Page images
PDF
EPUB

Few in number, ignorant of the country, looking around in filent horror at the woods, feas, and a haven itself unknown to them, they are delivered by the gods, as it were imprifoned and bound, into our hands. Be not terrified with an idle fhew, and the glitter of filver and gold, which can neither prote&t nor wound. In the very ranks of the enemy we fhall find our own bands. The Britons will acknowledge their own caufe. The Gauls will recollect their former liberty. The Germans will defert them, as the Ufipii have lately done. Nor is there any thing formidable behind them: Ungarrifoned forts; colonies of invalids; municipal towns diftempered and distracted between unjust mafters and ill-obeying fubjects. Here is your general; here your army. There, tributes, mines, and all the train of fervile punishments; which whether to bear eternally, or inflantly to revenge, this field must determine. March then to battle, and think of your ancestors and your pofterity.

CHAP. VII.

THE EARL or ARUNDEL's SPEECH, PROPOSING AN ACCOMMODATION BETWEEN HENRY II. AND

STEPHEN.

IN the midft of a wide and open plain, Henry found Stephen encamped, and pitched his own tents within a quarter of a mile of him, preparing for a battle with all the eagerness, that the defire of empire and glory could excite, in a brave and youthful heart, elate with jucces. Stephen also much wished to bring the contest betw.en them to a speedy decifion: but while he and Euftace were confulting with William of Ipres, in whoje affection they moft confided, and by whoje private advice they took all their measures

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

meajures, the Earl of Arundel, having assembled the English nobility, and principal officers, spoke to this effect:

IT

T is now above fixteen years, that on a doubtful and difputed claim to the crown, the rage of civil war has almoft continually infefted this kingdom. During this melancholyperiod, how much blood has been fhed! What devastations and mifery have been brought on the people! The laws have lost their force, the crown its authority: licentiousness and impunity have fhaken all the foundations of public fecurity. This great and noble nation has been delivered a prey to the baseft of foreigners, the abominable fcum of Flanders, Brabant, and Bretagne, robbers rather than foldiers, reftrained by no laws, divine or human, tied to no countrys fubject to no prince, inftruments of all tyranny, violence, and oppreffion. At the fame time, our cruel neighbours, the Welch and the Scotch, calling themselves allies or auxiliaries to the Empress, but in reality enemies and deftroyers of England, have broken their bounds, ravaged our borders, and taken from us whole provinces, which we never can hope to recover; while, inftead of employing our united force against them, we continue thus madly, without any care of our public fafety or national honour, to turn our fwords against our own bofoms.. What benefits have we gained, to compenfate all these loffes, or what do we expect? When Matilda was mistress of the kingdom, though her power was not yet confirmed, in what manner did fhe govern? Did fhe not make even thofe of her own faction and court regret the king? Was not her pride more intolerable still than his levity, her rapine than his profufenefs? Were any years of his reign fo grievous to the people, fo offenfive to the nobles, as the first days of hers? When fhe was driven out, did Stephen

44

phen correct his former bad conduct? Did he difmifs his odious foreign favourite! Did he discharge his lawless foreign hirelings, who had been fo long the fccurge and the reproach of England? Have they not lived ever fince upon free quarter, by plundering our houfes and burning our cities? And now, to complete our miferies, a new army of foreigners, Angevins, Gafcons, Poitevins, I know not who, are come over with Henry Plantagenet, the fon of Matilda and many more, no doubt, will be called toaffift him, as foon as ever his affairs abroad will permit; by whofe help, if he be victorious, England muft pay the price of their fervices: our lands, our honours must be the hire of thefe rapacious invaders. But fuppofe we should have the fortune to conquer for Stephen, what will be the confequence? Will victory teach him moderation! Will he learn from fecurity that regard to our liberties, which he could not learn from danger? Alas! the only fruit of our good fuccefs will be this; the eftates of the Earl of Leicefter and others of our countrymen, who have now quitted the party of the king, will be forfeited; and new confifcations will accrue to William of Ipres.

BUT let us not hope, that, be our victory ever fo complete, it will give any lafting peace to this kingdom. Should Henry fall in this battle, there are two other brothers to fucceed to his claim, and fupport his faction, perhaps with lefs merit, but certainly with as much ambition as he. What fhall we do then to free ourselves from all these misfortunes? -Let us prefer the intereft of our country to that of our party, and to all thofe paffions, which are apt, in civil diffentions, to inflame zeal into madness, and render men the blind inftruments of thofe very evils, which they fight to avoid. Let us prevent all the crimes and all the horrors

that

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

that attend a war of this kind, in which conquest itself is full
of calamity, and our most happy victories deserve to be ce-
lebrated only by tears. Nature herself is difmayed, and
shrinks back from à combat, where every blow that we strike
may murder a friend, a relation, a parent. Let us hearken
to her voice, which commands us to refrain from that guilt.
Is there one of us here, who would not think it a happy and
glorious act, to fave the life of one of his countrymen?
What a felicity then, and what a glory, muft it be to us
all, if we fave the lives of thousands of Englishmen, that
muft otherwife fall in this battle, and in many other battles,
which hereafter may be fought in this quarrel? It is in our
power to do fo―It is in our power to end the controverfy,
both fafely and honourably; by an amicable agreement;
not by the fword. Stephen may enjoy the royal dignity for
his life and the fucceffion may be fecured to the
young Duke
of Normandy, with fuch a prefent rank in the state, as befits
the heir of the crown. Even the bittereft enemies of the king
must acknowledge, that he is valiant, generous, and good-
natured; his warmeft friends cannot deny, that he has a
great deal of rashness and indiscretion. Both may therefore
conclude, that he fhould not be deprived of the royal autho-
rity, but that he ought to be restrained from a further abufe
of it; which can be done by no means, fo certain and effec-
tual, as what I propofe: for thus his power will be temper-
ed by the presence, the counfels, and influence of Prince
Henry; who from his own intereft in the weal of the kingdom
which he is to inherit, will always have a right to interpofe
his advice, and even his authority, if it be neceffary, against
any future violation of our liberties; and to procure an ef-
fectual redrefs of our grievances, which we have hitherto
fought in vain. If all the English in both armies unite, as
I hope

15.

I hope they may, in this plan of pacification, they will be able to give the law to the foreigners, and oblige both the king and the duke to confent to it. This will fecure the public tranquillity, and leave no fecret ftings of refentment to rankle in the hearts of a fuffering party, and produce future difturbances. As there will be no triumph, no infolence, no exclufive right to favour, on either fide, there can be no fhame, no anger, no uneafy defire of change. It will be the work of the whole nation; and all must wish to fupport what all have established. The fons of Stephen indeed may endeavour to oppofe it; but their efforts will be fruitless, and muft end very foon, either in their fubmiffion, or their ruin. Nor have they any reasonable cause to complain. Their father himself did not come to the crown by hereditary right. He was elected in preference to a woman and an infant, who were deemed not to be capable of ruling a kingdom. By that election our allegiance is bound to him during his life but neither that bond, nor the reason for which we chofe him, will hold, as to the choice of a fucceffor. Henry Plantagenet is now grown up to an age of maturity, and every way qualified to fucceed to the crown. He is the grandfon of a king whofe memory is dear to us, and the nearest heir-male to him in the course of defcent: he appears to refemble him in all his good qualities, and to be worthy to reign over the Normans and English, whofe nobleft blood, united, enriches his veins. Normandy has already fubmitted to him with pleasure. Why fhould we now divide that duchy from England, when it is fo greatly the intereft of our nobility to keep them always connected? If we had no other inducement to make us defire à reconciliation between him and Stephen, this would be sufficient. Our eftates in both countries will by that means be fecured, which

a

otherwise

« PreviousContinue »