that very soon he would have in
his exchequer just as much money as his heart could desire. The poor
king fully believed all these stories, and was extremely pleased and
gratified to hear them.

[Sidenote: Intervals of good health.]

There were times during this interval when the king was tolerably
well, his malady being somewhat periodical in its character. This was
the case particularly on one occasion, soon after his first recovery
from the state of total insensibility which has been referred to. The
Duke of York, as has already been said, was put very much out of humor
by the king's recovery on this occasion, and by his own consequent
deposition from the office of regent, and still more so when he found
that the first act which the queen performed on her recovery of power
was to release his hated enemy, Somerset, from the prison where he,
the Duke of York, had confined him, and make him prime minister again.
He very soon determined that he would not submit to this indignity. He
assembled an army on the frontiers of Wales, where some of his chief
strong-holds were situated, and assumed an attitude of hostility so
defiant that the queen's government determined to take the field to
oppose him.

[Sidenote: Restoration of Somerset.]

[Sidenote: Armies marshaled.]

So they raised an army, and the Duke of Somerset, with the queen,
taking the king with them, set out from London and marched toward the
northwest. They stopped first at the town of St. Alban's.[13] When
they were about to resume their march from St. Alban's, they saw that
the hills before them were covered with bands of armed men, the forces
of the Duke of York, which he was leading on toward the capital.
Somerset's forces immediately returned to the town. Margaret, who was
for a time greatly distressed and perplexed to decide between her duty
toward her husband and toward her child, finally concluded to retire
to Greenwich with the little prince, and await there the result of the
battle, leaving the Duke of Somerset to do the best he could with the
king.

[Footnote 13: See map.]

[Sidenote: St. Alban's.]

[Sidenote: The parley.]

Very soon a herald came from the Duke of York to the gates of St.
Alban's, and demanded a parley. He said that the duke had not taken
arms against the king, but only against Somerset. He professed great
loyalty and affection for Henry himself, and only wished to save him
from the dangerous counsels of a corrupt