its issue. Now, however, it assumed a more serious aspect, and became altogether a national contest. The proclamation, issued by Owain, alarmed Henry, who determined to march in person into Wales, to curb the boldness of the rebel chieftain, and to crush, if possible, a revolt daily becoming more extensive and momentous. For this purpose he assembled his troops, and hastened into Wales. But Glyndwr, whose forces were not yet sufficiently powerful, retreated to the hills of Snowdon, and Henry was compelled to return to England without obtaining any material advantage. That the Welsh might have no plea of undue severity to urge, the king, on the 30th of November in the same year*, (1400), issued a proclamation, offering to take under his protection all Welshmen, who would repair to Chester, and there make submission to his son Henry; after which they should be at full liberty to return to their respective homes. Few, however, availed themselves of the monarch's clemency. The martial spirit of the Welsh was once more kindled into action; and Glyndwr soon found his cause espoused by numbers of his countrymen. Multitudes from all quarters flocked to his standard, and contributed to make him a most formidable opponent-so formidable, indeed, that Henry, notwithstanding some very urgent affairs which had detained him in the capital, resolved to march again into Wales, and, entering the Principality about the beginning of June, 1401, he ravaged the country in his progress, but was finally forced to retreat, his men suffering severely from fatigue and famine. The misfortunes which befel the king, greatly encouraged the rebels, and a comet, which ushered in the year 1402, infused new spirit into the minds of a superstitious people, and * Henry had previously, on the 5th of this month, escheated all Glyndwr's estates, and made a grant of them to his own brother, John, Earl of Somerset, in whose hands, upon the reverses of Owain, they continued for some time. Thirty-three years, however, after the original grant, Sir John Scudamore, who had married Alicia, daughter and heiress of Glyndwr, brought an action for the recovery of them, but was successfully opposed by the Earl of Somerset, then a prisoner in France. This happened in 1433: upon the attainder of the Duke of Somerset, however, in 1463, the possessions of Glyndwr were alienated from that family, and, after passing through various hands, are now the property respectively, of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart. and of Gruffydd Hywel Vaughan, Esq. as mentioned in a subsequent part of this sketch.-ED. imparted additional vigour to their exertions. A victory, also, which Glyndwr obtained, about this time, over a powerful band commanded by Lord Grey, strengthened their hopes of success, and gained the Chieftain many friends and followers. By this event Grey fell into the hands of the insurgents, and was secured in close confinement, till a ransom of 1000 marks, and a promise to marry one of the Chieftain's daughters, released him from captivity*. The Welsh patriot now extended his designs, and plundered the domains of such of his countrymen as were inimical to his interests, spreading fire and sword through the lands of his opponents. He revenged, also, in some degree, the indignities inflicted on the unfortunate Richard. John Trevor, Bishop of St. Asaph, who had voted for the deposition of that king, became a marked object of his resentment; and the cathedral, episcopal palace, and canon's house, belonging to his see, were completely destroyed. His ravages became now so considerable and were so fearlessly committed, that Henry was once more compelled to march into Wales; and, to insure success, it was determined that the English army should enter the Principality in three different quarters. The rendezvous of the first division, headed by the king in person, was to be at Shrewsbury; that of the second, under the joint command of the Earls of Stafford and Warwick, and the lords Abergavenny, Audley, and Berkeley, at Hereford, and that of the third, under the direction of Prince Henry, at Chester: the forces were to be assembled at each place by the 27th of August. Owain beheld these formidable preparations without dismay, and continued to devastate the country, destroying the principal towns in Glamorganshire,-the inhabitants of that district having refused to embrace his cause, and receiving from all other parts of Wales fresh succours and supplies. At the time appointed, Henry and his generals advanced towards the Principality; and Glyndwr, too prudent to hazard an engagement with a force so superior in every respect to his own, again retired to the fastnesses among the mountains, *His release, however, was not effected till Henry appointed a Commission, dated the 10th of April, 1402, empowering Sir William de Roos, Sir Richard de Grey, Sir William de Willoughby, Sir William de la Zouch, and six other persons to treat with Owain about the ransom, when the sum, specified in the text, was agreed upon, and his Lordship liberated. driving the cattle from the plains, and destroying every means, by which the enemy could procure food for themselves, or forage for their horses. The Scots now took advantage of the king's absence from the capital, and, under the command of the renowned Douglas, invaded England with an army of 13,000 men. It is probable that they acted in concert with the Welsh. Both nations had been rendered tributary to the English,-both entertained a common hatred for their conquerors,-and both had groaned under their oppressive domination. Be this as it may, the revolt in the North was of no small advantage to Glyndwr; for this event, and the adverse state of the weather, contributed to compel Henry once more to relinquish his design of reducing the Welsh rebels; and for the third time he quitted the Principality, without having accomplished any part of his purpose. Three times did Henry Bolingbroke make head Against the Welsh: thrice from the banks of Wye, Him bootless back, and weather-beaten home. About this time, also, the powerful and wealthy family of the Percies conspired to throw off its allegiance to Henry. A dispute between the Earl of Northumberland and the King, respecting the exchange of some prisoners, appears to have been the primary cause of this disaffection; and, perhaps, the desire of becoming entirely independent, might have contributed in no small degree to the same effect. At all events this family and its numerous adherents joined Glyndwr, and added very materially to the power of the Welsh. The rebels gained another important ally this year, Sir Edmund Mortimer, whom Glyndwr had taken prisoner in an action with the English. He procured the alliance of this knight by insinuating that it was in his power to seat him on the throne of his ancestors,—a temptation not to be withstood by the youthful captive,-and Glyndwr and the gallant Percïes entered into a confederacy to overthrow the house of Lancaster, and to advance to the sovereignty of England the descendant of the princes of the house of York. So confident were the rebel Chieftains of success, that they determined before hand to divide the empire between them, so that, when they had subdued their opponents, no discord might arise as to a division of the booty. Henry Percy was to possess the district north of the Trent; Sir Edmund Mortimer all the country from the Trent and Severn to the eastern and western limits of the island; and Glyndwr, the whole of Wales westward from the Severn. It was on this occasion that Owain to animate his followers, reminded them of the ancient prophecy, which predicted the fall of Henry, under the name of Moldwarp, or, "cursed of God's own mouth;" and, to revive those pleasing and heroic sentiments, which are always associated in the mind of a Briton, with the achievements of the mighty Uthyr Pendragon, (the father of the immortal Arthur), he adopted the title of the Dragon; Percy was styled the Lion; and Mortimer the Wolf: and now, in the meridian of his glory, he assembled the states of the Principality at Machynlleth in Montgomeryshire, where he was formally crowned, and acknowledged Prince of Wales*. At this assembly the newly-crowned prince narrowly escaped assassination. A gentleman of Brecknockshire, called David Gam, (afterwards knighted for preserving the life of Henry the Fifth at the battle of Agincourt) was among the Chieftains who attended the coronation of Glyndwr. He had been long in the service of Bolingbroke, and, notwithstanding his relationship to Owain (for he married one of his sisters), was firmly attached to the king. Instigated by his attachment to Henry, or, as some say, by the personal exhortations of the monarch himself, he formed the base design of murdering his prince and brother-in-law. His plot, however, was timely discovered, and he was immediately arrested and imprisoned. He would have met with the punishment due to the crime he meditated, had not the prince's most zealous friends exerted their influence in his behalf. He was pardoned, therefore, on conditions that he would adhere in future to the common cause of his country,-a condition he had no opportunity of observing, as he was kept in rigid confinement till the rebellion was quelled. The affairs of Owain now bore so prosperous an aspect, that * The building, now converted into a stable, in which this memorable synod was convened, is still to be seen. Charles, king of France, entered into an alliance with him*, and compensated in a slight degree for the loss of the gallant and high-spirited Hotspur, who fell in the battle of Shrewsbury, about a year before. But he did not reap any very extensive advantages from this union. When it was contracted he appears to have arrived at the very acmé of his career, and the crisis was any thing but favourable. Although fortune had hitherto smiled upon him, the time was not far distant when he was to experience her capricious mutability; and, in an engagement between a party of his adherents (in number about 8,000) and some English troops, the former were defeated with the loss of nearly a thousand men. To repair this misfortune Glyndwr instantly dispatched his son Gruffydd with a strong force, and another battle was fought five days afterwards at Mynydd y Pwll Melyn in Brecknockshire, when the Welsh again sustained a defeat; the prince's son being taken prisoner, and his brother Tudyr slain. The latter resembled the prince so closely, that it was at first reported that Glyndwr himself had fallen; but, on examining the body, it was found to be without a wart over the eye, by which the brothers were distinguished from each other. After this defeat many of the Patriot's followers deserted him, and he was compelled to conceal himself in caves and desert places, from which he occasionally ventured forth to visit a few trusty friends, who still adhered to him, and who supported him with food and other necessariest. It is possible that our Chieftain's career would have terminated without further hostilities, had not his new ally, the king of France, afforded him assistance. A fleet carrying an army of 12,000 men, sailed from Brest, and reached Wales after a favourable voyage. But this succour, seasonable and liberal as it was, served only to prolong the war, without being eventually of any important service. Glyndwr never recovered the * This treaty is dated from Dolgella, in right royal stile: "Datum apud Dolgellum, 10 die menses Maii, 1404, et Principatus nostri quarto;" and begins "Owenus, Dei gratia, Princeps Walliæ, &c." + There is a cavern, near the sea-side, in the parish of Llangelynin, in Merionethshire, still called Ogov Owain, or the Cave of Owen; here the Prince is said to have concealed himself, being secretly supported by Ednyved ab Aron, the representative of the royal tribe of Edny wain ab Bradwen. |