Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/138

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HISTORY OF

Which counſellors fearing to be aſſaulted, got a guard, and kept cloſe in the Tower. At length, by the Queen’s means, with much ado, ſome of the great men were reconciled, and made friends with them. When this was done, the King ventured himſelf out of the Tower, leaving the command of it to John Mansel (his principal counſellor, and the richeſt clergy-man in the world) and went down to Dover, where he entered the caſtle, which was neither offered nor denied him. And there the King found how he had been impoſed upon, when he ſaw a caſtle ſo carefully guarded by a guard of barons, lie open to him. When he went away, he committed the charge of that caſtle to E. de Waleran. He went likewiſe to Rocheſter caſtle and ſeveral others, and found ingreſs and egreſs at his pleaſure. It is plain they only kept them for the King.

At that time the King thinking himſelf ſecure, reſolved openly to depart from his oath, of which the pope had given him a releaſe. He went, therefore, round about to ſeveral cities and caſtles, reſolving to take them and the whole kingdom into his hands, being encouraged and animated thereto, becauſe the King of France, toge-

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