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CHAPTER VII RICHARD II. AND QUEEN ANNE

Word Count: 3549    |    Released on: 17/11/2017

h chivalry, had left his little son Richard as

nster Palace, "for he is but young and small. And I pray that

nd small" was he that the long day with all its wearying ceremony was too much for

wer, that great fort of the capital, and then had come the wonderful procession through Cheapside, Fleet Street, and the Strand, the boy riding bareheaded, surrounded by a band of young knights in new attire, forerunners of the knightly Order of the Bath, winning all hearts by his beautiful

rd, with the approbation of all, was placed under the tutorship of that accomplished knight

istake of defying the knights of the shire and burgesses who composed the House

tempt?" he asked contemptuously. "Do they

ng point was the poll-tax, which was a tax of twelve pence (about eighteen shillings) to be paid by every person over fifteen; and when a certain Wat the Tiler killed a tax-collector, who, not content with trying to force him into paying this poll-tax, insulted his little daughter, the men of Kent rallied in their thousands round Wat and marched on London. Richard was now only fifteen, but he was at his best, full of courage, full of strength, worthy grandson of Edward III., true son of Edward the Black Prince. He determined to ride out with a small escort and meet these thousands of rebels face to face. It was a bold stroke, and he knew the risk. But he would not be stayed

forward and kill every one except the king. Hurt him not, for he is young and we can do what we will wi

ering that not one of his attendants should follow him, rode forward into the midst of the excited

hey crowded round the king begging for pardon, which he granted to them at onc

don, Richard stopped t

sing her, "for I have this day regained my i

y unchecked, uncontrolled, till one after another his good points sank into the background; cowardice took the place of courage, cruelty of chiva

day there were great feastings at Westminster. All the city guilds and companies, splendidly arrayed, came out to do honour to the rosy-cheeked and smiling girl queen, herself onl

cent scale. He had a body-guard of four thousand archers; he had a band of nearly four hundred workmen-carpenters, jewellers, armourers, masons, tilers, furriers-whose duty it was to work everything needed for the king's service, and these, with their wives and children, lived under the shadow of Westminster. Then

of St. Stephen's Chapel, the bishops and abbots and nobles with all their retinues, and then we may have some idea of the bustle and life round West

s which glowed in the sunshine with their lace like tracery, with the gold and crimson of their painted roofs and walls; everywhere tourelles with rich carvings, windows of tracery most beautiful, archways, gates, battlements; chantry chapels, oratories, courts of justice, and interiors bright with splend

which lay at their door. For the Abbey of St. Peter was the richest of all the great houses, and was now at the height of its glory; a

d transcribed, others had duties in the refectory and dormitory, and so on. Most of the monks had come here as young boys; many of them spent here fifty and sixty years of their lives, praying, work

armed himself and set off with some of his monks to the coast to defend his country. And we find that "one of these monks, Brother John, supposing his courage equal to his stature, was a very proper person fo

ower, in which hung those bells which rang for coronations and tolled for royal funerals; it contained two chapels. This place was the haven of refuge alike to innocent and to guilty; so long as they remained within its walls the Church protected them and kept them. Of course, originally these sanctuaries attached to the religious

who, with Gaunt's son, Henry of Bolingbroke, and other nobles, had forced Richard, still a minor, into accepting several of their demands. But directly he was of age Richard had his revenge; and in the Council Chamber he

hand he carried his sceptre; on his shoulders hung a mantle of ermine, and

the world to look upon than King Richard.... Yet let no one say that

,' began the Du

s the room and took hi

he said, 'tell

the Duke, 'is now in

uncle, I am old enough to

created a new council. 'Twas a gallant prince. Alas! that he was not always strong; twice in his life Richard was strong-that day and another. That night there was high revelry in the Palac

arned him that unless he returned to London the citizens of London and the greater part of his subjects would be very discontented. Richard at first refused to pay any attention to the Archbishop, but at last the good advice of the queen prevailed; he controlled his anger and said he would cheerfully go to London. On his arrival there, a special Parliament was summoned, which made London and We

issart, "that the king kissed

of his people at his reckless extravagance. But after only a few hours' illness the queen died at the Feast of Wh

d to the ground. He determined that hers should be the greatest burial ever seen in London, and sent to Flanders for large quantities of wax wherewith to

ll excuses, will repair to our city of London the Wednesday previous to the same day, bringing with you our very dear kinswoman your consort at the same time. We desire that you will, the

men, with black hoods also. Richard behaved as one mad with grief, and when the Earl of Arundel arrived late,

was his devotion that he had his own monument made at the same time, with his hand clasped in that of his

stone lies Ann

world's life to t

were her meek

e freely fed fr

healed and feud

r form, her face

enth day, thirteen

bereft, for through

d away into e

omplaints were heard; the courts of justice were closed; the enmities increased, and the common people said, 'Times are sadly changed; we have a good-for-nothing king, who only attend

"Our ancestors in former days provided a remedy; our remedy is in Henry of Lancaster. Him we must send for and appoin

STER CROWNED A

STER CROWNED A

chard was away on one of his highly unpopular expeditions in Ireland; soon he had an army of fifty thousand with which he marched to London, and Richard when he returned agreed meekly, with

t pleases me also," w

sick, some said he was starved, almost certainly he was murdered. He was buried at Langley, though many a long year afterwards his body was moved to Westminster by command of

our money. But in one detail Richard's wish is ungratified to-day, for his hand and

tting in a chair of gold dressed in a vest of green, flowered with flowers of gold and the initial letters of his name, having on shoes of gold powdered with pearls, the whole r

lled Solomon's Porch, where now stands the great north entr

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