The natural history of Selborne . ent in theMountfort faction, who himself by his daring conduct in thereign of Henry III. lie has been noticed by all the writers of Englishhistory for his bold disposition and disaffected spirit, in that he not onlyfigured during the successful rebellion of Leicester, but kept up the warafter the defeat and deathof that baron, intrenching himself in the woods ofHampshire, towards the town of Farnham. After the battle of Evesham,in which Mountfort fell, in the year 1265, Gurdon might not think it safeto return to his house (or fear of a surprise,
The natural history of Selborne . ent in theMountfort faction, who himself by his daring conduct in thereign of Henry III. lie has been noticed by all the writers of Englishhistory for his bold disposition and disaffected spirit, in that he not onlyfigured during the successful rebellion of Leicester, but kept up the warafter the defeat and deathof that baron, intrenching himself in the woods ofHampshire, towards the town of Farnham. After the battle of Evesham,in which Mountfort fell, in the year 1265, Gurdon might not think it safeto return to his house (or fear of a surprise, but cautiously fortified hitn-self amid the forests and woodlands with which he was so well acquaint-ed. Prince Edward, desimus of putting an end to the troubles whichhad so long harassed the kingdom, pursued the arch-rebel into his fast-nesses, attacked his camp, leaped over the intrenchments, and, singling B2 18 NATURAL HISTORY in old times, a vast oak,* with a short squat body,and huge horizontal arras extending almost to the. extremity of the area. This venerable tree, sur-rounded with stone steps, and seats above them,was the delight of old and young, and a place ofmuch resort in summer evenings, where the formersat in grave debate, while the latter frolicked and * This oak was probably planted by the prior in the year 1271,as an ornament to his newly-acquired market-place. Accordingto this supposition, the oak was aged four hundred and thirtyyears when blown down.—Whites Antiquities of Selborne. out Gordon, ran him down, wounded him, and look him prisoner. Thereis not, perhaps, in ail history a more remarkable instance of command oftemper and magnanimity than thi8 before us : that a young prince, in themoment of victory, when he had the fell adversary of the crown and roy-al family at his mercy, should be able to withhold his hand from that ven-geance which the vanquished so well deserved. A cowardly dispositionwould have been blinded by resentment; but this gallant he
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