inflantly accepted. The great inequality of numbers 
was fuffkient alone to decide the victory ; but the queen, 
by fending a detachment, who fell on the rear of the 
duke’s army, rendered her advantage (till more certain 
and undifputed. The duke himfelf was killed in the 
action; and his head was, by Margaret’s orders, fixed on 
the gates of York, with a paper crown, in derifion of his 
Vol. VI. No. 377. 
617 
claim. His fon, the earl of Rutland, a very promifing 
youth of feventeen, was nuirdered in cool blood, by lord 
Clifford, in revenge for the lofs of his father, at the bat¬ 
tle of St. Albans. The earl of Salifbury was wounded 
and taken prifoner, and immediately beheaded, with fevc- 
ral other perfons of diftindtion, by martial law, at Pom- 
fret. There fell near three thoufand Yorkifts in this 
battle : the duke himfelf was greatly and juftly lamented 
by his own party. He perifhed in the fiftieth year of his 
age, and left three fons, Edward, George, and Richard, 
with three daughters, Anne, Elizabeth, and Margaret. 
The queen, elated with this victory, divided her army. 
She lent the fmaller divifion, under Jafper Tudor earl of 
Pembroke, half brother to the king, againft Edward, the 
new duke of York; and herfelf marched with the larger 
towards London, where the earl of Warwick had been 
left with the command of the Yorkifts. Pembroke was 
defeated by Edward, at Mortimer’s crofsin Herefordfhire, 
with the lofs of near four thoufand men. He himfelf ef¬ 
caped by flight; but his father, fir Owen Tudor, was 
taken prifoner, and immediately beheaded by Edwafd’s 
orders. Margaret, however, compenfated this defeat by 
a victory which (lie obtained'over the earl of Warwick, 
at St. Albans. About two thoufand three hundred of 
the vanquifhed, perifhed in the battle ; and the perfon ot 
the king fell again into the hands of his own party. But 
the queen reaped no great advantage from her victory. 
Edward duke of York advanced upon her from the other 
fide ; and collecting the remains of Warwick’s army, was 
foon in a condition to give her battle with fuperior forces. 
Senfible of her danger, fhe found it necelfary to retreat 
towards the north ; and Edward entered London amidft: 
the acclamations of the citizens. Inftead of evincing the 
timid caution of his father, he determined to avail him¬ 
felf of his popularity, and toalfume at once the name and 
dignity of king. His army was ordered to afi'einble in 
St. John’s Fields; great numbers of people furrounded 
them ; a Ratable harangue was pronounced to this mixed 
multitude; and when it was demanded, whether they 
would accept of Edward, eldeft fon of the late duke of 
York, for their king ? they exprelled their affent by loud 
and joyful acclamations. A great number of bifhops, 
lords, and magiftrates, and other, perfons of diftinClion, 
were next aflembled at Baynard’s caftle, who ratified the 
popular election ; and the new king was proclaimed in 
London, A. D. 1461. Thus terminated the inglorious 
reign of Henry VI. a monarch, who while in his cradle, 
had been proclaimed king both of France and England ; 
but who loft all the conquefts of his illuftrious father, and 
the hereditary dominions of his family in France, and at 
laft the crown of England. His perfonal appearance was 
mean, and his countenance melancholy. But the weak- 
nefs of his undei (landing, and the facility of his temper, 
were his mod fatal defefts; the one rendering him quite 
unfit for holding the reins of government, the other mak¬ 
ing him a paftive inftrument in the hands of thole by 
whom he was furrounded. In private life, he was harm- 
lefs and inoffenlive, devout, chafte,-temperate, humble in 
profperity, and patient in adverfity : but the weaknefs of 
Ins underftanding degraded all his virtues. In a word, 
Henry VI. was much fitter for a monk than for a monarch, 
and would have made a better figure in a cloifter than in 
a court. But that infignificancy which loft him his 
crown, faved his life ; for when he fell into the hands of 
his fnccelfor, he permitted him to live, not thinking his 
death necelfary to his own fecurity. Yet this prince 
could not in truth be confidered as an ufurper; and the 
defence which he made for himfelf, when he was accufed 
of that crime in the tower, leems to be fatisfaftory : “ My 
father (faid he) and grandfather were kings of England 5 
I was enthroned when I was an infant, crowned when I 
was a child, received the voluntary homage of all my 
fubje&s, and enjoyed the royal authority, unchallenged, 
almoft forty years.” He reigned thirty-eight years and 
fix months. His only child, Edward prince of Y/ales, 
7 S was 
