About 3000 were slain on the side of the Lancas trians, and Margaret and the Prince of Wales fell into the hands of the victors. Somerset, and about twenty persons of distinction, having taken refuge in a church, were dragged thence, and immediately beheaded. Pem broke, when he heard of the defeat of his friends at Tewksbury, disbanded the troops which he had col lected, and fled into Brittany with his nephew, the young Earl of Richmond. When Margaret and her son were brought to Edward, that, monarch insultingly demanded of the young prince, how he dared to invade his dominions. That noble youth, then about eighteen years of age, appeared undaunted by the presence of his victorious enemy ; but, unmindful of his situation, he boldly replied : " I have entered the dominions of my father, to revenge his injuries, and to redress my own." The barbarous Edward, enraged at his intrepid spirit, struck him on the face with his gauntlet; and his brothers, the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, with Lord Hastings and Sir Thomas Gray, taking this as a signal for his death, hurried him into the next apartment, and dispatched him with their daggers: This tragedy was followed by the death of King Henry, who died a few days after in confinement ; but it was generally believed, that he was murdered in cold blood by the hand of Gloucester. Margaret was thrown in to the Tower ; but was ransomed for 50,000 exowns by Louis XI. and died some years after in France, forgot ten and neglected.
The principal leaders of the Lancastrian party hav ing perished in the field or on the scaffold, Edward continued to glut his vengeance, by the execution of their meaner adherents; and the gibbet soon finished what the sword had begun. But this relentless mo narch, even while his hands were bathed in blood, was immersed in voluptuous pleasures and amusements.
Ile was universally allowed to be the most beautiful man of his time ; and his debaucheries, which, were open and numerous, were encouraged and mutated by a profligate court. All ranks seemed willing to for get the dismal scenes that were past, in the less danger ous exploits of gallantry and intrigue. But the king was roused from his inactivity, by the call of the Duke of Burgundy to unite their arms against France.
A French war was always a popular measure with the English parliament ; and they readily granted him a considerable supply, which he increased by levying a benevolence. Ile then passed over to Calais with 1500 men at arms, and 15,000 archers, attended by his principal nobility. But, instead of being joined by the forces of Burgundy, as he had expected, the Duke was spending his strength on the frontiers of Germany, and against the Duke of Lorraine. This disappointment led Edward to listen to the advances of the French mo narch, who, alarmed at the prospect of such a formida ble invasion, attempted to avert the danger by nego ciation, and to detach him from the alliance of Bur gundy. When the king of England dispatched a he rald to Louis, to claim the crown of France, and to carry him a defiance in case of refusal, Louis, instead of being irritated by the insult, replied with great mo deration, and*even gave the herald a considerable pre sent. Louis had also requested the good offices of
Lords Stanley and Howard to second his desires for peace ; and Edward was soon after brought to conclude a truce, more to the advantage than the honour of Louis. That monarch stipulated to pay 75,000 crowns, upon condition of Edward's withdrawing his army from France; and 50,000 crowns a year during their joint lives. It was also agreed, that the dauphin, when of age, should marry Edward's eldest daughter. The two monarchs had afterwards a private conference at Pecquigni, near Amiens, where they interchanged mu tual civilities, and confirmed their friendship.
Edward returned to England, after this fruitless expe dition, only to disgust his subjects by his profligacy and cruelty. The Duke of Clarence, since his alliance with the Earl of Warwick, notwithstanding his after services, in assisting him to recover the crown, had never been able to regain the confidence of his brother. open and hasty temper had also multiplied his ene mies, among whom were the queen and his brother the Duke of Gloucester, who united in hastening his de struction. Irritated by the indifference with which he was treated at court, he did not hesitate to express his dissatisfaction, and sometimes indulged in ill-natured invectives. His enemies took advantage of his resent ment; and endeavoured to stimulate him to still farther resistance, by the persecution of his friends. Thomas Burdet of Arrow, who happened to live in intimacy with the duke, had a favourite buck killed by the king, while hunting in the park of the owner; which so vex ed Burdet, that, in a hasty humour, he wished the horns of the deer in the belly of the person who advi sed the king to do him such an injury. For this ex pression he was tried for his life, condemned, and be headed at Tyburn. John Stacey, a clergyman, suffer ed also from his connection with Clarence. As he pos sessed more learning than was usual in that age, he was considered by the vulgar as a necromancer; and his enemies laying hold of this imaginary crime, had him put to the torture, and executed. Clarence could not behold his friends falling around him, upon such trivial pretences, without reflecting on his own danger; but instead of securing himself from the impending storm, he seemed imprudently to court it, by loudly and openly justifying the innocence of his friends, and condemning the conduct of their accusers. This free dom was construed into disrespect to the king and to the laws; and under that pretence he was ordered to the Tower. His trial was appointed before the House of Peers, where the king appeared personally as his ac cuser. Ho was charged with arraigning public justice, and inveighing against the conduct of the king. Upon this charge he was condemned by his corrupt and sla vish judges; and his brother, unmindful of the ties of blood, or of gratitude for his past services, granted him only the choice of his death. He was consequently drowned in a but of malmsey wine. Clarence left two children ; a son, the unfortunate Earl of Warwick ; and a daughter, afterwards Countess of Salisbury.