ɪɜs Constitutional History. [chap.
Projectofa the purpose of completing the pacification. The thought of
Iastingpeaee. 1 1 , ,∙ √∙.ιι∙?
peace had come, he said, not Ъу the suggestion oi the king s
subjects but by direct inspiration from God : if the king would
declare that his purpose of peace was thus spontaneous, the
lords would do their best to make it a reality. The words,
somewhat ominous, betray a misgiving, and, read by the light
of later events, look like a protest1. The article of the treaty
of Troyes, Which had bound the king not to make peace with
Charles without the consent of the three estates of both
realms, was however annulled by act of parliament2. All
seemed to promise a speedy end to the long trouble and the
Gloucester's opening of a new era of happiness for England. It was the
policy and crowning victory of Beaufort’s life, and it was the most galling
peace. defeat for Gloucester : not that he cared to continue the war or
would have much preferred the daughter of the count of
Armagnac to the daughter of the count of Provence3, but that
still whatever Beaufort aimed at he tried to hinder. But the
sɪffɪk en^ ɑɪ` tɪæ ɪ011^ rivalry was near. In the earl of Suffolk
Gloucester had a rival, perhaps an enemy, who cared less
about the blood of Lancaster than the Beauforts did ; who
had devoted himself heart and soul to the service of the young
queen, and looked with no special love on the man who, until
she should bear a son, stood in the relation of heir-presumptive
to the king. At once he took the leading place in the councils
of the young couple ; Gloucester was scarcely consulted, the
king, who could never have felt much regard for his uncle, was
persuaded that he, was compassing his death with a view to his
own succession4. In the event of queen Margaret being child-
1 Rot. Part. v. 102. 2 ɪb. v. ιo2, ɪoʒ.
3 The Armagnac marriage had been proposed in 1442 (Rymer, xi. 7 ;
Negotiations, &c., in Beckington, Letters, ii. 178-248): but if Gloucester
had preferred it, he had reconciled himself to the Angevin match before
Margaret’s arrival, and had met her with great pomp. On the last
occasion too in parliament he had put himself forward in commending
Suffolk ; Rot. Parl. v. 73.
4 ' Incepit rex IIenricus graves et ingratas Oecasiones et querelas contra
avunculum dɪieeɪn Glocestriae ministrare, renuens ejus praesentiam et ab
ipso se muniens cum custodibus arɪnatis non paucis, tanquam ab ejus
aemulo et inimico mortali;’ Chron. ed. Giles, p. 33. Whethamstede's
Register, drawn up by one who was well acquainted with duke Humfrey’s
XVin.]
Threatened attack on Gloucester.
139
less, Suffolk had, as was suspected, a deep design of his own ;
he obtained the wardship of the little lady Margaret1, ontohɪm.
whom the representation of the title of John of Gaunt de-
volved at her father’s death. Child as she was, he projected
for her a marriage with his son John: it might come to pass
that the great-great-grandson of the merchant William de la
Pole would sit on the throne of England. The obscure story
of the arrest and death of Gloucester will, it may be safely
assumed, never be cleared up ; and the depth of the darkness
that covers it has inevitably been made the occasion of broad-
cast accusations and suspicions of every sort. The ostensible
events were simple enough.
343. It is by no means improbable that before the end of Threatened
1446 an attempt was made to bring the duke to account for Gloucester,
his administration as protector, and that a somewhat stoιmy
session of parliament was to be expected when it next met.
Marmaduke Lumley, bishop of Carlisle, a friend and ally of
Suffolk and an old opponent of Gloucester2, was made treasurer
in the place of lord Sudeley on the 18th of December. Accord-
ing to the later historians the duke was summoned before the
council and had to rebut accusations of maladministration and
cruelty committed during the king’s minority. Of this discus-
sion however the records of the time contain no trace3.
Whatever was done was done in private ; overt action how-
ever was reserved for 1447.
England had been in 1445 and 1446 devastated by the
plague. It was not at all unreasonable to hold a parliament,
under the circumstances, away from London ; and the parlɪa-
history, says that his enemies so prejudiced the king, ‘ ut crederet rex eɪun
illius esse inimicum adeo g∣∙andem quod moliretur assidue media quibus
posset jura, coronae sibi surripere illique clam procurare песет ас sic in se
regni regimen Usurpare ; ’ i. 179.
1 Cooper’s Lady Margaret, p. 5 ; Excerpt. Hist. pp. 3, 4.
2 See above, p. 117; Gloucester had opposed his promotion in 1429;
Ord. iv. 8.
j Hall, Chron. p. 209, says that the duke was summoned before the
council and accused of maladministration during the king’s minority, of
illegal executions and extra-legal cruelties ; from which charges he freed
himself in a clever speech and was acquitted. There are no traces of this
in the extant authorities,