badly were John of Gaunt its master; he is a great warrior, and well-nigh
equal in bravery to the Black Prince. It is true that he is haughty and
arrogant; but upon the other hand, he is prudent and sagacious, and
although he might rule England harshly, he would rule it wisely.

"However, I hold myself aloof altogether from state matters, and I trust
that you will strive to do so. I would fain see the king take all power
into his own hands as soon as he gets somewhat older; but if he must be
ruled, I would prefer that it was by a great Englishman of royal blood
rather than by favourites, whose only merits are a fair face, a gallant
manner, and a smooth tongue, and who are sure not only to become unpopular
themselves, but to render the king himself unpopular. It is for this
reason that I journey so seldom to London, and desire that you should also
hold yourself aloof from the Court. I could not be here without taking one
side or the other. It cannot be long, however, before the king becomes
impatient of his tutelage by the dukes, and we shall then see how matters
go.

"It will be time enough then for you to frequent the Court, though it were
better even then that you should do as I did, and leave such matters to
those whom it concerns and content yourself with doing service to England
in the field. From my friendship for the Black Prince I, of course, know
John of Gaunt well, and should there be, as seems likely, fierce fighting
in France or in Spain--for, as you know, the duke has a claim to the crown
of Castile--I will cross the water with you and present you to the duke,
and place you in the train of some of his knights, comrades of mine, but
who are still young enough to keep the field, while I shall only take up
arms again in the event of the king leading another great army into
France."