But the following year he came back to England to attend a tournament. He brought such a magnificent retinue, and made so great a display, that the barons were jealous, and hated him worse than ever. Little did their dislike or their displeasure affect him, for he took his revenge by ridiculing them anew, and calling them most provoking names. The Earl of Pembroke was dark, thin, and sallow-complexioned, so he named him "Joseph the Jew;" the Earl of Warwick, who foamed at the mouth when in a passion, was "the Wild Boar of Ardenne;" and the Earl of Lancaster, who dressed peculiarly, was styled "the_ Stage Player_." Thus he made fun of the entire party. But the insults were treasured up against him; {188}and when, some years later, his day of reckoning dawned, not much mercy was shown him. In the meantime he had stirred up such a storm that his royal master's throne tottered under him. The queen and her uncle, the Earl of Lancaster, with all the barons, formed a combination against him so strong that Edward dared not oppose it, and dismissed him to Guienne. At parting with his favorite, he lavished on him all his jewels, even the rings, brooches, and buckles that his young wife had presented him with at various times. This was one of the most foolish things Edward ever did, and nobody can blame Isabella for feeling offended. However, she was at that time much beloved by her subjects, and, with Gaveston out of the way, we hear no more complaints until the year 1312, when, to her great displeasure, he turned up again. This time, with his usual lack of judgment, the king had recalled him, and made him his principal secretary of state. This was a very high office, for he had all the affairs of the country under his control, and so determined was he to keep Edward under his thumb that nobody could speak to him excepting through the secretary. This arrangement gave great offence, and when the young queen saw how the royal favorite was injuring her husband by making the nation dislike him, and, what was still worse, by leading him into dissipation and other acts of folly, she angrily remonstrated with him. He forgot the respect due to her rank, and answered with contempt, whereupon she complained to the king. But instead of upholding his wife and punishing his insolent favorite, Edward treated the matter with the utmost indifference. Isabella was furious, and wrote to her father, the King of France, a letter filled with bitter complaints of her husband's coldness and neglect, saying, "that she was the most wretched of wives, and that Gaveston was the cause of all her troubles."