Читать книгу The Queens of England (Vol. 1-3) - Strickland Agnes - Страница 26

When Edward, Prince of Wales, was, with his mother, compelled to seek refuge at the house of the Count of Hainault (of which we have given an account in the story of Isabella of France), he fell violently in love with the count's second daughter, Philippa, and she returned his affection. She was only fifteen years of age, and he a few months older, but they formed an attachment that lasted throughout their lives. Philippa was a brilliant Flemish beauty, whose excellent heart and lovable disposition endeared her to all who knew her. Later, as Queen of England, she proved a blessing to that country by the wisdom and good judgment she displayed in encouraging manufactures and trade. But before she assumed that position she was doomed to many months of anxiety and uncertainty; for her young lover, after only a fortnight's enjoyment of her society, departed on the dangerous expedition of invading his father's kingdom. There was considerable doubt as to whether he would ever return, because not only were the affairs of his country in such a condition that he could not foretell what turn they might take, but the relatives of both the lovers might interpose many objections to their union.

It was not the custom in those days for the heir of England to acknowledge that he had made his choice of a wife without first consulting his parliament and councillors,

but young Edward imparted his secret to his mother, and, as she had taken a great fancy to pretty Philippa, she promised to aid him as best she could. Therefore as soon as possible after her return home she led the public authorities to decide that one of the four daughters of the Count of Hainault would be the most desirable alliance for her son, but without naming which one. However, we may be very sure that the young man gave his own private instructions to his messengers, for they made no mistake in their choice, nor is it likely that he would risk trusting entirely to their discretion as to which of the young Hainault ladies would prove most worthy to become Queen of England.

The messengers applied first to Sir John, Philippa's uncle, who had been in England fighting the cause of the new king, and requested his assistance in the selection of a wife for their young sovereign. Sir John received them with all the honors he could lavish, and gave them the most sumptuous feasts and splendid entertainments of all sorts. After several days spent in this manner, he conducted them to Valenciennes, where they were equally well received at his brother's house. A special dispensation was required from the Pope, because the two mothers of the lovers were cousins; so messengers were sent to obtain it, which they did without much difficulty.

A.D. 1327. As soon as Edward heard that all necessary arrangements had been completed, he ordered the marriage ceremony to be performed at Valenciennes, though as he was engaged in a war on the Scottish border with the renowned Robert Bruce, he could not be present. In the absence of the bridegroom, the wedding must have been rather a tame affair, but there was no help for it, and preparations were made for a grand display. The costume and equipage of the bride were unusually costly and elegant, no expense or pains being spared to render the festival worthy of the wealthy country in which it was given.

Afterwards Philippa, accompanied by her Uncle John and a large retinue, proceeded to Dover, and then to London, where a solemn procession of the clergy introduced her into the city, and she was presented by the lord mayor with a service of silver worth three hundred pounds as a marriage gift. The city was illuminated, and there were great rejoicings, feasts and public entertainments of all sorts, that were kept up for three weeks after the bride's arrival.

She did not stay long in London, however, but hurried on to York to meet her husband, being received with honors at every town through which she passed. All the parliament and royal council assembled at the union of the young king and his bride, as well as a hundred of the principal nobility of Scotland, who came to conclude a final peace with England.

Nothing is said about the bride's marriage dowry, because the queen-mother had already got possession of it and spent it. She had besides so managed to get hold of the public funds that the young sovereign of England was nearly penniless. The following summer was passed by the new couple at Woodstock, the beautiful country residence which was the favorite home of Philippa so long as Isabella, the queen-mother, and Mortimer ruled the kingdom.

Sir John of Hainault returned to his native land laden with jewels and rich presents, almost all of his countrymen accompanying him. Among the few who remained behind was a youth named Sir Walter Mauny, whose office was to carve for Philippa. He became one of the first Knights of the Garter, an order established by Edward III., of which we shall hear later.

A.D. 1330. The coronation of the young queen did not take place for nearly two years after her marriage. All the customary duties were performed on that occasion, but the ceremony was remarkable for the absence of display on account of the emptiness of the treasury.

The queen-mother, with her favorite, Mortimer, had used up all the public funds for their own support, but young Edward was not going to stand such a state of affairs much longer, and before the close of the year he had liberated himself from his wicked mother's control and executed her favorite.

With the reins of government in his own hands, the young king, aided by his good and sensible wife, set to work to reform the abuses of his mother's reign and to establish most excellent and satisfactory laws.

Edward had a very violent temper, which would have led him to commit many an act of cruelty and injustice had it not been for the influence of his kind-hearted, virtuous wife.

A.D. 1330. Her eldest son, Edward, surnamed the Black Prince on account of the color of the armor he wore in battle, was born while she was living at Woodstock, and in celebration of that event a grand tournament was arranged to take place in London. Philippa, with all the noble ladies, was invited to attend. The preparations were on a much grander scale than usual, thirteen knights being engaged on either side. The arena was covered with sand to prevent the horses' feet from slipping; flags and banners were ingeniously arranged as decorations, and a temporary platform was erected and ornamented for the accommodation of the queen and her ladies. No sooner were they all seated than the scaffolding gave way, and they tumbled pell-mell to the ground. Fortunately the platform was not high, and nobody was hurt, but the ladies were terribly frightened, and, for a few moments, the confusion and excitement were very great.

The king flew into a perfect fury and vowed that the careless carpenters should instantly be put to death. This was rather a severe sentence, particularly as the damage was slight, and so Philippa considered it, for scarcely had she recovered from her fright than she threw herself on her knees before her angry husband, and pleaded with angelic sweetness for the pardon of the poor men. Edward soon became calm under the influence of her gentle voice and words, and forgave the offenders.

Up to this time all the wool grown in England had been sent to the Netherlands to be manufactured into cloth, and Philippa remembered what a source of profit and occupation it had been for her own country. She therefore set to work to establish a manufacturing colony at Norwich, and a letter was sent to John Kemp of Flanders, cloth-weaver, in which he is informed, "that if he will come to England with the servants and apprentices of his mystery, and with his goods and chattels, and with any dyers who maybe willing to accompany him beyond the seas, and exercise their mysteries in the kingdom of England, they shall have letters of protection and assistance in their settlement."

A.D. 1335. He came, and was the patriarch of the Norwich woollen manufactories. Philippa often visited the colony, which soon brought considerable wealth into the country, encouraging the work by her patronage, and, like a beneficent queen of the hive cherishing and protecting the working bees, she made a law that no woollen clothes should be worn except those made in England. Besides the occupation which she thus provided for hundreds of her subjects, this young queen displayed unusual foresight for a woman of her age in the tournament exhibitions she held at Norwich, by which she gave the citizens assurance of gallant protection on the part of the nobility in case of need. These festivities brought together the workers and the defenders of the nation, and Queen Philippa set them the example of mutual respect. Edward III. did not often accompany his wife on her visits to Norwich, but usually passed the time of her absence with his unhappy mother at Castle Rising.

In 1333 Edward again commenced a furious war on Scotland. His faithful Philippa went with him as far as she could, and while he laid siege to Berwick took up her residence at Bamborough Castle. It was during this siege that the king committed a deed so atrocious that it must forever be a dark stain upon his character. Douglas, the defender of Scotland, left King Edward before Berwick and made a forced march to the castle that contained Queen Philippa, hoping to frighten the king and to force him to fly to her assistance. But he was mistaken, for Edward had too much confidence in the strength of the castle and the firmness of his wife to budge. It is probable though that this attempt to capture Philippa aggravated his ferocious temper and prompted him to the cruel deed to which we have referred. The two young Seatons, sons of the Governor of Berwick, had been taken as prisoners, and the king had them put to death because the father refused to surrender the town. His object was to take Berwick by a desperate blow and fly to the relief of his queen, and he succeeded, for the poor grief-stricken father of the Seatons was so perfectly stunned by the infamous murder of his boys, that he could offer no further resistance. Douglas and Edward fought not far from Benwick, where the former was killed and the king entered the town in triumph with Philippa at his side.

During the queen's residence in the north of England quite an amusing circumstance occurred. King Edward had returned from Scotland, and his wife, who had been separated from him for a long time, went as far as Durham to welcome him back. He lodged at St. Cuthbert's Priory near the castle. After supper the queen entered her husband's apartments, where, feeling fatigued from her journey, she hoped to have a good night's rest. Scarcely had she undressed than there came a loud knocking at her door. Upon opening it several monks presented themselves with a pathetic appeal to her not to offend their holy patron St. Cuthbert, who during his life avoided the fair sex and would be dreadfully angry if one of them, no matter how high her rank, should sleep beneath the roof of his convent. The pious Philippa was distressed at the idea of having unintentionally displeased the saint, and fled in her night-clothes to the castle, which was fortunately not far away.

A.D. 1336. About this time Count William of Hainault died of gout, and Edward thus lost the liberal supplies that he had always counted on from that source. The English people of that period chose always to be at war; but expected their monarchs to pay the costs. Edward was reduced to such extreme poverty that he was forced to pledge his wife's crown for twenty-five hundred pounds, at the beginning of his long war, and during his whole reign the crown jewels were seldom out of pawn. He had been engaged in a naval battle with France since his victories in Scotland, and in 1340 found himself bankrupt. By that time Philippa had several children, and was residing in the Tower, where she devoted herself to their education with her usual good sense.

Now we must see how Edward was led to establish the Order of the Garter. Wark Castle was under the guardianship of the Earl of Salisbury, who, while King Edward was encamped near Berwick, was taken prisoner. The Countess of Salisbury was then left alone at the castle with her young nephew, and it was besieged by the King of Scotland. Becoming alarmed at the approach of danger she sent the youth to seek assistance of Edward who immediately replied in person. At his appearance the siege was raised, and the countess, to prove her gratitude, ordered the gates to be thrown open, and received the king with great honors. She courtesied low, thanked her preserver warmly for his prompt aid, and conducted him into the castle, where he and all his knights and attendants were entertained sumptuously. Everybody was struck with the countess' noble deportment and affable behavior, and the king was charmed with her grace and beauty.

While he was dancing with her after the banquet she gave in his honor she unfortunately dropped her garter, and was overcome with confusion, but Edward with his usual gallantry picked it up and, holding it aloft, said: "Honi soit qui mal y pense,"

"evil to him who evil thinks." In commemoration of this event, and out of compliment to the countess, he established an order called the Knights of the Garter. The queen attended the first meeting of this order at Windsor, on which occasion all the knights were accompanied by their ladies, who wore the badge with the motto the king had proposed as a bracelet on their left arm. The object of this order of knighthood was to assist distressed ladies, and after it was well established the king announced his intention of going to the aid of the Countess de Montfort, who was trying to uphold the cause of her infant son against the whole power of France, while her husband was a prisoner in the tower of the Louvre. He appointed Philippa regent, with the Earl of Kent as her assistant, and departed for France with his son Edward, then only sixteen years of age. At the battle of Cressy, which had occurred during the siege of Calais, this boy proved himself a true hero.

During the king's absence, David of Scotland advanced into England and set fire to the suburbs of York. Philippa hastened in person to the relief of her northern subjects, and took up her residence at Newcastle. On the following day the King of Scots, with forty thousand men, halted within three miles of the town, and sent word to the queen that if her men were willing he would wait and give them battle. She replied: "that her barons would risk their lives for the realm of their lord, the king."

When her army drew up in order of battle she rode among them mounted on her white charger, entreating the men "to fight manfully for the love of God." They promised to do the utmost in their power, and the queen withdrew after commending them "to the protection of God and St. George."

Philippa had the moral courage becoming in a woman, and as soon as she had done all that a great queen could do for the encouragement of her army, she left the battlefield, which was no place for her, and retired to pray for her invaded kingdom.

Her army gained the victory, and King David was taken prisoner by a squire named John Copeland, who rode off with him and refused to give him up. This displeased Philippa, who the next day wrote to the squire commanding him to surrender the King of Scots to her forthwith. He replied, "that he would not give up his royal prisoner to a woman but only to his own lord, King Edward, for to him he had sworn allegiance and not to any woman."

The queen was troubled at this obstinacy, and wrote all about it to the king, who ordered John Copeland to come to him at Calais immediately. When Edward saw the squire he took him by the hand, saying: "Ha! welcome my squire, who by thy valor hast captured mine adversary, the King of Scots."

John Copeland fell on one knee and replied: "If God out of his great goodness has given me the King of Scotland, and permitted me to conquer him in arms, no one ought to be jealous of it, for God can, if He please, send His grace to a poor squire as well as to a great lord. Sire, do not take it amiss if I did not surrender King David to the orders of my lady queen, for I hold my lands of you and not of her, and my oath is to you and not her, unless indeed through choice."

The king thanked him warmly for his valor, and ordered him to go home and hand his prisoner, the King of Scotland, over to Philippa, adding, "and I assign lands as near your house as you can choose them to the amount of five hundred pounds a year for you and your heirs." The squire obeyed, and the excuses he made were so acceptable to the queen that she bore him no ill-will. She ordered King David to be conducted in grand procession through the streets mounted on a tall black war-horse, so that every one might know him and recognize him in case he attempted to escape, and then to be locked up in the Tower of London. Next day, accompanied by a large number of her ladies, she sailed for Calais, where Edward gave a magnificent fête to welcome his victorious queen.

Meantime the defenders of Calais were so much reduced by famine that they offered to surrender. At first Edward resolved to kill them every one, but in compliance with the request of Sir Walter Mauny, one of the Knights of the Garter, who begged him to be merciful, he softened somewhat, and sent this message: "Tell the Governor of Calais that the garrison and inhabitants shall be pardoned excepting six of the principal citizens, who must surrender themselves to death with ropes round their necks, bareheaded and barefooted, bringing the keys of the town and castle in their hands."

Sir Walter carried the cruel verdict to the governor. He wept bitterly; he was compelled, however, to break the dreadful news to the inhabitants, who at the loud peals of the alarm-bell assembled in the town-hall. When they heard the king's message, they broke into loud lamentations of grief and despair. The hardest heart could not have failed to be touched by such a scene. Men stared at each other, scarcely knowing what to say or do. After a pause, Eustace St. Pierre, the most wealthy citizen of Calais, arose and offered himself as one of the six to make the horrible sacrifice for his fellow-townsmen. Five others followed this noble example amid the blessings and thanks of the assembly, and the number was completed. Mounted on a horse, the governor slowly and solemnly conducted them to the barriers, where Sir Walter Mauny awaited them, and said: "I deliver up to you, as Governor of Calais, these six citizens, and swear to you they are the most wealthy and respectable men of the town. I beg of you, gentle sir, that

you would beseech the king that they may not be put to death."

"I cannot answer what the king will do with them," replied Sir Walter; "but you may depend upon this, that I will do all I can to save them."

All the English nobles wept at the sight of these six gentlemen as they knelt before the king and begged for compassion, but Edward eyed them angrily and ordered their heads to be struck off forthwith. Some of the knights entreated the king to be more merciful, but he would not listen to them, and sternly repeated his order.

At that moment Philippa appeared. Falling on her knees at her husband's feet, she looked up into his face with tears in her eyes, and said: "Ah, gentle sir, since I crossed the sea with great peril to see you I have never asked you one favor; now I most humbly ask as a gift, for the sake of the son of the blessed Mary, and as a proof of your love to me, the lives of these six men."

King Edward looked at her for some time in silence, then replied: "Ah, lady, I wish you had been anywhere else than here; you have entreated in such a manner I cannot refuse you. I therefore give them to you—do as you please with them."

Philippa then conducted the poor men to her own apartments, where their halters were removed from their necks and they were served with an excellent dinner. Afterwards she saw that they were conducted out of the camp in safety. The king entered Calais and took possession of the castle, where proper lodgings had been prepared for himself and his queen.

A.D. 1348. After their return to England, in 1348, an awful epidemic, called the "black death," visited the kingdom and carried off the king and queen's second daughter, Johanna, a princess only fifteen years old, but blessed with so many charms that a number of minstrels had chosen her for the subject of their verses. What made the event more than ordinarily sad was, that she was engaged to be married, and her funeral procession occurred at the very time that had been fixed for the wedding ceremony. This was a great sorrow to the royal couple. So dreadful was the pestilence that every household in London was afflicted by it, and in some families all the members died..

Before this horrible visitation Philippa had turned her attention to the working of the coal mines in England, which, like the cloth manufacture, proved an industry of immense profit to the nation, besides enriching many private individuals. Wherever this great queen turned her patronage, prosperity was sure to follow, and her subjects loved and trusted her.

A.D. 1357. In 1357 the English gained a grand victory at Poictiers, and the Black Prince returned with many prisoners. Among them was one Bertrand Du Guesclin. One day when Queen Philippa was entertaining at her court a number of the noble French prisoners, the Prince of Wales proposed that Du Guesclin should name his own ransom, adding that whatever sum he mentioned should set him free. The warrior named a hundred thousand crowns. The Prince of Wales was astonished at such a sum, and asked how he could raise it. "I know a hundred knights," replied Du Guesclin, "in my native Bretagne, who would mortgage their last acre rather than have me languish in captivity or be rated below my value. Yea, and there is not a woman in France now toiling with her distaff who would not devote a year's earnings to liberate me, for well have I deserved of their sex. And if all the fair spinners of France employ their hands to redeem me, think you, prince, that I shall abide much longer with you?"

Queen Philippa, who had listened to this conversation

with great attention, now spoke: "I name," she said, "fifty thousand crowns, my son, as my contribution towards your gallant prisoner's ransom; for though an enemy to my husband, a knight who is famed for the courteous protection he has afforded to my sex deserves the assistance of every woman." Du Guesclin threw himself at the feet of the generous queen, saying: "Ah, lady, being the ugliest knight in France, I never reckoned on any goodness from your sex excepting those whom I protected with my sword, but your bounty will make me think less despicably of myself." Philippa, like all great women, honored those men who paid most reverence to her own sex.

After a lingering illness, she sent for the king one day when she knew that death was approaching. Taking his hand in her own, she asked him to grant her three requests. He promised in advance with tears rolling down his cheeks. "My lord," she said, "I beg you will fulfil whatever engagements I have made with the merchants for their wares, as well on this as on the other side of the sea; I beseech you to fulfil whatever gifts or legacies I have made or left to churches and to all my servants, whether male or female; and when it shall please God to call upon you hence, you will choose no other sepulchre than mine, and that you will lie by my side in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey." The king replied: "Lady, all this shall be done."

A.D. 1369. Shortly after she died, and with her life departed the happiness, good fortune and even respectability of Edward III. and his family. Where Philippa had once promoted virtue, justice and wisdom, scenes of folly, strife and sorrow now followed at court. One of the chroniclers of the time says: "I firmly believe that her spirit was caught by holy angels and carried to the glory of Heaven, for she had never done anything by thought or deed to endanger her soul."