tentates of Europe.

The opposition of interests, and still more a natural antipathy of
character, produced a declared animosity between these bad princes; and
Edward was thus secure of the sincere attachment of either of them, for
whom he should choose to declare himself. The duke of Burgundy, being
descended by his mother, a daughter of Portugal, from John of Gaunt,
was naturally inclined to favor the house of Lancaster:[*] but this
consideration was easily overbalanced by political motives; and Charles,
perceiving the interests of that house to be extremely decayed in
England, sent over his natural brother, commonly called the Bastard of
Burgundy, to carry in his name proposals of marriage to Margaret, the
king's sister.

{1468.} The alliance of Burgundy was more popular among the English than
that of France; the commercial interests of the two nations invited the
princes to a close union; their common jealousy of Lewis was a natural
cement between them; and Edward, pleased with strengthening himself by
so potent a confederate, soon concluded the alliance, and bestowed
his sister upon Charles.[**] A league, which Edward at the same time
concluded with the duke of Brittany, seemed both to increase his
security, and to open to him the prospect of rivalling his predecessors
in those foreign conquests, which, however short-lived and unprofitable,
had rendered their reigns so popular and illustrious.[***]

* Comine's, liv. iii. chap. 4, 6.

** W. Wyrcester, p. 5. Parl. Hist. vol. ii. p. 332.

*** Hall, fol. 169, 197.

{1469.} But whatever ambitious schemes the king might have built on
these alliances, they were soon frustrated by intestine commotions,
which engrossed all his attention. These disorders probably arose
not immediately from the intrigues of the earl of Warwick, but from
accident, aided by the turbulent spirit of the age, by the general humor
of discontent which that popular nobleman had instilled into the nation,
and perhaps by some remains of attachment to the house of Lancaster.
The hospital of St. Leonard's, near York, had received, from an ancient
grant of King Athelstane, a right of levying a thrave of corn upon every
plough-land in the county; and as these charitable establishments are
liable to abuse, the country people complained, that the revenue of
the hospital was no longer expended for the relief of the poor, but was
secreted by the managers, and employed to their private purp