. 8SS, aftoniftied and fhocked at this ; for the duchefs wa^ grand-daughter of the gallant king Edward and the excellent queen Philippa, being the daughter of the princefs LTabella. Her uncles, the dukes of York and Glocefter, were very wroth at this infult ; but*, notwithftanding their hatred which he held cheap, the duke of Ireland was fo fmitten and blinded by his love, he was ufing every means to obtain a di-vorce, and had promifed the lady he would make her his wife, if he had the king and queen's con* fent,"and a difpenfation from Rome, which the pope would not dare refufe him j for his prefent. lady was a Clementift, arid the lord de Coucy, her father, had made war in Italy for Clement, againft Urban, which inclined the latter not to be over-fond, of him, and induced him to liften, too readily, to the propofals for a divorce. Thus was he urging on matters, according to his promife to the landgra-vine of Bohemia, and would not have any connec-tion with his wife by legal marriage. *" But this duke of Ireland had a mother living, the countefs dowager of Oxford, who, fo far from approving her fon's condu&, greatly blamed him for his follies, faying that he would by them anger Heaven, who would one day punifh him feverely, when it would be too late to repent. She had the duchefs home with her, and gave her as handfome an eftablifhment as fhe could, fo that all who loved the young lady were pleafed with this condu&. In fuch a fituation was the kingdom of England; but, to bring its hiftory to a conclufion, I will con-tinue the fubjeft from the information I then re-ceived.