h Clarence in England. It would, of course, very much
weaken the cause of Edward and Richard to have Clarence against them;
so Margaret, the wife of the Duke of Burgundy, interested herself in
endeavoring to win him back again to their side. She had herself great
influence over him, and she was assisted in her efforts by their
mother, the Lady Cecily, who was still living in the neighborhood of
London, and who was greatly grieved at Clarence's having turned
against his brothers. The tie which bound Clarence to the Earl of
Warwick was, of course, derived chiefly from his being married to
Warwick's daughter. Warwick, however, did not trust wholly to this.
As soon as he had restored Henry to the throne, he contrived a cunning
plan which he thought would tend to bind Clarence still more strongly
to himself, and to alienate him completely from Edward. This plan was
to induce the Parliament to confiscate all Edward's estates and confer
them upon Clarence.

"Now," said Warwick to himself, when this measure had been
accomplished, "Clarence will be sure to oppose Edward's return to
England, for he knows very well that if he should return and be
restored to the throne, he would, of course, take all these estates
back again."

But, while Edward was forming his plans on the Continent for a fresh
invasion of England, Margaret sent messengers to Clarence, and their
persuasions, united to those of his mother, induced Clarence to change
his mind. He was governed by no principle whatever in what he did, but
only looked to see what would most speedily and most fully gratify his
ambition and increase his wealth. So, when they argued that it would
be much better for him to be on the side of his brothers, and assist
in restoring his own branch of the family to the throne, than to
continue his unnatural connection with Warwick and the house of
Lancaster, he allowed himself to be easily persuaded, and he promised
that though, for the present, he should remain ostensibly a friend of
Warwick, still, if Edward and Richard would raise an expedition and
come to England, he would forsake Warwick and the Lancasters, and join
them.

Accordingly, in the spring, when the fleet and the forces were ready,
Edward and Richard set sail from the Low Country to cross the Channel.
It was early in March. They intended to proceed to the north of
England and land there. They had a very stormy passage, and in the end
the fleet was dispersed, and Edward and Ric