things; but the leading
barons and courtiers formed themselves into parties, ranging
themselves some on one side and some on the other, so as to keep up a
continual feeling of jealousy and ill-will.

In the mean time, the French began to retaliate for the invasions of
their country which the English had made, by planning invasions of
England in return. One expedition landed on the Isle of Wight, and
after burning and destroying the villages and small towns, they laid
some of the large towns under a heavy contribution; that is, they made
them pay a large sum of money under a threat that, if the money was
not paid, they would burn down their town too. So the citizens
collected the money and paid it, and the French expedition set sail
and went away before the government had time to send troops from
London to intercept them.

The French, too, besides invading England themselves on the south,
incited the Scotch to make incursions into the northern provinces, for
Scotland was then entirely independent of England. A curious story is
related illustrating the religious ignorance which prevailed among the
common people of Scotland in those days. It seems that some
remarkable epidemic prevailed in 1379 in the northern part of England,
which was extremely fatal. Great numbers of people died. The Scotch
sent messengers across the border to ascertain what the cause of the
sickness was. The English people told them that they did not know what
the cause was. It was a judgment from God, the nature and operation of
which was hidden from them. They added, however, this pious sentiment,
that they submitted themselves patiently to the dispensation, for they
knew "that every calamity that could befall men in this world came
from the grace of God, to the end that, being punished for their sins,
they might be led to repent and reform their wicked lives."

The messengers went home, and reported to the Scottish borderers that
the English people said that the plague came from the grace of God,
not being able, it would seem, to remember the rest of the message. So
the priests arranged a form of prayer, addressed to certain saints,
which was to be said by the people every morning. This prayer implored
the saints to deliver the people from the grace of God, and the
dreadful plagues which were sent by it upon men. The form was this:[G]

[Footnote G: The form was in Latin. We give here the English of it.]

The head of the family would first say,