er family. Accordingly, when she proposed in the council to
send for the earl, and to require him to raise a large escort to bring
the young Prince Edward to London, they objected to it.

[Illustration: THE ATTEMPTED RECONCILIATION.]

"Against whom," demanded one of the councilors, "is the young prince
to be defended? Who are his enemies? He has none, and the real motive
and design of raising this force is not to protect the prince, but
only to secure to the Woodville family the means of increasing and
perpetuating their own importance and power."

The speaker upbraided the queen, too, with having, by this proposal,
and by the attempt to promote the aggrandizement of the Woodville
party which was concealed in it, been guilty of violating the oath of
reconciliation which had been taken during the last sickness of the
late king. So the council refused to authorize the armed escort, and
the queen, with tears of disappointment and vexation, gave up the
plan. At least she gave it up ostensibly, but she nevertheless
contrived to come to some secret understanding with the earl, in
consequence of which he set out from the castle with the young prince
at the head of quite a large force. Some of the authorities state
that he had with him two thousand men.

In the mean time, Richard of Gloucester, as soon as he heard of
Edward's death, arranged his affairs at once, and made preparations to
set out for London too. He put his army in mourning for the death of
the king, and he wrote a most respectful and feeling letter of
condolence to the queen. In this letter he made a solemn profession of
homage and fealty to her son, the Prince of Wales, whom he
acknowledged as rightfully entitled to the crown, and promised to be
faithful in his allegiance to him, and to all the duties which he owed
him.

Queen Elizabeth's mind was much relieved by this letter. She began to
think that she was going to find in Richard an efficient friend to
sustain her cause and that of her family against her enemies.

When Richard reached York, he made a solemn entry into that town,
attended by six hundred knights all dressed in deep mourning. At the
head of this funeral procession he proceeded to the Cathedral, and
there caused the obsequies of the king to be celebrated with great
pomp, and with very impressive and apparently sincere exhibitions of
the grief which he himself personally felt for the loss of his
brother.

After a brief delay in York, Rich