40 Constitutional History. [chap.
Growing
discontent
of the
Percies, 1403.
Ingli-Spirited, passionate, suspicious men, who entertained an
exalted sense of their own services, and could not endure the
shadow of a slight. Up to this time not a doubt had been cast
on their fidelity. Northumberland was still the king’s chief
agent in parliament, his most valued commander in the field,
his Mattathias. It has been thought that Hotspur’s grudge
against the king began with the notion that the release of his
brother-in-law, Edmund Mortimer, had been neglected by the
king, or was caused by Henry’s claim to deal with the prisoners
taken at Homildon ; the defenders of the Percies alleged that
they had been deceived by Henry in the first instance, and only
needed to be persuaded that Richard lived in order to desert
the king'. It is more probable that they suspected Henry’s
friendship, and were exasperated by his compulsory economies.
For two or three years Hotspur had been engaged in a service
which exhausted his own resources, and he could get no
adequate supplies from king or council. A less impatient mind
might have been driven to discontent, and, when it was once
known that he was discontented, the same crafty heads that
were maintaining the strife on the Welsh and Scottish borders
would know how to approach him. Yet Henry seems to have
1 ‘ Comes Northumbriae rogavit regem ut solveret sibi aurum debitum
pro Custodia marchiae Scotiae, sicut in carta sua continetur : Egomet et
Iilius meus expendimus nostra in custodia ilia : rex respondit : aurum non
lιabeo, aurum non habebis. Comes dixit : Quando regnum intrastis pro-
misistis regere per consilium nostrum ; jam multa a regno annuatim
accipitis et nihil habetis, nihil solvitis et sic Communitatem vestram
irritatis. Deus det vobis bonum consilium ; ’ Eulog. iii. 396. Other
reasons are given : Henry’s demand that Hotspur should surrender his
prisoner Douglas (see Wavrin, p. 56; Rymer, viii. 292 ; Hardyng, p. 360),
whilst Hotspur insisted that the king should ransom Mortimer. Hardyng
gives the formal challenge made by the three Percies, embodying most of
the charges made in 1405 ; and also makes them fight for the right of the
little earl of March (p. 36 ɪ). The challenge is made by the three Percies
as ‘ procuratores et protectores reipublicae,’ and charges Henry with (ɪ)
having sworn falsely at Doncaster that he was come only to recover his
inheritance, in spite of which he had imprisoned Richard and compelled
him to resign; (2) he had also broken his promise to abstain from tallages;
(3) contrary to his oath he had caused the death of Richard; (4) he had
usurped the kingdom which belonged to the earl of March; (5) he had
interfered with the election of knights of the shire ; (6) he had hindered
the deliverance of Edmund Mortimer and had accused the Percies of
treason for negotiating for his release. Hardyng, pp. 352, 353 ; Hall, C'hr.
PP∙ 29> 3o∙ See also Lingard, iii. 212.
Will.] Hotspur at Shrewsbury.
41
conceived no suspicion. In April lie was employed in raising llenrytg
money by loan to send to Scotland. Northumberland and Hot- nothing.
spur were writing for increased forces. The castle of Ormes-
ton was besieged ; a truce made with its defenders was to end
on the I st of August ; the king was to collect all the force of
the country and to join in the invasion. Henry started on his Northum-
journey : still the old earl was demanding the payment of presses for
arrears, and the king was fencing with him as well as he could ; m°ney'
on the 30th of May1 he wrote for both help and money ; on
the 26th of June2 he told the king that his ministers were
deceiving him ; it was not true that he had received £60,000
already ; whatever he had received £20,000 was still due. On
the ιoth of July Henry had reached Northamptonshire on his
way northwards: on the 17th he had heard that Hotspur and Rebellion
v , ɪ t of Hotspur.
his uncle the earl of Worcester were in arms in Shropshire3.
They raised no cry of private wrongs, but proclaimed them- Hfa profes-
selves the vindicators of national right : their object was to
correct the evils of the administration, to enforce the employ-
ment of wise counsellors, and the proper expenditure of public
moneyi. The king declared in letters to his friends that Henry’s
the charges were wholly unfounded, that the Percies had
received the money of which the country was drained, and that
if they would state their complaints formally they should be
heard and answereds. But it was too late for argument. The
report ran like wildfire through the west that Bichard was alive,
and at Chester. Hotspur’s army rose to 14.000 men, and, not Hutspurat
suspecting the strength and promptness of the king, he sat
down with his uncle and his prisoner, the earl of Douglas,
before Shrewsbury. Henry showed himself equal to the need.
ɪ Ordinances, &c., i. 203.
2 ɪb. i. 204 ; this letter is signed ' Votre Mathathiab,' in the old man’s
on n hand.
3 lb. i. 206, 207.
i ‘Ut personae suae possent gaudere Indemnitatis Securitate et Corrigere
PubIicas gubernationes, et Constituere sapientes Consiliarios ad eoɪnmodum
regis et regni. Scripserunt insuper quod census et tallagia concessa régi
8We donata pro salva regni custodia non sunt conversa in usus débites sed
dexorata nimis inutiliter, atque Consumpta Annales Henr. pp. 361, 362.
ta∙ Otterbourne, p. 240; Wals. ii. 255 ; Capgr. Chr. p. 282.
s Ann. Henr. p. 362 ; cf. Eulog. iii. 395.