rces of his kingdom already exhausted,
began to dread a reverse of fortune, and to apprehend an invasion on
France itself.

* Helming, vol i. p 146.

The king of England, on the other hand, disappointed of assistance from
Adolph, king of the Romans, which he had purchased at a very high price,
and finding many urgent calls for his presence in England, was desirous
of ending, on any honorable terms, a war which served only to divert his
force from the execution of more important projects. This disposition
in both monarchs soon produced a cessation of hostilities for two years;
and engaged them to submit their differences to the arbitration of Pope
Boniface.

{1298.} Boniface was among the last of the sovereign pontiffs that
exercised an authority over the temporal jurisdiction of princes; and
these exorbitant pretensions, which he had been tempted to assume from
the successful example of his predecessors, but of which the season was
now past, involved him in so many calamities, and were attended with
so unfortunate a catastrophe, that they have been secretly abandoned,
though never openly relinquished, by his successors in the apostolic
chair. Edward and Philip, equally jealous of papal claims, took care
to insert in their reference, that Boniface was made judge of the
difference by their consent, as a private person, not by any right of
his pontificate; and the pope, without seeming to be offended at this
mortifying clause, proceeded to give a sentence between them, in which
they both acquiesced.[*] He brought them to agree, that their union
should be cemented by a double marriage; that of Edward himself, who was
now a widower, with Margaret, Philip's sister, and that of the prince of
Wales with Isabella, daughter of that monarch.[**]

* Rymer, vol. ii. p. 817. Heining. vol. i. p. 149. Trivet,
p. 310

** Rymer, vol. ii. p. 823

Philip was likewise willing to restore Guienne to the English, which he
had indeed no good pretence to detain; but he insisted that the Scots,
and their king, John Baliol, should, as his allies, be comprehended in
the treaty, and should be restored to their liberty. The difference.,
after several disputes, was compromised, by their making mutual
sacrifices to each other. Edward agreed to abandon his ally the earl of
Flanders, on condition that Philip should treat in like manner his ally
the king of Scots. The prospect of conquering these two countries,
whose situation