ling of Richard, and amongst the reft, they procured one Maudlen, King Richard's Chaplain, to perfonate his Lord; but this with all the reft of their Projects failed. The Towns-men of Cyrencefter affail'd and took fome of the Dilcontented Lords, and then cut off their Heads, becaufe fome of their Followers fet Fire on Cyrencefter, thinking that whilst the Towns men were bufied in quenching the Fire, they might fet their Lords at liberty. The Commons in Effex took the Earl of Huntingdon and cut off his Head, in revenge of the Duke of Glocefter's Death, which he had had a Hand in. The Lord Spencer the Commons behead at Briftol. Some others of them were put to Death at Oxford, fomne at London, where alfo John Maudlen, the Counterfeit Richard (a goodly Perfonage) and one William Ferby, were Hang'd and Quartered. The Bishop of Carlile was by the King's Clemency faved, after his Condemnation. King Richard did not long furvive his Friends, but at Pontefract Castle was put out of the way by hunger, cold, and great Torments, tho' the Scots have untruely writ, that he escaped out of Prifon, and led a folitary and vertuous Life in Scotland, and there died, and was buried at the Black-fryers in Sterling. After Richard's Murther at Pontefract, King Henry caused his dead Body to be brought up to London, where in St. Paul's, with his Face uncovered, he lay for a time expofed to the view of all Men; then was his Body tranfported to Langley in Hartfordshire, where it lay buried, till Henry V. in the firft Year of his Reign, cauled the Royal Remains of his Body to be tranflated to Westminster. That beautiful Picture of a King fitting Crowned in a Chair of State at the upper end of the Choir in Westminster-Abby, is faid to be of him. And now King Henry to divert the Thoughts of the People from his Predeceffor's Tragedy, prepared a puiffant Army, and marched with it into Scotland, where he only did fome hurt by wasting the Country, and then returned. Shortly after which he advanced against Owen Glendour that had railed a Rebellion in Wales; but Glendour against the King's coming had withdrawn himself, with his fureft Friends, into the Faftneffes of Snowden; wherefore the King only made feme fpoil in the Country, and returned. Many were the Plots that were still made against the King, but the Contrivers were difcovered and put to Death, among whom were many Monks, And now Glendour having taken the Lord Mortimer Prisoner, with no fmall flaughter of his Herefordshire Men, the King marched again into Wales, where while he stayed, he was in great Danger to have perished by fudden Storms and Rains, the like whereof his People had never feen or felt. The common Fame went that Glendour was a Conjurer, and had railed thofe hideous Tempefts by Hellish Arts, In the North, King Henry's Forces were more Fortunate against the Scots; for at Halidon-bill, Henry- Hotfpur, Lord Piercy, obtained a great Victory, taking Prifoners the Earls of Douglas, Fife, Angus, Murray and Orkney, the Lord Montgomery, Erskin and Grave, with about eighty Knights, befides Efquires and Gentlemen. And befides what Scots were lain in Battel, there were about Five Hundred of those which fled from the Fight drowned in the River Tweed. But that Henry might have little foy of his ill-gotten Greatnefs, the Piercies

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raifed a dangerous Rebellion, wherein indeed they pretended a Care for the Common-wealth's Reformation, tho' they really intended the advancement of their own private Interefts; for it was agreed amongst the Confpirators, that the Kingdom fhould be fhared betwixt Mortimer Earl of March, Henry Piercy Earl of Northumberland, and Owen Glendour. South-England to Mortimer, North-England to Piercy," and Wales beyond Severn to Glendour, and Archenbald Earl of Douglas was allowed as a fharer to be freed from Ranfom, and to have Ber wick for his own. Thus agreed, they fortified Shrewsbury, whither the King advanceth with his Army, where a terrible Battle was fought, and therein Hot-fpur lain, and his Hoft vanquished. The Earls of Douglas, Worcester, Sir Richard Vernon, and Baron Kindleton, with divers others were taken, tho' not without great Danger of the King's Life, and the Death of many Perfons of Quality on his fide Henry Hot fpur's Body was drawn out of the Grave, beheaded and quartered, and the Parts fent to be fet up in divers places of the Kingdon Thomas Pierey, Earl of Worcester, with Vernon and Kendleton, were beheaded. The Earl of Northumberland, who was taken by the way as he was bringing Forces out of the North to join with thole at Shrewsbury, had his Life pardoned.

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The Year following a Parliament was holden at Coventry, called. the Lack-learning Parliament, either for the unlearnednefs of the Perfons, or for their Malice to learned Men For in order to fupply

the King's Wants, a Bill was exhibited againit the Temporalities of the Clergy, but by the Courage of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the King's care of the Church, their Motion was fruitless.

A. D. 1405. Another Confpiracy was made against King Henry, the chief in which Confpiracy were Thomas Mowbray Ear! Marfhal, and Richard le Scrope Archbishop of York, who being taken, were both beheaded. But the Pope Excommunicated all fuch that had a Hand in putting the Archbishop to Death. Another fresh Report of King Richard's being alive was again fpread abroad, when the Earl of Northumberland and Lord Bardolph fought to raile an Army in the North, but were encountred by the Sheriff of Yorkshire, who after a fharp conflict flew the Earl in the Field, and mortally wounded the Lord Bardolph. The Earl's Head was cut off, and after it had been ignominiously carried thro' London, was fixed on the Bridge.

4. D. 1413. The King fell fick, and as fome Report, in this his laft Sicknels he caufed his Crown to be fer on a Pillow at his Bed'shead, when fuddenly the pangs of his Apoplexy feized on him fo violently, that all fuppofed him to be Dead. At which inftant Prince Henry coming in, took away the Crown; but his Father recovering out of his fit, quickly mifling it, and understanding who had taken it away, caufed his Son to be called unto him, of whom he demanded, what he meant to bereave him of that whereunto he had yet no Right; The Prince boldly replied, Long may you live Sovereign Father, to wear it your felf; but all Men deeming that you was gone to inherit another Crown, this being my Right I took it as my own, but now do acknowledge it for none of mine, and therewith fet the Crown where he found it. O Son, quoth the Father, with what Right I got it, God only knoweth, who forgive me the Sin. But however it was got, faid the Son, I mean to keep it and defend it (when it fhall be mine) with my Sword, as you by the Sword have obtained it. The King died at London, and was buried at Canterbury. His firit Wife was Mary the Daughter of Hum phrey de Bohun, Earl of Effex, Hereford and Northampton, Constable of England. His fecond was Joan, Daughter to Charles I. King of Navarre. By Mary his firit Wife he had Iue Henry, Thomas Duke of Clarence, John Duke of Bedford, fometime Regent of France, Duke alfo of Anjou and Alanson, &c. Humphrey Duke of Glocester and Protector of the Kingdom of England, &c. Blanch Married to Lewis Barbatus, Palatine of the Rhine, Prince Elector. Philip Married to John King of Denmark.

A great Plague befell throughout England, chiefly in London, where within a short space it destroyed Thirty Thousand. In the ninth Year of his Reign a Snow continued December, January, February and March. The Winter was fo very fharp and long, that almost all finall Birds perished thro' Hunger. A little before the Rebellion of the Piercies was a strange Apparition between Bedford and Bickleswade, where fundry Moniters of divers Colours in the Shapes of armed Men, were often feen to iffue out of the Woods in the Morning, which to fuch as food far off, feemed to encounter one another in most terrible manner, but when they drew near, nothing was

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HENRY V.

to be found. The Devil ('tis faid) appeared in the Habit of a Minorite at Dabury Church in Effex, to the incredible aftonishment of the Parishioners, for at the fame time there was fuch a Tempelt and Thunder with great Fireballs of Lightning, that the Vault of the Church brake, and half the Chancel was carried away.

In the fame Year 1455, at the Siege against Berwick, was the first time, 'tis faid, that a Gun was used in England,

Because the number of Lollards, fo called, increafed, an, Act was made for the punishing of them by burning.

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HENRY V.

[Eng of Monmouth whilft he was Prince, did many things very Hincongruous to the Greatnels of his Birth, for he and his March 20

wild Companions would way-lay and Rob his Fathers and his own Re-d.D. 14 ceivers And when one of his Servants was arraigned at the King's Bench-Bar for Felony, this Prince hearing thereof, pofted thither, commanding his Fetters to be truckoff, and he fet ar Liberty; and when the Judge, William Gafcoine, Lord Chief Justice of the King's-Bench oppofed him therein, commanding him upon his Allegiance to ceafe from fuch Riot, and keep the King's Peace, he in a Rage afcended the Bench, and gave the Judge a blow on the Face, who fate ftill undaunted, and boldly thus fpake unto the Prince; Sir, I pray remember your felf, This Seat which I here poffefs is not mine but your Fathers, to whom, and to his Laws you owe double Obedience. If his Highness and his Laws be thus violated by you, who fhould fhew your felf Obedient to both, who will Obey you when you are a Sovereign, or minifer Execution to the Laws that you fhall make? Wherefore for this Default, in your Father's Name, I commit you Prifoner to the King's• Bench, until his Majefty's Pleafure be farther known. With which words, the Prince abafhed flood mute, laid by his Weapons, and with Obeyance done, went to the Prifon.

Whill the King his Father was crazy, and kept his Chamber, he thro' the Princes wild Extravagancies, and fet on by fome Court Whispers, began both to withdraw his Affections, and to fear fome Violence against his own Perfon from the Prince, which when young Hemy underflood, ima strange Difguile he repaired to his Fa ther's Court, accompanied with many Perfons of Honour. His Garment was a Gown of Blue Satten wrought full of Eye-let Holes, and Henry Chi at every, Eye-let the Needle left hanging with the Silk it was work- chele, 4. ed with. About his Arm he wore a Dog's Collar fer full of S's of B. of Can, Gold, the Tirets thereof being moit fine Gold. Being come to the Court, he charged his Followers, to advance no farther than the fire in the Hall, whilst himfelf paffed on to his Father's Prefence, before whofe Feet he fell, contefling his youthful Faults, and juttifying his Loyalty to his Perion; declaring himfelf to be fo far from any Dit

loyal Attempt, that if he knew any Perfon of whom his Father flood in any danger or fear, his Hand according to Duty, fhould be the first to free the King of Sufpicion; yea, faith he, I will moft gladly fuffer Death to eafe your perplexed Heart; and to that end I have this Day prepared my telf both by Confeffion, and receiving the Blefied Sacrament: Wherefore I humbly befeech your Grace to free your Sufpicion from all Fears conceived against me with this Dagger; the Stab whereof I will willingly receive at your Hands, and will clearly forgive my Death. At which, the King melting into Tears, caft down the naked Dagger, (which the Prince had put into his Hand,) and raifing his proftrate Son, embraced and kiffed him, confeffing that his Ears had been over-credulous against him, which he promifed they fhould never be for the future.

But notwithstanding this Prince's youthful Exploits, yet when he had attained the Crown, to begin a good Government, he began at home, banishing from his Court thofe unruly Youths that had beenhis Conforts, commanding them either to change their Manners, or never to approach within Ten Miles of his Perfon. And chofe worthy Men for his Council of State, advancing his Clergy with Power and Dignity. So highly careful was he for the Execution of Justice, that him felf would every Day after Dinner for the space of an Hour receive Petitions of the oppreffed, and with great Equity would Redrefs their Wrongs. And fo nearly did the Death of King Richard touch his Heart, that he fent to Rome to be abfolved from that Guilt of his Father's Act. In the first Year of his Reign, at a Parliament holden at Leirefter, was a Bill exhibited, wherein complaint was made, That the Temporal Lands given to the Religious Houfes, and Spiritual Perfons for Devotion fake, were either fuperfluous, or diforderly fpent; whofe Revenues, if better employed, would ferve for the Defence of the Land and Honour of the King; for the maintenance of 15 Earls, 1500 Knights, 6200 Efquires, and foo Alms-Houfes for the Relief of difeafed and impotent People, and unto the King's Coffers Twenty Thoufand Pounds per Annum. By the Authority of this Parliament, 110 Priories alien were fuppreffed, and their Poffeffions given to the King and his Succeffors for ever. But to divert those in Authority from fuch like Proceedings, Projects were put into the King's Head for Recovery of France, his rightful Poffeffion, Henry Chicheley Archbishop of Canterbury, fuggefted that King Henry as the true Heir unto his Great Grandfather Edward the Third, was the true Heir to the Crown of France.

As for the Salique Law, alledged against the English Claim, he affirmed, That the Text touched only thofe Parts of Germany which lay betwixt the Rivers Elbe and Sala, conquered by Charles the Great, who placing the French there to Inhabit, because of the dishoneft Lives of thofe German Women, made this Law, In terram Salicam mulieres ne fuccedant, which the Glofs did falfely expound for the whole Kingdom of France, whofe Practice notwithstanding he thewed to be contrary, by many Experiences both in King Pepin defcended of Blithud, Daughter to clothair the firit, and by High Capet as