ISABELLA OF VALOfS. . 153 arrived in England. Richard began to see that so long as Gloucester was free, he himself was not in safety. This power- ful, insolent, and ambitious man hardly made an attempt to con- ceal his schemes ; he had resolved to shut up the king and queen "in some fortress, where they should be well guarded, and might eat and drink in plenty, as long as it was convenient to let Richard live, and then the King of France might have his daughter." Gloucester was seized and conveyed to Calais, where he died suddenly. But from this time, Richard was constantly em- broiled with his nobles. He executed the Earl of Arundel, and imprisoned the Earl of Warwick, but only to find himself dis- tracted by the quarrels of Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, and the Duke of Norfolk. Scarcely were these settled, when the young Earl of March, the heir presumptive to the throne, was killed by the rebels in Ireland. Richard set out thither to chastise the insurgent Irish, but he was soon recalled by the landing of Bolingbroke, who had been banished, and now came back as Duke of Lancaster, in consequence of the death of his father, and to wrest, if possible, the crown from Richard. Immediately on this event, the Duke of York, who had been appointed regent during the king's absence, had the queen con- veyed to Wallingford Castle, where she remained while her royal husband, to whom, child as she was, she was most warmly attached, was deprived of his kingdom by Henry Bolingbroke. On his return from Ireland, Richard took refuge in different parts of Wales, where, though living amidst the greatest priva- tions, he remained tolerably safe until treacherously betrayed by Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland', who, under pretense of arranging certain conditions between him and Lancaster, persuaded him to repair to Flint Castle, that he might be nearer the scene of action ; here he detained him by force until the arrival of Bolingbroke. When Lancaster entered the court of Flint Castle, where the king waited to receive him, he made a slight bow, saying, "He was come sooner than perhaps Richard wished, to assist him in the government of the realm, which he had ruled for twenty-two years to its prejudice."* An anec- dote, related by Froissart on this occasion, is too interesting to be omitted. The king possessed a most beautiful greyhound named Math,
- Carte.
