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the great repair of people that to him incessantly, without intermission, did resort," still relied confidently upon his own fortunes and the strength of his house, and wrote to Burgundy, requesting him only to have a vigilant eye to the sea, that Warwick might not again effect his escape to France.

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But his summons was not so readily obeyed as the great king-maker's. "Of those that he sent for, few came, and yet more came than were willing, and more came willingly than were betrusted." He soon discovered that London was no safe place for him, and repaired towards Nottingham, from thence to act as might seem best; but when Warwick's brother, marquis Montacute, who had got together some 6000 men in Edward's name, instead of joining him there, revolted, it seemed as if the whole nation were declaring against him. As soon as this defection was divulged among the multitude," it was a world," says the chronicler, to see the face of this new world ;" for "all the town, and all the country adjacent, was in a great roar; in every street bonfires were made; in every church the bells rung, and songs were sung at every meeting; and every man cried king Henry! king Henry! and the echo likewise redoubled a Warwick! a Warwick!" Then, indeed, Edward was much abashed; and when his espials assured him that all the realm was up, in obedience to a proclamation requiring them to make war upon him in king Henry's name, as a public enemy, he listened to the entreaties of his near friends, that he should fly over sea to his brother-in-law the duke of Burgundy, and there tarry till God and fortune should send him better chance. There was little time for deliberation; some of Warwick's power being within less than half a day's journey of him; so, " with all haste possible, and more jeopardy than it beseemed a prince to be in," he passed the Wash, and came to Lynn, where hc found an English ship and two hulks of Holland ready to make sail. And "being in a marvellous agony, and doubting the mutability of the townsmen, he went on board

EDWARD ESCAPES BY SEA.

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with his brother Gloucester, the lord Scales, and other his trusty friends, without bag or baggage, without clothsack or mail, and, perchance, says Hall, with a great purse and little treasure, for he nor his had no leisure to provide according to their degrees and estates. Hastings, the lord chamberlain, was the last who embarked, having first exhorted those who of necessity were left behind, that they should openly show themselves as friends to the adverse party, for their own safeguard, but continue true in their hearts to king Edward; a lesson which might have been spared, for upon that principle high and low acted on both sides, when occasion called for such dissimulation.

About 300 persons * took flight with him in these vessels; "having no furniture of apparel, or other necessary things with them, saving apparel for war, and not knowing whither they were bound, so it were only to some port within the duke of Burgundy's dominions." It was now Edward's fortune to have some little experience of the evils which the dispute with the Easterlings brought on while Warwick was high-admiral, occasioned to his seafaring subjects. Some seven or eight of their gallant ships were at that time cruising in those seas: they espied him, and gave him chase. They were at war both with France and England, and had cruised that season with great success, so as to make themselves much dreaded * by the English. Happily for Edward, the vessel in which he had embarked was a good sailer, and he was nearer the Dutch coast than the enemy when they got sight of him, and, running into the Texel, cast anchor near what was then the harbour of the town of Alkmaer. They could not enter during the ebb. The Easterlings held on in pursuit, and approached as near as their great ships could come at low water, meaning at the flood to take possession of their prey. It happened, however, that

*Comines, and the English chroniclers after him, say from 700 to 800. I follow the Dutch chronicle, as giving a more likely statement, and as in this point better authority.

Estoient fort crainte des Anglois, et non sans cause, car ils sont bons combattans, et leur avoient porté grand dommage cette année la, et pris plusieurs navires."- Comines, 157.

the lord Lodewyk van Gruythuysen, then stadthouder of Holland, Friesland, and Zeeland, was at that time in Alkmaer; and he having, by his prompt protection, saved the king from captivity, received him as became his rank, and taking him first to visit the relics of St. Adalbert and other English saints at the abbey of Egmont, escorted him through Haarlem, Noordwyck, and Leyden to the Hague.*

One of Warwick's first acts, after he found himself master of the kingdom, was to repay the sums with which the king of France had assisted him: but the ship, with his messengers and the money on board, was taken by the Easterlings, and they sent their prisoner and his papers to the duke of Burgundy, who by this means became fully informed of the plans which had been concerted for his destruction. This prompt repayment, though the money had been intercepted, evinced the fidelity with which Warwick designed to fulfil his engagements; and Louis manifested a corresponding disposition, by giving orders that the nobles, clergy, and inhabitants of Paris should make processions in honour of God and the Virgin Mary, and continue them for three days, laying aside all other business whatsoever, in thanksgiving for the great victory which Henry of Lancaster, king of England, had obtained over the earl of March, who, by support of the duke of Burgundy, had for a long time usurped his throne; and also in thanksgiving for the happy peace and good understanding that now subsisted between himself and the king of England. Processions on this occasion were performed in all the principal towns of France. The great object of Louis XI. was to make England subservient to his policy, and by its aid to gratify his hatred of Charles the Bold, and accomplish his views of aggrandisement at that enemy's expense. But the assertion that Burgundy had been the support of the house

Chronijcke van Holland, 492. Comines, 157-160. Hall, 284. Holinshed, 297. + Chronijcke van Holland, 492.

Continuation of Monstrelet, xi. 106.

EDWARD IV. IN FLANDERS.

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of York was false even to absurdity. Charles, though he had married a daughter of that house, was, by his mother, of the red rose line, and he had inherited strong prepossessions in favour of that illustrious branch of the Plantagenets, from which the greatest men of the preceding generation had sprung. When he heard that Edward had landed as a fugitive upon his coast, Comines says he would much rather have heard of his death. He was not, however, led by this feeling to any act unbecoming his station or himself. Edward, by his orders, was entertained, as he had been first received, as his brother-in-law, and as an exiled king; at the same time, knowing of how great importance it was to his subjects to be at peace with England, and how little it concerned them whether the house of York or Lancaster were in possession of the throne, he sent Comines to Calais to negotiate for a renewal, or rather a continuation, of the treaty between the two countries.*

Hostilities had commenced from Calais as soon as Warwick had sent the tidings of his success there, and at the same time a reinforcement of some 400 men. They made an inroad into the Boulonnois; in return for which, Comines had despatched orders to seize all English merchants and merchandise at Gravelines. Hitherto he had at all times entered Calais confidently, without a safe-conduct; relying not more upon his acquaintance with the persons in authority there, than upon the honour of the English, to which he bears honourable testimony; but upon this occasion he thought it necessary to provide himself with all possible securities. Accordingly, he informed the duke of his apprehensions, and the duke sent him his signet, requiring him to proceed on his mission, and assuring him that, if he were arrested, he should be ransomed ; - an assurance on which he seemed to place no great reliance, as knowing that Charles cared little to what danger he might expose any of his servants. But Comines thought it better to rely upon the good faith of his enemies (if such they were to

*Comines, 160.

be) than upon the protection of his prince, and applied to Vaucler for a safe-conduct, who replied, in the friendliest terms, that he might enter as he had ever before done. There came, however, none to meet and welcome him, as they had been wont : white crosses, the badge of France, met his eyes; songs celebrating. the confederacy between Warwick and the king of France resounded in his ears; Vaucler himself wore in his bonnet the ragged staff, and whosoever had not that badge of the Nevils in gold, had it in cloth. He was told, that the revolution in England had not been known in Calais a quarter of an hour before every one had put himself in this livery. Comines observes, that he never till then felt the instability of human affairs; and he noticed, when dining with Vaucler, that the persons whom he had always regarded as most attached to king Edward, were now the most outrageous in their expressions of joy at his expulsion. He was then a young man, little experienced in state practices; but he had already learnt the art of dissimulation, and, though he had received certain information that Edward was safe in Holland, made no scruple of assuring the guests that he was dead; but whether he were or not, he said, the treaties which the duke his master had made were not with Edward IV., but with the king and realm of England; and these words had been advisedly used in framing them, that they might hold good whatever king might reign, and whatever mutations might take place in that kingdom. So it was agreed, that these treaties should continue in force; and though the merchants had received intimation that it was Comines who had advised the seizure of the goods in Gravelines, and for that reason would fain have had him arrested, he conducted his business so well as to adjust that cause of dispute. There had been an old agreement with the house of Burgundy, that the garrison of Calais, in case of need, might carry off cattle within a certain district, paying for them a just price. That price now was paid for what had been taken in the last. inroad; and the merchants themselves, that their staple

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