But, at a good time for him, his brother Richard came back. Richard’s
first act (the Barons would not admit him into England on other terms)
was to swear to be faithful to the Committee of Government—which he
immediately began to oppose with all his might. Then, the Barons began
to quarrel among themselves; especially the proud Earl of Gloucester
with the Earl of Leicester, who went abroad in disgust. Then, the
people began to be dissatisfied with the Barons, because they did not
do enough for them. The King’s chances seemed so good again at length,
that he took heart enough—or caught it from his brother—to tell the
Committee of Government that he abolished them—as to his oath, never
mind that, the Pope said!—and to seize all the money in the Mint, and
to shut himself up in the Tower of London. Here he was joined by his
eldest son, Prince Edward; and, from the Tower, he made public a letter
of the Pope’s to the world in general, informing all men that he had
been an excellent and just King for five-and-forty years.
As everybody knew he had been nothing of the sort, nobody cared much
for this document. It so chanced that the proud Earl of Gloucester
dying, was succeeded by his son; and that his son, instead of being the
enemy of the Earl of Leicester, was (for the time) his friend. It fell
out, therefore, that these two Earls joined their forces, took several
of the Royal Castles in the country, and advanced as hard as they could
on London. The London people, always opposed to the King, declared for
them with great joy. The King himself remained shut up, not at all
gloriously, in the Tower. Prince Edward made the best of his way to
Windsor Castle. His mother, the Queen, attempted to follow him by
water; but, the people seeing her barge rowing up the river, and hating
her with all their hearts, ran to London Bridge, got together a
quantity of stones and mud, and pelted the barge as it came through,
crying furiously, ‘Drown the Witch! Drown her!’ They were so near doing
it, that the Mayor took the old lady under his protection, and shut her
up in St. Paul’s until the danger was past.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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