Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/76

30 the firſt arrival of, K.  never ſtood his ground; and though he came with his great army to Dover to hinder his landing, yet he durſt not truſt that army to engage, but leaving a ſtrong garriſon in Dover caſtle, he took a run to Guilford, and from thence to Wincheſter without ſtopping: whereby he both gave  a free paſſage to London to join the barons, and alſo loſt moſt of his new conqueſts in leſs time than he gained them. But the King of France undervalued all his ſon’s ſucceſſes, ſwearing that he had not gotten one foot of ground in England till he was poſſeſſed of Dover caſtle, which made him undertake a vigorous, though fruitleſs ſiege of that place: where, in a ſhort time, the King of Scotland came and did him homage.

, while the dauphin was engaged in that ſiege, there happened an accident which altered the whole ſcene of affairs. The viſcount of Melun, a nobleman of France, who came over with, fell very ſick at London. And, finding himſelf at the point of death, he ſent for ſome of the barons of England, who were left to take care of the city, to come to ſpeak with him; to whom he ſaid, “I am grieved for you, at the thoughts of your deſolation and deſtruction, becauſe