ode at the head of a royal procession, which was
arranged for the purpose, to Westminster, and there, in the presence
of a vast assembly, he took his seat upon the throne. While there
seated, he made a speech to the audience, in which he explained the
nature of his hereditary rights, and declared his intention to
maintain his rights thenceforth in the most determined manner.

The king now proceeded to Westminster Abbey, where he performed the
same ceremonies a second time. He was also publicly proclaimed king on
the same day in various parts of London.

Edward was now full of ardor and enthusiasm, and his first impulse was
to set off, at the head of his army, toward the north, in pursuit of
the queen and the old king. The king and queen had gone to York. The
queen had not only the king under her care, but also her son, the
little Prince of Wales, who was now about eight years old. This young
prince was the heir to the crown on the Lancastrian side, and Edward
was, of course, very desirous of getting him, as well as the king and
queen, into his hands; so he put himself at the head of his troops,
and began to move forward as fast as he could go. The body of troops
under his command consisted of fifty thousand men. In the queen's
army, which was encamped in the neighborhood of York, there were about
sixty thousand.

Both parties were extremely exasperated against each other, and were
eager for the fight. Edward gave orders to his troops to grant no
quarter, but, in the event of victory, to massacre without mercy every
man that they could bring within their reach. The armies came together
at a place called Towton. The combat was begun in the midst of a
snow-storm. The armies fought from nine o'clock in the morning till
three in the afternoon, and by that time the queen's troops were
every where driven from the field. Edward's men pursued them along the
roads, slaughtering them without mercy as fast as they could overtake
them, until at length nearly forty thousand men were left dead upon
the ground.

The queen fled toward the north, taking with her her husband and
child. Edward entered York in triumph. At the gates he found the head
of his father and that of his brother still remaining upon the poles
where the queen had put them. He took them reverently down, and then
put other heads in their places, which he cut off for the purpose from
some of his prisoners. He was in such a state of fury, that I suppose,
if he could