who told the news with exultation to Comines. For although Maximilian had brought strength to Mary's cause against France he could not inspire the Flemings with much devotion to himself. The only claim he could now have upon their loyalty was as guardian for two young children, Philip and Margaret, the former of whom was heir to the duchy. But authority he soon found that he had none. In his poverty he looked for support to the states of Flanders, which were chiefly represented by a few leading tradesmen of Ghent. He was compelled to trust everything to their counsels, even to the ordering of his household. Supported by France, their arrogance daily increased, until, at last, proud of their control over the son of an Emperor, they carried it to an extent past even Maximilian's endurance. They took possession of the persons of his children, and compelled him to conclude with Lewis XI. the treaty of Arras, in which it was stipulated that the Princess Margaret should marry the dauphin, afterwards Charles VIII., and should have as dower the counties of Artois and Burgundy, Macon and other places, which properly belonged to the inheritance of her brother Philip.

Thus had Lewis intrigued for the annexation of important provinces to France, through the marriage of his heir apparent with one who had no right to them. Nor was this all; for the act involved a gross breach of faith with England. The dauphin had been already bound by treaty to marry the daughter of Edward IV.

1

Comines and other French writers declare Edward died of the disappointment. Certainly he did not live to avenge it. His last days may well have been embittered by the thought that the alliance he had for eight years steadily kept in view, and for which he had shown himself lukewarm in behalf of Burgundy, was thus flagrantly and perfidiously violated. But his regrets were unavailing, and probably were not shared by any of his people. Within two months after he was dead, the Princess Margaret, then little more than four years of age, was conveyed to Paris and married to the dauphin. The event was of no consequence to Englishmen amid the terror and tyranny at home. But there soon occurred matters of greater interest, to which the English council could not be indifferent. The Archduke Maximilian, though thus connected with the royal house of France, was galled in the extreme by the advantage Lewis had taken of his weakness. The men of Ghent still kept his son Philip a prisoner, issued letters and proclamations in his name, as Duke of Burgundy, and ignored the authority of Maximilian himself.3 Nor were his troubles confined to Ghent and the provinces on the French frontier. In the preceding year he had been

2

compelled to turn his arms against William de la Marck who endeavoured to seize the government of Liege by murdering the bishop and getting his own son nominated in his place. And now there was the bishop of Utrecht imprisoned by a faction of the citizens in league with the duke of Cleves. Maximilian hastened to the bishop's succour, laid siege to Utrecht, and in about two months compelled it to surrender.

1

France,

Maximi

During this time Lewis XI. died. Until the treaty England, of Arras he had paid regularly to England the pen- and the sion stipulated in 1475, and continually encouraged Archduke Edward's hope of the marriage between his daughter lian. and the dauphin. But as Edward was dead, and no one else resented the perfidy, there was little inducement to Richard III. to embroil himself with France. He found Lewis as peaceably disposed as himself, and showed himself willing to redress the injuries that French subjects had suffered at the hands of the English. But no definite peace had been concluded, and when the death of Lewis XI. was known at Calais the garrison were anxious for a renewal of hostilities. The governor urged upon the English council the expediency of having a good fleet in the Channel, and cultivating the friendship of Maximilian and the Duke of Britanny. The Archduke's capture of Utrecht was thought so great a victory that even Ghent was awed; and it was expected he would invade Picardy to add it to his dominions. The English looked with joy on his success, and Lord Dynham hoped, for the safety of Calais, that England would cultivate the friendship of such a powerful neighbour.

But Richard had enough to do with his own subjects. He could feel little concern about foreign powers, except where they gave an asylum to Lan

1 Vol. I. pp. 18, 25, 34.

VOL. II.

b

castrian refugees; and his chief anxiety on this score was about the Earl of Richmond in Britanny. Neither his brother Edward nor himself had been able to induce the duke to deliver him up, and so long as the Earl remained there Richard stood in constant fear of invasion. His grounds of complaint, of course, were all the stronger after the attempt had been actually made, nor could peace be maintained with Britanny without some security against its renewal. His demands were not unreasonable. When Maximilian offered to mediate he insisted that the duke should first deliver up Richmond and his adherents, or remove them to some place where they could not be dangerous. The duke did neither the one nor the other, but allowed them all to escape to France. Nevertheless, Richard could not afford to quarrel with him; he overlooked the circumstance, renewed the truce with Britanny, and even sent archers to defend the duchy. It was the only measure we find him taking against

our ancient enemies of France." Dissatisfied as he had been in 1475 at the inglorious peace made by his brother Edward,' he did not, indeed, make peace with France himself, but neglected to prosecute the war. We know not if there really arrived, as Maximilian expected, a French embassy at Richard's court to desire a truce, but no truce was made. There can be little doubt that he might, at least, have bargained for the detention of the Earl of Richmond in France; but of policy he knew nothing. Nor, perhaps, if it had occurred to him, would the consideration of his own security have outweighed the arguments urged by Maximilian against any such arrangement; that he would bar his own claim to the crown of France and cause the French to despise him as they had despised his brother Edward.

1 Comines.

of Richard

III.

Such appears, during his short career, to have been Weakness Richard's attitude towards France; continually unable to make war and unwilling to make peace. The internal weakness thus exhibited requires no explanation. It is not the only evidence that he had lost the hearts of his subjects. Robert Fabyan, a very competent witness, says he had no sooner attained the crown than the greater part of the nobility were alienated, who would have hazarded their lives for him if he had remained protector. True, it was by their very means that this change in his position was effected; but in such matters repentance is allowed to minor agents only. Taking advantage of the prejudice against the Woodvilles, he had supplanted his nephew by little more than a mere legal quibble; but when thrones were so easily overturned, it was impossible that his own could be secure. He guarded strictly his nephews within the Tower, and put a watch about the sanctuary at Westminster for fear any of his brother's children should be conveyed abroad. Conspiracies began to be formed for their liberation, and a general rising was planned over the whole south of England. At last it was published abroad that the duke of Buckingham would lead the movement, he who had been hitherto Richard's firmest adherent and leading counsellor. The report immediately followed that the princes had been murdered; which seemed to thwart the object of the rising. But a new object was very soon supplied. If the wrongs of the children could not now be redressed, revenge might at least be taken for the abominable crime; and a leader would soon arrive, more powerful than Buckingham himself, to rid the country of the tyrant and establish peace by the union of York and Lancaster.

ingham's

I must say I find it hard to believe that the duke The duke of Buckingham, notwithstanding all his virtuous in- of Buckdignation, had not a guilty knowledge from the first rebellion. of what had befallen the children. We need not this