Edward Scotland. A.D. 1336. 7th of April he determined to invade Scotland. He gave the command of the army to Henry Earl of returns to Lancaster; but at the end of June accompanied it in person. While Edward was in Scotland, Philip kept up a harassing interference with his lieutenants in the Duchy of Aquitaine. When Edward did homage to Philip, it had been agreed that commissioners should be appointed to settle various still outstanding disputes between them; but Philip's seneschal in Agenois, encouraged doubtless by Philip himself, took the law into his own hands, and expelled Edward's vassal, Aymeric de Durfort, from that province by main force. Before going to Scotland Edward had made great complaints of this to Philip, but he wished both to avoid a war with France and to terminate that with Scotland; and accordingly, almost immediately after his arrival at Perth, had appointed commissioners to treat with the King of France relative to their often-proposed expedition to the Holy Land, and to the settlement of all disputes between them, and to negotiate at the same time with Bruce. himself, relative to the conclusion of a peace between England and Scotland.1 He appoints Commissioners to treat with the King of France and with Bruce, Edward now believed, that there really was a chance of the disputes with France being settled. amicably; but still, it was necessary to be prepared against Philip's habitual treachery. Accordingly, he wrote from Perth to Sir Oliver de Ingham, his seneschal in Gascony, on the 20th of August,5 telling him that, in order to prevent dangers which 1 Rymer, vol. ii. pp. 930, 931, 933, and 936. 2 Ibid. p. 941. 3 Sismondi, vol. x. p. 100; and Rymer, vol. ii. p. 936. Rymer, vol. ii. p. 944. CHAP. IV. THREATENED INVASION OF ENGLAND. 73 might arise in Aquitaine from the want of armed men, A.D. 1336. he was to allow none such to leave the duchy without his special leave, and to punish severely those who seemed disposed to disobey. mons a Notting Immediately afterwards, Edward summoned a Par- and sumliament to meet at Nottingham at the end of the fol- Parlialowing February, to advise him as to his quarrel with ment at France and war with Scotland. That war still ham. continued, but the Scots avoided any general engagement, acting on the policy always adopted by Bruce. Probably they also relied on the speedy invasion of England by their French allies. Edward therefore returned to England, leaving his brother, the Earl of Cornwall, to direct the operations of the army. The Earl, however, died in October,2 and the King was consequently obliged once more to return to Scotland. But he still continued his negotiations with both France and Scotland,3 although he had good reason to believe that Philip was at that very time preparing to help the Scots by invading England. Consequently, Edward wrote to the Mayor of Bayonne, to say that he had been informed that there was a fleet on the coast of Normandy ready for that enterprise, and desired him to send a fleet to England to assist him in repelling the apprehended invasion. Preparations for the invasion of England were made Preparaby France in Sicily, Genoa, and even in Norway invading and Holland, but without the consent of the rulers England. of those countries, and under colour of an expedition to the Holy Land. The Government of the first two forbad the preparations immediately they Rymer, vol. ii. (Perth, August 24, 1336). 2 Walsingham, p. 197. 3 Rymer, vol. ii. p. 945. tions for preparations for defence. Edward claims dominion over the sea. A.D. 1336. became aware of them,1 and Edward protested, probably with equal success, against what was being attempted in Norway and Holland. The Count of Flanders, not unnaturally, also took part against England, and seized all the English merchants and their property in Flanders. Edward retaliated by similar measures in England.2 Edward however had not neglected to prepare at home for Edward's the defence of England. So early as April he had appointed Sir Geoffrey Say and Sir John Norwich his admirals; and on the 16th of August he commanded them to proceed to sea, England's ancient dominion over which he asserted in the following remarkable words: "We, considering that our progenitors, Kings of England, were lords of the English sea on every side, and also defenders against invasions of enemies before these times; it would much grieve us if our royal honour in such defence. should perish or be in aught diminished in our time, which God forbid." The Isle of Wight was attacked, and other parts of England were threatened; at the beginning of November, therefore, the fleets were ordered to assemble at Portsmouth and Orewell. On the 11th of December the King found it necessary to issue a Commission, to consult as to the best measures for the defence of England; he told the commissioners that as he was then in Scotland conducting the war, they were bound to expose their lives in defence of the country.5 1 Rymer, vol. ii. pp. 946 and 949 (Sept., Oct., and Nov. 1336). 2 Ibid. p. 948. 3 Rot. Scot. i. 442 (as quoted by Nicolas, Hist. Brit. Navy, vol. ii. p. 17). 4 Rymer, vol. ii. p. 951. 5 Ibid. p. 953. CHAP. IV. WAR WITH FRANCE. 75 England the dis pute with At length Edward thought his presence in Eng- A.D. 1336. land was even more necessary than in Scotland; Edward he therefore left that country in the middle of De- returns to cember, and returned to England, to prepare for to settle the settlement of the dispute with France by arms or negotiation, according as he might be advised by Parliament. War between the two countries broke out in the course of the following year, and Edward did not again invade Scotland in person for more than twenty years. 1 Rymer, vol. ii. p. 956. France. CHAPTER V. LAWS RELATIVE TO SOCIAL AND COMMERCIAL LIFE PASSED [A.D. 1836.] ENGLAND, from the earliest times in which anything Edward the Third unjustly called "The Com merce." |