The Difference between an Absolute and a Limited Monarchy

Lancastriansuccesses.shared the fate of Alnwick but for the promptness withwhich Warwick sent his brother RIontague to defend it. InJune, Henry, Margaret, and De BrCzC were together inBamburgh1. But in that very month Warwick himselfwas again sent to the North2; the Lancastrians dispersedonce more, and Margaret retired to Scotland, closely pursuedby Warwick3. About Christmas Somerset returnedto his allegiance4. Early in 1464 the castles of Norhamand Skipton in Craven were captured by the Lancastrians5,and a rising took place in Lancashire and Cheshire,Fatal over always a stronghold of the partyG. But all their hopesthrow.were overthrown by the crushing defeats inflicted on themby Warwick's brother Montague in the battles of HedgeleyMoor, April qth, and Hexham, May 8th, 14647. Somcrset,Hungerford, and other prominent Lancastrians weretaken and beheaded. Henry, who seems to have beellawaiting the issue of the field in Bywell Castle, escapedthence, no one knew how or whither, but ultimately toScotland S. In June Alnwick and Dunstanburgh surrenderedto Warwick, and Barnburgh was taken by assaultq.fixed by a letter printed in Dupont's wick was in great force at New-Waurin, iii. 159-161, which shows castle, and intending to go forthatthe news of it reached London wards to Scotland ; that De Brkzk,on May 31, 1463. Dr. Stubbs Grey, and others had been besieg-(C. H. iii. 199) places the recovery ing a castle near Alnwick, but hadof the castles in 1464 ; but though retired on the approach of Monta-Worcester seems to place the gue ; that Edward had left Lonrecoveryof Alnwick immediately don on the pretious Thursdaybefore the battle of Hexham, a week (July 7th), intending to follomwhole leaf of the MS. is missing War~vick in force ; Waurin,~. S.,between the two occurrences. The iii. 162-4.letter cited above is quite conclu- Waurin, ii.319-321. This theresive.fore would be in July ; see last note.l On all this see Waurin, U. S. ' Gregory, p. 223 ; Three Chron.'After Pentecost,' says Three p. 177. Warlzworth (p. 3) placesChron.pp. 176-7. Whit-Sunday in Somerset's return 'half a year1463 was on May 29th. In Rymer, after his original defection.xi. 501, there is a commission, "Three Chron. p. 178.dated June 2, to Warwick and Paston Letters, ii. 152.others to array the men cf West- 'Cf. Rot. Parl. v. 51 I f.moreland against the king's foreign Three Chron. p. 179. Manyenemies who have been stirred up thought that he was dead ; ChasbyHenry, late king d. ftrcto. A tellain, v. 22.letter written on Saturday, July Three Chron. p. 179 ; Wor-15th, 1463 (?!6th, July I 5th in 1463 cester, pp. 782-3 ; notes to Warkwason a Friday), says that War- worth, pp. 36-9.But almost a year before the final blow fell, Margaret Marbaretand her son, with De BrCzC, Fortescue, and others in her ;idt:yg"train, had quitted Britain for the Continent. It must Continent.have been just after the dispersal of the Lancastrians inthe summer of 1463 that they set forth l, for it was in thelast days of July that they landed at Sluys. They were inextreme poverty, and dependent on the liberality of DeBrCzC for the very bread they ate2. From Sluys RIargaretdespatched a messenger to the Duke of Burgundy, whowas superintending the negotiations which were going onat St. Omer between the French and English, to beg for apersonal interview with him. From this the Duke triedto excuse himself, but ultimately, with the magnificentcourtesy which characterized him, yielded to Margaret'simportunity. On her way to join him she was met byCharles the RoId at Bruges, who lent her money to supplyher wants. Here she left her son and all her household,Fortesc~e no doubt among them, and proceeded on herl TheEnglishauthoritiesareveryobscure as to the timeofMargaret'sdeparture for Flanders. It seemscommonly assumed that it was aconsequenceofthedefeats ofHedgeleyand Hexham. But the briefLatin Chronicle (Three Chron. pp.1 79 f.) clearly places it before thoseevents,forafterrelatingthern it says:' Margareta has procellas prrcave?zs,incolaelegitfieri transmarina.'And it may well have been thoughtdesirable to place the heir of Lancasterin safety before the die wascast. All the foreign authorities,Chastellain, Waurin, Monstrelet,Duclerq, place Margaret's arrivalin Flanders in 1463, and so doesWorcester (p. 781), though themonth he gives, April, is too early.Dr. Stubbs, citing Worcester,represents Margaret as goingabroad early in 1463 and returningtowards the end of that year.But Worcester clearly refers to thefinal departure of Margaret, for hespeaks of her settling in her father'sdominions, ' ut ibi expectareteventus mundi.' Worcester moreovermakes her embark at Bamburgh.We have seen that Henry,Margaret, and De Br6zC werethere in June 1463, but the foreignauthorities, especially Waurin, ii.319 ff., clearly represent them asretiring to Scotland, where theirpresence seems to have been nolonger welcome ; cf. Basin, ii. 50 ;Chastellain, iv. 279 ; vii. 103. Itwould seem that it is to this periodthat we must refer the romanticstory of hlargaret's adventure withthe robber, which she told theDuchess of Bourbon at St.Pol; seebelow,, p. 64. From this point tothearnval ofPrlargaret at St.Mighe1in Barrois, I follow almost exclusivelythe authority of Chastellain,whose narrative is most minute,and whose position enabled himto obtain the most exact information.Compare also Monstrelet,iii. f. 96 a ; Duclerq, Liv. v. ch. I ;Basin, ii. 50. Gregory, pp. 220-1,is very confused.Vhastellain, iv. 279.