from the coast of France, and, passing across the Channel, approached
the coast of England. He touched at several places, to ascertain what
was the feeling of the country toward him. At length he was encouraged
to land. The people received him joyfully, and every body flocked to
his standard.

The Duke of York, whom Richard had left as regent, immediately called
a council of Richard's friends to consider what it was best to do. On
consultation and inquiry, they found that the country would not
support them in any plan for resisting Henry. So they abandoned
Richard's cause at once in despair, and fled in various directions,
intent only on saving their own lives.

The Duke of York went to Windsor Castle, took the queen and her
attendants, and conveyed them up the river to the Castle of
Wallingford, where he thought they would be more safe.

In the mean time, the king's expedition to Ireland resulted
disastrously, and he returned to England. To his utter dismay, he
learned, on his arrival, that Henry had landed in England, and was
advancing toward London in a triumphant manner. He had no sufficient
force under his command to enable him to go and meet his cousin with
any hope of success. The only question was how he could save himself
from Henry's vengeance. He dismissed the troops that remained with
him, and then, with a very few attendants to accompany him, he sought
refuge for a while among the castles in Wales, where he was reduced to
great destitution and distress, being forced sometimes to sleep on
straw. At length he went to Conway, which is a town near the northern
confines of Wales, and shut himself up in the castle there--that
famous Conway Castle, the ruins of which are so much visited and
admired by the tourists of the present day.

In the mean time, Henry, although he had marched triumphantly through
England at the head of a large, though irregular force, had not
proclaimed himself king, or taken any other open step inconsistent
with his allegiance to Richard. But now, when he heard that Richard
was in Wales, he went thither himself at the head of quite a large
army which he had raised in London. He stopped at a town in North
Wales called Flint, and, taking his lodgings there, he sent forward an
earl as his messenger to Conway Castle to treat with Richard. The
earl, on being introduced into Richard's presence, said that his
cousin was at Flint Castle, and wished that he would come there to
confer with hi