Tracts, legal and historical

27
proved that the English authorities are not merely
passive or silent, but directly contradictory. With
respect to the supposed contradiction by Berry, of
the personification in question, it does not seem
altogether plain from what is stated, but, after
due examination, it actually turns out that there
is here no contradiction at all ;* and that the in-
timation that " the plan was not afterwards
carried into execution" does not originate in him,
but exclusively in Mr. Tytler. 2 Berry, after as-
serting that Maudelain was to personify the King,
adds no more upon the subject, which conceived
silence upon his part, quite a neutral circumstance
at most, is all that Mr. Tytler can found upon.
The latter, however, may not have this in his favor,
for he only appeals to partial selections from Berry
by Mr. Webb in the Archaeologia, and we have p. 348.
not access to the original, which is in France ;
if the whole were before us, we might have the
1 See Archasologia, Vol. XX. Pp. 217—18.
2 We may quote here the relative passage in his own words.
" There is, however, another manuscript in the library of the
King of France, entitled, ' Relation de la prise de Richard se-
conde, par Berry Roy d'Armes,' which, in some measure en-
ables us to reconcile this discrepancy {arising from the previous
French authority in the way stated.) According to the account
which it contains, it was resolved at the meeting of the conspira-
tors, which was held in the house of the Abbot of Westminster,
that « Maudelain was to ride with them to represent King
Richard ;' but this plan was not afterwards carried into execu-
tion."— Remarks, p. 348.