The king saw the cloud as it was gathering ; and in order to secure himself against its effects, entered into an alliance with Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, to whom he gave his sister Margaret in marriage. He, at the same time, concluded a league with the Duke of Brittany ; and, by these connections, not only strength ened his power at home, but also opened to himself the prospect of foreign conquests. But intestine commo fiat's prevented him from giving disturbance to his neighbours, and confined his attention to more imme diate objects. The popular discontent first broke out in Yorkshire, where the inhabitants, complaining of the oppressions which were exercised upon them, in collect ing the revenue of St Leonard's hospital, rose in arms, and advanced to the gates of York, in a body 15,000 strong. They were opposed by Lord Montague, who, 'aving seized Robert Hulderne their leader, ordered him to be immediately executed. But being afterwards headed by Sir Henry Nevil, and Sir John Coniers, they advanced southward, and their numbers daily increased. The Earl of Pembroke was sent against them with a body of Welshmen, and being joined by the Earl of Devonshire, with 5000 archers, they approached the re bels near Banbury. Sir Henry Nevil was taken prisoner in a skirmish, and put to death ; which so enraged his followers, that they fell upon the royalists, routed them with great slaughter, and having seized Pembroke, re •enged upon him the death of their leader. This dis aster was imputed to the Earl of Devonshire, who, in a quarrel with Pembroke, had retired with his archers before the battle; and the king punished his desertion with death. A part of the rebels then seized the Earl of Rivers, and his son John, at Grafton; and as these noblemen had become objects of envy and dislike, by their sudden exaltation, they were put to death by the rirders of Sir John Coniers. The rebels, however, were soon after quieted and dispersed, upon receiving a ge neral pardon.
It does not appear that Warwick or his party were concerned in this insurrection. At the commencement of it he was absent in his government at Calais, and his brother Montague had assisted in repressing it In another rebellion, however, which soon followed, he took a more active part ; and though, perhaps, its ori g,in cannot be justly imputed to him, yet be afterwards encouraged it by his countenance and assistance. It arose in Lincolnshire, and MIS headed by Sir Robert Welles. The rebels amounted to 30,000 men, and Edward, who entertained no suspicions of the fidelity of Warwick and Clarence, sent these noblemen to raise forces to oppose them; but as soon as they lelt the court, they levied men in their own name, and issued corn plaints against the government. In the mean time, however, the king had defeated the rebels, and put their leader to death, which so disconcerted Warwick's mea sures, that he retired northward, expecting to be joined by his brother Montague, and Lord Stanley, who had married his sister. But these noblemen refused their
assistance, and Warwick and Clarence were obliged to disband their troops, and embark for Calais. But the deputy governor, whom the Earl had left in that fortress, seeing him return a fugitive and exile, refused him ad mittance, upon which he seized some Flemish vessels which were lying off Calais, and proceeded to France, Louis, whose ambition led him to take every oppor tunity of giving disturbance to his neighbours, received the banished Warwick with every demonstration of respect, and by his intreaties and promises, brought about a reconciliation between that Earl and his former enemy Margaret of Anjou. The rancorous hatred which had long subsisted between the parties, was overcome by the present distresses of both. Forgetting their form er animosity, they now united from common interest ; and Louis prepared a fleet to assist them in the invasion of England.
But the Duke of Burgundy, enraged at the seizure of his vessels before Calais, had fitted out a superior fleet, in order to intercept Warwick, and had sent informa tion to the king of England of the designs of his ene mies. Edward disregarding this intelligence, made no preparation against the threatened danger. He even vauntingly said to Burgundy, that he might spare him self the trouble of watching the enemy, as he wished for nothing more than to sec Warwick in England. Edward, in the mean time, had entered into a secret correspondence with his brother Clarence, who pro mised, on a favourable opportunity, to abandon the cause of Warwick. This act of treachery, however, was balanced on the other side, by the Marquis of Montague, who was in the confidence of Edward, and who engaged, in a similar manner, to turn his arms against his sovereign.
While Edward was engaged in suppressing a rebel lion in the north, Warwiaz, having escaped the Flemish navy, which had been dispersed in a storm, landed at Dartmouth with a small body of troops. His great po pularity, however, and the zeal of the Lancastrian party, which had been crushed but not extinguished, drew such numbers to his standard, that, in a few days, his army was swelled to 60,000 men. Edward hastened southward to oppose him, and the hostile armies met near Nottingham. The rapidity of Warwick's march had prevented Clarence from executing his intentions in favour of Edward, and Montague was the first to be tray his trust. Having secured his adherents, Montague took arms in the night, and hastened to the king's quar ters. Edward, alarmed at the Lancastrian cry of war, started from his bed, and being informed of his danger by Lord Hastings, who urged him to make his escape, he fled with a small retinue to Lynne, in No, folk, where he embarked, and landed in Holland. Such was the precipitation with which he left England, that he had carried nothing of value along with him, and could only reward the captain of the vessel with a robe lined with sables.