he oath of allegiance. There were two
copies of the national records, one of which was kept at this abbey,
and the other at that of Conway.

The abbey having fallen, Henry's army met with scarcely any resistance,
Glendower knowing that his wild followers were no match for the royal
troops. He therefore contented himself with harassing them continually,
and the army suffered greatly by this continued annoyance, as well as
from fatigue and famine. Thus the king returned across the border
without having achieved any success, whatever.

The Lords of the Marches were not now ordered to contribute any troops,
but were to hold their castles strongly; lest, when the army was fairly
entangled among the mountains, Glendower should make a great incursion
into England. The only advantage gained by the English invasion was
that the king, by promises of pardon and rewards, drew away a number of
the leading men who had hitherto acted with Glendower. Their defection,
however, was more than made up by the enthusiasm excited by the
spectacle of the second retirement of a great English army, without
having effected anything of importance.

So evident was this, that in October Henry again advanced, with the
contingents of no fewer than twenty-two counties. The season, however,
was already unfavourable for operations and, after enduring great
hardships and suffering, the army again fell back, having effected even
less than the two which had preceded it.

Things, however, turned out fortunately for Oswald. The army had
advanced a week across the border when a messenger arrived at Ludlow,
with a letter from London for the king.

"It will be no easy matter to forward it," Sir Edmund said, as the
despatch was handed to him. "Indeed, I see not how it is to be done.
Beyond the fact that the king intended to march west, I know nothing
whatever of his intentions, or of the exact road he was likely to take.
His orders were strict, that we were to keep our forces well in hand;
and to send the letter forward would need two hundred men, at least, as
an escort. It places me in an awkward position, indeed."

"If it so please you, Sir Edmund," said Oswald, who was one of the
group standing round, when the messenger handed the letter to Mortimer;
"I will endeavour to carry the despatch for you. Methinks that, while
fifty men would not succeed in getting through to the army, two might,
perchance, manage to do so. I shall, of course, ride first to
Shr