CHAPTER I. NEW DISSENSIONS.
We must pass over some months. Warwick and his family had returned toLondon, and the meeting between Edward and the earl had been cordialand affectionate. Warwick was reinstated in the offices which gave himapparently the supreme rule in England. The Princess Margaret had leftEngland as the bride of Charles the Bold; and the earl had attendedthe procession in honour of her nuptials. The king, agreeably with themartial objects he had had long at heart, had then declared war onLouis XI., and parliament was addressed and troops were raised for thatimpolitic purpose. [Parliamentary Rolls, 623. The fact in the text hasbeen neglected by most historians.] To this war, however, Warwick wasinflexibly opposed. He pointed out the madness of withdrawing fromEngland all her best-affected chivalry, at a time when the adherents ofLancaster, still powerful, would require no happier occasion to raisethe Red Rose banner. He showed how hollow was the hope of steady aidfrom the hot but reckless and unprincipled Duke of Burgundy, and howdifferent now was the condition of France under a king of consummatesagacity and with an overflowing treasury to its distracted state in theformer conquests of the English. This opposition to the king's will gaveevery opportunity for Warwick's enemies to renew their old accusationof secret and treasonable amity with Louis. Although the proud and hastyearl had not only forgiven the affront put upon him by Edward, but hadsought to make amends for his own intemperate resentment, by publicattendance on the ceremonials that accompanied the betrothal of theprincess, it was impossible for Edward ever again to love the ministerwho had defied his power and menaced his crown. His humour and hissuspicions broke forth despite the restraint that policy dictated tohim: and in the disputes upon the invasion of France, a second and moredeadly breach between Edward and his minister must have yawned, had notevents suddenly and unexpectedly proved the wisdom of Warwick's distrustof Burgundy. Louis XI. bought off the Duke of Bretagne, patched up apeace with Charles the Bold, and thus frustrated all the schemes andbroke all the alliances of Edward at the very moment his militarypreparations were ripe. [W. Wyr, 518.]
Still the angry feelings that the dispute had occasioned between Edwardand the earl were not removed with the cause; and under pretence ofguarding against hostilities from Louis, the king requested Warwick todepart to his government of Calais, the most important and honourablepost, it is true, which a subject could then hold: but Warwickconsidered the request as a pretext for his removal from the court. Ayet more irritating and insulting cause of offence was found in Edward'swithholding his consent to Clarence's often-urged demand for permissionto wed with the Lady Isabel. It is true that this refusal wasaccompanied with the most courteous protestations of respect for theearl, and placed only upon the general ground of state policy.
"My dear George," Edward would say, "the heiress of Lord Warwick iscertainly no mal-alliance for a king's brother; but the safety of thethrone imperatively demands that my brothers should strengthen myrule by connections with foreign potentates. I, it is true, marrieda subject, and see all the troubles that have sprung from my boyishpassion! No, no! Go to Bretagne. The duke hath a fair daughter, and wewill make up for any scantiness in the dower. Weary me no more, George.Fiat voluntas mea!"
But the motives assigned were not those which influenced the king'srefusal. Reasonably enough, he dreaded that the next male heir to hiscrown should wed the daughter of the subject who had given that crown,and might at any time take it away. He knew Clarence to be giddy,unprincipled, and vain. Edward's faith in Warwick was shaken by thecontinual and artful representations of the queen and her family. Hefelt that the alliance between Clarence and the earl would be the unionof two interests almost irresistible if once arrayed against his own.
But Warwick, who penetrated into the true reason for Edward's obstinacy,was yet more resentful against the reasons than the obstinacy itself.The one galled him through his affections, the other through his pride;and the first were as keen as the last was morbid. He was the morechafed, inasmuch as his anxiety of father became aroused. Isabel wasreally attached to Clarence, who, with all his errors, possessed everysuperficial attraction that graced his House,--gallant and handsome, gayand joyous, and with manners that made him no less popular than Edwardhimself.
And if Isabel's affections were not deep, disinterested, and tender,like those of Anne, they were strengthened by a pride which sheinherited from her father, and a vanity which she took from her sex.It was galling in the extreme to feel that the loves between her andClarence were the court gossip, and the king's refusal the court jest.Her health gave way, and pride and love both gnawed at her heart.
It happened, unfortunately for the king and for Warwick, thatGloucester, whose premature acuteness and sagacity would have the moreserved both, inasmuch as the views he had formed in regard to Annewould have blended his interest in some degree with that of the Duke ofClarence, and certainly with the object of conciliation between Edwardand his minister,--it happened, we say, unfortunately, that Gloucesterwas still absent with the forces employed on the Scottish frontier,whither he had repaired on quitting Middleham, and where hisextraordinary military talents found their first brilliant opening; andhe was therefore absent from London during all the disgusts he mighthave removed and the intrigues he might have frustrated.
But the interests of the House of Warwick, during the earl's sullen andindignant sojourn at his government of Calais, were not committed tounskilful hands; and Montagu and the archbishop were well fitted to copewith Lord Rivers and the Duchess of Bedford.
Between these able brothers, one day, at the More, an importantconference took place.
"I have sought you," said Montagu, with more than usual care upon hisbrow--"I have sought you in consequence of an event that may leadto issues of no small moment, whether for good or evil. Clarence hassuddenly left England for Calais."
"I know it, Montagu; the duke confided to me his resolution to proclaimhimself old enough to marry,--and discreet enough to choose forhimself."
"And you approved?"
"Certes; and, sooth to say, I brought him to that modest opinion of hisown capacities. What is more still, I propose to join him at Calais."
"George!"
"Look not so scared, O valiant captain, who never lost a battle,--wherethe Church meddles, all prospers. Listen!" And the young prelategathered himself up from his listless posture, and spoke with earnestunction. "Thou knowest that I do not much busy myself in lay schemes;when I do, the object must be great. Now, Montagu, I have of latenarrowly and keenly watched that spidery web which ye call a court, andI see that the spider will devour the wasp, unless the wasp boldly breakthe web,--for woman-craft I call the spider, and soldier-pride I stylethe wasp. To speak plainly, these Woodvilles must be bravely breastedand determinately abashed. I do not mean that we can deal with theking's wife and her family as with any other foes; but we must convincethem that they cannot cope with us, and that their interests will bestconsist in acquiescing in that condition of things which places the ruleof England in the hands of the Neviles."
"My own thought, if I saw the way!"
"I see the way in this alliance; the Houses of York and Warwick mustbecome so indissolubly united, that an attempt to injure the one mustdestroy both. The queen and the Woodvilles plot against us; we mustraise in the king's family a counterpoise to their machinations. Itbrings no scandal on the queen to conspire against Warwick, but it wouldruin her in the eyes of England to conspire against the king's brother;and Clarence and Warwick must be as one. This is not all! If oursole aid was in giddy George, we should but buttress our House with aweathercock. This connection is but as a part of the grand scheme onwhich I have set my heart,--Clarence shall wed Isabel, Gloucester wedAnne, and (let thy ambitious heart beat high, Montagu) the king's eldestdaughter shall wed thy son,--the male representative of our triplehonours. Ah, thine eyes sparkle now! Thus the whole royalty of Englandshall centre in the Houses of Nevile and York; and the Woodvilles willbe caught and hampered in their own meshes, their resentment im
potent;for how can Elizabeth stir against us, if her daughter be betrothedto the son of Montagu, the nephew of Warwick? Clarence, beloved by theshallow commons; [Singular as it may seem to those who know not thatpopularity is given to the vulgar qualities of men, and that where anoble nature becomes popular (a rare occurrence), it is despite thenobleness,--not because of it. Clarence was a popular idol even to thetime of his death.--Croyl., 562.] Gloucester, adored both by the armyand the Church; and Montagu and Warwick, the two great captains of theage,--is not this a combination of power that may defy Fate?"
"O George!" said Montagu, admiringly, "what pity that the Church shouldspoil such a statesman!"
"Thou art profane, Montagu; the Church spoils no man,--the Churchleads and guides ye all; and, mark, I look farther still. I would haveintimate league with France; I would strengthen ourselves with Spainand the German Emperor; I would buy or seduce the votes of the sacredcollege; I would have thy poor brother, whom thou so pitiest because hehas no son to marry a king's daughter, no daughter to wed with a king'sson--I would have thy unworthy brother, Montagu, the father of the wholeChristian world, and, from the chair of the Vatican, watch over the wealof kingdoms. And now, seest thou why with to-morrow's sun I depart forCalais, and lend my voice in aid of Clarence's for the first knot inthis complicated bond?"
"But will Warwick consent while the king opposes? Will his pride--"
"His pride serves us here; for so long as Clarence did not dare togainsay the king, Warwick in truth might well disdain to press hisdaughter's hand upon living man. The king opposes, but with what right?Warwick's pride will but lead him, if well addressed, to defy affrontand to resist dictation. Besides, our brother has a woman's heart forhis children; and Isabel's face is pale, and that will plead more thanall my eloquence."
"But can the king forgive your intercession and Warwick's contumacy?"
"Forgive!--the marriage once over, what is left for him to do? Heis then one with us, and when Gloucester returns all will be smoothagain,--smooth for the second and more important nuptials; and thesecond shall preface the third; meanwhile, you return to the court. Tothese ceremonials you need be no party: keep but thy handsome son frombreaking his neck in over-riding his hobby, and 'bide thy time!'"
Agreeably with the selfish but sagacious policy thus detailed, theprelate departed the next day for Calais, where Clarence was alreadyurging his suit with the ardent impatience of amorous youth. Thearchbishop found, however, that Warwick was more reluctant than hehad anticipated, to suffer his daughter to enter any House withoutthe consent of its chief; nor would the earl, in all probability, haveacceded to the prayers of the princely suitor, had not Edward, enragedat the flight of Clarence, and worked upon by the artful queen,committed the imprudence of writing an intemperate and menacing letterto the earl, which called up all the passions of the haughty Warwick.
"What!" he exclaimed, "thinks this ungrateful man not only to dishonourme by his method of marrying his sisters, but will he also play thetyrant with me in the disposal of mine own daughter! He threats!he!--enough. It is due to me to show that there lives no man whosethreats I have not the heart to defy!" And the prelate finding him inthis mood had no longer any difficulty in winning his consent. Thisill-omened marriage was, accordingly, celebrated with great and regalpomp at Calais, and the first object of the archbishop was attained.
While thus stood affairs between the two great factions of the state,those discontents which Warwick's presence at court had a while laid atrest again spread, broad and far, throughout the land. The luxury andindolence of Edward's disposition in ordinary times always surrenderedhim to the guidance of others. In the commencement of his reign hewas eminently popular, and his government, though stern, suited to thetimes; for then the presiding influence was that of Lord Warwick. As thequeen's counsels prevailed over the consummate experience and masculinevigour of the earl, the king's government lost both popularity andrespect, except only in the metropolis; and if, at the close of hisreign, it regained all its earlier favour with the people, it must beprincipally ascribed to the genius of Hastings, then England's mostpowerful subject, and whose intellect calmly moved all the springs ofaction. But now everywhere the royal authority was weakened; and whileEdward was feasting at Shene and Warwick absent at Calais, the provinceswere exposed to all the abuses which most gall a population. The poorcomplained that undue exactions were made on them by the hospitals,abbeys, and barons; the Church complained that the queen's relations hadseized and spent Church moneys; the men of birth and merit complainedof the advancement of new men who had done no service: and all theseseveral discontents fastened themselves upon the odious Woodvilles, asthe cause of all. The second breach, now notorious, between the king andthe all-beloved Warwick, was a new aggravation of the popular hatred tothe queen's family, and seemed to give occasion for the malcontents toappear with impunity, at least so far as the earl was concerned: itwas, then, at this critical time that the circumstances we are about torelate occurred.
The Last of the Barons — Complete Page 39
