e
people, to London. The city immediately opened its gates to him; and
his troops increasing on every day's march, he soon found himself in a
condition to face the royal army, which hastened from Coventry to attack
him. The battle was fought at Northampton; and was soon decided against
the royalists by the infidelity of Lord Grey of Ruthin, who, commanding
Henry's van, deserted to the enemy during the heat of action, and spread
a consternation through the troops. The duke of Buckingham, the earl of
Shrewsbury, the Lords Beaumont and Egremont, and Sir William Lucie
were killed in the action or pursuit: the slaughter fell chiefly on
the gentry and nobility; the common people were spared by orders of the
earls of Warwick and Marche.[***]

* Holingshed, p. 649. Grafton, p. 936.

** Holingshed, p. 650. Grafton, p. 537

*** Stowe, p. 409.

Henry himself, that empty shadow of a king, was again taken prisoner;
and as the innocence and simplicity of his manners, which bore the
appearance of sanctity, had procured him the tender regard of the
people,[*] the earl of Warwick and the other leaders took care to
distinguish themselves by their respectful demeanor towards him.

A parliament was summoned in the king's name, and met at Westminster;
where the duke soon after appeared from Ireland. This prince had never
hitherto advanced openly any claim to the crown: he had only complained
of ill ministers, and demanded a redress of grievances; and even in the
present crisis, when the parliament was surrounded by his victorious
army, he showed such a regard to law and liberty, as is unusual during
the prevalence of a party in any civil dissensions; and was still
less to be expected in those violent and licentious times. He advanced
towards the throne; and being met by the archbishop of Canterbury, who
asked him, whether he had yet paid his respects to the king, he replied,
that he knew of none to whom he owed that title. He then stood near the
throne,[**] and addressing himself to the house of peers, he gave them a
deduction of his title by descent, mentioned the cruelties by which the
house of Lancaster had paved their way to sovereign power, insisted on
the calamities which had attended the government of Henry, exhorted them
to return into the right path, by doing justice to the lineal successor,
and thus pleaded his cause before them as his natural and legal
judges.[***] This cool and moderate manner of demanding a