CHAPTER IV.
King John. I'll tell thee what, my friend,
He is a very serpent in my way;
And wheresoe'er this foot of mine doth tread,
He lies before me. Doest thou understand me?
King John.
There was brave feasting in the Castle of York,
to which Prince John had invited those nobles,
prelates, and leaders, by whose assistance he hoped to carry through his ambitious projects upon
his brother's throne. Waldemar Fitzurse, his
able and politic agent, was at secret work among
them, tempering all to that pitch of courage which
was necessary in making an open declaration of
their purpose. But their enterprize was delayed
by the absence of more than one main limb of
the confederacy. The stubborn and daring,
though brutal courage of Front-de-Bœuf; the
buoyant spirits and bold bearing of De Bracy;
