" & fadur, we befeeche Almyghty Jhu geve yowe " as good lyfe & long, with as moche continual "perfete profperite as your princely hert con "best defyre. Written at your Caftel of Lode"lowe on Satursday in the Aftur-woke.

Your humble fonnes,

* E. MARCHE & E. RUTLONDE."

Louis the Eleventh of France having, contrary to treaty, refused the Dauphin in marriage to the daughter of Edward, that Monarch thus addreffed his Parliament: "This contumelie I

am refolved to punish, and I cannot doubt fuc"ceffe. Almighty God ftill ftrengthens his arm "who undertakes a war for juftice. In our ex"peditions hitherto against the French, what "profperity waited upon the English arms is to "the world divulged, and yet ambition then ap"peared the chief counfellor to war. Now, be"fide all that right which led our Edward the "Third, our glorious ancestor, and Henry the

Fifth, our glorious predeceffor, we feem to "have a deputyship from Heaven to execute the "office of the Supreme Judge, in chatifing the ❝impious."

"It is manifeft that our confederacies are now diffolved, and I rejoice that alone we shall un, "dertake

"dertake this great bufinefs; for experience in "our laft attempt fhewed that Princes of feveral "Nations (however they pretend the fame) have «ftill feveral aims; and oftentimes confederacy " is a greater enemie to the profperitie of a war "than the enemy himself; envie begetting more "difficultie in a camp, than any oppofition from "the adverse army."

"But I detain you too long by my speech "from action. I fee the clouds of due revenge "gathered in your hearts, and the lightning of

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fury break from your eyes, which bodes thun"der against our enemy; let us therefore lofe "no time, but fuddenly and feverely scourge "this perjured Court to a fevere repentance, " and regaine honour to our Nation, and his "kingdom to our to our Crown."-HABINGTON'S Hiftory of Edward the Fourth.

"What prevailed upon King Edward," fays Comines, to tranfport his army to Calais in

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1475, was, first, the folicitation of the Duke "of Burgundy, and the animofity of the English "to the French (which is natural to them, and "has been fo for many ages); next, to reserve for himself a great part of the money which "had been liberally granted to him by his fub

"jects for the particular expedition (for," adds Comines," the Kings of England live upon "their own revenue, and can raise no taxes but "under the fpecious pretence of invading "France). Besides, the King had another stratagem to amuse and delude his fubjects with; "for he had brought with him ten or twelve of "the chief citizens of London and of some other

great towns in England, all fat, jolly, and of

great power in their country; fome of whom "had promoted the war, and had been very fer"viceable in raifing the army. The King or"dered very good tents to be made for them, “in which they flept; but not being used to "fuch a manner of living, they foon began to

grow weary of the campaign, for they had "reckoned that they should come to an engage"ment three or four days after their landing; "and the King multiplied their fears of the dan

gers of the war, that they might be better "satisfied with a peace, and so pacify the mur"murs of the people."

"As foon," fays the fame hiftorian," as 66 King Edward had fettled the affairs of his kingdom, and had received of our mafter "(Louis the Eleventh) 50,000 crowns á-year, "which were regularly paid him in the Tower "of London, and was become as rich as his "ambition

"ambition could defire, he died fuddenly, and

(as it was fupposed) of grief at our present King's (Charles the Eighth's) marriage with "the Lady Margaret, the daughter of the Duke " of Auftria (his diforder feizing him upon the "news of it); for he then found himself out"witted with refpect to his daughter, to whom "he had given the title of Dauphinefs*. Upon "this marriage the penfion, or (as King Ed"ward called it) the tribute, was stopped."

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"This King," fays Habington, "if we compare his life with the lives of Princes in "general, was worthy to be numbered amongst "the beft. His education was according to the "beft provifion for his honour and fafetie in

arms; a ftrict and religious difcipline, in all "probabilitie likely to have foftened him too "much to mercy and a love of quiet. He had

..

a great extent of wit, which certainly he owed

*«The King of England," fays Comines, "retired "foon to England. He was not of a complexion or dif"pofition of mind to endure much hardship and difficulties:

and thofe any King of England who wishes to make any "confiderable conquefts in France muft expect to endure. "Another defign the King of England had in view was, "the accomplishment of the marriage concluded upon be"tween the Dauphin and his daughter; the hopes of this "wedding caufing him to overlook feveral things, which " was a great advantage to our Master's affairs."

"to nature, that age bettering men but little by "learning; the trumpet founding ftill too loud "in his ears to have admitted the fober counfels "of philosophy; and his wit lay not in the flights "of cunning and deceit, but in a sharpe appre"henfion, yet not too much whetted by super"ftition.

"In counfaile he was judicious, with little "difficultie dispatching much. His understand"ing open to cleare doubts, not dark and "cloudie, and apt to create new. His wife "dome looked still directly upon truth, which

appears by the manage of his affaires, both in peace and warre; in neither of which (as farre "as concerned the politique part) he committed 66 any maine error.

His nature certainly was both noble and “honest, which, if rectified by the straight rule " of vertue, had rendered him fit for example

(whereas he is only now for obfervation); for "prosperitee raised him but to a complacencie in "his fortune, not to a disdaine of others loffes "in a pride of his own acquifitions. And when " he had moft fecuritie in his kingdom, and con"fequently moft allurements to tyrannee, then "fhewed he himself most familiar and indulgent: an admirable temperature in a Prince who fo

"well