ty. He stooped to disconcert for a moment
the puny plans of men who had set themselves in array against the Lord
and His Christ. On the chief of all the persecutors, Sir Thomas de
Arundel himself, the angel of God's vengeance laid his irresistible
hand. Cut off in the blossom of his sin--struck down in a moment by
paralysis of the throat, which deprived him of all power of speech or
swallowing--the dreaded Archbishop passed to that awful tribunal where
his earthly eloquence was changed to silence and shame. He died,
probably, not unabsolved; they could still lay the consecrated wafer
upon the silent tongue, and touch with the chrism the furrowed brow and
brilliant eyes: but he must have died unconfessed--a terrible thing to
him, if he really believed himself the doctrines which he spent his life
in forcing upon others.

Arundel was dead; but the infernal generalissimo of the persecutors, who
could not die, was ready with a worthy successor. Henry Chichele
stepped into the vacant seat, and the fierce battle against the saints
went on.

The nephew of the deceased Archbishop, Thomas Earl of Arundel, presented
himself at Cardiff early in the year. He lost no time in delicate
insinuations, but came at once to his point. Was the Lady of Cardiff
ready to give all possible aid to himself and his troops, against those
traitors and heretics called Lollards? The answer was equally distinct.
With some semblance of the old fire flashing in her eyes, the Lady of
Cardiff refused to give him any aid whatever.

The Earl hinted in answer, with a sarcastic smile, that judging by the
rumours which had reached the Court, he had scarcely expected any other
conduct from her.

"Look ye for what ye will," returned the dauntless Princess. "Never yet
furled I my colours in peace; and I were double craven if I should do it
in war!"

Her words were reported to the relentless hearts at Westminster. The
result was an order to seize all the manors of the Despenser heritage,
and to deliver them to Edward Duke of York, the King's dearly beloved
cousin, by way of compensation (said the grant) for the loss which he
had sustained by the death of Richard Le Despenser. But the
compensation was estimated at a high figure.

There were some curious contradictory statutes passed this year. A
hundred and ten monasteries were suppressed by order of Council, and at
the same time another order was issued for the extirpation of heresy.
But, as usu