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murdered in his presence Robert de Clermont and John de 
Conflans, mareschals of France; threatened all the other 
ministers with the litre fate; and when Charles, who had 
been obliged to temporize and dissemble, made his escape 
from their hands, they levied war against him, and openly 
rebelled. The other cities of the kingdom, in imitation of 
the capital, shook off the dauphin’s authority, took the 
government into their own hands, and spread the contagion 
in every province. 
Amidst these disorders, the king of Navarre made his 
escape from prison, and presented a dangerous leader to the 
furious malcontents. He revived his pretensions to the 
crown of France: but in all his operations he acted more 
like a leader of banditti than one who aspired to be the 
head of a regular government, and who was engaged by his 
station to endeavour the re-establishment of order in the 
community. All the French, therefore, who wished to re¬ 
store peace to their country, turned their eyes towards the 
dauphin; who, though not remarkable for his military 
talents, daily gained by his prudence and vigilance the as¬ 
cendant over his enemies. Marcel, the seditious provost of 
Paris, was slain in attempting to deliver that city to the king 
of Navarre. The capital immediately returned to its duty; 
the most considerable bodies of the mutinous peasants were 
dispersed or put to the sword ; some bands of military rob¬ 
bers underwent the same fate; and France began once 
more to assume the appearance of civil government. 
John was succeeded in the throne of France by his son 
Charles V., a prince educated in the school of adversity, and 
well qualified, by his prudence and experience, to repair 
the losses which the kingdom had sustained from the errors 
of his predecessors. Contrary to the practice of all the great 
princes of those times, who held nothing in estimation but 
military courage, he seems to have laid it down as a maxim, 
never to appear at the head of his armies; and he was the 
first European monarch that showed the advantage of policy 
and foresight over a rash and precipitate valour. 
Before Charles could think of counterbalancing so great 
a power as England, it was necessary tor him to remedy 
the many disorders to which his own kingdom was exposed. 
He accordingly turned his arms against the king of Navarre, 
the great disturber of France during that age; and he de¬ 
feated that prince, and reduced him to terms, by the valour 
and conduct of Bertrand du Guesclin, one of the most 
accomplished captains of those times, whom Charles had the 
discernment to choose as the instrument of his victories. He 
also settled the affairs of Britanny, by acknowledging the 
title of Mountt'ort, and receiving homage for his dominions. 
But much was yet to be done. On the conclusion of the 
peace of Bretigni, the many military adventurers who had 
followed the fortunes of Edward, being dispersed into the 
several provinces, and possessed of strong holds, refused to 
lay down their arms, or relinquish a course of life to which 
they were now accustomed, and by which alone they could 
earn a subsistence. They associated themselves with the 
banditti, who were already inured to the habits of rapine 
and violence; and, under the name of companies and com¬ 
panions, became a terror to all the peaceable inhabitants. 
.Some English and Gascon gentlemen of character were not 
ashamed to take the command of these ruffians, whose num¬ 
ber amounted to near 40,000, and who bore the appearance 
of regular armies rather than bands of robbers. As Charles 
was not able by power to redress so enormous a grievance, 
he was led by necessity, as well as by the turn of his charac¬ 
ter, to correct it by policy; to discover some method of 
discharging into foreign countries this dangerous and intes¬ 
tine evil; and an occasion now offered. 
Alphonso XI. king of Castile, who took the city of 
Algezira from the Moors, after a famous siege of two years, 
during which artillery are said first to have been used by 
the besieged, had been succeeded by his son Pedro I. sur- 
named the Cruel ; a prince equally perfidious, debauched, 
and bloody. He began his reign with the murder of his 
lather’s mistress, Leonora de Gusman : his nobles fell every 
day the victims of his severity : he put to death his cousin 
L I N. 
and one of his natural brothers, from groundless jealousy ; 
and he caused his queen Blanche de Bourbon, of the 'Dlood , 
of France, to be thrown into prison, and afterwards poison¬ 
ed, that he might enjoy in quiet the embraces of Mary de 
Padella, with whom he was violently enamoured. 
Henry count of Trastamara, the” king’s natural brother,' 
alarmed at the fate of his family, and dreading his own, 
took arms against the tyrant; but having failed in the at¬ 
tempt, he fled to France, where he found the minds of men 
much inflamed against Pedro, on account of the murder of 
the French princess. He asked permission of Charles to en¬ 
list the companies in his service, and to lead them ipto 
Castile against his brother. The French king, charmed 
with the project, employed du Guesclin in negociating 
with the leaders of these banditti. The treaty was soon con°- 
cluded; and du Guesclin having completed his levies, led 
the army first to Avignon, where the pope then resided, 
and demanded, sword in hand, absolution for his ruffian 
soldiers, who had been excommunicated, and the sum of 
200,000 livres for their subsistence. The first was readily 
promised him, but some difficulty being made with regard 
to the second, du Guesclin replied, “ My fellows, I be¬ 
lieve, may make a shift to do without your absolution, but the 
money is absolutely necessary.” His holiness then extort¬ 
ed from the inhabitants of the city and its neighbourhood 
the sum of 100,000 livres, and offered it to du Guesclin. 
“ It is not my purpose (cried that generous warrior) to op¬ 
press the innocent people. The pope and his cardinals can 
spare me double the sum from their own pockets. I there¬ 
fore insist, that this money be restored to the owners; and 
if I hear they are defrauded of it, I will myself return from 
the other side of the Pyrenees, and oblige you to make them 
restitution.” The pope found the necessity of submitting, 
and paid from his own treasury the sum demanded. 
A body of experienced and hardy soldiers, conducted by 
so able a general, easily prevailed over the king of Castile, 
whose subjects were ready to join the enemy against their 
oppressor. Pedro fled from his dominions, took shelter 
in Guienne, and craved the protection of the prince of 
Wales, whom his father had invested with the sovereignty 
of the ceded provinces, under the title of the principality 
of Aquitaine. The prince promised his assistance to the 
dethroned monarch; and having obtained his father’s con¬ 
sent, he levied an army, and set out on his enterprise. 
The first loss which Henry of Trastamara suffered from 
the interposition of the prince of Wales, was the recalling of 
the companies from his service; and so much reverence 
did they pay to the name of Edward, that great numbers of 
them immediately withdrew from Spain, and enlisted under 
his standard. Henry, however, beloved by his new subjects 
and supported by the king of Arragon, was able to meet the 
enemy with an army of 100,000 men, three times the num¬ 
ber of those commanded by the Black Prince: yet du 
Guesclin, and all his experienced officers, advised him to 
delay a decisive action ; so high was their opinions of the 
valour and conduct of the English hero! But Henry, trust¬ 
ing to bis numbers, ventured to give Edward battle on the 
banks of the Ebro, between Najara and Navarette; where 
the French and Spaniards were defeated, with the loss of 
above 20,000 men, and du Guesclin and other officers of 
distinction taken prisoners. All Castile submitted to the 
victor; Pedro was restored to the throne, and Edward returned 
to Guienne with his usual glory; having not only overcome 
the greatest general of his age, but restrained the most blood¬ 
thirsty tyrant from executing vengeance on his prisoners. 
This gallant warrior had soon reason to repent of his con¬ 
nection with Spain and Pedro. The monster refused the stipu¬ 
lated pay to the English forces. Edward abandoned him; he 
treated his subjects with the utmost barbarity; their ani¬ 
mosity was roused against him; and du Guesclin having 
obtained his ransom, returned to Castile with the count of 
Trastamara, and some forces levied anew in France. They 
were joined by the Spanish malcontents; and they gained a 
complete victory over Pedro in the neighbourhood of Toledo. 
The tyrant now took refuge in a castle, where he was soon 
after 
