The Comic History of EnglandÀ Beckett, Gilbert Abbott
History
The Comic History of England
À Beckett, Gilbert Abbott
Great Britain -- History -- Humor
He collected a small band, and made an attack on the property of Grey
de Buthyn, for which the king had Mr. Glendower's name published in
the next batch of outlaws. Irritated by this indignity, the learned
gentleman declared himself sovereign of Wales, observing with much
quaintness, "One may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb, and
why not for a Welsh rabbit?" Henry at once marched in pursuit, but the
barrister was cautious enough to avoid an action, and led his antagonist
all over the Welsh circuit, by which he continually put off the day of
trial. Henry, who had a variety of other little matters to attend to,
was compelled to allow the cause of himself _versus_ Glendower to stand
over to an indefinite period.
Among the businesses getting into arrear at home, was an absurd
declaration of war by Walleran of Luxemburgh, the Count of Ligny and St.
Pol, who had married a sister of the deposed Richard, and was suddenly
seized with a fit of fraterno-legal or brotherly-in-lawly affection,
and began to talk of avenging his unfortunate relative. In spite of the
recommendations of his best friends, who all urged him "not to make a
fool of himself," he insisted on going to sea, where a fate a good deal
like that of the three wise men of Gotham appeared to threaten him.
Conspiracies now sprung up on every side, and a rumour was spread, that
Richard was alive in Scotland, and was coming presently to England at
the head of a large army, to play old Harry with Henry's adherents.
Never was a cry of "Bogey" more utterly futile than this assertion, for
Richard was really dead, though it suited a certain party of malcontents
to resuscitate him for their own purposes. Henry was exceedingly angry
at the rumour, and every now and then cut off some half-dozen heads,
as a punishment for running about with a false tale, but there was no
checking the evil.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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