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Anslet, Fort Hopa J A. A. Andrews, Jr., London. 1855. '"f 1/ ,-">, ERRATA. J^age 111 — l^ line ftom the top — for " Charles Edward the second son of the Pretender/' read <ted to dispute the passage of the Thames at V\ alUngford, they were defeated ; and Caesar advancing into the country, burnt Verulain the capital of Cassi . elaunus. The Britons, thereupon, prayed for peace, which was granted to them on condition of paying a yearly tribute to Rome. Caesar had not contemplated a permanent conquest of Britain ; and conse- quently, on the submission of the natives, he immediately withdrew bis forces to the continent. His victories were not attended with any useful result, and the island was left unmolest(*d for almost a century. 2. At the period of thi«, the first Roman invasion, Britain, like the opposite coast of Gaul was chiefly, if not wholly, inhabited by the race called Celts or Kelts, who are thus described by Caesar in his celebrated Commentaries : — " Among the Gauls the multitude are in a state of ser- vile dependence upon the equestrian and sacerdotal orders. Most of them indeed, for the sake of exemption from taxes, or deliverance from debt, or protection against danger have enslaved themselves to the nobility whose power over them is as absolute as that of a master over his slaves. The Druids have the care of education ; they alone cultivate knowledge, they conceal from the vulgar the secret doc- trines in which their pupils only are initiated. Their sa- cred duties privilege them from taxes and from military service ; they determine the greatest part of litigated ques- tions 9 it is their business to allot rewards and punishmeDts. { ••' i t i !'[ III I', II' * i V M ^ frs- HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 3 '* The party wlio refuses to abide by their decision is pun- ished by interdiclion, which disables him from public office, brands him as impious and criminal, and cuts off his whole intercourse with his fellow creatures. These powers are rendered more dreadful by the proneness to a dire super- stition which taints the Gaulish character. All the politi- cal authority which the priesthood suffer to exist is exer- cised by a turbulent and factious nobility, whose constant occupation is to recruit and exercise their devoted adhe- rents. The chieftain, or Vergobret, has an uncontrolled power of life and death over the laymen of his tribe. Their domestic life corresponds to their ecclesiastical and civil polity. Husbands have the power of life and death over their wives and children. At the death of a noble- man, if there be a suspicion against the wives, they are put to the torture as slaves ; if they be thought guilty, after cruel torments, they die in the flames." It will be remem- bered too, that this description of the Gauls refers to a time when that people were much more advanced in civil- ization than the Britons, although Britain was acknowledged by the former to be the chief source and seat of Druidism. 3. The Druids are said to have taught the existence of a supreme being, and the doctrine of the transmigration of souls. The serpent and the heavenly bodies were also objects of worship with them, ^hey considered the oak as sacred ; their religious exercises were performed in the depths of the forests and within circular spaces formed by large blocks of stones. Of these Druidical circles that of Stonehenge on Salisbury Plains is the.most perfect spe- ^1 HISTORV OF ENGLAND. I i eimen extant. We are informed bj Caesar that, at some of their celebrations, the Dnnds, seized indiscriminately, on the worshippers, and filkd hrgc wicker baskets with men, women and children who were consumed hj fire. 4. The coast of Britain opposite to Gairl had, to a small extent, been settled by persons from the latter coimtrj, who had cultivated and cleared portions of the land, but the inland country was in a state of nature. The inhabitants lired in cottages thatched with straw, and raised large herds of cattle, from which, together with the produce of the chase, they derived their food, as well as such dotliing as they used. Their arms, legs, and thighs were left naked, and were punctured and painted of a blue colour. Societies of men had wives in common. The people were divided into numberless tribes, of which the Romans have handed down to us the names of more than forty ; and they were continually engaged in war with each other. In battle they, partly, fought on foot, and, partly, in chariots armed with scythes and drawn by horses. Their dexterity in the use of these chariots is greatly praised by their Koman enemies. They were unacquainted with the use of lime or mortar. The use of iron was limited, their weapons for the purposes of war being for the most part pointed with flints and sharpened stones. 5. In the year 43 of the Christian era, about ninety- six years after Csesar^s invasion, the conquest of Britain was seriously resumed, under the Roman emperor, Claudius. His general, Plautius, in seven years, reduced the country Mutb of the river Tbaiaes. Ostorius Scapula extended ^e « ■■fi" HISTORY OF ENGLAND. liu Koman sway to the banks of the Severn, where he en- countered tlie Silures of South Wales, under their brave king Curactacus, or Carndoc, whom he defeated and took prisoner, (A. D. 50.) Caractacus was carried in chains to Rome, where his bearing and language were such that he commanded the esteem and respect of Claudius, who treated him with lenity. In the year ^9, Suetonius Pauli- nus attacked Mona, or Anglesca, which was the sacred seat of Druidism. After crossing the strait which divides the Island from the mainland, he saw the acclivities crowned with warriors, while women were running to and fro with mourning habits, their hair flying loose, and brandishing torches in their Irands. The Druids stood with arms up- lifted to heaven, praying for the destruction of the invaders. The Britons perished by the sword of the Romans and the flames they had themselves kindled. About the same time an insurrection of the subdued tribes broke out in conse- quence of an atrocious outrage upon Boadicea, Queen of Iceni, who was publicly whipped, and forced to witness the violation of iier daughters. But Suetonius brought the in&urgent!} to a general action, in which they were defeated with fearful slaughter, fioadicea who had bar- rangued her countrymen, inciting them to avenge her wrongs, poisoned herself after the battle. 6. Udder the emperor Vespasian, (A. D. 71), Cneius Julius Agricola was appointed to the government of Britain, and we have an account of bis administration in the admir- able history of his son-in-law, C . Cornelius Tacitus. Agri- cola, in the course of eight campaigns, carried the Romnn ^uA/ 6^ HI8T0RT OF ENGLAND. arms into Scotland, where at the foot of the eastern Gram- pians lie gained a celebrated victory oyer a chief or king, called by the RomaDS, Galgacus. He joined by fortified posts the Friths of Forth and Clyde, to serve as a defence against the northern barbarians. It was during bis govern- ment that Britain was first discovered to be an island. This was done by a Roman fleet which sailed around it by his order. A. D. 120, the Emperor Adrian built another line of forts, well known as Adrian's wall, from the Solway to the German Ocean. A third line was erected during the reign of Antoninus, commanding the Friths of Forth and Clyde. 7. After this, the Roman empire began to decline, from the invasion of the barbarians of the North of Europe , nd the Roman soldiers were therefore gradually withdrawn to protect the city of Rome itself. The Island of Britain was finally released from its allegiance to Rome by the emperor Honorius, after a connexion of nearly four hun- dred years. 8. Britain had been divided by the Romans into six provinces, namely: — 1. Britannia Prima, consisting of the country south of the Severn and the Thames ; — 2. Britannia Secunda, containing Wales and the adjoining districts along the Severn ; — 3. Flavia Csesariensis, from the two former provinces to the German ocean ; — 4. Maxima Caesarieusis, to the north of the Humber, from its mouth to the mouth of the Tyne and the Eden ; — 5. Val- encia, from the Tyne to the Clyde and the Forth ; — 6. Vespasiana, the country beyond these friths, a nominal II S^ BISTORT OF ENGLAND. i e I. y e d )f n d n n e i^ conquest. The towns and military stations were numer-' rous. The commerce of Britain was considerable, especially in corn, which was, indeed, so large that the iOand was calied the Northern Granary of the Empire. Cattle, horses, dogs, tin, lead, iron, the precious metals, pearls and oysters were also exported and exchanged for the manufactures of Italy, and for the products and luxuries of other countries. 9. Christianity was introduced into Britain at an early period. Its progress at first was slow, but finally it became the religion of the country. 10. The Saxon conquest of England which we shall next relate, destroyed almost every vestige of Roman civilization. It is probable, indeed, that the great military roads which, stretching through the country from north to south, and from east to west, served as means of communication for many succeeding ages, and the clearing of the lands for the purposes of agriculture, were the only permanent results of the possession of Britain by the Romans. With these exceptions, the religion, literature, langu'jge, laws, and institutions of that great people, their public and private edifices, all vanished like a dream. I HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 21 A large body of Norman men at arms were ordered to at- tack the English) and to retreat as iT beaten. The English broke their ranks, in pursuit. The same stratagem was repeated several times ; and each time the English fell int^ the snare laid for them. At length Harold received his death from an arrow, which entering near the eye pierced to his brain. His two valiant brothers died gallantly defending his standard ; the English, broken and panic struck, took to flight ; and the fortune of the day and the fate of the kingdom were decided. The bravery and conduct of Harold in this, his last battle, have been admiited even by the Norman historians. His body was found on the Beld disfigured by blood and wounds. The battle of Hastings closes the Saxon period of Eng- lish history, extending over a space of more than six Lun- dred years. 10. In England, under the Saxons, the crown was here- ditary ; but it frequently occurred that the brother of a deceased king was preterred to his son, if the latter had not the capacity, or had not arrived at an age to execute the regal functions. The people were divided into Nobles, Freemen, and Serfs. All offices in the state were reserv- ed for the nobles or Thanes ; but a Freeman might become a Thane by the possession of five hides of land, and by success in agriculture, commerce, learning, or arms. The Serfs were disposed of with the lands, together with the cat- tle and other stock. The title of Earl, or earlderraan, was a personal distinction, conferred usually by the king on the peraon to whom the govermnent of a province was confided* 22 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 11. The Saxons were almost wholly an agricultural people, and, although their ploughs and other implements were of the rudest description, it is computed that as large a quantity of land was under cultivation, in some parts of the country, as was the case in the last century. Many monasteries had orchards, but they were almost unknown to the great body of the people. The main objects of cultivation were wheat and barley, which, together with rye, constituted the great articles of food. Numerous herds of cattle, sheep, and swine comprised the chief wealth of the nobles and freemen generally. In short, the nation lived in a state of rude plenty ; but in refmement the people were far behind the Normans, who viewed with contempt the gross feeding of the Saxons and their rough and unpolished manners. 12. The legislative powers were divided between the king and the assembly called the Wittenagemot, or meet- ing of wisemen. This body was composed of the Thanes or Nobles, and its functions were at once legislative, politi- cal and judicial. The people had no voice in the selection of the Wittenagemot, who latterly, at least, were called together by the writ of the king. The judicial pro- ceedings were simple, as they are in all rude communities. A person accused of crime brought his friends and neigh- bours forward to swear to his innocence in support of his own oath, and if the r/eight of evidence exceeded that against him he was acquitted. In case of death, the aceused was obliged to undergo the Ordeal,which consisted of carrying a brand of red-hot itx>ii for a certain distance, to 4k>. t .?''*^' I HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 23 take a straw out of a boiling cauldron, or to swallow the corn«naed, or accursed morsel, expressing the wish that if guilty, the bread might choke him. Every offence against life and property could be expiated by a fine. Thus the were or penalty for a freeman was two hundred shillings, for an earl twelve hundred shillings, while the were for taking the life of the king was six times the fine for an earl. With all their imperfections, however, we undoubtedly owe to the Saxons the germs at least of those noble institutions which have made the Anglo-Saxon race pre-eminent throughout the world. 13. Probably the most extraordinary of the Saxon institutions was the law or custom of Frank-pledge. By this law the whole population was distributed into a num- ber of petty societies, called tithings or freeburghs, con- sisting often freeholders, and extending over every village throughout the kingdom. The tithing was bound to pre- sent an offender in court, that he might make reparation in his property and person ; and if he escaped, the tithing was answerable for his fault, if they failed to exculpate themselves from participation in his fault or flight. Even a stranger guest could not be received for more than two nights as such ; on the third day his host became responsible for him. 14. The Saxon chronicles continued in the Abbey of Peterborough until the reign of Henry the Second, the works of Gildas and Nennius, Bede's Ecclesiastical His- tory, Asser and Alfred the Great, are the principal authorities on Saxon History; Bede wrote in the eighth centviry \ Asser wai^e friend and tutor of Alfred. 24, HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Questions on Chapter Tldrd. 1. When dil t!»e Danes first invade Englaucl, and ivhat is said d their subsequent conduct 4 What great king succeeded at this lime to I he tl^rone ? 2. What i's said of the character of Alfred the Greut l Was he successful at first 1 Where did ht<^reti«eto 1 W hat anecdote is|^lated of him % Did he again re-4|BMi>amriig ivs peo< pie. an J whaf was the result ? Who irmulcd liiiglaiid in the latter part of Alfred's reign, and hnv was be met, 1 /3. To what did Alfred di;vote the peaceful porticni of his reign 1 4. What Princes succeeded Alfred '. W ha:, is said cf t^dwy, and of his ra uriiige 1 Who succeeded l^dwy. and uhat is said of his chit f advi.-er ? Wliat is said rtspectitig Edgar's second niiiniage ? 5. Wh") succeeded to the throne, and how, nnd hy whose direction was lid^ar Killed ? What plot was entered into at this time by the Saxons l Wh:it diii the king (if Denmark do in con- sequence '{ Wh'> succeeded >weyn as king of Denmark 1 What other countries did he reign over ? VVhit is said cf Canute's character and what anecdote is related of him % Who succeeded Canute, and who was the last of the Danish kings in England '\ 6. Wh ) was now recalled to England ? What is said cf the char^* •acter of Edward, and how long did he reign 1 7. Who was elected king after Edward's death 1 Who took up >' arms against Harold 1 S^AVho did tiarold first encounter 1 Relate a conversation 'hat to^k place between Uarold and his rebellious brolher, and what followed. '^ 9. Who landed in Knglarld,and what was the number cf his troops ? Where did Harold encotinter this powerful enemy 1 Helate what ensued ? With the bailie of llaslii.gs Avhat important period of History terminates, and ll|^^^g had it endured 1 10. Under the Saxons how were the pcopPHpicd. And what is ^ said respecting each class ? "^ Jp 1 1. To what did the Saxons chiefly devote Ihplisclves ? J 2. How were the people governed '] VVhat is said ( f thcT mode of administering justice'? What do w^^e to llie Faxons t 13. What was l''rank-|)ledi!e 1 i^ 14. What works are relied on as authorities in Saxon history 1 •r- I I ~3» BISTORT OF fiNQLAND. 25 ^'-V| I §m^ • I %. ^NiC. ♦ CHAPTER IV. m ^ ^ ^^ Prom the Norman Conques^fto the Death of Stephen. , WILLIAM I. 1 . The NoroSFwere the same people that wei^ known in England by the name of Daaes. After many attacks on the ki^dom oi France, Charles the Simple ceded to them the Province of Neustria, with the title of Duke to their leader, Hollo, to whom, at the sametime, the French monarch gave his daughter in marriage. William, the victor at Hastings, was the fifth duke of Normandy in lineal descent from this chief, being the illegitimate son of Duke Robert the Magnificent. From the circumstance of his birth he is in history sometimes styled the Bastard, but aft^r his conquest of England, he is best known by the name of the Conqueror. 2. The citizens of London, on hearing of the deafh of Harold, proclaimed Edgar Atheling king, and the nobles met to consult on the state of the country. But Edgar was a mere boy, and not endowed by tature with much capacity ; and Ei^|M|d was, at this period; remarkably deficient in men d^Hned to lead the people in a crisis such as existed. NBbrtheless, when William approached the city, the gates were closed against him, and the citizens prepared to^lllnd a siege. William, however, considered it prudent to retire to a position in which he might, at once, keep tu| his line of communication with Normani(y, and intercelt the supplies from the North, 1^ 26 'Hf^ti'^i mSTORT OF ENGLANlr. ivhich was btiil in arms against l)im. He then laid waste the surrounding country, with the view of compelling London to surrender, from famine. This course fully succeeded, for the citizens and clergy waited on him, with a proffer of the crown, on the sole ^ndition that they should not be deprived of their ancients laws and privileges. Their submission was accepted, and William appointed Christmas-day for his coronation. But the w.;ry con- queror did not enter the city until a strong fortress, which now forms a part of the tower of London, had been built for his reception*. He was then crowned with the apparent assent of the people, and* Willram took the oath to gowr» England as it had been governed by ils ancient kings. 3. He took fmmediate steps to assert his own right to the crown, and to enrich his Norman followers by distributing among them the lands of the English who had fought at Histings, and whom he declared rebels for ap- pearing in the field against him. He re-esfabli*hed the' payment to the Pope af the tribute c-.iired Peter's pence, and sent Harold's standard as a trophy to Rome.^ The strongholds and cities of the t^HU^ry, as yet in hiS' possession, he caused to be garrjjpned with Normans. This done, he embarked for Normandy in the month of March, taking with him in his trai^^ Edgar Atheling, and the two most povverful and influential a^ the Saxon Earls, Morcar and Edwin, with the intention, no doubt, of depriving the English of leaders in the event of an out- break. He was recalled, hov^ver, in December, 1067^ by the alarming state of the c 'Vl«4AV^j|tf^'»"i'W;''i^'¥l' %■-'<-* 1' •'M, y^' f^. •W. HISTORY or ENGLAND* 27 1 4. The Normans, for a considerable time after their first victory, were masters of only a small portion of Eng- land. They had not yet penetrated beyond the Humber. The reduction of the central and northern provinces proved an arduous undertaking. Although often betrayed by the nobles, the Saxon people gallantly withstood the invaders, whose rapacity and cruelty became unbearable, and whom they menaced with a vengeance such as that with which their fathers had visited the Danes. But, with- out leaders or organization, their efforts proved vain. Step by step, the enemy prevailed against them ; and after an ineffectual struggle of seven years, the whole country was subdued. Edgar Atheling retired to Scotland, whither he was followed by many of the Saxon nobles. Nnmbers took refuge in other foreign countries; and a band of Saxons under Seward, Earl of Gloucester, even reached Constantinople, where they became the body guards of the sovereign, and were renowned for their valour and fidelity until the downfal of the Greek empire. Multitudes were scattered over *the forests throughout the kingdom, carrying on a fierce war against their oppressors. 5. The condition ot the country and people is thus described by William of Malmesbury, writing sixty years after the occurrence of the events he records : " From York to Durham not an inhabited village remained. Fire, slaughter and desolation made it a vast wilderness, which it continues to this day.'' Bare walls and fields, says a modern historian, covered the face of the country. JVIany men sold themselves into slavery ; the flesh of dogs, of %*^ 28 HISTORT Of SNGLAMO. horses, of men, was greedily swallbwed by d)rin^ mortals, It was horrible to look into the mins of bouses, or on the streets which were crowded with human coipses. None were left to bury them. 6. Ail England being at length subdued, William had recourse to a scheme which insured the safety of the con- querors, and in a short time wholly altered the state of the country. He divided England into sixty thousand Knight's Fees, which he lavishly bestovved on bis followers, reserv- ing to himself the proprietorship of the soil, a vast number of manors and est^es by way of royal domains, and the feudal dues consisting chiefly of military services and relief. For every Knight's Fee, a Baron was obliged to furnish one Knight equipped and mounted to serve the king, at his own charge, for forty days. Aids and Reliefs were paid if the Lord was taken prisoner, when his eldest son was knighted and bis eldest daughter married. To these usual feudal dues William added wardship and mar- riage, which were peculiar to Normandy and England. By these, the king claimed the possessions and revenues of his tenant's heir during his minority, and of disposing of a female heir in marriage. As the baron owed certain duties to the king, so the baron's tenants owed similar duties to the baron. Such is the outline o^ the feudal ' tenure introduced into England by William the Conqueror. 7. Among the remarkable incidents of William's reign is the ancient record, called Doomsday Book, which don- tains an account of the land and land owners in thirty^ counties* HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 29 J 8. Of all the ovils inflicted by this monarch on the Saxon people there is perhaps no act of his which rendered his memory so odious to them as his forest laws. He was passionately fond of hunting, and to indulge in this plea- sure he converted into royal chases vast tracts of land, ruthlessly expelling the inhabitants and destroying whole villages, churches, and monasteries. The New Forest, in Hampshire, which be treated after this fashion, had con- tained thirty-six populous parishes. Any infringement of ' the forest laws, but especially destroying deer and other game, was cruelly punished. 9. In the latter years of his reign he was much harrassed by the revolt of his children. The Danes, too, attempted an invasion of England, but without success. William died in Normandy on the 9th day of September, 1087. Kiding through the burning ruins of the town of Mantes, which he had captured, his horse trod on some hot-embers, and rearing, William, who was very corpulent, received an injury from the pommel of the saddle, which proved mortal. ■ jriu la^it:?.:^ v. 10. It cannot be denied that this Prince poissessed some high qualities, though darkened by perfidy and cruelty.. Many of his faults and vices were,no doubt, characteristic of the age in which he lived. Even his enemies allow that he was sagacious, prudent and courageous ; ingenious in form- ing plans as he was bold in executing them. But, on the other hand, it must be admitted, that he was greedy, rapacious and cruel. His conquest of England, which was attended with so much misery to the people of his own 30 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. generation, conferred many benefits on their posterity. Tf as it has been saiti, " he look money by right and unright," we must not forget that we are also told that " a girl laden with gold might have traversed the breadth of England," in his reign without molestation. ^ 11. William II.— a. d. 1087— 1100. — William the Conqueror left three sons, Robert, William sur- named Rufus or the Red, and Henry. The second son, William, taking possession of the large treasure hoarded by his father, contrived to be crowned king in Winchester on the 26th of September, 1087. Robert succeeded, without diflScuIty, to the dukedom of Normandy, and laid claim to the kingdom of England as the eldest son of the late monarch ; but through the influence of Lanfrance, archbishop of Canterbury, and the support of the Saxon population, to whom William made large pro- mises, and some concessions, the latter not only succeeded in retaining the throne of England, but in getting posses- sion of Normandy, which Robert mortgaged to him for a large sum of money, to enable him to join the crusaders for the recovery of the Holy Land. William was as rapacious and profligate as his father, without his command- ing talents ; and his promises, made in his necessity, to the Saxons were indifferently kept. He was accidentally shot with an arrow while hunting in the New Forest, by Sir Walter Tyrrel, in August, A. D. 1100. 12. Henry I. — 1 100-1 135 Henry, surnamed, Beau- clerc,the conqueror's youngest son, hastened,on his brother's death, to seize on the royal treasure and the vacant throne. ) mSTORT OF ENGLAND, 31 Kobert again advanced his claims to the kingdom, hut he consented to enter into a treaty with Henry, by which he renounced his ch\ini to the English crown on condition of being paid an aanual pension of three thousand crowns, and on the promise of his brother to leave him in possession of Normandy. The survivor was to inherit the dominions of the brother who should first die, and the partizans of both were to have a full pardon. But this agreement was of short duration. Henry invaded Normandy with a large force, defeated Robert, and took him prisoner. The unfortunate prince was sent to Eagland, and, oti attempt- ing to escape, his eyes were put out, in wiiich state he sur« vived for about thirty years, confined in various fortresses. The remail'fufer of Henry's reign was chiefly taken up with wars in defence of his continental possessions, which were cJaimed by WilJiam the son of Robert, supported by the king of France, and in contentions with the clergy, wl)o# refused to acknowledge his right to authority over them. He established a colony of Flemings in Pembrokeshire, which eventually became a great source of wealth to tl>e country, by the introduction of the art of manufacturing woollen cloth. 13. Henry was twice married. His first wife was Matilda, daughter of Malcom, king of Scotland, by Mar- garet the sister of Edgar Atbeling. This lady, the de- scendant of their native kings, wus much loved by the Saxons, who called her " the good queen Maud." The children by this marriage were a son and a daughter. William, the son, was drowned in his nineteenth year com- 32 HISTORT OF ENGLAND. ing to England from Normandy, and a hundred : nd thirty young noblemen perished with him: The t^ing is said to have taken this misfortune so greatly to heart that he was never known to smile again. His daughter, Matilda^ was married, first, to Henry V., emperor of Germany, by whom she had no issue ; and, secondly, to Geoffrey Plan- tagenet, eldest son of the earl of Anjou, in France, by whom she had three sons, the eldest of whom, Henry Fitz- Empress, as he was called, afterwards succeeded. to the English throne by the title of Henry the Second. 14f. Henry the first died of a surfeit of lampreys on the 1st December, 1135, in the 66th year of his age, and the 36th of his reign. As his surname, Beauclerc, or fine clerk, or scholar, implies, he was accompii^ied in the learning of the age, and he was a liberal patron of learned men, and such arts as were then known ; but it is to be re • ^^etted that his taste for letters did not free him from the ferocity which was the disgrace of the age. The expenses attended on the contests in which he was almost constantly engaged, led to h^avy exactions on the people ; but, on the whole, his reign contrasts favourably with those of his father and brother, and especially with the times of rapine and anarchy which followed under Stephen. f 15. Stephen— A. D. 1135 — 1154. — After the .denth of prince William, Henry's only surviving child, as we have seen, was Matilda. On the birth of W eldest son, Henry, the barons of England and Normandy, by desire of her father, swore fealty to her and her heirs as tlie rightful successors to the crown after the death of her father. « HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 33 1 ¥ Bui the sacredness of an oath was little regarded in these days. Henry no sooner died than many of these nobles declared they would not have a woman to rule over them, and Stephen, Earl of Boulogne, whose mother, Adela, was a daughter of the Conqueror, was crowned king. The early part of Stephen's reign was peaceful, but the latter part was distinguished by a cruel civil war. About 1137 the friends of Matilda armed themselves to plaee her on the throne. The Saxons, as in former similar troubles, deter- mined to take no part in the contest, but to watch if tr^y could not benefit themselves by the dissensions of the Normans, whom they still considered their enemies. We are even told that they conspired to murder all the Nor- mans in one day, and to place the king of Scotland on the throne. But, it is said the secret was revealed in the confessional, and the leaders of the conspiracy were seized, and put to death. A civil war raged between the parti- sans of Matilda and Stephen until 1153. During this perifiei'he most frightful cruelties were perpetrated by the contending parties. So great was the desolation of the country by this war, that a traveller, says the Saxon Chronicle, might go through a whole day's journey without seeing a " tilled acre of land, or meeting with a human being." To use the strong language of the same writer, « '^ to till the ground was to plough the sea." In 1153 Stephen's only child died. Negociations were then com- menced, and it was agreed that Stephen shou1<^ reign dur- ing the remainder of his life, in consideration of which he declared Henry Flantagenet, his heir and successor. He B 2 ^^.aO^LjL ■'■^■^.si^'iiL.* 84 QUESTIONS. died, at Feversham in Kent, in the following year, aged fifty. •-1 Questions on Chapter Fouj^th, 1. Who were the Normans 1 What province did thejr obtain in France 1 Who was William the victor at Hastings descend- ed fro%and what was he styled ? 2. What did the citizens of London do when th^ heard of Harold*s death 1 What did William in consequence resolve upon 1 What building did he erect 1 Where was he crowned, and ^ what oath did he take 1 3. What did William do to enrich his followers "? What tribute did he re-establish 1 Who did he take to Normandj with him, and for what reason 1 Why was he rc'.called 1 4. Did a long time elapse before all England was subdued ? How did the Saxons behave 1 Whether did Edgar Atheling go and what became of others of tiie Saxons 7 «k 6. What chronicler describes the state of England at this time, and state generally what he says 1 6. After England was subdued what scheme did William frame fo; ensaring the safety of the Normans 1 What services did a baron render for his land i What Aids and Reliefs tvere.paid to the king 1 What duties did the tenants pay to the baron 1 What is this peculiar mode of holding lands called 1 o^' y 7. What ancient book of records was compiled in this reign 1i. 8. What evila did the Saxons most complain of l To indulge'^iiis taste for hunting what did the king do 1 9. What harassed the king in his latter years 1 Where and when did he die 1 Describe the cause of his death ? ' 10. What is said of William's character 1 Did the conquest confer any benefits on the posterity of the Saxons 1 What is said t6 show the secure state of the kingdom 1^ 11. How many sons survived William tlie Conqueror 1 Who suc- ceeded to the throne of England, and who to the Dukedom of Normandy 1 How did William the II. acquire Normandy ? What was his character l How was he killed, and in what year 1^ 12. Who succeeded William the II. 1 What agreement did he make with his brother Robert 1 How was it kept 1 What became of Robert 1 What was the remainder of Henry's reign chiefly taken up with 1 What colony did he establuh T A 1 1 1 niSTORT or XNOLAND. 35 13. How often was Henry married 1 Who wai hit flrit wife, and what is aaid of her 1 How many children had Henry by thia marriage 1 What became of his son 7 What of his daughter 1 14. Where did Henry die, in what year of his age, and how long had he reigned 1 What di«i his surname (Beauclerc) imply, and what IS said of hiti character 1 15. Who was the lawful successor to the throne 1 Who was Stephen, and did he peacefully enjoy the kingdom t What is saia res- pee* ing the conduct of the Saxons 1 What is said respect- ing the state of England at thia time 1 How were the civil wars terminated 1 CHAPTER V. FROM HENRY THE II. TO THE DEATH OP JOHN. THE PLANTAGENETS. 11. 154.--1189.— Henry, the 1. Henry Matilda, commenced his reign by vigorously correcting the abuses that had crept into Ihc country during the late civil war. About a year previous to his accession he married Eleanor, Duchess of Ai^ iitaine, veho had just been divorced from her former husband, Louis VH. of France. By this marriage he receive I an addition to his territory in that country, which, by conquest, eventually became larger than that possessed by the French king himself. Sir James Macintosh says, that less than a tenth part of Modern France was then governed by Louis VIL, while the dominion of llenry the IL, extended over more than a fifth part, including the whole of its Atlantic coast. 2. The most memorable event of Henry's reign was the struggle between him and the Clergy, headed by 36 HISTORY 07 ENGLAND. Thomas d Becket.^ A' Becket was a Saxon by birth, son of a London citizen. In youth he was remarked for his beauty, bravery, and talents. He entered the church, but his priestly oflSce did not prevent him from mixing much in gaieties and amusements. While Archdeacon of Can- terbury, he attracted the notice of the King, and soon became his intimate companion, and a sharer of his plea- sures. At length he was appointed to the highest eccle- siastical office in England, the Archbishopric of Canterbury No sooner had he assumed its functions than he suddenly changed his conduct. He threw off the gay and courtly habits in which he had hitherto been distinguished, assumed an air of great humility and covered liimself with the coarsest garments. He soon announced himself as the champion of the rights of his church. 3. Among other claims, the partizans of the church maintained that a priest, though accused of the greatest criines, could not be tried by a civil magistrate, bui by an ecclesiastical court. This privilege, admitted by William the Conqueror, had given rise to much evil, and natur- ally created discontent artiong laymen. The king, in 1163, therefore, ordered that every priest or clerk proved to have committed any enormous crime, should be handed over to the civil courts for punishment. A priest was shortly after accused and proved guilty of murder. He was cited before the king's justices. Becket declared the arrest illegal and a breach of clerical privilege. In order to settle the questioii, the king con^^oked a council of Nobles in 1164>. Jlere they saw the necessity of destroy- %■ . HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 37 ing this privilege claimed by Becket, and they drew up six- teen enactments subjecting the clergy to the authority of the civil courts for murder, felony, and other crimes. Becket swore to obey these laws, but he retracted soon afterwards. He was, therefore, deprived of his office, and obliged to flee to the continent. The king of France and the Pope strongly defended his conduct, and Henry was induced to permit his return. Becket found that a portion of the property of his see had been confis- cated, and he demanded it back. Henry promised to restore it, but delayed to do so. Becket caused to be excommunicated all who held the confiscated property, and included in this condemnation the Archbishop of York, and the Bishops ofLondon and Salisbury. This proceed- ing made Henry exceedingly angry. Taking advantage of an unguarded expression which escaped from the king in his rage, four knights, who attended him, went and stabbed Becket at the altar. Henry declared himself innocent of the crime, but he had, neverth^ess, to per- form penance to expiate the Archbishop's murder. Bec- ket was canonized as a saint*and martyr. 4. In 1157 Henry overran Wales, and annexed a part of it to his dominions. Wales was then an independent country, peopled by the descendants of the ancient Bri- tons, who had been driven out of England by the Saxons. In 1 172 he went to Ireland with a large army, and taking advantage of the dissensions which had raged between the Irish chiefs, he annexed that country also to his crown. He died on the 11th of July, 1189, aged fifty-seven years. -^ 38 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 5. Richard L, a. d. 11S8 — 1199. — Richard, snrnamed Coeur de Lion, or the Lion Hearted, suc- ceeded on the death of his father. Although he reigned over England for ten years, his stay within the realm was very short, and he performed no act there deserving particular notice. His reputation as a knight has given him a better character than he deserved as a king. He was endowed with extraordinary personal strength and courage. He wrote poetry like a Trouba- dour, and could be gay and witty in conversation. But h<> was proud, cruel, rapacious, and revengeful, though he sometimes exhibited traits of generosity. On coming to the throne Richard determined on a crusade for the recovery of the holy sepulchre from the Mahometans, an undertaking considered highly meritorious in those days. The attempt had been frequently made before, but with in- different success. Tbe first crusade took place about the year 1096, under Godfrey of Bouillon, Peter the Hermit, and other leaders ; the second was undertaken in 1 147, and was led by Louis VH., of France, and Conrad HI., Emperor of Germany ; the tlTird began in 1189, under the leadership of the Emperor Barbarossa, Philip Augustus, king of France, and Richard, king of England. Richard conquered the Island of Cyprus on his way to Palestine. He gained several victories over the Saracens under the celebrated Saladin, and such was his far"" for strength and valour that the Saracen mothers used to frighten their children with his name. In returning home from the Holy Land he was imprisoned by the Archduke of Austria, HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 39 and the people of England had to pay a large ransom to release him. He died from the shot of an arrow, while beseiging the castle of a rebel Noble in France. 6. John, A. d. 1 199 — 1216. — John was the youngest son of Henry II. According to the modern law of suc-» cession he was not the direct heir to the crown, to which his nephew, Arthur, the son of his elder brother Geoffrey had a prior right. John had all Richard^s vices without his virtues. He was cruel without being brave. He was selfish, unstable, and- licentious. The English nation, however, declared in his favour, while the people of Nor- mandy, Brittany and Anjou in France, who were then subjects of the English crown, preferred the claim of Prince Arthur. John treacherously got possession of his young rival and nephew, and confined him in the castle of Rouen, where he caused this unfortunate youth to be basely murdered. The prelates and barons of the French pro- vinces were so disgusted at his cruelty, that they declared war against John, in which they were assisted by the king of France. At this moment he plunged into a quarrel wilb the Pope, relative to the appointment of an Archbishop to the see of Canterbury. As he would not consent that the person selected by the Pope should fill that office, the lat- ter declared he had forfeited his right to England, and ordered the king of France to wrest it from him. John'» craven heart trcrubled at the danger. He abjectly withdrew his opposition, and stooped to the most submis- sive and degrading conditions to pacify the anger of *Elome. 7. John, at length, had lost the respect of his barons. -..-..a. e-l: :!?!"(&.,., 40 .N HISTORY OP ENGLAND. by Lis cowardice, — of bis people, by his exactions, and want of honor, — and of all classes, by his immoral and unmanly character. The discontent of the nation became so great, that a large numoer of the nobility and prelates united, and compelled him, much against his will, on the field of Runnymede to sign the '* Great Charter," and to swear that he would observe it. -8. I'he rights contained in this charter, which John wa'i forced to sign, were not new. They were merely the rights which had existed in England from tho Saxon period, but which the Norman kings had almost totally obliterated. It abolished many of the unjust exactions upon the lower classes, which the Conqueror had introduced into the feudal system. It promised to protect and respect the francliises and corporate privileges of the towns. It re-established trial by jury, and declared that no man should be outlawed, or imprisoned, exiled, or deprived of bis property until he had been lawfully tried by the law of •the land. The popular rights which John here promised to observe, and to see that they were observed by others, may seem unimportant to us ; but they were in these times considered very great boons. The breach of them bad hitherto been frequent, and caused many persons to be banished, some to be imprisoned, and others deprived of their property, and their lives, without guilt or trial, but merely to gratify the revenge, or the rapacity of some prince or baron. The great charter was several times violated by John, and by subsequent monarchs ; but as often did the Lords and Commons cause it to be confirmed. To HISTORY 01 ENGLAND. 41 this day it forms the basis of the rights and liberties of England, and will continue to be so, as long as Englishmen continue to be free. 9. After the sigaing of ^hc Charter, John obtained from the Pope a dispensation to release him from the oath he had taken to obey it, and a bull excommunicating all those who would force him to observe it. None of the Bishopn in England, to their honour, would read the dispensation or the bull. The barons rose up to compel him to obey his oath. John collected a number of free-booters and foreign sofdiers to oppose them. They called to their aid prince Louis, son of the king of France. During this conflict John died on the 19th October, 1216, in his forty-ninth year. . 10. Language and Education. — The period of ihe Magna Charta is an important one in other respects than the charter. From the conquest, the Normans and the Saxons had lived in the country as two distinct people. The Normans scorned the Saxons, — the Saxons hated the Normans. Each adher'^d to their own language, customs, and, as far as possible, to their own laws. Now, the two people iirst began to unite themselves under the name of Englishmen. The Norman-French and the Saxon dia-> lects also began to blend together into the English lan- guage. A nationality sprung up between each race, both clinging uO and enjoying the same laws, langui^ge, and customs. 11. Many of the Anglo-Norman kings were respect- able scholars for their age, and all of them encouraged N 42 HISTCrlY OP ENGLAND. learning. Several eminent schools were founded in England under their patronage. The University of Ox- ford received its earliest charters from John. That of Cambridge then also flourished. Oxford enjoyed a great reputation abroad even during the reign of the Conqueror. 12. Books were very dear and rare. A copy of a work which may now be purchased for a few shillings could not then be got for less than from twenty to fifty pounds. In the twelfth century one copy of a moderate sized volume cost more than fifty horses. Neither print- ing nor paper had as yet been discovered. All books were written on parchment. In consequence of the scarcity and dearness of books, and the comparatively limited amount of ^knowledge, the learning of these times was principally confined to the clergy. Many powerful and wealthy noblemen could neither read nor write. 13. Literature. — 1 he Anglo-Norman literature was chiefly composed of metrical romances, — that is the recital of talt s, legends, and adventures, in verse. The most celebrated of these were written in the twelfth cen- tury^, one of which entitled, " King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table" is remarkable for its beauty, and is read and admired to this day. They were generally written for the kings and nobles. Henry II. is said to have suggested some of them to the authors. It is how- ever remarkable, that the best of these romances, though written in Norman-French, were composed by Saxons. 14-. During this period nearly all works in prose were written in Latin. Among the eminent prose writers of QUESTIONS. 43 the twelfth century were John of Salisbury, Duns Scotus, and William of Malmesbury. 15. Commerce. — English ships and seamen even in the 1 1th and 12th centuries seemed to have been consid- ered superior to those of other nations. England then imported from abroad spices, silks, jewels and other luxur- ies. But she exported, that is, sold and sent to foreign- ers, more than she purchased or imported from thein. Henry of Huntingdon, a contemporary writer, informs us that she sent corn, flesh, wool, and fish, (particularly herrings and oysters,) to Germany. That she also sent off every year large quantities of copper and tin ; and that the roofs of lie principal castles and churches in Europe were covered with English lead. Questions on Chapter Fifth. 1. Who did Henry II marry 1 What was the extent of his terri- tory in France 1 2. State the particulais of the birth and parentage of Thomas d Becket i What ivas 'he character of Becket previous to his appointment to the archbishopric of Canterbury 1 What change tuok place in his character afterwards 'i , 3. What was the nature of the dispute between him and Henry II 7 How did the kinc^ attempt to settle it 1 Describe how it terminated 1 How ffd Becket meet with his death % 4. How did Henry ant towards Wales % When di I he invade Ireland % What was the result of it \ State the year of his de^tH. and his age. 5. When did Kichard I succeed to the throne % How long did he reign % What was his character 1 • Where did he spend the greater part of his career "X State the cause of his death, and the circumstances connected with it % 6. Who was John 1 Who was the rightful heir to the crown ? Describe the character of John % How did he act towards 44^ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. prince Arthur ? What occurred in consequence of Arthur's death "i What was the cause of the quarrel between him and the Pope 1 What did the Pope demand, and how did John act towards him *? 7. What did the barons compel John to do on the field of Runny- mede 1 8. What did the Orcat Charier abolish, and enact 1 9. What was Jehu s conduct towards it ? 10. How did the Normans and Saxons act toward each other from the conquest 'i When did the language of the two people begin to amalgamate t 11.' What colleges flourished at this time 1 12. State the value of books, and the substance on which they were written ] Among what class was learning principally confined 1 13. Of what was the AngIo*Norman literature chiefly composed? Who composed them, and in what language were they written!^ 14. State the names of the principal writers in prose. ^ 15. What was the state of commerce, and the character of English ships, and seamen '{ What goods did England import 1 What articles did she principally export 't i\ CHAPTER VI. HENRY III., A. D. 1216 — 1272. 1. John was succeeded by his son, called Henry of Winchester.' He was only ten years old at the time of his father^s death, and the position of affairs ,vrere far from favourable to him. The most of the South of England, including the city of London, was in the pos- session of Louis, son of the king of France ; but as many of the Barons who sided with that Prince were chiefly actuated by hatred of the late king, most of them gradually came to the support of Henry, who could not be held responsible for his father's misdeeds. The French HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 45 prince was finally compelled to renounce his claim, and departed for his own country. 2. Henry III., was a weak and profligate ruler, and his long reign was chiefly marked by those troubles and dissensions which characterised those of too many of hift predecessors. There is one circumstance, however, which renders it one of the most important eras in English history. The Barons had frequently forced from him a confirmation of the Great Charter and promises to reform abuses ; but Henry always broke these promises with still greater facility than he made them. At last they took the govern- ment into their own hands. A committee of twenty-four Guardians, to exercise the executive functions, was ap- pointed, at the head of which was Simon de Montford, Earl of Leicester. De Montford directed the cities and boroughs to send representatives to parliament, and, ever since, the English legislature has continued to consist of Lords, Knights and Burgesses. Edward, the son of Henry, advancing in years, he took the lead of the royal party, between which aad the party of De Montford a long struggle ensued, in which the latter was finally beaten. Hajras defeated and slain at the battle of Evesham, on thelRh August, 1265. But though he suffered the doom of a trlnor, his memory was revered by the English peo* pie, who long remembered him by the appellation of ** Sir Simon the Righteous." Henry died on the 16th Novem- ber, 1272. He was one of the least respectable of the kingsi of England. 3. £i)WARD, A. D. 1272 — 1307. — Edward, called 46 History of England. N' Longstianks, or long legs, was the son and successor of Henry III. He was in Palestine when his father iiied> One evening while reclining on a couch, a messenger entered with a letter. While he knelt to deliver it, according to custom, he struck at Edward's breast with a poisoned dagger which he had concealed in his band. Edward threw himself on the murderer and killed him with bis own weapon. Tradition says that Eleanor, Edward's wife, as soon as she heard of the attack, ran and saved her husband's life, by sucking the poison from his wound. 4. Edward though ci ad succeeded to the throne, and what occurred on the occasion *? 4. What is caid of Kdward's character, and what did he do in Eng- land and Wales i 5. What itiduced Kdward to invade Scotland % Describe what took place there. When and where did he die, and what is ^, said respeetinc; him 1 * C, How old was Edward the Second when he succeeded his father % In what was he deficient 1 With what success was the war in Scotland carried on 1 What great battle was fought 7 .How did it end 1 What became of Edward the Second ^ 7. How long did Edward the 'I bird reign, and in what state was -;; the country \ W hat is said of his principal alchievemenls T' 8. What is said of the s.ilie laAv in France 1 WHiy did Edward claim the crown (jf France, and how did he enforce it 1 What great battle was fought, and with what results '\ What im- portant French town did the English take % After the expir- ing of the truce who led the Knglish, what battle did he fight, and how did the war terminate \ What is said of the Black Prince '\ y. W'hat disease broke cut in England in this reign, and whatii said of it '? f t HISTORY OP ENGLAND. m J 10. What exactions exasperated the clergy and people, and what did Edward do in reference to them '{ 11. Who WHS VVickliffe, aiu' ^v^lat was he celebrated for 1 J 2. Who succeeded Kdward the Third, and what was his age 1 What did the French and Jscotch do 1 What tax did Parlia- ment impose 1 Whal is said of the serfs in England 'i 13. Was the poll tax resisted — who led the people and what did they do-? 14. What effort was made to conciliate the people and willi what resuh 1 What became of Wat Tyler ? W'liat charter did King Richard sign, and did he fulfil its conditions 1 15. Who did Richard marry— what is said of his character — in whoae favour did he abandon the crown, and what-became of him 1 16. Who were the most eminent writers in the thirteenth and four- teenth centuries— in metaphysics — in history— in poetry 1 Who first wrote the English lanu;uage v/ith elegance ? What is said of Itoger Bacon and his discoveries 1 17. What is said cf the Alchenjists and Aotrolcglsts ? CHAPTER VII. THE HOUSE OF LANCASTER FROM HENRY IV. TO HENRY VI. 1399—1461. ' ;i. Henry IV., {Bolingbroke), 1399-14.13.— Henrj IV. has been called a usurper. But it was not then the custom ahvays to follow our n. dern law of succession When there were two or more heirs to a throne, it ofter- timies happened that the nearest heii* was excluded, and one more remote selected,, if he was expected to make a •better king. So it was with Henry. The near-est heir to Richard II. was, no doubt, Edmund, Earl of March, g^eat grand-son of Edward III. by his second son, while Henry was a descendant of Edward's third son. But when Eichard II. was ejected, it was thought the latter 36 HISTORY OF ENGLAJ^D. >vas fitter to be king than Edmund who was then a mere boy, and lor this reason Henry was preferred. This selection gave rise to a long civil war about fifty years afterwards, known as " The War of the Roses !" Henry, as before .stated, was me son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and hence is called the founder of the^Lancastrian line. 2. As his title was disputed his reign was very turbulent. The Nobles who had raised him to the throne soon fancied Ihey were neglected, and they made two or three attempts to destroy him. The Welsh, under a brave leader, Owen Glendower rose in rebellion and gained two battles, but they were subsequently defeated ^jy Henry Percy. The powerful Earl of Northumberland twice resisted him with a large army, and the mysterious disappearance of I\icbard H.,, gave rise to rumors that he was alive, some- times in France, sometimes in Scotland, and that he would re-appear in England and claim the crown. 3. The difficulties which Henry thus encountered,and the constant warfare against him were, nevertheless, beneficial to the liberties of the country. To secure bis throne agr.icst these attacks he was forced to gain the good will of his Parliament, and accede to the demands of the Lords and Commons. It was during his reign that the House of Commons acquired some of its most valuable powers. It demanded, and Henry admitted its right, to see that the public money was lawfully and carefully used, and that wipked or incompetent ministers of the crown should be dismissed. The Parliament also adopted the plan of driving bargains with the crown by promising to giv« 1 ( •e * I . HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 57 monej only on condition that such and such grievances were removed. 4. The followers of Wickliffe, called Lollards, were now numerous. In the second year of Henry's reigh the clergy got a statute passed, by which all per* sons who preached or teached Wickliffe's doctrines wx '^ ordered to renounce them, or they were liable to be burnt as heretics. Several men distinguished for their learning were burned at Smithfield for adhering to his opinions. This was the first statute passed in England directing per- secution for religious differences. 5. Henry's troubles made him 'prematurely old. He died on the 20th March, 1413, in the4j7th year of his age> and in the lith of his reign. 6. Henry V., 1413— 1422.— Henry V. succeeded his father, the late king. In his youth he was very wild and dissipated, but brave and magnanimous. When he became a king, he suddenly threw off his recklessness, as sumed the steadiness of chai ^r app^,opriate to his station, and took those most in favour ^ had most severely censa red his former conduct. 7. France was at this time torn in strife between two fac- tions. At one time that country was governed by one party, and then she was subjected to another. Henry thought this a fuvourable moment to revive the claims of the kings of England on France for those pos- sessions which they formerly held there. A large por- tion of that country had been ceded to Edward HI., and in addition to this, Henry required the Province of Nor- c 2 58 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. niandj; Anjou, Maine and a part of Provence, and deman' ded in marriage Catherine, a daughter of the French king. These demands were refused and he invaded France with a small but well provided army in l^l,^. 8. On the 25th of October 14.14, Henry met the French at Agincourt. They numbered, it is said, from 60,000 to 100,000 men. Before the battle began Henry surveyed his little band of 9,000. " T would not have a single man more," he exclaimed, ** fight as you are wont to do, and before night our numberless enemies shall be humbled in the dust." The result verified his pre* diction. The battle commenced at noon, and before night this large French army was scattered. Seven relations of the king of France, and many of the chief nobility per- ished on the field, with 8,000 gentry. Henry's French prisoners exceeded the number of his army, and under a cruel plea of necessity, he put many of them to death. 9. Henry then returned to England with large booty, and many prisoners of high rank. The English people received him with great joy. So soon as he had left France, the factions there revived. In 1417 Henry returned with 40,000 men. In 1419 he reconquered Normandy, which formerly belonged to his family. In 1420 he was married to the Princess Catherine of France, and by 1421 his con- quests had extended so far, that the people of Paris accep- ted him as their king. He had hardly attained this, *he object of his ambition, when he died at Paris on the J 1st of August 1422, at the age of 34. He had reigned ten years. HISTORY OF ENGLAND. M I 10. Henry VI., H22— 14.61.— His son, Henry VI., was the issue of Iris marriage with Catherine of France. He was only ten months old when his father died. Henry the Fifth's conquest of France had been so complete, that his son was proclaimed at Paris as king of France and England without opposition ; but war still raged in certain parts of France between the English and French. The Duke of Bedford was declared regent and commander of the English forces. He gained several victories over the nominal king of that country, Charles VII, until the cause of the latter wns deemed to be wholly lost. But by a sudden and extraordinary event, Charles not only regained his losses, but ere he died recovered the whole of the kingdom with the exception of the town of Calais, which still con* tinned in the hands of England. The instrument of his success was a young peasant girl, Joan of Arc, otherwise called the Maid of Orleans. She believed she was destined by the Almighty to rescue her country from the invaders. Stimulated by this idea she called, amid ridicule and dis- belief, for soldiers to fight under her guidance. At length high an 1 low believed in her alleged divine mission. She clothed herself in armour, rode on horseback as a knight, at the head of a Freich force, with which she gained vic- tory after victory, ana artually fulfilled ler prediction of assisting in crowning the king at ilhcims. Afterwards she was taken prisoner by the English, and tried for sorcery. She was declared guilty and burnt in the market place of Rouen.— an evil recompense for her many services to her country. i HISTORT OP ENGLAND. 11. It has been stated at the commencement of this chapter, that Henry IV"., the grandfather of the pre- sent monarch, was not the nearest heir to his predeces- sor, Richard II., and that the nearest heir, and the one who should have succeeded, according to the present law of succession, was Edmund Earl of M.irch. His right descended to Richard Piantagenet, Duke of York. In the contest which arose from their conflicting claims the Lancastrian party adopted the red rose as their badge ; the Yorkists adopted the ivhiie rose. Hence the strug- gle has been called " The war of the roses." 12. In 1452, Henry VI., who was always of weak in- tellect, became wholly imbecile. The Duke of York, his rival, was in consequence appointed protector ; but he professed to have no wish to assume the crown, and had lately exhibited great moderation of conduct. Henry's wife was Margaret of Anjou, a bold, intriguing and ambitions woman. She was jealous of the protector, and Henry's health having somewhat recovered, she caused the Duke of York to be superseded by the Duke of Somerset, who was a cruel and an unpopular man. The Duke of York opposed him at the head of a large party. They fought at St. Albans on the 22nd of May, where Somerset was killed, and the king fell into the hands of his opponents after having been slightly wounded. The York party were now supreme. It would be unprofitable and tedious here to relate how " one pirty rose, and the other fell." Both fought with great ferocity, and committed much cruelty and blood;ihed on each other. Many of the noblest ! QUESTIONS. 61 of the land were killed in the conflict. The whole coun*- try was desolated by the strife. In a battle fought near Wakefield, the Duke of York w.is slain, and his second son was killed after the fight was over. At length, after various successes and reverses, during a war of ten years, the Lancastrians were defeated at Mortimer'*s Cross on the 1st of February, 1461, and the young representative of the house of York was established in possession of the countrj ere thai month elapsed. Questions on Chapter Scve?ith. 1. 10 Who was the nearest heir to Richard II.? Why was Henry I V. • preferred 1 What did this .preference produce 1 Why was Henry IV. called the founder of the Lancastrian linel 2. Who made attempts io assassinate him "J Who rose in rebellion, and were they successful 1 What rumours were current res- pecting Kichard IT. 3. What was the effect of Henry's reign on parliaments 1 4. Who were the Lollards, and how were they treated ? State the cause, place, and date of Henry's death 1 Who was the father of Henry V. 1 Describe the character of his youlh, and the change which occurred when he ascended the throne 1 Give a description of the slate of France. What were Henty's claims on France 1 Were these claims recognized ? Whot step did he take when France refused to comply with his demands '? When did he invade France, and what was the state of his army l When did he meet Die French at Agincourt 1 What was the number of his soldiers ? What was tlie number of the French 1 Who won the battle l When did Henry return to England, and how was he received ? What induced him to go again to France, and what occurred there i What benefit did he derive from his conquests 1 When and where did he die 1 Who was Henry V1 1 Over what countries was he declared king 1 5. 6. 7. 8 9 M HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Who was appointed regent. 1 By whom was the French kina: assisted in the recovery of his dominions 1 Who was she 1 What was her alleged mission 1 How did she clothe herself 1 Was she successful in her battles 1 State how and by whom she sufTered death. II. Describe the origin of " the war of the roses." What was the name of the tu-o rival houses 1 VViiat was the colour of the rose adopte at the time of the late king's decease, commanded ad army on the Scottish marches, returned to London as soon as the news of this event reached him. After some time he contriv- ed to get the young king and his brother, the Duke of York, into his hands and lodged them in the Tower, for their safety, as he pretended. Richard w: s made Protector of the kingdom, but his object was to seize the crown. For this purpose his creatures reported everywhere that the lato king was illegitimate, as were also his children, his marriage with Elizabeth Gray having been illegal. A body of the citizens of London petitioned Richard to ascend the throne, to which he agreed with feigned reluctance. After a short time the two^ young sons of Edward the Fourth disap- peared, and their fate has never been perfectly known. It. is supposed that they were murdered in the Tower, and their bodies buried at the foot of the stairs leading from their chambers. 6. Richard IIL—14S3— 14.85.— The Duke of Glou- cester was crowned under the title of Richard the Third. He is described by the historians of the succeeding ages as a nian equally deform :d in body and mind ; stinted in stature, hump-backed, treacherous, cruel and bloody; and after making every allowance for the fact that the picture is drawn by his enemies, there is enough of truth in the portrait for Richard's condemnation. Still there can be no doubt that some useful laws were passed in his short reign, and that if a bad, he was an able man. ft6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 7. He wished to marry his only son, who was still a boy, to Elizaljeth, Hie eldest daughter of his brother, Edward ihe Founh ; l.ut this young prince dying, he would have wedded his niece himself, had he not been deterred from ■0 doing by the advice of his friends and the remonstrances of the clergy. 8. Richard's title to the throne had been confirmed by parliament ; but he gradually became unpopular with the great body of the people. The Lancastrians were still powerful, and their acknowledged chief was Henry Tudor, Earl of Riohmcnd, who was the nearest native heir to the rights of the flouse of Lancaster. He was also sup- ported hy many of the leading Yorkists, who had exacted from him a promise to marry Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward the Fourth. Richmond, who had long been in exile in France, landed at Miiford Haven with a force of five thousand mon ; and encountering Richard at Bos- worih field, in Liecestershire, the famous battle was fought which ended the war of the rose^. A large num- ber of Richard's troo^is went over to his enemiec '; but he fought with his accustomed bravery. He was killed while attempting to hew his way to the person of his rival ; and his crown beiog found on th^ field was presented to Richmond. . Qties-.tions on Chapter Eighth. I. What king now isccnded the throne 1 What was his age, and to what great house did he belong 1 What is said of hifi laieiits/^ctiurnge, &c. 1 \^hat ol' lis vices 1 ' QUESTIONS. 67 2. Who opposed Edward in the field, and with what result % 3. To whom did Ed\vi?rd owe much of his success, and by what princf'fs Wlial did did Warwick hdwurd do 4. What f ffect had hi« it lead ? 'i'o whom What did Warwick 5. name was he usually called i What demand in marriage for Ihe king 1 tvhiie this negociatiou was going on 1 conduct on Warwick, and to what did was a daughter of Warwick married 'i promise, and how did he fulfil it 1 Who was released from the Tower and replaced on the tlirone, and did he remain long unmolested '{ What great battU look place, and what was the result 'i Relate the particulars of the interview between prince ildwRrd and the king. What became of king Henry, and si!bsequently cf Margaret, hi« wife 1 When'did Eduard die 1 How many children had Edward IV. ? Which of them tue- ceeded him, and under what title 1 Who wi>s made Protec- tor of the kingdom 'i What did he cause to be dune. What petition did the citizens of London make to him, and did h« . agree to it l What became of Edward Y. and his youthful y» brother i 6. W'hat title did the Duke of Gloucester assume on being crowned 1 V/hat is sSiid of him by historians 1 7. To whom did he wish to marry his only son, and why did it net take place 1 What is said regaiding his intentions of mar- rying his own niece, and why was he hindered 1 Who opposed Richard's title to the tluone, and by whcm waa hd supported ? Who did liich.nond promise to marry 1 W'hero did he land in England "i Whnt famous battle was fought 1 What became of liithard ? 8. CHAPTER IX. THE HOUSE OF TUDOR FROM HENRY VII. TO QUEBN ilLIZABLTH. — liS5 — 1603. 1. Henry VII.— 1485— 1509.— Henry VII., sur- Bamed Tudor, entered London in August, HSS, and was crowned on the following month of October. He was more a politic than a wariilce prince. He protected th« 68 HISTORY OF ENGLANT). arts, manufactures and commerce. It was he who sent Cabot from Bristol to seek for new countries on the Atlantic, when Newfoundland was discovered. Henry would have left a name generally D'aii ;d, had not the lustre of all his good qualities been dimmed by his exces- sive avarice and extortion. He married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edwartl the Fourth, and thus united the rival interests of the Houses of York and Lancaster. Still his reign was troubled by claimants to the throne. The first of these was Lambert Simnel. Henry continued to keep the young Earl of Warwick in the Tower. He was a son of the Duke of Clarence, and Richard HI. regarded him as iiis successi co the crown. Clarence had been very popular in Ireland. An Oxford priest brought Simnel over to Dublin, and there represented him as the Earl of Warwick, who had escaped from his imprisonment. The Irish believed the assertion, and he was crowned in May, U87, by the Bishop of Meath, as Edward VI. Simnel then landed in England with an army, but he was thoroughly defeated. Henry, to show his contempt for Simnel's claims, made him serve as turnspit in his kitchen. 2. The next and most accomplished claimant was Per- kin Warbeck. It is even now doubted if he was an impostor. He represented himself to be Richard Duke of York, the second son of Edward IV., who had escaped from the Tower, where his unfortunate brother had been murdered by Richard IIL He first publicly made this claim in 1481. He was then a youth of nineteen, with a handsome person, and noble manners. The people oflre- \ .V HISTORY OF ENGLAND* G9 \ land recognised liim as Richard IV* The Duchess of Burgundy, the sister of Edward the Fourth, called him " her dear young nephew ;" and the whole of the Yorkist party professed to believe in his pretensions. But Henry and his party declared he was an impostor, and that lie Tv^s one Perkin Warbeck, the son of a converted Jew, a weaUhy merchant of Tournay'. Warbeck proceeded to Ireland and from thence to Scotland to seek assistance to gain the English crown. The king of Scotland re- ceived him with royal honours, and married him to Catherine Gordon, a lady allied to the Scottish throne. After two or three warlike excursions by the English aud Scots, Henry induced James to dismiss Warbeck. He then landed in Cornwall, where lie soon gathered about 10,000 followers. With this force he met Henry^s army at Taunton, where his adherents were dis- persed. Warbeck himself fled for refuge to a monastery, but at last surrenderred himself to Henry, relying on a pro- mise of clemeriCy. H'^nry confined him in the Tower, and it was for some time floubtful how he should be treated, for there were many who still believed his pretensions. At last he was tried for high treason, and executed in November 1499. The young r.nd unfortuuate F^rl of Warwick, the last male heir of the Plantagenets, was ju' after beheaded on the assumed charge of having assisted Warbeck. But the real caase of his c'eath was the refusal by Ferdi- nand of Arragon to betroth his daughter Catherine to Henry's eldest son Arthur, so long as a rival claimant to the throne existed. Henry died on the 21st April, 1509, aged 53. He had reigned 24 years.' '^m HISTORY OF ENGLAND. k 3; Henry VIII.~1485— 1509.— Henry the only •urviving son of tlie late king succeeded to the throne, not onl/ unopposed but amid universal rejoicings. The evil points in his ciiaracter had not yet exhibited themselve&i He was in his eighteenth year, had a hundsome person and frank and open manners. He began his reign, with a step which was very popular in those days, an invasion of France. He acioidingly attacked that country in alliance with Spain, and althov.gh be •;fiined some advantages in two campaigns, the war was not atisnued with any useful re- sults. 4. His chief adviser cr prime minister was the celebra- ted Cardinal Wolsey. Thomas Wolsey was the son of a tradesman in Tpswich, and having shown signs of talents at a very early ago, he was sent to the University, where his progress -was so rapid that he acquired tlie name of the Boy-Bachelor. Henry the Seventh had, with his usual ghrcwdness, nollred Wolsey's aptitude for business, and had advanced and employed him. He rose rapidly in that and the present reign, until he reached the dignities of Arch- bishop af York, Cardinal, and Lord High Chancellor of England. Wolsey has been accused of having gained great influence over Henry the Eighth by ministering to hia passions and foibles ; but it must be admitted that Henry's worst acts were committed after Wolsey ceased to be his adviser. 5. In the year 1 520 Henry had a meeting with the king of France on the plains of Picardy, and from the wealth displayed by the monarchy and their respective HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 71 courts, the place of meeting is known in liistory bj- the name of the " Field of the Cloth of Gold." At this dine the continent of Europe was divided by the struggle for fi'premacy between Francis the First of France, and Charles the Fifth, emperor of Gern:'any and king of Spain. Henry's alliance was eagerly courted by both, and ',vith proper temper and management, he might have turn- ed the scale whichever way he pleased. But, although his position made him both feared and powerful, his measures were too unsteady, and he was to much ruled by passion, to profit by circumstances to any great extent. 6. Henry had, when only seventeen years of age, beeir married to Catharine of Arragon, daughter of the king of .Spain. This lady had, in the first instance, been betrothed and married to his eldest brother, Arthur, who, it was de- clared, had died without consummating the marriage. But the father of the princess had given a large dower with his daughter, and Henry the Seventh was unwilling to part with the money. He consequently married her to Henry. The only living issue of tliis marriage was a daughter, and Heniy was pnssionately anxious to have a sen, which certainly was highly desirable for political reasons. He might also feel some scruples of conscience from the fact of Catharine being his brothers's widow ; at all events he said he did, and the circnmstance was one much can- vassed by the people. But the immediate cause of Henry's conduct to Catharine was his love for Anne Boleyn, daugh- ter of an English gentleman, and maid of honor to the queen. Anne was young and beautiful, Catherine waa '} 72 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. neither, and tlie king had been married to her for eighteen years. Henry apj-.v d to the Pope for a divorce, hut the Emperoi;, Charles the Fifth, was the Queen's nephew, and the Po^ i ednot r.omply with the king of England's demand, i. ■' vienry was not to be baulked, and a con- vention of the English Clergy declared the marriage void. Anne was then crowned queen, she and the king having been previously married. Catherine appealed to the Pope, who, after much hesitation and delay, declared the marriage between her and Henry valid. From this circumstance sprung events of vital importance to Eng- land ; among these was the introduction of the Protestant Eeligion into the country. 7. The people of England had for several ages con- tended against the power of the Pope ; but by the aid of the Clergy and by taking advantage of favourable circum- stances, the papal influence continued still to be formidable. Yet the doctrines taught by Wickliffe had taken root in the soil, and when Luther preached the reformed religion in Gertnany, it speedily found converts aud supporters in England. The quarrel between the Pope and Henry opened the way to the Reformation ; for though the king was not a Protestant himself, he ceased to be a Papist by denying the authority of the Pope. In fact, it is difficult to say what he was : — he, on the one hand, deposed the Pope, constituting himself the head of the church in Eng- land, and also directed the scriptures to be translated and read in the churches ; while, on the other hand, he enjoined auricular confession, enforced the celibacy of the clergy, I HISTORY OF EIIG^A^p, 73' apd punished with death all those who denied the great doctrines of the Roman Catholic faith. It is probable that these inconsistencies were, partly, forced on Henry by his having formerly written a book against Luther, in which he supported the seven sacraments. It was as a reward for this work that the Pope conferred on him the title of " Defender of the Faith," which the sovereigns of Eng- land still retain. Wolsey, who had opposed Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn, was sacrified to her suspicions and those of her kindred. He was deprived of the office of Chancellor, tiis goods were confiscated, and he died in great depression, while in custody under a charge of high treason. 8. Of Henry's acts, the suppression of the monas- teries and other religious communities throughout the kingdom, was one of the most important in its results. jBy several enactments all the monastic institutions were ijiissolved, many being annexed to the crown, and the rest divided amongst the nobility and leading gentry. These changes, however, were not quietly effected ; the people in seyeral parts of the kingdom broke out into insurrec- tion at various times, and were put down with much trou- ble and bloodshed. 9. Henry had only one child by Anne Boleyn, the afterwards celebrated queen Elizabeth. Getting tired of Anne, she was accused of adultery, and executed on the Idth May, 1536. The king on the following day mar- ried the Lady Jane Seymour. She died in the ensuing autvtnn, af^er being delivered of a male child, Edward, m u HISTORY OF ENGLAND. who succeeded to the throne after his father's dentb. Henry's fourth wife was Ann of Cleves, daughter of the Duke of Gueldres, (1540). He was speedily divorced from her and married to Catherine Howard, who was ^executed for infidelity (^February 1542). A few months afterwards he took to wife Lady Catharine Parr, "who survived him. During this Prince's reign there was much dissension between England and Scoti..nd. In 1543, especially, a Scottish army 30,000 strong passed the bor- der, and was defeated at Flodden with great slaughter. The king of Scotland, James IV., and the flower of his nobility perished in this disastrous battle. 10. Henry died on the 28th February 1547, having been for some time sutfering from foul and painful diseases, which irritated his temper and made it still more savage. His reign is probably the most remarkable and important in the annals of the country, although his own claracter is one of the most detestable on record. It has been truly said of him that he " spared no man in his an^er, and no woman in his lust." Without giving a further list of his victims, the judicial murders of Fisher, the Venerable Bishop of Rochester, of the learned and good Sir Thomas More, and of the accomplished EaH oif Surrey, are sufficient for his condemnation with posterity. He resembled one of the worst of the Homan Emperors rather than a Christian ruler. 11. Edward VI.— 1547— 1553.— Edward, the 6hly son 0^ Henry VIII., was nine years old at bis father's death. By Henry's will certain executors, named by him, HISTORY 09 CNGLAND. •75 he ed nras -, fc Were appointed to administer tbe govemmsnt until the ^oung prince should come of age. These executors named Lord Hertford, (created Duke of Somerset,) Protector of tbe kingdom. The Protector immediately set about tbe establishment of the Protestant religion throughout the -country, and his efibrts were attended With, at least, tem- porary success. The regulations of Henry the Eighth were repealed, the clergy permitted to marry, and a liturgy was established which prevails, in a great measure, in the Church of England to this day. Somerset also was anxious to unite the island of Britain under one dominion by marrying Edward to Mary tbe infant queen of Scotland, a favorite project of the late king. But tbe Scots were generally averse to this match, and although the protector invaded that country, an(fj|a1ned tbe bloody battle of Pinkey, Mary was sent to France, and was be- trothed and afterwards married to the heir of that kingdom. There were insurrections of tbo people in different parts of England during Somerset's administration, arising from the want of employment and the lowness of wages, as well as from religious motives. 12. A party was gradually formed against Somerset, at the bead of which was Dudley, Earl of Warwick. The protector, finding himself deserted by bis old partisans and supportersj had to yield to the storm, and laid down bis authority. Heavy charges were preferred against biiQ) ^nd be waa tried and executed for high treason. Wi^icJc succeeded to Somerset's place and power, and wai raised to tbe rank of Duke of Northumberland. But 7« HISTORY oy ENGLAND. his ambition was not contented with this elevation. King Henry the Eighth bad been empowered by parliament to regulate by will the succession to the crown, and he had accordingly appointed his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, respectively, to succeed in the event of his son's death without heirs. Henry also directed that if his own children shoujid leave no issue, the descendants of his second sister, Mary, ehould ascend the throne, passing over the descendants of his elder sister, Margaret, the queen of Scots, as aliens, ^^^orthumberland persuaded Edward to bequeath the succession to Lady Jane Grey, the grand-daughter of his aunt Mary, on the plea that his sisters Mary and Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate by act of parliamient ; but the chief argument by which the young king was^^vi^yed was drawn from the warm attach- ment of the Lady Jane to the Protestant faith, to which he was himself zealously devoted. Northumberland had pre- viously contrived to marry t^is lady to his fourth son, Lord Guildford Pudley. Edward died on the 28th July, 1553, at the age of sixteen. He had been always in delicate health ; but his tenoper was ammble, and he waih religious and fond of study. 13. Mary.— 1553— 1558.— On the king's death,Nor- thumberland proclaimed Lady Jane Grey queen ; but the nation at once recognized the right of the princess Mary, Henry the Eight's eldest daughter, to the crown. North'^ umberland was tried and beheaded, and Lady Jane atd her husband were imprisoned in the tower. They bald been condemne/l at the^aioe perioil {i^Northumberland^biitlreire i m-ff RttTORT or KlfGLANt). Tjf lis iipared in the meantime. Mtry was not onty a zealous but a bigotted Roman CathoUc ; and the chief wish of her heart was to bring the kingdom and people of Eng- hnd once more within the pale of the Roman Church. (She began by getting parliament to repeal all the laws of . Kdward the Sixth on the subject of religion ; and things Ivere restored td the state in which they were in the reign 6t Henry the Eighth. This still left her, as sovereign, in the position of head of the church ; but she only considered herself as holding that position in trust for the Pope, to whom she was immediately to transfer it. She selected, as her husband, Philip king of Spain, a prince partaking of her own zeal for their common faith, although she was aware tliat this marriage was extremely distasteful to the great body of her subjects. This led to an insurrection tinder a gentlemaa named Sir Thomas Wyatt; but it Was suppressed in a ^hort time. Lady Jane Grey, who had been spared, hitherto, was executed under the excuse of a connexion between her and the leaders of the Outbreak; This victim of the ambition of others was highly accomplished, was possessed of great beauty, and had not reached her seventeenth year. Her husband^ Lofd Guilford Dudley suffered with her. ■'■'^'~' )4. England was reconciled to Rome, and the two houses of parliament having repealed all the laws they had passed against the Roman Catholics in former days, prayed to be reconciled to the ancient church. The holders of ehureh property ,however, made it a condition before giving in their adhesion, that they were not to be depraved of such 78 HISTORY OF SKGI*AMD. .. property. Marj's cbi«f agents in these changes were Cardinal Pole, and Gardiner Bishop of Winchester* The former was a near relation to the queen, and was a m&aof a generous and merciful spirit, and he reommended indulgence towards the professors of the Protestant religion; Gardiner, on the contrary advocated measures o; severity. A court of ecclesiastical commission was appointed to put down Proteitanism under the name of heresy ; and although the exact number of yictims cannot be ascertained, yet they were undoubtedly numerous, and the iir^s of Smithiield have conferred on Mary a charac- ter for cruelty which no efforts of partizansbip can detach from her name. That she had some good qualities is true > but she belonged to that class of people who are changed by the possession of power from being harmless and insig- nificant to being wicked and mischievous. Mary died on the 17th November, 1558, in the forty-third yeaip of her age. She reigned five years, four months and eleven days. 15. Elizabeth. — 1558 — 1603. — Elizabeth, the sister of Mary, and, daughter of Henry the Eighth, by Anne Boleyn, succeeded to the throne without opposition. It is true that the Catholics regarded her as illegitimate ; but they did not possess the power, even if they had the will, to call her right in question. One of her first acts was to convene a parliament which annulled what had been done in the Ui»t reign in matters of religion. The juris- diction in spiritual affairs was restored to the sovereign, and stringent acts were passed, as well against the Roman Ca- tholics as against all the Protestant sects that dissented from H1$T0RT OF ENQLAND. 79 tbe creed of the State. Toleration was a virtue unknowa in those days ; but Elizabeth and her advjsers administered the cruel laws in force as leniently as circumstances and the spirit of the age would, perhaps, allow. .^^,16. One of the most remarable incidents in Elizabeth's reign is connected with the unhappy fate of Mary Queen of Scots. This princ.ess, as already mentioned, was mar- ried early to Francis, the king of France, who left her a widow at the age of nineteen. Returning to Scotland, she there found the Presbyterian Religion completely triumphant, through the efforts, chiefly, of the celebrated reformer John Knox. Her profession of the Catholic faith, her French education, and her love of pleasure were ill calculated to make her popular with the professors of the new creed ; and accused of many follies and crimes, she was at last forced to seek an asylum in England. Elizabeth ordered her to be confined, first in Tutbury Castle, in the county of Staftord, and afterwards in other strongholds. Mary's right to the English crown was maintained by the great body of the English Catholics, anil several attempts were made to place her on the, throne, and to restore the ancient worship. In i569, the, Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland raised aa insurrection having these objects in view, and it was not suppressed without much bloodshed. A scheme was af- terwards devised to rehase Mary, raise her to the throne and marry her to the Duke of Norlolk ; but this scheme was discovered, ar'd the Duke was tried and executed. Another and a murq dariiig corispiracy, at the bead of 80 HISTORY Ot £N6t.AN1>. which was Anthony Babington, a Boman Catholic gentte- inan of good family and fortune, was afterwards attempted. Elizabeth was to be assassinated and Mary to assume the crown. On the discovery of this plot the Queen of Scots was accused of being implicated in it : a commission was Appointed for her trial, and she was found guitty, condemn- ed and executed. This tragic event took place on the 9th of February, 1587. Fourteen of the conspirators tho suffered death. t7. But another and a greater danger was hanging over Elizabeth ^nd the country. Philip, king of Spain, who had been married to her sister Mary, demanded the Queen's hand in marriage, and having failed to repossess himself of England by such means, he determined to gain the kingdom by concpest. This prince, a» bigotted as he was ambitious, was bent on bringing back England to the ancient faith, at whatever cost. For this purpose the whole strength of his dominions, supported by the wealth of the new world, was employed. He provided an im- mense navy consisting of vessels of large size, oh Which the Pope, after blessing it, confered the name of the " Invincible Armada," and it was to carry over an army o^ the veteran soldiers of Spain, then the best in the world. The people of England were, of course, alarmed at the danger which threatened them, but their conduct and that of the <^iieen were worthy of themselves and the occasion. The whole country rose in arms to repel the invader, and Elizabeth appeared at the head of her troops, applauding and encouraging them. The fleet was placed under the HISTORY Of INGLAND. command of able and expeHenced seamen^ among whom the Admiral, Lord Effingham, Drake, Hawkins and Fro- bisher are memorable names. As soon as they met the enemy, the English vessels being more light and mannge- able, attacked the Spaniards on every side, and captured and destroyed many of their ships. The rest were sput- tered by storms in every direction ; and of this mighty armament, only about fifty shattered vessels ever returned to Spain. This was a fatal blow to Spanish supremacy in Europe, and many writers regard the defeat of the Armada as the first downward step of that nation from the high position which it then held. 18. Elizabeth, as a woman j is seldom entitled to respect, often to blame ; but, as a queen, she deserves the highest praise. Her attachment to such favourites as the Earl of Leicester,. Sir Christopher Hatton, the Earl of Essex, and others, caused no little scandal in her own days, and* is regarded with mingled pain and ridicule by posterity. But, on the other hand, her choice of such minister;? as Burleigh, and the able men, who were his colleagues, more than redeem her faults. Her own talents were of a very high order, and she was regarded as the head of the Protestant powers of Europe. While wary in expending her people's money, she seldom failed to come to tiie aid of her allies, when most they needed such aid. She assisted the Protestants of France, in their struggles for freedom, and in emancipating the United Provinces from the tyranny of Spain, Towards the end of the fifteenth eeotury the Portugue.se had reaah«d tb« East Indies by P 2 QtmSTtOlfS. (.:' the way of the Cape of Good Hope, and CoIomJMn had made the more wonderfd discovery of a nev work! in the west. In Elizabeth's reign the English look a prominent part in maritime adventures ; Drake sailed rousd the world ; Raleigh planted a colony in Virginia ; and Sir Martin Frobisher, Sir John Hawkins, aitid others accom- nlished voyages and discoveries of interest and importance. Tke great writers of Elizabeth's time still stand first in the literature of their country ; and there arc few namt'S aioce, that can be placed beside those of Shakespeare, Bacon and Spense^*, not to speak of many only second to them in genius. Commerce and manufactures made equal advances, and the material improvement of the kingdom was in every way observable. Elizabeth died on the 24th March, 1603, of a broken heart, it is said, for having con- sented to the death of her last favourite, Essex. She was in' Ae seventieth year of her age, and forty-fifth of her reiga. Questions on Chapter Ninth. J. T« what celebrated House did Henry the VII belong 1 When Hi he enter London I What is said of his character 1 What is said of his manage 1 Who laid claim to the throne and who did he represent himself to be '{ Was he crowned and under what title ? What became of him "i % Who next laid claim to the throne and upon what grounds t W^hen did he make his claims 1 Who acknowledged hi« pretensions and what did King Henry say respecting them % Wkere did Warbeck go and what did he do ? Where did he ItLut and how many followers had he ? What became of Wart)eck ^ What nobleman did Henry cause to be behead- «i * What r«a«3n did h« asatgn for to doing and what fa mp' QVES^IONS. M i,:*i 4. M- IK^sed to have beeh the true reason t When did Henry Vtl (tie \ What was his age and how long had he rcfgned i Wjjo now succeeded t), the throne and what is sajd rpspecting him 1 What country did "he invade and with »vhat results '{ Who was the chief adviser of Henry the VIII 1 Describe the early history of this remarkable man and what his;h offices did he ultimately reach I What has Wolsey been accused of and what must be admitted 1 Who did King Henry meet with on the plains of Picardy \ What name is the place of meeting known by in history 1 Who was Henry's alliance courted by, and did he profit by the position he then held ^ At what age was Henry married to Catherine of Arragon *? Who had this lady previously been married to '? What rea- ,. sons did Henry assign for desiring a Divorce from Cather- ine and what others have been assigned I Who was Anne Boleyn and what is said of her % To whom did the King apply for a Divorce and with what success 1 What did the English Clergy do, and what followed their declaration 1 To whom did Catherine appeal and what was the decision % What events sprung from this ] Against what power had the people of England long contended % Did that power continue formidable 1 Name the two Re- formers whose preachings made converts and supporters to the Reformed Religion 1 To what did the quarrel between me King and the Pope lead % What did the King do \ What reason is assigned for his inconsistencies % Why was the title of '* Defender of the Faith " conferred on Henry, and do English Sovereigns still bear it 1 What became of Cardinal WrJsey aitd what led to his downfal % What communities did Henry the VIII suppress and what became of their properties '{ Were these changes quietly ac- quiesced in by the people '? What child had Henry by Anne Boleyn 1 What vrh.:. Arme accused cf 1 What becam« of her and who did the King then marry 1 How long did I.ady Jane Seymour live and what child did she give birth to % Who was Henry's fourth wife and what became of her % Who did the King next iwarry, and who subsequently ? Was there much dissension between England and Scotland in this reign '{ , What is said Respecting the battle of Flodden 1 ^Vhen did Henry VUI die 1 What is said of hi9 reign and of hit character 1 What eminent msn wer^ put to death by Um'i 84 QUESTIOirS. 11. Who ascended the throne and what was his age at tlie time? \Vhc) was appointed Protector of the Kingdom and what did he establish ] What regulations of the late King were re* peal d 1 What project had the Protector and also the late King to unite all of Britain under one donniuion 1 Were the Scots desirous of this alliance 1 V\hat became of their Queen iVIary, and who did she :arry ? v\ Imt insurrections occurred during the Protectorate and to what causes wete they attributed l 12. Who led a party against Somerset 1 What became of him and who ided him 1 In what order had Henry the VllI appc'r. ' the succession to the crown 1 What alteration in this ''.cession did Northumberland persuade Edward to mpf^i "i on what grounds 1 'Vo whom was Lady Jane (itny tt>:^rried 1 When and at what age did Edward die and n'h\X x-i aid of his character '{ 13. \l > -vas proclaimed Queen after Edward's death and who did ihe ■! 'T rncognise i What became of Northumberland, of Lad ivuje Grey and her husband { Wlmt n.ligion dii Queen Ivjary profess ? What Was the chi^'f wish she enter- tained and how did she proceed to gratify it 'i To whom was she married and to what outbreak did this lead 1 What was the fate of Lady Jane Grey and her husband 1 What is said respecting Lady Jane 1 14. In what relation did England si: id to Rome ? What did Par> liament do 1 What became of the church's property 1 Who were Mary's chief Agents in effecting these changes and what is said of them 1 What commis-ion was appointed and with what object T When did Mary die 1 What was her age and how long did she reign 1 What is said of her char- acter 1 15. Who succeeded Queen Mary? What was one of Elizabeth's first acts, and what followed 1 In whom was the jurisdiction in spiritual affairs vested, and what laws were passed 7 What is said of these laws, and how were they administere J 1 10. What was one of the most im'K rtan^ fncidents in Queen Elizabeth's reign 1 To whom -.vas iViary Queen of Scots married 1 After her husband's death were did ''arygol What rendered it necessary for htr to leave Scotland and seek an asylum in England 1 How was IVIary received, in Eng- land ? What body of people maintained Mary's right to the English throne, and what insurrections and conspiracies took place to effect this object 1 Of what waa Queen Mary accused, and what followed '? When did this tragic event take place 1 iirSTORY OF ENGLAND. 85 174 What grciat danger notv threatened England 1 < Whritisflaid of king Philip of Sprin 1 VV hat artnunieiit did hh (it oul and « what name did the Pope give if? W hat is sairil of the con- duct of the queen and people of England at this crisis 1 Un-« der whose charge was the English fleet placed, and what suc- 1 cess did their courage meet with? What became -of the Spanish fleet, anc'i what is said of the efl'ect on the nation to which it had belonged 1 18. What is swid respecting Elizabeth as a woman and as t> queen 1 What of her talents 'i What of her expenditure of money ] What Protestants did she assist 1 What naval commanders flourished in this reign 1 Name the cheif writers at this lime, and repeat what is suid respecting them 1 What progress did commerce and manufactures make '? When did £lizabeth dien at w hat age, and how long had she reigned { CHAPTER X. ' ^a,t THE STUARTS, FROM THE ACCESSION OP JAMES I. ^ TO THE REVOLUTION. — 1603 — 1688. 1. James T. — 1603 — 1625. — As already mentioned, Margaret, the eldest daughter of Henry VII., was married to James IV. of Scotland. Through this marriage James .VI. of Scotland, son of the unibrtunate Queen Mary of that kingdom, became heir to the English Crown on the death of Elizabeth. His accession took place at a period when jthe public mind was undergoing a great change. The ex- 'citement which the religious convulsions had produced, :had now in a great measure subsided. People began to turn that enquiring eye to Politics which they had former- ly devoted to Theology ; and to claim that freedom in .the Government, which they had been taught to exercise io their Creed. Unfortunately fot James btt&tertaiaed ^i * S'K fl 86 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. I -I opinions of the most despotic nature. He looked upon the English Government as a simple monarchy. He seemed to forget that it consisted of King, Lords, and Com- mons* He loved to argue in favor of the Divine^right of Kings and he held himself to be only responsible to God for his conduct. His public conduct accorded as far as pDSsible \\ith his opinions. Nor was his appearance and manners more attractive. His self-conceit, his buf- foonery, his obscene language, his waddling gait, and personal cowardice, were imperfections, which when added to his declared vices in politics and religion rendered him, in general, an object both of dislike and con- tempt. 2. Three conspiracies were formed against him during his reign. They were principally planned by Roman Catholics, with the view of removing or avenging the reta- Jiatory laws which then existed against the public exercise of their religion. The first of these was the '* Bye and Sur- prise " plot in which the seizure and imprisonment of James was proposed. The second attempted to super- sede biro on the throne in favour of Aratyella Stuart, a daughter of the younger brother of James' father. The tlurd was the celebr»ted " Gunpowder Plot, " in which Catesby, Guy FawUes and others formed the design of blowing up the Houses of Parliament, when the king and ■great officers of State would be present. Fortunate^ ly all these conspiracies were discovered before they ^etk jBXtciEted, and j»06t of the conspirators arrested and piin- iiktd* Jaoms stlled but four Parliaments. la each, he HISTOHT OP ENQUkNOi 87 and tlie commons quarrelled. In each, the king desired that the House should only trouble itself with voting him money. In each, the Commons demanded an equivalent in the ledress of certain grievances. He would not ac« cept the money on these terms. The Commons would not give all he demanded unless the conditions were acced« ed to. He would then fly in a rage ; abuse the members ; deny the legality of the privileges claimed by Parliament ; prorogue it; and sometimes send a few of its leading members to the Tower. He would afterwards adopt var*? ious unconstitutional modes of raising money without par- liamenta.y sanction. When these failed to satisfy his wants he would call another Parliament, but only to find it still more opposed to his wishes than the one that pre* ceded it. These unwise contests, added to other cir- cumstances caused much discontent. Of the sources of James' unpopularity his preference of unworthy favourites was especially prominent. Carr whom he created Earl of Somerset, and Villiers, whom he made Duke pf Buck- ingham, were objects of the people's hatred, to the same ejLtent that they were caressed and enriched by the king. James died on the 24th March, 1625. 3. Charles I. — 1625 — 1646. — On the death of James, his son's accession was not such as showed sigi^ of the misfortunes that were to befall him and the country. On the contrary the highest hopes were estertained of him. His private character was without sta^, he was grave and majestic in appearance, was a good scholar^ and a lover and patron of the fine arts. But he mistook fiS HIRTORT OP ENGLAND. cunning for political wisdom, nnd was educated in notions of the divine rights of kings, wholly inconsistent with free institutions. The great fault charged against him was insincerity ; and he evidently believed that no contract be- tween himself and his subjects was binding on him. Dur- ing the first part of his reign, his chief adviser and favour- ite was the Duke of Buckingliam, who had been a crea- ture of bis father. James. This man, by his arrogance and greed of wealth and power, had become extremely odious to the whole nation, and lie was assassinnted by a fanatic of the name of Felton. But the ministers of Charles, whose counsels were most fatal to him, were the Earl of Strafford and Laud, Archbishop of Canter- bury. )i 4". On coming to the throne, Charles found himself en- gaged in a corittsfj the object of which was to defend the Prince Palatine who had married his sister. Shortly after, war was declared against France. These wars required mjttey, and the supplies granted by parliament were "Ci.inty. The king, to meet his wants had recourse to iU gal means, such as forced loans and the collection of trnnage and poundage without the anthorily of the Legis- jlature; In the parliament of 1628 a Bill was passed called the Pv»tition of Rights, for the redress of these grievances and of others under which the country suf- fered. But in the next parliament complaints were made that the terras of the Petition had been violated ; and other grievaiices were brought forward. The Parliament was adjourned, and sotie members were imprisoned. Twelve y«jar8 passed be* ore another was called. \ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 6» 5. The difficultj now was to find money without the aid of parliament. Among other means attempted, an old tax, called ship money, which had been confined to the towns on the sea-coast, was extended over the whole kingdom. The renowned patriot, John Hampden, opposed the pay- ment of this tax with success. To add to tlu^ ^ ig's difiGculties and misfortunes, an attempt he had '> to force the Episcopal form of worship on the f Scotland, at last drove that people into open resi&ianee. They marched a strong army into England in 1639, and Charles having no means of resisting them, was obliged to call a parliament, which assembled on the 13th April, 1640. But discontented with the king for his misconduct, and more especially for having governed without a parlia- ment for twelve years, they were more inclined to blame him than to grant supplies . He consequently dissolved them after a month of angry altercations. 6. On the 23rd November, of the same year, Charles called together the body so celebrated Under the name of the Long Parliament. Instead of granting suppliei^ the opposition party arraigned Lord Strafford before the Lords for high treason. Charles made great efforts to save him^ and the accused nobleman defended himself with extraor- dinary eloquence and talent. He was, however, found guilty, and the king was at last induced, not much to his credit, to sign the warrant for the execution of a servant who had been zealous in his master's cause, if not in that of the country. Parliament then proceeded to remove abuses, which they did with no sparing hand ; and to add to IMAGE EVAiLUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ **% ,5r 1.0 1.1 itt ISii i2.2 £? lift ■" lU 14.0 2.0 my 1 ■•25 11.4 11.6 — \^ las ^ 6" ► 7 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRliT WUSTIR,N.Y. 14580 (716)«72-4S03 SQ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. the existing agitation an insurrection of the Irish Itoman Catholics, attended with much cruelty and bloodshed, broke out^ Charles, was accused by his enemies of haying in- fitigated this outbreak, and the Commons who had hitherto attacked only abuses, now attacked the throne itself. Thi^ bishops were driven from the house of tjorils,. whicti ^s considered a great blow to monarchy. The^kirig attempt- ed to imprison some of the leading memlbers of tifi house of Commons, but failed in doing so. At last, parliament in- sisted on wresting from him the command of the military force of the kingdom, and Charles refusing to part with thislast prerogative of the crown, left London for Oxford with the view of deciding thar dispute with the sword. 7. In the civil war which now commenced, the balance of success wajs at first with the king. His forces consist- ing chiefly of the gentry and their retainers, who were to some extent «iacquainted with the use of arms, while the parliamentary forces were mostly drawn firom the cities and boroughs, whose inhabitants were new to war and wa,ilike exercises The parliamentary arraiies,^ however, gradually beg^n to improve in discipline, and tBeir cause received much aid from Scottish forcesf sent to' their sup"^ port. It were useless to give a more particular description of this melancholy contest, or of the battles fought be- tween the parliament and the king, of which those of Edge-hill, Marston-moor and Nnseby were the most considerable. At last Charles, after sufiering several, de- feats was forced to seek refuge with the Scottish arpy. The Scottish leaders agreed to surrender hiip to tho HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 91 parliament on, receiving a large sum of monej which they cfaimed to be due to them. After some delaj Charles was tried before a court appointed by the Hotise ,oj[ Commons, and being found guilty of bearing arms against the parliament was condemned to death. He was executed on the 30th January, 164*9, in the forty-ninth year of his age and twenty-fourth of his reign. He died with great firmness. > , 8. The Commonwealth. — To obtain the consent of parliament to the trial and execution of Charles, the army had thought it necessary to drive from the House Qf Commons the Presbyterians who had seats in that body. The remaining members were chiefly Independents, of which sect the army also now mostly consisted. The leader of the party was the famous Oliver Cromwell, who had by this time fought his way to the head of tb^ army, and through the army, of the nation* He was the son of a country gentleman, and having taken up tbe part of the parliament against tbe late king with much zes^ he, was returned to the House of Commons, and when the civil war broke out joined the army. Her^ hi^ talents s^t once became conspicuous. He opposed the religious zeiil of the Puritans to the fiery courage of the Royalists, a niji, his famous regiment of ** Ironsides" was remarkable for bravery, discipline and unvarying success against every enemy that opposed them. He was now the, idol of the army, and after the king's death, it was soon evident tbat he aimed at supreme power. In the meantime it became necessary to subdue Ireland, where a moctt destructive ^it nV/t^bliV OP ENGLAND^ struggle #a^ carHed on between the royalists and tt)e i^epubUcans ; ^nd Cromwell succeeded in pacifying thai cburifry #ith his usud celerity and good fortune, but with mo^'e thflin his usual severity. He next entered Scotland, trhete l!ie eldest &6n of Charles the I^irst had been crowned and pursuing that young prince to England, h^ grained oVer'hiih a signal victory at Worcester. ^ 9. Cromwell, under the name of Lord Protector of Bngland, eJii^rciised a far more despotic power than any of the ahcient kings of the c ountry had eter wielded. He #as, in. tdanf respects, a great man, and although forced at times, to be Severe, he neither loved cruelty nor oppres- sion. He W^s perhaps as just in his government as it was possible for a despot to be. He boasted that he would hiake the hdme of an Englishman as much respected over ibe World as eVer thht of ah ancient Roman had been ; and the boast was not an idle ohe. His friendship was sought ahd his enmity dreaded by France and Spain, as well as the other powers of the continent ; and the English fleet, under the celebrated Admiral Blake, carr-eu the terror of his hai^e to every shore from Hollh: d the^ coast of barbary^ But all bis attempts to govei u by means of iVkHiaments proved failures, and the natioii, id general, gJrew Weftry of being ruled by one man, however eminent he might be. He died on the 3rd September, 1658. 10. Charies II.— 1660— 1685.— After CromwelPs iig^th, his (eldest son Rifchard succeeded to the protecto- rate Without opposition ; but he had not the power, if he hid tb^ desire, of controlling the wishes of the people of HISTORY OF ENGLANP, I England for the restoration of the royal f^niily. General Monk who commanded in Scotls^nd niarched to London a^ the head of his army, and after some delay, a parfiaipent was convoked and Charles the Second, was iavited home. The country hailed this event with unbounded joy. Charles )begaii bis reign by rewarding some of l^i^ friends, especially those who had been the instruments of his restoration, and by punishing some of those persons who had sat .o^ his father's trial, or the " Regicides" as ,t^y were called, farr liament, in the exuberance of. the nation^il loyialty^yQted[lum large supplies, and tiie king spent the money jp^ie. most extravagant pleasures, and in gifts and grants to his numerous mistresses. Cromwell had forced the cession of Dunkirk from the Spaniards, and Charles sold it to the king of France for a sum of money. He consented to become a pensioner of ^hat monarch, by whom severtal of his ministers were also pensioned and bribed. Under t^is influence he joined France in a war against Hollapd.to fi^p surprise and disappointment of the whole kii^doiPi and tp make matters worse, his own misconduct and ;that of his pommanders caused the war to be unsuccesfsfuil. By ji disgraceful breach of faith he possessed himself of a <:opsid- erable sum of money, by shutting the exche<}U^r,,aii^d,tafk7 ing possession of funds which ought to have been fpa^ to the merchants, who had advanced money on , the security of the taxes. In short the enthusiasm ««flK^reeted Mov^ar away, Charles on his restoration, began gradpall as his character became known. He selfish, although witty and gojQd naturj fi^lse and d to ,tbe G i ,S"T m HISTORY or ENGLAND. discontent, a gt'eainre ofoke out in London, Wtiich des- troyed a great portion of the city, and this calamity had been preceded by a plague which is said to have carried ofT 100,000 persons in London alone, independently of its tavages in other parts. '11. The chief object Charles had in view, in seeking aid Ifrbm the king of France, was to reign without a parlia- ment, though at first he found that body sufficiently obse- ]uidusr. A dread of popery began to haunt men's minds, and it w4s rumoured that Charles himself was secretly a papiist, while the Duke of York, his brother, and heir to the crown, as Charles had no legitimate children, was an avowed one. This state of things was taken advantage of by some wicked and designing persons, who pretended to discover a plot for the murder of the king, and the ex- termination of protestantism. The chief actor in this imposture waq one Tituci Oates, a protestant clergyman and a convert from the Roman Catholic religion. The alarm was univer^l, and many innocent persons were executed oil the testimony of perjured witnesses. Several attempts had also been made by parliament to exclude the duke of York trom the throne, as a professed papist ; and in 1680, a bin td that effect was passed by the Commons,but rejected by tbe^liouse of Lords. The Ilaheas Corpus Act was passed JiLthis king's reign, (1678), and is one of the greatest ^PMMl ever conferred on a free people. In 1684 the co gsM Mjpy called the Rye-House Plot was dis- covered. i^M^jj^^Oblemen and others had banded together with a vie^^^^^tectlng the Protestant religion and re- HI8T0RT OF ENGLAND. i forming the government ; but connected with these were some desperate, characters, who contemplated the assassin- ation, of the king and the Duke of York. These last were justlj punished ; but the vengeance of the court wap not content with such victims, and two of the most eminent patriots of the age, Lord William Russel and Algernon Sydney, were 1 What didtheScoUdot 6. What Parliaoient did the King nonr call t Who wai arraigned for HiKh Treaion 1 What waa the reoult t What did Parlia- ment hrther proceed to do 7 Where did the King proceed to and with what object 1 7. What la laid ofthe civil war 1 Of what did the King'a foreea consist and of what those ot the Parliament 1 Name the principal battles that were fouahl 1 To whom did the King surrender 1 What becahie of him 1 S» Who waa Oliver Cromwell and under what name ia the period during which ha lived known in history 1 D.aer be whel Cromwell did in England, Ireland and Scotland 1 Who did he puraue from Scotland and what great battle wis fought 'I 6. What ti le d d CromneU assume t What i^ aaidofhia power 1 Of his character and his government 1 Wh^t boaat did he make 'i What Admiral flourished at thb time and what waa he noted for 1 When did Cromwell die 9 iO. Dki Cromwell's son lonz retain the Protectorate 1 What gen« eral marehed fnmi Scotland t What did Parliam«!nt cto T How was the King received 1 What were Charles' first pro- ceedings 1 Whatiasaidofkiseitravaganca? How did the King dispose of Dunkirk and to whom did he become a pen« sioner 1 What war did the King engage in and with what success 1 What breach of faith was the King guilty of» Describe Ma charaeter 1 What two great oalannttiee befiU London in this reign f 11. What plot was pretended tofhave lean discovered at this time 1 Who waa the chief adcr in it I What celebrated act of Par* '' liattent waa passed in 1678 1 Describe the Rye-house plot and the designs of tfie conspirators ? What innocent partiet auSered iiron their auppoaed eonneetion with the plot 1 Where did the King dia and what ia said of his last moments t 1^: Wli0B did Jktnee the If* ascend the throne 1 How did the nation receive him and what is said of his character 1 1 3. Who was the Duke of Monmouth 7 With what object did he re- bel ^gatnat tfaB King 7 Whit cruelties were perpettilad after Monmouth's defeat and wliat judge presided at the trials 7 14; To what are the chief misi^yrtunes of James' reig^n attributable 1 DescribO what stepahetookto achieve his object. For what offence did he imprison seven of the Bishops, and what be- came of titem 7 16. What ift said respeoting the birth of a prince at thia time andhow waa the. intelligence teteived by the country 1 ' 100 HISTORY Olr ENGLAND. 16* Who wu invited to eom^ to England. Where and fat what jtit did he land. By whom waa he Joined. When did, he march to. What became of King Jamea. What was declared on the pttrt of the nation And nho were proclaimed Joint Kiiig and QiMeii. In what year was this revolution eflected. CHAPTER XI. mOM THE REVOLUTION, TO THE ACCESSION Ot THE HOUSE OF HANoVER.^ieSO—nii* 1. WiLLUM AND Mart.— 1689—1694. — Before offering the crowa to the Princess Mary and her husband the Prince of Orange, the leaders of the revolution bad enforced on the future sovereigns several tnditions caU eulated for the securitj of liberty and property ; and a parliament being now called, the celebrated Bill of Rights was passed. By this Bill it was provided that no stand* ing army should be maintained, and no money raised, with* out the consent of parliament, nor could tbe law of the land be set aside or dispensed with by the power of the prerogative. William at first succeeded in gaining some toleration for tbe dissenters, but the zeal of the legisla* ture ^1 favor of the existing establishment was too power* ful for bim to contend against with full success. 2. James, meanwhile, hadlanded in Ireland in the hope of regaining bis lost throne, and a rising took place in the Highlands of Scotland, in bis favor, under Viscount Dundee, better known in history as Grahame of Claver- bouse. William went to Ireland in person to oppose James, over whom he gained the famous battle of the IIUTOAr Of ENOLAMD. ;ai e e e I* e le It > le le Bojoe, July, 1690. James immediateiy returned to France, and Ireland was pacified. In Scotland, Dundee gained a battle, at the pass of Killiecraokie, but being killed in the action, his followers dispersed to their homes, without gaining anjr advantage from their victory. Of the Irish who had fought for James, about 15,000 emigrated to foreign countries. This unfortunate monarch died at St. Germain's on the 1 6th September, 1700. Queen Mary died of the smalUpox on the 28th December, 1694. 3. William III. — The two great parties in the state had for some time assumed tlie names of Whigs and Tories. The former had been foremost in forwarding the revolution, and had since filled the chief offices of the government. The latter, who accepted the revolution rather than desired the exclusion of the lineal race of kings from the throne, began to mingle with the Jacobites. 4. William's great, object, during all his life, was to oppose Louis the Fourteenth, whose ambition endan- gered the other states of the continent, but more especially Holland. He had taken steps soon after the revolu- tion to embark England, in alliance with the Dutch and the Emperor, in a war against Louis. He was engaged in this contest throughout the greatest part of his reign, but the details have little to do*with the history of England, the interests involved being those of her allies and not her own. At last peace was proclaimed in 1697 by the treaty of Ryswick. I-W of the 5. In 1701 an '* Act of Settlement' been passed, calling to the throne in case of crown William had and I<« HISTORY OF EMOLAKO. Murjj as well as Anne, t)ie daughter of James IT., during without heirs, Sophia Electress of Hanover and her jddenljr ended by the result of intrigues at home. Hitherto, the Whigs, who bad been chiefly instrumental an bringing about the revolution had conducted the government ; but Hariej, afterwards Earl of Oxford, and St. John, the famous Lord Bolingbroke, having got pos- «ession of the Queen's ear, the Whigs were turned out of office, and the Tories took their place. The latter Immediately made peace with France, — England having gained little by the war except the glory of victories which were gained for the benefit of others; 8. For some time, the necessity of a legislative ttnion i>etween England and Scotland had been apparent, and at last, commissioners having been appointsd by l)oth nations, this great event took place in the year 1707. The treaty of nnioti provided that the tlirrotie of the United Kingdom should be vested in the Houise of Hanover ; that the United Kingdom should bie represented by one parliament, to which Scotland should send sixteen Peers and forty-four Commoners ; that all fiubjects of Great Britain should enjoy the same privileges ; and that all laws bearing on private rights should remain unaltered, and each country should be governed by its own laws. These were the leading provisions of this treaty, which has proved so beneficial to both sections of the island. 9. On the death of James the Second in 1702, the king of France had acknowledged his son as king of England. The Pretender, as he was called, bad a large 104 QUESTIONS. ;nu9)ber of adhtisents in all parts of England, Seotlan^ and Ireland, but the Protestarits in general, with the ex.- cepUon of those professing high church principles, dreaded nothing so much as to see a Roman Catholic on the throne. The hopes of the Jacobites, or the supporters of the rights of the male line of the Stuarts, were high at this time, and it was expected by. many that the Queen would declare in favor of her exiled brother. We know now that the Duke of Marlborough, and many of the first men ia the kingdom k'ipt up a correspondence with the Pretender. But, in the midst of these intrigues, Anne died on the I'st August, 1714<. She was a woman little fitted for a throne ; — and was continually leaning on some one for support. Her first confidant and adviser was Sarab, Duchess of Marlborourgh ; the second; was Mrs. Masb- ham, by whomi the Duke of Marlborough and the Wbi^s were driven from office, and the Toiies raised to power. Her reign, however, is famous in the annals of the coun- try, not only frojn the victories of Marlberough, but, above ali^from the talents of the writers who adorned it. Among these Addison and Swift were the most celebrated. Questions on Chapter Eleventh, 1. What conditions did the leaders in the revolution impose en the Prince of Orange and hisiivife the Princess Mary befove offering them the crown '{ What did William at first suc- ceed in gaining '{ 2. What had become of king James, and where did a part of the Jeople rise in his favour ? Who went to Ireland to oppose ames, and what famous battle was fought 'I To what coua- try did James retire t What occurred in Scotland 1. Where and when did king James itie I When did queen Marj die \ KiSTORT OF ENGLAND. 105 3. What is said of the two great poNtical parties in En^and^ what names did they assutne, and in what did they differ '? . 4. What was the great object of liiag WiHiam's life, umI what steps did lie adopt to advance it Y What is said about the war, and ivhen was peace proclaimed ? 5. What is said c^ the " Act of SettlemeDt," and how did it pro- vide 'for the succession to the crown 1 What act relating to the duration of parliam^ts was passed at this thne ? 6w When did WiUiam III. die, and what is said of his character 1 , 7. Who succeeded to the throne t What did she communicate to >' < parliament I What ivar broke out, how is it called in his- tory, and for what object was it undertaken 1 Who were the allied forces commanded by, what battles were foqgbt, what fortress was talcen 1 How was Martborottgh^» eareer brought to a conclusion 1 Who succeeded to the government, and what did they do in reference to the ivaf. Did England gain anything by the war 1 8. When did the legislative union between England and Scotland take place 1 What were the leading provisions in the treaty between the two countries 1 9. Who did the king of France recognise as the successor to James II. 1 V^hatis said about this prince and his hopes of succeeding to the crown 1 Where did queen Anne die, and what is said respecting her 1 What was her reign famous fori CHAPTER XIT. THB HOUSE OF HANOVER, FROM THE ACCESSION OP GEORGE I. TO THE DEATH OF GEORGE U. — 1714 — 1727. 1. George I.— 1714. — 1727. — George, Elector of Haoover, succeeded to the throne in virtue of the. Act of Settlement. He was descended from James the First, through his daughter Elizabeth, whose daughter, Sophia, was the mother of George. At the time he came to the English throne he was forty-four years of age. He had good business habits ; but his manners were reserved and E 2 lA- loe niBTOKT or XKGLAIfD. repulsive, and he was so ignorant of the English language that bis ministers were forced to converse with him in Latin or Fi ench. 2. Some ardent Jacobites were anxious to proclaim the Pretender, and the ministers of the late Queen were in doubt as to what course fiiej should pursue, when the Dukes of Argjle and Somerset entered the Council Chamber and insisted that king George should be pro- claimed according to law. This was immediately done without opposition. 3. The ministry was dismissed and a new one ap- pointed, of which the leading members were Lord Town- send, Mr. Stanhope, and Sir Robert Walpole. Th» Duke of Marlborough was restored to the command of the army. Preparations having been made to prosecute some members of the late administration, the Duke of Ormond and Lord Bolingbrooke fled to France and joined the Pretender. Lord Oxford was sent to the Towen where he was confined for two years^ but finally released without having been brought to trial. Ormond and BoUngbroke were alienated, and their estates were forfeit- ed to the crown. The latter was, after some time, allowed to return to England, but not to take his seat as a Peer. 4. A rebellion broke out in 1715 in favor of the Stuarts. The leader was the Earl of Mar, who had been one of the Secretaries of State in the last reign. He was a man wholly destitute of military talents. He succeeded in rainng a large force, chiefly of Highlanders, in Scot- land ) but the Duke of Argyle having .tneountercd bim at niSTORT OP ENGLAND. 107 ShertfTiniiir, at the head of tlie royal forces, the Jacobite cause was soon hopeless. The Pretender himself, called by his adherents James the Third, appeared for a short time in Scotland, but again returned to France. A rising of the Jacobites had also tak«n place in the north of England, but with still less success. At the head of this section of the rebellion were Greneral Foster and the Earl of Der- wentwater. Having collected a few followers, and having been joined by a considerable body of Highlanders under ^Brigadier Macintosh, and some Scottish Jacobites, they took possession of the town of Preston, and barricaded the streets and approaches. Here they were besieged by the Government forces to which they surrendered without much resistance. Among the leaders who were now in the hands of the government, were Greneral Foster, Lords Derwentwater, Widdrington, Nithsdale, Wintown, Cam- wath, Kenmuir and Nairne. The Peers were brought to trial for treason, and all except Wintown were sentenced to death. Nithsdale escaped from prison, through th« devotion of his wife, w4io remained in his stead, while he got away in a female dress. Macintosh and others broke loose from jail, and Foster found his way to France. The other leaders were executed. 5. The South Sea Scheme next filled the attention of the nation. It was one of those ruinous delusions which at certain periods occur in all commercial countries. A company known as the South Sea Company offered to ad- vance money to the government, and, fai fact to assuiM the national debt, on erudition of hax'ng som« tMii| / 108 HISTOKT UF GIfGLAWD. pi'iyil^ges granted to tbem. The coiDmerce of the Sontli Sea, and gold mines in Peru and elsewhere were to be ttie chief sources of wealth. The scheme was laid before the public in such brilliant colours that the nation became excited, and at last, a universal insanity took possession of the whole people. Shaies in tlie company that were originally valued at one hundred pounds, were bought at one hundred and fifty, two hundred, and even one thousand pounds. Then la reaction took place, and the bubble bivit. Thousands were ruined not only by this schema, but by many others equally wild, which its success had giyen birth to. 6. $ir Robert Walpole, who had evinced great talents in retrieving the losses arising from the South Sea and other bubble companies, became Prime Minister in 1721 , which office he retained during the remainder of this reign apd a portic n of that succeeding it. He was a man of great capacity, especially in qujitters of finance, and his tapt in managing the House of Commons was unequalled. But to obtain this last object he is said to have used the most extensive system of bribery ever attempted in Engla^nd. Every one, according to hjm, had his price, which prize he never hesitated to give when necessary in buying the votes of merabjers of parliament. This prac- tice has left a stain on Wa;lpole's chs^racter which his great talents cannot hide froin view. . ^ 7. |The Septennial Act, changing the duration of par- llainents from thr^ t^ seven years, was passed during the p^ caused Vy^X^ rebellion of 1715; and the last f HISTORY 0¥ ENGLAND. J 09 ttoovoratioii of the clergy was held in the year 1717. 8. George the Firsts after succeeding to the English throne, still retained a strong affection for his native country, of which he continued to be Elector, and which he frequently visited. He died, on his way to Hanover, on the 1 1th June, 1727, in the sixty-eighth year of his age, and the thirteenth of Bis reign. 9. Geobgb n.— 1727— 1760.— George th» Second wafl( in his forty-fourth at the time of his father's deat^, jBind he was peaceably proclaimed king. In person and iQanners he was still less dignified than his predecessor, had inferior talents for business, and was of a passionate ttemper. He was, however, punctual in performing the dirties of the kingly office, was personally brave and bad a strong sense of justice and honor. He had also th^ advantage of speaking the English language fluently, though with a foreign accent, and understanding the insti- tutions of England and the character of the people. His most odious vice was avarice, which he carried to an extreme extent. His wife was Caroline, daughter of the Margrave of Anspach. She was a woman of talent and refinement, and had much influence with the king. 10. In the early part of this r^ign the public attention was chiefly directed to disputes with Spain. The ex^lu-* sive system pursued by that country in regard to her vast possessions in America, and the cruelities said to have been committed by Spanish Governors of Colonies upon British sailors and traders, exasperated the English people to such an extent, that Sir R. Waif ole for m^ny years found great / no mSTORT or CNOLAND. difficulty in preventing a war,wbich would have been attend- ed with much mischief to both Countries. The popular pas- sion for a rupture with Spain at last became too violent to be resisted. The minister offered to resign, but was prevail- ed on by tlJb king to retain office,and war was at last declar- ed in 1739, amid the most extravagant rejoicings. An ex- pedition, under Admiral Vernon, was sent to the West Indies, i^hich captured the town of Porto Bello, near the Isthmus of Darien. Another expedition consisting of a powerful fleet, under the same admiral, and of a labd force under (general Wentworth, was sent against Car- thagena, but the quarrels and misconduct of the comman- ders led to the most diastrous consequences. In other parts of the world the English arms were equally unsuc- cessful, and the whole blame of these failures were attributed to Walpole. At length he resigned in Febru- ary, 1742, and was raised to the Peerage by the title of Earl of Orford. A new ministry was formed under the auspices of his great rival, Pulteney, who became Earl of Bath. 11. In 1733 Walpole had attempted a reform in the collection of the revenue, by the introduction of what is called the excise system. The storm of reprobation which this scheme encountered caused it to be, for the time, abandoned, but its evident wisdom and utility led to its being afterwards adopted. 12. The Emperor of Germany having died in 1740, leaving as successor to his estates the celebrated Maria Theresa bis daughter; the king of Pruaiia and other 'v- HISTORY OP INGLAND. Ill neighbouring prioces attacked her dominions under Tsrious pretences. This led to a war in which England took a pro- minent part on the side of the Empress-Queen. The battle of Dertingen was gained by the king, while the Duke of Cumberland, was beaten bjr the French at Fontenoy. 13. In the meantime^ the Jacobites were anxious to take advantage of the English forces being employed abroad, by making another effort in faror of the Stuart family. The French government had promised to send an army to their aid under the famous Marshal Saxe ; but the superiority of the English navy defeated this plan. Yet Charles Edward, the second son of the Pretender, as he was called, and the grandson of James the Second, determined to throw himself on the zeal and afTcction of the partizans of his house, and landed on the North Western Coast of Scotland in July, 1745. Although he brought with him neither an army, nor the means of raising one, he soon found himself at the head of a con- siderable force, consisting of many of the Highland clans headed by their Chiefs. As he advanced to the low country, several lowland noblemen and gentlemen also joined him with their followers. Giving the slip to the English army, under Sir John Cope, which advanced against him, he took possession of the City of Edinburgh. Attacking Cope shortly afterwards at Preston-pans, he gained a brilliant victory ; and the world was astonished by the defeat of a highly disciplined British force by men who had no ^knowledge of regular military tactics. PrioM CbariM than marehed into i^gland 112 HISTOKY UF ENGLAND. and peDetrated as far as the town of Derby } but being coldly received every where, and few joining his standard, he was forced to retrace his steps to Scotland. His fate was then sealed, and bis romantic adventure was thence- forward doomed to inevitable ruin. Charles had passion- ately opposed this retrogade movement ; but the leading men in bis army were fully bent on it, and he had to submit. But the panic caused by the march on Derby had driven the government into action. The Duke of Cumber- land was at the head of 10,000 men, another con- aiderable force was moving from Yorkshire towards the insurgents, and the Guards were encamped at Finchly Common under the king. The Highlanders were followed by Cumberland in their retreat, and his cavalry attacked their rearguard at Penrith. This attack having been repelled, the rebels reached Scotland without further molestation. Here encountering a force under Sir John Hawley, they gained another victory over disciplined ti'oopa trained in foreign wars. But this was the last of their successes. A large army under Cumberland followed them to Inverness, and on the 16th April, 1746, was fought the battle of Colloden, in which the Highland- ers were wholly defeated. The rebellion was at an end. The rebels were pursued and slaughtered without mer- cy, and their country became the scene of the most sav- age military licence. The Duke has acquired an vnenvi- able name by bis cruelties on this occasion, and it must be admitted that he deserved the appellation of the ** ^utcl|er," l^y whicKbe was«ft^ifard]9 qftn^ ealle4. But UtfTORT aV £I«6LANA. 1^3 we must remember at the same time that it was necessary for tjie welfare of the rest of the country to put an end to these outbreaks on the part of the Highlanders. After former rebellions they had always returned to their moua- tains when defeated, deeming themselves secure from the Tengeance of the government. The time had, however, ar- rived when such a state of things couFd no longer be borne ; and while we blame the barbarities committed on the occassion, we cannot hut allow that strong measures were demanded. Prince Charles wandered for some time through the Highlands and Western Isles in disguise, pur* sued by the government troops, and everywhere meeting extraordinary instances of devotion and zeal for his person and cause. He at last escaped to France, but driven jTrom that country for political reasons, he sought a refuge in Italy. His after life was little in accordance with the brief episode of his Scottish adventure. Broken in spirit ;and deprived of hope, the remainder of his days were apent in idleness and dissipation. The punishment of those among his partizans, wlu> fell into the hands of the govern- ment, now remains to be told. Lord& Kilmarnock, ^almerino and Loval, were found guilty of high treason by the House of Lords, and beheaded. Seventeen leaders of inferior rank were executed on Kennington Common ; nine at Carlisle, and eleven at York. 14. A treaty of peace was signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, on the 7th October, 1748, and put a temporary stop to the war raging between the powers of Europe. The terms of this treaty were far from satisiactory to the 114 HISTORY or IICaLAlfD. EngHih uation, especially the provision for giriiif up all conquests made bj either side. The surrender of Cape Breton, especially, to France, and the conditions attached to that act, namely the giving of hostages for such sar- reiider, caused much discontent. 15. Accordingly war soon broke out again. France bad built a chain of forts, extending from Quebec to the Mississippi, which caused great apprehension to the British government, and the British Colonies in North America. In 17&5 four separate expeditions were seqt against the possessions df that power ; one under Colonel Monckton, for the protection of Nova Scotia ; a second, under General Johnson, against Crown Point; a third under General Shirley, to reduce Fort Niagara ; and the fourth under Greneral Braddook, was directed against Fort d on the, Ganges, which contained the Subahdar's chief roagazineSj fell also into the hands of the English. Shortly aftei',! Clive with a small force of 3000 men, defeated Sursjah Dowlab, whose army amounted to 25,000. This was the famous battle of Plassy. The Subahdar escaped from the field, but was afterwards slain. Clive appointed Mear Jaffier as his successor. About the same time the two English commanders destroyed the strong-hold, and burnt the fleet, of a piratical prince, named Tullagee Angria, who had long been the dread of the Indian Seas< 23. The French taking advantage of the English p. aUJC8T10lVS« 119 sap* the troOips beings thtfs emplojed in the northern part of India^ attacked their allies and proceeded to beaeige Madras. They had received large reinforcements from France and were commanded by M. Lally, a gentleman of Irifth ex- traction, who was brare aiKl possemed of considerable military talent. The English having also received rein- forcements from the mother country, Lally was forced to retreat from Madras. The French suffered several defeats, and were, at last, beaten in a general action near Wandewash, by Sir £yre Coote. Lally re treated to Fondicherry, which the English invested, and which snrrendered to them on the 15th January, 1761. , The French have never since attained the same power in India. 24. The British navy acquired a high character during this veign, especially under the celebrated Admirals Rod- ney, Boscawen and Hawke. 2b. In the midst of these successes George the Second died suddenly, on the 25th of October^ 1760, ia the 77tl| year of his age, and 33rd of his reign. Questions on Chapter Twelfth* 1. Who succeeded queen Anne ? From whom was he descendeil, and what age was he at this time i What is said of his habits and manners 1 2, What did some supporters of the Pretender wish to do, and who prevented them 1 8. Who were the leading members of the new ministry which wa» formed at this time 1 What became of s(Hne of the mem* bers of the previous ministry. ■aasw. m ^UE8ttON«. -4. tn what yekr did. a rebellion brealc out in raror Of th6 Staails t Who commanded the. rebels t Who encountered and defeated him 1 By what title was the Pretender called by bis follow- lers 1 What ^became of him ^f Under whom did a rising take f lace in England in favor of the Stuarts ? Where did they surrender 1 What rebel leaders were in the han^ of govern** ^ ment, and how were they dfeposed of. ^. What great *• Scheme" at this time engaged the attention of the nation, describe its plans, purposes, deeay alid eflbcts upon the people. €. When did Sir Robert Walpole become Prime Minister, and what is said of his abilities and character 1 7. When was an act passed changing the. duration of parliaments from three to seven years. * 8. When and where did George I iKe 1 9. At what age did Gcoi^e 11 succeed to hit father 1 What is said of his character 1 1 o whom vn» the Kitig married 1 1-0. What caused England to declare war against Spain f What is .,, said of the English expeditions iinder Admiral Vernon and Oeneral Wentworth T What of England's want c^ s uccess elsewhere 1 Upon whom did the country lay the blame of * failure 1 What became of him, and who was appointed to the Chsvernmeat % 11. What reform in the coHection of the revenue had Walpole in% deavoured to introduce, and was it subsetfuently adopted T-^- 12. What war did England engage in with Prussia^ and the neigh- bouring Princes^ and with what view 1 What battles were fought 1 t*3w When the Fnglish forces were employed abroad what did the friends of the House of Stuart resolve upon 1 What sup- port was promised by France 1 Who was Charles Edward Stuart 1 Where did he land in Scotland t How was he accompanied, and who joined bis standard t What city did he take possession of, and what victory did he gain 1 Whither did he march 1 how was he received in England, and what did his advisers recommend 1 Who commanded the Royalist troops 1 What last battle did Charles Edward, gain 1 Where did the Duke of Cumberland follow him to. What battle was fought and with what result 1 What is said of Cumberland's conduct after the suppression of the rebel- lion 1 What became of Charles Edward and what is said of his after life when in exile *? What Lords were beheaded for engaging in Uie .ebellion, and how many other leaders were executed '{ 14. What is said respecting the Treaty of Aix^laoChapelle. QUESTIONS. 121 lia 15. Was. thin peace long maintained t What chain nf forts hid France built in North America '? What ex|>fditioiif> d d tho British disputcli against them 1 Which crthise provml suC" cessful 1 VVhiit id said of that under Cieneral Bniddo«k 1 16. What other di^^asters did the English suffer t What Ulnnd and strong fort did they love '{ Who commaniltd on ttMs occasion '{ Afterhis want ofsucress y\\\ul liectinie cf him ai:U nhat is said ofihe sentence p:ic8ed upon him 1 17. What vigorous minisier now j ined the (iuvernment, and hoiv was the war prosecuted 1 What conquests were made 1 When did Quebec surrender, and after Y\hat battle { \\ li :t Generiils were killed al Quebec '? When did all Canada capitulate to the British. 18. What war raged in Europe at this time '{ 19. What is s^vid of the success cf the Briti>h in India 1 Describe the rise and progress of the Kast India Co., their acquisition of territory, and when the foundations of the present mighty Empire in the East were laid 1 20. What is said of the French settlements in India, and where was their chief establishment 1 Who was the French Director, and how did he acquire great power in the Cat naiic, and the Deccan 1 When did Kobart Clive appear on the scene, and what is said of his previous history 1 From what Provineo did Clive drive the French, and who did be reinstate as Nabob. 91. What fearful tragedy took place at Calcutta 1 Give the par- - ticulars 1 S2. How did Clive avenge this atrocious act 1 What famous bnttic did he gain, and hjw many troops had he 1 How uiany troops had the enemy ? 23. To what place, in the absence of the Englit^h troops, did tho French lay siege, and with what success ? W hat gem i nl action was fought 1 Where did the French retrial to, oid Ivhere did they surrender? What is said of the French power in India after this 1 24. What was the condition of the British Navy at this time, and what great .%dmira1ff flnurifhfd. 23. When did George II. die, in what year of his reign and at wlmt •get } 122 HISTORY Of EKGLANO. CHAPTER XIII. The House of Hanover. From the accession of George the III, to the Union of Great Britain and Ireland, 1. George III.— 1760— 5801.— George the Third was in the twenty-sf'^c^nd year of his age when he ascended the throne. He was the grandson of the late king, being the son of Frederick Prince of Wales, who died in 1751. The young king being the first of his family who was an Englishman by birth, was regarded by the people witi> warmer feelings of attachment than his two immediate predecessors could command, as the favor shown by the latter to their Gennan dominions was viewed with great jealousy by their British subjects. George the Third was moral and religious in private life ; he is now admitted ona'H hands to have been a man of far greater talents than hit detractors were willing to admit in his own days ; and was undoubtedly more popular with the great body of the nation than any monarch since Queen Elizabeth. He was inclined to exercise more authority in the government than circumstances permitted his two immediate predeces- sors to wield ; and in this he fully succeeded. His chief characteristic was firmness, which he often carried to obstinacy. His manner of life was plain and simple to a degree seldom seen in princes ; and the appellation of " Farmer George," was that, in his latter years, by which the people generally loved to call him. It must be histout of snglaiib. 123 ' admitted, howeVer^that bts entmies acicuse him of uisine«r- ity, with some show of truth. Iq 1*761 he married Charlotte, Princess of Mecklenburgfa Strelitz. 2. The war continued to be carried on with great energy and success, notwithstanding that Mr. Pitt retired from the ministry. France, having in vain attempted to obtain peace, entered into alliance with Spain, who thus joined the enemies of England. She was a heavy sufferer by this step: flavannah was taken by the Earl of Albemarle and Admiral Pococke, with plunder to the amount of Hhree millions sterling ; the city of Manilla surrendered to General Draper and Admiral Cornish ; and two valuable treasure ships were about the same time captured by British vessels. 3. Meanwhile a change had taken place in the adminis- tration. The Duke of Newcastle, who l»d long been in office, was forced at last to resign his post of first Lord of the Treasury, and was succeeded by the Earl of Bute. Other changes in the ministry also took place. Lord Bute was a Scotchman, and his appointment to office revived the ancient enmity between the two mtions, and gave rise to a paper war, perhaps unequalled for virulence even in party contests. 4. A treaty of peace was signed at Paris on the 10th of September, 1763, which terminated the seven years' war. England retained Canada, several ports on the Senegal, the islands of Grenada, St. Vincent, Tobago'and Dominica. Her achievements in this w^r had been ex- traordinaiy. She had acquired.the whole of the North 124 HISTORT or ENGLAND* I American Continent ; had taken twenty-five islands, nine fortified cities and towns, and about forty forts and cas** ties ; had won twelve great battles by sea and land ; had destroyed or captured near a hundred ships of war from the enemy ; and the specie and other property she ac- quired is reported at ten millions of pounds sterling. 5. Peace abroad was succeeded by party dissensions at home. The Earl of Bute became daily more unpopular, although his influence with the king and in parliament seem- ed unabated. He resigned office, however, to the great sur- prise of every one, and was succeeded by Mr. George Grenvilie. Tt was supposed, nevertheless, that the Earl still governed the royal councils. The press poured forth the most violent attacks on the administration, and all the fac- tions into which parties were divided attacked each other with equal violence. Conspicuous among those publications was the North Briton, a periodical paper conducted by John Wilkes, member of parliament for Aylesbury. Wilkes was a man of profligate character, but of consid- able talents. Having been arrested for libel on a general warrant, he defended his cause with the utmost spirit, and succeeded in procuring a decision that such warrants were illegal. Having also been elected several times member of parliament for Middlesex he was each time expelled by the Commons, although always returned by large majorities. At a subsequent period he got all the pro- ceedings erased from the parliaiftentary journals, by a vote of the Housa, as being subversive of the rights of the electors of the kingdom. Thus, by a strange freak of HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 12b fortune, a man of bad character, both public and and pri- vate, was the instrument of seturing two great safeguards of their liberties to the people of England. At a some- what later period an annoymous writer, under the name of Junius, took a prominent part in the political contests of his day, and his productions are still admired for the > elegance of his style, while his attacks on the king, his ministers and others, were marked by a boldness amounting to ferocity. 6. The fast expenditure of the late war pressed heavily on the people of England, and it was argued that the North American Colonies, which had profitted so largely by the treaty of peace, should bear a portion of the ex- pense incurred to obtain the benefits conferred on them. With this view a measure was introduced by Mr. Grenville, into the House of Commons, for imposing stamp duties on mercantile transactions in the colonies. The bill passed with little opposition ; and thus commenced the unhappy proceedings which finally severed the present United States from Great Britain. When news of this transac- tion reached North Ameiica it caused the utmost excite- ment and indignation. Associations were formed to resist the law, and the Provincial Legislatures, protesting against being taxed by a body in which they were not represented, forwarded remonstrances to the king and parliament couched in Ihe strongest language. The progress of the dispute was, however, arrested for a while by the downfall of the Grenville administration. A new ministry was formed at the head of whirh was the Marquis of Rocking- 126 HISTORY or ENttLAND. ham. They immeditteljr repealed the stamp act, and the cider tax, one of Lord Bute's measures, which was equally unpopular in England. This secured a short period of tranquillity. ^. The Rockingham administration was soon broken up (1767), and a ministry was formed under the auspices of Mr. Pitt, created Earl of Chatham, with the Duke of Grafton, as first Lord of the Treasury, at its head. The scheme of taxing the Colonies was unfortunately resumed, and an act was passed imposing duties on glhss, paper, painters' colors and tea imported into the British Colbnial* possessions. The Americans remonstrated > and resolved not to use British manufactures until the tax was re- moved. 8. The Earl of Chatham, suffering from bad henith, and finding that his influence was lost in the cabinet, resigned office, (1770), as did also the Duke of Grafton. Lord North took the place of the Duke, as first Lord of the Treasury. In the year 1771, the right of openly publish- ing the debates in parliament was established, and has ever since been continued. In 1772 the royal marriage act was passed, by which the young members of the royal fkmily cannot marry without the consent of the sovereign. The same year Europe witnessed the disgraceful spectacle of the first partition of Poland by Germany, Russia and Prussia. In 1773 Ireland and Scotland were deprived of large masses of their population, who were forced to emigrate to the North American Colonies by the rapa- city of the laud-owners. HISTORY or ENGLAND. 1^7 9. Matters now began to be very alarming in the American Colonies. Large, quantities of tea bay- ing been shipped from London to Boston, the vessels were boarded at night by persons disguised as Indians who threw the tea-chests into the water. This act was met on the part of the British government and parliament by measures of harsh retribution. A bill for shutting up the port uf Boston, and another for depriving Massachusetts of its charter were passed ; and a third bill of a still stronger character, enacted that if any person were indicted for murder or any capital oiTcnre, in aiding the magistracy, euch person or persons might be sent to any other colony, or Great Britain, for trial. The men of New England, at once made active preparations to resist those laws, as an infringement on their liberties ; and all the other colonies with the exception of Georgia, zealously took part in the quarrel, and resolved to discontinue commercial rela- tions with the mother country, until the statutes complained of were repealed. Delegates from the different colonies assembled at Philadelphia ; they promised aid to the pejo- ple of Massachusetts, and asserted their determination not to submit to oppression and injustice, (1774.) • 10. In vain did Lord Chatham point out to the ministry and parliament of England the danger of the course they were pursuing ; equally in vain were addresses from the corporation of London and many public bodies to the same effect. The governing powers were obdurate, and were unhappily supported in their ruinous career by a large portion of the nation. 12S HISTORY or ENGLAND, 11. The Americans made prepartionn for the Btrugfgte which was now inevitable, by training tlie militia, storing provisions, and procurmg munitions of war. The first conflict took place on the 18th April, 1775. A dctach- motit of British soldiers having been i^ent from Boston to seize some military stores which the Americans had collflcte I at Coniiord, on n>aching Lexington they were opposed by a body of provincials. After a brief skirmish the soldiers proceeded to Concord and destroyed the stores 1 lid up there. But on their return they were attacked on all sides, and had they not been rescued by a regiment sent from Boston to their assistance, they would have all perished. They lost 65 men killed, 168 wounded, and 28 prisoners. 12. All the provinces now determined to take part in the conflict. Volunteers came everywhere forward, and the provincial delegates again assembling, assumed the title of the Congress ot the thirteen United States of America. Thoy took steps to raise an army and issued paper money to meet the expense of the war. They, however, sent an address to the king praying that he would put an end to the unnatural conflict between the two countries ; but no notice was taken of their request. The war was vigor- ously prosecuted. The fortresses of . Ticonderoga and Crown Point were surprised by the American militia, and a bold but unsuccessful attempt was afterwards made on the stronijj city of Quebec in Canada. The towns and villages in the neighbourhood of Boston were garrisoned by the in- Kurgents, and the city was placed under a strict blockade^ I HI8T0ET or INOLAKD. 129 But General Gage, who commanded the British forees in Boston, having n ctMved reinforcements, resolved to begin active operations. He attaclced the American intrench- ments on Bunker's Hill, from which he drove the enemy after a long and fierce struggle, with a heavy loss on both sides, (June, 1775). 13. General Washington having been unanimously elected commander in chief of the American ^ ces, that illustrious man entered on the career which has made his name famous throughout the world. He laid siege to Boston which was evacuated bv the English, 'after suffer- ing greatly from famine. An expedition undertaken about the same time by the British against Geoigia signally failed. On the 4th July, 1766, the Congress of the United States put forth their Declaration of Independence. 14f. The war was carried on with alternate success ; but it is impossible to rive ail its details in a work of this description. Washington was in the year 1776 so hardly pressed, that the cause of his country seemed all but desperate. Nearl} all the strong places were in posses- sions of the Royalists, who had been successful in almost e^ery quarter. But his prudence and fortitude, bucked by the zeal of the people, saved the cause and country. On the 27 ih October, 1777, General Burgoyne, who en- tered the States at the head of 7000 men, surrendered ^ to General Gates at Saratoga. 15. In 1778 France acknowledged the independence of the United States and entered into a close alliance with them. The English ministry brought measures into e2 130 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. paHiament conceding to the revolted colonies all their de- mandS) excepting only their severance from the Empire. But the concession came too late, and the commissioners sent to offer the terms were received with scorn. The discussion of the ministerial project was the cause of the last memorable appearance of Lord Chatham in the House of Lords. He fell down in a fit, from which he never recovered, while protesting against the dismember- ment of the empire, in answer to a motion of the Duke of Richmond to declare the independence of the United States. 16. Spain also joined in the war against England; i^nd the Americans, supported by that country and France, ex- pected to bring matters to an early close. But the con- test was still obstinately continued. In 1780 Holland was added to the enemies of Britain, and about the same time •the northern powers entered inta^a confederation, cciUed the armed neutrality, directed against the naval supremacy of England. But the spirit of the nation did not sink in this hard struggle. Admiral Rodney defeated the enemy's fleet and relieved'Oibraltar ; then sailing to the West Indies, he dispersed a French fleet superior to his ownt South Carolina was subdued by Sir Henry Clinton ; the army of General Gates was beaten by Lord Cornwah.N ; and another American General, Arnold, believing the cause of his country desperate, deserted to the English. Major Andr6, the British Adjutant General, a young officer of great promise, having been taken in the dis- guise of a countryman within the American lines, while HISTORY OF ENGLANO. 131 on bis return from negociating with Arnold, was executed as a spy. 17. Tiie campaign of 1781 decided the question of American independence. Lord Cornwallis was attacked at Yorktown by the combined forces of France and America, and compelled to surrender with his army. 18. This year England witnessed the disgraceful occurrences known as Lord George Gordon's riots. They were directed against the Roman Catholics, in consequence of the repeal of some penal statutes formerly passed against that denomination. From the 30th May to the 8th of June the mob Wc>s in complete possession of London, and during that time they committed the most brutal excesses. Many chapels and buildings were destroyed, and thirty-five fires were visible at one time from an eminence near Hampstead. The number killed and wounded exceeded 600. 19. The attempts to subdue America had now become ^ ii»peless, and a large majority of the House of Cpmmons, listening to the prayers of the people, were determined on putting an end to the useless and expensive contest. A motion by General Conway, to the effect that whoever advised his majesty to continue the American war should be considered a public enemy, was carried ; and the min- istry resigned. A new administration was formed under the Marquis of Rockingham and Mr. Fox ; but Rocking- ham dying a short time after, Lord Shebourne took bis place in the cabinet. The independence of the United States was acknowledged on the 20th January, 178;^, and 132 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. at the same time peace was effected with France and Spain* III fact, these two countries were as desirous as England to finish tl.'e war, the navy of tlur former having been nearly annihilated by a victory whicli Admiral Rodney gnined over Count de (Wrasse on the 12th April, 178*2 ; and the Spaniards.assisttd by the French, having beseiged Gibral- tar, were forced to '•etire alter f;jiling in their attempt, and seeing the immense floating batteries they had prepared, destroyed by red-hot balls fired by the gar:ison. 20. The death of the Marqnis of Rockingham and tlie appointment of the Earl of Shelburne as Premier, induced Mr. Fox and his friends to send in their resigna- tions. Mr. Fox afterwards entered into a coalition with Lord North, whose measures he i)ad formerly opposed with great violence, and they assumed the government of the country supported by an overwhelming majority in parliament. But their success was of short duration. Mr. Fox brought forward a bill to regulate the government of India, which was carried in the House of Commons, but rejected by the Peers, whereupon the ministry was dis- missed by the king. 21. William Pitt, second son of the celebrated Earl of Chatham, was the most conspicuous member of the minis- try now formed. He wn* only twenty-four yeais of age, but he had already greatly distinguished himself in parlia- ment by his eloquence and talents. For sonoe time, the country witnessed the strange spectacle of an administra- tion carrying on the public business with a vast majority of tl.c House of Commons in bitter opposition to them. niSTORT OF ENGLAND. 133 But on an" appeal to the people » the elections [iroved highly favourable to the government. Mr. Pitt introduced into the new parliament an Inilia Bill less objectionable than the former one, which pas<$ed triumphantly, and several other important measures were carried with little op- position. 22. In 1785 J*itt brought forward a motion for the reform of parliament, which was rejected by a vote of 248 against n4>. The following year an attempt was made on the king's life by a woman of the name of Margaret Nicbol- son, who turned out to be insane. Tn the year 1787 the famous trial of Warren Hastings, formerly Governor General of India, commenced on a motion by Mr. Sheridan, assisted by Mr. Burke nnd Mr. Fox. He was impeached before the House of Lords for high crimes and misdemeanors in his office ; and after a trial madejmerao- rable by the eloquence of Burke and Sheridan, and which lasted for no less a period than seven years, he was finally acquitted. In the month of November, 1788, the ministry made public the fact that the king had been for some time labouring under insai.ity. After warm debates it was determined in the English parliament, that the Prince of Wales should be declared Regent, but sub- ject to certain restrictions, while the custody of the king's person should be confided to the queen. The Irish parliament, on the other hand, decreed that the Begency of that country should be conferred on the Prince of Wales with no restrictions whatever. This state of afiftirs Wiuld have led to difficulties ; but, happily, on 134 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. the 10th March, 1789, the ministry were ahle to announce that the king had recovered. 23. Since the conclusion of the American war, the coun* try had enjoyed peace at home and abroad, with the ex- ception of the East Indies, where Hyder AH, sovereign of Mysore, and his son and successor, Tippoo Saib, had shown much hostility to the English. In February, 1792; Tippoo's capital, Seringapatam, was invested by the Brit- ish forces under Lord Cornwallis and General Baird ; and a peace was concluded with him which deprived him of the greatest part of his dominions. 24. The attention of the British people and government had been for some time directed towards France, where the greatest event of modern times, '^ the French Revolution," had already made considerable progress. That country had long suffered under a misgovernment, that at last became insupportable. The despotic power of the crown over all classes was sufficiently galling ; but this tyranny was far exceeded by the evils arising from the privileges enjoyed by a crowd of nobles, who trampled on the people and consumed their substance. Thi middle classes, too, were shut out from every path of honourable ambition. Voltaire, Bousseau, and other able wiiters had attacked the existing state of things^ both religious and political, with the arms at once of argument and ridicule ; and for a . long time a reform or a revolution had become inevitable. The success of the American struggle for indepjndence, in which the French had taken so prominent a part, has- tened the crisis. y The king, Louis the Siiteentb, a / HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 135 (T weak but not a bad man, was whoUy nn6t to grapple with the difficulties by which he was surrounded. The finances were M5 a ruinous condition, and the country was on the eve of a national bankruptcy. It was at last determined to assemble the States' General, which had not been called together since the early part of the century ; and they accordingly met on the 5th May, 1789. 25. This body consisted of the representatives of the ^clergy, the nobles and the commons, divided into three chambers. It was now resolved, however, that they should meet in one body, an arrangement which insured the preponderance of the popular party, which was, by far, the most numerous. Assuming the name of The National Assembly, they forthwith commenced the re- moval of the abuses under which France had so long suffered. Feudal privileges were abolished ; trial by jury was introduced ; monastic institutions were suppress- ^,— and many other changes took place. But unfoptu-^ nately, powe.' by degrees got into the hands of zealots or knaves who drove the people into phrenzsy, until they committed acts which must be regarded with horror, by all good men. The Bastile, the great state prison of France, so infamous for the oppressions and cruelties of which it was the scene, was attacked by the people of' Paris, and levelled to the ground. The king having attempted to escape from the kingdom, was brought back in triumph ; his palace was afterwards stormed by the mob ; his guards were massacred ; he and his family were imprisoned ; and royalty was abolished in France. Hav- f^' 136 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. h m^ been brought to trial, the unfortunate Louis was con- dfmned to death, and executed on the 21st January, 1793. The que<^n, Marie Antoinette, met a similar fate, and their eldest son, the Dauphin, died in prison from ill treatment, such as sivages would scarcely have inflicted on a child of his tender years. Crowds of other victims were sacrificed to the popular fury, to such an extent, and accompanied ^ith such horrid excesses, as have well earned f jr this era the appellation of the Keign of Terror. 26. The most of the powers of Europe were now in arms in opposition to France. The National Convention declar- ed war against the king of England and the Stadtholder of Holland. The Duke of York was sgpt with an English army to join the Allies in invading France, but, though at first successful, the second campaign resulted unfavoura- bly to chem. The harbour of Toulon was indeed sur- rendered to the English, but they were forced to evacuate it in a short time. 27. Among the occurrences of the year 1794. were the trials of Messrs. Hardy, Home Tooke and others, for high treason. Their real crime was an attempt to obtain parlia- mentary reform. They were acquitted ; but in Scotland and Ireland, several persons were under similar charges found guilty of sedition and some were sentenced to trans- portation. To compensate for the losses by land,the British navy, under Earl Howe, gained a victory over the French fleet in the West Indies, and several French Colonies were about the same time conquered by the British forces. Other triumphs attended the navy daring the succeeding year, HlSTORr OF ENGLAND, 137 especially a brilliant victory under Lord Bridport at L'Orient. But an expedition, in which the French emigrants, who had fled from their country during the Hevolution, attempted to penetrate into France was utterly defeated. 28. The continental powers were gradually compelled to make peace with the French Republic, and at Inst Aus- tria and England were left to carry on the conflct by themselves. In 1796 the Dutch and Spaniards joined France against England. Several Dutch settlements in the West Indies were taken, but Britain lost^he Island of C'^rsica, which had been for several years under her pro- tection. Napoleon Bonaparte, whose wonderful career had now begun, obtained victory after victory over the Austrians in Italy, and astonished Europe by the rapidity and ease with which he drove before him the highly dis- ciplined £irmies of that power, under the most experienced generals. 29. The expenses of the war and the injury to trade had caused such cerangement in the finances of the country that the Bank of England, in 1797, stopped payment in specie. But more alarming still, mutinies broke out in the navy, which for a time threatened the ruin of the empire. One at Spithead was happily arranged by giving the seamen an addition to their pay ; but the mutiny which took place at the Nore was attendtd with greater difficul- ty, ao^ was not quelled without bloodshed, and the execu- tion of some of the ringleaders. Notwithstanding these untowards events the navy maintained its high character. ^ 138 HItTORT OF ENGLAND. Sir John Jervis encountered the Spanish fleet ofT Cape St. Vincent and obtained a decisive victory^ while Admiral Duncan defeated the Dutch fleet at Camperdown. But England was now left to contend alone against France and her allies ; for Austria, everywhere defeated, was no longer in a condition to continue the contest, and the treaty of Campio Formio was dictated to her by Greneral Bonaparte. 30. In the year 1782, the people of Ireland had sue** ceeded in obtaining from England ^e legislative indepen- dence of their country ; but the repeal of the laws which deprived the Roman Catholic population of the full rights of British subjects was still denied to them. This griev- ance led to much dissatisfaction on the part of the numerous class of the inhabitants aflected by it, while many young men of talents and education had imbibed the principles of the French revolution, and sighed for a republic. All these circumstances combined led to an outbreak in that country in 1798. After a short but sanguinary struggle, in which many atrocities were committed on both sides, the insurrection was put down, and a small French force sent to aid the insurgents were made prisoners of war. 31. In the meantime General Bonaparte had invaded Egypt at the head of a French army, having tak;en possession of the Island of Malta on his way. The fleet which had transported him thither was attacked by the English under Admiral Nelson, and totally destro}|ul or captured. Bonaparte, however, overrun Egypt with hia usual success ; but attempting to penetrate into Syria he HISTORY OF ENGLAND. m9 suc- was repulsed before St. Jean d'Acre, chiefly through the exertions of Sir Sydney Smith, who commanded an English squadron in that quarter. 32. In' the East Indies the English conquered the dominions of their old enemy, Tippoo Saib, who fell in defending his capital, which was taken by storm. In France, Bonaparte having been appointed Chief Consul for life, offered to conclude a peace with England, but the offer was rejected. A coalition formed against him resulted in the battle of Marengo, in which he obtained a decisive victory over the Austrians ; and a second defeat at Hohenlinden compelled the Emperor of Austria to sue for peace, ft 800. J 33. The important question of a legislative union with Ireland had long been desired by the British ministry, and after much difficulty and intrigue was at last attained. By this measure it was provided that from the 1st January, 1801, there should be but one parliament for the British islands^ in which Ireland should be represented by four Spiritual Peers, taken in rotation every session, twenty- eight Temporal Peers, chosen for life by the whole body of Irish Peers, and one hundred Commoners, elected in l4ie usual manner. The cross of St. Patrick was added to those of St. George and St. Andrew on the national ban- ner, which is thence called the Union Flag. 140 QUESTIONS. \ m. Questions on Chapter Thirteenth* 1. Who succeeded George II.? What ia said of the younj( Kings age, of the place of his birth, of his character, popu- larity, his mude ol life, &c. '{ What did his enemies accuse < the King of { To whom was he married and when 1 '' 2. What minister retired IVcm office, and how was the war carried on 1 With what country did France enter into an alliance 1 What losses did Spain sustain 1 3. What changes in the ministry took place ') What is said of Lord Bute 1 4, When was the " Seven Years war terminated V* What had England gained by the tvar 1 6. By f horn was I^ord Bute succeeded, and ivhat is said cf his L.trdship's influence after retiring *? How did the press be- have at ithis time i Who tvas John Wilkes, -r-desciibe itis claracter— whui two important safe*: uards of the liberties of England ^vas he ihe means of securing 1 What is said re- specting an annryymous writer under the name of Junius 1 6. What act was paned by Parliament i'nr muking the North American Colonies pay'part of the heavy expenditure caused by the last war 1 Uow was it received in America, and how was the dispute for a time arresttd "i W hat new ministry was formed an i what nets were repealed 1 7* When and by whom was the scheme of taxing the Colonies re* sumed '{ What did the Americans in ctjnsequence resolve upon 1 8. Who succeeded as the head of the ministry 1 What important right ««as cs^ublishtd in 1771 'i When was the royal mar- riage act passed, and what is its principal provision i W hen and by whom was the first pnniti n of Poland effected 'I In what year did a large emigration take place from Ireland and Scotland, and whut led to ii 1 9. What was the state of affairs in North America 1 Hoiv did the people of Boston act with respect to certain cargoes of lea-— , and what did the Briti&h Parliament do in consequence 1 What preparations were made for resistance by the Amer- icans 1 10. W'ere the ministry and Parliament remonstrated with upon the course they were pursuing towards America, and did this produce any good effect J 11. When and where did the first conflict take place between the British and Americans ? Describe tlie particulars i 12. Did all the Provinces determine on resistance, and what title did their delegates assume 1 \\ hat address did they send to the QUESTIONS. HI King, nnd how irai it received 1 Whot fortreMes fell into the hands of the Americans 1 What battle did Genit'Al Gage tight with the Americiins. and wiih what results 1 IS. Who was elected Commander in Chief of the American forces 1 What pince did he lay siege to ? What-^Hritish expedit!/)n fiiiled ofsuccers ? \\ hen d;d the Congress issue the Declar- ation of liidependeurc t 14. What was the position in which Washington stood in 1776, and what success had the British gained '( What sa^ed the Amer- ican cause { When and nhere did tlie English General Bur»oyiie surrender 1 15. When did France ncltnowledge the independence of the United States 1 What importani measure did the k place respecting the Bastile, the flight, capture and fate oi the King, of his Queen and of his eldest son 1 Were many other victims sacrificed to popular fury and what is this era usually called n 26. Who did France declare war against 1 What expedition did England fit out t What success did it meet with '? What harbour was taken and afterwards evacuated ? 27. What political trials took place in England and ScoJand in 1794 and with what results in each country 1 What naval victories did Britain gain and what is said of an attack on France by French emigrants 1 28. What was the state of Europe at this time 1 What countries in 179(> joined France against England % What settlements wera taken by England in the West Indies and what island did she lose in the Mediterranean 1 What is 'said of the rise of Na- poleon Bonaparte 1 29. What led to the Bank of England suspending payments in spe- cie 1 What mutinies broke out in England i How were they brought to a close 1 What two great naval actions weM fought 'i What treaty did Austria sign with France. Had England any fillies left /^ 30. What led to an odibreak in Ireland and how did it terminate 1/ 31. What conntry did Bonaparte invade 1 What became of his fleet 1 What success did Bonaparte meet with in Egypt 1 What of his attack on Syria 1 32. What dominions did England conquer in India ? To what rank was Bonaparte raised 1 What proposal did he make to England t Ho\v was it received 1 What coalition was formed against Bonaparte, what two battles did he gain and what was the Emperior of Austria compelled to do 1 33* When was the Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland effected ? How many spiritual and temporal Peerc^ did Ireland send to the House of Lords, how many repre« aentatives to the House of Commons 1 What is said of the national banner and its new name 1 1 I HISTORY OF ENGLAND. l43 CHAPTER XIV. The House of Hanover. From the Union of Great ^9'itain and Ireland, to the death of George HI, 1. George m.— 1801— 1820.— Paul, Emperor of Eussia, not only deserted the alliance into which he had entered with the other European powers against France, \mt became an active enemy of England. He persuaded Prussia, Denmark) and Sweden tojoin him in reversing the old alliance known as the armed neutrality directed against the naval power of England. A British Heet, under Ad- mirals Parker and Nelson, was consequently sent against Copenhagen, the Danish capital, which, after a fierce at- tack, was forced to capitulate. The death of the Emperor Paul at this moment put an end to the confederacy of the Northern powers, and his successor, Alexander, entered into friendly relations with the British gorernment. 2. An English force^ under General Sir Ralph Aber- crombie, was sent to Egypt to drive the French out of that country. They effected a landing at the Bay of Aboukir, though strongly opposed by the French, who were defeated with considerable loss. But the success of the English was attended with the loss of their gallant commander, who died of a wound he received in battle. The French, having been worsted in several contests, were compelled to enter into terms of capitulation^ nnd Egypt was restored to its ancient masters, the Turks. Hi HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 3. Both England and France were now desirous of repose, and Mr. Pitt having previously resigned the station of prime minister in favour of Mr. Jfddington, the Treaty of Amiens was ratified on the 29th April, 1802. 4. But this pacification was destined to be of short duration. Bonaparte had been elected by the French nation Consul for life, in May, 1802, and the people and government of England looked with jealousy on the gigan- tic preparations for war he continued to make after the peace of Amiens. They, therefore, refused to give up the Island of Malta, which they bound themselves by strict, treaty to surrender to the Maltese Knights. This and many other causes of dispute having arisen, the English Ambassador, JjorA Whitworth, who had beer^ treated with great indignity by the First Consul, withdrew from France, and war was proclaimed in May, 1803. Thus begun one of the most fearful contests in which the nations of the world have ever been engaged, and which, after deluging Europe with blood, ended in the downfal of Bonaparte in 1815. 5. A short time before the renewal of the war a con- spiracy for the subversion of the government was detected in England. It was formed by a Colonel Despard, who believed himself to have been ill-^^eated by the ministry. His associates were men of the loill^t rank, and nothing could be more wild or inadequate than the means by vrfaich they proposed to execute their insane projects. The prin- cipal conspirators were tried and executed. Shortly after alarm was renewed by the account of an incur- •;*3i ,}.. i V II r-j fc H lll t.M l l I I ' f^fi'it i ' ■'-— " ( iiiii,! ■ I II! I I I ^~~^j^^'.^ ^.^^ m0mti«'**i*'*'^* ZS^Z^t nvtom 09 ivotAMS* l#1f when tliey ventured to show themselTes, aud of the cap* ture of some of the Enemy's colonies and possessions. 8. William Pitt, who had resumed his station at the head of the government, died on the 23rd January, 1806, at the early age of 4*5. He was succeeded by Lord Grenrdle, as apparent head of the new ministry, but the real leader was Charles James Fox, the old opponent of Fitt. Fox's possession of power was of short dura- tion, as he died on the 13th September of the same year* He had great objects in view while in office, in seeking for Eu^ nean peace, Roman Catholte emancipation, ^nd tite Si! \ -ma of the Slare trade, the last of which he had ne«iiy succeeded in effecting when he was cut off by death* 9. The measure last named was, however, happily con* aummatftd by his remaining colleagues, who shortly afte,. had to resign office in consequence of having attempted a measure for the relief of the Eoman Catholics, to which ^e king was opposed. 10. Napoleon having by his numerous victories over Austria, Russia, and Prussia, placed the whole of Coatin- tal Europe under hb feet, direct'id his power and energies to the destruction of British commerce. He now issued the celebrated Berlin and Milan Decrees. By these all the ports of the continent were closed against British goods and manufactures. Among others Denmark was prohibited from holding any commerce with England, and the British government had reason to fear that the French Emperor would seize the Danish navy for bis own pur* ppsM. An eipeditioa luder Adourti hotd G$mlmf ,«—• ^^'l us mSTORT or ENGLAVO* i ^ I ■X' and General Lord Cathcart was sent to demand thjS surrender cf the Danish fleet>to beheld by England until the end of the war. This demand was refused, and the English having bombarded Copenhagen, the king of pen- mark, to save his capital, agreed to give up his fleet, and a large quantity of naval stores, which were taken posses* sion of by the British forces. This act is only to be vindicated by the necessity of the case> England having at the time to contend for her very exist«ince against the overpowering odds that were arrayed against her. The British arms were not at this time so successful in other quarters. Buenos Ayres having been cap- tured by Sir Home Popham, was retaken by the inhabitants, and an anuament sent out to recover it, failed disgracefully; a fleet under Admiral Duckworth forced the passage of the Dardanelles, but was compelled to retire with loss ; Alexandria, in Egypt, was captured by General Eraser, but he was soon forced to evacuate his conquest; and an expedition sent to aid the king of Sweden was equally unsuccessful. This was followed by the war in Spain and Portugal, of which we have next to 11. Napoleon hating determined to place the crown of Spain on the head of a member of his own family, had, by intrigue and favor, got the royal family into his power, and his troops introduced into the country. His brother, Joseph Bonaparte, was finally proclaimed king of Spain, and steps were taken to secure the entire Peninsula by the seizure of Portugal. The Prince Regent of that kiDg|- .'^i- RlSTCmT OF INOLAim. 149 dom, alarmed by the ap{)earance of a powerful array OQ the frontier, embarked on board of a British fleet, by which he was conveyed to Brazil, the Portuguese settle- ment in South America, and the French took possession of Lisbon without opposition. 12. But though Spain was overrun by the armies of France, and though the higher ranks in general submitted to the sway of the conqueror, the great body of the peo- ple were bent on resistance. Guerilla bands were formed throughout the kingdom, who attacked the French where- ever an opportunity offered, cut off their supplies, and con- tinually harrassed them. The Spanish armies were badly armed, without sufficient arms, discipline or efficient commanders, but on several occasions they evinced a spirit which encouraged the hope that they might finally succeed in freeing the country from their present detested masterF, In Portugal the hatred to French domination was no less intense. The people of Madrid rose in insurrection, which was only suppressed alter a fearful massacre. Provisior \1 juntas were formed in all the pro- vinces throughout Spain ; by the aid of the British navy and the garrison of Gibraltar, the City of Cadiz was secured, and the French fleet forced to surrender ; General Dupont with a force of 15,000 men was compelled to surrender to the patriot General Castanos ; another French force, under Moncey, was forced to retire from Valencia ; and a Spanish army, which had been employed by Napoleon in the north of Germany, revolted, and was eonveyed by a B/'itisfa squadron to the Peninsula. The m fflfttdipr trieimuiiiii. l' ?■ flame of insurreetiott extended to Portugal, ihd though the French Generals massacred without mercy those sus- pected of taking a share in the liberation of their country, the spirit Of resistance spread wider daf bj daft 13. England having been applied to for assistance, the ministry and the nation at once responded to the demand. Two expeditions were sent to Portugal ; one consisting of 10,000 men, under >ir Arthur Wellesley, who had gained a high reputation in India ; another of 12,000 men command- de by Sir John Moore, a brave and accomplished officer* On the Jst August, 1808 the British force under Wellesley landed at Mondego Bay ; on the seventeenth the French were attacked at lloli<^'a and defeated; and on the 21st the more important battle of Vimiera was fought, in which the English were completely victorious. But General Wellesley having been superseded in his com- nand by the arrival, successively, of two generals o( higher rank, Sir Harry Burrard and Sir Hew Dalrymple, a convention was signed at Cintra, on terms which were thought so favorable to the French that they created great complaint. By this convention the French agreed to evacuate Portugal, but they were to be sent to France at the expence of England. A Russian fleet in the Tagus was surrendered to tl)e British Admiral » who agreed to restore the vessels six months after the conclusion of peace with Russia. 14>. The Spanish patriots having formed a central government, Sir John Moore marched from Portugal with the view of reaching Madrid. But Napoleon having now X\?^ mWrtlKt fSW Ittf&VkifDt 111 resolved to crush all opposition in Spain, ihafcbecl into i\» country at the head of a force which swelled the French army there to 300,000 men. He took possession of the capital, and dispersed the provisional governiiillt. Moore found himself in a poiiition of great dan^ f. nenaced on every side by the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, and without support from the Spaniards. He, therefore, retreated nortliward, followed by the French. After dreadful hardships the British army arrived at Corunna, on the sea coast, where transports were awaiting them* Attacked there by a superior force, they turned npon the eikemy, whom they repulsed with loss ; and then embarked without further molestation. Sir John Moore Was killed in the engagement by a cannon ball just as victory bad declared in his favor. 15. An expedition on a large scale wa« undertaken by England in another quarter, which was attended with signal disaster. A large fieet and army, the latter under the Earl of Ch, i, proceeded to the islands and penin- sula of South Hodand, with the view of striking a blow at the French from that quarter. Lord Chatham proved wholly unfit for iue command of such an expedition. After gaining some trifling advantages, the English took posses- sion of the I$iland of ^'alcheren, where the troops, attacked by sit-kness incident to the climate, died in thou- sands, and at last they returned home id a eouditioa truly wretched. 16. In l^lO George the Third was again attacked hf bis old malady, and tbeocefortfa, to the end of hk life, be 193 mSTORT OP-CMOUMfD* continued a confirmed lunatic. The Prince of Wales, afterwards George the Fourth, was declared B.egent. Although he had hitherto acted with the Whigs, who expected much from him, he retained the Tory ministers of his father in office. 17. The French, after the retreat of Sir John Moore, had advanced into Portugal and taken possession of Oporto, and several other places. But Sir Arthur Wellesley, having been re-appointed to the command of the British forces in that country succeeded in expelling them. He then marched into Spain, where he gained a brilliant vic- tory at Talavera ; but being unsupported by the Spaniards, he was obliged to relinquish his conquest and the advan- tages he had acquired. He was elevated to the Peerage by the title of Viscount Wellington in reward for his Mirvices; i \ 18. Napoleon next dispatched Marshal Massena, at the head of a splendid army, to expel the British from the Pen- insula, or, as he said, to (^rive *^ the Leopard into the sea." Wellington, whose force was far inferior to that of the enemy, retreated liesurely before them ; but being attack- ed at Busaco, he inflcted a severe defeat on his pursuers* He at last reached the lines of Torres Vedras, which he had strongly fortified to meet a contingency such as now had arrived. All the efforts of the French General to break through this impregnable barrier were in vain ; and worn with hunger and harrassed by the natives, the French were fprced to retreat, having lost 45,000 meq by battle, hardships and fe^mine. They revenged their disappoint'^ \ \'- ^ »*»'» iiiiirti HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 153 ment and defeat bj the inost cruel treatment of the in- habitants. Wellington crossed the frontier and carried the war into Spain ; and the battles of Albuera, Fuentes d^Honore and Barossa were successively gained by the British over the French. 19. On the llth May, 1812, the British Prime Minis- ter, Mr. Perceval, was shot bj a man of the name of Bellingham, in the lobby of the House of Commons. He was succeeded in his office by the Earl of Liverpool. 20. Marshal Marmont was appointed to the command of the French armies in the Peninsula, in place of Massena; but this general proved even less successful than his predecessor. In spite of all his efforts the strong fortresses of Cuidad Rodrigo, and Badajos were storm* ed by the British, and the forts securing the passage of the River Douro fell also into their hands. Wellington then resolved to advance into the centre of Spain, and drive the enemy from Madrid. Having.reacbed the capital, he waa received by the people with the utmost J05 ; but the folly and incapacity of the Spanish leaders and Generals, were a bar to further success for the time. Threatened by French armies three times more numerous than his owKi, Ife revreated to the frontiers of Portugal. In the mean- time Napoleon having invaded Russia, encountered those terrible disasters which ended in his downfal. 21. Some disputes between the governments of Great Britain and the United States led to a war between the two countries. The Americans unsuccessfully invaded Canada ; but, at sea, their frigates, being generally larger G ^ tft4 HI8T0RT OF ElfGtAND* f and of heavier armament, obtained fto:.i>3 advantages over British vessels. In equal combats they had nothing to boaHt of as the British were able to maintain their old mastery of the seas. 22. The Spanish Cortes became at last convinced that tbey could not obtain success under their owu generals, anJ gave the command of their "armies to Wellington.' The French were compelled to evacuate Madrid ; and on the 12th June, 1813, they were defeoted in the disastrous battle of Salamanca. The fortresses of St. Sebastian and Pampeluna wer^ taki n by the British who then prepared to march into France. Soult was now s^nt by Napoleoii to take command of the French armies in Spain, or rather on the Spanish frontier. He boldly attempted to pene<4 trate through the passes of ihe Pyrenees, but was beaten on the b^nks of the Nivelle by Wellington. Soult next to(dc up a strong possition at Orthes, from which he was: driven with heavy loss. Wellington pursued him, and again defeated him at Toulott^e, but at this moment a stop was put to the victorious career of the British General^ by the news that Napoleon had abdicated, and that the war was at end. The allied armies of the North of Europe had entered Paris ; the French Emperor was sent to tMi Island of Elba ; and the representative of the Bourbons was once again on the throne of France. The British army joined the Allies in Paris, ( 1814). London, shortly after, was- visited by many of the sovereigns and princes of Europe, as well as by the Generals and others who had taken an important part in the war. A \%\ \. RftToUT 0? tflM.Aff0. 155 23. But the ^^d had not yet don« with NapoWon nor he with tlie W(J||X A Gongrpss of Ambassadors froni the different states of Europe had assembled at Vienna to settle the affiiirs and clainis of the several nations, when news r«ache4 them that the Ex-Emperor had returned to France, and was again surrounded by his old soldiers, 'whose deTotion to him was unabated. All hopes of peaee were consequently, for a t'me, at an end, and preparations were made for the coming struggle. 24« Belgium was destined to be the scene of contest in this* war, and as the approach of the Russians, Austrians and others was necessarily slow, the English and Prus- sians were the ivst in the field. The former of theses were commanded by the Duke of Wellington, the latter by Field Marshal Blucheri Napoleoh attacked the Prussians on the 16th June, 1815, at Ligny, and defeated them. On the same day, the French, under Marshal iNey^ engaged the British at Quatre-Bras, and though they failed' in defeating them they succeeded in preventing them from aiding the Pru^ians^ Wellington took up a position at Waterloo, where he awaited the approach of the enemy; The battle was fought on the 18th of June ; and was, from its results, one of the most memorable in the annals of th^/ age. After a protrarted and bloody struggle the French' army was wholly routed and dispersed. Napoleon, soon after, surrendered to a British ship of war ; and it was ooii- sidered necessary for the peace of Europe that he should be sent to the Island of St. Helena, where be died « prisoner ita 1822. m ■»W(*t#»i|i»ii^i> m ( w i»»ii n i* mi»mm ^ ¥i*mt0ii^m ■ i lS iil i n ii I f \ % l I V \ffy HMTORV «F- INCLirffBb • 25. The changes Decessarily arising from a itateof war to a state of peace were for some time ^ jtarily felt by all classes of the nation, but more especially by the labouring and industfial classes. The great armaments which had been so long maintained had required such large supplies of all descriptions, and had given employment to so many peo- ple, that the sudden cessation^f hostilities caused much confusion and distress. The channels of trade opened by the war were closed ; the prices of manufactures and agricultural produce were, at once, greatly reduced, and labour consequently was in little demand ; and want, as asual^ induced the people to seek for an alleviation of their state in political changes^ and the reform of the inttitu- tions of the country. 26. Public attention (in 1816^ was, for a short time, directed from these calamities by an attack on Algiers by a Britbh fleet, under Lord Ei mouth, who had been sent to chastise the barbarous goyernment of that country, for its acts of piracy and robbery, which Europe had so long disgracefully permitted. The British Admiral, after a warm contest, destroyed the strongest defences of the city, burned the piratical fleet in the harbour, and forced the Dey to come to terms, by which he was bound to liberate all the Christian slaves in his dominions ; to abolish such slavery for ever \ and to make reparation for his previous aggressions. 27. But discontent continued to prevail to a dangerous degree within the realm, and restlessness and turbulence marked the few remaining years of the reign of George HISTORY or MIVI^IIA. Ift7 the Third. Alarming riots broke out in MTeral parts of the kiDgd 10. In what position was Napoleon at this time 1 What measures did he adopt to injure British commerce I Why did England deaire to possess the Danish fleet { How did she succeed, and what is said respecting the character cf (he act 1 What reverses did the British arms encounter elsewhere 1 11. What steps did Napolef)n adopt to obtain the crown of Spain for a member of hs family 1 What became of the Regent* of Portugal, and who occupied Lisbon 1 lj2. Who offered resistance to the French in Spain, and how did they «onduct the war 1 What took place at the same time in 1 ht riljilil M r^ >-*.^ l-»'w- "iii'MiifKimMt, QVlSTtONV. IW Portugal 1 .Narrate what occurred at Cadis, Valencia, the surrender of a French force and the revult^ of a Spanish army 1 What occurred in Portugal 1 13. What expeditions were sent by Kngland to Portugal 1 What did the army under >ir Arthur V\ eilesiey effect 1 What con- vention waa signed by the belligerents, and what fleet surren* dered to the British 1 14. Narrate the events of Sir John Moore's campaign 1 His advance i t ) "pain, his retreat and final buttle 1 15. What hrge expedition in another quarter was undertaken, and what success attended it '' 16. In what year, and for what reason, was the Prince of Wales de- clared >yai i i tn m— i '^fitmmmmmmmvmammmilk.... HISTORT or ClfGLAimv 161 disagreements arose between them from the first day they met. A separation liaving taken place, the Princess pro- ceeded to the Continent, where her conduct was so inde- corous, to say the least of it, that ?ven the treatment she had received at the hands of a very uad husband was not sufficient excuse for it. On the decease of George III. she now returned home and demanded the rights of a Queen of England. She was welcomed with great enthu- siasm by vast crowds of people, as well in London as on her road to the metropolis ; for she was considered to have been deeply wronged by the course pursued towards her by the King. But on the day of her arrival, a message was sent to both Houses of Parliament, desiring that an enquiry might be made into her conduct, and after some delay, a Bill of Pains and Penalities, to deprive her of her rights and dignities, and to divorce her from her husband, was brought into the House of Lords. After a long trial the measure was carried by a majority of nine.,; but so intense was the feeling in favour of the queen throughout the country, and especially in London, that the measure was abandonded. Caroline having made a vain at** tempt to participate in the coronation of the king, in West minster Abbey, died suddenly on the 7th August, 1820. 3. Great distress contimied to be felt throughout the British islands, owing to the fall in the prices of agricul- tural produce ; and in Ireland especially the popular distress led to scenes of violence and outrage. The king paid a visit to that country immediately after his coronation, and he was every where welcomed with acclamations. /■ .^/ j,;-i> 'r.Jt-'' m m«T(MlT or SMOLAlffP. f\ large number of the members returned were refcnaers. The Duke of Wellington having, in the House of Lords, declared himself opposed to Parliamentary lieforiu, tho popular anger was aroused against him, and his macdon was attacked. In the House of Commons the ministry were left in a minority, and consequently resigned. A new ministry was appointed of pnrsons favourable to re-^ form, under the leadersliip of Earl Grey as prime minister, 9„ On the it^t March, 1831, Lord John Russei, aroem*' ber of the ministry, announced in the House of Commons a Bill for the lie form of Parliament. It wa^ a more comprehensive measure than was anticipated. All boroughs containing less than two thousand inhabitants were totally disfranchised ; those that had less than four thousand inhabitants were restricted to one member, and the members of which these were deprived were to be returned by the large maniriacturing towns, by four dis- tricts of the Metropolis, and by divisions of the larger counties. The right of voting was given to all male owners of land worth j£lO a year or more, and to tenants of land worth j£50 a year; ii the towns the occupiers of houses, whether as owners or tenants, were to have a vote. Similar changes were proposed in the representation of Ireland and Scotland. The intense anxiety felt for the fate of this bill, as well by its supporters as its opponents) h?d not been equalled in the country since the revolution of 1688. It was rejected in the Commons by a majority of eight. The country was in a state of excitement and uproar. A new parliament was called, and the bi)l passed VXH .. -^Sitt .■Ajeti -trut^timmmtli HISTORY OF iBNdLAMO. t6& the Lower House hy a vote of SV! to 338. But it wal lost in the Lords by 199 to 158. The country was on the eve of a revolution j yet the Peers, who were deeply interested in retaining the representation of the minor, or rotten boroughs, as they were called, still held oiit. The ministry resigned, aind the crisis was hourly becoming more imminent. At last, however, after the Duke of Wellington had failed to form a ministry, and a threat had been held out to swamp the House of Lords by a large creation of new Peers, Lord Grey, having returned to power, the opposition gave way. The measure finally became law on the 17th June, 1832. Amid these politi- cal dissensions, the kingdom, as well as the continental countries was scourged by Asiatic cholera, though in Eng- land its lavages were less than in other countries ; but in Ireland agrarian outrages were added to the horrors of pestilence and famine. 10. A new election having been held, pursuant to the provisions of the reform bill, a large majority of the mem- bers returned were favourable to the government. One of the earliest measures of this parliament was an Act for abolishing slavery in the British Colonies^ and twenty-five millions of pounds sterling were voted to compensate the owners of slaves for their property in them. This magni- ficent gift has no parallel in the history of nations. 11. In the following year (1834) the poor laws were greatly altered ; and a bill having been brought into parliament by the government to put down outrages in Ire- land, and being rejected, Lord Grey resigned office. He was succeeded by Lord Melbourne, as prime minister. la Iff" * 169 i^PMTioi^ • > tb^ '^ ' linn, Lord Althorpt, who was Chancellot of tht Exchequer, having succeeded to the peerage Vy tbf Hfi, ;b of bis father, Lord Spencer, could no longer retain *ji>t office, and the ministry was dismissed by the king. Sir Robert Peel took the head of the government, but the country expressing much dissatisfaction at the chaogei and the new cabinet being defeated repeatedly in the House of Commons, their resignation became necessary. In June, 1635, the Melbourne administration resumed office. With the exception of an important act for refoi m* ing municipal corporations, there are no other measures of this reign that demand special notice. King William died on the 20t)i June, 1837. QuetlionB on Chapter Fijfeenth, 1. Unaer what name did the Prittee Regent ascend the throne 1 What is said or his character 1 What conspiracy tuok place, and what became of those engaged in it 1 2t Wliat is said of the differences between George the 4th and hi* Queen 1 How was the Queen received in England 2 \^'hat Bill was introduced ii to Parliament, and what became of it 1 When did the Queen dial 3. In what condition was Great Britain and Ireland a^ this time 1 What countries did the king visit 1 4i WInt was the year 1834 marked by 1 What ministeni aueo ceeded to Lord Liverpool l 5. What important Acts were passed by the British Parliament 1 Q. What struggle occurred in Europe at this lime, and how wm it terminated. What took place in the Kast Indies % 7. In what year and at what age did Gerrge the 4th die. 8. Who succeeded to the throne, und wh )t mtnte did he asaunie 1 What b said of his character and abilities ? What revolu> lion broke out at this time, and what were the resulta of it 9 How did it affect England 1 Upon what ground did the Duke of Wellington resign 1 What ntinist^ succeed^ tp Unit ■.:;';:^ mSTOIVT 9if^ ^^QZiAND. 107 9. When and by whom If as tlie Peform Dill introduced into Um Ho:ise uf Commons ? What were the principal provitiiotis in the Bill 1 What became of it 1 What was the fate of the Bill in a new Parliuiiient { Narrate what subsequently passed till the Bill became law in 1832 V\hal diseuse ^rst visited tho United Kingdom at thU time 1 ^.. 10. What important Act was pas«ed by the hrst Reformed Parlia- ment 1 What amount of money was given to compensate the owners of, slaves 1 tl. Whjr did Lord (irey resign olfice, and who succeeded him 1 •Wiiat changes tocA place in the government 1 When did William IV. die 1 CHAPTER XVI. The House of Hanover. ' Victoria, 1. Victoria.— 1837. — William the Fourth was sue- eeeeed hy the Princess Victoria, the only cliiid of Edward| Dtdee of Kent, fourth son of George the Third. 8be was then in the eighteenth year of her age. As it would be inconsistent with the object of this work to enter on topics which must, to some extent at least, involve the political questions of the day, we shall merely give a short sketch of the chief incidents of the present reign. In 1S40 the Queen was married to Albert, Prince of Saxe* Cobourg, and has a numerous family. 2. In 1837 and 1838 there were outbreaks m Canada, which resulted in the uaion of the Upper and Lower Provinces, and in a material alteration in the form of government. The year 1839 was marked by a depres- sion of trade which was felt throughout the whole kingdom, Mmt prawed sspeciailjr on th^ working qImws. A aew iikmm ^la^^atiwWw^Mw ^'"mm "^mm Ids HISTORY or IMOLANB. political party, called the Chartists, had been for some time agitating for certain changes in the national institu- tions, and the present crisis brought them prominently forwstrd. Tln^fi changes were vote by ballot, universal suffrage, annual parliaments, equality of electoral districts, the abolition of a property qualifications for members of the House of Commons, and the payment of members of that house. Some riots took place, but the spirit of disaffection gradually subsided. 3. The Whigs, who had been in power since 1831, had for some time been losing their popularity with the nation, and in August, 1841; were forced to resign office, having been beaten in the Commons on a bill brought in by them for the suspension of the Constitution of the Island of Jamaica, which was in a disturbed state from questions arismg out of the liberation of the negroes. A Conserva- tive administration was formed under the leadership of Sir Robert Feel. Ireland, in the meantime, was loudly demanding the repeal of the national union, and holding monster meetings of the people for that purpose, under the direction of the celebrated lawyer and orator, Daniel O'Connell. In England the cry for freetrade, especially in com, became general ; an association, called the Anti- Corn Law Lreague was particularly active and zealous in advancing this object; and in 1845, a famine being threatened in many parts of the United Kingdom, free trade was at last conceded. Sir Kobert Peel introduced a Bill into parliament which wholly repealed the duty on core ». and many of the import duties were reduoe4 or i(-\ \ / HISTORY OP £Nr.L\ND. 169 \ ir nholished at the same time. After effecting these sweep- ing measures, Sir Robert Peel resigned, and was succeeded by the Whigs under Lord John RusseJ. 4'. The year 1817 was unfortunately distinguished by a famine in Ireland, owing chiefly to tiie failure of the potato crop; and by r commercial crisis in England, ariMng from over speculation in railroad and other stocks, by which thousands of fnir.iiios were ruined, and which, in some respects, resembled the famous Sout!» Sen specula- tions in the reign of Gt:or/'je the First. As the country was recovering fj[om these disasters, another re'olntion broke out in France, which resulted in the expulsion of the Orleans family, and in the formation of a republiir. Tl>is circumstance, Jis xisual, h;\d considerable inlluciice on English alTairs. ^JV;ulo was greatly (H^pressed, and tumultuous meetir^;s of the chartists had to he put down by a combination of the middle classes and others, who in London alone formed a force of '200,000 special consta- bles. In Ireland, in 1848, an insurrection was attempted under Smith O'Brien and others, but with signal failure. Since that period the country has enjoyed an unexampled degree of peace. * . 5. It would be improper to pass over without mention the great exhibition of the arts, majmfactures and products of all nations, which took place in London in 1851. In the early part of tha same year the Whigs were a^ain driven" from power, baring been defeatell on a bill for the re-form- ation of the militia system ; and the Tories, under Lord Derby, os Premier, and Mr. DMsraeli, as Chancellor of u / 170 HISTORY or ENGLAND. ■'/ the Exclieqiier, formed a ministry. On nn appeal (o tlie country the new administration was in a minority, and having resigned office, they were succeeded by a coalition of Conservativos r.nd Whi/js, Lord Aberdeen being priine minister, ard Lord »Tol.n Busiicl leader of the Ilcuse of Commor.s. C. On the Uth .Septomher, 1852, the Duke of Welling- ton died, in tlie eiglily-third year of his age. 7. The foreign relations of the country since 1837, were chiefly of z pacific character. But in 184«1, some Tvcts (.f the 'Cliincse goverumGiit, v»hich were considered oppressive and destructive of thK trade between tlie two countries, led to hostiliries, which, in 1842, ended in a commercial treaty, more favourable to British interests and those of other nations than any formerly existing. About the same time, a ih.et .sent against Mehemet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, who had thrown off his allegiance to tl»e Sultan of Turkey, and had invaded Syria, bombarded the fortress of St. .Tcan D'Acrc, and compelled Mehemet Ali to come to terms raid surrender his conquests. A great disaster overtook the British army in India in IS+I. The East Indian^oveFnment had considered it necessary for their safety to take possession of Afighanistan,but the warlike and savage tribes of that country attacked the British force by surprise, and massacred the great body of them. Next year the British overran the country, and destroyed the chief fortresses, but it was considered advisa- ble to evacuate the territory. A short time after (in 1849) the East Tndi?> Company conqueied and took possession ■«|l»»S»5«i!9«K«,«K!f;a- , afTKp f.«g!i..i QUtbTIONS. 171 of the district known oh t\w Vwnysuh. A war of an expensive and harassing character was also carried on fot several years agninst the (JaA'rcs in South Africa; but this, as well as a shct conHict with thu Burmese, was happily brought to a close. 8. The discovery of immense amounts of gold in Cttlifornia and Australia have, so fur, had a most beneficial eft'ect on the social position and comforts of the labouring; population of the United Kingdom. In fact their condi- tion has for some years been gradually improving to an extent which must he highly gratifying to the lovers of their species in every country. The attetition of states- men and philantrophists has been m\tch directed tu this object of late, and it will probably be tlie circumstance which will give its character to the present reign. The rule of female sovereigns has generally proved propitious to England, and that of the present queen is not likely to be an exception. Possessing many of the lest qualities of Elizabeth and Anne, without their fnults, she is as much beloved as she is esteemed by the nation. .As a woman her private lif« is without reproach ; and as a sovereign she is admired for her adherence to the principles and practice of constitutional government, Questions on Chapter Sixtcentli. 1. By whom was William Ihe Fourth succeeded ? What »va8 her age ? Why does this book give only a short sketch of liio leading incideiita of the Queerj's reign ? In what year was the Queen married, and to u hoin \ It. In what years did the outbreaks in Canada take place 1 What important resulta followed these \ What was the year m KISTORT OF J:N0LA>'D. 1839 remarkable for t What ia eaid of the Chartlsla, and what (;flhe alieralioiis they desired to have in tlic Cojistilu- tioii 1 Did they succectl f 3. Why dill the Whig party resign office, and in ivh{.iyear ? Who fDrrucd a new Administration ? Wlial important measure was Ireland desiri^us of having carried l W hat in s.id about Free Trade, uiid wlip.n, and by \r horn was it inl reduced '? ^ After these clmiiges who succeeded .'sir liobcrt Feel as Prime MiiiisiCi- 1 4. What was llie year lo-l7 chiefly remarkable for ] What impor- tant event occurred in Fiance ? ^Vhat is said of the Char- lists at this time ? What of an insurrection in Ireland "J 3. When did the Great F>:;hibiliori take place in l.ondon 1 In what year was Lord Jolui Wussells Ministry defeated, and who succeeded 1 Did (his long continue in oilice } Who suc- ceeded to this Ministry 1 6. When did t?ie Duke cf Weliii'.gton die, and at what age 1 7. What is siiid of tli3 war with China, and how it ended '? What of the fleet sent against Mehemct Ali i Vfhat of the disas- *t ; ters suffered by a British army in India 1 What did the Bri- tish do next year 2 ^Vhat country was conquered an:l taken possession of ? What war raged in Africa 1 8. Relate what is said of the discovery of large quantities of gold 1. What is said regarding the reign of ft male sov( reigns in England, and particularly of that of her present Majesty. V^ ^ _:ss, .'ciOPTEP^XVfl. (Conclusion.) It now beconits necessary to oft'er a few remarks on the recent progr^s of literature, science, and the arts through- »out Great Britain, and to do so it will be desirable to ghmce back to the reign of George the Third. After the middle of the last century, most of the men whose talents, learning and genius had shed splendour on the first half of that period, had disappeared from the scene, and science and literature gradually lost every trace of originality and power. Tameness, imitation, monotony, and all the marks *«!> ■uim>-''i '>?*««M«?«WB«5i*.,i.. ..yjNwtw'; **»« ■w.'t.r ■. IMSTORY OF KMOLAND. m of a dt'ciiaing literature were observable everywhere. History was pfriii'ps the sole exception, for Gibbon, Ilunie, and Kobertsou produced works which have be- come, and must always be considered, among English Classics ; while these eminent men have, at a later period, had worthy svicces-sors in Lingard, Hallam and Macaulay. The stirring events of the American and French revolu- tions aroused the national intellect from its lethargy ; and the first signs of a literary revival were given by the [ 2ts Cowper lud Burns, whose nervous and naturai^gBtings at once shewed the worthlessness of the taraeJBptenders who had, for a tiu.e, impoted on the public tagre, A new generation of eminent writersjollowed, the chief of whom were Scott, Byron, Wordsworth, Campbell, Moore and Coleridge. Under their influence literature was endowed with a new life, with every sign of permanency. The impetus given to the science of political economy by the great work of Adam Smith, has been followed up by suc- ceeding writers with great zeal and research, and his labours and theirs have had a most extensive influence on the commercial policy of England and the whole, world. Science has advanced at an equal pace, and astronomy, "geokgy, philosophy, anatomy, and natural his- tory, have beenstiulied and taught with a zeal and success equally remarkable and gratifying. In physical science the biilliant discoveries of Davy and others have changed the whole aspect of chemistry. The steam engine, which we owe to *he genius of Watt, has gradually been applied to nnvigntion, to land caniage, to manufactures, and to m HiSTOny OF ENGLAND. the printing press. The dagu irrotype compels the sun to . do the work of the painter's brush. The electric telegraph carries intelligence from natioi to nation, and from conti- nent to continent with almost the speed of thought. The advance of marine and inland discovery commencing in the reign of George the Thirii, has since been persevered in with a success which has left little now to explore. In short the progress of England for the last hundred years has been gigantic ; her ships cover every sea, her manu- factures supply the wants of nost of the nations of the earth ; and she has never been so flourishing and powerful as she is now. We cannot close these remarks more appropriately than in the language of Macaulay, the his- torian : " Ever since I began o make observations on the state of my country, I hav ) been seeing nothing but growth, and I have been hearing of nothing but decay. The more I contemplate our roble institutions, the more convinced I am that they arc sound at heart — that they have nothing of age but itsdigiity, and that their strength is still the strength of youth. The hurricane which has recently overthrown so much that was great and that seemed durable, has only proved their solidity. They still stand, august and immovable, ^/hile dynasties and churches are lying in heaps of ruin all i round us. I see no reason to doubt that, by the blessing of God on a wise and tem- perate policy, a policy of whi ;h the principle is to pre- serve what is good by reforming what is evil, our civil institutions may be preserved unimpaired to a late pos- terity." THE END. ^v PAPER, ACCOUNT ROOKS, STATIONERY, &c. The Subscriber has nlMn}'s on hand ample stocks of all kinds of plain and ruled Writikg Papers, also Drawing Papers, Drawing Boards of all sizes, and Artists and Engineers materials, in great variety. He has likcAvise on hand, or makes to order in any style of ruling and binding, Ledgers, JoHrnals, Dr.y IjCf»ii3, and other M<, cantile Ac- count Booicg. SCHOOL REQULSTTES. , The Subscriber begs tf- draw attonlion to his slock of (•'lobes, Outlined Maps for School Koonjs. ch"np Alla'scs, Copy Books, Slates, Mathe tialical Instrumenls, fic., which will be found good in quaiil;.- ni d reasonable in price. WRITINfr PAPER, &c. 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