[[A.D. 1384.]] At a festival of the Order of the Garter, in 1384, Queen Anne wore a robe of violet cloth lined with fur, with a hood of the same material faced with red. All her ladies were similarly attired. The king, who was quite a dandy, wore on that occasion, a coat embroidered in precious stones that cost thirty thousand marks. In this reign the shoes had long-pointed toes of an absurd length fastened to the knees with gold or silver chains, that must have been quite an annoyance to the wearer. But Richard II. was very luxurious in his tastes and so fond of spending money, that extravagant costumes were invented to please him, regardless of taste or convenience. Anne of Bohemia did not spend all her time in frivolous amusements, for she read the Scriptures in her native tongue, and may be considered one of the mothers of the Reformation. It is possible that she may have been influenced by her mother-in-law, Joanna, the Princess of Wales, whom she loved very much, but certain it is that when John Wickliffe was in danger of his life, at the council of {238}Lambeth, in 1382, both these royal ladies implored King Richard to aid in saving that reformer's life. A war in Scotland called the king from home when he had been married a little over a year, and while he was away, his half-brother, John Holland, murdered Lord Stafford. The cause of this dreadful crime was jealousy. Stafford was a soldier of such high and noble character that he was a great favorite with the whole English army, and so chivalrous that the queen called him "her knight." It was when on his way with messages from the king to Anne that the encounter, which resulted in the death of the honored earl, took place. John Holland had noticed him, for many months, with increasing envy, which led him, at last, to slay one who had not given the slightest provocation for a quarrel. The father of Stafford was so distressed at the atrocious murder of his dearly-beloved son, that King Richard, prompted by the old man's demand for justice, vowed his brother's life should pay the forfeit of his deed. Meanwhile Holland had fled to the shrine of St. John of Beverly, and kept out of the way until the king returned from Scotland. Then Joanna, Princess of Wales, mother of Richard and John Holland, pleaded, with tears and lamentations, to one son for the life of another. Before it was granted, she died, and the king, unable to refuse her last request, pardoned the criminal, who started, at once, on an atoning pilgrimage to Syria.