grandmother, Queen Eleanor, who had always opposed his interests, was
lodged in that place and was protected by a weak garrison and ruinous
fortifications. He immediately determined to lay siege to the fortress,
and make himself master of her person; but John, roused from his
indolence by so pressing an occasion, collected an army of English and
Brabancons, and advanced from Normandy with hasty marches to the relief
of the queen mother. He fell on Arthur's camp, before that prince was
aware of the danger; dispersed his army; took him prisoner together with
the count de la Marche, Geoffrey de Lusignan, and the most considerable
of the revolted barons, and returned in triumph to Normandy. Philip,
who was lying before Arques, in that duchy, raised the siege and retired
upon his approach. The greater part of the prisoners were sent over to
England, but Arthur was shut up in the castle of Falaise.

The king had here a conference with his nephew; represented to him
the folly of his pretensions; and required him to renounce the French
alliance, which had encouraged him to live in a state of enmity with all
his family; but the brave, though imprudent youth, rendered more haughty
from misfortunes, maintained the justice of his cause; asserted his
claim, not only to the French provinces, but to the crown of England;
and, in his turn, required the king to restore the son of his elder
brother to the possession of his inheritance; John, sensible, from these
symptoms of spirit, that the young prince, though now a prisoner, might
hereafter prove a dangerous enemy, determined to prevent all future
peril by despatching his nephew; and Arthur was never more heard of.
The circumstances which attended this deed of darkness were, no
doubt, carefully concealed by the actors, and are variously related by
historians; but the most probable account is as follows: The king, it
is said, first proposed to William de la Braye, one of his servants,
to despatch Arthur; but William replied that he was a gentleman, not
a hangman; and he positively refused compliance. Another instrument of
murder was found, and was despatched with proper orders to Falaise; but
Huber de Bourg, chamberlain to the king, and constable of the castle,
feigning that he himself would execute the king's mandate, sent back the
assassin, spread the report that the young prince was dead, and publicly
performed all the ceremonies of his interment; but finding that the
Bretons vowed