to disturb the peace of the kingdom. His partisans every moment flocked
to his standard; he was admitted into the city of York; and he was soon
in such a situation as gave him hopes of succeeding in all his claims and
pretensions.

Warwick assembled an army at Leicester, with an intention of meeting and
of giving battle to the enemy, but Edward, by taking another road, passed
him unmolested and presented himself before the gates of London. Edward's
entrance into London made him master not only of that rich and powerful
city, but also of the person of Henry, who, destined to be the perpetual
sport of fortune, thus fell again into the hands of his enemies. It does
not appear that Warwick, during his short administration, which had
continued only six months, had been guilty of any unpopular act, or had
anywise deserved to lose that general favor with which he had so lately
overwhelmed Edward. But this Prince, who was formerly on the defensive,
was now the aggressor. Everyone who had been disappointed in the hopes
which he had entertained from Warwick's elevation either became a cool
friend or an open enemy to that nobleman; and each malecontent, from
whatever cause, proved an accession to Edward's army.

The King, therefore, found himself in a condition to face the Earl of
Warwick, who, being reenforced by his son-in-law the Duke of Clarence,
and his brother the Marquis of Montagu, took post at Barnet, in the
neighborhood of London. Warwick was now too far advanced to retreat, and,
as he rejected with disdain all terms of peace offered him by Edward and
Clarence, he was obliged to hazard a general engagement. The battle was
fought with obstinacy on both sides. The two armies, in imitation of
their leaders, displayed uncommon valor; and the victory remained long
undecided between them. But an accident threw the balance to the side of
the Yorkists. Edward's cognizance was a sun; that of Warwick a star
with rays; and the mistiness of the morning rendering it difficult to
distinguish them, the Earl of Oxford, who fought on the side of the
Lancastrians, was by mistake attacked by his friends and chased off the
field of battle. Warwick, contrary to his more usual practice, engaged
that day on foot, resolving to show his army that he meant to share every
fortune with them, and he was slain in the thickest of the engagement;
and as Edward had issued orders not to give any quarter, a great and
undistinguished slaughter was made in