e of York is not
without foundation, and those who take his part of course believe him to
be in the right. But it is a sad thing, my Henry, that a dispute
between two princes should cause so much misery and bloodshed as has
already been occasioned by this unhappy quarrel, and it may be a long
time yet before peace is restored."

"Why do they say my father is for Lancaster and the Red Rose?"

"Because our king's grandfather, Henry the Fourth, was Duke of Lancaster
before he became king. He gained the crown by force from his cousin
Richard the Second, and although the people consented to have him for
their king, and his son Henry the Fifth after him, and now his grandson
Henry the Sixth, it does not prove that he had a right to take the crown
from Richard."

"And who is this Duke of York, mother? Why do they think he ought to be
the king?"

"To make you understand that, Henry, I must go back a little further to
the reign of Edward the Third. He, you know, was the father of that
good and brave prince Edward, whom we call the Black Prince, and who
would have been king if he had not died before his father. The Black
Prince had four younger brothers, but he had a son also, who succeeded
to the throne at the death of his grandfather. He was the Richard the
Second whose crown was taken from him by the Duke of Lancaster, his
cousin, who is, therefore, considered a usurper. This Duke of Lancaster
was also a grandson of Edward the Third, but his father was one of the
younger sons of that king; and the Duke of York, who has now come
forward to claim the crown, and stirred up all this terrible strife, is
a descendant of one of King Edward's elder sons. Do you understand all
this?"

"Yes, I think I do; but I cannot tell which is in the right after all."

"No, my dear boy, I dare say you cannot, neither can I inform you, for
there is much to be said on both sides. I do not pretend to judge
between them, I can only be grieved to see how much sorrow is caused by
the war, and wish that it was ended."

"But you have not told me now, mother, why they say my father is for the
Red Rose."

"The Red Rose, Henry, is a badge to distinguish the king's party. The
crimson rosette they all wear is meant to represent a red rose. The
friends of the Duke of York wear a white one, and from these party signs
the war has come to be called the `War of the Roses.'"

One day, soon after this conversation, it was just before Christmas, t