s to it. They were the
more desirous in this case of completely and forever extinguishing all
of King Edward's claims, because they were afraid that there might be
a secret party in his favor, and that that party might gain strength,
and finally come out openly against them in civil war, in which case,
if they were worsted, they knew that they would all be hung as
traitors.

[Illustration: A MONK OF THOSE DAYS.]

Indeed, soon after this time it began to appear that there were, in
fact, some persons who were disposed to sympathize with the king. His
queen, Isabel, who had been acting against him during the war, was now
joined with Mortimer, her favorite, and they two held pretty much the
whole control of the government, for the new king was yet too young to
reign. Many of the monks and other ecclesiastics of the time openly
declared that Isabel was guilty of great sin in thus abandoning her
husband for the sake of another man. They said that she ought to leave
Mortimer, and go and join her husband in his prison. And it was not
long before it began to be rumored that secret plots were forming to
attempt the king's deliverance from his enemies. This alarmed the nobles
more than ever. The queen and some others wrote sharp letters to the
keepers of the castle for dealing so gently with their prisoner, and
gave them hints that they ought to kill him. In the end, the fallen
monarch was transported from one fortress to another, until at length he
came to Berkeley Castle. The inducement which led Mortimer and the
queen to send the king to these different places was the hope that some
one or other of the keepers of the castles would divine their wishes in
regard to him, and put him to death. But no one did so. The keeper of
Berkeley Castle, indeed, instead of putting his prisoner to death,
seemed inclined to take compassion on him, and to treat him more kindly
even than the others had done. Accordingly, after waiting some time,
Mortimer seized an opportunity when Lord Berkeley, having gone away from
home, was detained away some days by sickness, to send two fierce and
abandoned men, named Gourney and Ogle, to the castle, with instructions
to kill the king in some way or other, but, if possible, in such a
manner as to make it appear that he died a natural death. These men
tried various plans without success. They administered poisons, and
resorted to various other diabolical contrivances. At last, one night,
dreadful outcries an