During the queen's residence in the north of England quite an amusing circumstance occurred. King Edward had returned from Scotland, and his wife, who had been separated from him for a long time, went as far as Durham to welcome him back. He lodged at St. Cuthbert's Priory near the castle. After supper the queen entered her husband's apartments, where, feeling fatigued from her journey, she hoped to have a good night's rest. Scarcely had she undressed than there came a loud knocking at her door. Upon opening it several monks presented themselves with a pathetic appeal to her not to offend their holy patron St. Cuthbert, who during his life avoided the fair sex and would be dreadfully angry if one of them, no matter how high her rank, should sleep beneath the roof of his convent. The pious Philippa was distressed at the idea of having unintentionally displeased the saint, and fled in her night-clothes to the castle, which was fortunately not far away.
A.D. 1336. About this time Count William of Hainault died of gout, and Edward thus lost the liberal supplies that he had always counted on from that source. The English people of that period chose always to be at war; but expected their monarchs to pay the costs. Edward was reduced to such extreme poverty that he was forced to pledge his wife's crown for twenty-five hundred pounds, at the beginning of his long war, and during his whole reign the crown jewels were seldom out of pawn. He had been engaged in a naval battle with France since his victories in Scotland, and in 1340 found himself bankrupt. By that time Philippa had several children, and was residing in the Tower, where she devoted herself to their education with her usual good sense.
Now we must see how Edward was led to establish the Order of the Garter. Wark Castle was under the guardianship of the Earl of Salisbury, who, while King Edward was encamped near Berwick, was taken prisoner. The Countess of Salisbury was then left alone at the castle with her young nephew, and it was besieged by the King of Scotland. Becoming alarmed at the approach of danger she sent the youth to seek assistance of Edward who immediately replied in person. At his appearance the siege was raised, and the countess, to prove her gratitude, ordered the gates to be thrown open, and received the king with great honors. She courtesied low, thanked her preserver warmly for his prompt aid, and conducted him into the castle, where he and all his knights and attendants were entertained sumptuously. Everybody was struck with the countess' noble deportment and affable behavior, and the king was charmed with her grace and beauty.
While he was dancing with her after the banquet she gave in his honor she unfortunately dropped her garter, and was overcome with confusion, but Edward with his usual gallantry picked it up and, holding it aloft, said: "Honi soit qui mal y pense,"
"evil to him who evil thinks." In commemoration of this event, and out of compliment to the countess, he established an order called the Knights of the Garter. The queen attended the first meeting of this order at Windsor, on which occasion all the knights were accompanied by their ladies, who wore the badge with the motto the king had proposed as a bracelet on their left arm. The object of this order of knighthood was to assist distressed ladies, and after it was well established the king announced his intention of going to the aid of the Countess de Montfort, who was trying to uphold the cause of her infant son against the whole power of France, while her husband was a prisoner in the tower of the Louvre. He appointed Philippa regent, with the Earl of Kent as her assistant, and departed for France with his son Edward, then only sixteen years of age. At the battle of Cressy, which had occurred during the siege of Calais, this boy proved himself a true hero.
During the king's absence, David of Scotland advanced into England and set fire to the suburbs of York. Philippa hastened in person to the relief of her northern subjects, and took up her residence at Newcastle. On the following day the King of Scots, with forty thousand men, halted within three miles of the town, and sent word to the queen that if her men were willing he would wait and give them battle. She replied: "that her barons would risk their lives for the realm of their lord, the king."
When her army drew up in order of battle she rode among them mounted on her white charger, entreating the men "to fight manfully for the love of God." They promised to do the utmost in their power, and the queen withdrew after commending them "to the protection of God and St. George."
Philippa had the moral courage becoming in a woman, and as soon as she had done all that a great queen could do for the encouragement of her army, she left the battlefield, which was no place for her, and retired to pray for her invaded kingdom.
Her army gained the victory, and King David was taken prisoner by a squire named John Copeland, who rode off with him and refused to give him up. This displeased Philippa, who the next day wrote to the squire commanding him to surrender the King of Scots to her forthwith. He replied, "that he would not give up his royal prisoner to a woman but only to his own lord, King Edward, for to him he had sworn allegiance and not to any woman."
The queen was troubled at this obstinacy, and wrote all about it to the king, who ordered John Copeland to come to him at Calais immediately. When Edward saw the squire he took him by the hand, saying: "Ha! welcome my squire, who by thy valor hast captured mine adversary, the King of Scots."