<>18 ENG 
was in the feventh year of his age at the time his father 
was deprived of his crown. 
'I he mod: remarkable law which paffed in this reign, 
was tor regulating the election of knights of the (hire. 
After the fall of the feudal'f'yftem, every freeholder was, 
by degrees, admitted to give his vote ; but in the eighth 
and tenth of Henry VI. laws were enacted which limited 
the elefcors to fuch as polfelfed not lets than forty (hillings 
a year in land, free from all burdens; a fum equivalent 
to near twenty pounds of our prefent money. It fhould 
alfo be obferved, that the fird indance of debt being con¬ 
tracted on parliamentary fecurity, occurs in this reign. 
From the ACCESSION of the HOUSE of YORK, 
TO THE FINAL EXTINCTION OF THE PLANTA- 
GENETS. 
Edward IV. was in the bloom of youth, being hardly 
nineteen years of age, when lie afeended the throne of 
England ; beautiful in his perfon, engaging in his deport¬ 
ment, excelling in all manly exercifes, brave, aftive, and 
even prudent beyond his years. Inftead of fpending his 
time in vain amufements, he applied to bufinefs with fo 
much ardour, that the fird divifion of his army, conduct¬ 
ed by the earl of Warwick, left London, March 7 ; and, 
five days after, he followed with the. red of his forces. 
On that fame day, he gave a fpecimen of the cruelty 
which afterwards dained his character, by ordering the 
execution of Walter Walker, a grocer, for having fpoken 
contemptuoufly of his title to the crown. His army in- 
creafed as he advanced ; and when he reached Pomfret, 
March 27, he found himfelf at the head of an army of 
near 50,000 men. 
Queen Margaret, and the nobles of her party, after 
their return into the north, had been very aCtive in re¬ 
cruiting their army, which lay at York, and amounted to 
6,0,000 men. The duke of Somerfet was appointed com¬ 
mander in chief; leaving the king, queen, and prince of 
Wales, at York. Early in the morning of Palm Sunday, 
March 29, thefe two mighty armies, inflamed with the 
mod violent animofity, were drawn up in order of battle 
on the fields between the villages Saxton and Towton, 
about ten miles fouth of York. Edward ilfued exprefs 
orders to his troops to take no prifoners, and give no quar¬ 
ter ; nor is it improbable that the orders on the other 
fide were in the fame fanguinary drain. The aftion be¬ 
gan at nine in the morning, in the midd of a heavy fli.ower 
of fnow, which was blown with great violence in the 
faces of the Lancadrians, and prevented them from fee¬ 
ing the enemy didinCtly, or judging rightly of their dif- 
tance. Lord Fauconbridge, taking advantage of this cir- 
camdance, commanded his archers to advance brilkly a 
few paces, and (hoot their arrows with all their force, and 
then fall back. The Yorkids advanced ; and, pouring 
in diowers of arrows upon their enemies, did great execu¬ 
tion, and made them rudi on to a clofe engagement, with 
fwords, fpears, battle-axes, &c. The conflict now be¬ 
came fierce and bloody, and continued between four and 
five hours, vidlory foiiietimes inclining to one fide, and 
fometimes to the other. At length the Lancadrians be¬ 
gan to give way ; and, being bard prelfed, they broke, 
and fled on all (ides, and were purfued with great (laugh¬ 
ter. This was one of the mod bloody battles that ever 
was fought in Britain. Thofe who were employed to 
number and bury the dead, declared, that their number 
amounted to 38,000. Amongd thefe were the earls of 
Northumberland, Wedmoreland, and Shrewfbury; the 
lords Clifford, Beaumont, Nevil, Willoughby, Wells, 
Roos, Scales, Grey, Dacres, and Molineux ; belides a 
prodigious number of knights and gentlemen. This was 
the fourth pitched battle fought in lefsthan three months 
in England, in which above 60,000 of her braved fons 
perifhed ; among whom were feveral princes of the blood, 
and many of the prime nobility. The dukes of SomerleE 
and Exeter, when they favv that all was lod, returned to 
York, attended by feveral lords and gentlemen; and, 
LAN D. 
taking with them the king, queen, aetd prince of Wales, 
fled into Scotland ; and never thought themfelves fate 
till they had reached the capital of that kingdom. 
Edward, in the mean time, not fatiated with the daugh¬ 
ter of the battle, caufed much noble blood to be died on 
tire fcaffold. The earl of Devonfhire and fir W. Hill, 
being taken in their flight, were beheaded at York, and 
their heads were fet upon the walls of that city, indead 
of that of the duke of York, the king’s father, and that 
of the earl of Salidniry, which were now taken down. 
The earl of Ormond and Wiltfhire was beheaded at New- 
cadle, and dr Thomas Fulford at Hexham. Edward 
then marched as far north as Newcadle; and having left 
the earl of Warwick with a competent force, to keep 
that part of the country in fubjeftion, he returned to 
London, June 26 ; and three days after he was crowned 
at Wedminder with the ufual folemnity. 
While thefe refentful and fanguinary perfecutions were 
going on in England, the Scots remained in a manner paf- 
live : the then king James III. was a minor, and the re¬ 
gency was difputed by the qneen-dowager and the family 
of Douglas. Margaret found Scotland little lefs didrabl- 
ed than England ; but on her offering to the council to 
deliver to them immediately the important town and fortrefs 
of Berwick, and to contract her Ion in marriage with a 
fider of James, they promifed the adid^nce of their arms 
to reindate her family on the throne of England. As 
the danger from that quarter, however, did not appear 
urgent, Edward, indead of purfuing the fugitive king and 
queen, fummoned a parliament for fettling the govern¬ 
ment. That adembly no longer hefitated between the 
two families; they edablidied the title of Edward, and 
palled an act of attainder againd Henry and Margaret, 
againd their infant fon Edward, and feveral of their prin¬ 
cipal adherents. 
Domedic peace, however, was not yet redored to Eng¬ 
land ; nor was there wanting danger from the efforts of 
foreign powers. Louis XI. of France, was of an intriguing 
and politic temper, and, to keep alive the flames of 
civil difeord in England, he lent a body of two thoufand 
men at arms to the afTidance of the depofed Henry. 
Thus Margaret was again enabled to take the field ; but, 
though reinforced by a numerous train of adventurers 
from Scotland, and by many partizans of the family of 
Lancader, die received a check at Hedgley-moor, from 
lord Montagu, brother to the earl of Warwick ; who was 
fo elated with this fuccefs, that while a numerous rein¬ 
forcement was on their march to join him by orders from 
Edward, he ventured with his own handful of troops to 
attack the Lancadrians at Hexham, and obtained a com¬ 
plete vidlory over them. The duke of Somerfet, the 
lords Rous and Hungerford were taken in the purfuit, 
and immediately beheaded. Summary puni(hment was 
in like manner executed on feveral perfons of rank. All 
thofe who were fpared in the field differed on the fcaf¬ 
fold ; and the utter extermination of their adverfaries was 
now become the object of the York party. 
The hard fate of the ex-royal family deferves to be re¬ 
corded. Margaret, flying with her fon into a fored, was 
befet, during the darknefs of the night, by a gang of rob¬ 
bers, who defpoiled her of her rings and jewels, and treat¬ 
ed htr with the utmod indignity. The partition of this 
rich booty railed a quafrel among them; and while their 
attention was thus engaged, (he took the opportunity of 
plunging with her fon into the depths of the fored, where 
(he wandered for a long time, fpent with hunger and fa¬ 
tigue, and overwhelmed with terror and affliction. While 
in this wretched condition, die faw a robber approach 
with his naked fword ; and finding that die had nojneans 
of efcape, with. Angular prefence of mind, (he advanced 
towards him ; and prefenting to him the young prince, 
exclaimed, “ Here,-my friend, I commit to your care the 
fafety of your king’s Con.” The man, whole generous 
fpirit had been oblcured by his vicious collide of life, 
was charmed with the confidence repoled in him ; and 
vowed 
