sad life
and a short one, and though he was a prince and a king I am sure he
would much rather have been neither. His father was Edward IV., and he
had not become King of England by inheritance, but because he had won
the crown by fighting.

Before him Henry VI. was king, and Edward claimed the throne by right of
his birth. So they fought, and there was a civil war. You know what that
is--a war between people of the same country who take different sides,
and it is the worst of all wars. As Edward IV. was Duke of York, his
side called themselves Yorkists, and wore a white rose as a badge; and
Henry VI.'s side called themselves Lancastrians, and wore a red rose.
Edward was very strong and very handsome, and a great many people
admired him and fought for him because they thought he would make a fine
king. And Henry was weak and feeble; but then he was king already, and
his father had been king before him; so a great many people took his
side for that reason. While they were still fighting Edward married
secretly a beautiful woman, a widow, called Elizabeth Woodville, and
soon after this he was so successful that he found he could settle in
London and have himself crowned king, while Henry and his wife and son
had to fly to Scotland. Then Edward told his great nobles that he was
married, and for a time all went on well. Edward and Elizabeth were very
happy. They lived in great state, and soon a little daughter was given
to them, and they called her Elizabeth. All the time poor Henry and his
brave Queen Margaret and his son Edward were hiding away in lonely
places. Little did they think then that the time would soon come when it
would be proud Edward IV. who had to fly and hide in his turn!

[Illustration: TRAFALGAR SQUARE.]

After awhile Edward IV. managed to capture Henry, and he put him in
prison in the Tower of London, and then, no doubt, he felt he was
very safe. But Edward had a follower called the Earl of Warwick, a
very powerful man. And he was angry, because he had wanted the King to
marry a sister of the King of France; but the King had not done as he
wished, for he had married Elizabeth Woodville. So the Earl of Warwick
waited for a good opportunity, and then raised up a disturbance in
Yorkshire.

King Edward was frightened when he heard of this, and travelled north to
quell the disturbance. And Warwick, who was in the north himself, seized
him and made him prisoner. It was very bold of him to make the King
p