During these troubles, Margaret had remained in France, active in gaining assistance to restore her husband, and extremely attentive to the education and instruction of her son. She had set him examples of magnanimity, and endeavoured to inspire him with that true magnanimity which braves danger. She besought him at the same time to negleet nothing, and to fear nothing that could lead to the possession of a crown which heaven had given him a right to enjoy; and to comfort himself with the same firmness if its loss should be found inevitable. On the news of Warwick's success, Margaret and her son were hastening towards England, but were detained by contrary winds, till a new revolution, no less sudden than the former, plunged them into greater misery than that from which they had just emerged. In 1470, Edward, impatient to recover his lost authority, landed in Yorkshire with a force not exceeding two thousand men; and partizans every moment flocked to his standard. Warwick assembled an army at Leicester, with an intention of giving battle to the enemy: but Edward taking another road, passed him unmolested, and arrived in London. He was received with acclamations in the city; met the enemy at Barnet, and gained a complete victory over Warwick, who was slain in the engagement, and Henry was taken prisoner.

The same day in which this decisive battle was fought, queen Margaret and her son, now a promising youth about eighteen years of age, arrived at Weymouth. On receiving intelligence of her husband's captivity, and of the death of the earl of Warwick, her courage under so many trying circumstances, did not yet forsake her, and she still determined to defend to the utmost the ruins

of her fallen fortunes. But her last attempt was annihilated by the bloody defeat at Tewksbury, and she was almost a melancholy witness to the butchery of her only son. Margaret and her son were taken prisoners, and brought to the king; the young prince being asked in a most insulting manner, bow he dared to invade England? more mindful of his high birth than of his present fortune, boldly replied, “I came hither to recover my father's kingdom." The ungenerous Edward, irritated by this reply, and insensible to pity, smote him on the face with his gauntlet, and his attendants taking the blow as a signal for farther violence despatched him with their daggers.

From this dreadful scene, Margaret was conveyed to the tower, and in a few days her unparalleled misfortunes were finally aggravated by the account of Henry's death, who was supposed to have been privately murdered. She remained in prison till 1475, in which year a treaty between the kings of France and England stipulated her liberty; and Edward, in delivering Margaret from her confinement, exhorted her to enjoy her freedom with tranquillity. A solitary imprisonment of five years, which succeeded to a variety of numerous calamities, had given such a turn to her temper, that there was little occasion for this exhortation.

History is silent in regard to a woman, whose nod a few years before could pacify or convulse England. She resided with her father till his death, which happened in 1480, and followed him to the grave in 1482, in the 53d year of her age. This princess, who had been so active on the stage of the world, and who had experienced such a variety of misfortunes, was more illustri

ous for her undaunted spirit in adversity, than She seems for her moderation in prosperity.

neither to have possessed the virtues nor been subject to the weakness of her sex, and was as much tainted by the ferocity, as endowed with the courage, of that barbarous age in which she lived, But if there is a valuable lesson to be drawn from her history, it is chiefly from that marvellous vigour of mind which made her suddenly pass from the lowest extremes of debasement and consternation to the noblest resolution and the most heroic enterprize.

LADY ELIZABETH GREY.

WHEN Edward the fourth was established on the throne by the captivity of Henry the sixth, being desirous of ensuring the friendship of France, he despatched in 1464, the earl of Warwick to Paris, to demand in marriage, the princess of Bona of Savoy, sister of Charlotte, queen of Louis "the eleventh. His proposals were accepted; the treaty was concluded; and nothing was wanting to complete the espousals but the ratifications of the terms, and the arrival of the princess in England. But while policy was acting abroad, love on a sudden changed the whole scene at home.

Elizabeth, daughter of the duchess of Bedford, by a second marriage with sir Walter Widville, was remarkable for the grace and beauty of her person, she had married sir John Grey, to whom she bore several children. Her husband being killed as fighting on the side of the house of Lancaster, and his estates being confiscated, his

widow retired to her father's seat at Grafton, in Northamptonshire, and was involved in great distress. At this period, Edward the fourth being on a hunting party, paid an accidental visit to the duchess of Bedford. He was a prince who excelled in beauty of person and dignity of address; no less renowned in feats of gallantry than in deeds of arms; and possessed a heart easily susceptible of soft impressions. The occasion seemed favourable; the young widow flung herself at his feet, and with many tears intreated him to take pity on her impoverished and distressed children. The sight of so much beauty in affliction strongly affected Edward; love stole insensibly into his heart under the guise of compassion, and her sorrow, so becoming a virtuous matron, made his esteem and regard quickly correspond with his affection. He raised her from the ground with assurances of favour, he found his passion increase every moment by the conversation of the amiable object; and he was soon reduced in his turn to the posture and style of a suppliant at the feet of Elizabeth. But the lady disdainfully repulsed her royal lover, declaring, that she knew herself unworthy to be a queen, and she valued her honour and person too much to receive his addresses on any other terms; all the endearments and caresses of the young and amiable monarch proved fruitless against her rigid and inflexible virtue. At length, his passion irritated by opposition, and increasing by veneration for such honourable sentiments, he resolved to share his throne as well as his heart, with a woman, whose beauty of person and dignity of character rendered her worthy of both. On the first of May, 1464, the marriage was privately celebrated at Grafton.

K

It has been asserted that Warwick deemed himself affronted at the breach of the treaty of marriage, and on his recall, retired from court in disgust, and joined the Lancastrian party. But this account has been recently shown to be false by Henry, in his history of Britain, who proved from unquestionable evidence, that in September, 1464, when Edward declared his marriage, the earl of Warwick himself assisted in leading Elizabeth to the abbey church at Reading, and in publickly declaring her queen; that he likewise stood godfather to the princess Elizabeth, of whom the queen was delivered in February, 1465; and received many honours and appointments from Edward subsequent to his return from France.

In fact, Elizabeth undoubtedly occasioned the defection of the earl of Warwick, but from another cause. Her relations by whom she was implicitly governed, de: iving influence from her clevation, monopolized the powers and principal offices of state, and endeavoured to remove from court all persons who had any influence over the king. On their representations, Elizabeth infused jealousies into the mind of her husband, and gradually estranged him from the earl of Warwick, to whom Edward principally owed his elevation. The eari's haughty and unbending spirit could not brook to see such honour bestowed on the queen's relations; and was more particularly irritated against them, from a conviction that they were ardently endeavouring to diminish the wealth, power and influence of his family in order to increase their own. Elizabeth and her relations raised also the resentment of the king's brother, the duke of Clarence. He thought himself neglected by the king, and imputed that neglect to the influence of the queen, united himself