Earl of Leicester put himself at the head of these Londoners and
other forces, and followed the King to Lewes in Sussex, where he lay
encamped with his army. Before giving the King's forces battle here, the
Earl addressed his soldiers, and said that King Henry the Third had
broken so many oaths, that he had become the enemy of God, and therefore
they would wear white crosses on their breasts, as if they were arrayed,
not against a fellow-Christian, but against a Turk. White-crossed
accordingly, they rushed into the fight. They would have lost the
day--the King having on his side all the foreigners in England: and, from
Scotland, JOHN COMYN, JOHN BALIOL, and ROBERT BRUCE, with all their
men--but for the impatience of PRINCE EDWARD, who, in his hot desire to
have vengeance on the people of London, threw the whole of his father's
army into confusion. He was taken Prisoner; so was the King; so was the
King's brother the King of the Romans; and five thousand Englishmen were
left dead upon the bloody grass.

For this success, the Pope excommunicated the Earl of Leicester: which
neither the Earl nor the people cared at all about. The people loved him
and supported him, and he became the real King; having all the power of
the government in his own hands, though he was outwardly respectful to
King Henry the Third, whom he took with him wherever he went, like a poor
old limp court-card. He summoned a Parliament (in the year one thousand
two hundred and sixty-five) which was the first Parliament in England
that the people had any real share in electing; and he grew more and more
in favour with the people every day, and they stood by him in whatever he
did.

Many of the other Barons, and particularly the Earl of Gloucester, who
had become by this time as proud as his father, grew jealous of this
powerful and popular Earl, who was proud too, and began to conspire
against him. Since the battle of Lewes, Prince Edward had been kept as a
hostage, and, though he was otherwise treated like a Prince, had never
been allowed to go out without attendants appointed by the Earl of
Leicester, who watched him. The conspiring Lords found means to propose
to him, in secret, that they should assist him to escape, and should make
him their leader; to which he very heartily consented.

So, on a day that was agreed upon, he said to his attendants after dinner
(being then at Hereford), 'I should like to ride on horseback, this fine
afternoon,