Hereford retired to Paris, where he met with a fa vourable reception from the French king, and soon after entered into a treaty of marriage with the cousin of that monarch, the only daughter of the Duke of Berry. This alliance, however, excited the jealousy of Richard, who resolved to prevent it, and dispatched the Earl of Salisbury to represent the exiled Duke as a person guilty of treasonable practices, and who would never be allowed to return to his native country. The resentment of Hereford, which he had hitherto endea voured to conceal, now burst forth ; and it was aggra vated by new injuries. On the death of his father, the Duke of Lancaster, Richard revoked the letters patent which lie i e had given him, and seized upon his nheri tance. This determined the Duke to seek justice, and attempt the recovery of his possessions by force of arms ; and he now, perhaps for the first time, cherish ed the thought of aspiring to the crown of England. He was generally beloved, both on account of his piety and valour ; and all ranks had exclaimed against his ba nishment. He was also possessed of great prudence and firmness, and was connected by blood or alliance with the noblest families in England. The king, on the contrary, was universally hated. His total disre gard of justice, and of the public welfare, had estranged from him the affections of his people ; and his weak ness and effeminacy had excited their contempt. Their minds were now ripe for a revolution ; and while Richard was indulging himself in careless security, his throne was tottering to its fall. Unmindful of his pre carious situation, he imprudently undertook an expedi tion to Ireland, to revenge the death of his cousin the Earl of Marche, who had been killed in a skirmish with the native Irish. Hereford, who had now become Duke of Lancaster, taking advantage of his absence, came over to England with a few followers ; and on his arrival at Ravenspur in Yorkshire, was immediately joined by the Earls of Northumberland and Westmore land, before whom he took an oath, that his sole object was to recover the duchy of Lancaster, which had been so unjustly withheld from him. This reasonable de mand was seconded by his numerous friends, and all the malcontents of the kingdom; and before he reach ed the capital, his army had swelled to 60,000 men.
The Duke of York, who had been left guardian of the realm, and had collected an army of 40,000 men, found his troops very little disposed to resist the re bels, and being at the same time intreated by Lancaster not to oppose his moderate request, he joined him with all his forces. When the king received intelli gence of this invasion, he hastened to England, and landed at Milford haven with 20,000 troops ; but he had not proceeded far, when this army was diminished by desertion to 6000. Finding himself thus forsaken, and exposed to the insults of an enraged people, he privately withdrew from his army, and fled to the isle of Anglesea, where he intended to embark for France. Lancaster, aware king of his danger should the kin escape, prevailed upon him, by professions of loyalty 'and sub mission, to trust himself in his power ; but he had no sooner got possession of his person, than he prepared to usurp his throne. He carried him to London amidst the shouts of the multitude, who every where exclaim ed, " Long live the good Duke of Lancaster, our deli verer! and immediately issued writs of election in the king's name, for a meeting of parliament at Westmin ster.
The House of Commons had as yet but too little weight in the constitution, to be able to controut t..• violence of a powerful faction; and had generally ad hered to the interests of the prevailing party. Lancas ter consequently found them most obsequious to his wishes, and ready to second him in all his pretensions. The peers were equally at his devotion ; and when a charge, consisting of thirty-three articles, was drawn up against' the king, accusing him of tyranny and mis conduct, it was received with universal approbation. Though every article of it was liable to objections, it was neither examined nor disputed in either House. The Bishop of Carlisle alone stood up in defence of his un happy master ; among other things, he represented to the parliament, that the misconduct of Richard had arisen entirely from the errors of youth or misguided council ; and that his tyranny, if it might he so called, was the consequence of a rebellious disposition in his subjects, which obliged him to establish his throne by irregular and arbitrary expedients. If his deposition was demanded, the son of Mortimer, Earl of Marche, who had been formerly recognised as his successor by the Parliament, was the rightful Lieir to the throne ; and however unworthy of reigning Richard might have rendered himself by his weakness or his vices, the same: reasons could not be advanced for excluding him. The noble freedom of this virtuous prelate, however, was received with marked disapprobation. He was imme diately arrested by order of Lancaster, and conveyed a prisoner to the abbey of St Albans. The sentence of deposition was then unanimously passed against Rich ard ; and the Duke of Lancaster was raised to the throne, by the title of Henry IV.
Richard was committed a close prisoner to Pomfret castle, and was soon after murdered. The manner of his death, however, has not been precisely ascertained. It was the prevailing opinion that his guards, to the number of eight, rushed into his apartment, and fell upon him with their halberts ; but that the king, wrest ing a weapon from one of them, laid four of the assas sins dead at his feet before he was overpowered and dispatched. Others relate, that he was starved to death in prison ; and that, after all sustenance was denied him, he prolonged his wretched existence for a fort night, by feeding on the flocks of his bed. Thus died the unfortunate Richard, in the 34th year of his age, and 23d of his reign. His errors were of the head ra ther than of the heart ; and his oppressions proceeded more from want of judgment than from any love of ar bitrary power. He was all his life the dupe of worthless favourites, who used his authority for the aggrandise ment of themselves, and the overthrow of their enemies; and had he possessed only the talent of gaining or of overawing his barons, his oppressions would have been overlooked, and he would have been spared his misery and disgrace. His misfortunes, however, gained more adherents to his family and .cause, than all the meritori ous actions of his life.