s they declared" and Maintained^ and ftil maintain, that the kingdom of France is fo noble, it ought not to defcend to a female, the queen of England, nor confèquently to the king of England, her eldeft fi»; for they refblved that the fon cannot claim any right of fucceffion as coming from Ms mother, when the mother hcrfelf has not any right; fo that, for thefe reafons, the twelve peers and the barons of France unanimoufly ^decreed the kingdom of France to my krd Philip, nephew to the good king Philip of France before mentioned, and took from the queen of England and her fon the right of fucceeding to the laft king, Charles.. Thus, as it appeared to many perfons; did the kingdom of France go out of the (trait line of focceffion, which occafioned very great wars in confequence,9 &c. This whole pafiage prefents nothing but what moll fet the courage and candour of the hiftorian in the moft favourable light, fhould he even have added thefe words, • it appeared to many perfons,9 fince it is not any matter of doubt that the fucceffion palled from the ftrak line to the collateral branch. Neverthekfs, fome malignant intention was thought to lurk beneath, «nd the words 4 took from9 having offended lèverai readers, they have added in the margin a fort of corre&ion, which I have feen in two manufcripts in a hand almoft as ancient as the manufcripts themfelves. ' They never could take away what they had never been in pofleffion ôf, nor had any right to. They never took it away, for neither the forefaid lady nor her •fon had even a right to it, but FroiflarC fhews he was partM to the Engiifh.1 The homage which king Edward III. paid to the king of France hart? exceedingly the delicacy of the Enghfh : they had difputed for fome tim%t and with great warmth, on the form in which it was to be done, feeking to curtal it of aE that was humiliating to them. As the king of France firmly fupportcd the prerogatives of his crown, he obliged Edward to acquit himfelf of this duty according-to the form praâifcd by his predeceflbrs: an hiftorian therefore, defirous of rendering his narration fubfervient to purpofcs of flattery, would fligWy have paffed over this •article Froiflart! however, mfilh upon it. as much as ho is able: he neither 4*