the King of England, by an indenture dated 25th of July, 1400, and in return, received a pension of five hundred marks sterling, and the manor of Clipstone, in Sherwood-Forest.

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Henry now began to revive the claim of homage from the Kings of Scotland, and for that purpose seized upon a large sum left by Richard the Second in the royal treasury; and with which, added to contributions on the different counties, he raised an army and marched to Scotland, where he expected to be joined by the malecontents. Neither his preparations nor the interest of the Earl of March, however, brought any Scots to join his standard, and he formed the design of besieging the castle of Edinburgh, which was defended by the Duke of Rothsay, and that so vigorously, that Henry was at length forced to raise the siege, and consent to a truce which continued for a year.

"What tended to hasten the departure of Henry from Scotland, was an informa

tion he received, that the Welch were on the point of rebellion. He also knew that many of the English were dissatisfied with his title to the crown, and that he owed his quiet possession to the moderation of the Earl of March, who was next heir to the unfortunate Richard, but a nobleman without ambition.

"In the year 1401 died Walter Trail, Bishop of St. Andrews, a most exemplary patriot. Archibald Douglas, the Grim, had died some time before, and the king himself, naturally feeble, and now much disabled by his age and infirmities, was quite. sequestered from the world. This year also Queen Annabella died, so that no one remained who might be able to heal the divisions which distracted the royal family. Robert, Duke of Albany, was an enemy to the Duke of Rothsay, and endeavoured to impress his father with an ill opinion of him, particularly for having deluded the daughter of William Lindsay, under a promise of marriage.

"A man of the most villainous principles, named Ramorgny, an attendant on the Duke of Rothsay, perceiving how much his master resented the conduct of the Duke of Albany, proposed to the prince to dispatch him by assassination. Rothsay rejected the proposal with such horror and displeasure, that the villain, fearful that he should betray him, under a promise of secresy, informed the Duke of Albany that the prince intended to murder him. Upon receiving this intelligence, the duke and William Lindsay resolved on the prince's death, and practicing upon the weakness of the king, obtained an order to arrest his son and keep him under restraint.-Possessed of this power, they caused the unhappy prince to be seized, as he was riding with few attendants to the castle of St. Andrews, to which fortress they conveyed him prisoner.

"The Duke of Albany, and the Earl of Douglas who was likewise the prince's enemy, no sooner learnt the success of their detestable

B 4

detestable conspiracy, than they sent a strong body of ruffians to remove the royal captive from the castle of St. Andrews; committing him to the care of two abandoned wretches, who caused him to be cloathed in a coarse russet cloak, and mounted on a sorry horse, to accompany them. Their orders were, to starve him to death, but his fate was prolonged by the compassion of one of his keeper's daughters, who daily thrust him oat cakes through the chinks in the wall, and by a woman who conveyed milk to him through a small pipe. Both these charitable women were detected in this pious act, for which they were put to death; and a few days after the prince himself died, on Easter-eve, his hunger having first impelled him to devour part of his own flesh."

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Papa," interrupted Frances, the tears dropping down her cheek, "it is almost impossible to conceive that such monsters ever existed. The poor humane women

who

who would have assisted the prince, met a sad return for their kindness."

"I have no doubt, my dear child, that they met a glorious reward in that country where the power of their oppressors was far inferior to their own. But to continue,In the mean time, King Robert, who was ignorant of his son's death, had consented to renew the hostilities with England, which obliged King Henry to encrease the pension of the Earl of March, in order that he might support a certain number of light troops to be employed against the Scots, whom they so effectually annoyed, that the Earl of Douglas was obliged to take the field against them. For some time the Scots were successful in making reprisals; but a large party, under Patrick Hepburn, venturing too far, and staying too long in the enemy's country, was intercepted by the force of the Earl of March, when a desperate engagement ensued, and great numbers of the Scots noB 5.

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bles