The Last of the Barons — Complete
Page 79
CHAPTER VII. THE LANDING OF LORD WARWICK, AND THE EVENTS THAT ENSUETHEREON.
And Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, "prepared such a greate navieas lightly hath not been seene before gathered in manner of all nations,which armie laie at the mouth of the Seyne ready to fight with the Earlof Warwick, when he should set out of his harborowe." [Hall, p. 282, ed.1809.]
But the winds fought for the Avenger. In the night came "a terribletempest," which scattered the duke's ships "one from another, so thattwo of them were not in compagnie together in one place;" and when thetempest had done its work, it passed away; and the gales were fair,and the heaven was clear, when, the next day, the earl "halsed up thesayles," and came in sight of Dartmouth.
It was not with an army of foreign hirelings that Lord Warwick set forthon his mighty enterprise. Scanty indeed were the troops he brought fromFrance,--for he had learned from England that "men so much daily andhourely desired and wished so sore his arrival and return, that almostall men were in harness, looking for his landyng." [The popular feelingin favour of the earl is described by Hall, with somewhat more eloquenceand vigour than are common with that homely chronicler: "The absence ofthe Earle of Warwick made the common people daily more and more to longand bee desirous to have the sight of him, and presently to behold hispersonage. For they judged that the sunne was clerely taken from theworld when hee was absent. In such high estimation amongst the peoplewas his name, that neither no one manne they had in so much honour,neither no one persone they so much praised, or to the clouds so highlyextolled. What shall I say? His only name sounded in every song, in themouth of the common people, and his persone [effigies] was representedwith great reverence when publique plaies or open triumphes should beeskewed or set furthe abrode in the stretes," etc. This lively passage,if not too highly coloured, serves to show us the rude saturnalian kindof liberty that existed, even under a king so vindictive as Edward IV.Though an individual might be banged for the jest that he would make hisson heir to the crown (namely, the grocer's shop, which bore that sign),yet no tyranny could deal with the sentiment of the masses. In our ownday it would be less safe than in that to make public exhibition "inplaies and triumphes" of sympathy with a man attainted as a traitor, andin open rebellion to the crown.] As his ships neared the coast, and thebanner of the Ragged Staff, worked in gold, shone in the sun, the shoresswarmed with armed crowds, not to resist but to welcome. From cliff tocliff, wide and far, blazed rejoicing bonfires; and from cliff to cliff,wide and far, burst the shout, when, first of all his men, bareheaded,but, save the burgonet, in complete mail, the popular hero leaped toshore.
"When the earl had taken land, he made a proclamation, in the name ofKing Henry VI., upon high paynes commanding and charging all men apt orable to bear armour, to prepare themselves to fight against Edward, Dukeof York, who had untruly usurped the croune and dignity of this realm."[Hall, p. 82.]
And where was Edward? Afar, following the forces of Fitzhugh andRobin of Redesdale, who by artful retreat drew him farther and farthernorthward, and left all the other quarters of the kingdom free to sendtheir thousands to the banners of Lancaster and Warwick. And even as thenews of the earl's landing reached the king, it spread also through allthe towns of the North; and all the towns of the North were in "a greatrore, and made fires, and sang songs, crying, 'King Henry! King Henry! aWarwicke! a Warwicke!'" But his warlike and presumptuous spirit forsooknot the chief of that bloody and fatal race,--the line of the EnglishPelops,--"bespattered with kindred gore." [Aeschylus: Agamemnon] Amessenger from Burgundy was in his tent when the news reached him. "Backto the duke!" cried Edward; "tell him to recollect his navy, guard thesea, scour the streams, that the earl shall not escape, nor return toFrance; for the doings in England, let me alone! I have ability andpuissance to overcome all enemies and rebels in mine own realm." [Hall,p. 283.]
And therewith he raised his camp, abandoned the pursuit of Fitzhugh,summoned Montagu to join him (it being now safer to hold the marquisnear him, and near the axe, if his loyalty became suspected), andmarched on to meet the earl. Nor did the earl tarry from the encounter.His army, swelling as he passed, and as men read his proclamations toreform all grievances and right all wrongs, he pressed on to meet theking, while fast and fast upon Edward's rear came the troops of Fitzhughand Hilyard, no longer flying but pursuing. The king was the moreanxious to come up to Warwick, inasmuch as he relied greatly upon thetreachery of Clarence, either secretly to betray or openly to desert theearl. And he knew that if he did the latter on the eve of a battle, itcould not fail morally to weaken Warwick, and dishearten his army byfear that desertion should prove, as it ever does, the most contagiousdisease that can afflict a camp. It is probable, however, that theenthusiasm which had surrounded the earl with volunteers so numerous hadfar exceeded the anticipations of the inexperienced Clarence, and wouldhave forbid him that opportunity of betraying the earl. However this be,the rival armies drew nearer and nearer. The king halted in his rapidmarch at a small village, and took up his quarters in a fortified house,to which there was no access but by a single bridge. [Sharon Turner,Comines.] Edward himself retired for a short time to his couch, for hehad need of all his strength in the battle he foresaw; but scarce had heclosed his eyes, when Alexander Carlile [Hearne: Fragment], the serjeantof the royal minstrels, followed by Hastings and Rivers (their jealousylaid at rest for a time in the sense of their king's danger), rushedinto his room.
"Arm, sire, arm!--Lord Montagu has thrown off the mask, and ridesthrough thy troops, shouting 'Long live King Henry!'"
"Ah, traitor!" cried the king, leaping from his bed. "From Warwick hatewas my due, but not from Montagu! Rivers, help to buckle on my mail.Hastings, post my body-guard at the bridge. We will sell our livesdear."
Hastings vanished. Edward had scarcely hurried on his helm, cuirass, andgreaves, when Gloucester entered, calm in the midst of peril.
"Your enemies are marching to seize you, brother. Hark! behind you ringsthe cry, 'A Fitzhugh! a Robin! death to the tyrant!' Hark! in front, 'AMontagu! a Warwick! Long live King Henry!' I come to redeem my word,--toshare your exile or your death. Choose either while there is yet time.Thy choice is mine!"
And while he spoke, behind, before, came the various cries nearer andnearer. The lion of March was in the toils.
"Now, my two-handed sword!" said Edward. "Gloucester, in this weaponlearn my choice!"
But now all the principal barons and captains, still true to the kingwhose crown was already lost, flocked in a body to the chamber. Theyfell on their knees, and with tears implored him to save himself for ahappier day.
"There is yet time to escape," said D'Eyncourt, "to pass the bridge, togain the seaport! Think not that a soldier's death will be left thee.Numbers will suffice to encumber thine arm, to seize thy person. Livenot to be Warwick's prisoner,--shown as a wild beast in its cage to thehooting crowd!"
"If not on thyself," exclaimed Rivers, "have pity on these loyalgentlemen, and for the sake of their lives preserve thine own. What isflight? Warwick fled!"
"True,--and returned!" added Gloucester. "You are right, my lords. Come,sire, we must fly. Our rights fly not with us, but shall fight for us inabsence!"
The calm WILL of this strange and terrible boy had its effect uponEdward. He suffered his brother to lead him from the chamber, grindinghis teeth in impotent rage. He mounted his horse, while Rivers heldthe stirrup, and with some six or seven knights and earls rode to thebridge, already occupied by Hastings and a small but determined guard.
"Come, Hastings," said the king, with a ghastly smile,--"they tell us wemust fly!"
"True, sire, haste, haste! I stay but to deceive the enemy by feigningto defend the pass, and to counsel, as I best may, the faithful soldierswe leave behind."
"Brave Hastings!" said Gloucester, pressing his hand, "you do well, andI envy you the glory of this post. Come, sire."
"Ay, ay," said the king, with a sudden and fierce cry, "we go,--butat least slaughtering as we go. See! yo
n rascal troop! ride we throughtheir midst! Havock and revenge!"
He set spurs to his steed, galloped over the bridge, and before hiscompanions could join him, dashed alone into the very centre of theadvanced guard sent to invest the fortress, and while they were yetshouting, "Where is the tyrant, where is Edward?"
"Here!" answered a voice of thunder,--"here, rebels and faytors, in yourranks!"
This sudden and appalling reply, even more than the sweep of thegigantic sword, before which were riven sallet and mail as the woodman'saxe rives the fagot, created amongst the enemy that singular panic,which in those ages often scattered numbers before the arm and the nameof one. They recoiled in confusion and dismay. Many actually threw downtheir arms and fled. Through a path broad and clear amidst the forestof pikes, Gloucester and the captains followed the flashing track of theking, over the corpses, headless or limbless, that he felled as he rode.
Meanwhile, with a truer chivalry, Hastings, taking advantage of thesortie which confused and delayed the enemy, summoned such of the loyalas were left in the fortress, advised them, as the only chance of life,to affect submission to Warwick; but when the time came, to remembertheir old allegiance, [Sharon Turner, vol. iii. 280.] and promising thathe would not desert them, save with life, till their safety was pledgedby the foe, reclosed his visor, and rode back to the front of thebridge.
And now the king and his comrades had cut their way through all barrier,but the enemy still wavered and lagged, till suddenly the cry of "Robinof Redesdale!" was heard, and sword in hand, Hilyard, followed by atroop of horse, dashed to the head of the besiegers, and, learning theking's escape, rode off in pursuit. His brief presence and sharp rebukereanimated the falterers, and in a few minutes they gained the bridge.
"Halt, sirs," cried Hastings; "I would offer capitulation to yourleader! Who is he?"
A knight on horseback advanced from the rest. Hastings lowered the pointof his sword.
"Sir, we yield this fortress to your hands upon one condition,--our menyonder are willing to submit, and shout with you for Henry VI. Pledgeme your word that you and your soldiers spare their lives and do them nowrong, and we depart."
"And if I pledge it not?" said the knight.
"Then for every warrior who guards this bridge count ten dead menamongst your ranks."
"Do your worst,--our bloods are up! We want life for life! revenge forthe subjects butchered by your tyrant chief! Charge! to the attack!charge! pike and bill!" The knight spurred on, the Lancastriansfollowed, and the knight reeled from his horse into the moat below,felled by the sword of Hastings.
For several minutes the pass was so gallantly defended that the strifeseemed uncertain, though fearfully unequal, when Lord Montagu himself,hearing what had befallen, galloped to the spot, threw down histruncheon, cried "Hold!" and the slaughter ceased. To this noblemanHastings repeated the terms he had proposed.
"And," said Montagu, turning with anger to the Lancastrians, who formeda detachment of Fitzhugh's force--"can Englishmen insist upon butcheringEnglishmen? Rather thank we Lord Hastings that he would spare good KingHenry so many subjects' lives! The terms are granted, my lord; and yourown life also, and those of your friends around you, vainly brave in awrong cause. Depart!"
"Ah, Montagu," said Hastings, touched, and in a whisper, "what pity thatso gallant a gentleman should leave a rebel's blot upon his scutcheon!"
"When chiefs and suzerains are false and perjured, Lord Hastings,"answered Montagu, "to obey them is not loyalty, but serfdom; and revoltis not disloyalty, but a freeman's duty. One day thou mayst know thattruth, but too late." [It was in the midst of his own conspiracy againstRichard of Gloucester that the head of Lord Hastings fell.]
Hastings made no reply, waved his hand to his fellow-defenders of thebridge, and, followed by them, went slowly and deliberately on, tillclear of the murmuring and sullen foe; then putting spurs to theirsteeds, these faithful warriors rode fast to rejoin their king; overtookHilyard on the way, and after a fierce skirmish, a blow from Hastingsunhorsed and unhelmed the stalwart Robin, and left him so stunned as tocheck further pursuit. They at last reached the king, and gaining, withhim and his party, the town of Lynn, happily found one English and twoDutch vessels on the point of sailing. Without other raiment than themail they wore, without money, the men a few hours before hailed assovereign or as peers fled from their native land as outcastsand paupers. New dangers beset them on the sea: the ships of theEasterlings, at war both with France and England, bore down upon theirvessels. At the risk of drowning they ran ashore near Alcmaer. The largeships of the Easterlings followed as far as the low water would permit,"intendeing at the fludde to have obtained their prey." [Hall.] In thisextremity, the lord of the province (Louis of Grauthuse) came aboardtheir vessels, protected the fugitives from the Easterlings,conducted them to the Hague, and apprised the Duke of Burgundy how hisbrother-in-law had lost his throne. Then were verified Lord Warwick'spredictions of the faith of Burgundy! The duke for whose allianceEdward had dishonoured the man to whom he owed his crown, so feared thevictorious earl, that "he had rather have heard of King Edward's deaththan of his discomfiture;" [Hall, p. 279] and his first thought was tosend an embassy to the king-maker, praying the amity and alliance of therestored dynasty.