at both the accusers should settle their quarrel by wager of
battle, for which purpose they were commanded to meet at Coventry in the
following autumn.

Before the duel took place, an important event occurred in the death of
Roger Mortimer, the Lollard Earl of March, whom the King had proclaimed
heir presumptive of England. He was Viceroy of Ireland, and was killed
in a skirmish by the "wild Irish." March, who was only 24 years of age,
left four children, of whom we shall hear more anon, to be educated by
their mother, Archbishop Arundel's niece, in her own Popish views. He
is described by the monkish chroniclers as "very handsome and very
courteous, most dissolute of life, and extremely remiss in all matters
of religion." We can guess pretty well what that means. "Remiss in
matters of religion," of course, refers to his Lollardism, while the
accusation of "dissolute life" is notoriously Rome's pet charge against
those who escape from her toils. Such was the sad and early end of the
first and only Lollard of the House of Mortimer.

The duel between Hereford and Norfolk was appointed to take place on
Gosford Green, near Coventry, on the 16th of September. The combatants
met accordingly; but before a blow was struck, the King took the matter
upon himself and forbade the engagement. On the 3rd of October, licence
was granted to Hereford to travel abroad, this being honourable
banishment; no penalty was inflicted upon Norfolk. But some event--
perhaps never to be discovered--occurred, or came to light during the
following ten days, which altered the whole aspect of affairs. Either
the King found out some deed of treason, of which he had been previously
ignorant, or else some further offence was committed by both Hereford
and Norfolk. On the 13th both were banished--Hereford for ten years,
Norfolk for life; the sentence in the former case being afterwards
commuted to six years. Those who know the Brutus-like character of John
of Gaunt, and his real opinion of his son's proceedings, may accept, if
they can, the representations of the monastic chroniclers that the
commutation of Hereford's sentence was made at his intercession.

In the interim, between the duel and the sentence, Archbishop Arundel
was formally adjudged a traitor, and the penalty of banishment was
inflicted on him also.

Constance was too busy with her nursery to leave Cardiff, where this
autumn little Richard was joined by a baby sister, who rec