in courts
of justice by way of maintenance, and to get profit thereby, which is
displeasing to the king, he forbids any woman henceforward, and
especially Alice Perrers, to do so, on pain of the said Alice forfeiting
all her goods, and suffering banishment from the kingdom."[136]

The part which the prince of Wales, who had ever been distinguished for
his respectful demeanour towards Edward, bore in this unprecedented
opposition, is strong evidence of the jealousy with which he regarded
the duke of Lancaster; and it was led in the house of commons by Peter
de la Mare, a servant of the earl of March, who, by his marriage with
Philippa, heiress of Lionel duke of Clarence, stood next after the young
prince Richard in lineal succession to the crown. The proceedings of
this session were indeed highly popular. But no house of commons would
have gone such lengths on the mere support of popular opinion, unless
instigated and encouraged by higher authority. Without this their
petitions might perhaps have obtained, for the sake of subsidy, an
immediate consent; but those who took the lead in preparing them must
have remained unsheltered after a dissolution, to abide the vengeance of
the crown, with no assurance that another parliament would espouse their
cause as its own. Such, indeed, was their fate in the present instance.
Soon after the dissolution of parliament, the prince of Wales, who, long
sinking by fatal decay, had rallied his expiring energies for this
domestic combat, left his inheritance to a child ten years old, Richard
of Bordeaux. Immediately after this event Lancaster recovered his
influence; and the former favourites returned to court. Peter de la Mare
was confined at Nottingham, where he remained two years. The citizens
indeed attempted an insurrection, and threatened to burn the Savoy,
Lancaster's residence, if de la Mare was not released; but the bishop of
London succeeded in appeasing them.[137] A parliament met next year
which overthrew the work of its predecessor, restored those who had been
impeached, and repealed the ordinance against Alice Perrers.[138] So
little security will popular assemblies ever afford against arbitrary
power, when deprived of regular leaders and the consciousness of mutual
fidelity.

The policy adopted by the prince of Wales and earl of March, in
employing the house of commons as an engine of attack against an
obnoxious ministry, was perfectly novel, and indicates a sensible chan