he messengers sent up to him in his bedchamber to
inform him that the king was below, and to ask him to come down and
receive him. Gloucester accordingly came down. He was much surprised,
but he knew that it would be very unwise for him to show any
suspicion, and so, after welcoming the king, he asked what was the
object of so early a visit. The king assumed a gay and unconcerned
air, as if he were out upon some party of pleasure, and said he wished
the duke to go away with him a short distance. So the duke dressed
himself and mounted his horse, the king, in the mean time, talking in
a merry way with the ladies of the castle who had come down into the
court to receive him. When they were ready the whole party rode out of
the court, and then the king, suddenly changing his tone, ordered his
men to arrest the duke and take him away.

The duke was never again seen or heard of in England, and for a long
time it was not known what had become of him. It was, however, at last
said, and generally believed, that he was put on board a ship, and
sent secretly to Calais, and shut up in a castle there, and was, after
a time, strangled by means of feather beds, or, as others say, by wet
towels put over his face, in obedience to orders sent to the castle by
Richard. Several other great noblemen, whom Richard supposed to be
confederates with Gloucester, were arrested by similar stratagems. Two
or three of the most powerful of them were brought to a trial before
judges in Richard's interest, and, being condemned, were beheaded. It
is supposed that Richard did not dare to bring Gloucester himself to
trial, on account of the great popularity and vast influence which he
enjoyed among the people of England.

Richard was very much pleased with the success of his measures for
thus putting the most formidable of his enemies out of the way, and
not long after this his cousin Roger died, so that Richard was
henceforth relieved of all special apprehension on his account. But
the country was extremely dissatisfied. The Duke of Gloucester had
been very much respected and beloved by the nation. Richard was hated.
His government was tyrannical. His style of living was so extravagant
that his expenses were enormous, and the people were taxed beyond
endurance to raise the money required. While, however, he thus spared
no expense to secure his own personal aggrandizement and glory, it was
generally believed that he cared little for the substantial inte