er of the
Count of Provence, he openly favoured the foreigners again; and so many
of his wife's relations came over, and made such an immense family-party
at court, and got so many good things, and pocketed so much money, and
were so high with the English whose money they pocketed, that the bolder
English Barons murmured openly about a clause there was in the Great
Charter, which provided for the banishment of unreasonable favourites.
But, the foreigners only laughed disdainfully, and said, 'What are your
English laws to us?'

King Philip of France had died, and had been succeeded by Prince Louis,
who had also died after a short reign of three years, and had been
succeeded by his son of the same name--so moderate and just a man that he
was not the least in the world like a King, as Kings went. ISABELLA,
King Henry's mother, wished very much (for a certain spite she had) that
England should make war against this King; and, as King Henry was a mere
puppet in anybody's hands who knew how to manage his feebleness, she
easily carried her point with him. But, the Parliament were determined
to give him no money for such a war. So, to defy the Parliament, he
packed up thirty large casks of silver--I don't know how he got so much;
I dare say he screwed it out of the miserable Jews--and put them aboard
ship, and went away himself to carry war into France: accompanied by his
mother and his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, who was rich and
clever. But he only got well beaten, and came home.

The good-humour of the Parliament was not restored by this. They
reproached the King with wasting the public money to make greedy
foreigners rich, and were so stern with him, and so determined not to let
him have more of it to waste if they could help it, that he was at his
wit's end for some, and tried so shamelessly to get all he could from his
subjects, by excuses or by force, that the people used to say the King
was the sturdiest beggar in England. He took the Cross, thinking to get
some money by that means; but, as it was very well known that he never
meant to go on a crusade, he got none. In all this contention, the
Londoners were particularly keen against the King, and the King hated
them warmly in return. Hating or loving, however, made no difference; he
continued in the same condition for nine or ten years, when at last the
Barons said that if he would solemnly confirm their liberties afresh, the
Parliament would vote him a