¶ Here we sée philautie or selfe-loue, which rageth in men so preposterouslie, that euen naturall dutie and affection quite forgotten, they vndertake what mischéefe soeuer commeth next to hand; without exception of place or person; and all for the maintenance of statelie titles, of loftie stiles, of honorable names, and such like vanities more light than thistle downe that flieth in the aire. A vice that hath beene noted to reigne in all ages, among all péeres and people of all nations, both at home and abroad, as one verie well noteth and giueth his verdict therevpon, saieng,
M. Pal. in virg. & sag. —— proh dij, mine nomina tantùm
Magnifica, & claros titulos sibi quilibet optat,
Arrogat, affectat, sequitur, rapit; vt meritò iam
Et se asinus pardum vocet & formica leonem.
Quid tituli illustres præclaráq; nomina prosunt?
Quæ citò mors rapit, & lethæas mergit in vndas.
King Henrie the father knoweth not whome he may trust. Polydor. King Henrie the father perceiuing hereby that warres would follow, prepared the best he could for his owne defense: but he was in great doubt on euerie side, not knowing whome he might trust. And to increase this mischéefe, his wife quéene Elianor studied to mainteine the strife betwixt hir sonnes. The yoong king then getting an armie togither entred into Guian.
Richard Bart chancellor to the young king, also his chaplaine, Sir Walter Ailward with others. Rog. Houed. King Henrie was not hastie to go against him, but sought rather with gentlenesse and all courteous meanes to reconcile him: insomuch that whereas diuerse graue personages being of the yoong kings counsell, and doubting to runne into the displeasure of his father, reuolted from the sonne to the father, and brought with them the sonnes seale, which he vsed in sealing of letters. Howbeit, the father receiued them not, but sent them backe againe to his sonne, commanding them to continue faithfull in seruing him as he should appoint them, and herewith he sent ambassadours vnto his sonne to entreate with him of peace and concord.
Now whilest the father went about to asswage the sonnes displeasure, the mother quéene Elianor did what she could to pricke him forward in his disobedient attempts. For she being enraged against hir husband bicause he kept sundrie concubines, and therefore delited the lesse in hir companie, cared not what mischéefe she procured against him. Herevpon she made hir complaint so greeuouslie vnto hir sons Richard and Geffrey, that they ioined with their brother against their father, & came to him into Guien, to aid him to the vttermost of their powers.
¶ This may well séeme to be brought vpon the king as a plague of his incontinent, vnchast and libidinous life; who hauing Chara coniugij pignora, a notable motiue to kindle and to continue honest loue in wedlocke, did not notwithstanding most inordinatelie abandon his bodie to beastlie and vnlawfull companie kéeping with strange flesh. Note heere how God stirreth vp the wife of his owne bosome, & the sonnes descending of his owne loines to be thornes in his eies and godes in his sides for profaning so diuine and holie an ordinance; which the verie pagans did so honour and reuerence, that they did not onlie giue precepts touching the due obseruation thereof, but denounced vndoubted vengeance for the violation of the same, as appeareth in this old testimonie,
Hesiod. in lib. cui tit. op. & di. Patrat & ingraditur quicunq; cubilia fratris
Vxorem maculans, & sancta cubilia stupro
Hunc pater ipse deûm Saturnius odit, & ipsi
Hunc malè dij vexant, &c.
But we will remit this to the readers consideration, and note the issue of this mischéefe now broched. The yoong king reioicing that he had his brethren thus on his side, readie to take his part, became more stout than before, and for answere vnto the messengers that came to him from his father, he declared that if his father would deliuer vp the whole gouernment into his hands, he would be content to breake vp his armie. As for such souldiers as would willinglie take his part in this quarell, he caused them to sweare that they should faithfullie serue him against his aduersaries: and those that had rather serue on the other side, he licensed them fréelie to depart and go to his father.
King Henrie the father receiuing such a rebellious answer from his sonne, much lamented the matter, and so much the more, for that he saw there was no remedie, but to haue the controuersie decided by the sword. Therefore least he should be taken vnprouided, he kept his armie Twētie thousand Brabanders were reteined by king Henrie the father as saith R. Houed. Wil. Paruus. N. Triuet. Polydor. in a readinesse about him, hauing reteined certeine bands of Brabanders called the Rowts.
The lords that tooke part with his sonne, being aduertised by espials of the dooings of the father, and hearing that he was readie (if he were constreined) to defend himselfe by battell, and yet willing to receiue his sons into his fauour againe, if they would be reformed, they tooke great care how to cause his sons to persist in their enterprise, till the father were compelled by force to resigne the gouernment vnto them. But none more than the French king coueted to mainteine the discord, till it might be ended by force of armes: and therefore sent vnto king Henrie the sonne, willing him to come to Paris, where he caused a councell to be called, & there made a league betwixt the said Henrie and N. Triuet. Polydor. himselfe, with William king of Scotland, Hugh earle of Chester, William Patrike the elder, the thrée sons of Robert earle of Mellent, whose castels king Henrie the elder had in possession, Roger Moumbray, Hugh Bigot, and diuerse other complices of the conspiracie, Flabella seditionum, that tooke part with Heurie the sonne.