were alike feeble. At twenty-five he married
the beautiful and unfortunate French Princess, Margaret of Anjou, who
was by far the better man of the two. When years of disaster came,
this dauntless "Queen of tears" headed councils, led armies, and ruled
both King and kingdom.

296. Poverty of the Crown and Wealth of the Nobles.

One cause of the weakness of the government was its poverty. The
revenues of the Crown had been greatly diminished by gifts and grants
to favorites. The King was obliged to pawn his jewels and the silver
plate from his table to pay his wedding expenses; and it is said on
high authority[1] that the royal couple were sometimes in actual want
of a dinner.

[1] Fortescue, on the "Government of England" (Plummer).

On the other hand, the Earl of Warwick and other great lords had made
fortunes out of the French wars,[2] and lived in regal splendor. This
Earl, it is said, had at his different castles and his city mansion in
London upwards of thirty thousand men in his service. Their livery,
or uniform, a bright red jacket with the Warwick arms--a bear erect
holding a ragged staff--embroidered on it in white, was seen, known,
and feared throughout the country.

[2] First, by furnishing troops to the government, the feudal system
having now so far decayed that many soldiers had to be hired;
secondly, by the plunder of French cities; thirdly, by ransoms
obtained from noblemen taken prisoners.

Backed by such forces it was easy for the Earl and other powerful
lords to overawe kings, parliaments, and courts. Between the heads of
the great houses quarrels were constantly breaking out. The safety of
the people was endanged by these feuds, which became more and more
violent, and often ended in bloodshed and murer.

297. Disfranchisement of the Common People, 1430.

With the growth of power on the part of the nobles, there was also
imposed for the first time a restriction on the right of the people to
vote for members of Parliament. Up to this period all freemen might
take part in the election of representatives chosen by the counties to
sit in the House of Commons.

A law was now passed forbidding any one to vote at these elections
unless he was a resident of the county and possessed of landed
property yielding an annual income of forty shillings (S200).[1]
Subsequently it was further enacted that no county candidate should be
eligible unless he was a man of means and social standing.

[1