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 HOf.AN & I'HOMPSON, PHILA 
 1847, 
 
N./ 
 
 ^ 
 
 K 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Dr. William H. I vie 
 
 ^ 
 
H 1 S T () R Y 
 
 ENGLAND, 
 
 SEPARATK HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 SCOTLAND, WALES, AND IRELAND; 
 
 THE INVASION OF JULIUS CAESAR UNTIL THE ACCESSION OF aUEEN 
 VICTORIA TO THE BRITISH THRONE. 
 
 DRAWN FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES, 
 
 AND 
 
 DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY NUIVIEROUS ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 WITH 
 
 , QUESTIOx^S FOR EXAMINATION. 
 
 BY JOHN RUSSELL, A. M., 
 
 Atilhor of " History of the IJniUd States," and " History of France.' 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY HOGAN & THOMPSON, 
 
 No. 30 NOllTM FOURTH STREET. 
 
 1844. 
 
Entered according lo the act of Congress in the year 1836, by Hog an 6l 
 Thompson, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern Dis- * 
 trict of Pennsylvania. 
 
 P -!■ 
 
 b 
 
 GIFT 
 
 7' V 1 e 
 
 "<:»{EnTYrED BY J. FAGAN PlllI.ADELPlIlA. 
 
 PRINTED r.Y C. SHERMAN AND CO. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 
 Next to the history of our own country, that of the British 
 Empire, from which we derive the principal part of our 
 population, as well as our civil institutions and our language, 
 forms the most interesting and appropriate study for the 
 rising generation. A general knowledge of it is indeed 
 requisite to the proper understanding of our own annals; and 
 forms a necessary part of a good education, such as every 
 intelligent American deems essential for his children. 
 
 In preparing the history now offered to the public, the 
 author has endeavoured to present as full and complete a 
 view of the succession of events, as could be comprised in the 
 limited space permitted to a volume intended for the use of 
 schools. In addition to a complete history of England, he 
 has given histories of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, from the 
 earliest period to the times when these countries, originally 
 independent, became integral portions of the British empire: 
 The information contained in this supplementary part of the 
 volume could not have been given in the body of the work 
 without unpleasantly interrupting the course of the narrative, 
 and disturbing that unity which is so essential to a well- 
 compacted and continuous narrative. But it was deemed of 
 sufficient importance and interest to claim distinct notice; 
 and the author trusts that it will be considered a valuable 
 addition to the history. 
 
 1* ir:, 
 
 M787563 
 
 (5) 
 
In submitting this work to the notice of parents, teachers, 
 and others, interested in the cause of general education, the 
 author cannot but express his gratitude for the favour 
 extended to his former productions, and his hope that the 
 present eflfbrt may not be deemed unworthy of the same 
 degree of approbation. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. — ANCIENT BRITONS, SAXONS, DANES. 
 Section I. The Ancient Britons Page 1 1 
 
 2. or England under the Saxons 13 
 
 3. The Heptarchy 13 
 
 4. England under the Anglo-Saxon Kings. — A. D. 827 l(i 
 
 5. Edward, Athelstan, Edmund 21 
 
 6. Edward, Ethelred, Edmond, Sweyn 24 
 
 7. Canute, Harold, Hardicanute, Edward 25 
 
 CHAPTER IL — THE NORMANS; BLOIS. 
 
 Section 1. William the Conqueror. — A. D. 1066 28 
 
 2. William Rulus. — A. D. 1087 30 
 
 3. Henry I. — A.D.I 100 34 
 
 4. Stephen. — House of Blois.— A. D. 1135 36 
 
 CHAPTER HI. — PLANTAGENETSl 
 
 Section 1. Henry II. — A. D. 1155 37 
 
 2. Henry II., continued 40 
 
 3. Richardl. — A.D.I 189 42 
 
 4. John. — A. D. 1199 46 
 
 5. Henry III. — A. D. 1216 49 
 
 6. Edwardl. — A.D. 1272 54 
 
 7. Edward IL — A.D. 1307 55 
 
 8. Edwardlll. — A. D. 1327 57 
 
 9. RichardlL — A.D. 1377 62 
 
 CHAPTER IV. — HOUSES OF LANCASTER AND YORK. 
 
 Section]. Henry IV. — A. D. 1399 65 
 
 2. Henry v. — A.D. 1413 66 
 
 3. Henry VI. — A.D. 1422 68 
 
 4. Edward I v. — A.D. 1461 71 
 
 5. Edward V. — A. D. 1483 ; Richard III. — A. D. 1483 73 
 
 CHAPTER v. — HOUSE OF TUDOR. 
 
 Section 1. Henry VII. — A. D. 1485 75 
 
 2 Henry VIII. — A.D. 1509 77 
 
 3. Henry VIII., continued 80 
 
 4. Henry VIII., continued 84 
 
 5. Edward VI. — A. D. 1547 87 
 
 6. Mary. — A. D. 1553 90 
 
 7. Mary, continued 92 
 
 8. Elizabeth. — A. D. 1558 93 
 
 9. Elizabeth, continued 96 
 
 10. Elizabeth, continued 98 
 
 11. Elizabeth, continued 103 
 
 CHAPTER VI. — HOUSE OF STUART. 
 
 Sec^^ionI. Jamesl. — A.D. 1603 105 
 
 2. James I., continued 107 
 
 3. Charles I. — A.D. 1625 109 
 
 4. Charles I., continued 112 
 
 0) 
 
Vill CONTENTS. 
 
 Section 5. Charles I., continued 114 
 
 6. Charles I., continued 117 
 
 7. Charles I., continued 120 
 
 8. The Commonwealth. — A. D. 1649 124 
 
 9. The Commonwealth, continued 126 
 
 10. Richard Cromwell 129 
 
 11. Charles 11. — A. D. 1660 130 
 
 12. Charles II., continued 132 
 
 13. Charles II., continued 134 
 
 14. Charles II., continued 136 
 
 15. Charles II., continued 138 
 
 16. James II. — A. D. 1685 140 
 
 17. James II., continued 143 
 
 18. William III. and Mary. — A. D. 1688 147 
 
 19. William and Mary, continued 150 
 
 20. Anne. — A. D. 1702 153 
 
 21. Anne, continued 156 
 
 CHAPTER VII. — HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK. 
 
 Section 1. George I. — A. D. 1714 158 
 
 2. George I., continued 161 
 
 3. George II. — A. D. 1727 163 
 
 4. George II., continued 165 
 
 5. George III. — A. D. 1760 168 
 
 6. George III., continued 171 
 
 7. George III., continued 174 
 
 8. George III., continued 176 
 
 9. George III., continued 181 
 
 10. George III., continued 185 
 
 11. George III., continued . 186 
 
 12. George IV. — A. D. 1820 189 
 
 13. WilliaralV. — A.D. 1830 191 
 
 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 Chapter 1. Ancient Inhabitants 195 
 
 2. David II 197 
 
 3. Mary, Queen of Scots, &c 201 
 
 4. James VI , 203 
 
 5. On the Ancient Constitution of the Scottish Government 206 
 
 HISTORY OF WALES. 
 
 Chapter 1. Ancient Britons 207 
 
 2. Roderic Moehvynoc 212 
 
 3. Jeuav and Jago, Hovvel Dha 213 
 
 4. Trahaeam, GryfTydh, Owen 215 
 
 5. Llewelyn, David 217 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 Chapter 1. The original inhabitants 220 
 
 2. Evidences of its antiquity 223 
 
 3. Oliamh Fodhla 225 
 
 4. Tuathal, Feidlim, Con 227 
 
 5. Pelagius, St. Patrick 229 
 
 6. Brien Boiroimhe 232 
 
 7. Edward I. and 11., Richard II 237 
 
 8. Henry IV. and V 239 
 
 9. The doctrines in the Irish church 241 
 
 10. Elizabeth, James I., Charles I., &c 243 
 
HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 x\mong all the ancient historians, but little light has been shed on 
 Britain, till Julius CjEsar, fifty-five years before Christ, attempted the 
 conquest of it; except that the Britons were of Gaulic or Celtic origin, 
 that they enjoyed a free government, and were remarkable for their 
 ferocity and barbarism. Those of them, however, that inhabited the 
 south-east part of the island, had become acquainted with agriculture ; 
 and the southern coast, opposite Gaul, was freqiiented by merchants, 
 who traded thither for such commodities as the natives were able to 
 produce. The other inhabitants maintained themselves by pasturage, 
 removing perpetually their seats, and raising teniLporary huts in their 
 forests and marshes. 
 
 The Britons, addicted to war, and jealous of their liberty, were divid- 
 ed into small nations, under the government of kings, or rather of chief- 
 tains, who possessed a precarious authority ; but in great and imminent 
 dangers, a commander-in-chief was chosen by common consent, in a 
 general assembly. Of their mode of warfare, Ccesar gives a descrip- 
 tion ; and their dexterity in managing their war-chariots he ascribes to 
 constant use and incessant exercise ; thereby intimating that the Britons 
 were perpetually engaged in intestine wars. 
 
 The priests, whom they called Druids, were the guardians of their 
 religion, and enjoyed the greatest influence in their States. The 
 ascendant they obtained tliey had procured by the terrors of superstition. 
 Exempted from taxes and from military service, intrusted witli the edu- 
 cation of their youth, the judges of all matters, civil or criminal, and 
 respected as oracles, they punished the refractory by terrible penalties. 
 Among their religious tenets they maintained the eternal transmigra- 
 tion of souls, and human sacrifices and other barbarous rites made a part 
 of the religion which they inculcated. That the superstition of tlie 
 
 What was the probable origin of the Kritons? — What their employment?— What 
 their government ? — What their mode of warfare? — Who the guardians of their 
 religion ? 
 
 (11) 
 
12 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Druids was of singular force, we may easily conceive, since the Ro- 
 mans employed against it the rigour of penal laws. 
 
 Impelled by the love of glory, Ciesar attempted the invasion of Britain, 
 and obliged the inhabitants to protnise submission, which they violated 
 the moment his departure allowed them an opportunity to resume their 
 arms. The next year he returned, with a greater army, and exacted 
 from them new acknowledgements. It was not, liowever, till the reigii 
 of the Roman Emperor Claudius, nearly a century after the first landing 
 of Caesar, that the Romans possessed any real dominion over the Britons. 
 Claudius made an expedition in his own person to Britain, and the brave 
 C'aractacus was led captive to Rome. 
 
 Suetonius Paulinus, under the reign of Nero, gave the Britons a 
 severe blow by attacking Mona, now Anglesey, the principal retreat of 
 the Druids. He destroyed their altars and consecrated groves ; but no 
 sooner was he removed to a distance, than they returned to hostilities 
 tmder the conduct of Boadicea, queen of the Iceni; a heroine, whom 
 the indignities offered to her person by the Romans, had stimulated to 
 revenge. London, then a considerable colony, she reduced to ashes, and 
 [)ut the Romans there, with all other strangers, to the sword. Suetonius 
 in his turn gained a decisive victory; and Boadicea, that she might not 
 tall into his hands, put an end to her life by poison. 
 
 The glory of subduing Britain was reserved for Julius Agricola, of 
 vvhom Tacitus, his son-in-law, has immortalized the virtues and the 
 talents. This great man governed it during the reigns of Vespasian, 
 Titus, and Domitian * Having first subjugated the southern parts of 
 the island, Agricola advanced northward, driving before him the fiercer 
 tribes ; and having chased them into the mountains of Caledonia, he 
 erected a rampart to set bounds to their violent incursions. He intro- 
 duced among them the arts of peace, and reconciled them to more culti- 
 vated manners. Adrian, Antoninus, and Severus added new fortifications 
 to the wall of Agricola, and the country enjoying during a long period 
 an uninterrupted peace, its inhabitants seem to have relinquished the 
 hope, if not the desire, of independence. 
 
 The Roman empire had at length grown feeble under the w^eight of 
 its conquests. A deluge of barbarians pouring from the north attacked 
 a power that oppressed the world, and it was necessary to recall the 
 legions who were defending the frontier provinces ; on which the Picts 
 and Scots broke over the wall of separation, and ravaged the fields of 
 their efieminate neighbours. 
 
 The Britons implored the protection of the Romans, who sent them a 
 single legion. This force was sufficient to disperse the enemy ; but, 
 immediately on its departure, they returned to distress the Britons. 
 
 But the Romans, in the reign of the Emperor Valentinian, after en- 
 couraging the Britons to defend themselves, and assisting them to rebuild 
 
 * These emperors reigned between the years a.d. 70 and 96. 
 
 What their influence? — What was eflfected by Julius Caesar? — By Claudius? 
 — What did Suetonius effect? — Who was Boadicea? — Who iully subdued the Bri- 
 tons ? — And in whose reigns ? — What ocev-sioned the recal of the Roman legions 
 from Britain ? — What were the last acts of the Romans in Britain ? — What followed 
 tlieir departure ? 
 
SAXONS. 13 
 
 the wall of Sev'erus, bade them a final adieu, a. d. 448. The pusillani- 
 mous Britons soon became a prey to the rapacity of the Scots and Picts, 
 and by the advice of Vortigern, one of their princes, they despatched an 
 embassy to Germany, and invited over the Saxons, a people that were 
 soon to enslave them. 
 
 SECTION 2. 
 
 OF ENGLAND UNDER THE SAXONS. 
 
 The Saxons inhabited the north and north-western parts of Germany. 
 They were possessed of great martial ardour, and nothing could be more 
 acceptable to them than the deputation of the Britons. Hengist and 
 Ilorsa, two brothers, respectable from their birth and authority, arrived 
 with fifteen hundred men and landed on the Isle of Thanet. They 
 were soon followed by five thousand more, and being joined by the 
 British forces, they gained a complete victory in Lincolnshire over the 
 Picts and Scots, a. d. 450. 
 
 It is related that Hengist derived singular advantage from the charms 
 of his sister, Rowena, who had drawn to her the affections of Vortigern. 
 
 Hengist, with the recruits he received from Germany, spread rapidly 
 his conquests. The Britons, in great numbers, fled to Armorica, now 
 Brittany. After the death of Vortimer, Ambrosius was promoted to the 
 chief authority, but his courage, and the efforts of his unfortunate coun- 
 trymen, were unable to expel the usurpers. — Hengist founded the king- 
 dom of Kent. His success drew over other adventurers from Germany, 
 and the Britons, afler several defeats, took refuge in the inaccessible 
 mountains of Cornwall and Wales. 
 
 Ella^ a Saxon chief, arrived in a. d. 477, and having established him- 
 self on the southern coast, became King of Sussex. Cerdic, another 
 Saxon conqueror, was opposed with more vigour. The famous King 
 Arthur, whose achievements have given occasion to so many fables, and 
 who is celebrated in romances, as the founder of the Round Table, 
 defeated him in several battles. 
 
 Cerdic, however, assisted by his son Kenric, established the kingdom 
 of Wessex, comprehending the counties of Hants, Dorset, Wilts, Berks, 
 and the Isle of Wight, ^bout the same time were established the 
 kingdom of the East Angles, that of Mercia, and that of Essex. The 
 kingdom of Northumberland was not founded till the year 547. 
 
 In this manner was the Heptarchy, or the seven Saxon kingdoms, es- 
 tablished in Britain ; and, having subdued their common enemy, the 
 Britons, they soon began to turn their arms against each other. 
 
 SECTION 3. 
 
 ^" THE HEPTARCHY. 
 
 Kent. — ^The two immediate successors of Hens^ist chose to enjoy 
 his conquests, rather than imitate his example. Ethelbert, his grand- 
 
 Who were the Saxons ?— Who were their leaders ?— Where did the Britons llee 
 for refuge ?— Who opposed the establishments of the Saxon chiefs ?— What Saxon 
 kingdoms were finally established ? 
 2 
 
14 HISTORY GF ENGLAND. 
 
 son, seems, however, to have inherited his valour and his ambition. 
 The event which particularly distinguished the reign of this prince was 
 the introduction of Christianity into liis kingdom ; though this system 
 of faith had, long before this period, been embraced by the Britons. 
 The Saxons had lived in the grossest idolatry : their principal deity 
 was Woden, whom they considered as presiding over war ; and from 
 whom they conceived their ancestors were descended. The hope of 
 being admitted into his hall or palace, in recompense for their valour, 
 and of drinking ale from the skulls of their enemies, induced them to 
 expose themselves to the greatest dangers. But the example of the 
 Franks, Burgundians, and other German nations who had been convert- 
 ed to the Christian religion, had already contributed to produce in them 
 a contempt of pagan superstitions. 
 
 Gregory, surnamed the Great, sent Augustin on a mission to Britain, 
 but so great was the stupidity of the Saxons, that Ethelbert, afraid lest 
 these foreign priests should employ magic and sorcery against him, 
 received them in the open air, in order to interrupt the force of their 
 enchantments. Augustin explained the truths of the gospel, and obtain- 
 ed permission to preach them publicly. The austerities of his life con- 
 firmed his doctrines. The king allowed himself to be baptized, and a 
 great number of his subjects followed his example. Augustin was after- 
 wards consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 Northumberland. — This kingdom, which comprehended the north- 
 ern counties of England, was originally divided into two independent 
 governments, the Deiri and the Bernici. Adelfrid, king of the latter, 
 possessed himself of the former. This conquest rendered him formida- 
 ble to the Picts and Scots. The Welsh also were bold enough to attack 
 him near Chester ; and a body of monks from the monastery of Bangor 
 accompanied the army. Adelfrid, perceiving them at some distance 
 from the field of battle, enquired the meaning of so unusual an appear- 
 ance. He was told that a body of priests were come out to pray against 
 him. " Then," said he, " they are as much our enemies as those who 
 fight against us ;" and he sent a detachment to cut in pieces the monkish 
 battalion. The Welsh, seized with consternation, took flight ; Chester 
 was taken, and the monastery of Bangor demolished. 
 
 The young Edwin, whom Adelfrid had dll|)ossessed of the crown of 
 Deiri, afterwards recovered it by the assistance of Redwald, King of 
 the East Angles, who, marching against Adelfrid, defeated and slew him. 
 Kdwm, becoming King of Northumberland, distinguished himself by the 
 strict execution of justice. The arguments of Paulinus induced him to 
 renounce idolatry, and both king and people opened their eyes to the 
 light of the gospel. Paulinus was the first Archbishop of York. 
 
 East Anglia. — This kingdom comprehended the provinces of Cam- 
 bridge, Suffolk, and Norfolk. A long catalogue of obscure and con- 
 temptible princes, who were either expelled or murdered, fills the annals 
 
 What is said of Ethelbert's reign? — Who was the principal deity among the 
 Saxons ? — Whom did Gregory send on a mission to Britain ? — What was his suc- 
 cess? — How did Adelfrid treat the monks of Bangor? — What followed? — Whom 
 did Paulinus, Archbishop of York, convert to Christianity? — W^hat provinces did 
 East Anglia comprehenti ? 
 
sAxorss. 15 
 
 of this kingdom. The last of these princes, Ethelbert, was assassinated 
 by Offa, Kinn^ of the Mercians, a. d. 792. 
 
 Mercia. — This kingdom, the most extensive of the heptarchy, inckided 
 ull the interior counties of England. Offa^ the most distinguished of 
 tiie Mercian princes, ascended the throne in a. d. 755, but the lustre of 
 his victories was tarnished by the murder of Ethelbert, King of East 
 Anglia, who had come to his court to espouse his daughter, and he then 
 possessed himself of his dominions. Remorse for his crime induced 
 him to enrich the cathedral of Hereford, to erect a magnificent mon- 
 astery at Verulam, to undertake a pilgrimage to Rome, with other like 
 acts. Moral excellence in those times was deemed less meritorious 
 than the founding of religious houses and the exterior practices of 
 devotion. 
 
 This prince died a. d. 794. He was acquainted with Charlemagne. 
 The other Kings of Mercia are not worthy of particular notice. 
 
 Essex and Sussex were the most inconsiderable kingdoms of the 
 heptarchy. That of Essex, or the East Saxons, was but of small extent ; 
 and that of Sussex, or the South Saxons, contained only the provinces 
 of Sussex and Surrey. The annals of both the one and the other are 
 barren and defective. 
 
 Wessex. — This kingdom, which lay westward of the principalities 
 of Kent and Sussex, had its name from the people who founded it. Con- 
 tinual wars fostered their military genius. Ceaulin, their third king, 
 oppressed the ancient Britons who had taken shelter in Cornwall, and 
 was ambitious to extend his conquests over the heptarchy. Becoming 
 odious to his subjects, he was expelled from the throne, and died in 
 exile and in misery. 
 
 //la, one of his successors, deserves to be mentioned with honour. 
 He uaited in his person the civil and military virtues. Having conquer- 
 ed the Britons in Somerset, he treated them with humanity, permitted 
 them to retain possession of their lands, incorporated them with his sub- 
 jects by intermarriages and equal laws. After a glorious reign of thirty- 
 seven years, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome, and then retired to a 
 cloister ; a species of devotion then very common. 
 
 The immediate successors of Ina were obscure and undistinguished, 
 and we pass from them to Egbert, after making mention of Brithric, 
 who, with a title inferior to that of Egbert, possessed himself of the 
 throne in 784. He was taken off by poison, which the jealousy of his 
 queen had prepared for another. 
 
 Egbert was called to the vacant throne. Great objects opened them- 
 selves to his ambition. The royal families, in all the kingdoms of the 
 heptarchy, had become entirely extinguished. Devotion had buried 
 many of them in cloisters, and the rivalship of many princes had led to 
 the extermination of others ; so that Egbert was the sole descendant of 
 those princes who first subdued Britain ; and he enhanced his authority 
 by claiming a pedigree from Woden. 
 
 What did OfTa to atone for the murder of Ethelbert? — What is worthy of note in 
 Essex, Sussex, and Wessex? — Relate the characters of Ina and his successors.— 
 What prospects opened to Egbert's ambition ? 
 
lb HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 The Mercians, who at that time possessed great power, attacked him 
 ' and were defeated. The kingdoms of Kent, Essex, and East Anglia, 
 had become tributary to him ; and two successful battles put him in 
 possession of Mercia. Then marching towards Northumberland, tliat 
 people, tired of anarchy, came out to do him homage. Thus the hep- 
 tarchy was consolidated into one kingdom called England^ from the 
 name of one of the Saxon tribes who, four hundred years before, had 
 made a settlement in this country. 
 
 SECTION 4. 
 
 ENGLAND UNDER THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 
 A. D. 827. 
 
 Under Egbert, a king powerful and warlike, and the only remaining 
 descendant of the founders of the heptarchy, England seemed likely to 
 be formidable to its neighbours, and to remain undisturbed by foreign 
 incursions. But the North of Europe was ever producing numerous 
 armies of barbarians, whom the desire of settlements, or the hopes of 
 plunder, urged to the invasion of countries more fertile than their own. 
 After having overrun the North of France, they threw themselves upon 
 England. Their first inroads into this country were made as early as 
 the year 787, in the decline of the Saxon Heptarchy ; and they renewed 
 tiieir visits in the reign of Egbert. Nor w^ere they discouraged, though 
 defeated by this prince in a great battle. They penetrated into Devon- 
 shire, and were again vanquished. But Egbert died too soon for his 
 people; leaving the crown to his son, who was but little able to sustain 
 its weight. 
 
 Ethelwolf, the successor of Egbert, in 838, had the virtues of a 
 monk, not those of a king. He began his reign by dismembering the 
 monarchy, by delivering to his eldest son, Athelstan, the provinces of 
 Essex, Kent, and Sussex. The Danes took advantage of his weakness ; 
 and though they were sometimes defeated by the valour of the English, 
 the kingdom was yet laid waste and ravaged. Their small vessels ran 
 easily up creeks and rivers, and spreading themselves on the coast, they 
 carried off men and cattle and their moveable possessions. They exer- 
 cised their rage against churches, priests, and monks, and hastening to 
 their ships, they immediately disappeared. When chased from one 
 place, they presented themselves in another. Inquietude and terror 
 became general over the whole island ; every season of the year was 
 dangerous. A fleet of 350 sail having brought them a strong reinforce- 
 ment, they advanced from the Isle of Thanet, burnt the cities of Lon- 
 don and Canterbury, and penetrated into Surrey. Ethelwolf 's ineffec- 
 tual opposition, or partial victories, afforded but a short interruption to 
 their devastations. 
 
 In the midst of these dangers, this weak prince set out on a pilgrim- 
 age to Rome, and his liberality to the Romish Church was great; on 
 
 How was the heptarchy consolidated, and by whom? — What people disturbed 
 the country in the time of^ Egbert? — Who succeeded him ? — Describe the ravages 
 of the Danes. 
 
ALFRED. 17 
 
 his return home, he married the daughter of Charles the Bald. About 
 the same time this prince conferred a donation on the clergy, which has 
 been entailed on posterity. The Jewish law, which had bestowed a 
 tenth of all the produce of the land on the Levites, was universally 
 regarded by the clergy as obligatory on Christians; and they were 
 inclined to extend it to the tenth of all industry, merchandize, wages 
 of labourers, and pay of soldiers. After much resistance from the laity, 
 Ethelwolf granted their request; and the States of the kingdom 
 consented to the establishment of tithes. 
 
 The king died in 857, two years after this concession, and his will 
 divided the kingdom between his sons, Ethelhald and Ethelbert ; but 
 the reign of these princes was short, and much molested by the irrup- 
 tions of the Danes. They were succeeded by their brother, Ethelred, 
 in 866, who, several times, assisted by his brother Alfred, signalized 
 himself by his valour against these pirates. He died of a wound received 
 in another action with the enemy. Alfred, his successor, was the fifth 
 eon of Ethelwolf; and was born to support the tottering throne, and to 
 establish the felicity of his nation, 
 
 Alfred, in 872, and when twenty-two years of age, was called to the 
 exercise of royalty. Ethelred left issue, but the vows of the whole 
 nation, and the distresses of the kingdom, required an arm of known 
 prowess to wield the sceptre ; and the order of succession was not nicely 
 observed, in these times, provided the prince was of the royal line. 
 
 We are assured that in a journey to Rome, whither his father had 
 sent him, he had received the royal unction from the hands of Leo IV. 
 Parental indulgence had suffered him to pass his twelfth year without 
 instruction ; but, the hearing of some Saxon poems read, which recounted 
 the praise of heroes, awaked his genius, and made him emulous to attain 
 to the like fame. 
 
 The study of the Latin tongue opened to him more abundant sources 
 of improvement, and the early taste he discovered for works which 
 inspired him with heroic sentiments, prognosticated his future greatness. 
 
 In Alfred's first encounter with the Danes, they were discomfited, and 
 became bound never to return to the kingdom. But oaths could not 
 bind men who had never submitted to laws. They soon renewed their 
 depredations, and Alfred was again under the necessity of opposing 
 their ravages. In one year he fought eight battles against them, and 
 having reduced them to the utmost extremity, he made them an offer 
 of a settlement in England, if they would defend it against the incur- 
 sions of future invaders; but, while deliberating concerning it, being 
 reinforced by new bodies of their countrymen, they proceeded to exer- 
 cise their usual depredations. 
 
 The courage of the English sunk under this new misfortune ; and in 
 their distress many abandoned their country, and others submitted to 
 servitude. The king, finding himself without troops and without hope, 
 dismissed his attendants, and in the disguise of a peasant, concealed 
 
 When and by whom were tithes first estabhshed ? — Name the sons and succes- 
 sors of Ethelwolf:— Describe the <?haracterof Al(red.— The events of his childhood. 
 — What engagement took pl^ce Wetween him and the Danes? — Whkt occurred to 
 him, in the dieguise of a peasant ? 
 2* 
 
^8 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 himself in the house of a neatherd, whose wife exacted his assistance 
 in her domestic affairs. Finding an opportunity to collect a number of 
 his partisans, he retired to an inaccessible morass in the county of 
 Somerset, and erected a fortification. Prom these he made frequent and 
 unexpected sallies upon the barbarians, who felt the vigour of his arm, 
 but knew not from what quarter they received the blow. 
 
 The news that the Earl of Devonshire had obtained a victory over 
 the enemy, and had even got possession of their enchanted standard, 
 drew this hero from his retreat, and in order to assure himself of the 
 probability of success, he entered the camp of the enemy in the disguise 
 of a harper. He was introduced into the tent of their prince, Guthrum, 
 where he remained several days. Observing their negligence and 
 supine security, he returned to his followers with the hopes of a certain 
 victory. 
 
 Emissaries being despatched, the soldiers flocked to his standard, and 
 the enemy was surprised and routed. The fugitives he besieged in a 
 fortified town, to which they had retired. The Danes, oppressed by 
 famine, submitted to the victor. The conditions of Alfred were accept- 
 ed, one of which was that they should embrace the doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity ; and the kingdom was not for many years infested with the rav- 
 ages of the Danes. 
 
 This interval of tranquillity he employed in restoring order to the 
 State, and in establishing salutary institutions. His prudence suggested 
 to him the most proper expedient for uniting the English and the Danes. 
 He governed them by equal laws, and made no difference between them 
 in the administration of civil or criminal justice. The cities which had 
 been desolated, were repaired ; and that of London in particular, which 
 became the capital of the knigdom. A regular and formidable militia 
 was judiciously stationed throughout the country for the national defence. 
 But of all his establishments, the most useful were his naval preparations. 
 A hundred and thirty vessels of war, stationed along the coast, kept at 
 defiance those fleets of pirates which had before invaded the island 
 without opposition. He instructed his subjects in the art of navigation. 
 Who would have thought that an art at that time so little known in 
 England, was one day to be the foundation of its power ! 
 
 These wise expedients, however, could not secure the tranquillity of 
 the kingdom. Hastings, the celebrated Danish pirate, having ravaged 
 a pfirt of France, prepared to invade England, with a fleet of three hun- 
 dred and thirty sail. The terrible outrages they committed served to 
 augment the glory of Alfred. After a ^»-reat slaughter the rebels were 
 defeated and put to flight, and tranquillity was again restored. 
 
 He divided the kmgdom into counties, subdividing the counties into 
 hundreds, and these agam into tithings. In cases of great moment, the 
 hundreds assembled, and twelve freeholders were chosen. This proceed- 
 ing gave rise to juries, calculated for the security of liberty, and the 
 equal administration of justice. Alfred appointed also a sheriff in each 
 
 In what disguise did Alfred enter the Danish camp? — What followed ? — ^To what 
 terms did tlie Danes submit?— -Describe Alfred's government. — What Danish pirate 
 coramitted great outrages ? — How did Alfred divide and subdivide the country ? 
 
( 19 ) 
 
ALFRED. EDWAKD. ATflELSTAN. 21 
 
 county. lie franif3<l a body of laws for the magistracy, and reformed 
 and extended previous institutions. He invited learned men from every 
 part of Europe ; and established schools for tlie instruction of youth. 
 He either founded, or at least rebuilt the University of Oxford, and 
 endowed it witli many privileges. 
 
 This great prince divided his time into three equal portions; one he 
 dedicated to study, and the exercises of piety; another to the despatch 
 of business; and a third to the refection of his body. He measured his 
 hours by burning tapers of equal length. By such a regular distribution 
 of time, he became one of the most learned men of his age. He trans- 
 lated into tlie Saxon language the Fables of iEsop, the History of Bede, 
 and other works. He composed parables and short poems, to communi- 
 cate the duties of morality to a people not yet susceptible of speculative 
 instruction. 
 
 The attention of Alfred was extended to every object interesting to 
 society. He encouraged the mechanic arts, agriculture, navigation, and 
 commerce. 
 
 The English began to carry their trade into distant countries, and to 
 import the productions of the Indies. A seventh part of the revenue 
 of the Crown was set apart for the repair of ruined cities, castles, 
 palaces, and churches. In short, the admirable institutions he put in 
 execution, during a reign of no great length, cannot be enumerated in 
 the compressed limits of this work; they are beyond all culogiums. 
 No king had ever a better title to the surname of Great. 
 
 Alfred died in the fifty-second year of his age. a. d. 900. 
 
 SECTION 5. 
 
 Edward, surnamed the Elder, because he was the first king of 
 England of that name, was the second son of Alfred ; and though he 
 was inferior to his father in mental accomplishments, he equalled him 
 in military skill and conduct. Ethel wald, his cousin-german, disputed 
 with him the succession to the throne, but in a terrible battle fought in 
 Kent he perished. Northumberland, East Anglia, and Mercia sent out 
 bands of robbers, who desolated the kingdom. Edward entered the field 
 against them, and defeated them. During the whole of his reign he 
 was engaged in wars, either with the Danes, who had settled in England, 
 or with those bands whose object was plunder ; and he had the good 
 fortune to subject the former, and to expel the latter. He died in 925. 
 
 Athelstan, his natural son, succeeded him, (the legitimate offspring 
 of the last king being too young for the cares of government,) his 
 illegitimacy not being in those times a sufficient obstacle to exclude him 
 from the succession. The Danes in Northumberland w^ere constantly 
 in a disposition to revolt, but Athelstan successfully opposed them, and 
 thus gave tranquillity to the kingdom. The valour and the ability of 
 this prince, have procured him the highest encomiums. He encouraged 
 commerce by promulgating a law, " that every merchant v/ho had made 
 
 How did he divide his time ? — What were his studies ? — What institutions did he 
 establish ? — What was his character? — What was the characterof Edward, Alfred's 
 «on ? — Describe the character of Athelstan. — Give an account of his reign. 
 
22 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 two long voyages should be advanced to the rank of nobility." The 
 same honour was given " to a ceorle or farmer, who had acquired five 
 hides of land ; and who possessed a chapel, a kitchen, a hall, and a bell." 
 Athelstan died at Gloucester, after a reign of sixteen years, and was 
 succeeded by his brother Edmund, in 941. 
 
 Edmund, as valiant a prince as his immediate predecessors, had very 
 soon after his accession to oppose the Northumbrians. He made them 
 embrace anew the Christian faith. A tragical death put a period to his 
 expeditions. One day, while celebrating a festival and perceiving that 
 a notorious robber had intruded into his presence, he ordered him to 
 retire. The offender refusing to obey the command, a struggle ensued, 
 and the king received a mortal wound. He was succeeded, in 946, by 
 his brother Edred. 
 
 Edred, like his predecessors, was engaged in repressing the ravages 
 of the Northumbrian Danes, and after succeeding in this object, he station- 
 ed garrisons to overawe them. Devotion W£ls the chief feature in the 
 character of Edred ; and Dunstan, the abbot, who was his adviser and 
 director, governed the kingdom. The great object of this minister was 
 to extend the law of celibacy among the ecclesiastics throughout the 
 kingdom. And with such warmth of invective and abuse were their 
 disputes carried on among the different orders, that popular commotion 
 was excited. The death of the king, a. d. 955, in the tenth year of his 
 reign, interrupted awhile these contentions. 
 
 Edwy, his nephew, succeeded him, Edred's own sons being yet unfit 
 to govern. Edwy was possessed of great personal accomplishments, 
 and a martial disposition. Elgiva, a princess of the royal blood, had 
 made a strong impression on his heart, and he had ventured to marry 
 her, contrary to the advice of the ecclesiastics, though she was related 
 to him in the third or fourth degree. The monks concerted his disgrace, 
 and Dunstan could not confine his resentment within due bounds. On 
 the day of his coronation, while his nobility were at table, Edwy retired 
 into the apartments of Elgiva. Dunstan, and Odo, the archbishop of 
 Canterbury, followed him, and bursting into his presence, carried off by 
 force the object of his affection, and treated her with the grossest 
 violence. Edwy, in revenge, called upon Dunstan to render an acceunt 
 of his administration of the treasury under the preceding reign ; and 
 this minister refusing to comply, was pronounced guilty of malversation 
 in his office, and banished the kingdom. 
 
 Dunstan's partisans complained loudly of this exertion of the royal 
 authority ; and Odo sent a par^y of soldiers into the palace, who, seizing 
 Elgiva, disfigured her face with a red-hot iron, and then carried her into 
 Ireland. Some time after, being cured of her wounds, she returned to 
 England, but she was intercepted by the emissaries of the archbishop 
 and put to death. 
 
 It was no difficult matter to arm a superstitious people against a prince 
 whose aversion to the monks was so generally known. A party declared 
 
 Relate the tragical death of Edmund. — What was the chief feature in Edred's 
 character? — Describe his reign. — Edwy. — How was the princess Elgiva treated by 
 the monlis ?- -And how by Odo and Dunstan's partisans ? 
 
EDGAR. 23 
 
 in favour of his brother Edf^ar, a boy not thirteen years of age. Dunstan 
 returning" from exile, embraced the interest of this prince, and was pro- 
 moted to the sees of Worcester, of London, and of Canterbury, all three 
 of which benefices he enjoyed at the same time. Edwy's power and 
 adherents every day declining, after being obliged to consent to a parti- 
 tion of the kingdom, he died in misfortune and disgrace, a. d. 960. 
 
 Edgar, on coming to the throne, stationed a body of disciplined 
 troops to repel the inroads of the Danes and Scots. He ordered a formi- 
 dable navy, also, from time to time, to make the circuit of his dominions ; 
 and by these and other regulations, conceived with prudence and exe- 
 cuted with vigour, made himself the terror of his enemies. But the 
 favour which he showed to the monks, was the most powerful means he 
 employed to establish the public tranquillity. 
 
 Edgar's amour with Elfrida, the daughter and heiress of the Duke of 
 Devonshire, cannot be passed over in silence. Though Elfrida had 
 never appeared at court, the reputation of her beauty had filled all 
 England. Edgar had conceived a design of espousing her, but lest her 
 charms should not be equal to her fame, he desired Ethelwald, his favour- 
 ite, to pay a visit under same specious pretence to her father, and bring 
 an account of the beauty of his daughter. The ardent passion which 
 Ethelwald conceived stifled in his mind the sentiment of duty. He 
 returned to Edgar, represented her as a woman of ordinary beauty, but 
 insinuated, that though she was unworthy of a king, yet her riches 
 would make her a suitable match for a subject ; and therefore entreated 
 permission to pay his addresses to her. This request the king readily 
 complied with, and their nuptials were solemnized. 
 
 Ethel wald's greatest solicitude was to keep her from court, but Edgar 
 was soon made acquainted with the transaction; and, dissembling his 
 anger, told Ethelwald that he intended to pay a visit to his castle, and 
 was desirous to be introduced to his wife. The favourite, setting out a 
 few hours before the king, under pretence of making needful prepara- 
 tions, discovered the whole matter to Elfrida, and conjured her to use 
 her utmost ingenuity to conceal her beauty. His request required too 
 much heroism for a woman so circumstanced. Elfrida, ambitious that 
 her beauty should captivate Edgar, or stung with resentment against the 
 man that had deprived her of a crown, studiously displayed all the 
 graces of her person. Love and fury took possession of the insulted 
 monarch. Ethelwald was seduced into a wood, under pretence of hunt- 
 ing, and there assassinated, some say by the king's own hand. Elfrida 
 was soon after invited to court, and their nuptials were performed with 
 the accustomed solemnity. 
 
 Among the incidents of this reign may be mentioned the extirpation 
 of wolves from England ; they were pursued with so much assiduity, 
 that they were forced to take shelter in the forests and mountains of 
 Wales ; and the king changed the tribute-money imposed upon the 
 Welsh into an annual tribute of three hundred heads of wolves. In a 
 little time, their extirpation was effected. 
 
 What means did Edgar take to establish tranquillity? — Relate Edgar's amour 
 with Elfrida. — What are the chief incidents of Edgar's reign ? 
 
24 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Edgar died in the thirty-third year of his age, after a reign of sixteen 
 years, and was succeeded, in 975, by his son Edward. 
 
 SECTION 6. 
 
 Edward, surnamed the Martyr, was made king by the favour of the 
 monks. The archbishop persevered in this reign to exercise the author- 
 ity he had acquired in the last. His zeal in extending celibacy, though 
 opposed by many, he maintained and confirmed by pretended miracles. 
 
 Edward lived but about four years after his accession. Hunting one 
 day near the castle of Elfrida, his mother-in-law, he paid her a visit. 
 After mounting his horse to depart, he desired some liquor to be brought 
 him ; and while in the act of drinking, one of her servants stabbed him 
 in the back. Finding himself wounded, he put spurs to his horse; but 
 fainting through loss of blood, he fell from the saddle, and his foot stick- 
 ing to the stirrup, he was dragged along till he died. Elfrida built 
 monasteries to expiate this murder, but was never able to recover her 
 reputation. 
 
 Ethelred the Second, the son of Edgar and Elfrida, succeeded. He 
 was young, and possessed neither genius, capacity, nor courage. Una- 
 ble to govern even in a state of peace, he was totally unqualified to 
 oppose a deluge of barbarians, who assailed his kingdom. Ethelred, on 
 one of these occasions, so far from taking the field in his own defence, 
 purchased their departure at the price of ten thousand pounds. Not 
 long after, Sweyn, King of Denmark, and Olave, King of Norway, 
 headed a descent and defeated the English army. London saved itself 
 by a vigorous resistance. At length a treaty w^as concluded. The bar- 
 barians received sixteen thousand pounds, and retired. But peace w^as 
 not of long duration; several bodies of the Danes had remained in Eng- 
 land, and there formed settlements, and Ethelred conceived a design of 
 making a general massacre of them. The plot was carried on with 
 such secresy, that it was executed in one day. The day in which the 
 Danes usually bathed themselves was chosen, and they were slaughtered 
 without pity and without distinction of age or sex. But this massacre, 
 so perfidious and cruel, was productive of greater calamities. 
 
 Sweyn, impelled by revenge, renewed his invasion, and desolated the 
 kingdom by the most cruel ravages. An uncertain peace, purchased by 
 the payment of 30,000Z., was followed by new hostilities. 
 
 The nobility submitted at length to the Danish monarch, swore alle- 
 giance to him, and delivered him hostages for their good behaviour. 
 Ethelred fled with his family to Normandy. On the death of Sweyn, 
 which happened about six months after, Ethelred was invited by his sub- 
 jects to return, and after an inglorious reign of thirty-five years, he 
 expired. He was succeeded by his son Edmund, who had already given 
 proofs of heroic bravery. 
 
 Edmund the Second came to the throne in 1016, and he hastened to 
 bring about a decisive battle with the enemy, conducted by Canute, 
 
 Who was Edgar's successor? — Relate the circumstances of Edward's murder. — 
 Mention Ethelred's incapacity and his crueUies* — How were they revenged by 
 Sweyn, the Danish king ? 
 
CANUTE. 25 
 
 who succeeded his father as general of the Danish forces. Edric, a 
 traitor to Edmund, had joined himself to Canute, and to his treachery 
 inuy be ascribed Edmund's unsuccessful resistance of the Danes, after 
 t!n-ce successive battles. But both parties being by this time equally 
 fatigued with undecisive war and bloodshed, the nobility obliged their 
 leaders to come to a compromise. Canute reserved to himself North- 
 umberland, Mercia, and East-Anglia; the southern parts were left to 
 Edmund. The English monarch survived not this treaty above a month, 
 being murdered at Oxford by his two chamberlains, the accomplices of 
 Edric ; and Canute succeeded to the kingdom. Thus a termination 
 was put to a war with the Danes, which had raged, with little intermis- 
 sion, for 200 years. 
 
 SECTION 7. 
 
 Canute, afterwards surnamed the Great, assembled the States of the 
 kingdom, and covered his usurpation of the whole kingdom under the 
 appearance of justice. The two sons of Edmund had a title to the 
 throne, and Canute, to prevent their succession, sent them to his ally, 
 the king of Sweden, desiring they should be put to death. The Swede, 
 revolting at so great a crime, sent them to the king of Hungary, who 
 generously educated them in his court. 
 
 The first care of Canute was to confirm his power. He sacrificed to 
 his interest a great number of English, and rid himself of several of the 
 nobility who continued to express attachment to the ancient blood of 
 their kings. England in general, and London in particular, was loaded 
 with imposts. He had no other means of rewarding his ofl[icers and 
 partisans ; and necessity, rather than tyranny, it is said, led him to exer- 
 cise a severity, the remembrance of which he soon defaced by the wis- 
 dom of his administration. 
 
 Canute confirmed the Saxon laws and institutions, and impartially distri- 
 buted justice, making no distinction between the English and the Danes. 
 The duke of Normandy, who had given protection to Ethelred, with bis 
 two sons, was disposed to support the claims of his nephews ; but Can- 
 ute prevented the danger, by espousing Emma, the duke's sister, and 
 the mother of the young princes. 
 
 The king paid a visit to Denmark, and profiting by the opportunity it 
 afforded him, made a conquest of Norway. The possession of three 
 great kingdoms rendered him the most powerful monarch in Europe, 
 and satisfied with human grandeur, he devoted the latter part of his life 
 to the concerns of religion. 
 
 The founding of churches and monasteries exercised the piety of 
 Canute. He even undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, and imported 
 reliques, and performed such ceremonies as the custom of the timea 
 required to atone for former acts of violence and injustice. 
 
 All historians relate the circumstance of his ordering his chair to be 
 
 Who was Canute? — How was the contest between Kdmund and Canute decid- 
 ed ? — What became of the two sons of Edmund ? — How did Canute confirm his 
 power? — W^hom did Canute espouse ? — What is said of his power? — How did 
 Canute manifest his piety? — What anecdote is related of him? 
 3 
 
26 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 placed on the sea-shore while the tide was approaching, and his com- 
 manding it not to approach, nor wet the feet of its sovereign, in order 
 to impress on his courtiers the insignificance of human power, and to 
 reprove them for their servile adulation. 
 
 Canute died at Shaftsbury, in the 19th year of his reign, \. d. 1086, 
 leaving behind him three sons, Swein, Harold, and Hardicanute. Swein 
 was King of Norway. To Hardicanute was given Denmark, and Har 
 old succeeded to the English throne. 
 
 Harold. — Canute had a son by Emma, called Hardicanute, or Canute 
 11., who, according to the treaty with Richard, Duke of Normandy, 
 should have succeeded to the crown of England ; but he had appointed 
 by will that it should devolve on Harold, his son by a former marriage. 
 The English declared for Hardicanute; and to prevent a civil war, a 
 comprotnise was made, and all the provinces north of the Thames were 
 assigned to Harold. But he reigned only four years. 
 
 Hardicanute, or Canute II. succeeded in 1039, and his title was 
 readily acknowledged by the whole kingdom ; and on his arrival from 
 the continent, he was received with such extravagant demonstrations of 
 joy as his future conduct proved him unworthy of; for his violence and 
 inhumanity lost him, in the beginning of his reign, the affections of the 
 English, and the exaction of heavy imposts incr" ^ed their discontents. 
 The populace, in Worcester, rose and put to de-^.* > two of the collectors ; 
 and the enraged monarch ordered the city to bo ^.m1]p< vd and burned to 
 the ground. Happily for England, two years put a period to his reign, 
 in consequence of excess at the marriage of a Danish lord, which was 
 celebrated at Lambeth. 
 
 Edward, surnamed the Confessor, the only prince of the Saxon line, 
 was raised to the throne in a. d. 1041 ; and the English, who had so long 
 been subject to a foreign yoke, were rejoiced at finding the line of their 
 ancient monarchs restored. He had been educated in Normandy, and 
 had formed many strong attachments to that country. Hence his court 
 was filled with Normans; and the French language, customs, and laws, 
 became fashionable in England. The principal dignities of the church 
 were given to strangers. Edward had no legitimate issue; and, after 
 much deliberation about a successor, he turned his thoughts towards 
 William, Duke of Normandy, and secretly communicated to him his 
 desijjn, but died without naming his successor, a. d. 1065. 
 
 Harold, the son of a popular nobleman, who was the son-in-law of 
 Canute, and whose daughter, Editha, was Edward the Confessor's con- 
 sort, ascended the throne without opposition. Harold had previously 
 attempted to draw to him the aflfections of the English, by a conduct 
 which was popular and prudent; and the glory he had acquired by the 
 subjection of the Welsh, who had constantly been molesting the king- 
 dom with their incursions, increased the reputation of his valour. Cer- 
 tain of the suffrages of the people, and possessed of great influence in 
 the State, he openly aspired to the succession. 
 
 His pretensions were opposed by Duke William, who insisted that 
 
 Who succeeded Canute on the English throne? — Describe the character of Har- 
 dicanute. — His cruelties. — Relate the reign of Edward the Confessor. — Who next 
 aspired to the succession ? — By whom were his pretensions opposed ? 
 
HAKOLD. 27 
 
 iCdward the Confessor had bequeathed to him the crown. William was 
 the iiitural son of Robert, Duke of Normandy; he owed part of his 
 ^rroaijiess to his birth, but yet more to his own personal merit. His 
 lu'ioism iiad triumphed over the efforts of France and its vassals; and 
 he drew into Normandy t!ie most celebrated warriors of Europe, and 
 sei'j'.'d with ardour every opportunity of signalizing his valour. 
 
 Wlien the fame of his intended expedition had spread, multitudes 
 crowded to his standard. The Emperor Henry IV. declared in his fa- 
 vour ; Pope Alexander il. sent him a consecrated banner, and pronounced 
 Harold an usurper. The States of Normandy, however, were reluctant- 
 ly brought to grant to William the groat sums he required. At length 
 1 found himself at the head of sixty thousand men, which he embarked 
 on board a fleet of three hundred sail ; and after some small opposition 
 from the weather, landed at Pevensey, on the coast of Sussex, without 
 oj)po^ition. The duke happening to stumble and fall as he leaped on 
 sJiore, cried aloud, " that he had taken possession of the country ;" and 
 this circumstance his army considered as a favourable omen. The least 
 unexpected event strikes superstitious minds with joy or with horror. 
 
 Harold, since his accession, had been called to oppose the Norwegians, 
 who had spread alarm over the kingdom. He was now returning, after 
 obtaining a decisive victory. He lost, however, many of his bravest 
 officers and soldiers in the actioii ', and upon receiving false intelligence 
 that William, discouraged by contrary winds, had abandoned the enter- 
 prise, Harold dismissed his fleet, which he had collected to oppose the 
 Normans, and by this means facilitated their invasion. 
 
 Had Harold followed the advice of his brother, Gurth, he might have 
 saved the kingdom. He thought that the enemy, if harassed by frequent 
 skirmishes, and straitened for provisions, would be compelled to yield to 
 the rigours of winter ; whereas, in a situation where they must conquer 
 or die, they would fight with an irresistible courage. Harold was pre- 
 cipitate, though deserted by many of his old soldiers. William proposed 
 to him, by some monks, that he should fight him by single combat, or 
 that they should submit their cause to the arbitration of the Pope. 
 Harold replied, that '* The God of battles should be the arbiter of their 
 differences." 
 
 The night preceding this important decision was passed by the Nor- 
 mans in prayer, and by the English in riot. On the morning, William 
 made a speech to his soldiers, in which he did not fail to urge the Pope's 
 anathema against Harold, and the consecrated banner he had himself 
 received. Harold led on his army on foot, William fought on horseback ; 
 the Norman forces were mostly cavalry, while the English forces were 
 nearly all infantry. The Normans, in this battle, used both the long bow 
 and the cross bow; which missive weapons did, at a distance, great 
 execution. The English had neither; but as soon as they came to close 
 fight, with their bills they hewed down their adversaries with great 
 slaughter. The victory remained undecided from nine in the morning 
 till the close of the day. William, perceiving that the English remain- 
 
 What crowned heads declared in William's favour? — What happened as Williarp 
 landed? — What weakened Harold's powers of resistance ? — What was Gurth' 
 judicious advice ? — What did William offer ? — Was it accepted ? 
 
28 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 cd impenetrable, ordered his troops to make a hasty retreat; and the 
 English pursuing with an irregular impetuosity, which threw them into 
 disorder, the Normans fliced about, and repulsed them with great slaugh- 
 ter. King Harold and his two brothers perished in the action. William 
 ihad three horses killed under him, and obtained not the victory but with 
 the loss of fitleen thousand of his men. This event put a period to the 
 dominion of the Anglo-Saxons, which had continued tor more than six 
 Ijundred years. 
 
 CHAPTER IL— THE NORMANS. 
 
 SECTION 1. 
 WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. A. D. 1066. 
 
 Though the English had lost much of their independent spirit, in con- 
 sequence of their submitting to the Danes, and though the prosperous 
 reign of Canute had familiarized them to the dominion of strangers, 
 they, notwithstanding, made some efforts in favour of Edgar Atheling-, 
 the only remaining prince of the Saxon line. The Archbishop of Can- 
 terbury declared him king, and endeavoured to excite the people in his 
 favour ; but the activity of William increased the consternation which 
 his victory had occasioned. He made himself master of Dover ; and 
 immediately advanced to London, which was full of confusion. The 
 UAore dignified ecclesiastics, who were Frenchmen or Normans, began 
 to declare in favour of an enterprise consecrated by papal authority. 
 The primate at length, the nobility, and even Edgar himself, went out 
 to his camp, requesting him to accept the crown. 
 
 The coronation was performed in Westminster Abbey, by the Arch- 
 bishop of York; and William took the oaths usual in the times of the 
 Saxon and Danish kings; namely, to protect the church, to observe the 
 laws of the realm, and to govern with impartiality. The first acts of 
 liis government were wise and politic, calculated to engage the affec- 
 tions of the conquered, and to prevent the dangers incident to sudden 
 revolutions. The ecclesiastics who had favoured his cause he did not 
 neglect to reward ; his own army, in particular, he softened by affability 
 and presents. He confirmed to London and other places the privileges 
 they enjoyed. Edgar and the chief nobility he affected to treat with 
 kindness, and the people flattered themselves with the prospect of peace, 
 and a wise and equal administration. 
 
 William, however, was more attentive to his own interest than to the 
 happiness of his new subjects. He distributed estates among his officers ; 
 he erected fortresses to keep the kingdom in subjection, and made use 
 of the sword to uphold his power. Having provided for the security of 
 
 Describe the battle fought between Harold and William. — What was done in 
 behalf of Edgar Atheling? — What prevented his success? — What methods did 
 VVilliam take to establish himself ? — What were the first acts of his government? — 
 How did he keep the English in a state of subjection ? 
 
WILLIAM THE COI^'QUEKOR. 29 
 
 iiis conquests, he resolved to revisit Normandy. The English nobility 
 w ho nccornpuniod him displayed a maj^nificence which did him honour, 
 ;iii;l struck foreigners with astonishment. 
 
 JJiit the absence of William produced in En^^land the most violent 
 agitations. It was impossible to restrain the insolence of the Normans, 
 who, proud from the victory they had gained, greedy of plunder, and 
 despising a people who could be so easily subdued, were induced -to com- 
 mit the gre itest disorders. Tlie spirit of the English was exasperated, 
 and mutual jealousies and animosities between them and the Normans 
 rose to the greatest height. The inhabitants in several counties had 
 recourse to arins, and appeared in open rebellion. 
 
 The English had entered into a conspiracy to cut off the Normans; 
 and Ash- Wednesday, during divine service, was fixed upon for the ma? 
 sacre, when all the iS^ormans would be unarmed, as penitents, according 
 to the custom of the Romish Church ; but William's return disconcerted 
 their schemes, and from that time forward he began to lose all confidence 
 in liis English subjects, and to treat them as a conquered nation. 
 
 He established the tax on Dane-gelt, which had been abolished 
 by Edward the Confessor, and exercised the most severe and arbitrary 
 measures. So mercilessly did he treat the people whom he had con- 
 quered, that on the Northumbrians having revolted in 1070, he laid 
 waste their fine fertile lands for the extent of sixty miles. Flourishing 
 towns, fine villages, and noble seats, were burned down, the implements 
 of husbandry destroyed, and their cattle driven away. The most ancient 
 and opulent families in the state w^ere reduced to indigence. He adopt- 
 ed the institutions of the feudal policy, already established in France. 
 He therefore portioned the kingdom into baronies which he bestowed on 
 his partisans; into which rank no Englishman was admitted. Stigand, 
 Archbishop of Canterbury, who had given offence to the king, was 
 deposed, sent to prison, and his estates were confiscated ; and all the 
 English prelates, except one, were at the same time removed from their 
 preferments. 
 
 After robbing the English of their wealth, he attempted to abolish 
 their language. He ordered French to be the language in all the 
 schools ; and to be employed in all acts, contracts, deeds, and courts of jus- 
 tice. Hence arose the peculiar mixed character of the English language. 
 
 No station, however elevated, is secure against misfortune ; and Wil- 
 liam found in his own family a source of inquietude. He had three 
 sons, Robert, William, and Henry, besides several daughters ; and he 
 had settled the succession of Normandy on Robert, his eldest son, who, 
 impatient of all restraint, demanded immediate possession of his herit- 
 age, and on his father's refusal, Robert withdrew to Normandy, and broke 
 out into open rebellion. Afler several years of animosity had passed, 
 the king transported an English army into Normandy, to bring his son 
 back to his allegiance. The interposition of the queen, and the submis- 
 sion of Robert, produced, at length, a reconciliation. 
 
 What was the behaviour of the Normans in William's absence ? — Relate the 
 conspiracy of the t^nglish to cut them off— To what severe and arbitrary measures 
 did William resort? — What attempts were made to abolish the English language ? 
 — What son rebelled against his father ? 
 3* 
 
30 HISTORY OF EXGLATS^D. 
 
 In one of the battles between the forces of William and his son Rob- 
 ert, the latter happened to engage the king, whose face was concealed 
 by his helmet, and both of them being valiant, a fierce combat ensued, 
 till the young prince wounded his father in the arm, and unhorsed him. 
 On his calling out for assistance, his voice discovered him to his son, 
 who, struck with remorse, threw himself at his father's feet, and craved 
 p.irdon for his offence ; but William, who was highly exasperated, gave 
 i]im his malediction. He was however, afterwards, reconciled to him, 
 and on his return to England, Robert was successfully employed in 
 retaliating an invasion of Malcolm, king of Scotland. 
 
 An event of more importance happened soon after, and served to 
 shorten the days of William. In consequence of an insurrection in 
 Normandy, and the incursions of the French barons, William had gone 
 over to the continent. A misunderstanding also had broken out between 
 him and Philip I. of France, and his displeasure was increased by the 
 account he received of some railleries which that monarch had thrown 
 out against him. William, who had become corpulent, had been detain- 
 ed in bed sometime by sickness; upon which Philip was heard to utter 
 a coarse sarcasm on William's corpulence. This so provoked the Eng- 
 lish monarch, that he sent him word, he would soon be up, and would 
 celebrate his recovery at Notre Dame, with ten thousand lances instead 
 of lights. 
 
 In fulfilment of his promise, he marched into France, and laid every 
 thing w^aste by fire and sword. The town of Mante he reduced to ashes ; 
 but there his progress was arrested by an accident which put a period to 
 his life. His horse, happening to place his foot on some hot ashes, 
 plunijed violently; the rider was thrown forward and bruised on the 
 pommel of the saddle, to such a degree, that he suffered a relapse, of 
 which he died shortly afler, near Rouen, in the sixty-tliird year of his 
 age. A.D. 1087. 
 
 In this reign Justices of the Peace were first appointed in England, 
 and the Curfew (or cover-fire bell) was established, at eight o'clock in 
 the evening, by which he obliged all tfie inhabitants of the kingdom to 
 extinguish their fires, and to put out their lights. A general register of 
 all the lands, &c., called Doomsday Book, was also made, and tlie Tow- 
 er of London in part erected in this reign. 
 
 SECTION 2. 
 WILLIAM RUFUS. A. D. 1087. 
 
 William II. was surnamed Rufus from the colour of his hair. His 
 claim to the succession was founded on a letter which the late king 
 wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury. William hastened to secure a 
 throne which ought to have descended to Robert, his eldest brother. 
 He made himself master of his father's treasure, and of the most import- 
 ant fortresses ; and obtained the sanction of the archbishop, who brought 
 
 What happened in one of the engagements between the forces of the king and 
 his son ? — Who passed a jest on William, and what was his reply ? —What was the 
 fatal result of the monarch's jest ? — What new laws were passed in this reign ?- 
 Who succeeded him ? 
 
( 31 ) 
 
WILLI a:?! kuftjs. 33 
 
 about his coronation. B it many of the barons, who possessed estates ir 
 both kingdoms, beheld with ref^Tet the didjunctioa of England and Nor- 
 mandy ; and to Williim fiey were averse, on account of his violent and 
 tyran!iical spirit. A powerful coniederacy was therelbre formed 
 again.st iiim, and tiie bishop of Bayeux put himself at the head. Wil- 
 liam, when informed of this confederacy, endeavoured to gain the affec- 
 tions of the native English ; he raised troops, marched suddenly against 
 the rebels ; and having dispersed and vanquished them, he contiacated 
 their estates. 
 
 Robert, whom the Norman barons would have placed upon the throne 
 of England, was destitute of policy and firmness. His administration 
 was loose and negligent, and Normandy was torn with the violence of 
 civil wars. An accommodation however was negotiated between the 
 two brothers ; in which it was stipulated, that on the demise of either 
 without issue, the sui'vivor should inherit all his dominions. 
 
 Althouo^h Duke Robert had ceded some towns to William, he could 
 neither regard William as a friend, nor as a faithful ally. The British 
 monarch made a second invasion of Robert's dominions: in order to 
 exact money, he ordered an army of twenty thousand men to be levied 
 in England. From these troops, when about to embark, he demanded 
 lO.s. a head, in lieu of their services, and then dismissed them. This 
 money he so employed that it rendered him better service than he could 
 have expected from the army. But the incursions of the Welsh caused 
 him to return to England sooner than he expected. He repulsed these 
 invaders, who retreated, as usual, to their mountains. 
 
 While all Europe was disturbed with the disorders of the feudal gov- 
 ernment, vassals making war against their sovereigns, and sovereigns 
 against their vassals, the madness of the Crusades, a. d. 1097, spread 
 everywhere, with amazing rapidity. Peter the Hermit, who had made 
 a visit to the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, and beheld the cruel manner 
 in which the Christians were treated by the infidels, proposed to Urban 
 II., the then pope, a project of leading armies into Asia, and conquering 
 the Holy Land. A council was summoned at Placencia, and another at 
 Clermont; and on hearing the exhortations of the pope and the hermit, 
 the whole assembly cried out, "// is the will of God!''' and each cham- 
 pion devoted himself to the holy war by affixing a cross to his right 
 shoulder. 
 
 The kingdom of heaven was promised to all who fell in the war 
 against the infidels; the acquisition of earthly kingdoms in Asia, of 
 whose wealth and fertility they had heard so much, was to crown suc- 
 cess ; and all sins were forgiven to the crossed. Among their chief 
 leaders were Robert, Duke of Normandy ; Hugh, brother to the King of 
 France; Raymond, Count of Toulouse; Godfrey of Bouillon, &c. ; and 
 an immense number of all ranks and ages crowded to the sacred stand- 
 ard. Three hundred thousand, under the guidance of Peter the Hermit, 
 
 Did not William find his claim difficult to establish ?— What was Robert's c^enernl 
 charaeter? — What transactions occurred between the brothers? — By whom was 
 the crusade preached over Europe ?— What were the rewards offered to the adven 
 turers ? 
 
34 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Walter the Moneyless, and others, straggled on before. The great 
 army followed, ready to precipitate themselves upon Asia. 
 
 Robert, in order to raise a supply of money to appear in a manner 
 suitable to his rank at the head of his vassals, oil* red to mortgage his 
 dukedom in Normandy to his brother Rufus, tor ten thousand marks. 
 This sum William raised by contribution on his subjects. Not long 
 after, the Earl of l^oictiers and Duke of Guyenne, inflamed with the 
 glory of the enterprise, and wanting money to forward his preparations, 
 had recourse to Rufus, and offered to mortgage all his dominions. 
 
 The king accepted the offer, and was preparing for his departure, in 
 order to take possession of the provinces. But taking the diversion of 
 the chase in the New Forest, he was shot by an arrow that Sir Walter 
 Tyrrel discharged at a deer, which, gLincing from a tree,* struck the 
 king to the heart. 
 
 William was in the fortieth year of his age, and had reigned thirteen. 
 The monuments which remain of him are the ramparts which surround 
 the Tower of London, VV^estminster Hall, and London Bridge. His 
 character has been transmitted to posterity, in most odious colours, by 
 the clergy, who were his enemies; but though their representations are 
 exaggerated, there is undoubted evidence of his licentiousness, his per- 
 fidy, his rapaciousness, and his tyranny. 
 
 SECTION 3. 
 HENRY I. A.D. 1100. 
 
 As William Rufus had never been married, the crown of England 
 belonged of right to Duke Robert, in consequence of the treaty he had 
 concluded with the late king. Robert had acquired great reputation in 
 the East, and on his return had espoused a princess of Italy, and was 
 enjoying in that delicious climate the sweets of repose, when the crown 
 of England became vacant. Prince Henry, his younger brother, was 
 hunting with Rufus in the New Forest, when that prince was killed. 
 He immediately hastened to London, secured the royal treasure, gained 
 over to him the nobility and the bishops, and was advanced to the royal 
 dignity. 
 
 His first care was to colour his usurpation with the appearance of 
 justice. He passed a charter by which he restrained himself from 
 seizing the revenues of abbeys and bishoprics ; and became bound to 
 admit the heirs of barons to the possession of their estates without the 
 usua^ exorbitant exactions. But Henry, notwithstanding, kept the see 
 of Durham vacant five years, and retained possession of its revenues. 
 
 Henry drew to him the aff*ections of the English by espousing Matilda, 
 the daughter of the King of Scotland, and the mother of Edgar Atheling. 
 The English were extremely attached to this princess, who was descend- 
 
 * This tree is still standing, though in t!i3 last stags of decay. 
 
 Who mortgaged their dominions to raise money ? — Where was the king shot, and 
 by whom ? — What is the ehanieter of VViiliam Rufus ? — Who had a right to the 
 crown ? — And who succeeded ? — What were Henry's first conciliatory measures ? — 
 Whom did Henry espouse ? 
 
HENliY I. 35 
 
 ed from their ancient kings. She had worn the veil, though she had not 
 taken upon her the vows. It had been questione<l whether it was law- 
 ful fur her to marry, but a convocation of the clergy pronounced a deci- 
 sion conforuKible to the desires of the king and the people. 
 
 Duke Robert, supported by several Anglo-Norman barons, soon arrived 
 in England to recover the crown of which he had been unjustly deprived ; 
 and the armies of the two brothers were on the point of coming to an 
 engagement, when an accommodation was entered into between the two 
 princes. Robert was to receive annually a pension of three thousand 
 marks. No treaty could have been more advantageous to Henry. They 
 mutually agreed to grant pardon to their adherents, and to assist each 
 other against their enemies. But Henry was the first to violate these 
 engagement-, in confi-;c;itinLr the rinh pos.-essioris of the barons; and 
 Robert had the imprudence U) co;ne to Engl Md to remonstrate against 
 this severity. Perceiving his danger, he pur^ iiLsed his e-^^ • :>e by resign- 
 ing his pension. 
 
 This prince was candid and brave, but incapable of governing his 
 dominions. Abandoned alternately to devotion and to dissolute pleasures, 
 he neglected hisaffiiirs: his servants pillaged him with impunity. Nor- 
 mandy, notwithstanding his mild disposition, became a scene of outrage 
 and depredation ; and his example furnishes a proof, that a prince with 
 good-nature and affability, but wanting wisdom and discernment, is inca- 
 pable of acting tor the happiness of his people. The discontented Nor- 
 mans applied to the King of England to use his authority for the sup- 
 pression of these disorders. He passed the sea, and in a great battle took 
 the Duke of Normandy prisoner, made himself master of the whole 
 duchy, and returned triumphant to England. Robert was detained ill 
 prison till his death. 
 
 Henry's usurpation of Normandy involved him in frequent wars. 
 William, the son of Duke Robert, a prince of great hope, hud excited 
 the compassion of many princes, who resolved to reinstate him in his 
 dominions, in which even Louis the Gross, King of France, united. But 
 Henry gained a manifest superiority over them. 
 
 But a domestic calamity, about this time, threw a cloud over Henry's 
 prosperity. His only son, William, who had been recognized as his suc- 
 cessor to the English throne, he had carried over to Normandy, to receive 
 the homage of the States. On his retm-n to England, the vessel in 
 which Henry had embarked was soon carried, by a fair wind, out of 
 sight of land. The prince was detained by some accident, and the sail- 
 ors, having spent the interval in drinking, were unable to manage the 
 vessel, and she foundered upon a rock. The prince, in this extremity, 
 had recourse to the long boat, and had got clear of the ship, when, hear- 
 ing the cries of the Countess of Perche, his natural sister, he ordered 
 the seamen to row back and take her in. Numbers crowded into the 
 boat, and the whole went down. A hundred and forty young noblemen 
 of the principal families in England and Normandy, perished on this 
 occasion. The king was inconsolable for the loss of his son ; and being 
 
 What accommodation did duke Robert and Henry enter into? — What character 
 is given of duke Robert ? — What was the result of Henry's usurpation ? — What 
 domestic calamity clouded Henry's days? 
 
36 HISTORY or E^"GLAND. 
 
 at this time a widower, and liavin.g no legitimate male issue, he was 
 induced to marry, in the hope of having a successor. But Adelais, his 
 second queen, brought him no children. His legal heir was his daughter 
 Matilda, the widow of the emperor Henry V., who ailerwards was mar- 
 ried to Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, by whom she had several 
 children. 
 
 The last years of Henry's reign were distinguished by a profound 
 tranquillity. In preparing to return from Normandy, whither he had 
 gone to visit his daughter Matilda, he was seized with a violent illness; 
 and finding it necessary to make his will, he named Matilda heiress to 
 all his dominions. 
 
 England lost this brave and able monarch in the sixty-seventh year 
 of his age, an.;l after a reign of thirty-four years, a. d. 1135. If his con- 
 duct towards his brother and his nephew throws a stain upon his memory, 
 he might be said in some degree to have atoned for it by the vigour and 
 wisdom of his administration. Henry was fond of literature ; on this 
 account he acquired the name of Beau Clerc, or the Scholar. During 
 his reisrn, London obtained a charter which is considered as the founda- 
 tion of its privileges. 
 
 SECTION 4. 
 STEPHEN. A.D. n35. 
 
 The succession of Henry ought legally to have devolved to Matilda, 
 but Stephen, son of Adela, the king's sister, and the Count of Blois, was 
 ambitious to secure to himself the possession. He hastened to England, 
 from Normandy, and was elected king by the lower orders of the peo- 
 ple. His brother, the Bishop of Winchester, exerted all his influence 
 with the primate, that he should be crowned. The primate, who, as 
 well as the bishops, had sworn fealty to Matilda, refused to perform this 
 ceremony, till Hugh Bigod, steward of the household, made oath that 
 the late king, on his death-bed, had expressed his intention of leaving 
 Stephen his dominions. 
 
 To secure his tottering throne, Stephen passed a charter — permitting 
 the nobility to hunt in their forests, — and conceding to the people, that 
 the tax of Danegelt should be remitted, and the laws of Edward 
 restored. These acts were but the artifices of his ambition. He seized 
 the royal treasure at Winchester, amounting to a hundred thousand 
 pounds; and part of it he employed in gaining partisans, hiring merce- 
 nary troops, extending his power, and having his title ratified by the 
 pope. 
 
 Matilda, however, did not long delay to assert her claim to the crow^n. 
 She landed upon the coast of Sussex, assisted by Robert, Earl of Glouces- 
 ter, natural son to the late king, and took possession of Arundel cas- 
 tle; and her partisans grew every day more numerous. After much 
 destructive hostility and many fruitless negotiations, the army of Ste- 
 
 Whom did Henry appoint as his heir? — What was his age? — How long did ho 
 reign ? — From whom was Stephen descended ? — What did he, to secure his totter 
 ing throne ? — Who asserted her claim ? 
 
STEPHEN. HENRY II. 37 
 
 phen was defeated by Gloucester, and Stephen himself taken prisoner 
 Matilda was crowned at Winchester. 
 
 The imperious spirit of the queen soon disgusted her turbulent sub- 
 jects. The Londoners entered into conspiracy to seize her person, — she 
 tied to Winchester, where she was besieged and reduced to great 
 extremities. She, however, found means to escape, but the Earl of 
 Gloucester fell into the hands of the enemy. He was exchanged for 
 Stephen, who had continued a captive. The death of this brave noble- 
 man, which happened soon after, gave a mortal wound to the interests 
 of his party ; and Stephen was again placed on the throne. But not- 
 withstanding the war in which he was engaged, he had the imprudence 
 to involve himself in a quarrel with the pope, and the pontiif took re- 
 venge by laying his party under an interdict. By this sentence, which 
 was now first known in England, divine service was prohibited, and ail 
 the functions of religion ceased. To remove these restraints, it was 
 necessary to make concessions to the pope. 
 
 But an enemy, the most formidable, perhaps, of all those with v/hom 
 Stephen had yet engaged, soon entered the lists against him. This was 
 Prince Henry, the eldest son of Matilda, who had reached his sixteenth 
 year, and was destined to become one of the most illustrious princes of 
 Europe. For his early feats of chivalry he had received the honours 
 of knighthood. His conduct gave the most flattering presages of his 
 future merit ; and Henry, informed of the dispositions of the people in 
 his favour, made an invasion on England, and a decisive battle was 
 every day expected. To prevent the prospect of farther bloodshed, the 
 great men on both sides interposed between the rival princes. It was 
 stipulated between them that Stephen should possess the crown during 
 his life, and that Henry should succeed him. This aflforded joy to the 
 whole nation. Stephen's reign was short ; he died the year after the 
 treaty. 
 
 CHAPTER III.— PLANTAGENET RACE. 
 
 SECTION 1. 
 
 HENRY II. A.D. 1155. 
 
 The house of Plantagenet, when established on the throne, became a 
 power formidable to the other states of Europe, both on account of its 
 extent of territory, and the superior abilities of Henry. He possessed 
 above a third of the whole French monarchy. The first acts of his 
 reign justified the idea that had been conceived of him. The merce- 
 nary soldiers of Stephen were dismissed, the laws were armed with 
 
 And with what success? — In what difiSculties was the queen involved ? — Upon 
 whose party did the pope lay an interdict ? — Who was Stephen's rival ? — And how 
 was the contest decided ? — What acts gave a presage of Henry's wisdom ? 
 4 
 
88 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 authority, the fortresses were demolished, and the discontented barons 
 reduced to obedience. 
 
 The expeditions which Henry took against the inhabitants of Wales^ 
 made his power known. Of the fortress of Gisors, he possessed him- 
 self by a stratagem ; and the King of France so resented the act, that 
 had it not been for the mediation of Pope Alexander III., a war would 
 have ensued. This pontiff (who a year before had been chased from 
 Rome by the Anti-Pope, Victor IV.) had retired to France ; and it is 
 remarkable that the two kings, meeting him at the castle of Torci, on 
 the Loire, they dismounted to receive him ; and each of them holding 
 one of the reins of his bridle, walked on foot by his side ; and conducted 
 him in this manner into the castle. This circumstance may give us 
 some idea of the authority possessed by the Roman pontiff during those 
 ages. 
 
 But Henry began to think of confining the ecclesiastical jurisdiction 
 within proper bounds, and of repressing the licentiousness of the clergy, 
 who had arrogated to themselves privileges wliich were totally subver- 
 sive of the peace of society. In executing this design, he thought he 
 could command the assistance of liis chancellor, but was thwarted by a 
 pertinacious opposition on his part. 
 
 Thomas a Becket was of English pedigree. He was endowed with 
 singular capacity; he had studied the civil and canon law at Bologna. 
 Henry conferred upon him distinctions and honours, and while chancel- 
 lor, Becket distinguished himself* not more by his talents than by the 
 extraordinary splendour and gaiety with which he lived. Henry, full of 
 confidence in a minister apparently so devoted, promoted him to be Arch 
 bishop of Canterbury, not doubting that, as primate of the kingdom, 
 he would as effectually support his measures as he had done while chan- 
 cellor. 
 
 From this moment Becket totally altered his conduct. He retired 
 from the court, resigned his commission of chancellor, and renounced 
 all secular concerns. By the austerities and mortifications to which he 
 submitted, and by a lavish generosity to the poor and the monasteries, 
 he drew to him the veneration of the people. He was now a saint, and 
 not a minister ; and set up for being a defender of the privileges of the 
 clergy. It was not long before he thought to overawe the king by the 
 boldness of his measures. He summoned the Earl of Clare to surren- 
 der to him certain lands which had formerly belonged to the see of Can 
 terbury ; he disposed of a living without regard to the rights of a patron , 
 a murder, also, which a clergyman had committed, Becket refused to 
 have tried or punished by the civil magistrate, insisting on the immuni- 
 ties of the church. 
 
 To determine these matters, the king summoned a general council of 
 the nobility and clergy, at Clarendon, by whose concurrence might be 
 ascertained the proper limits of the civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. 
 And it was there enacted, that ecclesiastics accused of any crime should 
 
 Relate the interview of the two kings with the pope. — What attempts did Henry 
 make to restrain the influence of the clergy ? — What was the character of Becket. 
 while chancellor? — What when raised to the archbishopric of Canterbury ? 
 
HENRY II. 39 
 
 oe tried in the civil courts; that no appeals from sentences pronounced 
 in England should be made to the pope ; that all matters regarding the 
 revenues of the church should be decided by the king's judges, &,c. 
 These enactments got the name, from the place where they were formed, 
 of the Constitutions of Clarendon. These, with others, to the number 
 of sixteen, were subscribed to by all the bishops present ; and Becket 
 himself, after a vigorous resistance, set his seal to the number. But 
 Pope Alexander III., to whom they were sent, condemned and annulled 
 them, as incompatible with the rights of the church. 
 
 After the abrogation of the pope, Becket expressed the deepest sor- 
 row for having given the laws his sanction. This inflamed the haughty 
 and violent disposition of Henry II. to an unjustifiable extremity. He 
 ordered Becket to be tried on a frivolous pretence, and then confiscated 
 his wealth. The archbishop, pushed to extremity, exerted the vigour 
 of an inflexible mind. He presented himself at court, with the crosa 
 in his hands and arrayed in his sacred vestments, in order to intimidate 
 the king ; and he appealed to the supreme pontiff* against the sentence 
 pronounced against him. He soon after found means to leave the king- 
 dom. 
 
 Unfortunately, the obstinacy of Becket was equal to the stateliness 
 of Henry. A compromise was at last suggested, which the king hoped 
 would secure a lasting peace; but he deceived himself; for Becket had 
 scarcely set foot in England, when he issued new censures against the 
 Archbishop of York, who had crowned Henry's son in his absence ; and 
 he excommunicated the Bishops of London and Salisbury, besides com- 
 mitting other acts equally arbitrary. 
 
 The king was informed of these violent measures, at Bayeux, in 
 Normandy. " What ! " cried he, " will no one rid me of this ungrate- 
 ful and imperious prelate V This passionate exclamation was a suffi 
 cient hint for his courtiers. Four gentlemen secretly withdrew from 
 court, and proceeded to Canterbury. During the time of vespers, as 
 soon as the primate reached the altar, they fell on him. Becket thus 
 became a victim to his intrepid and inflexible spirit, in a cause in which 
 he was guided by the most destructive prejudices. 
 
 On receiving the news of this catastrophe, the king was seized with 
 despair, and refused all nourishment for three days. He despatched 
 eight persons to Rome, to clear him of all suspicion of concern in it, 
 and to avert from him the thunders of the Vatican. The assassinated 
 archbishop passed for a saint and a martyr ; pilgrimages were under- 
 taken to his tomb from all parts, and miracles were supposed to be per- 
 formed by his relics. 
 
 In this critical juncture of affairs, Henry undertook an expedition to 
 Ireland, the conquest of which had long excited his ambition. How- 
 ever true may be the accounts which boast of the learning, the arts, the 
 piety, and polished manners of Ireland in earlier times, there were but 
 few traces left at the period we are now speaking of. They appeared 
 
 What enactments were termed the Constitutions of Clarendon ?— How did Becket 
 appear at court ? — What censures did he utter ? — What was the fatal result ? ~ 
 What effect had Backet's death on the king and the people ? 
 
40 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 destitute of laws, of manners, and of arts. They were even unac- 
 quainted with ag-riculture, and were divided into small principalities, 
 which exercised perpetual violence and hostility against each other. 
 
 SECTION 2. 
 
 Adrian III., an Englishman by birth, was at this time pontiff; and 
 he, (according to the system of the papacy, which aspired to the confer- 
 ring of empires,) as early as the year 1156 had made a grant of Ireland 
 to Henry ; and an occasion for asserting it now presented itself. One 
 of the chiefs of Ireland, being expelled from his dominions by a neigh- 
 bouring prince, whose wife he had carried off, implored the protection 
 of the English monarch. Henry empowered the chief to levy troops in 
 England for the recovery of his principality. Several adventurers en- 
 gaged to give him assistance, and with a small body of soldiers he was 
 enabled to overthrow the numerous forces of the native Irish. 
 
 Henry himself went in person to attack Ireland, but he had little 
 more to do than to receive the submissions of a vanquished people ; and 
 the country has ever since been united to England. But the conquest 
 was of little use till the reign of James I., to whom the Irish were in- 
 debted for the security and advantages of order and laws. 
 
 Meanwhile, Pope Alexander III. had sent two legates into Normandy, 
 examine into the king's conduct with regard to the death of Becket; 
 ♦ud historians ascribe great dexterity to Henry, in extricating himself 
 A) easily from so difficult a situation. 
 
 Henry is said to have been of a very amorous disposition ; and his- 
 torians mention two of his natural sons, by Rosamond, the fair daughter 
 >f Lord Clifford — namely, Richard, called Longsword, who married 
 the heiress of Salisbury ; and Geoffrey, first bishop of Lincoln, and 
 afterward Archbishop of York. The other circumstances told of that 
 lady seem to be fabulous, though adopted by many historical writers — 
 namely, of her concealment in a labyrinth in Woodstock Park, and of 
 the queen being guided to her retreat by a clue of silk, holding a dag- 
 ger to her breast, and obliging her to swallow poison. Of one thing we 
 are sure, that the personal charms of Fair Rosamond, as the most beau- 
 tiful w^oman in England, were celebrated in the ballads and romances 
 of the time. 
 
 This monarch seemed to have reached the pinnacle of human gran- 
 deur, to be thrown from it into the abyss of misfortunes. He had proved 
 superior to his enemies; he was happy in his political government ; and 
 ia his domestic situation he was surrounded with children from whom 
 e expected satisfaction and comfort. But his family proved to him a 
 source of severe inquietude. His eldest son, Henry, on the very day ot 
 his consecration, discovered the arrogance of his temper. The king, in 
 order to give the greater dignity to the ceremony, submitted to officiate 
 
 What circumstances opened Henry's prospects of conquering Ireland ? — Did he 
 not go thither to receive their submission ? — What is related of Henry and Fair 
 Rosamond ? — What inquietude did Henry experience from his family ? 
 
HENRY II. 41 
 
 at table, as one of the retinue ; and observed to his son, that never mon- 
 arch was more royally served. " It is nothing- astonishing," said the 
 young prince, to one of his courtiers, ** that the son of a count should 
 serve the son of a king." 
 
 The young prince soon after going over to Normandy, Louis, the 
 King of France, persuaded him that in consequence of the ceremony, 
 he was entitled to an immediate possession of part of the kingdoms of 
 his father. The queen favoured his pretensions, and persuaded his bro- 
 thers, Geoffrey and Richard, to assert their titles to the territories assign- 
 ed them. Not only the King of France, but many of his barons, and 
 William, King of Scotland, openly declared their intentions to support 
 the cause of young Henry ; but the English monarch, by his expeditions 
 on the continent, weakened the hopes of those combined against him ; 
 and conferences were held to terminate differences and to establish peace. 
 
 The invasion of the Scots, in 1174, occasioned fresh alarms, and Henry 
 hastened from Normandy, and sent his generals to oppose them. Know- 
 ing the influence of superstition over the minds of the people, and in 
 order to gain their affections, (for to no other motive can we ascribe his 
 condescension,) he submitted to an act of humiliation, which all the 
 power and authority of the church could not impose upon him. He set 
 out for Canterbury, advanced barefoot towards the church, prostrated 
 himself before the tomb of Becket, remained in prayer during a whole 
 day, watched all night the holy relics, and in the morning, assembling 
 a chapter of the monks, he disrobed himself, and presented his shoulders 
 to their discipline. Next day he received absolution. True devotion is 
 more decent, and less ostentatious. He soon after received intelligence 
 of a victory over the Sccits. This success was attributed to the protec- 
 tion of the saint; and this opinion spreading through the kingdom, con- 
 tributed to soften the spirit of discontent Henry now passed over into 
 Normandy ; the revolting barons made submission : his three rebellious 
 sons submitted to him, and tranquillity was restored to his government. 
 
 Young Henry, however, at length began to renew his pretensions and 
 revolts; but while preparing for hostilities, he fell ill of a fever at 
 Martel, and being seized with remorse, he sent a messenger to his father, 
 entreating the favour of a visit, that he might die with the satisfaction 
 of having received his forgiveness. The father, suspecting deceit, re- 
 fused to entrust himself to his son. But soon after, receiving intelligence 
 of his death, he was affected with the deepest sorrow ; he thrice fainted 
 away, and was inconsolable for having refused his dying request. 
 
 Young Henry leaving no issue, Richard became heir to the throne, 
 and he soon discovered the same solicitude for dominion that had misled 
 his brother ; and the king of England was obliged to defend his conti- 
 nental dominions by arms. At last, however, a treaty was concluded, 
 in which he was obliged to submit to many mortifying concessions ; and 
 when he demanded a list of those barons to whom he was to grant a 
 pardon, he found his favourite son John among the number. 
 
 Who favoured young Henry's pretensions ? — To what act of humiliation did 
 Henry submit? — Mention Young Henry's compunction before his death. — Did no* 
 Richard and John rebel against their father ? 
 
 4* 
 
42 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 These afflictions were tcx) powerful for him to bear ; he cursed the 
 day of his birth, and his undutiful children. The agitation of his spirits 
 threw him into a slow fever, of which he expired, after a reign of thir- 
 ty-four years, and in the fifty-eighth year of his age. a. d. 1189. 
 
 This prince possessed great virtues, not without the alloy of some 
 vices. He was ambitious, passionate, and vindictive ; but brave, gene- 
 rous, and politic. He holds the first rank among the kings of England. 
 So high an opinion was entertained of his wisdom and justice, that the 
 kings of Castile and Navarre submitted their differences to his decision ; 
 and the sentence he pronounced was respected by both parties. He is 
 said to have been the author of the establishment of the circuit courts. 
 
 SECTION 3. 
 RICHARD I. A.D. n89. 
 
 When Richard came to view the dead body of his father, he was 
 struck with remorse for his undutiful behaviour ; and the compunction 
 he felt had an influence in directing his future conduct. Those who 
 had countenanced his rebellion were discarded from his friendship; 
 while he gave his confidence to those ministers who had distinguished 
 themselves by their zeal and fidelity to Henry. 
 
 Richard, impelled with military glory, was impatient to signalize his 
 courage in Palestine. He was more a soldier than a devotee ; of this 
 we may judge from his reply to Fulk, a zealous preacher of the crusade. 
 This missionary advised him, one day, to rid himself of his vices, par- 
 ticularly his pride, avarice^ and voluptuousness, which he called the 
 king's three favourite daughters. " You counsel well,'* said Richard, "I 
 give my pride to the templars, — my avarice I bestow upon the monks, — 
 and my voluptuousness I resign to my prelates." 
 
 To gratify his passion for the crusade, he sacrificed the interests of 
 his crown and of his people. He exacted rigorous imposts, borrowed 
 immense sums, put to sale the manors of the crown, and said that 
 he would sell London itself if he could find a purchaser. In fine, he 
 sold to the king of Scotland, for ten thousand marks, his right of supe- 
 riority over that kingdom ; and then set out for the Holy Land, whither 
 he was impelled by repeated messages from the kmg of France, who 
 waited for him at Vezelay on the borders of Burgundy. Here they re- 
 newed their promises of friendship and of mutual fidelity during their 
 crusade. As they conducted their forces to the Holy Land by sea, dis- 
 tress of weather obliged them to put into Sicily. On their arrival at 
 Palestine, the emulation between these rival princes produced extraor- 
 dinary deeds of valour; for the particulars of which the reader is referred 
 to the History of the Turks. Philip, from the bad state of his health, 
 returned to France, leaving Richard ten thousand of his troops, and he 
 being left conducter of the war, augmented his reputation by singular 
 
 What is the character usually given of Henry II. ? — What effect had his father's 
 death upon Richard ?— What reply did he make to Fulk's advice? — What sacrifices 
 did he make to gratify his desire to join the crusade ? 
 
( 43 ) 
 
RICHARD I. 45 
 
 acts of personal prowess. He even gained a great victory over Saladin, 
 witli whom a truce of three years was concluded. 
 
 The expedition being terminated, the king of England, in returning 
 home, was shipwrecked at Aquilia, and taking the route of Germany, in 
 the disguise of a j)ilgrim, he was arrested by the Duke of Austria, who 
 sent him loaded with shackles to the emperor, Henry VI. Richard in 
 this situation, sutFered every indignity. He was accused before the diet 
 of the empire of several crimes. The pope, at length, began to declare 
 loudly in his favour, and tlie emperor entered into negotiations with him 
 tor his ransom, and for which he demanded no less a sum than 150,000 
 marks ; of which 100,000 were to be paid before he was released from 
 prison. The English, with great promptitude, levied the sum requisite 
 to procure his liberty. Richard made his entry into London in triumph ; 
 and was soon after crowned anew at Winchester. 
 
 During Richard's absence, his brother John proved himself a most 
 unnatural brother and a perfidious subject. He stipulated to deliver 
 into Philip's hands a great part of Normandy, and received in return the 
 investiture of all Richard's transmarine possessions. Richard, on his 
 return, convoked a general council, at which he confiscated all his brother 
 John's possessions. However, by the intercession of Queen Eleanor, he 
 pardoned him soon after. " I forgive him," said Richard, " and I hope 
 to forget his injuries as easily as he will my clemency." 
 
 Richard's death was occasioned by the following incident. To recov- 
 er a treasure that had been found, and that was retained by his vassal, 
 Vidomar, Viscount of Limoges, he laid siege to the castle of Chalus. 
 The garrison off'ered to surrender, but he replied, that since he had ta- 
 ken the trouble to come in person, he would enter by force and hang 
 them upon its walls. The same day he received a wound from an arrow ; 
 he gave orders, notwithstanding, for the assault, took the castle, and 
 hanged all the garrison, except Jourdan, the person who had wounded 
 him, for whom was reserved a more cruel death. 
 
 The wound became mortal, and Jourdan was called before him. 
 " Wretch," said the monarch, " what have I done to you, that you have 
 sought my life ]" The archer replied, " You killed with your own hands 
 my father and my two brothers, and you intended to hang me ; I am 
 now in your power, I shall willingly submit to all the tortures you can 
 inflict, since I have rid the world of a tyrant." Richard pardoned him, 
 and ordered him to be set at liberty, but Marcade, the general, caused 
 him to be flayed alive, and then hanged. 
 
 This prince lefl no legitimate issue, and died in the forty -second year 
 of his age, and the tenth year of his reign, a.d. 1199. He obtained 
 the appellation of Cceur de Lion, or lion-hearted, for his heroic valour; 
 a quality less to be admired than dreaded, when associated with the 
 vices of a tyrant. His reign was a continued series of oppression and 
 misfortunes. In the ninth year of his government he levied five shil- 
 lings on each hide of land in the kingdom. He merits no encomium. 
 
 What fate awaited his return through Germany?— How did John conduct him- 
 self in his brother's absence ? — What incident was the cause of Richanl's death ? 
 —Relate the reply of the archer that ghot him — Describe his character, and the 
 nature of his governnient. 
 
46 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 except for having established one weight and measure throughout the 
 kingdonfi. But this useful institution was of short continuance. Lon- 
 don had no regular police ; robberies and nnurders were committed in it 
 in open day ; and there were societies of banditti and malefactors, whom 
 no force could control. 
 
 Richard bequeathed the kingdom, with all its treasure, to his brother 
 John ; except a fourth part, to be distributed among his servants. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 JOHN. A. D. 1199. 
 
 This prince, surnamed Sans Terre, or Lack-land, would have had a 
 powerful competitor to the throne in his nephew, Arthur, duke of Brit- 
 tany, the son of Geoffrey, if the rights of succession had been duly ob- 
 served in that age. But John was of maturer age than his competitor, 
 and Richard had made a testament in his favour. The English readily 
 acknowledged him as their sovereign ; but in the transmarine domin- 
 ions, the pretensions of Arthur were considered as the more just. John 
 called an assembly of his vassals to suppress an insurrection in Poic- 
 tiers and Normandy ; and young Arthur, who was now in his sixteenth 
 year, joined himself to Philip, king of France, and received from him 
 the investiture of Anjou and Maine. Everything was giving way to the 
 French army, when unhappily Arthur fell into the hands of his uncle 
 John. Soon after, accounts were received of his death, and no one 
 doubted that he perished by assassination. 
 
 Philip was desirous of j^j^pniying the English from France, nor could 
 a more favourable opportunity pfesent itself. He carried his victorious 
 arms into Normandy. John affected to express his gaiety on the suc- 
 cess of Philip. " Let him go on," said he, " 1 shall retake in a day 
 what has cost him years to acquire." But he made not good his boast 
 The inhabitants of Rouen and other cities capitulated. Thus was Nor- 
 mandy annexed to the crown of France, three centuries after it had 
 been disunited from it by Charles the Simple. John retreated into Eng- 
 land, and was loaded with disgrace and infamy, in an age when valour 
 was esteemed above every other accomplishment. 
 
 To complete his ruin, he involved himself by his imprudence in a 
 quarrel with the church. In consequence of the death of the arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, in 1205, the monks chose a successor to the va- 
 cant dignity; John objected to the choice, and proposed to them the 
 bishop of Norwich, and twelve of their number were dispatched to 
 Rome, to justify this measure to the pope ; who, far from confirming the 
 new election, ordered them to advance Stephen Langton to the see of 
 Canterbury. 
 
 With a view to soften the resentment of John on this occasion, the 
 pope sent him a present of four gold rings; but nothing could appease 
 the rage of John. He expelled all the monks from the cathedral of 
 
 By what testament did John substantiate his claim? — Was not Normandy lost to 
 England in this reign ? — What involved John in a quarrel with the church? 
 
JOHN. 47 
 
 Canterbury, and seized upon their revenues. Tiie menaces of Innocent, 
 and the entreaties of the bishops, wlio conjured him to avert the thun- 
 ders of the Vatican, served only the more to inflame him. He threat- 
 ened that if the pope should put the kingdom under an interdict, he 
 would put out the eyes, and cut off the noses, of all the Romans in his 
 dominions. The pontiff, knowing the king's unpopularity with his sub- 
 jects, issued the sentence of interdict. The altars were stripped of 
 their ornaments; the images, the statues, and the relics were laid on 
 the ground; divine service was suppressed; the churches were shut 
 against the laity ; communion was refused, except to the dying ; the 
 dead were not interred in consecrated ground ; melancholy penances 
 were commanded ; and the commerce and intercourse of life were in- 
 terrupted. The king opposed it with an ill-timed inflexibility ; all who 
 submitted to the orders of the pope he punished rigorously. An exer- 
 tion of prudent vigour might have dissipated the tempest ; but John, 
 listening only to his passions, ran headlong to a precipice. 
 
 During several years that these quarrels subsisted, he attempted to 
 recover his honour, by engaging in expeditions against Ireland, Scot- 
 land, and Wales ; but there was little glory to be gained against feeble 
 enemies, and his natural propensity to tyranny was increased by the 
 danger to which his government was exposed. Cardinal Langton being 
 still withheld from the see of Canterbury, the pope commanded the 
 English bishops to give the last blow to their monarch, by fulminating 
 against him the sentence of excommunication ; and though a few of 
 them only obeyed, it effected its purpose. The barons entered into 
 cabals against him ; his fury softened into fear ; he demanded an inter- 
 view with Langton, offered to acknowledge him as primate, to submit 
 to pope Innocent, and to pay a fine of compensation. 
 
 An excommunicated prince was, in those days, nearly in the same 
 situation as one that is dethroned. A bull from Rome was now only 
 w^anting to deprive John of his crown. The pope made an offer of it to 
 Philip, who collected a great army, and a fleet of seventeen hundred 
 sail, to put in execution the orders of Rome. The excommunication of 
 John had rendered him an object of horror and detestation to his people; 
 and his ruin now had been inevitable, had not the power that oppressed 
 him found it his interest to preserve him. The pope made use of Philip's 
 power to intimidate his refractory son, not to destroy him. The legate, 
 Pandolf, desired an interview with John, at Dover; and so strongly re- 
 presented to him his lost state, that he submitted to all the conditions 
 required of him. He consented to reacknowledge Langton as primate, 
 resign his two kingdoms to the holy see, and acknowledge himself the 
 vassal of the pope. This disgraceful treaty was followed by the humi- 
 liating ceremony of homage. The king, unarmed and on his knees, ap- 
 peared before Pandolf, who was seated on a throne, and swore fealty to 
 the pope ; and promised to pay the tribute of 100,000 marks, or, as some 
 say, of a thousand marks yearly. Thus, by this most disgraceful con- 
 cession, he received his crown, and averted the threatened blow. 
 
 Relate the result of tlie pope's interdict. — What effect had the pope's excommu 
 nication on John ? — By what concessions did John retain his crown ? 
 
48 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Pandolf, on returning to the court of France, found it no easy matter 
 to appease Philip, who had reckoned upon the conquest of England. 
 The legate represented to him that, by John's submission, England had 
 become a fief to the church; and, consequently, that no enterprise could 
 be taken against it without being guilty of impiety, and subject to ex- 
 communication. Philip declared he would not subtnit to be the dupe of 
 such perfidy. He assembled his vassals, and roused them to revenge. 
 His attempts, however, were soon frustrated ; the earl of Salisbury, 
 John's natural brother, came by surprise on the French fleet, and took 
 and destroyed the greater part. But new storms were gathering in his 
 dominions. The charter passed by Henry I., and confirmed by Stephen, 
 had flattered the people, but had long remained unexecuted. The 
 barons, under the influence of the primate, Langton, insisted on the re- 
 newal and observance of it. When they read over the articles, John 
 burst into a furious passion, and asked, " Why they did not also demand 
 from him his crown?' He swore he would not grant it to them. The 
 malcontent barons then entered into a confederacy, and chose Robert 
 Fitzwalter for their general, under the title of " The Marischal of the 
 army of God, and of the holy church." They issued a proclamation, 
 requiring the other nobles to join them, and advanced towards London, 
 which they entered without opposition. 
 
 Abandoned by his subjects, John found himself constrained to submit 
 at discretion. A conference was accordingly appointed. The ground 
 where this most important treaty took place, was at Runnimede, be- 
 tween Staines and W^indsor ; where John was compelled to sign the 
 famous bulwark of English liberty, the magna charta. This deed either 
 granted or secured freedom and numerous privileges to the higher 
 orders ; but as for the lower classes, they had very little participation 
 of legal protection. The better to insure the execution of this charter, 
 the barons elected twenty-five of their own number, who, under the 
 title of conservatives, were invested with great authority. Provided 
 his person was in safety, John could bear the most humiliating indigni- 
 ties; but he secretly waited for an opportunity to violate all his en- 
 gagements. He retired to the Isle of Wight, where he meditated the 
 most fatal vengeance against his enemies. The pope, too, issued a bull, 
 condemning and annulling the charter, as derogatory to the dignity of 
 the apostolic see. The king now venturing to take off the mask, re- 
 voked all the liberties he had granted, and carried fire and devastation 
 from one end of the kingdom to the other. 
 
 The barons, in the urgency of despair, had recourse to France for 
 assistance. Thus England saw nothing but the prospect of being either 
 way undone; when John's unexpected death dissipated the threatened 
 storm. Passing from Lynn to Lincolnshire, the king's road lay along 
 the sea shore, which was overflowed at high water; and not being ap- 
 prised of this, or being ignorant of the tide of the place, he lost, by the 
 influx, all his treasure and baggage, and escaped with difl[iculty with his 
 troops. His grief for the loss he sustained, threw him into a fever. 
 
 How did Pandolf appease Philip of France ? — Where was John compelled to 
 sign the Magna Charta ? — What circumstance was the occasion of his death 1 
 
HENRY III. 49 
 
 which soon appeared to be fatal. He died in the fifty-first year of his 
 age, and the eighteenth of his reign, a. d. 1216. 
 
 There is scarcely any species of infamy, or of crime, with which the 
 memory of this prince has not been loaded. 
 
 SECTION 5. 
 HENRY III. A.D. 1216 
 
 Henry was but eight years old when he came to the throne. The 
 earl of Pembroke, a nobleman of great fidelity, prudence, and courage, 
 supported the interest of the young prince, and ordered him to be crowned 
 at Gloucester, in presence of the legate; and there he swore fealty to 
 the pope. A general council of the barons nominated Pembroke pro- 
 tector of the kingdom ; a charter of liberties was granted, differing in 
 some particulars from that of John, and more adapted to the present 
 views of the people. For the barons perceived that no exactions, un- 
 less they were evidently reasonable, could be levied on men determined 
 to repel any act of oppression. 
 
 The earl of Pembroke had produced a general pacification by the 
 wisdom of his conduct, but he survived it only a short time. He was 
 succeeded in the government by Hubert de Burgh and the bishop of 
 Winchester. The councils of the former were at first chiefly followed, 
 and they were every way worthy of the trust reposed in him, had he 
 possessed equal authority with Pembroke ; but he was unable to repress 
 the licentiousness of the barons. 
 
 The character of Henry, unfolding with his years, gave the expecta- 
 tion of a feeble and disturbed administration. He was naturally of a 
 mild disposition, and possessed no vigour of mind, and no political dis- 
 cernment. His resentments were violent and transitory, and excited no 
 apprehensions; his attachments were sudden, and never consolidated 
 into friendship. The disgrace of Hubert de Burgh, who was a faithful 
 and intelligent minister, is a strong proof of his inconstancy. The 
 bishop of Winchester, Peter des Roches, a Poictevin by birth, who had 
 been the chief instrument of the disgrace of Hubert, gained the supreme 
 authority, and employed it to the worst of purposes. The tyranny of 
 his temper, and his prepossession in favour of the Poictevins, could not 
 accord with an equitable administration. The court was filled with 
 these strangers, and every office of the crown conferred on them. The 
 jealousy of the English was alarmed, and the insolence of the Poicte- 
 'dns caused it to break out into acts of violence. The barons presented 
 themselves in parliament clad in armour. The primate, attended by 
 many of the prelates, threatened Henry with excommunication, if he 
 refused to gratify the wishes of the people and the church. The dread 
 of this censure produced the effect they desired. The bishop of Win- 
 chester was degraded, and the Poictevins were banished. 
 
 What was Henry's age on coming to the throne ? — ^Who were the conductors of 
 the government during the minority ? — How did Henry's character unfold itself 
 with his years ? 
 
50 IIISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Henry's conduct soon convinced them that a similar result may be 
 produced by different means. He had married Eleanor, the daughter of 
 the count of Provence, and he now lavished all his favours on the Fro- 
 'en^als and Savoyards who were attached to that princess. The dis- 
 contented barons again threatened to rise in open rebellion ; and he was 
 forced at length to ratify the great charter, and the ceremony was per- 
 formed with much religious ostentation. 
 
 About the year 1258, Simon de Montford, a foreigner, was created 
 earl of Leicester; and taking advantage of the situation of the times, 
 formed a dangerous conspiracy against the crown. The king had given 
 him his sister in marriage. His address and intrigues conciliated to 
 , him not only the affections of the people, but the friendship of the pre- 
 lates and the nobility. He engaged the barons to unite with him, in 
 the pretence of reforming the government; but in reality for the pur- 
 pose of usurping the supreme authority. In the parliament, the barons 
 appeared in arms. The king upon his entry demanded to know their 
 intentions, to which they submissively replied, to make him their sove- 
 reign by confirming his power, and to have their grievances redressed. 
 An accommodation speedily followed. They promised to grant Henry 
 supplies, provided he would remedy the public disorders, by giving 
 authority for that purpose to men of trust and capacity. He acquiesced, 
 and a parliament was called at Oxford, to digest the new plan of go- 
 vernment. A council of tw^enty-fbur was constituted, invested with 
 unlimited powers, to reform the state ; and Leicester, at the head of the 
 council, governed the kingdom with supreme sway. 
 
 Their first regulations were favourable for the public, but the subsidies 
 which the king expected were postponed. They required that every 
 individual in the nation should take an oath to obey them. They banish- 
 ed several of the queen's relatives from the kingdom ; even the offices 
 of the king's household were filled by persons interested with the coun- 
 cil. They established a committee of twelve persons, who, in the inter- 
 val of the sessions, should exercise the authority of parliament ; and by 
 these and other regulations, they totally annihilated the feeble remains 
 of the royal power. The people complained loudly of their tyranny ; 
 and the knights of the shires invited prince Edward to take upon him 
 the defence of the public liberties, and the rights of the crown.- 
 
 Henry perceiving that the dispositions of the people had taken a turn 
 to his advantage, and hoping to re-establish his authority, applied to 
 pope Alexander IV., who threatened the king's enemies with excom- 
 munication. Henry, upon this, issued a proclamation, and resumed the 
 government of the kingdom. But the ambitious Leicester, renewing 
 his intrigues, soon found himself at the head of a formidable party ; and 
 the king being obliged to confirm anew the statutes of Oxford, was 
 again deprived of his rights. Hostilities were again commenced, and 
 prince Edward found it needful to undertake the defence of the crown. 
 The torch of civil discord being again kindled, it burned with more 
 fury than ever. London declared for Leicester ; and both parties being 
 
 What caused him to ratify the great charter? — Who aspired, artfully, to the 
 supreme authority? — How were the remains of the royal power annihilated ? — 
 What induced Henry to issue his proclamation? 
 
( 51 
 
HENRY III. * 53 
 
 prepared for a contest, tlieir armies encountered at Lewes, in Sussex. 
 \n the l)eoirinin<r of the eng-agcment, prince Edward put to rout the 
 J.ondoners; but pursuing them too far, J^eicester made himself master 
 of the i)erson of the king, lie was soon after exchanged for prince 
 Edward, wlio' was to remain a hostage, to ensure the observance of the 
 statutes of Oxford. 
 
 Notljing but the ceremony of coronation was wanting to make 
 Leicester king of England; and, that he might secure his popularity, he 
 ordered returns to be made of two kniglits tor every shire, and of depu- 
 ties from the boroughs. This period is commonly esteemed as the 
 euocli of the first outline of the House of Commons in England, a. d. 
 1-J65. 
 
 Leicester, fiading he could not longer oppose tlic wishes of the na- 
 tion, set prince Edward at liberty, but gave his emissaries a charge to 
 keep a guard upon him. Edward, pretending to take the air with some 
 of Leicester's retinue, made matches between the horses; after he had 
 tired them, he mounted a horse of extraordinary swiftness, bade his 
 attendants adieu, and effected his escape. 
 
 Finding himself soon at the head of an army, he took the field against 
 Leicester, at Evesham, in Worcestershire. Leicester's army, which 
 had been much weakened by living in the mountains of Wales, made 
 but a feeble resistance. The Welsh fied in the utmost disorder, and 
 Leicester himself fell in the action. He had all the qualities of a hero, 
 and the sagacity of a statesman ; but was carried beyond his sphere by 
 his insatiable ambition. 
 
 The activity and valour of Edward easily subdued the remains of 
 the rebel army. This revolution was attended with the most salutary 
 consequences. The king respected the charter of liberties; and his 
 clemency allowed him to shed no blood on the scallbld. Those who had 
 borne arms against him he punished by pecuniary confiscations ; and 
 these he exacted with great moderation. 
 
 Edward, after having rendered these important services to the king 
 and the crown, being excited by the solicitations of St. Louis, undertook 
 a crusade. He sailed from England to meet the French king on the 
 coast of Africa, but when arrived at that monarch's camp, he found him 
 dead. Edward continued however his voyage to the Holy Land, and 
 while he struck terror into the infidels, and revived the glory of the 
 English name, Henry was experiencing the oppressions of the barons, 
 and the disorders of anarchy. He therefore recalled a son without 
 whose assistance he was unable to support the regal dignity. At last, 
 being overcome with the cares of government and the infirmities of 
 age, he expired, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and the fifty-sixth 
 of his reign, a. d. 1272. No king was naturally more averse from ty- 
 ranny, but his want of firmness produced, at times, all the evils of des- 
 potism. 
 
 Name the epoch of the first outline of the house of commons. — Where was the 
 first encounter between the king and Leicester? — Where did Leicester fall, and 
 what was his character? — With what moderation did the king punish the refrac- 
 tory? — Relate Edward's crusade, and the death of King Henry. 
 5* 
 
54 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 SECTION 6. 
 EDWARD 1. >.D. 1272. 
 
 The absence of this prince, at such a juncture, would doubtless have 
 given occasion to convulsions and civil wars, if the highest opinion had 
 not been entertained of his wisdom and valour. The council, in his 
 absence, proclaimed him king; the estates of the kingdom promised 
 allegiance to him, and the crown was transferred with the greatest 
 tranquillity. When he appeared in England, he was received by the 
 people with joyful acclamations. 
 
 His administration soon taught his subjects, that the happiness and 
 glory of a state are the consequence of the wisdom and capacity of the 
 sovereign. The charter of liberties he made the rule of his conduct, 
 with regard to the barons ; and he obliged them to observe its provisions 
 in relation to their own vassals. He was attentive to appoint judges 
 who were able to maintain the execution of the laws. The prejudices 
 entertained against the Jews were at this time so violent, that the laws 
 of humanity were not thought to extend to them ; and multitudes were 
 either hanged, or ruined by the confiscation of their property ; and in 
 the year 1290, fifteen thousand were banished from England. 
 
 Having established order in his own country, Edward thought it a 
 favourable opportunity of uniting Wales with England. The Welsh 
 had been deeply engaged with the Montford faction in the late reign ; 
 and Llewellyn refusing to come to England, to do homage for his prin- 
 cipality, which Henry HI. had subjected to that crown, the king pene- 
 trated into his dominions, ascended the mountains, which had hitherto 
 been deemed inaccessible to English troops, and Llewellyn, reduced by 
 famine, submitted at discretion. The Welsh, harassed by the oppres- 
 sive exactions of tho English, soon after revolted ; and Edward availed 
 himself of the opportunity of making an entire conquest of the princi- 
 pality. Llewellyn perished in the action; and David his brother, 
 chased from mountain to mountain, was at last treacherously delivered 
 up to E«lward; and such was still the ferocity of the times, that David 
 was ordered to be hanged as a traitor. The bards, or Welsh poets, 
 were also devoted to death; and with them expired the independence 
 of the Welsh nation, a. d. 1332. 
 
 The principality, now annexed to the crown^ became the title of the 
 eldest sons of the kings of England. 
 
 Edward afterwards passed over to the continent, to accommodate a 
 difference which had happened between Philip le Bel and Alphonso of 
 Arragon, about the kingdom of Sicily. He continued abroad above 
 three years ; and the laws, unprotected by his authority, lost their force. 
 His judges had become entirely corrupted ; he brought most of them 
 to trial ; and the amount of their fines, above one hundred thousand 
 marks, was a strong proof of their guilt. He made the new judges 
 take an oath that they should receive no bribes or presents. 
 
 Tn the absence of ihe king, how did the council act? — What was the nature 
 of his administration? — Relate his conquest of the Welsh nation. — DurLig h*s 
 absence, how did the judges act ? 
 
EDWARD I. KDWARD II. 55 
 
 The dispute which arose al)out the succession to the Scottish throne, 
 opened a field to the ambition of Edward, and, as will be seen detailed 
 under the head of Scotland, terminated in Baliol being carried a pri- 
 soner to London. The Scots, in the absence of Edward, made an effort 
 under the celebrated William Wallace, to recover their liberty, and a 
 battle was fought at Falkirk in which Edward gained a complete vic- 
 tory. Wallace was at length betrayed into the king's hands, who put 
 him to death. Bruce, who had been long kept prisoner in London, 
 effected his escape, and presenting himself in Scotland before a meet- 
 ing of the Scottish nobles, exhorted them to break the chains of their 
 servitude. He was soon after crowned king, and chased the English 
 out of the kingdom. 
 
 Edward dispatched a considerable body of trcKips against him, and ob- 
 tained a victory ; and he was preparing to enter Scotland himself, when 
 he sickened and died at Carlisle ; charging his son, with his dying 
 breath, to prosecute the enterprise. He expired in the sixty-ninth year 
 of his age, and the thirty-fiilh of his reign, a. d. 1307. Edward has 
 been culled ''the English Justinian." His activity, his courage, his 
 policy, and his prudence, procured the most lasting advantages to his 
 kingdom. 
 
 SECTION 7. 
 EDWARD II. A. D. 1307. 
 
 Edward, surnamed Caernarvon, was in the twenty-third year of his 
 age when he succeeded his father, and known only by the mildness of 
 his disposition. He was soon found to be weak, indolent, and without 
 capacity or virtues ; born to obey minions and favourites, not to govern a 
 great kingdom. Robert Bruce, having collected his followers, appeared 
 again in the field. Edward, in compliance with the wishes of the late king, 
 marched against him, but he returned with precipitation, dreading the 
 fatigues of victory. He soon abandoned the care of public affairs for 
 the company of favourites; one of whom was Piers Gaveston, a gen- 
 tleman of Guienne, possessed of a handsome person, an engaging ad- 
 dress, insinuation, and wit, v/ell calculated to attract the notice of Ed- 
 ward and abuse his confidence. The late king had banished him the 
 kingdom, but the son now recalled him, created him earl of Cornwall, 
 gave him his niece in marriage, and invested him in a measpre with the 
 government of England. 
 
 Gaveston became haughty and overbearing towards the English, who 
 in return formed a conspiracy against him, at the head of which was 
 the young Queen Isabella, and the earl of Lancaster, the first prince of 
 the blood. They demanded of Edward that he should be banished ; and 
 engaged the bishops to threaten him with excommunication if he should 
 remain longer in the kingdom. Edward banished his favourite by ap- 
 pointing him lord-lieutenant of Ireland ; but he recalled him some time 
 
 Relate what occurred in Scotland to Baliol, &c. — Where did Edward die ? 
 
 What was his age ? — How long his reign ? — What was Edward's character? — Who 
 was his favouriie ?^VVhat offence did Piers Gaveston give the barons? 
 
56 HISTORY OF Ers'GLAM). 
 
 after, and tlie arrogance of Gaveston excited anew tlieir indignation. 
 The feebleness of the English government could not resist a contederacy 
 of powerful and turbulent barons. They gave tiie law to their y)rince 
 compelling him to surrender his authority into tiie haiiris of twelve per- 
 sons, whose ordinances were to have the force of statutes. This coun- 
 cil exercised the supreme power durmg a twelve-month, reformed abuses, 
 and banished evil counsellors, particularly Gaveston. 
 
 The king removed himself to York, and sheltered the object of his 
 regard in the castle of Scarborough. The offended barons flew to arms, 
 and their monarch having recourse to flight, they pursued him. Tiic 
 earl of Pembroke besieged the castle of Scarborough, and Gaveston 
 submitted, stipulating that if a general accommodation should not take 
 place within two months, the castle should be rebtored to him. Pem- 
 broke conducted him to the castle of Dedington, near Bambury. It be- 
 ing left with a feeble guard, the earl of Warwick attacked the castle, 
 aud carried off Gaveston. The earls of Lancaster, Warwick, liereibrd, 
 and Arundel, in violation of the laws, ordered him to be beheaded 
 
 England's attention w^as now turned to vScotland. Robert Bruce, by 
 his late achievements there, had proved himself to be no less a politician 
 than a hero. Edward, at the head of his army, marched against him. 
 Bruce was encamped at Bannockburn, near Stirling, and his stratagems 
 were no less useful to him than his valour. The deep pits which he 
 caused to be dug, and which were carefully covered over with turf, 
 broke the career of the English cavalry. lie obtained a complete vic- 
 tory, and fixed himself on the throne of Scotland. Edward escaped 
 with difficulty. 
 
 The king now attached himself to a new favourite — Hugh de Spen- 
 ser, a young man of a noble English family and some accomplishments. 
 Hugh had prevailed on the weak monarch to confer on him a barony, 
 which it was pretended had reverted to the crown. This created an 
 insurrection in the kingdom. Lancaster and several of the barons had 
 recourse to arms, and they sent a message to Edward, requiring him 
 to banish his favourite the kingdom, and even the elder De Spenser, his 
 father, a person respectable by his wisdom and integrity. Upon the 
 king's refusal, they presented to the Parliament an accusation against 
 them, and procured a sentence of perpetual exile. The king declared 
 the sentence illegal, recalled the exiles, pursued the conspirators, and 
 possessed himself of the person of Lancaster. A court-martial, not a 
 jury of his peers, pronounced the sentence of death against him, and he 
 was beheaded near Pomfret. A rebellion, thus crushed, increased the 
 haughtiness and rapacity of young De Spenser, who was guilty of many 
 acts of rapine and injustice. 
 
 The Queen Isabella, a cruel, haughty woman, who had gone over to 
 France, and who had secretly formed a criminal connexion with a no- 
 bleman of the name of Mortimer, refused to return while De Spenser 
 remained in England. The king's brother, the Archbishop of Canter- 
 Where was Gaveston taken ?— By whom tried ?— What was the result of the 
 battle of Bannockburn ? — How did "the nation receive the king's new favonrite? 
 — Who joined the cause of Queen Isabella ? 
 
EDWARD II. EDWARD III. 57 
 
 bury, with other prelates, and several of the most potent barons, ap- 
 proved her measures. 
 
 At length, having received a military force, she landed in Suffolk, 
 where she was joined by the princes of the blood, and tlie other factious 
 nobles. London revolted from Edward, and the provinces soon followed 
 the example. The king, disappointed with regard to the loyalty of his 
 subjects, took to flight. The elder De Spenser was delivered up to the 
 enemy by the garrison of Bristol, which he commanded, and was hanged 
 as a malefactor. The young De Spenser perished by a similar fate. 
 
 Edward endeavoured to conceal himself in the mountains of Wales, 
 but he was discovered and taken prisoner. Queen Isabella convoked a 
 parliament, which was to dethrone him. He was accused, not of crimes, 
 but of incapacity, of weakness, indolence, and love of pleasure ; and a 
 message was sent him to resign his crown to his son. Menaces and 
 terror soon extorted from him his resignation. He was sent to Berkeley 
 castle, and consigned to the care of lords Berkeley, Montravers, and 
 Gournay, who were to guard him month about ; and by the two latter 
 persons he was treated with every indignity, and then they accelerated 
 his death by the most cruel sufferings. This prince expired in the forty- 
 third year of his age, and the twentieth of his reign, a. d. 1327. 
 
 SECTION 8. 
 EDWARD III. A. D. 1327. 
 
 The young king, who had been thus prematurely advanced to the 
 throne of his father, possessed those qualities which announce a glorious 
 reign, and the prosperity of a state. The council of regency, composed 
 of twelve persons, six prelates, and six lay peers, governed, as yet, the 
 kingdom ; but the prince, burning with a passion for military fame, put 
 himself at the head of the armies. The Scots had made incursions into 
 the kingdom, and Edward marched twenty thousand men against them ; 
 but the Scotch leaders, the earl of Murray and lord Douglas, encamped 
 with so much judgment that Edward found it unsafe to attack them ; 
 and in the darkness of the night, Douglas penetrated into the English 
 camp, and had nearly carried off the king, who made a vigorous resist- 
 ance. The Scots' army soon after decamped, and arrived, without re- 
 ceiving any check, in their own country. The blame of the ill success 
 of this expedition fell on Mortimer, who had usurped the chief authority 
 of the government. 
 
 Edward was now in his eighteenth year, and determined to rid him- 
 self of this insolent minister. He surprised him in the castle of Not- 
 tingham, where he had shut himself up with Queen Isabella. The 
 parliament called for his trial. He was sentenced to be hanged. The 
 queen was afterwards confined in the castle of Risings, where her son 
 paid her the compliment of a visit once or twice a year. 
 
 The ardour of youth and ambition excited Edward to make an irrup- 
 
 In what castle was Edward If. confined? — What was his fate ? — Who succeed- 
 ed him ? — Of whom was the council of regency composed I — How were Mortimer 
 and the queen disposed of? 
 
58 HISTORY OF. ENGLAND. 
 
 tion into Scotland, to encourage the y)retcnyions of Baliol, who, afler 
 several battles, was crowned king; but tfie Scots cliased him Ironi the 
 kingdom. The English monarch, atter obta ning a great victory over 
 them, replaced him on the throne. 
 
 About lt3o9, Edward turned his arms against France. 'I'lie first pre- 
 paration tor this campaign led to nothing decisive. The year tbilovving 
 tiie naval engagement oti' Sluys was disastrous to France. Piiilip's 
 fleet, which was composed of 400 sail, and manned with 40,000 men, 
 was stationed there with a view of intercepting the king of England. 
 The English fleet was much inferior in the number of ships, but they 
 conquered. The French had thirty thousand of their seamen and two 
 of their admirals slain ; and more than half of their ships of war were 
 taken. 
 
 Edward thus opened to himself a way into France, with a hundred 
 thousand men, where he lirst laid siege to Tournay ; and he sent a herald 
 to Philip, challenging him to single combat. Philip wisely declined 
 the contest. The Countess of Hainault, their common relation, though 
 she had taken the vows in a convent, yet left her retreat to inspire them 
 with pacific sentiments. Her zeal produced a cessation of hostilities.' 
 This truce the pope in vain endeavoured to convert into a peace. 
 
 Intestine commotions which had taken place in Brittany, induced Ed- 
 ward to recommence hostilities against France. He made a descent into 
 Normandy, (1346,) took several towns, and carried his ravages to tlie 
 gates of Varis. Pressed by Philip, w^ho had collected a great army, 
 Edw^ard was desirous of retiring to Flanders, but the bridges of the 
 Somme were either broken down or strongly guarded, in this condi- 
 tion a peasant saved him and his army, by. pointing out to hini a ford. 
 He gained an eminence near the village of Crecy, ranged his army in 
 order of battle, and prepared for an action which he could not avoid. 
 Philip, with an army four times more numerous than that of Edward, 
 was impatient to take revenge of the English. He gave orders to mar- 
 shal his troops, but the vivacity of the French nobility rendered it im- 
 practicable : one division drove upon another, without order, thinking 
 itself secure of victory while rushing to certain destruction. 
 
 Edward communicated to his troops the courage with which he him- 
 self was inspired. Fifteen thousand crossbowmen, the vanguard of the 
 French army^ yielded on the first charge of the English archers. Their 
 rout threw the French cavalry into confusion. I'he Prince of Wales* 
 attacked these, and sustained, with prodigious valour, a hot and furious 
 engagement; nothing was seen among the French troops but hurry, 
 terror, and dismay. There was no longer any equality in the action. 
 The count Alencon, the French king's brother, the Kings of Bohemia 
 and Majorca, an immense number of princes and great barons, 1,2(K) 
 knights, 4,000 men-at-arms, besides about 80,000 men of inferior rank, 
 * Commonly known by the appcli;itif>n of the Black Prince. 
 
 Mention the naval en2:a?ement that took place wi'.h France? — Who attempted 
 to reconcile the kings of France and Kiighind/ — VViieri; did f^dward prepare lor 
 battle ? — Describe the result of tlic baUle ol Crccy. 
 
( 59 ) 
 
EDWARD III. 61 
 
 perished in the field of battle; while the English lost only one squire, 
 three knights, and a few inferior combatants. 
 
 Edward now invested Calais, with a view in future to secure an easy 
 entrance into France. The siege. lasted nearly a twelveniontli. At 
 length the necessities of the garrison induced the governor to capitulate 
 The patriotism of Eustace de St. Pierre and five other burgesses of Ca- 
 lais, on this occasion, merits the highest encomiums. The iniiabitauts 
 were expelled, the town was peopled with English, and a truce between 
 Edward and Philip was concluded. 
 
 In the year 1346, the Scots, headed by David Bruce, their king, in 
 vaded the frontiers; and as Edward was then on the continent, Phiiippa, 
 his queen, prepared to repulse the enemy in person ; and having made 
 Lord Percy general, met the Scots at NeviPs Cross, near Durham. 
 Bruce and his army were routed, 15,000 of his men cut to pieces, and 
 himself and many of his nobles and knights taken prisoners and carried 
 in triumph to London. 
 
 The year following, (a.d. 1347,) the Black Prince, with an army of 
 12,000 men, extended his ravages as far as Berry ; when, on his return, 
 he was met near Poictiers by King John, with 60,000 men. It seemed 
 impossible that the English could escape ; and the Prince of Wales 
 offered to abandon his conquest, and to sign a truce for seven years ; but 
 John would not comply with the request, insisting on his surrendering 
 himself a prisoner. His reply to John was that of a hero. The English 
 prepared for an engagement. The impatience of the French, and their 
 blind confidence of success, precipitated them hito danger. Their first 
 line was thrown into confusion by a body of English archers ; and the 
 Prince of Wales, following up these advantages, attacked and dis- 
 comfited it. The sudden flight of the Dauphin added to the confusion 
 and terror of the French army. John found himself suddenly sur- 
 rounded with the enemy, and was forced to surrender himself a prisoner. 
 The generosity of the Black Prince to his captive has been much eulo- 
 gized. A two years' truce was concluded with France, and the captive 
 king being conducted to England, Edward received him with tlie same 
 courtesy as if he had been a neighbouring potentate come to pay him a 
 friendly visit. 
 
 It was in this reign (a. d. 1349) that the Order of the Garter was in- 
 stituted. It is said to have owed its origin to the love which Edward 
 bore to the Countess of Salisbury. At a court ball, this lady happening 
 to drop her garter, the king took it up; and observing some of the cour- 
 tiers smile, he presented it to her with these words, " Honi soil qrd mal 
 y pense^^"* "Evil be to him that evil thinks." These words became the 
 device of the order. The order was to consist of twenty-four persons 
 besides the king. 
 
 In a little time the zeal and valour of the French in general produced 
 an important revolution ; and of the many provinces that the English 
 possessed, they retained only Bourdeaux, Bayonne, and Calais, when the 
 
 Relate the particulars of the siege of Calais. — Did not Edward's queen, Phi- 
 iippa, oppose the Scots? — Relate the victory obtained by (he Black Prince at 
 Poictiers. — What is said to have given rise to the Order ol the Garter? 
 6 
 
62 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 necessities of Edward obliged him to conclude a truce. Prosperity had 
 impaired his prudence ; and the Prince of Wales was languishing un- 
 der a mortal disease, which terminated in hi^ death, in the forty-sixth 
 year of his age, leaving behind him a cliaracter unblemished. This event 
 cast a gloom over the latter part of this splendid reign. The king was 
 most sensibly affected by the loss, and tried every means to allay his un- 
 easiness. He died about a year after the prince, in the sixty-fifth year 
 of his age, and the fifty-first of his reign, 1377. His reign was the 
 noon of chivalry, of which himself and his son, the Black Prince, were 
 the mirrors. 
 
 Edward left three sons ; the Dukes of Lancaster, York, and Glouces- 
 ter. Richard, the son of the Prince of Wales, succeeded to the throne. 
 
 SECTION 9. 
 RICHARD II. A.D. 1377. 
 
 Richard II. was but eleven years old when he came to the throne. 
 The parliament established a council of regency; but the power of the 
 king's three uncles moved, for some years, the system of government. 
 
 In the present situation of afl^airs, war was unavoidable. Robert 
 Stuart, successor to David Bruce, had entered into alliance with France 
 against England. France was attacked by Calverly, the Governor of 
 Calais, and by the Dukes of Lancaster and Gloucester ; but they pro- 
 duced no events of great lustre or renown. 
 
 The expensive armaments and a want of economy had exhausted the 
 treasury ; and a new tax, called a poll-tax, of three groats, upon every 
 person above fifteen, was granted by parliament. A tax so unequitable 
 excited the most violent commotions. A turbulent preacher at this time 
 inculcated on his audience the maxim of equal right to all the goods of 
 nature, and declared that all artificial distinction was tyranny. Hia 
 tenets were greedily received by the multitude, and the inhumanity of 
 the tax-gatherers served to scatter still farther the seeds of sedition. 
 One of these, by his brutal insolence, so much incensed a blacksmith, 
 Wat Tyler, in Essex, that he knocked out his brains with a hammer. 
 
 The by-standers applauded the action and flew to arms, and the whole 
 neighbourhood joined in the rebellion. The insurgents soon amounted 
 to 100,000 men, bent upon levelling all inequalities of rank, and com- 
 mitting the most horrible excesses : they burnt the Duke of Lancaster's 
 palace ; massacred the primate, the chancellor, and a great number of 
 the most distinguished personages. The young king, who had taken 
 refuge in the Tower, had the courage to go out and meet the rioters in 
 Smithfield, headed by Wat Tyler. The mayor of London, William 
 Walworth, who accompanied him, offended with Tyler's insolence, 
 struck him to the ground with his mace, while one of the king's knights 
 riding up dispatched him with his sword. This was a moment of ex- 
 treme peril ; the mutineers, seeing their leader fall, were preparing for 
 
 Whose dealh affected the health of the king? — What wars did the council of 
 legency carry on ? — What commotions resulted from the new tax ? 
 
HICHARD II. 63 
 
 revenge, when Richard, with admirable presence of mind, rode up to 
 the rebels, and cried out, " What, my people, is the meaning of this 
 disorder] I am your king, and will be your leader. Follow me into 
 the field, and I will grant you what you desire." They implicitly fol- 
 lowed him, and the charter which they demanded, he granted them ; but 
 he soon after revoked it by parliament. 
 
 This behaviour of Richard, who was now only a youth of sixteen, 
 discovered so much presence of mind and address, that high expecta- 
 tions were formed of his future conduct. But the presages of early 
 youth are often deceitful. As this prince advanced in years, his conduct 
 discovered want of capacity and judgment. The Scots having made 
 incursions into England, Richard marched an army and occasioned great 
 devastation, but returned with precipitation, before he had effected any- 
 thing important or decisive, to enjoy his pleasures and amusements. 
 
 The passion of Richard for favourites became a source of division 
 and discord. Unwilling to be governed by his uncles, he delivered him- 
 self over to the direction of Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, a young 
 nobleman of an agreeable figure, but of dissolute manners. The king 
 knew no bounds to his affection, and created him Duke of Ireland ; in- 
 deed, the whole authority of government was gradually conferred upon 
 him. The princes of the blood and the chief nobility entered into a 
 formidable league against him, and prepared to control the royal au- 
 thority. The exercise of sovereign power was entrusted to commis- 
 sioners, whose jurisdiction was limited to a twelvemonth. The monarch 
 was obliged not only to sign this commission, but to take an oath never 
 to infringe it. Richard entered a protest against this violence, in which 
 he was supported by a council of his judges and lawyers. The Duke 
 of Gloucester and his partisans accused the king's ministers and coun- 
 cillors, as enemies to the state. Force became the only rule of law, 
 when the passions of the great seemed to have annihilated every idea 
 of justice. 
 
 At length civil order established itself; and the king, now in his 
 twenty-third year, a. d. 1389, declared his intention to exercise his right 
 of sovereignty. He proceeded to change all the officers of the crown ; 
 passed a general amnesty, and remitted some subsidies ; and by these 
 and other moderate measures, he drew to him the affections of the 
 people. 
 
 From this period tlie kingdom enjoyed a long tranquillity, and Rich- 
 ard, who was now a widower, was affianced to the daughter of Charles 
 VI., though that princess was only seven years of age. This alliance 
 gave great offence to the English. In 1397, the Duke of Gloucester 
 renewed his intrigues, which made a deep impression on a people dis- 
 posed at all times to revolt To prevent the machinations of Gloucester, 
 the king ordered him to retire to Calais, where he was carried off sud- 
 denly, either by apoplexy or by assassination. 
 
 That party was scarcely suppressed, when there arose another, which 
 
 Did not Richard's behaviour then raise high expectations ? — What distinctions 
 did the king heap on his favourite? — What steps did the king take in his 23d 
 year? — Which ol' the king's uncles was removed to Calais ? 
 
04 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 proved falal to Richard. Henry, Duke of Hereford, son to the Duke of 
 Lancaster, accused, in parliament, the Duke of Norfolk of having 
 spoken slanderous words of the king. Norfolk gave him the lie, and 
 offered to prove his innocence by duel. This defiance, which was then 
 authorized by law, was accepted, and the time and place appointed. 
 The champions were on the point of engaging, when Richard inter- 
 posed and ordered both to leave the kingdom. Hereford's exile was 
 limited to ten years, and he was presented with letters patent, insuring 
 to him any mheritance which should fall to him during his absence ; but 
 upon the death of the Duke of Lancaster, his father, Richard retained 
 tlie estates for his own use. a. d. 1398. Hereford had been the idol of 
 tiie nation. His reputation and his valour had made him regarded as 
 almost the only English prince worthy of the public confidence and 
 esteem. His misfortunes were lamented, and the injustice which he 
 suffered was the subject of general complaint. 
 
 L) this critical period the king embarked for Ireland, to revenge the 
 death of his cousin, Roger, Earl of Marche. The new Duke of Lan- 
 caster hastened to return to England, pretending no other design than 
 to recover the duchy of Lancaster. In a few days he was at the head 
 of a great army. The Duke of York joined himself to the party, 
 ilichard returned on the first intelligence, and landed in Wales, but 
 was abandoned by his soldiers, betrayed and arrested by the Earl of 
 i\^orthumberland, and conducted to London, where he was accused be- 
 /ore the Parliament. His accusation turned chiefly on arbitrary acts, 
 of which his reign furnished many strong instances ; and the barons, 
 though guilty themselves of so many illegal violences, unanimously 
 deposed their sovereign and placed Lancaster on the throne, by the title 
 of Henry IV. 
 
 Richard had been compelled to sign a deed, by which he renounced 
 his crown, as being unqualified for governing the kingdom ; and upon 
 this resignation Henry founded his principal claim. The unfortunate 
 Richard, whose sufierings exceeded his offences, was sent to Pomfret 
 Castle, and perished soon after by a violent death. He left behind him 
 no posterity. 
 
 It was in this reign that WickliflTe, a secular priest, educated at Ox- 
 ford, and distinguished by learning and integrity of character, put forth 
 his English Bible ; and inculcated tenets that have paved the way for 
 the present reformation in religion. The old Duke of Lancaster was 
 favourable to the doctrines of WicklifFe. The proselytes of this reformer 
 were called Lollards. 
 
 What judgment did the king pronounce on the dukes of Hereford and Norfolk? 
 — How fell the king into Hereford's power? — Upon what deed did Hereford 
 found bis claim ? — Did not Wickliffe put out his bible in this reign ? 
 
HENRY IV. 65 
 
 CHAPTER IJT— HOUSE OF LANCASTER. 
 
 SECTION 1. 
 
 HENRY IV. A.D. 1399. 
 
 Henry of Lancaster had courage, capacity, and discernment, and 
 was placed on the throne by the unanimous voice of lords and commons ; 
 but the right of the Earl of Marche appeared so clear, that the com- 
 mencement of this reign could not but be attended with faction and dis- 
 order. A conspiracy was entered into by the nobility, which was ter- 
 minated by many illegal executions. In order to give security to his 
 throne, the new king sacrificed the Lollards to the resentment of the 
 ' 3rgy ; and the parliament passed a law by which heretics were to be 
 
 nmitted to the flames. This is the first example in England of penal 
 idws enacted against heresy. Henry IV. was, notwithstanding, sus- 
 pected of having strongly imbibed all the principles of his father, the 
 Duke of Lancaster, in favour of the Lollards. But policy and faith are 
 oflen at variance. 
 
 Glendour, a descendant of the ancient princes of Wales, took advan- 
 tage of the disorders of the kingdom to make incursions into it. The 
 Earl of Marche was taken prisoner by him ; and the king allowed him 
 to remain in captivity, and refused permission to the Earl of Northum 
 berland, w^ho was nearly allied to that nobleman, to treat for his ransom 
 with Glendour. The earl, highly incensed at the refusal, was induced 
 to revolt and join himself to the Scots and Welsh ; a scheme being laid 
 to unite their forces, and elevate young Mortimer, Earl of Marche, a 
 boy of but seven years of age, as the true heir to the crown. When all 
 things were prepared for the intended insurrection, the earl was sud- 
 denly taken ill at Berwick, and his son Percy, surnamed Hotspur, was 
 placed at the head of his troops, and advanced as far as Shropshire to 
 join Glendour. The king, upon the first intelligence, hastened down to 
 Shrewsbury to give them battle. The two armies were nearly equal, 
 each consisting of about twelve thousand men ; and the contest was per- 
 haps the most fiirious that had happened during the civil wars of England. 
 Hotspur fell in the action, and the fortune of Henry prevailed. While 
 this transaction was going forward, Northumberland was so far recovered 
 as to be able to advance with a body of troops to reinforce his party ; but 
 hearing, by the way, of his son's misfortune, he at first attempted to find 
 safety by flight, but afl:erwards threw himself on the king's mercy and 
 received a pardon. 
 
 A fresh revolt, excited two years afl;er, was suppressed with less diffi- 
 culty, when the Archbishop of York, one of the heads of the insurrec- 
 tion, was put to death. Henry having thus prevailed over his domestic 
 enemies, secured himself against the enterprises of the Scots, by retain- 
 ing in custody Prince James, the heir of Robert HI., who had fallen into 
 his hands. 
 
 Mention the first example of penal laws against heresy. — Relate the engage- 
 ment in which Hotspur fell. — What revolt was next suppressed? — and what 
 prince detained ? 
 6* 
 
66 HISTORY OF ENGL^ 
 
 The parliamentary proceedings under th«dministration of Henry 
 claim more particularly our notice. The coupons had now attained 
 such importance, that it became an object of policy to direct their elec- 
 tions ; and Henry, being obliged to court popularity, allowed the com- 
 mons to assume new powers, and they advanced greatly in importance 
 and influence. In a. d. 1406, when they voted him supplies, they ap- 
 pointed treasurers to attend to its disbursement, and ordered them to 
 deliver in their accounts to the house ; they proposed regulations for 
 the government, which were agreed to ; and they obliged all the mem- 
 bers of council, and all the judges, to swear to the observance of them. 
 
 While the king, by his firm, vigorous, yet conciliatory mode of go- 
 vernment, was acquiring popularity, his son Henry plunged himself into 
 all the extravv^gances of debauchery, so that the distrust of his father 
 had removed him from all share in public business, and from all com- 
 mand in the armies. One of his dissolute companions having been 
 brought to trial before Sir William Gascoigne, Chief Justice of the 
 King's Bench, for some misdemeanor, the prince became exasperated, 
 and struck the judge in open court. The magistrate behaved with a 
 dignity that became his office, and ordered the prince to be committed 
 to prison. When the king was informed of the transaction, he expressed 
 himself happy in having a magistrate endowed with such firmness in 
 the execution of the laws, and a son willing to submit to such a 
 chastisement. The king died of a malady that made him subject to 
 fits, in the forty-sixth year of his age, and the fourteenth of his reign. 
 He left four sons, and was succeeded by the eldest. 
 
 SECTION 2. 
 HENRY V. A. D. 1413. 
 
 Henry was scarcely seated on the throne, when his vices were ex- 
 changed for virtues. He called together his associates, and exhorted 
 them to follow his example ; but prohibited them, at the same time, 
 from appearing any more in his presence if they continued their licen- 
 tious conduct. Gascoigne, who dreaded lest he should be disgraced, 
 was rewarded with honours and distinctions. The Earl of Marche he 
 treated with so much attention and respect, that he forgot the rights to 
 which he was entitled by his birth ; the family of Percy he restored to 
 its fortune and honours ; and the nation conceived the most flattering 
 hopes from his administration. 
 
 Meanwhile the Lollards were increasing in the kingdom, and ap- 
 peared even dangerous to the church and formidable to the civil autho- 
 rity. Sir John Oldcastle, Baron of Cobham, was at the head of this 
 sect. Henry was inclined to support the hierarchy and the established 
 faith, without having recourse to persecution. The primate, notwith- 
 standing, indicted this nobleman, and he was condemned, as a heretic, 
 to be burnt alive. Having, however, made his escape from the Tower, 
 he entered into open rebellion against the king ; but failing in his enter- 
 
 VVhat new powers did the commons now assume ? — For what conduct was the 
 prince sent to prison ? — When did Henry IV. die ? — Who was his successor ? — 
 How did Henry V. address his former associates? — Who now buffered for the cause 
 ci" Lollard ism ? V- . 
 
\* J^ HEJNRY V. - 67 
 
 prise, he again ^ved himsdjQ>y flight. It was not till four years after 
 that he was breught to fosuce, and hanged as a traitor. So great an 
 impression had the system of the Lollards, even on those that detested 
 their heresy, that the clergy ceded -a great j||mber of benefices to the 
 king. . ^ ■*<.., ^r' 
 
 The kingdom of France was at this time in the utmost confusion, and 
 Henry took advantage of it. It, was the dying injunction of the late ' 
 king, not to allow the English *o remain long in peace, which was apt 
 to breed intestine commotions. This advice, joined to that of the pri- 
 mate, determined him on hostilities. He assembled a fleet and army at 
 Southampton, and disembarked at Harfleur, in Normandy, at the head 
 of six thousand men-at-arms, and twenty-four thousand foot, mostly 
 archers, and immediately began the siege of the place, which he took 
 by assault, after having lost a considerable part of his forces. Fatigue 
 and sickness had cont;nbuted also to waste the English army ; and Henry 
 found himself enclcfeea in an enemy's country, like Edward III., without 
 knowing how to e^^e. t Having discovered a ford near St. Quentin, 
 he passed the Somme i^nd i|jarched towards Calais, watched by a French 
 army, four times, iJf^'JIB^mfej^, ten times more numerous than hiaiown. 
 
 Having now 11/9 rrfsourc^M in; courage and prudence, he seized an 
 advantageqi^s gr^nd| between two woods, in the plains of Agiricc^rt. 
 The constable Xy^irfjiert was for ^waiting till the*f nemy, whcf werd i^ 
 want of pfOvisior^li^H^ld abandon "^eir post; -but^^ temerity and im--- 
 prudence 4lf ih% French army renewed tite^ ^Jl^pf^s of Crecy and 
 Poictiers. They attacl^e^^^he English, notwitHlfcinding the advantages 
 of their situation; and soi'l^li^ip having fallen, the ground was so moist 
 tiiat the Fjft-nch cavalry were 4i^ble to act effectually. The English 
 archers, defe»^d by p^ilisadoes, plied the enemy with showers of ar- 
 rows, whi^i nothing could resist, and having broken their ranks, rushed 
 upon theniwitli/HJjp^ba'tJ^e-axes, and hewed them in pieces without re- 
 sistance. *The *"<^hore Frenoii»amiy W'as a scene of confy^ion, terror, 
 and dismal^. 'The constable^ln'eral princes of the bloo^[j|j|k^d above 
 nine thou^nd knights or gG^^lemen, lay dead on the field, OTid many 
 of the noQ?^ty were VaJk^ prisoners. Of the English, only about forty 
 perished, and.among rfie^ the person of most note was the Duke of 
 York. Hern^' immediately marched his army to Calais, where he con- 
 cluded a truce with France. Want of funds prevented Henry, like his 
 predecessors;' from takjjng advantage of this victory. 
 
 Duringx,this truce, the^animosities of different parties in France raged 
 with the^.gi^jitest vio^jJ?6. Henry collected an army of twenty-five 
 thousand v^^, and landed in Normandy: several towns surrendered. 
 Tlie north of France s^iibmitted to him, and he advanced to the gates of 
 Paris. In the midst (jf>his successes, his enemies, instead of combining 
 against him, abandoned to hMi the kingdom. He presented himseli* at 
 Troyes, to conclude that famous treaty, by which a weak monarch, a 
 furious queen, and a prince of -the blood enraged against his country, 
 acknowledged him as tJ^e heir of the crown of France, and entrusted 
 
 Describe the preparations for a war with France. — Relate the memorable battle 
 of Agiiicourt. — What events followed ? — What treaty was made ? 
 
68 HISTORY OF EISGLAND. "^1% 
 
 \ v; 
 
 him with the administration of the government, under the title of re- 
 gent. This treaty was followed by his ma,rriage wit% Catharine, the 
 daughter of Charles VI., and the estates of the kingdom swore obedi- 
 ence to him. 
 
 But Henry was soon difeed to pass over to England and apply for 
 subsidies, and his parliament granted him only a small supply, notwith- 
 standing the exultation which the people discovered on account of his 
 victories. During his absence, the dauphin, seconded by a body of seven 
 thousand Scots, discomfited the Duke of Clarence at Bauge, in Anjou. 
 Henry hastened with a considerable army to repair this loss. A son, 
 who was born at this time to Henry, seemed to be a pledge of his future 
 success ; but the glory of this prince had now arrived at its height, and 
 his death put a period to his mighty projects. He died of a fistula, in 
 the thirty-fourth year of his age, atXer having named his eldest brother, 
 the Duke of Bedford, Regent of France, and his youngest brother, the 
 Duke of Gloucester, Regent of England. Catharine of France, his 
 widow, espoused soon after his death a Welsh gentleman. Sir Owen 
 Tudor, who was supposed to be descended from the ancient princes of 
 Wales. We shall soon see this family, in consequence of this alliance, 
 ascending the throne of England. 
 
 The ordinary revenues of the crown, during thia reign, amounted 
 only to £55,714 sterling ; and the ordinary expenses of government are 
 stated at £52,507 ; so that the king, in order to support the expenses of 
 his wars, was often obliged to pawn his jewels, and .eveiuthe crown 
 itself. None of the Lancastrian princes ventured to imposJiaws with- 
 out the consent of parliament. The rights of the people, with regard 
 to this circumstance, were then ascertained, and could not^be violated. 
 
 SECTION 3. 
 
 HENRY V[. A.JX1422. 
 
 ^ . . . . w 
 
 The long minority which the Englisl^had now in prospejpt, seemed 
 
 to threaten them with intestine commotions. The parliameht changed 
 the name of regent into that of protector. To this dignity they ad- 
 vanced the Duke of Bedford, and, during his absence, permitted the 
 Duke of Gloucester to discharge its duties, and they appointed a coun- 
 cil, without whose advice no measure of importance could be deter- 
 mined. The care of the infant king they entrusted to the Bishop of 
 Winchester. 
 
 Charles VI. of France died a few weeks after his son-in-law. The 
 auphin was crowned at Poictiers, under the name of Charles VIL, and 
 ttached to his cause a great number of partisans, for the purpose of throw- 
 ing off the English dominion. Bedford foresaw a revolution, and the 
 celerity and vigour of his measures were hardly able to prevent it. He 
 
 What resulted from Henry's becoming regent of France ?— Of what disease did he 
 (^ie? — Whom did his queen marry? — What were then the ordinary revenues of 
 the crown? — To whom was the care of the infant king entrusted? — What 
 changes took place in France ? 
 
HENRY vr. 69 
 
 prevailed on the Dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, and hib brother, the 
 Count of Richmond, to enter into an alliance with him; and he per- 
 suaded the English council to give liberty to James II. of Scotland, who 
 had been detained in captivity from his infancy; and thereby to deliver 
 the kingdom from tlie danger of incursions from Scotland. Alter these 
 precautions, Bedford renewed hostilities. j 
 
 The French army of fourteen thousand men, under the. command of 
 the Earl of Buchari, took Verneuil, in Normandy, (a. d. 1424,) and might 
 have retired in safety, but he thought it dishonourable to turn his back 
 on the English ; and the experience of former battles could not restrain 
 the impetuosity of the French. The Viscount Narbonne, in his hurry 
 to cliarge the Englishj broke his ranks, and drew after him the lirst line, 
 Tiie English archers signalized themselves with their usual dexterity 
 and courage. The Duke of Bedford, meanwhile, at the head of the 
 nien-at-arms, rendered the victory complete and decisive. Many of the 
 nobihty, and above four thousand private men, perished in the action. 
 The French seemed, by a kind of fatality, to sacrifice themselves to the 
 fortune and glory of the English. 
 
 The Duke now found the city of Orleans the chief barrier to the con- 
 quest of France, and he determined to besiege it. The besiegers and 
 the besieged performed acts of astonishing heroism. The city was at 
 length reduced to the utmost extremity, and Charles meditated an in- 
 glorious retreat ; when a country girl appeared at this critical period, 
 delivered him from the danger that threatened him, and re-established 
 the throne of France.* A secret horror thrilled the English soldiers, 
 •which their officers either shared or could not remove; defeat attended 
 them everywhere; the provinces and towns oi France returned joy- 
 fully to their allegiance, and the English were in a few years driven 
 out of every part of France but Calais. Thus, happily for both coun- 
 tries, ended all the magnificent projects of the conquest of France. 
 
 Foreign war being now extinguished, the incapacity of Henry seemed 
 to encourage the seditious spirit of his subjects. After the death of the 
 Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Gloucester and the Bishop of Winches- 
 ter, now a cardinal, contended for the direction of the king's councils. 
 The cardinal was victorious, and married him to Margaret Anjou, 
 daughter of Regnier, titular King of Naples, a princess of masculine 
 spirit, great ability, and address. 
 
 The Duke of Gloucester was afterwards thrown into prison and mur- 
 dered. This prince had cultivated letters with success; was much 
 above the credulity and weakness of the age; and his popularity and 
 the lustre of his birth and superior qualities were so great, that his ene- 
 mies did not think themselves safe while he lived. The Cardinal of 
 Winchester did not survive him above six months. 
 
 A claimant to the crown now appeared. Richard, Duke of York, 
 was son to the Earl of Cambridge, by Anne, sister of the late Earl of 
 
 * For a particular account of the IVJaid of Orleans, the reader is referred to the au- 
 thor's History of- France, published by Hogan & Thompson, Philadelphia. 
 
 Relate the victory achieved by the English. — What occurred to defeat the siege 
 of Orleans? — Who, after the death of the Duke of Bedford, directed the councils? 
 
70 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Marche, in whom ended the males of the house of Mortimer; the rights 
 of that family, therefore, centred in the Duke of York, who was thus 
 descended by his mother from the only daughter of the Duke of Cla- 
 rence, second son of Edward III. ; whereas, the king was descended 
 from the Duke of Lancaster, third son of that monarch. A large body 
 of the nobility, and the commons in general, sided with the Duke of 
 York, and recourse was had to arms. The battle of St. Albans, gained 
 by the Yorkists, was the commencement of a struggle which lasted 
 thirty years, and in which were fought twelve pitched battles. 
 
 'Ihe battle of Bloreheath, on the borders of Staffordshire, 1459, was 
 gained by the York party. Affairs, however, did not immediately pro- 
 ceed to extremities. The vigour of the queen, Margaret of Anjou, sup- 
 ported in some measure the tottering throne. The parliament renewed 
 to the Duke of York the dignity of protector, and he renewed to the 
 king his oath of fidelity. In 1460, however, he presented to the peers 
 his pretensions to the crown, submitting them to their judgment. The 
 peers called to their aid the principal members of the house of com- 
 mons, and after several days passed in deliberation, they declared his 
 title to the crown certain and indefeasible ; but as Henry had enjoyed 
 the crown without dispute for thirty-eight years, they determined that 
 he should possess the title and dignity during his life, and that the Duke 
 of York, meanwhile, should be acknowledged his heir^ and should 
 govern the kingdom. 
 
 Margaret, a woman whom no dangers could intimidate, had taken 
 refuge in Scotland. Intelligence was soon received that she was ad- 
 vancing at the head of twenty thousand men. The Duke of York, with 
 only five thousand, imprudently marched out to oppose her at Wake- 
 field, where he was defeated and slain. The head of the duke was 
 fixed on the gates of York; his son, the Duke of Rutland, was mur- 
 dered in cold blood ; the Earl of Salisbury and other noblemen were 
 beheaded by martial law. 
 
 The claims of the duke descended to his son Edward, who gained 
 the battle of Mortimer's Cross, but the queen repaired the loss by a 
 second victory at St» Alban's gained over the Yorkists. The army of 
 young Edward, however, was soon superior to that of the queen ; she 
 therefore, with Henry, retreated to the North, while Edward entered 
 London amidst the acclamations of the people. Edward now assumed 
 the crown, by a somewhat irregular popular election, and was proclaimed 
 king by the title of Edward IV. 
 
 A law was enacted in this reign to limit the number of electors for 
 members of Parliament, to persons possessed of forty shillings a-year in 
 Imd; a sum equivalent to nearly twenty pounds a-year of the present 
 money of Great Britain, 
 
 What new claimant appeared for the crown? — Whose title to the crown was 
 declared indefeasible? — In what battle did the Duke of York meet his death? — 
 To whom did the duke's claims descend ? — What events followed ? 
 
EDWARD IV. 71 
 
 SECTION 4.— HOUSE OF YORK. 
 EDWARD IV. A. D. 1461. 
 
 The two implacable factions, the houses of York and Lancaster, de- 
 luged Ehgland with blood. Queen Margaret had assembled in the 
 North an army of 60,0()0 men, and the new king, aided by the Earl of 
 Warwick, hastened to check her progress. The two armies met at 
 Towton, in the county of York, and a most desperate engagement en- 
 sued. The queen, though superior in numbers, was put to the rout; 
 and Edward issued orders to give no quarter. Thirty-six thousand men 
 are said to have perished on this occasion. Edward sought to establish 
 by blood, a throne which he had procured by violence. An act of for- 
 feiture and attainder was passed against Henry, Queen Margaret, their 
 infant son prince Edward, and their principal partisans. Margaret 
 escaped out of the kingdom, and took refuge with her father in Flan- 
 ders. She obtained from Louis XL of France a body of 2000 men-at- 
 arms, and with these and a. numerous band of adventurers from Scot- 
 land, she was enabled again to take the field. Henry concealed him- 
 self lor a twelvemonth in the county of Lancaster, but he was at length 
 taken and thrown into the Tower. His imbecility was so great, that 
 no attempts were made against his life. 
 
 Edward, in the quiet possession of his throne, delivered himself over 
 to the indulgence of his passions, and while the Earl of Warwick had 
 a commission to negociate for him, an alliance with Bona of Savoy, sis- 
 ter to the Queen of France, he happened to form an unconquerable 
 attachment to Elizabeth Woodville, and he offered to share with her his 
 crown. Their marriage was celebrated privately. Warwick, on receiv- 
 ing the intelligence, was filled with indignation, and soon formed such 
 a combination against Edward, that he was, in his turn, obliged to fly 
 the kingdom. Louis XI. finding that Warwick had broken with Ed- 
 ward, attempted to reconcile the Earl with Queen Margaret, and never 
 did policy connect two persons of greater animosity. They united, not- 
 withstanding, for the purpose of dethroning Edward, and re-establishing 
 Henry VI. 
 
 Edward's vain confidence in his own prowess, allowed him not to see 
 the danger that threatened him. Warwick's popularity drew to him, 
 soon afler his landing, an army of sixty thousand men. The two armies 
 met near Nottingham. Edward's quarters were attacked in the night 
 time, his troops were thrown into confusion, and he escaped with difficulty. 
 Warwick, in eleven days afler his landing, was lefl entire master of the 
 kingdom. He delivered Henry VI. from the Tower, proclaimed him 
 king, and a parliament was called which confirmed the title. 
 
 But Edward's party though repressed was not destroyed, and afler an 
 absence of nine months in Holland, he set sail for England, and landed 
 his troops at Ravenspur in Yorkshire, declaring that he came not to 
 kindle anew the flame of civil discord, but to possess himself of the 
 
 What factions now deluged England with blood? — What occasioned a quarrel 
 between Edward and Warwick ? — What resulted from the battle of Nottingham 
 
72 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 county of York, the estate of his family. He avoided encountering 
 Warwickj and hastened to present himself before the gates of London, 
 where he found the inhabitants favourable to his restoration. Queen 
 Margaret was every day expected with her forces to unite with War- 
 wick. But he, perhaps ambitious of having all tiie glory of the victory, 
 waited not for her reinforcement. The battle was fought at Barnet. 
 Edward was victorious, and Warwick was slain. The same day Mar- 
 garet arrived with her son, prince Edward. Though at first over- 
 whelmed at the tidings of the defeat and death of Warwick, she resumed 
 her wonted spirit, collected an army, and marched to Tewkesbury. 
 Here fortune proved once more adverse; the Lancastrian army was 
 totally routed, the queen and prince taken, and the latter murdered, 
 almost in the presence of Edward. Shortly after, Henry VI. expired 
 in the Tower, murdered, as was said, by the Duke of Gloucester ; and 
 the hopes of the Lancastrians now seemed extinct. Of all those that 
 were taken, none were suffered to survive but Margaret herself. 
 
 After so many scenes of barbarity and outrage, the king devoted him- 
 self to pleasure and amusements rather than to remedy the coraplaiiits 
 and grievances of his subjects. His gay and familiar manners rendered 
 him, notwithstanding, extremely popular. But the prospect of a French 
 war roused him from his voluptuous pursuits. His parliament granted 
 him a large subsidy, and he entered into a league with Charles, Duke 
 of Burgundy, in order to dismember the French monarchy. Louis XL, 
 however, disdained military glory, and a treaty was entered into between 
 the two princes at Pecquigni, near Amiens. It was also stipulated, that 
 Louis should pay 50,000 crowns for the ransom of Margaret. This ex- 
 traordinary woman, after having sustained the cause of her husband in 
 twelve battles, after having astonished the world by her courage and 
 resolution, passed the remainder of her days in France, in privacy and 
 retirement, till the year 1482, when she died. 
 
 Edward, during the course of his reign, appears to have been cruel 
 and voluptuous; his treatment of his brother, the Duke of Clarence, is 
 remarkable. The king hunting one day in the park of Thomas Burdet, 
 killed a white buck, a great favourite of its owner, and Burdet, trans- 
 ported with rage, wished the horns of the deer in the belly of the per- 
 son who advised the king to shoot it. For this expression he was pub- 
 licly beheaded at Tyburn. Clarence remonstrated against the injustice 
 of the sentence, and the king ordered him to be arrested. The peers 
 proceeded to his trial, and some rash expressions were the ground of his 
 condemnation. The king left to him the choice of his death, and he 
 desired that he might be drowned in a butt of Malmsey, in the Tower. 
 
 Edward had four daughters, and though yet in their infancy, he had 
 affianced them to great princes. The dauphin, who had been engaged 
 to espouse the eldest, married a daughter of the Emperor Maximilian, 
 and Edward was impatient to revenge the insult. Louis XL had the 
 address to arm against him the king of Scotland. Gloucester made an 
 invasion of that kingdom, took Berwick, and obliged the Scots to accept 
 
 Where was the last battle fought between York and Lancaster ? — What events 
 occurred between Edward and Louis? — What was the king's treatment of the 
 Duke of Clarence ?— How came Berwick to be attached to England ? 
 
EDWARD V. 73 
 
 f a peace, by which they resigned that fortress to England. Elevated 
 with this success, Edward prepared to invade France; but being seized 
 with a mortal distemper, he expired in the forty-second year of his age ; 
 and left a throne polluted with blood to his son, the young Prince of 
 Wales, whose reign lasted not two months. 
 
 Among the number of Edward's mistresses was the wife of one 
 Shore, a merchant in the city, a woman of exquisite beauty, who sur- 
 vived the king many years, and was reduced to extreme indigence. 
 
 SECTION 5. 
 EDWARD V. A.D. 1483 
 
 The Duke of Gloucester, a prince cruel, ambitious, and capable 
 of .every crime, who covered his dark purposes under the mask of pro- 
 found dissimulation and policy, was made regent of the kingdom. The 
 Earl of Rivers, a man of remarkable merit, was entrusted with the pro- 
 tection and education of the young king, his nephew, who resided with 
 him at the castle of Ludlow on the borders of Wales. The Queen was 
 desirous that this nobleman should levy a body of troops to escort the 
 young king to London. But Gloucester objected to it, as quite unneces- 
 sary, and liable to prove dangerous. Rivers was received by him with 
 much apparent affection, but he was arrested the next day by Glouces- 
 ter's orders. He ordered the Earl of Rivers and Richard Gray, one of 
 the sons of the queen by a former marriage, to be executed, and lie 
 easily gained the consent of Buckingham to this extraordinary measure ; 
 but finding himself unable to gain over Lord Hastings, he meditated his 
 destruction. 
 
 Having summoned a council in the Tower, he asked them what pun-, 
 ishment those deserved who had plotted against the life of a protector ; 
 upon which he laid bare his arm all shrivelled and decayed, but the 
 counsellors knew that this infirmity had attended him from his birth; 
 and he accused Jane Shore and her accomplices of having produced 
 this deformity by their sorceries. " Certainly, my lord," said Hastings, 
 " if they be guilty of these crimes they deserve punishment." — " If," 
 said the protector, "do you reply to me with ifsl — You are the chief 
 abettor of that witch Shore, and I swear by St Paul, I will not dine 
 before your head be brought to me." He tbt^n struck the table with his 
 hand, and the room was filled with armed men. Hastings was instantly 
 carried off and beheaded. 
 
 Jane Shore was next seized and summoned to answer before the 
 council for sorcery and enchantment, but no proofs were found against 
 her. She was therefore ordered to be tried in the spiritual courts for 
 adultery, and she did penance in a white sheet at St. Paul's, before 
 thousands of spectators. This woman had been seduced by Edward, 
 and though she had greatly recommended herself by many acts of be- 
 neficence and humanity, she found no friends in her adversity, and died 
 in indigence and misery. 
 
 What is said of Jane Shore ? — Who was made regent of the kingdom ? — Whose 
 destruction did he meditate ? — How was it effected ? 
 7 
 
74 HISTORY OF e?;gland. 
 
 Gloucester at length took off the mask and aspired openly to the 
 crown; havmg propagated doubts with regard to the validity of Edward's 
 marriage, and tjiat both Edward and the Duke of Clarence were illegiti- 
 mate. These assertions were promulgated from the pulpit; Dr. Shaw 
 having been appointed to preach at St. PauPs, selected a text, from 
 which he attempted to discredit the birth of these princes, and he 
 eulogized the protector, whom he represented as the legal heir to the 
 crown. He even called out " God save King Richard," but the audi- 
 ence kept a profound silence. The bad success of this stratagem 
 abashed the protector and his panegyrist. The Duke of Buckingham, 
 also, a man of talents and influence, was induced to favour Richard's 
 claim. He addressed the populace and citizens at St. Paul's Cross, in 
 which he was joined by the lord mayor. 
 
 He asked them whether they would have the duke for their king. 
 They discovered their sentiments by their silence. At length some ap- 
 prentices, incited by Buckingham's servants, raised a feeble cry of " God 
 save King Richard," and he hastened to inform the duke that he was 
 called upon to assume the government. Richard appeared before the 
 people, and consented, with seeming reluctance, to accept the crown. 
 Edward V. and the Duke of York were soon after, by the order of 
 Richard, assassinated in the Tower. 
 
 RICHARD III. A. D. 1483. 
 
 The short reign of this prince is stained with atrocious and execrable 
 deeds. He had promised rewards to the Duke of Buckingham for his 
 services, but not receiving any, the duke meditated revenge, and invited 
 over the earl of Richmond, who was heir by the female line to the house 
 of Somerset, and grandson to Owen Tudor, who had married Catharine 
 of France, the widow of Henry V. Richmond had retired to Brittany, 
 . in the reign of Edward IV., w^ho regarded him as a dangerous rival. 
 These intrigues escaped not the vigilance of Richard, and he hastened 
 to put the kingdom in a posture of defence. 
 
 Buckingham levied troops in Wales, to co-operate with Richmond 
 when he should arrive, but the heavy and incessant rains at that time 
 prevented his crossing with his army into England, and the Welsh, 
 moved by superstition at this extraordinary event, or distressed by fa- 
 mine, abandoned his camp. In this extremity he put on a disguise, and 
 took shelter with an old servant of his family, where being discovered, 
 he was brought to the king, and executed without any form of trial. 
 
 The fleet of the earl of Richmond having been shattered by a tempest, 
 he was obliged to return to the coast of Brittany ; but afterwards, having 
 received some troops from Charles VIII., he set out from Harfleur with 
 a retinue of two thousand men ; and having disembarked on the coast 
 of Wales, he was there joined by a considerable number of both Welsh 
 and English, and advancing with about six thousand towards Leicester, 
 
 By what means did he attempt to obtain the throne? — What became of Edward 
 V. and the Duke of York ? — By whom was the Earl of Richmond invited over?— 
 What was the fate of Buckingham ? — Give an account of Richmond's operations? 
 
HENRY VII. 75 
 
 he encountered the army of Richard in Boswortli Field, and obtained 
 over it a decisive victory ; for which he was chiefly indebted to Stanley, 
 who deserted to him with seven thousand of the Royalists. Richard fell 
 in the action, and Richmond was saluted king, by the title of Henry VIL 
 
 CHAPTER v.— HOUSE OF TUDOR. 
 
 SECTION 1. 
 
 HENRY VII. A.D. 1485. 
 
 The earl of Richmond's title to the crown was by no means free from 
 objections. The title of the house of York was the most valid, and 
 Henry's intended marriage with Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Ed- 
 ward IV., was the only proper method to overcome the difficulty ; as by 
 this means the rights of the two houses would be united. His jealousy 
 against the family of York induced him to commit to the Tower the 
 Earl of Warwick, the son of the duke of Clarence ; and his animosity, 
 or policy, induced him to engage the parliament to pass an act of attain- 
 der against Richard III., and the principal partisans of the house of 
 York ; even the princess Elizabeth, whom he espoused, a w^oman equally 
 amiable and virtuous, felt the influence of the prejudices he had con- 
 ceived against her family. This unpopular conduct somewhat disturbed 
 the tranquillity of the government, but the wars of the Roses had so 
 ofreatly thinned the English nobility, that they were weary of civil con- 
 flict, and quietly submitted to the arbitrary rule of Henry. 
 
 The duchess of Burgundy, sister of Edward IV., raised up two im- 
 postors against him, each pretending to be Richard, Duke of York, who 
 had escaped from the Tower. Richard Simon, a priest of Oxford, in- 
 duced one Simnel, a youth of fifteen years of age, to personate the 
 Duke of York. The first scene of the imposture was opened in Ire- 
 land, Simnel was received as a true Plantagenet, and some persons of 
 high rank had entered into the conspiracy. Simnel then intended to 
 invade England, and disembarked in Lancashire. Henry was impatient 
 to give him battle. The two armies encountered at Stoke, in the county 
 of Nottingham, and the rebels were defeated. Simnel and his tutor 
 Simon were taken prisoners ; the latter was condemned to close custody, 
 and the former pardoned, as too contemptible to excite farther appre- 
 liension. He was made a scullion in the king's kitchen, and afterwards 
 rose to the dignity of a falconer. 
 
 Henry, established on the throne, respected by his subjects, and for- 
 midable to neighbouring kingdoms, turned his attention to the affairs of 
 Europe. Those of Brittany in p:irticular were interesting to England. 
 The king of France was for annexing it to his crown. Henry, seeing 
 
 Who was victorious, and who fell, in Bosworlh field ? — Was the Earl of Rich- 
 mond's title valid ?— What impostors did the Duchess of Burgundy raise ? — How 
 was a war between England and France averted? 
 
78 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the importance of such a union, was desirous to oppose it. A war with 
 France was always agreeable to the English, and Henry hastened to 
 raise supplies. He assembled a parliament, harangued it in person, 
 spoke or" the victories of Crecy, Poictiers, and Agincourt ; by this 
 means he procured a considerable subsidy. The English flattered them- 
 selves with the triumphs they were to acquire, and many sold their 
 etitatcfN that they might appear in this enterprise with the greater lustre. 
 Tliey ciiibarked in October, 1492, and arrived at Calais. "It is of little 
 consemionce," said Henry, " at what season the invasion is begun, as 
 one summer will not be sufficient for the conquest of France." Mean- 
 while he was privately negotiating a treaty of peace, and the conditions 
 of t.!ie treaty were soon adjusted. Henry wanted nothing but money ; 
 and the French king, who was impatient to undertake the conquest of 
 Naples, was easily disposed to give him forty-five thousand crowns, with 
 an annual pension of twenty-five thousand crowns to himself and his 
 heirs. Thus, as Bacon has observed, peace and war contributed equally 
 to fill his coffers ; the first giving him the money of his subjects, and 
 the latter that of his eneniies. 
 
 Meanwhile the duchess of Burgundy meditated another imposture, in 
 the person of a young Jew, born in London, of the name of Peter, or Per- 
 kin Warbeck. The comeliness of his person, his insinuating manners, and 
 the versatility of his genius, suited well with the part he was to act, to 
 counterfeit the young Duke of York, vvho had been assassinated in the 
 Tower by Richard III. Perkin made his first appearance in Ireland, 
 under the name of Richard Plantagenet. Charles VIII. of France in- 
 vited him to his court, and from thence after visiting the duchess of Bur- 
 gundy, he appeared on the coast of Kent, with six hundred men ; but 
 the people were not now disposed to favour him. A hundred and fifty 
 persons, however, were taken, tried, and executed. He next, by the 
 recommendation of the king of France, visited James IV. of Scotland, 
 who gave him one of his kinswomen in marriage. Perkin, after retir- 
 ing to Ireland, was advised to try the affections of the Cornish men, 
 who possessed the spirit of discontent and sedition. The king marched 
 to oppose his progress, and the moment he appeared he disarmed the 
 rebels. Perkin took refuge in a church, but was prevailed upon to sur- 
 render himself to Henry, who promised him his life. The lady Catha- 
 rine Gordon, his wife, fell into the conqueror's hands, and was treated 
 with generosity. This rebel was conducted to London in a species of 
 mock triumph, and was forced to make a public recital of his adventures, 
 and thrown into prison. Having made his escape, he was retaken, and 
 sent to the Tower; and on account of carrying on there some intrigues, 
 he was condemned and executed. The king arrested almost at tho 
 same instant a number of distinguished individuals, who were arraigned, 
 convicted, and condemned for high treason ; a few were executed, the 
 rest received a pardon. 
 
 The king's eldest son, Arthur, espoused Catharine of Arragon, but 
 died soon after, and without having consummated the marriage. The 
 
 Relate t'le adventures of Perkin, the impostor. — ^To whom was Catharine of 
 Arragor. affianced ? — To whom was she afterwards married ? 
 
HENRY VII. HENRY VIII. 77 
 
 young prince of Wales, afterwards Henry VIIL, now in iiis thirteenth 
 year, was forced by the king to espouse the widow of his brother; and 
 a dispensation for this purpose was procured from the pope. 
 
 Every thing yielded to the views of the English monarch, and Europe 
 admired his political discernment. Ferdinand of Spain was connected 
 with him from interest. The archduke Philip, Ferdinand's son-in-law, 
 paid court to him. Pope Alexander VI. cultivated his friendship. Hav- 
 ing no enemy to fear, Henry gave himself up to his reigning passion. 
 His avarice made him unjust and cruel, and led him to oppress his sub- 
 jects. Arbitrary judgments, fines, compositions, and taxes augmented 
 his treasure to £2,750,000. His rigid economy added to it from day to 
 day, and the more he advanced in years the more detestable was he by 
 his avarice. His activity and firmness, his prudence, his love of peace, 
 and his courage in war, cannot wipe away the stain. On the approach 
 of death, he thought to expiate his injustice by acts of charity. But 
 such measures are more efficacious in lulling the consciences of the 
 unjust than in satisfying the Deity. He expired in the fifty-second year 
 of his age, and the twenty -third of his reign, a. d. 1509. 
 
 No monarch, from the concession of the great charter, had reigned 
 in England with so much authority as Henry VII. One great object 
 of his policy was to humble the nobility, and hold them in subjection. 
 He gave liberty to the nobles to dispose of their estates ; a circumstance 
 which added to the riches of the people, and diminished that of the 
 barons. The arts, commerce, and industry were advancing in their 
 progress, and many wise laws were passed for the execution of justice. 
 
 The discovery of the New World in 1492 by Columbus, and the pas- 
 sage discovered by the Portuguese to the East Indies round the Cape of 
 Good Hope, were followed by the revival of literature in Europe. The 
 art of printing was invented ; artillery and engineering were brought 
 to greater perfection ; and these events announced the approach of great 
 revolutions. 
 
 SECTION 2. 
 
 HENRY VIIL A. D. 1509. 
 
 The English, dissatisfied with the severe government of Henry VIL, 
 beheld with pleasure the elevation of a prince of sixteen years of age, 
 agreeable from his figure and his manners, and from the candour and 
 gaiety of his temper. It was not immediately seen that his passions 
 would make him a tyrant. The first steps of his administration were 
 answerable to the public expectation. He promoted those to be his 
 ministers who had served him with the greatest zeal during his father's 
 reign. The king consummated at length his marriage with Catharine 
 of Arragon, a princess of great virtue and sweetness of disposition. 
 Henry loved pleasure and entertainments, and his expense was in pro- 
 portion to the treasure left by the late king. Music and literature were 
 in the number of his pursuits. 
 
 Mention Henry the Seventh's influence in Europe, his avarice, his decease. -- 
 What were the great objects of his poUcy ? — What great discoveries oiid arta now 
 appeared ? — What were the first occurrences of Henry the Eighth's reign ? 
 
78 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Thomas Wolsey, who had recommended himself by his address to 
 Henry VII., and who had been employed by him in some difficult com 
 missions, was now prosecuting with vigour the intentions of Henry 
 Vlll., and rising to a height of grandeur. Wolsey's insinuating man- 
 ners, his taste lor pleasure, and his love of letters, rendered him most 
 acceptable to the king. A vast career opened to his ambition, and 
 Henry, having made him a member of the council, constituted him his 
 sole and absolute minister. But an excessive haughtiness, an insatiable 
 rapacity, and an insolent parade of expense, raised him more enemies 
 than he could conciliate friends by his generosity and his policy. 
 
 As Henry was ardent for war, Wolsey gave it all his attention. An 
 English squadron presented itself before Brest, but was obliged to retire. 
 A French fleet that attempted a descent on the coast of Sussex, had no 
 better success. The English penetrated into France, by the way of 
 Calais. The emperor Maximilian joined the English forces in the Low 
 Countries with some German and Flemish soldiers, and he blushed not, 
 in return for his services, to take a hundred crowns a day. At the battle 
 of Guinegat the French, who had behaved with so much courage in 
 many encounters, were seized with an unaccountable panic, and took 
 to flight ; and this action is commonly called the battle of the spurs, the 
 French making more use of them than of their swords. 
 
 The king of Scotland, James IV., ravaged Northumberland, at the 
 head of fifty thousand men : but the English gave him battle at Flod- 
 den, where that monarch and the flower of the Scotch nobility perished. 
 Henry enjoyed his victory with moderation, and entered into a treaty 
 of peace with the queen of Scotland, who now acted as regent. 
 
 The princess Mary, Henry's sister, was married to Lewis XII. king 
 of France. Mary was in her twentieth year, and Lewis in his fifty- 
 fourth. England enjoyed at this time (a. d. 1515) a tranquillity which 
 it had long required ; and Wolsey, while he affected to follow the incli- 
 nations of Henry, and to enter into all his views, governed w^ith the 
 more authority. He seemed to be only the companion of his pleasures, 
 but was in reality the absolute master of his kingdom. Church prefer- 
 ments were presented to him with the most profuse liberality. To these 
 honours and possessions he joined the dignity of cardinal. The desires 
 of Wolsey increased with his power ; at length the complaints of the 
 people against the minister, reached the ears of the sovereign ; he dis- 
 covered his dissatisfaction, and Wolsey set bounds to his authority. 
 
 Charles V., emperor of Germany and king of Spain, arrived at Dover 
 to pay a visit to Henry, and on his return to the continent Henry went 
 over to Calais, with the queen and his whole court. Francis, the French 
 king, similarly attended, had come to Ardres. The two monarchs vied 
 in displays of magnificence, and in bestowing mutual marks of their 
 respect and confidence They visited each other without guards or 
 attendants ; and passed their time in tilts and tournaments, in which 
 
 What the elevation and the demeanour of Wolsey ? — Relate what warfare oc- 
 curred at this time. — What was the result of the battle of Flodden ? — Whom did 
 the King of France marry? — Who ruled the King? — What interview had the 
 monarchs of England, France, &c. ? 
 
HENRY viir. 79 
 
 tlicy respectively distinf^uished themselves. Henry soon after paid a 
 visit to the emperor Charles, at Gravelines. 
 
 For some time past, Europe had been agitated with those religious 
 disputes vi^hich were to produce the reformation. Leo X., who was a 
 !;rcat prince but a bad pope, having exhausted his treasury, had recourse 
 to an expedient. He circulated indulgences, under pretence of a war 
 against the Turks, and for subduing schismatics. These were sold pub- 
 licly in Germany by the Dominicans. The Augustin friars were jeal- 
 ous of them on this account, and Martin Luther, a theologian of their 
 order, declaimed against the church of Rome. He was keen and in- 
 flexible. Many vain and superstitious ceremonies had been introduced 
 into the exercise of religion ; theology was corrupted with subtleties ; 
 religion had become a cloak for the most sordid rapacity, and the most 
 unpardonable ambition. An incessant cry of reformation resounded 
 iVom all quarters. Luther took advantage of it. After railing against 
 abuses in the sale of indulgences, he attacked indulgences themselves, 
 tiie dogmas of the church, and the power of the pope. His writings 
 spread over Europe. The elector of Saxony, and other German princes, 
 were favourable to the reformer. England had also many Lollards, who 
 inculcated nearly the same tenets. 
 
 The English monarch, who had been educated in the doctrines of the 
 Romish church, and had contracted an aversion to Luther, wrote a book 
 against him ; and received from Leo on this account the title of " De- 
 fender of the Faith," an appellation which was long after retained by 
 the kings of England. Lutheranism, notwithstanding, made not the 
 less progress; persecution brings its proselytes. 
 
 As the vast treasure amassed by his father had been for some time 
 dissipated, Henry had recourse for supplies to arbitrary exactions and 
 imposts; and in place of a subsidy which he demanded, the commons 
 could be prevailed upon only to grant a moiety. The more illegal tho 
 imposts he levied, the more the people were enraged. 
 
 Tlie time now approached when the passions of Henry were to pro- 
 duce cruel and fatal scenes. Catharine of Arragon, who was six years 
 older than the king, had lost his affections. He pretended to entertain 
 doubts of the validity of his marriage, notwithstanding the dispensation 
 of pope Julius. But Anna Bullen, the daughter of Sir Thomas Bullen, 
 had acquired an ascendant over his affections, and not being able to in- 
 duce her to comply with his desires, he removed the obstacle by making 
 her his wife. But it was necessary that the bull of Julius should be an- 
 nulled at Rome ; a circumstance to which it was not probable that any 
 pope would submit. The pope, however, granted a commission, in which 
 Cardinal Campeggio was joined with Wolsey, for the trial of the king's 
 marriage. The trial was industriously prolonged ; Campeggio, by the 
 pope's order, prorogued the court, and the cause was evoked to Rome. 
 
 What resulted from the indulg^ences of Pope Leo X. ? — What title did the king 
 receive for opposing Luther ? — What change took place in the king's aflections ? — 
 How did he endeavour to annul his marriage with queen Catharine of Arragon ? — 
 How was he foiled in this design? 
 
80 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 SECTION 3. 
 
 Henry was mortified with this cruel disappointment. In the height 
 of his rage he suspected Wolsey of treachery ; and Anna Bullen being 
 prepossessed against this minister, his fall approached. The great seal 
 was taken from him, and entrusted to Sir Thomas More. The palace 
 in which Wolsey resided in London, was seized by an order from the 
 court, and became afterwards the residence of the kings of England, 
 under the title of Whitehall. A cupboard of massy gold, a thousand 
 pieces of holland, and all his sumptuous furniture, were appropriated by 
 Henry. The house of lords presented against him an accusation of for- 
 ty-four articles. Thomas Cromwell, formerly one of his domestics, de- 
 fended him there with a force and courage which, instead of injuring 
 his fortune, laid the foundation of that favour which he afterwards en- 
 joyed with the king. Wolsey had retired to his see of York, where he 
 was arrested for high treason, in order to take his trial in London. Du- 
 ring his journey he stayed a fortnight at the Earl of Shrewsbury's, 
 where one day at dinner he was taken ill, not without suspicions of 
 having poisoned himself. Being conveyed onward, he reached Leicester 
 abbey, where the monks coming out to meet him, he said, "Father Ab- 
 bot, I am come to lay my bones among you." He was seized with a 
 dysentery, and after having expressed his regret that he had been less 
 careful to serve his God than his king, he expired. 
 
 Henry regretted his death, and spoke of him in terms of the highest 
 praise. The policy of Clement VII. deprived Henry of every hope of 
 accomplishing his divorce; and Dr. Cranmer suggested an expedient, 
 which was, to consult all the universities of Europe concerning the 
 controverted point, and if they declared the marriage with Catharine 
 illegitimate, the Pope could not easily refuse a divorce. The court was 
 delighted with this proposal, and it is certain that the universities of 
 France, those of England, and those of Italy, pronounced a decision 
 conformable to his wishes, and the judgment of the universities he con- 
 sidered as decisive. 
 
 These measures could not fail of diminishing the authority of the 
 church; and although Henry shuddered at the thoughts of heresy, he 
 had more than once determined to break with the court of Rome. He 
 required a confession from the clergy, " That the king was the protector 
 and supreme head of the Church of England, so far as is permitted by 
 the law of Christ." The year following, the parliament went still 
 further ; they made an act against levying the annates, or first fruits, a 
 tax which was paid to the pope ; and it was even voted that all censures 
 from Rome should be totally disregarded. The chancellor. Sir Thomas 
 More, foreseeing that these measures tended to a schism with Rome, 
 begged permission to resign the seals. 
 
 Unable to prevail with the queen to consent to his marriage with 
 
 Relate the splendour and the fall of Wolsey? — By whom was Catharine's mar- 
 nage deemed illegitimate ? — What steps were taken by the clergy and the parlia-? 
 raent ? — What was the effect of these measures ? 
 
( 82 ) 
 
HENRY viir. 83 
 
 Anna Biillen, Henry privately espoused that lady, and soon after, he ac- 
 knowledged her as queen. Cranmer pronounced against Catharine the 
 sentence of divorce, a. d. 1533; the ceremony of the coronation of the 
 new queen was celebrated, and the birth of Elizabeth was an additional 
 source of satisfaction to Henry. 
 
 The pope, Clement, fulminated his excommunication against Henry, 
 but it added to the general ferment, and advanced the reformation. It 
 had already been maintained that the pope was only a bishop, that the 
 bounds of his authority extended no further than those of his diocesf\ 
 The people and the parliament received these doctrines, and the clergy 
 conformed to them. The clergy declared that the Bishop of Rome had 
 no authority in England, and the king was, at length, by a public act, 
 constituted head of the church. 
 
 Though Henry entertained an aversion to the reformers, all ranks of 
 men throughout England were disposed to embrace their opinions. His 
 principal enemies were the monks, and it is probable that Henry re- 
 garded with an envious eye the riches of the Catholic clergy. As su- 
 preme head of the church, he granted a power to his secretary, Crom- 
 well, and to other commissioners, to visit the different monasteries of 
 the kingdom, and to make a scrutiny into the lives of the friars. This 
 inquiry furnished occasion for their dissolution. The grossest abuses 
 were said to have been discovered ; whole convents of men and wo- 
 men abandoned to frauds, idleness, and licentiousness. The report 
 was published, and the horror and detestation of the people were 
 excited. All the lesser monasteries, amounting to three hundred and 
 seventy-six, were suppressed by the parliament, and their revenues, 
 which devolved to the king, amounted to thirty-two thousand pounds 
 a-year. Tliis paved the way for the dissolution of the greater monas- 
 teries. 
 
 The convocation or assembly of the clergy held this season, passed 
 an act which the Protestants highly extolled ; which was, to publish a 
 version of the Scriptures in the mother tongue. Three years were em- 
 ployed in this undertaking, and it contributed greatly to advance the 
 progress of the reformation. 
 
 The decline of the Romish religion in England may be traced from 
 the passion of Henry VI IT. for Anna BuUen. His violent love for this 
 lady, which six years of opposition could not stifle, suddenly subsided 
 when it had no longer any opposition to contend with. The king turned 
 his affections upon Jane Seymour, one of the maids of honour to the 
 queen, and he sacrificed his wife to a mistress. The king allowed him- 
 self to be persuaded of the infidelity of his queen, and laid hold on the 
 slightest circumstances to her prejudice. She strongly protested her 
 innocence. Her trial was conducted with the utmost precipitation, and 
 she submitted with intrepidity to the stroke of the axe. Henry 
 married Jane Seymour, the day afler Anna's execution. 
 
 Whom did the king privately espouse? — What doctrines were avowed against 
 the pope's authority? — Relate the abuses that occurred in the monasteries. — By 
 what convocation was a version of the scriptures published in the mother tongue ' 
 — Upon whom did the king next fix his affections ? — What followed ? 
 
84 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 £, 
 
 To the new parliament which was now called, new oaths were ad- 
 ministered against the power of the Pope, and every door to a recon- 
 ciliation with the church was closed. The convocation of the clergy, 
 which sat at the same time, complied in every respect with the will of 
 Henry, whose violence could not brook the smallest contradiction. 
 Cromwell, as vicar-general, exercised absolute power. He suppressed 
 many of the ancient holidays, prohibited pilgrimages and other supersti- 
 tions. This was the source of the murm.urs of the secular priests. In- 
 Burrections were raised in the counties of Durham, York, and Lancaster, 
 which were suppressed. Henry's power was too firmly established to 
 be shaken by petty insurrections. 
 
 SECTION 4. 
 
 Henry regarded the monks as irreconcilable enemies, and he was 
 now inclined to suppress the greater monasteries, that he might enrich 
 himself with tlieir spoils. He had recourse to his former expedient, aiid 
 a visitation of the monasteries was first appointed. Time, and the brid 
 passions, had doubtless introduced corruptions into the cloisters; but 
 the accusations of the visitors confounded guilt and innocence. Inven- 
 tions, it must be confessed, were discovered, calculated to impose on 
 popular credulity ; false relics were employed, false miracles were per- 
 formed. It was asserted that the saints were presented with frequent 
 and rich presents, while the Deity was neglected.* The annual reve- 
 nues arising from these establishments destroyed, amounted to one hun- 
 dred and sixty-one thousand pounds. In order to reconcile the people to 
 these innovations, the king erected six new bishoprics, and settled sala- 
 ries on the abbots and monks; and it was given out that the crown 
 would never more have occasion to levy taxes, but that the church 
 lands would be sufficient to discharge all the expenses of the govern- 
 ment. In this manner were all the monastic orders abolished in Eng- 
 land. 
 
 Notwithstanding the censures of the Pope, which were violent and 
 indignant, and vented in holy execrations and anathemas, still Henry 
 piqued himself on his zeal for the Romish faith, and was ambitious to 
 defend it, as well by disputation as by persecution. In an assembly at 
 Westminster, in which the prelates, the nobility, and gentlemen of dis- 
 tinction attended, Henry was charmed with the opportunity for signal- 
 izing his theological talents ; and disputing with Lambert, on the sub- 
 ject of the eucharist, seemed to him no derogation from his dignity. 
 
 His new parliament, a. d. 1539, was an instrument of his dominion 
 rather than the council of the nation ; and he failed not to avail himself 
 of their abject servility. " It is his majesty's pleasure," said the chan- 
 cellor, " to extirpate from his kingdom all dive^rsity of opinion with re* 
 
 * Burnet has related that, one year, at the Church of St. Thomas, of O^nterbun-, 
 there was not one penny oftered at God's altar, and that the Virgin's gained Qnlv fo.ii? 
 pounds, but that of the saint acquired Jiine hundred and ftfty-four p.o.u,nda. 
 
 What further resistance was made to popeiy ? — W^ii transfer took place from 
 abbeys to bishoprics ? — With what zeal did Henry ^iJ;L ^iQJfend the Romish faith? 
 
HENRY VIII. 85 
 
 cfard to relioion ;" and the fiiraous bill of " Six Articles," was passed, 
 tcriTK.d by tlie Protestants, " the bloody bill," as enforcing- the observ- 
 ance of the principal doctrines of the Romish churcli, under the iiiost 
 cruel punishments of confiscation, imprisonment, or death. The parlia- 
 ment, by an act still more ridiculous, gave these edicts of the king the 
 same force with statutes enacted by the three estates. Thus the con- 
 stitution of England was entirely overthrown. 
 
 Jane Seymour, the most beloved of all his wives, had died in the year 
 15'37, after having given birth to Edward. The king, therefore, began 
 to think of a new marriage, and his minister, Cromwell, engaged him 
 to address Anne of Cleves; but he never bore her any affection, and 
 tlie king's resentment soon fell upon his minister. The parliament, who 
 had flattered Cromwell in his prosperity, insulted him in his disgrace. 
 They accused him of heresy and treason, and condemned him without 
 examination and without evidence. His sentence was executed with- 
 out delay. Cromwell was a man of industry and ability, and deserved 
 a better fate. Henry was now induced to repudiate Anne of Cleves 
 upon frivolous pretences; and Anne, on receiving a settlement of three 
 thousand pounds a-year, consented to the divorce. Her place was filled 
 by Catharine Howard, whose vices soon after conducted her to the 
 scaffold. 
 
 The statute of the Six Articles was vigorously executed, and many 
 Protestants acquired the glory of martyrdom. But Henry was no less 
 rigid against the Catholics, who refused to take the oath of his su- 
 premacy. A foreigner at that time in England, had reason to say, that 
 " those who were against the Pope were burned, and those who were 
 for him were hanged." 
 
 About this time came out, by the sanction or caprice of Henry, a 
 small work, entitled " The Institution of a Christian Man^^'' which con- 
 sisted partly of Protestant and partly of Catholic doctrines. Some time 
 after, he published a different rule of orthodoxy. He again restrained 
 the' reading of the Scriptures, made alterations in the Missal, and ordained 
 that the name of the Pope should be erased out of every book ; but, 
 however versatile were his own opinions, he inculcated upon his sub- 
 jects the most passive obedience to his power. 
 
 In about a year after the death of the late queen, Henry once more 
 changed his condition, by marrying his sixth and last wife, Catharine 
 Parr. She had been the wife of Lord Latimer, and was considered a 
 woman of discretion and virtue. Catharine made good what had been 
 said in jest, that he would be obliged to marry a widow. She favoured 
 the doctrines of the reformers. 
 
 In the year 1545, a French fleet, of about a hundred sail, made a de- 
 scent upon England, but performed notlung decisive. The cannon, at 
 this time, were so ill served that it was thought a circumstance some- 
 what wonderful, that each fleet, in the course of two hours, should fire 
 three hundred shot. One small ship in our time, could, without diffi- 
 
 Mention the parliament's servility to the " Six Articles." — Whom did the king 
 marry, alter the death of Jane Seymour ? — What was the fate of Cromwell ? — 
 What, of Anne of Cleves ? — Name the various changes in Henry's religious no- 
 tions. — Who was Hairy 's sixth and last wife ? 
 
86 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 culty, do thrice as much. The succours of parliament in 1546, enabled 
 him again to prepare for war ; but Henry finding his health began to 
 decline, concluded a truce with the King of France ; nothing, however, 
 could cure the king of the madness of introducing new systems of 
 faith. He now permitted the Litany to be celebrated in the vulgar 
 tongue, and he added a prayer to it, "to be delivered from the tyranny 
 of the Bishop of Rome, and from all his detestable enormities." 
 
 Queen Catharine had nearly been sacrificed to the dogmatical zeal 
 of her husband. The extreme corpulency of Henry, joined to an ulcer 
 in his leg, endangered his life. The queen soothed his discontented 
 and peevish humour. But his favourite topic was theology, and she en- 
 tertained sentiments very diflferent from his. A suspicion of her being 
 heretical induced the king to order articles of accusation to be drawn 
 out against her. Apprised of her danger, she lost not her courage, but 
 visited the king as belbre. The conversation failed not to turn upon 
 theology, and Catharine affected to excuse herself, and said if she had 
 ever spoRen upon such subjects, it was merely to amuse his majesty or 
 animate his conversation, that she might profit by his reflections. " By 
 St. Mary," said Henry, " you are now become a doctor, and are better 
 fitted- to give than to receive instruction." He then embraced her with 
 great affection, and gave her assurances of his kindness. The next day, 
 while they were conversing w^ith great cordiality, the chancellor, who 
 knew nothing of what had passed, arrived with forty of the pursuivants, 
 to convey her to the Tower: the king spoke to him at some distance 
 from her, treated him very roughly, calling him knave, fool, beast, and 
 ordered him to begone. 
 
 The nearer Henry approached to his end, the more violent and ty- 
 rannical were his acts. The Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Surrey 
 were the last that fell under his resentment. On some frivolous accu- 
 sations, Surrey was condemned and executed. The parliament meeting 
 in January, 1546, a bill of attainder was found against the Duke of 
 Norfolk ; the death-warrant was made out, and sent to the lieutenant in 
 the Tower. The duke prepared for death, but an event of greater con- 
 sequence intervened to prevent his execution. The king, who had been 
 for some time past approaching fast towards his end, died the night pre- 
 ceding the day appointed for the duke to suflTer, and it was thought im- 
 proper to stain, by an act of tyranny, the commencement of the new 
 reign. Henry reigned thirty-seven years and nine months, and died in 
 the fifly-sixth year of his age. 
 
 Henry had ability, resolution, and talents; but his reign is a series 
 of the most tyrannical acts. Amidst all the cruelties of this reign, 
 literature made a considerable progress. The commerce of the English, 
 during this period, was chiefly confined to the Netherlands. 
 
 What change took place in Henry's health and principles? — What precaution 
 of the queen averted her danger? — Who were the last that felt the king's resent- 
 ment? — Describe Henry's character, conduct, and cruellies. 
 
EDWARD VI. 87 
 
 SECTION 5. 
 EDWARD VI. A. D. 1547. 
 
 Edward VI., the only son of Henry VIII., succeeded to the throne 
 in the ninth year of his age. Henry had appointed sixteen executors 
 to take the charge of the prince during his minority, and had invested 
 them with the administration of the kingdom. To these he added 
 twelve councillors, to assist with their advice in cases of difficulty. No 
 sooner was the king dead, than it was deliberated whether a protector 
 ought not to be chosen who should possess the exterior symbols of royal 
 dignity, and yet be bound in the exercise of power to follow the opinion 
 of the executors. Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, maternal uncle 
 to the king, was appointed to this dignity, and created Duke of Somer- 
 set. The chancellor, at the same time, was created Earl of South- 
 ampton. 
 
 The ambition of Somerset grew with his power. He procured a 
 patent from the king, which invested him with full regal authority. 
 The council he appointed consisted of the former persons, except South- 
 ampton. The disgrace of the chancellor was a fatal blow to the Catho- 
 lics. Somerset dissembled not his inclination to extend the reformation. 
 The education of Edward he entrusted to men of the same principles. 
 Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was a Protestant as well as 
 the protector, gave his opinion for moderate measures, and that it would 
 be dangerous to introduce a change of religion by violence and perse- 
 cution. 
 
 A general visitation was made of all the dioceses of England. Those 
 who were charged with this duty had directions to proceed with cau- 
 tion and prudence, and to continue such usages as had no superstitious 
 tendency. Their authority was chiefly to be exerted against sprinkling 
 of beds with holy water, the ringing of bells, and the using of blessed 
 candles in order to drive away the devil. The intemperate zeal of the 
 old monks, who inveighed with much spleen against the reformation, 
 was to be restrained, and certain homilies were published which were 
 to be read to the people. Gardiner, the head of the Catholic party, 
 remonstrated against these innovations. 
 
 Somerset, having regulated the affairs of the kingdom, raised an 
 army of ten thousand men, determined to make war upon Scotland, and 
 produce, if possible, an union with England, by the marriage of the 
 princess Mary with Edward; and he published a manifesto, in which 
 he set forth many arguments to engage them to the measure. The 
 Scots, with an army double the number, waited for them. A movement 
 of the English towards the sea, as if intending flight, drew the Scots 
 into an engagement, when ten thousand of the Scots fell in the action. 
 
 During the king's minority, who was appointed protector? — To whom was the 
 education of Edward entrusted ? — What jwpish customs were forbidden lo be con- 
 tinued ? — What marriage was projected ? — What battle was fought ? 
 
88 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 This action is called the battle of Pin key, and cost the English only 
 about two hundred men. The Earl of Huntly, who had at first been 
 disposed to favour the proposal of Somerset, said pleasantly, that he was 
 not averse to the match, but that he much disliked the manner in which 
 the princess was courted. 
 
 A cabal in London hastened the protectors return. He summoned a 
 parliament, and its authority completed the reformation. Many laws 
 of the imperious Henry were abrogated, particularly those which ex- 
 tended the crime of treason ; the statute of the six articles and private 
 masses v/ere abolished ; the use of the cup was restored to the laity. 
 Candles were forbidden to be carried about on Candlemas and other set 
 days. No images were to appear in churches; auricular confession 
 was left free, to be used or not, at the discretion of the people ; priests 
 were permitted to marry ; and a liturgy was framed for the service of 
 the church. It was also enacted that mass should be celebrated in the 
 vulgar language, and that the prayers to the saints, and some other cere- 
 monies, should be retrenched from it. The doctrine of the real presence 
 in the eucharist w^as the last tenet of popery that was abandoned by the 
 people. 
 
 Still, however, the government was in its nature arbitrary ; it punish- 
 ed those whose sentiments accorded not with the creed of the day. A 
 woman who did not conform to the ritual respecting the incarnation of 
 Christ, was condemned to be burnt ! The nation in general, however, 
 submitted to the new doctrine and the new liturgy. The Lady Mary 
 alone continued to adhere to the mass, and refused to admit the estab- 
 lished mode of worship. 
 
 The suppression of abbeys and monasteries had not only deprived the 
 poor and idle of a great resource, but also the peasants in the neigh- 
 bourhood ; and the spirit of revolt spread itself in the interior, where 
 the people were in extreme indigence. In some of the counties, par- 
 ticularly Devon and Norfolk, the spirit of rebellion threatened the most 
 fatal consequences. The insurgents demanded the re-establishment of 
 the mass, holy bread and holy water, and the redress of other grievances ; 
 marching with crosses and banners before them, and other implements 
 of the ancient religion. Others went so far as to require the suppres- 
 sion of the gentry, and new councillors about the king. Somerset 
 dispatched troops to oppose them, and they were at length dispersed. 
 
 A violent faction was now formed against Somerset in the council. 
 The haughtiness of his carriage, his ambition, and the contempt and 
 resentment he expressed for those who refused to be directed by his 
 sentiments, the immense riches he had acquired, and the magnificent 
 palace he had built, on ground taken from the church, irritated the dis- 
 contented. Warwick, the most dangerous of these, influenced the 
 council, who magnified his imprudences into crimes, and set aside his 
 authority. The protector, finding that he was abandoned by his parti- 
 sans, submitted to his enemies. They informed the young king that 
 
 What further popish customs did the parliament abolish ?— How were the new 
 doctrine and the new liturgy received ? — What peasants raised a clamour for the 
 mass, <fec.? — What faction was raised against Somerset I 
 
EDWARD VI. „ b'^ 
 
 the protector, instead of being- guided by their direction, had usurped 
 Ihe wliole sovereign authority. Their remonstrances were heard ; 
 Somerset was thrown into prison, and an accusation framed .igainst him. 
 Dejected and humbled, he confessed himself guilty in a manner that 
 disgraced iinn. The parliament deprived him of all his otiices, and 
 subjected him to a large tine. But Warwick, thinking that he was 
 MOW suliiciently humbled, re-admitted him into the council. 
 
 Warwick, though indilferent on the head of religious disputes, de- 
 clare i l(jf the ProtesUnts, as the king had imbibed their principles. Se- 
 veral bishops, notwitlistanding their compliance with the court, remained 
 still in the Romish faith ; and as they had agreed to hold them only 
 during the king's pleasure, the council determined to seize on their re- 
 venues. The prosecution was commenced on the famous Gardiner, 
 bishop of Winchester. In vain he agreed to subscribe a declaration, 
 that the king was head of the church, &c. ; the more he acquiesced, 
 the more they multiplied their demands. He then refused to subscribe 
 any articles they should submit to him, and he was deposed. Several 
 other bishops underwent the same fate. 
 
 If ambition could prescribe bounds to itself, Warwick had been happy. 
 He directed the council, he had vast possessions, and had been created 
 Duke of Northumberland. But his prosperity, instead of satisfying, in- 
 creased his desires. The Duke of Somerset, although degraded, ap- 
 peared to him a rival, and he conspired his destruction. By working on 
 his temper and chagrin, Northumberland provoked him to commit im- 
 prudences, and thus furnished himself with accusations against him. 
 Somerset was charged with the guilt of high treason, and of having 
 meditated the murder of Northumberland and several members of the 
 council ; and the king, prepossessed against his uncle by the enemies 
 of that nobleman, permitted his execution. 
 
 The Duke of Northumberland, no less rapacious than ambitious, 
 formed the project of seizing for his use the revenues of the bishopric 
 of Durham, one of the richest in the kingdom. Tonstal, who had been 
 promoted to this dignity, and who was possessed of distinguished merit, 
 had opposed all innovations in religion ; though, when established, he 
 had, from a sense of duty, submitted to them. Notwithstanding, a bill 
 of attainder was passed against him in the House of Peers, by means 
 Df the Duke of Northumberland. Tonstal was deposed, and the dignity 
 of earl palatine, connected with his see, was conferred on Northumber- 
 land, and two subsidies and two-fifteenths were granted to the king. 
 
 The debts of the crown, though the sale of the manors and the plun- 
 der of the churches had been great, amounted to three hundred thou- 
 sand pounds sterling. Edward was an economist, but the rapacity of 
 his courtiers was insatiable. 
 
 As the health of the young monarch now visibly declined, Northum- 
 berland hastened to execute a project which he imagined would conduct 
 his family to the throne. He married Lord Guilford Dudley, one of his 
 sons, to Lady Jane Grey, the heir of the Marchioness of Dorset, niece 
 
 What bishops still adhered to the Romish faith ?— What was the fate of the Duke 
 of Somerset ? — On what bishopric did JNorthuraberland seize ? 
 8* 
 
90 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to Henry VIIL, in the hope of making the crown pass immediately to 
 Jane. Edward, wasted with disease, and afraid of the zeal of Mary for 
 the Romish faith, allowed himself to he overcome by the artifices of 
 Northumberland, and expedited letters patent conformable to his desires. 
 The chancellor and the other members of the council subscribed them 
 with extreme reluctance, and yielded to menaces, and the violence of 
 present power and authority. A few days after, Edward expired at 
 Greenwich, in the sixteenth year of his age. This prince was of a 
 mild disposition, and possessed of application, a capacity to learn and to 
 judge, and a scrupulous attachment to equity and justice; and had he 
 been favoured with a longer life, he might have rendered his people 
 happy by a wise and equitable administration. 
 
 SECTION 6. 
 MARY. A. D. 1553. 
 
 Mary's title to the crown was indisputable ; nothing could have con- 
 tested it but the criminal policy of Northumberland, who w^as ambitious 
 to reign under the name of his daughter-in-law. Therefore, before he 
 published the last will of the king, he was solicitous to secure the per- 
 sons of the two princesses ; but Mary, apprised of the plot, retired pre- 
 cipitately into Suffolk. From thence she wrote, in character of queen, 
 to the council and to the nobility, demanding to be acknowledged and 
 proclaimed. The minister offered the crown to Lady Jane Grey. The 
 young lady was, indeed, highly worthy of it, had personal merit been a 
 sufficient title : to the natural virtues and charms of her sex, she united 
 knowledge, and talents of the highest order. Struck with surprise and 
 consternation at this unexpected overture, she refused a sceptre to 
 which she had no right, insisting on the rights of the two princesses ; 
 nor was it till after the most urgent remonstrances that she could be 
 made to yield. Orders were given for proclaiming her throughout the 
 kingdom, but she was nowhere proclaimed, except in London. The 
 people gave not their assent to the measure, though sanctioned by some 
 of the Protestant clergy and the bishop of London. 
 
 Mary, in the meantime, was collecting forces ; and as she promised 
 not to reverse the laws of Edw^ard, the nobility and the people flew to 
 her standard. Mary was proclaimed, and Northumberland, who had 
 put himself at the head of six thousand men, was ordered to lay down 
 his arms ; and w^hen he found himself abandoned, he lost his hopes and 
 his courage. When the Earl of Arundel put him under arrest, he 
 meanly threw himself at his feet and begged his life. When on the 
 scaffold, the people, who had lamented the Duke of Somerset, beheld 
 with joy the punishment of his oppressor. 
 
 Jane Grey and her husband were capitally convicted, but the queen, 
 for the present, suspended their execution. The Duke of Norfolk, who 
 had been a prisoner since the reign of Henry VIIL, and the bishops 
 
 With what disease, and at what age did the King die? — Who opposed Mary's 
 title to the crown? — And why? — What w^as the fate of Northumberland? — To 
 whom did Mary give freedom from prison ? 
 
MARY. 91 
 
 Gardiner, Tonstal, and Bonner, who had been confined, obtained their 
 liberty and tlie favour of Mary. She granted a kind of general amnes- 
 ty, but the act was soon followed by the rigours of tyranny. The queen 
 was naturally solemn and gloomy, with a mind not highly cultivated ; 
 and her zeal to re-establish popery, soon degenerated into cruelty. 
 
 After having restored the deprived bishops to their sees, she impris- 
 oned others of the opposite party. Cranmer became the principal object 
 of her hatred ; he was impeached for high treason, and capitally con- 
 victed. »She ordered mass to be performed in Latin before both houses 
 at the opening of parliament, and this was followed by a statute that 
 abolished the laws of Edward. She demanded of Julius 111. to appoint 
 Cardinal Pole his legate ; a man so highly m her esteem, that she had 
 even entertained thoughts of marrying him, lor he was not a priest. 
 But there was another match, of which she thought more seriously, 
 and a marriage was secretly negotiated with Philip II. of Spain. The 
 commons could see nothing in this alliance but the danger of their liber- 
 ties, and they shook off their submission to the court, and their remon- 
 strances caused them to be instantly dissolved. 
 
 In 1554, the marriage of Philip and Mary was concluded, on condi- 
 tions apparently advantageous to England. The government was to 
 continue in the hands of the queen. No tbreigner was to bear any office 
 in the state. The laws, customs, and privileges of the nation were not 
 to be infringed. The English, apprehensive that the kingdom might, 
 ere long, become a province of Spain, evinced much discontent. The 
 spirit of revolt went abroad. Wyat and Carew promoted insurrections, 
 and they were joined by the Duke of Suffolk, the father of Jane Grey. 
 The leaders were taken, and the scene closed with the most bloody 
 executions. 
 
 The Princess Elizabeth, in the meantime, by her superior qualities 
 attracting the regard of the nation, was in danger of falling a sacrifice 
 to the hatred of her sister. It was reported that Wyat had impeached 
 her, but he denied the charge on the scailbld. The princess, notwith- 
 standing, was shut up in the Tower. Being restored to her liberty, she 
 had an offer of marriage from the Duke of Savoy; but she was unwil- 
 ling to leave her country, and rejected the offer. On this refusal, she 
 was again imprisoned. The gloomy jealousy of her sister furnished her 
 with perpetual subjects of chagrin. 
 
 The revolt of the Duke of Suffolk served for a pretext for the execu- 
 tion of Lady Jane Grey, and she received without emotion the long 
 expected news that she must prepare for death. The Romish priests 
 importuned her for three days on the subject of religion, without being 
 able to change her sentiments. She beheld with steadiness her hus- 
 band conducted to the scaffold. At the moment of execution she ac- 
 knowledged her punishment was just ; though, contrary to her inclina- 
 tions, she had been made instrumental to the ambition of her relations ; 
 and added, that her example might teach the world, that without per- 
 
 What marriage was negotiated for Mary? — On what conditions was the mar- 
 riage solemnized ? — To what danger was the Princess Elizabeth exposed? — Who 
 now sufiered, without committing personal guilt ? 
 
 M.: 
 
92 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 sonal guilt, one may be justly punished for circumstances that tend to 
 prejudice the state. 
 
 The dukf3 of Suffolk was executed soon afler. The prisons were 
 filled with people of distinction. 'J'he queen in the meantinie summoned 
 a parliament; and Gardiner, in (juality of chancellor, proposed that the 
 queen should he authorized to nominate a successor. On this occasion 
 the parliament was awake to the interests of the nation. Tlje exchision 
 of Elizabeth was apprehended, and it was feared that Mary min^ht be 
 induced to make a will in favour of Philip. In short, the people were 
 afraid that England would be swallowed up in the monarchy of Spain; 
 and they determined that Piiilip should have no share in it. The par- 
 liament also rejected several bills against heresy, and as this did not 
 coincide with the purposes of the court, it was dissolved. 
 
 SECTION 7. 
 
 Philip was not in haste to set out for England ; and the queen, con- 
 sumed with impatience, expected him with a degree of inquietude that 
 affected her health. At length he arrived. His cold, reserved, impe- 
 rious air, and the vexatious ceremony that cut off all access to his per- 
 son, rendered him no favourite with the people. Mary called a new 
 parliament, which she found more complying than the former, and after 
 repealing many statutes, which were thought unalterable, they found no 
 difficulty in renewing those that lighted up the piles for heresy. Such 
 however was its rooted aversion to Spain, that it would never suffer the 
 king to have the charge of government, much less to be presumptive 
 heir to the crown. Philip, finding himself little less than hated, affected 
 a more gentle conduct. He set at large the prisoners of distinction, 
 and among the rest, Elizabeth, who was no less dear to the nation than 
 odious to her sister. 
 
 One of the great objects of the court was to put in force the rigorous 
 laws against heretics. We shall glance at these during the last three 
 years of this reign. Rogers, a respectable clergyman of the Protestant 
 party, was the first victim. Hooper, bishop of Gloucester, showed still 
 more courage, during three quarters of an hour that he lived in the 
 midst of the flames. Saunders, another ecclesiastic, embraced the 
 stake, as the cross of Jesus Christ. His brother Taylor followed, and 
 repeating a psalm in English at the time of his execution, one of the 
 guards struck him on the mouth, and told him to pray in Latin. Ridley, 
 bishop of London, and Latimer, the old bishop of Worcester, were 
 burned together at Oxford. The passion for martyrdom excited by these 
 examples, communicated itself to young people, and even to women, 
 many of whom suffered with great fortitude. Gardiner, who had the 
 management of these persecutions, finding that punishments multiplied 
 offenders, gave up the direction to Bonner, bishop of London, a man still 
 more sanguinary than himself. Tyranny, in short, proceeded so far as 
 to issue a proclamation that whoever was possessed of heretical books, 
 and did not burn them, should be deemed a rebel, and executed imrae- 
 
 Wherein was the parliament opposed lo the qneen ? — How did Philip conduct 
 liiniself in England ? — Mention several among those that were burned for heresy 
 
MARY. ELIZAllETH. 93 
 
 (liately by martial law. In tlie space of three years, two hundred and 
 seventy-seven persons were burned for heresy, among whom w^ere iwe 
 bisho})s, iifly-fivc women, and four children. 
 
 Mary had sent an embassy to Rome, to reconcile her kingdom to the 
 holy see. Tiiat haughty and ambitious pontilf, Paul IV., who trcxl in 
 the steps of Greo:ory VIL, among other requirements, demanded even 
 the restoration of the Peter-pence, which had been so long abolished. 
 Affected by these remonstrances, the queen thought herself obliged to 
 give up such church lands as v/ere in her possession, and to found new 
 monasteries. In vain the interests of her crown were represented to 
 her. " I prefer," said she, " the salvation of my soul to ten such king- 
 doms as England." She might have learned from the scriptures other 
 means more effectual to save her soul, than that of Peter-pence, or 
 founding monasteries. It was not long before she felt the effects of 
 public hatred. The parliament granted but a very small supply ; and 
 several of the commons declared that it was absurd to raise supplies for 
 vsuch purposes. Her ill temper was increased by other chagrins. Plii- 
 iip, disgusted with a wife who was extremely jealous, without being in 
 any respect amiable, left her with disdain, and joined the emperor. The 
 choler which consumed her slie discharged upon her people, by extort- 
 ing excessive loans, and loading them with intolerable exactions. 
 
 The execution of the famous archbishop Cranmer filled up the mea- 
 sure of iniquity in this atrocious reign, and cardinal Pole succeeded him 
 in the see of Canterbury. By the solicitation of Philip, England sup- 
 ported his endeavours, by joining in a war against France, and an army 
 of ten thousand men was sent to join the Spaniards in the Low Coun- 
 tries. The campaign opened with the siege of St. Quintin, the taking 
 of which threw France into such consternation that it was judged pru- 
 dent to fortify Paris. The French recovering from their fears, sent the 
 duke of Guise to besiege Calais, which he took in eight days ; a place 
 deemed impregnable, and which had cost Edward III. a siege of eleven 
 months. The loss of Calais filled the kingdom with murmurs, and was 
 severely felt by Mary ; she was heard to say that, when dead, the name 
 of Calais would be found engraven on her heart. 
 
 Tlie mortification of being without children, the fear of leaving a 
 crown to a sister whom she hated, the approaching ruin that threatened 
 the Catholic religion, the indifference of a husband about to retire to 
 Spain, the hatred of her own subjects, irritated by her deeds of cruelty, 
 all uniting, made serious inroads on her constitution. A slow fever car- 
 ried her oft^ in the forty-fourth year of her age, after an unfortunate 
 reign of five years, four months, and eleven days. Cardinal Pole died 
 the same day with Mary. 
 
 SECTION 8. 
 
 ELIZABETH. A. D. 1558. 
 
 Elizabeth was welcomed to the crown by general acclamation. Sh^ 
 was about twenty-five when she passed as it were from a prison to a 
 
 Whnt embassy did Mary send to Rome ? — What did she prefer? — What occa- 
 sioned the loss of Calais ? — What circumstances hastened her death? — W^hat was 
 the age of Elizabeth on coming to the crown ? 
 
94 HISTORY OF E>GLAIVD. 
 
 thron'^. The remembrance of her misfortunes ^ave an eclat to her 
 merit. Afler having- thanked heaven for her deliverance, as for a mi- 
 racle, ihe seemed to forget all the injuries of her enemies. Even he 
 who had been her keeper, when in prison, found her not actuated by 
 revenge. The ambitious Philip II., the late husband of Mary, made 
 her proposals of marriage, but the queen, unwilling to have a master, 
 eluded his offers, without appearing to reject them. 
 
 Though Elizabeth was determined in favour of the Protestant reli- 
 gion, the English ambassador at Rome, received an order to notify to 
 the pope her accession to the throne. Paul IV. with inflexible haughti- 
 ness, prescribed submissions to the queen, previous to her obtaining 
 countenance from the head of the church. The queen is reported to 
 have said in reply, that " the pope in order to gain too nmch would lose 
 the whole." She recalled her ambassador, and restored a religion alto- 
 gether unfavourable to the papacy. She imitated not the precipitate 
 conduct of Mary, but took her measures with caution. She discharged 
 from prison, or recalled from exile, those whose religion had been their 
 crime. 
 
 The spirit of reformation was rekindled by the clergy. Some altera- 
 tions in divine service followed. Part of the prayers were read in Eng- 
 lish. The elevation of the host was discontinued, and a greater zeal 
 was expressed for the Bible than the Church of Rome. A wit of those 
 times, alluding to the scriptures, said there were four more prisoners to 
 be set free, viz. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: the queen replied, 
 we must first consult the good people themselves, whether they vvilj 
 wish to have them. She left it to parliament to put the finishing hand 
 to the business, and to give it the sanction of the laws. 
 
 The affability of the queen, her address in gaining the hearts and 
 directing the opinions of the people, her graceful dignity, and her insi- 
 nuating manners, subdued all the difliculties of the enterprise. The 
 parliament was no sooner assembled (a. d. 1559) than it gave every tes- 
 timony of zealous loyalty and obedience. The two houses not only con 
 firmed her right to the crown, and acknowledged her supremacy, but 
 gave her all the ecclesiastical authority, with a power of deputing it to 
 such commissaries as she should think proper to nominate. This was 
 the origin of the high court of commission, which exercised an arbitrary 
 authority, so dangerous at all times to civil liberty. 
 
 The statutes of Edward VI. respecting religion were confirmed. The 
 oath of supremacy was required to be taken. The mass and the liturgy 
 of the Church of Rome were abolished. These changes took place 
 without disorder or opposition. The commons petitioned her, in form, 
 to make choice of a husband. She answered, with great politenes > 
 that marriage always appeared to her a burden ; and thai with the go- 
 vernment of so great a kingdom, it seemed still more so; that the state 
 was her husband, and the people of England her children, and that she 
 should not think her life unfruitfiil, while her days were devoted to the 
 cire of such a family. 
 
 What occurred between Khzabetli's anibnssndor and the pope ? — What changes 
 occurred, favourable to Protestanlii^m ? — Did not the qtieen's graceful dignity win 
 upon the parliament ? — What was her reply to parliament, on one occasion ? 
 
ELIZABETH. 95 
 
 When the queen came to the throne, she found an interval of peace 
 necessary, in order to restore the shattered state of her finances, and to 
 make the kingdom flourish. She therefore concluded a peace with 
 France. In the meantime, the court of France gave great umbrage 
 to Elizabeth. Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, niece of the Guises, 
 and wife of Francis II., who soon succeeded Henry, his father, contested 
 the legitimacy of Elizabeth's birth, in order one day to dispute the 
 crown with her ; and she took the arms and title of the Queen of Eng- 
 land. The Guises added fire to her ambition ; and waited only for a 
 favourable opportunity of confirming her triumph. Elizabeth did not 
 slumber on the brink of danger, and the troubles of Scotland afforded 
 her the means of preventing it. Religious feuds in that kingdom rose 
 to the most outrageous heights. At the head of the Protestant party 
 were people of the first distinction, who established a society denomi- 
 nated the Congregation of Jesus, (December, 1557.) The famous 
 John Knox kindled and kept alive the religious zeal of the Scots, and 
 these revolters had recourse to Elizabeth for protection. 
 
 In vain did Francis II. oflfer to restore Calais on condition of her ob- 
 serving neutrality. She answered that a fishing town was of small 
 consequence compared with the security of her dominions. She entered 
 into negotiations with the Scotch reformers, and a very humiliating treaty 
 was signed at Edinburgh, by which the King of France and Mary Stuart 
 renounced the arms of England, together with the title they had assumed. 
 
 The reign of the Queen of Scots was unfortunate. After some years 
 of turbulent government and the endurance of much humiliation, she 
 was opposed by many of her nobility and subjects in arms. A battle 
 fought at Langside, near Glasgow, a. d. 1568, was decisive against the 
 young queen, and she fled with precipitation to the borders of England, 
 where she hoped for protection from Elizabeth, who, instead of protect- 
 ing her, ordered her to be put in confinement in Tutbury Castle ; yet 
 treated her with all proper marks of respect* 
 
 The Duke of Norfolk, one of the first peers in England in point of 
 birth and fortune, and who was beloved and respected by the people, 
 flattered himself with the hope of marrying Mary. The sentiments of 
 that princess were consulted, to which she replied that her repugnance 
 to a new marriage should give way to the public good, &c. Norfolk at 
 first agreed to conclude nothing without the consent of Elizabeth ; but 
 despairing to obtain that consent, he sought to form a party capable of 
 supporting his interests. The kings of France and Spain, being pri- 
 vately consulted, approved his design. Cecil, secretary of state to 
 Elizabeth, got intelligence of the conspiracy, and the queen one day 
 told Norfolk to take care on what pillow he reposed his head. The 
 duke with many of the conspirators were arrested. In the meantime, 
 to quiet the partisans of Mary, Elizabeth affected to negociate in her 
 favour, and to give testimonies of her attachment ; but political motives 
 disguised her real sentiments. Pius V., unable to gain her friendship, 
 
 ♦ For the evenls connectod with Mary Queen of Scots till she was imprisoned 'n 
 England, see the account under the head of Scotland, in the latter part of this volume. 
 
 What occurrences took place in Scotland ? — What treaties did the queen enter 
 into ? — W^ho approved of Norfolk's union with Mary, Queen of Scots i — Where 
 did the Queen of Scots flee for refuge ? 
 
96 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 aimed against her the thunders of the Vatican. He excommunirated 
 her, and affected to deprive her of her crown, by absolving her subjects 
 from the oath of allegiance. 
 
 SECTION 9. 
 
 Elizabeth found among the Puritans, as well as among the Papists, 
 sufficient cause for the exercise of her vigilance. The puritans, from 
 the year 1568, w^ere knowm tor enemies to episcopacy, and to all reli- 
 gious ceremonies ; and the spirit of liberty whicli fanaticism inspires 
 became formidable to established government. The seeds of these dis- 
 orders began to vegetate in the new parliament. One Strickland pro- 
 posed the abolition of the liturgy, and the omission of the sign of the 
 cross in baptism. But whatever sallies of zeal were shown in the 
 house, they did not weaken the general respect for the prerogative. 
 The general opinion invested such extensive powers in the crown, that 
 the efforts of natural liberty w'ere unsuccessful. Two w^ords were suf- 
 ficient to silence the parliament. " The queen will be offended." " The 
 council will be shocked." Still Elizabeth was regarded as a popular 
 princess. So different were the ideas of the constitution at that time 
 from those which soon followed. Her economy, and other resources, 
 placing her above want, contributed not a little to secure her from any 
 dangerous opiX)sition. 
 
 While she maintained tranquillity in her own kingdom, religious w^ars 
 were ravaging the neighbouring states, and Elizabeth sent repeated suc- 
 cours to the Protestants or Huguenots, as they w^ere termed, in France, 
 headed by the prince of Conde, and his son, the young prince of Na- 
 varre, afterv/ards Henry IV. of France, together with the formidable 
 Coligny and others. The Low Countries also became the theatre for a 
 spirit of reformation on the one hand, and rigorous persecution on the 
 other; and Elizabeth, beholding these scenes of violence wath indigna- 
 tion, afforded aid and protection to the unhappy people when reduced 
 almost to despair. TJie Duke of Alva, in return, endeavoured to raise 
 disturbances in England, by renewing the intrigue of Mary Stuart and 
 the Duke of Norfolk. A new^ conspiracy was set on foot ; the plot w^as 
 discovered, and the Duke of Norfolk, accused of high treason, died on 
 the scaffold. 
 
 The year 1572 was pregnant wdth all the hidden horrors of St. Bar- 
 thGlomew\ That hideous massacre of the Huguenots in France, in the 
 reign of Charles IX., was the result of a policy equally blind and atro- 
 cious. This same year, the Protestants in the Low Countries, who had 
 been strup-gliug for their liberties against Philip II. of Spain, till their 
 valour had been heightened by despair, took the Brill, a maritime town 
 in Holland, and that province, w^ith Zealand, revolted from tlie Spanish 
 government. William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, put himself at 
 the head of the confederacy, which formed, in process of time, a pow- 
 erful republic in Europe, under the name of the " Seven United Pro- 
 vinces." In 1575 the confederates implored the assistance of Elizabeth, 
 
 Did not l)oth Puritans and Papists exercise her vigilance? — To wliat Protestants 
 did Elizabeth afford assistance ? — What religious persecutions occurred in the Low 
 Countries ? — What took place in France ? 
 
ELIZABETH. 97 
 
 even offering to acknowledge her for their sovereign. Slie rejected the 
 sovereignty, which could not be supported without the most dangerous 
 wars ; but she first negotiated with the court of Spain in their favour 
 and afterwards, in 1578, concluded a treaty with them. 
 
 While these religious wars involved in flames one of the finest coun- 
 tries in Europe, Elizabeth still secured the tranquillity of her own king- 
 dom ; where the same principles of discord might have been expected 
 to produce the same effects. Firm, but discreet, she supported the 
 Church of England, without alienating by persecution those who did 
 not conform to it. 
 
 The Irish, who were zealous Catholics, but at that time an unculti- 
 vated people, superstitious, and disposed to revolt, wanted only an occa- 
 sion to rise ; and Philip, of Spain, in the name of the pope, sent a body 
 of troops to Ireland. The enterprise had no success. The foreign 
 troops were cut to pieces. Francis Drake did the Spaniards consider- 
 able mischief in the New World. His captures enriched him, and his 
 courage defied all danger. Having fitted out at his own expense a 
 small fleet of four ships, he left Plymouth in 1577, penetrated into the 
 South Sea, through the Straits of Magellan, carried off immense riches, 
 opened a passage to the East Indies, and returned to England by the 
 Cape of Good Hope. He was the first Englishman who sailed round 
 the world. Philip of Spain complained in high terms, but the queen 
 found means to appease him. 
 
 In 1581, the queen assembled the parliament, as her finances were 
 exhausted ; and as the Papists, by their zeal and activity, had occasioned 
 many disturbances, the parliament made the laws against them more 
 severe. Many of the sons of the English Catholics were sent for in- 
 struction to the seminary of Douay. The Jesuits were the teachers, and 
 it was alleged that they inspired their pupils with a violent hatred to 
 the queen, and even authorized a revolt from an excommunicated prin- 
 cess ; and that as the pope had ordered the execution of his bull, it was 
 their duty. Hence the severest pains and penalties were decreed by the 
 parliament. But the violence of religious zeal is almost always at- 
 tended wdth dangerous disorders. 
 
 A proposal of marriage was negotiated between Elizabeth and the 
 Duke of Alen9on, who, when his brother, Henry III., came to the 
 crown, succeeded to the title of Duke of Anjou; and the articles of the 
 treaty were agreed upon. This treaty made the English very uneasy, 
 for though the queen was in her forty-ninth year, and there could be no 
 probability of issue, yet, what could be expected from a union with a 
 Catholic, whose hands were already stained with the blood of the Hu- 
 guenots 1 And what would become of England, if a King of France 
 should unite the two crowns ] Sir Philip Sidney had the courage to 
 address an elegant and respectful letter to the queen, opposing a union 
 so obnoxious to his country. Elizabeth was struck with Sidney's let- 
 ter ; and after many days of reflection and uncertainty, she broke with 
 the duke. 
 
 What success had Phihp's troops in Ireland ? — What occasioned more severe 
 laws against the papists? — Did Elizabeth accede to the Duke of Alencon's propo- 
 sal ? 
 
 
 
98 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 All the prudence of the queen could not secure her from conspira- 
 cies. The partisans of Mary of Scotland were impitient to ^-et her at 
 liberty, and many plots were discovered. The Jesuits, and other priests 
 of the Romish Church, were banished the kingdom ; and the English 
 students in foreign seminaries were required to return, within a certain 
 time, and make the usual submissions. From that time toleration of 
 popery was no more. The laws were executed with rigour. In the 
 space of ten years, fifty priests suffered death ; the House of Commons 
 were anxious for an entire uniformity in religious matters, thinking it 
 an object of the greatest importance to the kingdom. This shovv^s how 
 far they were at that time from those principles which have since ac- 
 quired to them so much dignity and power. 
 
 An ecclesiastical court, called the high court of commission, estab- 
 lished an arbitrary tribunal, which may be reckoned among the worst 
 abuses of despotism. The whole kingdom was subject to its decrees. 
 The commissioners had the power of examining into errors, heresies, 
 incest, adultery, and all other irregularities. Thus it was that Eliza- 
 beth exercised her supremacy, at the expense of the rights of humanity. 
 Though the commons had carried their deference even to a weakness, 
 the queen did not fail to reproach them for their presumptuous impru- 
 dence. Singular as it was for a woman to be the head of the church, 
 the nation yielded to the yoke ; yet so little influence had the best es- 
 tablished authority over the prejudices of sects, that about five hundred 
 Puritan ecclesiastics secretly subscribed a book of discipline conform- 
 able to their principles ; — and the force of the laws was unable to pre- 
 vent Presbyterianism taking root in the bosom of the church of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 About this time a horrid conspiracy against the life of Elizabeth w^as 
 discovered. William Parry, a gentleman of the Romish religion, per- 
 suaded himself that the interests of the church Vv'ould sanctify the at- 
 tempt ; but his accomplice and relation, from motives of interest, im- 
 peached him. Parry confessed the whole, and was executed. 
 
 Admiral Drake was sent into America, where he took from the Span- 
 iards St. Domingo, Carthagena, and other places. A number of Eng- 
 lish adventurers embarked for the New World. The celebrated Sir 
 Philip Sidney, a man of the finest genius, and the most heroic virtue, 
 perished in the Low Countries, fighting for the cause of the States ; the 
 queen having entered into a treaty offensive and defensive with them, 
 had sent them six thousand men, and maintained them during the war. 
 
 SECTION 10. 
 
 The Catholics still persevered in their animosity against Elizabeth. A 
 priest from the English seminary at Rheims, went into England with a 
 resolution to kill Elizabeth. He drew into his principles one Babington, 
 a young nobleman, who was susceptible of that false zeal which believes 
 
 What were the conspiracies in behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots ? — What were 
 the abuses of the High Court of Commission ? — Was not a conspiracy formed 
 against Elizabeth ?-— What celebrated man fell in the Low Countries I 
 
( 100 ) 
 
ELIZABETH. 101 
 
 every thing justifiable in defence of religion. Several other Catholics 
 of distinction were drawn into the conspiracy. They agreed to assas- 
 vsinate the queen of England, place Mary, queen of Scots, upon the 
 throne, and restore popery. Mary, to Vv^hom the scheme was communi- 
 cated, approved the design. 
 
 Happily for Elizabeth, her prime minister, Walsingham, was a man 
 of the first genius, and by his vigilance she escaped the danger. The 
 conspirators were taken up ; fourteen were executed, of whom seven 
 acknowledged their crime. The council deliberated on the measures 
 to be taken with regard to Mary, and the major part were for bringing 
 her to trial. There are few scenes more tragical than that which 
 attended the death of this princess. Forty commissioners appouited 
 for the trial went to Fotheringay castle, where Mary was imprisoned. 
 The great business was to prove that she had concurred in the plot of 
 assassinating Elizabeth ; and the testimony of both her secretaries, and 
 the copies of intercepted letters, were decisive proofs. Having finished 
 the trial, the commissioners returned to London, and pronounced sen- 
 tence of death against her. Elizabeth aftected to be greatly interested 
 in the fate of her relative, and that she might appear to be guided only 
 by the sufirages of the nation, she called a parliament, who solicited 
 Mary's execution ; urging many specious arguments for its necessity. 
 But they could not justify an action barbarous in itself, and the necessity 
 for which was by no means obvious. 
 
 The minds of the people being at length inflamed to her wish, Eliza- 
 beth signed the warrant for the execution (1587). Mary received the 
 news with tranquillity. Her heroic firmness during her execution never 
 once failed her. She died at the age of forty-four, aft;er an imprison- 
 ment of eighteen years in England : a princess of uncommon beauty, 
 and distinguished by great qualities ; but her connexion with Bothwell, 
 and the effects of a blind passion, were the occasion of a conduct which 
 nothing can justify. Yet culpable as was Mary, and as was Elizabeth, 
 their times, their situations, and other circumstances, will offer many 
 an excuse for each. 
 
 In the following year, 1588, Philip II. of Spain meditated a most for- 
 midable invasion of England. All the ports of Naples, Sicily, Spain, 
 and Portugal contributed to the immense preparations for the expedi- 
 tion, and the " Invincible Armada," as the Spaniards called it, threaten- 
 ed the annihilation of the English. The magnanimity of Elizabeth 
 showed itself m this juncture. Her fleet at this time consisted of no 
 more than twenty-eight sail. The maritime towns, the nobility, and 
 gentry testified the greatest zeal on this occasion ; even the Catholics 
 themselves discovered patriotic sentiments. London fitted out thirty 
 ships. The land forces were superior in number to those of Spain, and 
 they were ready to sacrifice their lives to liberty and the laws. The 
 queen appeared on horseback before the camp at Tilbury, harangued 
 her army, expressed her entire confidence in it, assured them that she 
 
 Was not another conspiracy formed against the queen ? — Relate the trial of M^ry, 
 Queen of Scots. — With what firmness did she meet her fate ?— How (Hd the queen 
 prepare for tlie Spanish Armada ? — What did she say to the arttiy ? 
 9* 
 
102 HISTORY OF EISGLAND. 
 
 would march at their head, and not only bshold, but reward, their bra- 
 very. — *• My arixi," said she, " is but the arm of a woman, but I have 
 the heart of a king-, and what is more, of a king of England," and added, 
 that she would sooner die in the lield of battle than survive the ruin of 
 her people. The enthusiasm caught every breast, and the whole army 
 partook of the ardour of the heroine. 
 
 The "Invincible Armada," lirst detained by the death of the admiral, 
 and secondly by a tempest, put to sea a third time, with a hundred and 
 thirty ships, and twenty thousand soldiers on board, besides eight thou- 
 sand seamen, and advanced full sail towards Plymouth, occupying a 
 space of seven miles in length. The Duke of Parma engaged to meet 
 them with a large army from the Netherlands. But human hopes are 
 often the sport of fortune : an armament, till then unparalleled on the 
 ocean, and calculated at once to excite terror and amazement, was soon 
 overwhelmed. Admiral Effingham, ably seconded by Drake, Hawkins, 
 and Frobisher, played his cannon against the enemy's heavy vessels 
 Avith success. Two of the Spanish galleons were first disabled and taken. 
 To increase their confusion, Hov/ard filled eight of his smaller ships 
 with combustible materials, and sent them as fire-ships amongst the ene- 
 my. The Spaniards fled in great disorder, while the English took or 
 destroyed twelve of their vessels. A violent storm completed the ruin 
 of the invincible fleet : as it was returning through the Orkneys, seven- 
 teen ships, with five thousand men on board, were cast away on the 
 Western Isles and the coast of Ireland. Not half the number of ves- 
 sels returned to Spain. Philip is reported to have said, " I sent my 
 fleet to combat the English, not the elements," and he thanked God that 
 the calamity was not greater. 
 
 Nothing is more seductive than victory. The English now thought 
 of nothing less than of taking Portugal from Philip. Of those who 
 made the most signal figure in the depredations upon the enemy, was 
 the young Earl of Essex, a nobleman of bravery and genius, who risked 
 every thing for glory. One of the queen's favourite ministers, Leices- 
 ter, died in 1588, and the Earl of Essex became his successor. He be- 
 came also the professed rival of the sage Burleigh and the celebrated 
 Raleigh. His interest in the queen's aflTections promoted his interest 
 in the State, and he conducted all things at his discretion. In a debate 
 before the queen between him and Burleigh, he carried matters so high, 
 as to turn his back upon the queen with an air of disrespect : Elizabeth 
 in her anger gave him a box on the ear. Instead of recollecting him- 
 self, and making that submission due to her sex and station, he clapped 
 his hand to his sword, and swore he \yould not endure such an affront, 
 even from her father. His friend the chancellor advised him to make 
 due apology to the queen, and to consider his duty and his fortune ; 
 which he refused. But the queen's affection for him was so strong, 
 that^he forgot or overlooked the offence. 
 
 Describe the conflict, and the happy result to England. — Relate the occurrence 
 between the queen and Essex. — Its result. 
 
ELIZABETH. 103 
 
 SECTION 11. 
 
 The troubles of Ireland opened a new scene for the ambition of Essex, 
 and he rashly ran upon a fatal career. That king-dom, though it had been 
 under the government of England nearly four hundred years, was still in 
 an uncivilized state. The attachment of the Irish to the church of 
 Rome heightened their aversion to their Protestant oppressors. So out- 
 rageous was their fury, that in one revolt they put to death all the in- 
 habitants of the town of Athamy, because they began to be civilized, 
 by adopting the English manners. To subdue these disorders was an 
 employment that Essex thought worthy of his ambition ; though the 
 queen, for the execution of this design, had cast her eyes on Lord 
 Mountjoy. Essex was appointed; and an army of twenty thousand 
 men was raised, not doubtmg that the first campaign would be decisive. 
 
 The first acts of Essex, as governor of Ireland, were opposed to the 
 wislies of the queen, both in the choice of a master of the horse, and in 
 the march of the army ; and after an ineffectual struggle, in which his 
 forces were greatly weakened, he concluded a suspension of arms. The 
 queen did not fail to signify to him her dissatisfaction, and commanded 
 him to continue in Ireland till farther orders. But he precipitately left 
 Ireland, arrived in London, and presented himself before the queen. 
 Elizabeth gave him a kind reception, but he was ordered to be account- 
 able for his conduct to the privy council, and w^as kept sequestered from 
 all society. This humbled his pride. He fell sick, and his life was 
 thought to be in danger. The queen showed herself greatly interested 
 in his recovery, and that proof of her tenderness was apparently his 
 most effectual remedy. 
 
 In the meantime Mountjoy, appointed to the command of Ireland, con- 
 ducted himself with great dexterity and success. Essex was tried be- 
 fore the privy council, and the chancellor's sentence is remarkable. " If 
 the Earl of Essex," said he, " had been tried in the star chamber, I 
 should have condemned him to perpetual imprisonment in the Tower, 
 and should have laid a heavier fine upon him than ever was known in 
 that court ; but as we are in the train of favour, I declare that he be de- 
 prived of his offices and functions, remanded to his house, and continue 
 there a prisoner during the queen's pleasure." 
 
 Essex lost all hopes of being restored to the queen's favour, and flew 
 to revenge. To increase the number of his partisans, he paid his court 
 to the Catholics, and even flattered himself that he might gain over the 
 Puritans. His house was a kind of pulpit, where the fervours of fanaticism 
 constantly discharged themselves, and the imprudent Essex did not spare 
 the queen in his discourses. He represented her as an old woman, 
 whose temper w^as as crooked as her person. Elizabeth was informed of 
 it ; and being extremely sensitive on the subject of her beauty, though 
 now almost seventy, she felt this injury as a woman and as a queen. 
 
 What new troubles now agitated Ireland ? — How did the Earl of Essex there 
 conduct himself? — What sentence did the chancellor pronounce against Essex ? — 
 VVhat steps did Essex take in revenge ? — What sarcasm did he ulter ? 
 
104 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Every step the earl took in the intoxication of his passion, bronght him 
 nearer to the precipice. He attached himself to the king of Scotland ; 
 he formed a plan for a revolt ; and he resolved w^ith his partisans to at- 
 tack the palace, to oblige the queen to call a parliament, and change 
 the administration of government. 
 
 He flattered himself that the inhabitants of London would take up 
 arms at the first signal ; but the court being informed of the plot, had 
 taken proper measures to suppress it. Essex appeared in town, accom- 
 panied by two hundred men. His seditious exhortations were without 
 effect. He was pursued, and notwithstanding his bravery, submitted at 
 discretion, a. d. 1601. His trial was soon finished : his crime was noto- 
 rious. Far from making his defence, he gave himself up to sentiments 
 of religion. He not only acknowledged himself guilty, but impeached 
 his friends ; a circumstance of the most infamous baseness. 
 
 The queen, in great agitation, balanced between justice and cle 
 mency. She felt the revival of an ill-extinguished passion, and if the 
 earl would have solicited her pardon, love would certainly have granted 
 it. He was executed in the Tower, to prevent popular commotions ; 
 for the people, by whom he was too much beloved, were irritated by his 
 death. This illustrious crimuial was not more than thirty-four years of 
 age, descended from a royal lineage on the female side, and endowed 
 with superior talents and heroic qualities. 
 
 Although Philip II. of Spain died in 1598, that court, still animated 
 by the same councils, sent troops to Ireland. Religion served as the 
 pretext to the enterprises of ambition and of rebellion. The commander 
 took the title of " General in the Holy War for the Preservation of the 
 Faith," and his measures were authorized by the bulls of Rome. — 
 Mountjoy foresaw this storm. He attacked the Spaniards and the Irish 
 rebels ; drove away the former, subdued the latter, and by a conduct 
 equally prudent and vigorous, completed in a few years the reduction 
 of Ireland. 
 
 The last two years of Elizabeth furnish no memorable event. In the 
 midst of her prosperity and her glory, she fell into a profound melan- 
 choly : some consider it as an effect of her passion for Essex. After 
 the expedition of Cadiz, it is said she gave him a ring, promising him 
 that in whatever circumstances he might be, the sight of that pledge 
 would induce her to favour him. Essex, when under sentence of deatii, 
 intrusted the Countess of Nottingham to carry the ring to Elizabeth ; 
 but the Earl of Nottingham, his enemy, prevented it. The queen 
 waited for the ring with the utmost impatience, and not receiving it, 
 she signed the death-warrant. At last the countess, in a violent illness, 
 stung with remorse, confessed the whole to her. Outrageous and in- 
 consolable, Elizabeth at first abandoned herself to her wrath; afler- 
 wards to all the bitterness of remorse. 
 
 A miserable languor soon reduced her to the last extremity. The 
 council sent to consult her with regard to her successor ; she named 
 
 Where did Essex suflfer? — What were his quahties? — What success had 
 Mountjoy in Ireland ? — What is said to have affected the queen's health ? — What 
 incident is relatecJ ? 
 
JAMES I. 105 
 
 the King of Scotland, her nearest relation, and died at the age of sixty- 
 nine, after a reign of forty-four years, a. d. 1603. 
 
 This princess, too much exalted by flattery, too much blackened by 
 censure, will always, notwithstanding her faults, hold a place among the 
 greatest monarchs. The firmness, the prudence, and the glory of her 
 government ; her policy, her vigilance, her heroism, her unavaricioua 
 economy, and her address in difficulties, give a triumph to her reputa- 
 tion. 
 
 In this reign flourished Spenser, Shakspeare, Francis Bacon (Lord 
 Verulam), &c. 
 
 CHAPTER VL— THE HOUSE OF STUART, 
 
 SECTION 1. 
 JAMES I. A.D. 1603, 
 
 James VL of Scotland, and the First of England, was the son of 
 Mary, Queen of Scots. The English nation appeared to be greatly in- 
 terested in his favour. He began his reign by lavishing titles and fe,- 
 vours, of which the Scots had the greatest part ; on which account the 
 English were offended. James, however, employed Englishmen in the 
 administration, and among others, Cecil, secretary of state, who was 
 created Earl of Salisbury. 
 
 A conspiracy, which has never been sufficiently cleared up, was ex- 
 cited in the beginning of this reign. Lord Grey, Lord Cobham, and 
 Sir Walter Raleigh, were condemned to die ; the two former were par- 
 doned after they had laid their heads on the block. Raleigh was respited, 
 but remained in confinement for many years, and at last suffered for 
 his offence. 
 
 Secure from this danger, James turned his attention to theological 
 disputes. The severities of Elizabeth had restrained the partisans of 
 tlie Church of Rome ; but the fanaticism of the Puritans was a matter 
 more difficult to subdue. Nevertheless, he was willing that the divines 
 of the Church of England should hold a conference with them at Hamp- 
 ton Court. The objects of the controversy were mostly the ceremonies 
 and not the doctrines. Some small change in the liturgy was the only 
 fruit of this conference. Each party retained its prejudices, with all 
 the animosity they inspired. 
 
 From this time the parliament began to assume a more liberal spirit. 
 The love of liberty had increased with the taste that now prevailed for 
 letters. From the spirit of independence the parliament opposed the 
 union of the kingdoms of Scotland and England ; a union which true 
 policy must have considered as the greatest advantage. They also re- 
 
 Mention her age, how long she reigned, and her character. — VV' ho was her 
 sncc<'ssor? — What conspiracy occurred in the beginning of this reign?— -What 
 ?ontiovcrsy was lield with the Puritans ? 
 
 ^^: 
 
106 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 fused the king a supply which he wanted. This conduct of parliament 
 showed the new principles that were taking root in the nation. James 
 did not foresee the consequences. He relied on the rights of the crown, 
 without imagining that his subjects could have any rights to set against 
 them. 
 
 His weakness and timidity, rather than any political mctives, made 
 him conclude a peace with Spain. But a great conspiracy disturbed 
 that tranquillity so favourable to his indolence. The Catholics, per- 
 suaded at first that the son of Mary would certainly favour their reli- 
 gion and mitigate their laws, enraged at finding themselves treated 
 with the same rigour, indulged in the principles of a blind zeal. Cates- 
 by and Piercy, men of distinguished birth, united in a project of estab- 
 lishing their religion on the ruins of every thing that was great in the 
 kingdom. The king, the royal family, and the parliament were to be 
 involved in one common ruin. For the execution of this incredible en- 
 terprise, there were twenty conspirators mutually sworn to fidelity. 
 Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were concealed under the hall w^here 
 the parliament assembled. The secret did not transpire. Thevday of 
 execution was at hand. Happily, Lord ^lounteagle, a Catholiisi was 
 advised by an anonymous letter not to appear in the parliament h^use. 
 The parliament, it was said, would receive a dreadful blow, -without 
 Imowing fi^om what quarter it came. 
 
 Mounteagle consulted Lord Salisbury, secretary of state, and though 
 at first they gave but little credit to the letter, they communicated it 
 to the Iring. James judged differently. The vaults were searched, 
 the powder was discovered, and one of the conspirators. Guide Faux, - 
 was taken. The fear of torture at length compelled him to declare his " 
 accomplices. They having fled to Warwickshire, stood upon their de- 
 fence, though so few in number. Their powder failing, great part of 
 them were killed. Some of them being conveyed to prison, c(5nfessed 
 their crime and were executed ; others experienced the king's mercy. 
 Two Jesuits, Garnet and Oldcome, it is said, were privy to the plot, and 
 had abused the confession to confirm the will of the culprits. Garnet 
 was executed with the rest. 
 
 This deed excited the rage of the English against the Papists. But 
 James moderated their resentment : he declared in parliament that the 
 whole body should not be accused for the acts of a few, and that, while 
 he punished the guilty, he would protect the innocent. At length he 
 even mitigated his own laws against that people. Difference of reli- 
 gion did not exclude those from his favour whom he thought worthy 
 of it. 
 
 In 1610, the parliament re-assembled, and made new efforts against 
 his prerogative. A considerable supply, which he obtained in 1606, 
 was in a short time dissipated. An indiscreet profusion rendered him 
 every day poorer, and made those supplies necessary which the parlia- 
 ment would not grant He seemed impressed with the conviction that 
 
 What were the views of James and the parliament ? — Relate the gimpowder 
 plot. — And the means of its discovery. — Its effect on the people. — The king's 
 clemency. — Was not James profuse of the public money ? 
 
JAMES I. 107 
 
 the royal authority had no bounds, but he found, with indignation, that 
 bounds were prescribed to it. These agit-itions seemed to announce the 
 approach of those violent storms which, in the reign of his successor, 
 overwhelmed the throne. 
 
 About 1612, the king turned his attention to Ireland. Though that 
 country had been subject to England four hundred and forty years, yet 
 they had contii^ed ignorant, and were a prey to the tyranny of their 
 conquerors. James determined to secure to them their property, de- 
 fended the p6ople from the oppression of the nobility, introduced agri- 
 culture, and abolished barbarous customs, so that in the course of a few 
 years he was enabled to govern them by justice and the laws ; and this 
 Vvas the most glorious monument of James's reign. 
 
 About this time, Robert Carr, a youth of good family in Scothmrl, 
 attracted the king's attention and became a favourite. The king 
 knighted him ; he was next created Viscount Rochester, honoured with 
 tlie order of the Garter, made a privy councillor, and at last created 
 Earl of Somerset. Some time after, being accused and convicted of 
 being accessary to an infamous murder, he sunk to the level from which 
 folly had raised him. The king, however, pardoned him, though his 
 accomplices were punished. James was not so improvident as to part 
 with one favourite before he had obtained another. George Villiers, a 
 young man remarkable for his beauty and effeminacy, attracted the 
 monarch's regards, and weakened the influence of the former favourite. 
 The fortune of Villiers grew with amazing rapidity ; he was created 
 Duke of Buckingham, Lord High Admiral of England, &c., so that in 
 a few years he was loaded with favours sufficient to reward the merit 
 of many illustrious men. Without economy, and lavish to his favour- 
 ites, his resources were ill proportioned to his wants. After selling 
 baronets' titles to the amount of two hundred thousand pounds sterling, 
 he restored to the Dutch three important places which Elizabeth had 
 required as pledges for the sums advanced to them. He was contented 
 to receive about one-third of those sums, which amounted to nearly 
 seven hundred thousand pounds sterling. 
 
 SECTION 2. 
 
 About the year 1617, James turned his views to Scotland. He was 
 extremely desirous of establishing there the mode of worship and doctrines 
 of the church of England. In that country fanaticism had raged witli 
 all its horrors, and the Scots had expressed an extreme aversion to these 
 and such like ceremonies. In England, also, from an erroneous Catholic 
 persuasion, that holidays were intended not only for the honour of God, 
 but as a relaxation from labour, he ordered that, after divine service, all 
 manner of harmless amusements might be exercised, which gave great 
 offence to many conscientious minds. 
 
 The famous Sir Walter Raleigh, during his imprisonment of thirteen 
 years, had written several learned works, and the favourable disposition 
 
 By what means did James benefit Ireland ? — Mention who were James's fa- 
 vourites. — What was the history of Carr ? — Of Buckingham ? — Did not James 
 interfere in the religion of Scotland ? 
 
108 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 of the public, who thought such a valuable citizen ought to be restored 
 to the State, increased his desire and his hope of liberty ; and he ex 
 pected to obtain it by publishing that in the reign of Elizabeth, he had 
 discovered in Guiana a gold mine of immense value. James, though 
 not much struck with so improbable a report, gave him the command 
 of twelve ships ; and Sir Walter, in 1616, arrived on the coast of Gui- 
 ana, and attacked the town of St. Thomas, belonging to the Spaniards, 
 notwithstanding the peace concluded between Spain and England. The 
 place was taken, but no treasure found. This called down the reproaches 
 of those whom he had undertaken to command, and they compelled him 
 to return with them to England to answer for his conduct. He and his 
 companions were examined before the privy council. In the course of 
 his trial he is said to have shown great coolness and ability, and to have 
 displayed not less of intrepidity at the time of his execution. On feel- 
 ing the edge of the axe, he observed, that it was a sharp and sure rem- 
 edy for all evils. Raleigh was one of those men whose genius was 
 suited to great enterprises and emergencies. He was one of the ear- 
 liest and most efficient friends of colonization in North America, sent 
 out several expeditions and spent a large fortune in attempting the set- 
 tlement of North Carolina. If the introduction into England of tobacco 
 as an article of commerce and impost, and of the potato as an article of 
 culture and food, were his only benefactions to his country, she would 
 owe him an eternal debt of gratitude. His character stands higher 
 now tlian in his own time. 
 
 The king's eldest daughter had been married to Frederic, the Elector 
 Palatine of Germany ; and if any event could have roused him from his 
 inactivity, it should have been the disaster of his son-in-law. Bohemia, 
 havmg revolted from the house of Austria, offered the crown to Frede- 
 ric, who readily received it. The emperor, Ferdinand II., after having 
 conquered Prague, took from him his hereditary possessions. The Eng- 
 lish expressed a great desire of revenge, and were bent on war, but 
 James flattered himself he should be able to re-establish his son-in-law 
 in the palatinate by negotiation : but Ferdinand had given it to the Duke 
 of Bavaria, and James's negotiations produced nothing. The marriage 
 of his son Charles with the Infanta of Spain, seeming to him a sure 
 means of restoring the elector, he solicited that alliance ; and Digby, 
 Earl of Bristol, ambassador at the Spanish court, conducted the nego- 
 tiation. But Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, the king's favourite, by an 
 unparalleled piece of folly, frustrated the whole. 
 
 This rash favourite engaged Charles in a romantic adventure to Spain. 
 Charles was to be the knight errant, and Buckingham his squire, and 
 they prevailed with the king to consent, and his weakness gave way to 
 what his judgment disapproved. They set off post, with two or three 
 attendants, and soon arrived at Madrid. The prince was received with 
 great magnificence, and the treaty was concluded on conditions advan- 
 tageous to the Catholics. But Pope Urban VIII. delayed its confirma- 
 
 Relate the result of Sir Walter Raleigh's expedition. — His death and character. 
 •—What disaster happened to James's son-in-law ? — Relate Prince Charles's adven- 
 ture to Spain. -^ When did Jaines die ? — What was his character? 
 
CHARLES r. 109 
 
 tion. Charles, impatient at the delay, set off with Buckingham to Lon- 
 don. The prince Charles row turned his eyes towards France ; and 
 Henrietta, daunhter of Henry IV., w^as assig^ned to him with a portion 
 of eirrlit hundred thousand crowns, a. d. 1624. 
 
 James died tlie year following-, afflicted to see that peace which he 
 nad maintained during his whole reign, and to the preservation of which 
 he had sacrificed the able and accomplished Raleigh, broken at last. 
 James was liberal, but at the same time extravagant: his profusion 
 made him indigent. The Englisli took advantage of it, and made 
 themselves his masters. Elizabeth's economy was, as we observed 
 before, the greatest security of her prerogative. 
 
 His doctrines of absolute authority were the ruling principles of the 
 house of Tudor. It is said that at an entertainment, where the bishops 
 Neill and Andrews were present, he openly asked them if he had not a 
 right to the people's money, without the concurrence of parliament. 
 Neill said he had ; James pressed Andrews for his answer. *' Well,'* 
 said Andrews, " your majesty, w^ithout transgressing any law, may take 
 my brother Neill's money, because he offers it." 
 
 The immortal Shnkspeare flourished in this as w^ell as in part of the 
 former reign. Bacon opened a wide field for the cultivation of sound 
 philosophy. The fine arts, and the amusements of society, drew the 
 nobility to the metropolis. Commerce and the marine w^ere in a flou- 
 rishing state. English colonies were established in America, very ad- 
 vantageously. In short, the peaceful reign of James would have con- 
 tributed to the happiness of England, if his courage had been equal to 
 his humanity, and his discretion equal to his zeal for the prerogative. 
 
 Under the princes of the house of Tudor, the great council of the 
 nation w^ere slaves to the court. They abandoned the constitution, as 
 founded on Magna Charta, to the absolute power of the sovereign. JBut 
 it was now passing from one extreme to the other. The bold spirit of 
 the commons grew up imperceptibly ; nothing escaped their attention 
 and vigilance ; they examined the rights of the crow^n in the minutest 
 articles. 
 
 SECTION 3. 
 CHARLES I. A.D. 1625. 
 
 A prince at the age of twenty-five, brave, sober, and virtuous, was 
 likely, it may be thought, to make England respectable am.ong the 
 nations, and preserve submission at home. But unfortunately Charles, 
 like his father, was under the influence of the Duke of Buckingham, 
 and the public hatred of the minister could not fail to devolve on the 
 monarch. Besides, the new^ king inheriting the principles of James I., 
 equally obstinate and open to prejudice, the seeds of discord scattered 
 through the kingdom would naturally produce, in such a reign, the most 
 unhappy effects. 
 
 Relate his question to the bishops, and their answers. — What great characters 
 flourished in this reign ? — What changes were taking place in the national coun- 
 cils ? — In politics ? -^ Under wht^e intfluence did Charles I. commence his reign ? 
 10 
 
110 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Charles, in coming to the throne, had been loaded with a treaty for 
 defending- the Prince Palatine, his brother-in-law, in the last reign, com- 
 menced at the request of the people ; and great supplies were needful, 
 in order to cope with the power of the house of Austria. The supplies 
 granted by parliament did not exceed one hundred and twelve thousand 
 pounds, a sum far from sufficient for the purposes of such a conflict. 
 The principal members of the house, persuaded that the power of the 
 crown had been increased at the expense of the liberties of the people, 
 were inclined to confine it within narrower limits, and the necessities 
 of the prince were favourable to their designs, and of these they availed 
 themselves. The rights of the commons to grant or refuse the neces- 
 sary supplies, they regarded as an infallible means of gaining the most 
 important concessions. These politics disconcerted the hopes of the 
 king ; he dissolved a parliament from which he had nothing to -expect. 
 He fitted out a fleet, by the aid of a tax called a benevolence, and for 
 which privy seals were issued, and sent it to the coast of Spain, an 
 expedition which proved wholly ineffectual. 
 
 Obliged once more to have recourse to parliament, a. d. 1626, he 
 found them possessed of the same views, and a restless spirit of liberty. 
 The king ordered them to dispatch the requisite supplies, and they 
 were told, if they refused the money necessary for the crown, the ex- 
 ample of other princes should be followed, who had known how to 
 abolish national assemblies : a rash menace, calculated rather to inflame 
 than to intimidate the patriots. The imprisonment of two members 
 occasioned a new subject of complaint. The commons declared that no 
 business should go forward till their privileges w^ere restored, by which 
 declaration they soon obtained the enlargement of the two prisoners. 
 These measures, followed by violent efforts against the Papists, and 
 against the levying of tonnage and poundage, greatly heightened the 
 displeasure of Charles. 
 
 Afler dissolving the parliament, he had recourse to more dangerous 
 expedients ; — compositions with the Catholics for dispensing with the 
 penal laws — free gifls — forced loans; — violent and illegal measures, 
 which, though not w^ithout precedent, w^ere incompatible with the con- 
 stitution of the kingdom. Many subjects were imprisoned for refusing 
 the loans ; some appealed to the laws, and demanded their enlargement. 
 
 The Duke of Soubise, one of the chiefs of the Huguenots of France, 
 solicited assistance at London. The minister supported his applica- 
 tions ; and Charles, notwithstanding his domestic troubles, was led into 
 that dangerous war, and fitted out a fleet to make a descent upon France 
 with seven thousand land troops. Though Buckingham knew nothing 
 of the art of war, he took the command of the fleet, made a descent on 
 the isle of Rhe, and failed in his enterprise by the grossest mismanage- 
 ment. 
 
 Charles again summoned a parliament in 1628, his only resource under 
 his present necessities. The religious zeal of the commons was favour- 
 
 What made large suppHes necessary for the crown ? — Tn what did the commons 
 disconcert the hopes of" the king ? — What threats fi-om the king inflamed the com- 
 mons ? — To what dangerous expedients had the king recourse ^ 
 
CHARLES I. Ill 
 
 able to a war in defence of the Huguenots ; but tlie remembrance of 
 Cliarles's threat, to take extraordinary steps if they refused to conform to 
 his wishes, still spurred them on to attack the prerogative. The cry of 
 liberty was echoed in the house of commons, as it had anciently been in 
 the Roman senate, and many bold speeches were delivered. " We must 
 preserve and defend our ancient, our legitimate, our vital liberties," said 
 Wentworth ; " we must confirm the laws established by our ancestors ; 
 we must put a seal to them such as no licentious spirit shall dare to 
 break." From such language, it was easy to judge of the violence 
 that would ensue. It was determined at all events to abolish forced 
 loans, free gifts, taxes without the consent of parliament, the martial 
 law, and above all, arbitrary imprisonment. These were abhorred, as 
 abuses of the great charter ; and abuses could never pass into laws. 
 
 With this view, the commons made an act, under the title of The 
 Bill of Rights, to restrain the prerogative to its ancient limits. 
 Charles, seconded by the house of lords, attempted to parry this 
 blow, by advancing specious reasons. "What barrier," they asked, 
 " would there be against rebellion, when the parliament were not 
 sitting, if the king had not the power of imprisoning a subject V^ 
 The commons, however, were insensible to this inconvenience. The 
 bill passed in the upper house ; and Charles, after fruitless evasions, 
 was constrained to put the seal to it, with the usual form, Let this bill 
 be a law, as is desired. The king averted new encroachments by pro- 
 roguing the parliament. 
 
 If the sentiments of the major part of the clergy had prevailed, the 
 prerogative would have been extended rather than abridged. Doctor 
 Manwaring printed a sermon, in which he insisted that in cases of 
 urgent necessity all property devolved to the crown ; that the prince 
 might levy taxes without the consent of parliament ; that the divine 
 law enjoined submission to all demands, however extraordinary, that he 
 might make on his subjects. The two houses, provoked by this doc- 
 trine, had punished the preacher with great severity, but the session 
 being ended, he received from the king, together with his pardon, a 
 considerable living, and some years after, the bishopric of St. Asaph. 
 This imprudent conduct served still farther to inflame and irritate the 
 people. 
 
 Two subsidies were granted by parliament to carry on the prepara- 
 tions against France. An English fleet attempted in vain to relieve 
 Rochelle. Buckingham was fitting out another, more considerable, 
 when he was assassinated at Portsmouth, by an officer named Felton, 
 whose enthusiasm delivered his country from a minister who deserved 
 the public hatred, as much as he was unworthy of the favour of the 
 two monarchs whom he had exposed to so many misfortunes. After the 
 death of Buckingham, the English presented themselves before Rochelle, 
 but they could not force the mole which Richelieu had caused to be 
 erected in the sea. a. d. 1629. 
 
 What abuses were the commons determined to abolish ? — For what purpose was 
 the bill of rights passed ? — flow was the doctrine of divine ri^ht and passive oI>p- 
 dience received ? — Relate the murder of the Duke of Buckingham. 
 
112 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 
 
 Tliis event irritated the malcontents. The parliament being assem- 
 bled at the time appointed, the commons pursued their plan with vigour. 
 But their principal eilbrt was to deprive the king of one of his greatest 
 resources. The right of tonnage and poundage on the importation and 
 exportation of merchandize, though originally the mere gift of the peo- 
 ple, had been so strongly confirmed to the crown since the reign of 
 Henry IV., that the kings had always claimed it, from the moment of 
 their accession. This right, which had been granted for life to former 
 kings, was allowed to Charles only one year. Finding the commons 
 resolved to strip him of it, he sent a message to them, importing that 
 he had never pretended to look upon it as a branch of the prerogative ; 
 that necessity alone had compelled him to make use of it till that time ; 
 and that he desired the house to favour him with this gratuity of the 
 people by a bill. This request was the more reasonable, as tonnage 
 and poundage made a considerable part of his limited revenue. But 
 the house was inflexible. The officers who levied this duty were 
 deemed enemies to tlie nation, and the merchants who paid it volun- 
 tarily, were considered as traitors to their country. A few days after, 
 Cliarles dissolved the parliament, and by indiscreet severities inflamed 
 the minds of the factious. 
 
 That he might be no longer harassed with parliamentary turbulence, 
 he made peace with France, abandoned the Huguenots to the clemency 
 of Louis XIIL, and soon after concluded a treaty with the Spaniards, 
 from whom he obtained nothing more than a promise of their using 
 their good offices to restore the Elector Palatine. The victories of Gus- 
 tavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, the most formidable enemy of the 
 Austrian power, served also to raise the hopes of Frederic. 
 
 SECTION 4. 
 
 Charles, being now at peace with the neighbouring nations, eased of 
 a burthen too heavy for him, instructed by experience, naturally mode- 
 rate, virtuous from principle, no longer a slave to the pernicious coun- 
 cils of Buckingham, and blest with a wise and faithful minister in 
 Wcntworth, Earl of Strafford, whom he had detached from the repub- 
 lican party by conferring honours upon him ; it might have been expected 
 that his affairs would wear a more favourable aspect, but in reality it 
 gave occasion to new troubles. 
 
 The king unfortunately honoured Laud with his confidence, a prelate 
 whose disinterested principles and strict morals were no doubt praise- 
 worthy ; but whose superstitious prejudices, obstinate zeal, enterprising 
 spirit, and inflexible firmness in opposition to the national spirit, were 
 likely to be productive of the greatest evils. He advanced Laud to the 
 see of Canterbury, and thus empowered him to exercise a kind of reli- 
 gious despotism. He multiplied church ceremonies, several of which 
 were similar to those of the church of Rome ; and the Puritans beheld 
 
 Did the commons grant to the king tonnage and poundage ? — Wiih whom did 
 ^Charles now make peace ? — What favourahle circumstances now attended Charles ? 
 — Enumerate the great qualities of Archbishop Laud. 
 
CHARLES I. 113 
 
 with horror what they called abominable superstitions, and so many 
 .scandalous attributes of Antichrist. 
 
 ])istressed for money notwithstanding the strictest economy, the king 
 began to make a free use of his authority. To the right of tonnage 
 and poundage, to palliated monopolies, to compositions with noncon- 
 formists, he added the tax of ship-money, for the maintenance of the 
 marine. These taxes, though ostensibly for the public good, occasioned 
 great discontent. Decrees of the court of high commission, and the 
 star-chamber, still formidable tribunals directed by the crown, height- 
 ened the national grievances ; and the people saw with regret that no 
 parliament was to be summoned. Prynne, a Puritan lawyer, was sen- 
 tenced to the pillory, to lose both his ears, and to be imprisoned for 
 life, for having written against the hierarchy and the innovations of 
 Laud. The bishop of Lincoln was cruelly punished for giving offence 
 to Laud. But the trial of John Hampden interested the wiiole nation. 
 A firm friend of liberty, Hampden refused to pay ten shillings for ship- 
 money. The cause was tried, and the pleadings lasted twelve days. 
 His counsel ably advocated his cause, but the judges sentenced Hamp- 
 den to pay the tax ; and the people, considering in its true light the 
 principle thus supported, looked upon themselves as a prey to the 
 scourge of despotism. 
 
 After the example of his father, this prince was desirous of establish- 
 ing in Scotland the discipline and worship of the church of England. 
 He loved church ceremonies, and wished to have them received as es- 
 sentials of divine w^orship. He sent canons to the Scots, for the regu- 
 lation* of their w^orship and ecclesiastical jurisdiction ; but that people 
 was not disposed to receive them. The nobility, from a jealousy of 
 power, and the Presbyterian clergy, from principles of equality, were 
 enemies to episcopacy ; and their universal hatred of the church of 
 Rome made them abhor what had the least resemblance to it. On a 
 day appointed, the dean of Edinburgh, in a surplice, began the service 
 with Charles's liturgy ; and the people cried out, " A pope ! — Antichrist ! 
 — stone him," &c. He was pursued out of the church ; the contagion 
 spread, and the magistrates suffered a thousand insults. At length, the 
 four councils of the nation assembled at Eduiburgh in 1638, and formed 
 the famous covenant, by which they engaged upon oath to defend the 
 profession of the faith against popery, to reject all innovations, and 
 mutually to defend each other in support of religion and the royal 
 authority. 
 
 Charles had neither power to quell these measures, nor prudence to 
 give up the design that occasioned them. He only offered to suspend 
 the liturgy for a time, till it could be received in a legal way, provided 
 they would retract the covenant they had entered into. Their answer 
 was, they would sooner abjure their baptism. They afterwards declared 
 all acts with regard to ecclesiastical matters, made since the advance- 
 ment of James to the crown of England, null and void. A measure so 
 
 What persons were tried and punished, or fined ? — How did the Scots receive 
 Charles's church canons ? — What determination did the Scots form ? 
 10* 
 
114 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 bold could not be supported but by arms. They prepared openly for 
 war, and seized all places of strength, a. d. 1639. 
 
 Charles, though he loved both peace and Scotland, his native country, 
 could not avoid raising troops ; but when at the head of the army, he 
 too hastily came to terms with the enemy. The measures of the Scot- 
 tish parliament compelled him again to have recourse to arms, and the 
 rebels made themselves masters of Newcastle. 
 
 A new parliament was now called, to support the royal authority ; 
 and if the spirit of party could have kept within bounds, the commons 
 might have prevented the most dreadful evils by a prudent compliance. 
 The king in vain urged them to grant those supplies that were evi- 
 dently necessary. In vain he gave them his royal word that they should 
 afterwards be at liberty to continue their deliberations and to make their 
 remonstrances. In vain he offered to give up ship-money, which had 
 nevertheless been entirely applied to the maintenance of the navy. 
 Their favourite system of independence overbore every other considera- 
 tion. If Charles and his predecessor extended the bounds of the pre- 
 rogative, the popular doctrines were not less obstinately supported, 
 and the king abolished the fourth parliament, as he had done the three 
 preceding ones. The clergy, however, granted him a supply, and the 
 courtiers lent him considerable sums ; but these resources were quite 
 inadequate to his necessities, and the triumph of the opposition was at 
 hand. 
 
 Charles now called his fifth parliament, and it proved a crisis that fore- 
 boded a complete revolution. It was this parliament that conspired the 
 ruui of Strafford. He was impeached of high treason, together wdth 
 Laud. Both were suspected of a design to establish arbitrary power, 
 on the ruin of the laws and the constitution. The imprudent zeal of 
 the queen had exposed her to all the rage of sectaries, who beheld with 
 indignation a pope's nuncio, with a number of priests and Jesuits, calmly 
 basking in the sunshine of the court. The city of London presented a 
 petition to parliament, signed by one thousand five hundred of their 
 body, to abolish the power of episcopacy. 
 
 The commons, by continual perseverance, acquired an authority which 
 they abused. Charles neither knew how to observe a just medium, nor 
 to avoid extremes, no less dangerous in politics than in morals. Too 
 great a determination to defend his prerogative had plunged him into this 
 abyss ; and too great indulgence to the enemies of the crown, completed 
 his misfortunes. Charles signed a bill that the parliament should be 
 summoned triennially ; and that when assembled it should be neither 
 adjourned, prorogued, nor dissolved within the space of a fortnight, with- 
 out the consent of the two houses. 
 
 SECTION 5. 
 
 These extraordinary concessions did not prevent the commons from 
 prosecuting the earl of Strafford. That great man defended himself 
 
 Would not the British parliament yield to Charles's proposals ? — What occurred 
 in Charles's fifth parliament? — In what did Charles's misfortunes mainly consist 
 — Relate the prosecution of the Earl of Straflord. 
 
CHARLKS I. 115 
 
 with such strength of evidence, as confounded his accusers. But where 
 the passions sit in judo^ment, devoted innocence will always be found 
 guilty. High treason had been clearly defined by the laws, and none 
 of the f'icts alleged amounted to it. The house of commons, however, 
 passed the bill of attainder against him, and it remained to be signed 
 by the king and the lords. The king's palace was soon beset by a mul- 
 titude of people, who demanded justice against Strafford. The queen 
 and the court were for giving way to their violence. Juxton, bishop of 
 Ix)ndon, alone had the courage to say, that if the bill was unjust it ought 
 not to pass. 
 
 In this extreme perplexity, Charles received a letter from the earl, 
 wherein the minister intreated the prince to give him up. Necessity 
 at last determined the monarch. He appointed four commissioners to 
 sign the bill in his name, being incapable of doing it with his own hand. 
 Strafford, on this unexpected news, expressed his surprise, in that too 
 applicable passage of scripture, " Put not your confidence in princes, 
 nor in any child of man, for there is no help in them." However, he 
 \vent to meet his fate on the scafibld with heroic firmness. Charles, to 
 the end of his life, considered his ow^n weakness in this instance as a 
 crime. Straflbrd had been governor of Ireland, and merited in that im- 
 portant and difficult commission, the lasting gratitude of the public. 
 His care, his vigilance, and his firmness, had secured peace, augmented 
 the resources, encouraged agriculture and industry, established manu- 
 factures, rendered the marine stronger than he found it, and always 
 reconciled the interests of the king and the people, without the least 
 suspicion of peculation. 
 
 It was the fate of Charles I. to see his three kingdoms in flames at 
 the same period. Ireland had been peaceable since the establishment 
 of the law^s and subordination, under Straflbrd's government. But that 
 people being zealous Catholics, and sunk in superstitious ignorance, 
 beheld with horror a number of Puritans scattered over their country. 
 Besides this, the troubles of England and Scotland revived their passion 
 for independence. Some of their chiefs projected a revolt ; and all the 
 savage ferocity of fanaticism show^ed itself in the execution of their 
 design, and Ireland became a scene of blood. The English Protestants 
 were massacred with unexampled fury by the Catholics. Women and 
 even children lent a hand to the carnage. More than forty thousand 
 persons were murdered ; and those that escaped suffered the most inex- 
 pressible hardships. 
 
 Charles represented to the commons the necessity of granting sup- 
 plies against Ireland, and he offered to give up this war to their care 
 and discretion. They seized the opportunity, raised money, possessed 
 themselves of the magazines, under pretence of the Irish expedition, 
 but in fact to bring their unfortunate prince into subjection. Charles, 
 stripped and degraded, and driven to the last extremity, animated by 
 the advice of the queen and some others, determined to strike one bold 
 stroke, afler so many proofs of complaisance and weakness. He sent 
 
 How did he meet his fate ? — How had he governed Ireland ? — Relate the mas- 
 Bacres ihat occurred in Ireland. -— What occurred in the house of commons ? 
 
116 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 his attorney-general to the house of peers, to impeach lord Kimbolton, 
 and five members of the lower house, of attempting to destroy the fun- 
 damental laws of the kingdom, &c. The serjeant-at-arms demianded 
 the five persons accused. The king's messengers sought them to no 
 purpose ; at length the king appeared personally in the house, declared 
 his pleasure, assured them he never had any intention of employing 
 force, and that his desire was to act in conformity to the laws. The 
 persons accused, apprised of his design, had time to withdraw. Not 
 seeing them, he asked the speaker whether any one of them was there. 
 " Sire," said the speaker, " in the place which I occupy, I have neither 
 eyes to see nor tongue to speak, but by the direction of this house, whose 
 servant I am ; and I humbly ask pardon of your majesty, that I cannot 
 make you any other answer." The day following Charles assembled 
 the city council, and went himself, without guards, to inspire them with 
 the greater confidence. He hoped they would afford no asylum to the 
 persons he had impeached of high treason. 
 
 The streets through which he passed were filled with seditious excla- 
 mations. Privilege of Parlimnent ! Privilege ! cried the populace. 
 Another cried, To your tents y oh Israel ! as said the Israelites when 
 they abandoned Rehoboam. The five persons accused were soon con- 
 ducted in triumph to the house of commons. Petitions were received 
 fi*om all parts, portending a general rebellion. This rage infected even 
 the women. The king, finding himself no longer safe in his palace, 
 left London. In vain he attempted to repair, by an excess of conde- 
 scension, the mischief he had done himself by an intemperate rashness, 
 by offering to pardon the persons impeached. Hardly the shadow of 
 royalty remained. The queen, whose imprudent zeal had made the 
 papists obnoxious, felt the opposition of their enemies. Her confessor 
 was in prison, and she, apprehensive of personal impeachment, was 
 resolved to flee, no longer giving the king any other than timid coun- 
 sels. 
 
 The commons now advanced another claim, determined to secure 
 their acquisition by arms. With this view, under the pretext of popish 
 plots, they voted an augmentation of power to the governors and lieu- 
 tenants ; and that they should be responsible not to the king, but to the 
 parliament. The monarch was urged to consent. At length they 
 invited him to return to the capital, probably that they might keep him 
 in a state of subjection. But Charles retired to York, among a people 
 who were favourable to him, and he resolved firmly to oppose the bill 
 respecting the military. It Avas then that the enemies of the crown 
 gave to the lord-lieutenants the command of the militia, the garrisons, 
 and forts, obliging them to obey his majesty's orders, signified by the 
 two houses ; that is, in reality, the orders of parliament, using the king's 
 name, witli an intent to dethrone him. 
 
 Manifestoes, the harbingers of civil war, were published on each 
 side. A quarrel so violent could not be decided by the pen. Charles 
 
 How did the populace express their sentiments? — What stretch of power did 
 the commons now claim ? 
 
CHAKLES I. 117 
 
 wantinf^ to make himself master of the maj^azinc of arms deposited in 
 Hull, the o'ovcrnor shut the gates against him. Preparations were 
 carried on with great vigour. The parliament received by way of loan 
 considerable sums and a quantity of plate. People used great exer- 
 tions to replenish the treasury. The women of London, in particular, 
 gave up all their jewels and valuables, happy, as they said, to serve the 
 cause of God against the wicked. But most of the peers joined the 
 royal party, and followed the king. 
 
 Charles protested that he required no other obedience to his orders 
 tlian what was conformable with the laws ; and the lords in return de- 
 clared they would receive such orders only. This prince appears 
 not to have understood his real situation. His w^ant of political pru- 
 dence occasioned his ruin. The queen, a daughter of Henry IV. of 
 France, exerted herself for him in Holland, and sent him a considerable 
 quantity of arms and provisions, purchased with the jewels of the crown. 
 
 SECTION 6. 
 
 The proposals of the parliament were rejected with spirit. " If I 
 agree to these councils," said Charles, " people may still wait upon me 
 uncovered, and give me the title of majesty, but in point of real power 
 1 shall be nothing more than the image of a king." His resolution was 
 taken. " He had been robbed," he said, " of his ships, his arms, and 
 his money, but still he had a cause leil." The first rank of the no- 
 bility, the friends of episcopacy and the church of England, and the 
 Catholics in particular, declared in his favour ; but the major part of the 
 great towns, naturally inclined to republican principles, together w4th 
 the Presbyterians, jealous of their independence, followed the contrary 
 party. The parliament, being in possession of the ports and the navy, 
 and having the riches of the nation at its disposal, seemed to have every 
 advantage on its side. 
 
 The royal army, in the meantime, though inconsiderable at first, soon 
 became formidable. Charles was naturally brave. He had with him 
 the princes Rupert and Maurice, his nephews, sons of the Elector Pala- 
 tine. In a succession of hostilities, the royalists had frequently the ad- 
 vantage. After gaining several battles, they besieged and took Bristol. 
 They laid siege to Gloucester ; the assault was vigorous, and the de- 
 fence not less so ; and it was just ready to fall into the hands of the 
 king, v.'hen Essex, the parliament's general, came to its relief Charles 
 was obliged to raise the siege, and hastened to Newbury, where a con- 
 test between him and Essex, in which the two armies gave proofs of 
 the most astonishing valour, proved unfavourable to the royal cause. 
 In this battle, the death of Lucius Carey, viscount Falkland, caused 
 much grief to the king. Falkland had been a zealous parliamentarian, 
 b[it when he found that the object of parliament was to annihilate mon- 
 archy and the constitution, he embraced the royal interest. He mourn- 
 
 Wliar, loans wore raised for the service of the parliament? — Wliat part did the 
 qiecMi rake in the business ? — What was Charles's reply to the parliament ? — Name 
 a succession of hostilities that occurred. 
 
118 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 ed over the public miseries, and on the day of battle in which he fell, 
 " I foresee," said he, "many evils threatening my country, but I hope to 
 be clear of them before nig-ht." The Marquis of Newcastle maintained 
 the royal cause, while Sir Thomas Fairfax began to distinguish himself 
 on the opposite p irty. 
 
 Though Charles had attempted to make peace with the Scots, yet the 
 parliament defeated his purposes: and they formed themselves into 
 a solemn league to attack popery, prelacy, heresy, and profane cere- 
 monies. They raised an army of twenty thousand men to support the 
 parliament: Charles, on the other hand, concluded a truce with the Irish 
 rebels ; and the Marquis of Ormond sent him several bodies of troops. 
 
 In the year 1644, Charles called a parliament at Oxford, of such 
 members as declared for his interest. The number of peers was here 
 double those that met at Westminster, but of the commons not half the 
 number. Both parties plunged into the horrors of war. The battle of 
 Marston-Moor was one of the bloodiest that was fought. Cromwell, 
 then lieutenant-general, decided the victory by his valour and conduct. 
 Cromwell had a capacity adapted to the greatest enterprizes ; the ar- 
 dour of an enthusiast, and the daring spirit of a leader, the talents of a 
 general, and the genius and address of a statesman. He was one of 
 the heads of the sect of Independents, who at that time had the control 
 of the house of commons, and by whom a bill was passed that excluded 
 members of parliament, a small number excepted, from all employment, 
 civil and military ; and the upper house, too weak to stand the torrent, 
 assented, from policy or from fear. Essex, Manchester, and many more 
 peers, resigned their commissions. Sir Thomas Fairfax was appointed 
 general, and he desired that he might have the assistance of Cromwell 
 for a time. By this means Cromwell ultimately gained the military 
 authority in his hands ; and Fairfax, an honest man without eminent 
 parts, was only the instrument of his designs. 
 
 In 1645, the commissioners of Charles and the parliament negotiated 
 for a treaty, at Uxbridge ; but after twenty days of fruitless confer- 
 ence, the commissioners parted. Archbishop Laud was at length sa- 
 crificed to the pious vengeance of his enemies. The commons caused 
 the old primate, whose principal fault was his zeal for high church prin- 
 ciples, to be executed on a scaffold for high treason. And not long after, 
 Charles received his decisive blow. 
 
 Fairfax and Cromwell new-modelled their army. A rigid discipline 
 increased the religious fervour of the soldiers. They passed in prayer, 
 in conference, and spiritual lectures, all the time they could spare to 
 amusement and repose. Their inflamed imaginations raised them above 
 the character of humanity. In the royal army, on the contrary, there 
 was nothing but licentiousness and disorder. This contrast foreboded 
 great evils ; and the battle of Naseby* was decisive in favour of the 
 
 * In Northamptonshire. " 
 
 What solemn league did the Scots enter into ? — Where did Charles now assem- 
 ble the parliament ? — What was the result of the battle of Marston-Moor ? — How 
 did Cromwell gain the military power ? — What was the fate of Archbishop Laud? 
 — Mention what discipline prevailed in each army. 
 
CHARLES I. 119 
 
 commonwealth party. Prince Rupert, whose fiery courao^e knew no 
 moderation, broke the left wing of the enemy, and while he was pur- 
 suing them with a blind impetuosity, Fairfax broke the line of battle 
 troops, commanded by the king in person. The valour and dexterity 
 of the king were of no use. lie lost all his infantry, his baggage, and 
 his coffers. 
 
 After the battle of Naseby, the king's affairs declined very fast. 
 Every thing yielded to the conquerors. Prince Rupert himself lost his 
 bravery, and in a cowardly manner gave up Bristol. In Scotland, the 
 Earl of Montrose, who had fought successfully for the royal cause, was 
 defeated. Charles supported these disasters with great firmness of mind. 
 He endeavoured in vain to bring the commons to a reasonable accommo- 
 dation. With a view of drawing succours from Ireland, he sent propo- 
 sals to the Marquis of Ormond, on condition of ten thousand men being 
 sent to England ; and the commons w^ere impressed with the conviction 
 that the king's object was to re-establish the Catholic religion. 
 
 As Fairfax was preparing to besiege the king in Oxford, the fear of 
 being carried in triumph by the enemy induced him to seek an asylum 
 in the Scottish army. At the sight of the king their surprise was ex- 
 treme. They affected to do him homage, but it was to make him a 
 slave. The parliament wanted him to be delivered into their hands, and 
 four hundred thousand pounds, one-half to be paid down immediately, 
 was the purchase. Charles was playing at chess, when he was inform- 
 ed by letter that his person was sold by the Scots : and he continued 
 the game, without showing the least emotion. When delivered up to 
 the parliament, he was conveyed to Holmby Castle, in Northampton- 
 shire, and he needed all his firmness to support the many indignities he 
 met with. 
 
 The tyranny of the parliament was at length destroyed by another 
 species of t)rranny. The artful Cromwell established a military parlia- 
 ment, much more formidable than that of Westminster ; and in order to 
 get possession of the king's person, one Joyce was sent with five hun- 
 dred horse to Holmby, and entering the king's apartment, told him 
 that he must follow immediately. Charles demanded by whose orders. 
 Joyce, by way of answer, showed him one of his dragoons, well equip- 
 ped. " Your orders," said the king, smiling, " are written in a fair 
 character, and easy to be read." The commissioners of the parliament 
 thus beheld their prey snatched from their hands ; and the army, with 
 this pledge in their possession, found it easy to give law to the two 
 houses. This was Cromwell's object. Every thing was done by his 
 address. Fairfax was the instrument of his political intrigues ; having 
 too little sagacity to discover, or too much honesty to suspect, all th 
 frauds of hypocrisy. 
 
 What resuhed fi-om the battle of Naseby ? — To what army did the king resort 
 for refuge ? — Who obtained possession of the king's person ? — How ? 
 
120 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 SECTION 7. 
 
 The parliament however, still exercised its power ; a power that bo- 
 came more arbitrary than any that had been exercised by the kin^. 
 The excise, a tax on liquors and provisions, with several other imposts, 
 alienated the minds of the people. At length, while the nation groaned 
 beneath these oppressions, Cromwell marched to London at the head of 
 the army, and compelled the parliament to revoke its decrees, and to 
 change its haughtiness into complaisance. But the army now became 
 despotic in its turn. The more there was conceded to it, the more it 
 exacted. Thus from the government of a single master, they gave up 
 England to a multitude of despots. 
 
 When Charles was no longer in the hands of the parliament, his 
 prison became more supportable ; he was permitted to see his family 
 and his friends* Cromwell himself treated him like a king, and that 
 prince hoped to gain him by titles and promises. Possibly he might 
 have succeeded in time, if some critical events had not excited the 
 usurper to break through all barriers. The king heard however of the 
 project of parliament, for annihilating monarchy, and of their designs 
 of assassination ; and he fled from Hampton Court, and took refuge in 
 the Isle of Wight, of which Hammond, a man devoted to Cromwell, 
 was governor. 
 
 A resolution was taken to get rid of the king by some decisive blow, 
 that sliould have the appearance of justice. Charles offered to give up 
 to the parliament the military power, and the nomination to great offices, 
 provided that after his death those rights should revert to the crown. 
 This offer was rejected w^ith arrogance. Four preliminary articles were 
 sent to him to subscribe, and those the most humiliating and unjust. 
 He demanded to treat in person with the two hruses, before he made 
 concessions. This made the republicans outragjous, and the king got 
 nothing but contempt and injurious treatment. Charles, calm in his 
 prison, opposed this torrent of misfortunes wdth heroic firmness. 
 
 In the meantime a considerable party suddenly rose in his defence. 
 The Scots thought themselves bound by the Covenant to defend the 
 regal as well as the Presbyterian power. Their parliament armed forty 
 thousand men, and in many parts of England the partisans of Charles 
 levied troops; and a second civil war was kindling in the kingdom. 
 This induced the parliament to send fifteen commissioners to treat with 
 the king. The commissioners found Charles in a situation that might 
 have affected their sensibility; almost without attendants, his beard 
 long, his hair neglected and grown gray with anxiety. But his mind 
 had lost nothing of its penetration or its power. He discussed the most 
 difficult points with a superiority of reason that astonished them ; while 
 necessity compelled him to accept of odious conditions. He refused his 
 assent to only tvv^o articles ; one for the punishment of those who had 
 been his adherents, the other for the abolition of episcopacy. The ne- 
 
 By what power did Cromwell control the parliament? — How was the king 
 treated at first by Cromwell ? — How were Charles's proposals received ? 
 
( 122 ) 
 
 
 ^ 
 
CTIAnLES I. 123 
 
 gotiators stuck at an article apparently the least difficult, that of allow- 
 ing the queen, who was a Catholic, the exercise of her religion. '* The 
 t\vo houses, detesting the abominable idolatry of the mass, cannot admit 
 an exemption for the queen and her fimily from the penal laws on that 
 head." Thus a blind perverseness shut up the way to a reconciliation. 
 
 Cromwell soon dispersed the royalists, and penetrated into Scotland, 
 where nothing could resist him. After overcoming every obstacle, his 
 first care was to convey the king to a closer prison. The parliament, 
 at first, had the courage to resist the kind's opposers, and to declare 
 that his concessions might serve as a basis for a national treaty ; but 
 Colonel Pride, who had formerly been a carman, beset the House of 
 Commons, and arrested forty-one Presbyterian members. The other 
 suspected members were excluded, and the Independents alone remained. 
 This shadow of a parliament executed the bold project of bringing 
 the king to a trial. Commissioners were appointed to draw up the 
 articles of impeachment, and the House of Commons declared him guilty 
 of high treason. The peers, with a proper indignation, rejected the 
 bill. But Cromwell, in giving his opinion, declared, " When I would 
 have spoken of re-establishmg his majesty, I found my tongue cleave 
 unto the roof of my mouth, and I consider this circumstance as an an- 
 swer from Heaven, which rejected that hardened prince." 
 
 Charles, being conducted to London, appeared before his judges, 
 among whom were Brereton, Cromwell, Harrison, Goffe and Whalley. 
 The Attorney-general said, in the name of the Commons, that " Charles 
 Stuart, being desirous of establishing a tyrannical government, had 
 traitorously and wickedly made war on the parliament, &c., and that 
 he was impeached as a traitor, a tyrant," <fec. Charles, with a dignity 
 and courage which ill-fortune had not abated, replied that he did not 
 acknowledge the authority of that court, &c., but that if he were 
 called upon in another manner, he would demonstrate to the world 
 the justice of that war in which he was engaged in his own defence. 
 
 This answer had no effect, and the new court continued the process. 
 Charles having been brought up three times, and as often denying its 
 jurisdiction, the judges pronounced sentence of death. France, Hol- 
 land, and Scotland in vain attempted to stop these proceedings, and 
 four illustrious friends of the king, Richmond, Hertford, Southampton, 
 and Lindsey, interposed their influence, but without avail. 
 
 During the three days that were allowed the king before his execu- 
 tion, he calmly employed himself on those eternal truths, which elevate 
 the soul above the evils of mortality. The scaffold was erected before 
 the palace of Whitehall. Charles mounted it without weakness. He 
 harangued the people, protested his innocence of the charges preferred 
 against him, and that he was punished for not having opposed an unjust 
 sentence, (meaning, undoubtedly, tliat of Strafford,) he generously for- 
 gave his enemies, and exhorted them and the nation to obedience to his 
 lawful successor. His head was then severed from his body at one blow. 
 
 What at last closed the door to a reconciliation? — In what words did Cromwell 
 deliver his opinion ? — What were the charges against the king on his trial ? — Who 
 interposed to prevent the death of the king? — Wliat was Charles's deportment at 
 I he scafTuld ? 
 
124 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Few kings have possessed so many virtues or so few vices. In times 
 of happier tranquillity he would have reigned with glory, and with the 
 confidence of his subjects ; but he wanted that political sagacity which 
 can adapt itself to critical circumstances and events ; and he was led 
 too easily by counsels inferior to his own. He was executed in the 
 forty-ninth year of his age, and the twenty-fourth of his reign. He was 
 of middle stature, robust, and well proportioned. His complexion was 
 pale, his visage long, but pleasing, and his aspect melancholy ; and it is 
 probable that the continued troubles in which he was involved had con- 
 tributed to those impressions on his countenance. 
 
 REMARKABLE EVENTS IN THIS REIGN. 
 
 1625. A great plague in London, swept away above 35,000 persons. 
 
 1630. A bright star appeared May 29tli, and shone all the day. 
 
 1635. Thomas Parr, being 152 years of age, was presented to the king. 
 
 1636. Another plague in London. 
 
 1643. Excise on ale, beer, &c., first imposed by parliament. 
 
 SECTION 8. 
 THE COMMONWEALTH. A. D. 1649. 
 
 The parliament now governed England, and the strength the nation 
 exhibited at this period is astonishing. Cromwell led an army to Ire- 
 land, and rapidly overcame and conquered the whole kingdom ; but be- 
 fore his departure he provided for the tranquillity of England. The 
 excise and other extraordinary taxes were exacted with rigour. The 
 government was administered with great vigour and decision. 
 
 Cromwell, on his arrival in Ireland, obliged the Marquis of Ormond 
 to raise the siege of Dublin ; carried the town of Tredah, which was 
 defended by a numerous garrison, by assault, and ordered a general mas- 
 sacre of the soldiers. This politic cruelty diftused an universal terror. 
 The towns threw open their gates. Upwards of forty thousand men 
 voluntarily fled their country, to enter into the service of foreigners. 
 
 Cromwell, after his return to England, having taken his seat, received 
 the thanks of the house for the services he had done the Commonwealth in 
 Ireland, and as Charles II. had entered Scotland, they proceeded to delib- 
 erate upon choosmg a general for conducting war against the Scots, who 
 had espoused the royal cause. Fairfax declining to take the command, 
 upon principle, against the Presbyterians, it devolved upon Cromwell, 
 who entered Scotland at the head of sixteen thousand men. a. d. 1660. 
 Lesley commanded the Scotch army, and Charles attended the camp ; 
 but the clergy taking umbrage at his vivacity and levity, obliged him 
 to return. Cromwell began to be in want of provisions, and the Scotch 
 general, by avoiding battle, reduced him to great extremity. The eccle- 
 siastics had the ascendency over the troops, and by saying that the Lord 
 had heard their prayers, and that they were sur6 of victory, Lesley was 
 
 Describe Charles's character and his fjualilies. — What were the remarkable 
 events in this reign ? — What appearance of vigour did the nation exhibit? — How 
 came Cromwell to have the command against Scotland ? — What was Cromwell's 
 success in Ireland ? 
 
THE COMMONWEALTH. 125 
 
 constrained to leave the high ground and to hazard a battle. Crom 
 well, with half the number of men, put the Scots to flight at the first 
 charge, took nine thousand prisoners, made himself master of Edinburgh 
 and Leith, not losing more than forty men in all. 
 
 The young prince, in this terrible exigence, took the resolution of 
 passing into England, where no care had been taken to prevent his pro- 
 gress. Had the royalists expected him, it would have been a favourable 
 moment for a revolution. The militia soon assembled, by Cromwell's 
 orders, and joined the regulars. At the head of forty thousand men he 
 attacked Worcester, where the king had shut himself up with his par- 
 tisans. Cromwell overturned every thing before him, and made himself 
 master of the place. The streets were strewed with slaughter, and the 
 Scotch army almost annihilated. 
 
 Charles took to flight, separated from his companions, and arrived 
 with the Earl of Derby at a remote farm, called the White Ladies, 
 tw^enty-five miles from Worcester ; from thence he went to Boscobel, in 
 Staffordshire. Here he concealed himself, for a whole day, in an oak, 
 from whence he saw several soldiers pass in search of him. To give 
 him an asylum was at the hazard of life ; to betray him, was the certain 
 way to fortune; nevertheless he wandered one-and-forty days in dis- 
 guise, in the midst of infinite perils ; and though no fewer than forty 
 persons, masters and mistresses of families, and even servants, were in 
 the secret, not one of them proved unfaithful to the trust. The prince 
 at last met with a vessel at Brighthelmstone, in which he embarked for 
 France. 
 
 From this time the republic of England appeared to be more firmly 
 established. Admiral Blake pursued prince Rupert, who commanded 
 Charles's fleet, to the mouth of the Tagus. The King of Portugal 
 having prevented his entering that river, he took several Portuguese 
 ships, and the court of Lisbon was obliged to submit. The American 
 colonies, also, at first faithful to the royal party, submitted to superior 
 force. In Ireland, Ireton, who succeeded Cromwell, died, and General 
 Ludlow completed the reduction of that kingdom. In Scotland a total 
 subjection took place, under General Monk. These domestic successes 
 made the parliament desirous of humbling their neighbours, and of dis- 
 tinguishing themselves abroad. 
 
 The Dutch had given them provocation. Dorislaus, their agent, had 
 been stabbed at the Hague, by some royalists in the suite of Montrose, 
 and another of the parliamentary deputies had been insulted with impu- 
 nity. London wa^ desirous of a rupture, and to chagrin the Dutch, the 
 famous navigation bill was passed, by w^hich all foreigners were prohi- 
 bited from bringing to England any merchandize that w^as not the pro- 
 duce of their country, or fabricated among them. This measure, fol- 
 lowed by some violences, made the States apprehensive of an open war. 
 They attempted to prevent it by negotiation, but at the same time took 
 the precaution to fit out a fleet of a hundred and fifl:y sail. The famous 
 
 Describe the battle of Worcester ? — Where did Prince Charles fly for refuge ? — 
 What conquests were made at this time abroad? — What caused an open rupture 
 wth the Dnlch ? 
 
 II* # 
 
126 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Van Tromp was charged with the defence of the Dutch navy against 
 the Enghsh privateers. He met Blake near Dover. 
 
 The two fleets engaged, and it was impossible to say which was the 
 aggressor. Holland in vain sought to justify herself The English par- 
 liament would hear no apology, and seized the opportunity of declaring 
 war. To their celebrated Van Tromp was opposed the courage and 
 activity of Blake, who, though he had not embarked in the naval com- 
 mand till late in life, yet surpassed all that went before him in courage 
 and dexterity. Many were the engagements between these celebrated 
 admirals, but the English, in the end, had greatly the advantage. 
 
 The parliament congratulated themselves on their success at sea, and 
 more particularly as it would tend to diminish the power of General 
 Cromwell by land. Cromwell perceived their motive ; he knew they 
 dreaded his growing power, and secure in the attachment of the army, 
 he was determined to dissolve the parliament. He marched at the head 
 of three hundred soldiers, entered the lobby, heard the debates for a few 
 minutes, then hastily rising up he loaded the house with reproaches ; 
 accusing them of tyranny, ambition, and rapine. The soldiers appeared 
 on the first signal. Then with inimitable efl^rontery, " Fie, fie," cried 
 he, " begone, you are no longer a parliament ; the Lord hath cast you 
 off;" and laying hold on some of their cloaks, he charged them seve- 
 rally with their vices. Then addressing himself to the house, " It is 
 you who have compelled me to this. I intreated the Lord night and 
 day that he would rather slay me than put this commission upon me." 
 After which, the soldiers having turned out the members, he ordered 
 the doors to be shut, and put the keys in his pocket. No circumstance 
 better marks the character of Cromwell, who though a man of the pro- 
 foundest subtlety, had, nevertheless, the most fiery intrepidity. 
 
 SECTION 9. 
 
 Not doubting but heaven had invested him with the sole administra- 
 tion of government, yet willing to satisfy the people with the appear- 
 ance of a republic, he summoned one hundred and twenty-eight Eng- 
 lishmen, six Irish, and five Scots to appear in London, and entrusted 
 them for fifteen months with the legislative authority, which authority 
 they were afterwards to transfer to one hundred and thirty-nine others, 
 chosen by themselves. This assembly, composed of the dregs of the 
 people, declared universities and other seats of learning to be vain and 
 heathenish institutions. 
 
 This parliament soon fell into contempt. It got the name of Bare- 
 boners Parliament, from one of its members, who was called Praise God 
 Barebone. Some of the members, sensible of the ridicule thrown out 
 against them, assembled earlier than usual, and observing to each other 
 that they had met long enough, hastened to Cromwell, with Rouse, 
 their Speaker, at their head, and into his hands resigned the authority 
 with which they had been invested. 
 
 What occurred between the admirals Van Tromp and Blake? — How did Crom- 
 well address the house I — What followed ? — How did Cromwell appoint a new 
 parliament ? — By what name were they distinguished ? 
 
THE COMMONWEALTH. 127 
 
 The rest, consisting of a small number, designing to protest 
 against this act, a troop of soldiers came up and decided the question. 
 " What are you doing here ]" said Colonel White. " We are seeking 
 the I-ord," said they. " Then," replied the colonel, " you rnay go and 
 seek him elsewhere, for I assure you he has not been seen here for this 
 long time." They all withdrew. 
 
 The military council conferred on Cromwell the title of Protector, 
 with an authority little different from that of a king. Justice was to be 
 administered in his name ; the military power, the power of m.aking 
 poace, war, and alliances, was invested in his hands. He was to have 
 ;i standing army of thirty thousand men. His dignity was for life, and 
 tlie council empowered him to nominate a successor. 
 
 The war against Holland was revived. The two nations tore each 
 other in pieces at sea, for the frivolous honour of a flag. The English 
 admirals. Monk and Dean, engaged on the coast of Flanders a fleet of 
 a hundred sail, commanded by the gallant Van Tromp. Dean fell in 
 the action. In a second engagement, soon after, the Dutch admiral was 
 slain. The commerce of the Dutch sufl^ered prodigiously. At length, 
 A. 1). 1654, the Protector signed a treaty of peace, and a defensive 
 league. Holland gave up the honour of the flag, and lost nothing con- 
 siderable, except paying forty-five thousand pounds as an indemnifica- 
 tion for former expenses, and restoring to the English East India Com- 
 pany a pa,rt of those dominions of which the Dutch had dispossessed 
 them in the former reign. 
 
 Cromwell was not less successful in his negotiations with the court 
 of France. Cardinal Mazarin concluded a treaty with him, by which 
 France abandoned Charles, and England joined her against Spain. 
 The court of Spain was not less assiduous to gain his friendship, but 
 without success. Cromwell lent France six thousand men, to attack 
 the Spanish dominions in the Netherlands, and for that service Dunkirk 
 was put into the hands of the English. Blake, also, whose fame had 
 spread over Europe, entered the Mediterranean with a fleet of thirty 
 sail, and conquered all that dared to oppose him. Casting anchor before 
 Leghorn, he obtained satisfiction for some injuries the English com- 
 merce had sufiered from the Duke of Tuscany. At Algiers, he re- 
 strained the Dey's piratical subjects from further injuring the English. 
 At Tunis, making the same demand, a, d. 1655, the Dey of that place 
 told him to look at the two castles, Porto Farino and Goletta, and do his 
 worst. Blake accepted the challenge, entered the port, burnt the ship- 
 ping, and then sailed out triumphantly to pursue his voyage. At Cadiz 
 he took two galleons, valued at nearly two millions of dollars. 
 In the bay of Santa Cruz, at the Canaries, he burnt a Spanish fleet of 
 sixteen ships, notwithstanding the fire from a castle and seven redoubts, 
 w hich seemed sufficient to blow up his whole fleet. Returning to Eng- 
 land to enjoy the fame of his noble actions, as he came Within sight of 
 his native country he expired. This gallant man, though a republican 
 in principles, had alw^ays the confidence of Cromwell. " We should 
 
 What title did the council confer on Cromwell ? — On what conditions was peace 
 made with the Dutch? — What took place m France, Leghorn, Tunis, &c. ? 
 
128 HISTORY OF ENGLAIND. 
 
 fight for our country," said he, " into whatever hands the government 
 may have fallen." 
 
 During this period another expedition was going forward under the 
 command of Admiral Penn and General Venables, with about four thou- 
 sand land troops, to attack the island of Hispaniola. Failing in this, 
 they steered for Jamaica, which surrendered to them without a blow. 
 These conquests contributed greatly to enhance the Protector's reputa- 
 tion abroad. 
 
 Cromwell hoped, ultimately, to confirm his usurpation by a legal 
 establishment. With this view, a. d. 1657, he assembled a parliament, 
 composed of the representatives of three kingdoms. Ireland and Scot- 
 land nominated such members as he chose. To secure a majority of 
 votes, he excluded a hundred suspected members, and thus made him- 
 self master of the house. In the first place, it abrogated all the titles 
 of the Stuart family. Then it was moved that the Protector should 
 have the title of king ; and after some warm debates, the majority w^ere 
 for the bill. A committee, dispatched to Cromwell, offered him the 
 title, and though his ambition aspired to the crown, and a single word 
 would have made him king, yet he refused it. The fear of a revolt of 
 the army, to which the name of king was odious, and the prospect of 
 slumbering conspiracies, prevailed over ambition itself 
 
 Though he declined the crown, he resolved upon a new inauguration, 
 which was accordingly performed in Westminster Hall, June 20, 1657, 
 with all the splendour of a coronation. The names of Commonwealth 
 and Protector were retained. He was allowed to name his successor, 
 and they assigned him a perpetual revenue. A million a-year for the 
 army and navy ; and three hundred thousand pounds for the civil list. 
 To this they added the power of instituting a new house of parliament, 
 which should exercise in part the functions of the ancient House of 
 Peers. 
 
 Not only his son-in-law, and his own sons, but his daughters also were 
 opposed to his usurpation : but above all, Mrs. Claypole, his favourite 
 daughter, upon her death-bed upbraided him with those crimes that had 
 led him to trample on the throne. 
 
 The terrors that follow a tyrant never forsook him ; — always in arms 
 and armour, surrounded wdth a numerous guard, never sleeping three 
 successive nights in the same apartment. These cruel agitations 
 brought on him a slow fever, which soon appeared dangerous. He died 
 on tlie 3d of September, the anniversary of the victories at Dunbar 
 and Worcester, the day he had considered as the most fortunate of his 
 life. He was then fifty-nine years old, and had usurped the government 
 nine years. His death was rendered remarkable, by one of the most 
 violent tempests which had blown in the memory of man. 
 
 This extraordinary man, though of a good family, was born to no for- 
 tune. His education was narrow, and he was unknown to the world 
 till the age of forty-four, when he was chosen member of parliament 
 
 What West India island was now possessed by the English ? — What prevented 
 Cromwell's assuming the regal title ? — Under what title was Cromwell inaugiirat 
 ed t — What alarms agitated him, and hastened his death? 
 
THE COMMO?fAVEALTII. 129 
 
 for the town of Cambridge. His valour and military talents, joined to 
 an inflexible hatred of the royal cause, were the origin of his reputa- 
 tion and his fortune. He was by no means eloquent, but lie had an inti- 
 mate knowledge of men, and his genius supplied him with the means 
 of making them either the instruments or the victims of his passions ; 
 and (as an author has observed) he wanted nothing but honesty to make 
 him one of the greatest men in the world. 
 
 SECTION 10. 
 
 Richard Cromwell was at once acknowledged by the council, the 
 army, the navy, and the whole country, as Protector of the Common- 
 wealth. He was a plain, indolent, good-natured young man, brought up 
 in the country, at a distance from business and intrigue. He was formed 
 neitlier by inclination, habit, nor talents, to supply the place of the 
 usurper. His first care was to summon the parliament, to obtain sup- 
 plies ; but its discussions soon became formidable. 
 
 The army was still more to be dreaded : they, in a tumultuous man- 
 ner, required the Protector to dissolve the parliament. To this he had 
 the weakness to consent ; and having thereby deprived himself of his 
 proper support, in a few days after he resigned the protectorate. His 
 Drother, Henry, Governor of Ireland, a man of better parts, but not of 
 greater ambition, resigned at the same time. Such was the fate of Crom- 
 well's family. That edifice of grandeur, erected with so much ambi- 
 tion, disappeared almost instantaneously. Richard retired to live first 
 on the continent, and afterwards on his paternal fortune at Cheshunt, in 
 Hertfordshire, where he died in 1712. 
 
 The military council, finding itself in power, yet not venturing to 
 exercise it without some form of civil administration, thought of recall- 
 ing the long parliament which had dethroned Charles I., and w^hich, out 
 of contempt, was called the Rump. But the army and the parliament 
 did not agree, and the officers made use of their power, and the Rump 
 was dissolved by Lambert, with the same ease that it had been by 
 Cromwell. 
 
 General Monk, who had been appointed by Cromwell Governor of 
 Scotland, had gained the love both of the soldiers and the people ; and 
 he declared in favour of the parliament against those who had dismissed 
 it : but whether he meant only to oppose the views of the ambitious 
 Lambert, or secretly meditated the restoration of the king, remained 
 unknown ; and his prudence kept his designs impenetrable. As soon 
 as it was known that the governor of Scotland took the part of the par- 
 liament, many of the English followed the example. Whole regiments 
 revolted. 
 
 Monk traversed England at the head of the army. Peoi)le joined 
 him from all quarters; they implored him to restore the government. 
 At first he appeared to be zealous for the Rump. At length, on their 
 
 Mention his educ-ation, talenlB, and characfer.— What was Richard CromweH's 
 pcneral character?— How came he to resign the protectorate ?— How did the mih- 
 lary succeed in their design ? — Describe the caution with which Monk proceeded. 
 
130 HISTORY OF EiN'GLATS'D. 
 
 discovering- his real designs, he reproached them with tyranny. Tho 
 members that had been excluded from parliament were invited t<j re- 
 sume tlieir place. The Rump retired in confusion. 
 
 This happy event was the result of Monk's Vv'isdom and policy. Un- 
 moved by all the offers of tlie faction?, he pursued his plan with cqiial 
 firmness and prudence ; and chanofed the face of the nation without 
 shedding a drop of blood. Ilis designs, with regard to the king, still 
 remained a secret. Charles was at Brussels, and fearing tliat the 
 Spaniards w^ould retain him till they compelled him to give up Dunkirk 
 and Jamaica, Monk advised him, by message, to leave their territories. 
 Charles, in consequence, quitted the Netherlands ; and it was thought, 
 had he remained there a few hours longer, he would have been detained. 
 
 While the parliament was lamentiiig the late troubles, and express- 
 ing their abhorrence of Cromwell's usurpation, no one yet venturing to 
 mention the name of Charles, Monk acquainted the House that Gran- 
 ville was at the door with dispatches from the prince. The whole 
 house was in an ecstasy of joy. Granville was introduced. ' He pre- 
 sented a letter and a declaration from Charles. The prince offered a 
 general indemnity to all criminals but such as should be excepted by 
 the parliament, an entire liberty of conscience, &:c. : every one was 
 satisfied, and Charles 11. was solemnly proclaimed. 
 
 The two houses, (for the peers had resumed their rights without 
 opposition,) assisted at this pompous ceremony. Monk w^ent to Dover 
 to receive the prince, whom he had the glory to replace on his throne. 
 
 No revolution w^as ever more rapid, more advantageous, or less vio- 
 lent ; so many evils occasioned by civil commotions, had taught the 
 English that a legal government was the only support of the liberties 
 and happiness of the subject. 
 
 In these times lived Harvey^ who discovered the circulation of the 
 blood ; and Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. 
 
 SECTION 11. 
 CHARLES XL A.D. 1660. 
 
 Every thing seemed to promise a reign equally glorious and fortunate 
 for the king and the people. Charles w^as about thirty years of age, 
 tutored by misfortunes, acquainted with men and courts, a man of 
 genius, acute, sensible, polite, and unaffected. His council w'as at first 
 chosen indifferently from among the Presbyterians and the loyalists. 
 Monk was created Duke of Albemarle ; and Sir Edward Hyde, Earl of 
 Clarendon. The latter was appointed chancellor and prime minister ; 
 and in virtue and knowdedge he had few^ equals. 
 
 One of the first cares of government w'as to regulate the exceptions 
 of the general amnesty ; and Charles insisted on clemency in a manner 
 that was generally applauded. The regicide judges, and the furious 
 republicans, were the only persons absolutely excepted. Some others 
 
 What precautions did he give to Charles ?— What was the result of the despatches 
 from Charles?— With what exultation was Charles restored to his throne ?— What 
 were Charles's qualities? — What titles did he create? 
 
CIIAKLK;^ II. 131 
 
 were deprived of all benefit of this act, in case of their accepting public 
 employments; and some rendered incapable of holding- them. It v\ould 
 have been difficult to show greater moderation, where there had been 
 so many criminated. 
 
 The revenue of the crown was fixed at twelve hundred thousand 
 pounds, and this was superior to that of former kings. But the royal 
 expenses were particularly enhanced, after the courts of Europe, follow- 
 ing the example of Louis XIV., had adopted the system of keeping 
 large standing armies. The maintenance of the navy, with some other 
 articles, which had formerly stood in no more than eighty thousand 
 pounds per annum, now required eight hundred thousand pounds. 
 
 The trial and execution of the regicides was matter of universal joy ; 
 and nothing now remained, but to disband that numerous army, whose 
 enthusiasm had been productive of disorders that might be repeated. 
 Charles was struck with their martial deportment and discipline. He 
 would have been glad to retain them, but Clarendon showed him the 
 inconvenience of it. Only five thousand men and a few garrisons were 
 retained. 
 
 As episcopacy was a kind of appendage of monarchy, and had not 
 been legally abolished, it was restored without violence, by the sole au- 
 thority of the king. In an affair so delicate, and so odious to the Pres- 
 oyterians, Charles from the first showed himself very moderate. The 
 episcopal jurisdiction was to be limited ; and each man was at liberty 
 to pursue his principles. An insurrection of the Millenarians afforded 
 the minister a pretext for abandoning that indulgence. Clarendon 
 hated the Presbyterians, whose factious spirit, he said, had created all 
 the troubles of the kingdom. The prelacy, so much opposed in Scotland, 
 was established there also. The covenant, reverenced as divine, was 
 dissolved. The Scotch parliament acquiesced, but the people still 
 retained the leaven of discontent, which might one day ferment into 
 the worst effects. Charles would gladly have united the Presbyterians 
 with the national church ; and for this purpose there was a conference 
 of the clergy ; but as each party came determined to give nothing up, 
 no arrangement was eflfected. 
 
 A new parliament in 1661, in which there were only fifty-six Pres- 
 byterians in the lower house, distinguished its zeal for the church and 
 the crown. The covenant, and other republican acts, w^ere condemned 
 to be burnt. At last a bill was passed for uniformity of religion ; en- 
 acting that every minister who had not received episcopal ordination, 
 should receive it; that he should declare his approbation, without reserve, 
 of the book of common prayer ; that he should take the oath of canoni- 
 cal obedience ; and that he should abjure the covenant. 
 
 This was a thunder-stroke to the Presbyterians. Confounded with 
 other nonconformists, and even with Catholics, they had the mortification 
 of finding themselves exposed to penalties, after having seen their sect 
 predominant during the commonwealth. The church of England was 
 
 How did Charles regulate his general amnesty? — At what was the revenue of 
 the crown fixed? — How was the trial of the regicides received ? — To what extent 
 was episcopacy restored ? — What did the new parliament, in 1661, enact? 
 
132 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 put on its ancient looting ; the penal laws were revived. Liberty of 
 conscience, so expressly promised by the sovereign, was annihilated. 
 The king reluctantly assented to the bill. Clarendon wns the principal 
 mover of it, and it created him many enemies. This parliament granted 
 the kins: an extraordinary supply of above a million, and ab^o an impost 
 of t>\o shillings for each hearth or fireplace. 
 
 In 16o*2, liambert and Vane, who were still in prison, were brought 
 to trial ; they were both condemned, but Vane only suiiered ; Lambert 
 was respited, and lived upwards of thirty years after in exile. 
 
 A king without economy must be exposed at times to cruel necessity. 
 Charles's fliult w^as an excessive love of pleasure, and the gratification 
 of prodigality. The expenses of the crown were immense. Urged by 
 necessity, he sold Dunkirk to France for four hundred thousand pounds. 
 Clarendon himself approved this measure. The advantages arising 
 from the possession were not adequate to the annual expense of the gar- 
 rison. This, notwithstanding, occasioned great murmurs. 
 
 SECTION 12. 
 
 The act of uniformity produced a kind of ecclesiastical revolution^ 
 It w\as called the St. Bartholomew act, being appointed to take place on 
 the 24th of August, the feast of that apostle ; though it bore no resem- 
 blance to the St. Bartholomew's day in France. In one day, and by 
 concert, about two thousand Presbyterian ministers gave up their bene- 
 fices, because they would not sign the articles of the act. The church 
 of England now in its turn persecuted its persecutors. In a. d. 1665, 
 the Presbyterians were even prohibited coming within five miles (except 
 when on journeys) of those places where they had exercised their min- 
 istry, on pain of six months' imprisonment and a penalty of five pounds. 
 But these enactions were by no means sanctioned by the king. Though 
 suspected of indifierence for all religions, he was secretly inclined to 
 popery, which he had probably embraced before his restoration. 
 
 His brother, the duke of York, with less understanding, but more 
 spirit and activity, was a zealous papist; and strongly solicited him to 
 grant a general toleration. Charles proclaimed an indulgence to scru- 
 pulous consciences, and gave his assurance that at the approaching ses- 
 sions he would endeavour to have their indulgences confirmed. The 
 parliament, which met soon after, far from approving the king's decla- 
 ration, represented to him that extreme lenity had draw^n into the king- 
 dom a great number of Romish priests and Jesuits, and demanded an 
 order tor their removal. 
 
 In 1664, a war commenced with Holland, which soon increased the 
 king's necessities. The duke of York, whether from national interest, 
 or from a hatred to a Protestant republic, excited his brother to a rup- 
 ture. A supply of nearly two millions and a half, the greatest that had 
 
 What obnoxious bill was Clarendon the mover of? — Who were now brought to 
 trial? — Who suffered ? — What were Charles's principal failings? — What was 
 the result of the act of uniformity ? — Did the king sanction it ? — Was Charles's 
 proclamation approved by the parliament? — Name the occasion of a war with 
 MoUand. 
 
CHARLES II. 133 
 
 ever been granted, enabled him to make a very grand appearance ; and 
 war was declared, though Holland left nothing undone to prevent it. 
 Jolin de Witt was then at the head of the republic, in quality of grand 
 pensioner. He had equal courage and prudence ; and armed against 
 the dangers lie could not avoid. 
 
 The English fleet, commanded by the duke of York, in 1665, con- 
 sisted of one hundred and fourteen sail, and had twenty thousand men 
 on board. The ship of Opdam, the Dutch admiral, was blown up, and 
 tlie Dutch w^ere beaten. 
 
 More than one hundred thousand persons died of the plague in Lon- 
 don the same year, and a dreadful fire completed the desolation of the 
 capital. It began in the house of a baker, and continued raging for 
 three successive days and nights. Six hundred streets, and more than 
 thirty thousand houses, were reduced to ashes. The streets were very 
 narrow, and nearly all the houses were built of wood. London was 
 soon rebuilt in a more substantial, as well as more safe manner. 
 
 This twofold scourge of fire and pestilence, joined to the great ex- 
 pense of the Dutch w^ar, incluied both king and people to treat with 
 Holland for peace. But while the negotiation was going on at Breda, 
 the grand pensioner, de Witt, sent the Dutch fleet, under the command 
 of de Ruyter, and set fire to the English ships even in their ports on 
 the Thames. 
 
 A war so ruinous, and terminated with so little advantage, disquieted 
 the English, and Charles made them a sacrifice of Clarendon. He 
 respected the merit of that great muiister, but his virtues were trouble- 
 some to him. 
 
 The chancellor, incorruptible in the midst of a dissolute court, still 
 retained his integrity of manners. He had no complaisance for the 
 king's mistresses. He was a restraint upon his pleasures, and he op- 
 posed his prodigalities. The ungrateful people, less mindful of the 
 good he had done them, than of the circumstances that displeased them, 
 considered him as the author of their sufferings. On one hand, the 
 Presbyterians reproached him with persecution, and that reproach was 
 not groundless ; on the other hand, the papists, knowing his zeal for the 
 church of England, despaired of toleration under his ministry. Though 
 the war with Holland was undertaken contrary to his advice, the mis- 
 fortunes attending it were attributed to him, because he was at all events 
 to be found guilty. He was impeached, but the upper house refused to 
 put him under arrest. The parliament banished him, and the king as- 
 sented to the bill. Clarendon fixed his residence in France, where he 
 lived six years, employing his leisure in composuig a history of tae late 
 civil wars ; the work of a statesman and an illustrious citizen. The early 
 part of his life had been spent in the study of the law. His father, it 
 is said, oflen exhorted him never to advance the Prerogative at the ex- 
 pense of public liberty ; — a maxim which he professed to observe. 
 
 A new proposal of toleration, in favour of the nonconformists, pro- 
 voked the commons, who immediately demanded a proclamation against 
 
 Enumerate the effects of the plague and the fires. — What did the Dutch ships 
 effect on the Thames ? — What fate awaited the chancellor, Clarendon ? 
 12 
 
134 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 conventicles, a. d. 1670 ; and to obtain money, it was needfbl to satisfy 
 them, and their bill was confirmed. Every member of a conventicle, 
 or assembly of nonconformists, consisting of more than five persons, 
 besides the family where it was held, was liable to a fine. This seve- 
 rity of the commons was the more extraordinary, as the same spirit of 
 persecution had a little before occasioned a rebellion in Scotland. About 
 two thousand Presbyterians, after renewing- the covenant, took up arms; 
 and the flame which despair had kindled, was quenched in blood. 
 
 Five new ministers now directed the affairs of the empire : Ashley, 
 earl of Shaftesbury, distinguished by his wit, but a man of violent pas- 
 sions ; the duke of Buckingham, possessed of wit, figure, and fortune, 
 but not conspicuous for either conduct or principle ; the duke of Lau- 
 derdale, a man of learning, but a sycophant to his prince, and a tyrant 
 to the subject ; the bold and impetuous Clifford ; and lastly, the earl of 
 Arlington, well versed in business, and worthy of his place, had he 
 had the resolution to follow his own sentiments rather than the influ- 
 ence of the court. The last two were Catholics. This council was called 
 the Cabal. Their political system conformed too much to the inclina- 
 tions of the king, and to the interests of his brother, the Duke of York. 
 
 SECTION 13. 
 
 Charles, 'o shake off" that dependence in which he was kept by the 
 economy < i parliament, and forgetting the interest of England, formed 
 a close connexion with Louis XIV., who supplied him with men and 
 money for a new war with Holland. De Ruyter, with eighty ships of 
 war, and forty flre-ships, attacked the united fleets of England and 
 France ; the former under the command of the Duke of York, the latter 
 commanded by the Marshal D'Estrades. The loss on both sides was 
 nearly equal, but the French took no part in the action, a. d. 1673. 
 
 The parliament compelled Charles to assent to the Test Act, where- 
 by any person that should hold any public office, should be obliged, be- 
 sides the oath of allegiance and supremacy, to take an oath against 
 transubstantiation, in these terms : — " I declare that I believe there is 
 no such thing as transubstantiation, in the Sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
 per, either before or after consecration, made by any person whatever.'' 
 Thus all Catholics were excluded from employment, and the Duke of 
 York himself was obliged to resign the command of the navy. The 
 Earl of Shaftesbury was the principal cause of the resolutions formed 
 gainst the court, and the seals were taken from him. 
 
 In 1674, a new treaty of commerce was agreed upon with Holland, 
 *rhich once more gave up to England the honours of the flag, and pro- 
 nised to pay three hundred thousand pounds. Sir William Temple was 
 sent to Holland with the title of ambassador. Before he set ofl^, he 
 represented to the king the inconvenience the system of the Cabal 
 
 What new bill passed against the nonconformists ? — Name the five ministers that 
 formed the Cabal. — What connexion did Charles form with Louis XIV. ? — What 
 were the terms of the Test Act ? — On what conditions was a treaty made with Hol- 
 land ? 
 
CHARLES ir. 135 
 
 would occasion. How difficult, if not impossible, it was to establish in 
 Kuoland the pj-overnment and the religion of France. That the genius 
 and the principles of the people were not to be suddenly or easily 
 changed. That force of arms alone could effect it, but that an English 
 army could never be prevailed upon to promote it. That the Catholics 
 did not compose the hundredth part of the nation ; and that foreign 
 troops, if employed, would excite the hatred and revolt of the people. 
 At last he referred him to the observation of Gourville, a French gen- 
 tleman, much esteemed by Charles 11. *' A king of England," said 
 Gourville, " that chooses to be the man of his people, is the greatest 
 monarch in the world ; but if he chooses to be something more, he is 
 nothing at all." This discourse displeased the king, but he knew how 
 to dissemble. " 'Tis very well," said he, " I will be the man of my 
 people." 
 
 Scotland, for the space of ten years, had groaned beneath the yoke 
 of tyranny. Charles had sent the Duke of Lauderdale into that kmg- 
 dom, in quality of his commissioner. As much as Charles w^as naturally 
 an enemy to toleration, was the duke fond of persecution, and the details 
 of his oppressions would be endless. The resentment of the people in- 
 creased every day, and the report of the oppressions reached the English, 
 who were persuaded that Charles contemplated the establishment of 
 Popery and arbitrary power. At length a conspiracy was said to be dis- 
 covered, by one Titus Gates, for the establishment of Popery ; and the 
 Duke of York was excluded from inheriting the crown. Gates, in the 
 early part of his life, was a man of bad character; he afterwards turned 
 Catholics, and lived some time with the Jesuits at St. Gmers, but on being 
 discharged by the society, his resentment induced him to turn informer. 
 
 The substance of his depositions was, that the pope claimed the sove- 
 vereignty of England, and had commissioned the Jesuits to exercise 
 his rights. That, in consequence, the general of the order had by pa- 
 tents, under the pope's seal, disposed of the principal offices, civil and 
 military. In a council of fifty Jesuits, held in London, it was resolved 
 unanimously to kill the king. The crown was to be offered to the Duke 
 of York, on condition that he would receive it of the pope, otherwise 
 he too was to be assassinated. In short, that their object was to over- 
 turn the kingdom, and establish by blood and fire the dominion of po- 
 pery. These reports diffiised universal terror. Coleman, secretary to 
 the Duchess of York, being arrested, copies of his correspondence with 
 father De la Chaise, the pope's nuncio, and with some other Catholics, 
 increased the alarm, and carried conviction along with them. Godfrey, 
 the justice of the peace who first took the deposition of Gates, was found 
 dead in a ditch near Primrose Hill, with his rings on his fingers and 
 his money in his pocket ; a proof that he had not been killed by rob- 
 bers, and it was concluded to have been the work of the Catholics. 
 
 Charles mentioned the conspiracy to parliament, and recommended 
 the affair to the vigilance of the magistrates. Danby, the prime 
 minister, brought it before the lords ; and the two houses took it into 
 
 What was Charles's object towards Scotland ? — What was the subject of Titu« 
 Oates's deposition ? — What was the effect of Godfrey'?? assassination ? 
 
136 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 consideration. Gates had an apartment in the palace of Whitehal 
 assigned him, with a pension. Soon after, Bedloe accused some Catliolics 
 in the service of the queen af the murder of Godfrey. The test, which 
 held popery to be idolatry, was now instituted, and all who refused it 
 were excluded from parliament. The Duke of York, with tears in liis 
 eyes, requested. of the upper house an exception in his favour; declar- 
 ing that his religion should be altogether between God and himself, and 
 never appear in his public conduct. It was with difficulty he carried 
 his point by two voices. 
 
 SECTION 14. 
 
 The king, in 1678, dissolved that long parliament which had sat from 
 the year 1661. It was at first favourable to the interest of the crown ; 
 but the conduct of the king, and the spirit of the nation, altered its dis- 
 position. The persons accused of the popish conspiracy were tried, 
 and Coleman was the first victim. Father Ireland suffered likewise, 
 though he alleged that he v/as in. Staffordshire at the time; but every 
 Jesuit was considered as a knave, mental reservation making a part of 
 the principles of that order. Some others that w^ere impeached, sufTered 
 at the same time. Rapin and Hume are of diflerent sentiments with 
 regard to the reality of this conspiracy; but the indubitable evidence 
 of Coleman's letters, the death of Godfrey, the impeacliment of the 
 queen's servants, and other circumstances, caused it to be fully believed 
 at the time. 
 
 The leaders of the popular party, in 1679, and Shaftesbury among 
 the rest, availed themselves of these commotions to carry into exe- 
 cution the exclusion of the Duke of York from the throne. A new 
 parliament being called, the elections went against the court, and 
 Charles soon perceived that this parliament would tread in the steps of 
 the former. The danger roused liim from his lethargy. To remove 
 the suspicions of popery, he obliged his brother to retire out of the 
 kingdom. The duke obeyed, after requiring assurances with regard to 
 his right of succession. The duke fixed his retreat at Brussels. The 
 commons resolved that the duke's zeal for popery, and the hope of see- 
 ing him on the throne, occasioned popish conspiracies. To prevent the 
 consequence of this resolution, the king proposed conciliating conditions, 
 such as giving up the right of conferring church dignities, &c. These 
 extraordinary concessions, which would so greatly limit the prerogative 
 of a Catholic prince, did not appease the house. The exclusion bill 
 was drawn up, in which it was declared that the crowns of England 
 and Ireland belonged to the next heir, the Duke of York excepted. 
 They excluded also from their body all such as possessed lucrative 
 offices, in order to weaken the power of the crown. They declared 
 standing armies, and even the guards, illegal. At length they abolislied 
 arbitrary imprisonments by the Habeas Corpus bill, which the English 
 consider as the first security of the subject. 
 
 What steps were taken by the king and the parliament? — Who were accused of 
 the popish conspiracy ? — What resolutions did the commons adopt against popery? 
 
CHARLES II. 137 
 
 fn Scotland, the Presbyterian?^, as ill-treated as were the Catholics in 
 } ngland, at length lost all patience. In despair they took up arms. 
 Uharles sent the Duke of Monmouth to reduce them. They were 
 easily beaten, and Monmouth treated them with great humanity. Some 
 time after, the Duke of York got him disgraced and sent beyond the 
 seas. For the duke had returned upon a secret invitation from the king, 
 who was in an ill state of health. He himself, under the pretext of 
 quieting the apprehensions of the English, obtained permission to retire 
 into Scotland. 
 
 The king's sickness had occasioned universal alarm ; for still he was 
 beloved for his good-nature ; and that, together with the fear of seeing 
 his brother on the throne, made his death looked upon, to use Sir Wil 
 liam Temple's expression, as the end of the world. In the meantime 
 the opposition was not inactive. They demanded that the parliament 
 should be assembled immediately. The court party, as a counterpoise, 
 presented the most respectflil addresses. The names of Whig and Tory 
 were then first introduced ; the former, by which the Scotch fanatics 
 were distinguished, was given to the opposition ; and by the latter, 
 (which had been given originally to the Catholic rebels in Iceland,) 
 the courtiers were designated. 
 
 The king at length assembled the parliament, and endeavoured to 
 inspire it with sentiments of unanimity ; the commons, far from enter- 
 ing into these views, began with acts of violence against the Tories. 
 They returned to the exclusion act. After great debates in the upper 
 house, in which the eloquence of Shaftesbury was eclipsed by that of 
 Halifax, (his nephew,) a zealous partisan of the court, the peers de- 
 clared against the bill, and defeated the hopes of the commons. Their 
 resentment discharged itself on some Catholic peers, whom they im- 
 peached as abettors of the popish plot. The old Lord Stafford was the 
 first whom they attacked, and he was found guilty by his peers, upon a 
 majority of twenty-four voices. His courage did not forsake him to 
 the last. 
 
 The commons declared they would grant no supplies till the exclu- 
 sion bill passed into a law. A dissolution of the parliament was the 
 consequence. The king, in 1681, summoned another parliament at Ox- 
 ford. London expressed the strongest resentment, and the representa- 
 tives were followed by crowds of citizens, with cockades, inscribed with 
 No Popery ! No Slavery ! Such were the apprehensions of the people. 
 The commons insisted boldly on the exclusion bill, rejecting every ex- 
 pedient. They were determined on their object, and palliating expe- 
 dients would not do. 
 
 At this time Fitzharris, an Irish Catholic, had given information at 
 court concerning the operations of the Whigs. He had engaged with 
 one Everard, a spy of the Whigs, in composing an infamous libel, appa- 
 rently with a view of getting money by the information. Everard im- 
 peached Fitzharris, whom the court immediately arrested. The pri- 
 
 How were the Presbyterians in Scotland treated ? — How came the terms Whw 
 and Tory to be introduced ? — What difference arose between the comipop? quia 
 the peers ? — C)n what did the parliament insist ? — What was th^ cry of thie people ? 
 
138 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 soner, a dexteroUvS impostor, then paid court to the popular party, and 
 declared that the court had engaged him to write the libel. This occa- 
 sioned an altercation between the two houses ; and Charles, finding that 
 he could keep no measures with the parliament, quietly dissolved it. 
 This resolute blow disconcerted the commons; and the king, determined 
 no longer to expose himself to parlia,mentary storms, retrenched hia 
 expenses, and seemed resolved to maintain his triumph over the opposi- 
 tion. 
 
 SECTION 15. 
 
 We must now turn to the affairs of Scotland and Ireland. In Scotr 
 land, the exercise of arbitrary power mduced the people to revolt. The 
 Scotch parliament, where the Duke of York presided as king's commis- 
 sioner, established a test, by which the royal prerogative, the supre- 
 macy, and passive obedience were acknowledged. The Earl of Argyle 
 opposed the motion of the court party ; he observed that the established 
 religion had nothing to fear but from the royal family. The Duke of 
 York indu ged his resentment. Argyle w^as arrested and condemned; 
 but found means to escape, and came off with the loss of his fortune 
 only. A cruel inquisition was carried through many miserable families. 
 About t\^ o thousand Presbyterians, outlawed on this account, were per- 
 secuted with horrible severity. The Duke of York was considered as 
 the principal occasion of these cruelties ; even the king was less punc- 
 tually obeyed ; so that Waller said, " Charles, to vex the parliament 
 which would not let the Duke of York reign after his death, was resolvea 
 that he should reign before it." 
 
 In Ireland, the DuKe of Ormond was governor ; a zealous loyalist, 
 and, at the same time, true to the principles of the Protestant religion ; 
 yet indulgent to other persuasions. Charles had too long neglected 
 him, as it often happens to the best of subjects, who disdain the mean- 
 ness of intrigue and adulation. Dillon, an Irish colonel, intreating the 
 duke on some occasion to serve him at court, and telling him that he 
 had no dependence but on God and him ; — "Alas, poor Dillon," said the 
 duke, " I am sorry for you ; you could not possibly have two friends of 
 less credit at court." The happy and pacific administration of the Duke 
 of Ormond's government in Ireland, exposed him to the hatred of Shaftes- 
 bury. He attacked him in parliament. Ormond's defender was his 
 own son, the Earl of Ossory, Avhose powerful reply prevailed over the 
 artificial eloquence of his adversary. It was somewhat singular, that 
 in Ireland, a Catholic country, there w^ere neither plots nor rebellions 
 heard of, at a time when the popish plot threw^ England into such vio- 
 lent agitations. 
 
 In 1682, the authority of the crown had increased. The city of 
 London, whose political intrigues had given umbrage, was humbled by 
 extraordinary measures. A quo warranto was issued against it; in 
 other words, a warrant to produce its charters and privileges. If the 
 conditions prescribed in any of those charters had been violated in any 
 
 Upon what steps did the king resolve ? — What persecutions did the Scots un- 
 dergo? — Was not the Duke of Ormond's government favourable to Ireland ? 
 
CHARLES II. 139 
 
 essential point, the privileges rniglit be taken away. This was said to 
 be the case with regard to London. Two facts were cited, and the 
 judges devoted to the court passed sentence against it. To obtain the 
 re-establishment of the charters, it was necessary to submit to whatever 
 requisitions might be made. The lord mayor and sheriffs could not 
 enter upon their office, without the king's approbation. The same mea- 
 sures were employed to reduce other towns to a state of dependence. 
 Tiic patriots complained of despotism ; and a spirit of rebellion still sub* 
 sisting in the nation, occasioned a plot of a dangerous nature. 
 
 In the year 1680, Shaftesbury, in conjunction with the Duke of Mon- 
 mouth, Lord Russell, and some other lords, laid a plot for an insurrec- 
 tion. After the parliament of Oxford was dissolved, Shaftesbury was 
 impeached and imprisoned. lie found means, however, to escape from 
 justice ; and the conspirators revived the cabal, on occasion of the new 
 sheriffs being nominated by the court. They proposed to make the 
 greatest part of the nation rise, and to attack even the king's guards. 
 All their measures were taken, and the time fixed ; but some unfore- 
 seen delays disturbed Shaftesbury, and made him despair of success. 
 He retired into Holland, where he soon after died, undeserving of gene- 
 ral applause; yet in the character of cliancellor, his decrees were 
 allowed to be equitable, a. d. 1683. 
 
 The conspirators prosecuted their plan, but a traitor to the party re- 
 vealed the plot. The Lords Russell, Grey, and Howard were arrested, 
 and afterwards, the Earl of Essex, the famous Algernon Sydney, and 
 Hampden, grandson to the celebrated republican of that name, were 
 taken up, and three of an inferior rank were executed. Russell, the 
 idol of the people, suffered next. Algernon Sydney was the next vic- 
 tim. The Earl of Essex w^as found dead in his bed. Monmouth was 
 pardoned, but disgraced again for retracting his confession. 
 
 The plot thus formed agamst Charles being defeated, he now enjoyed, 
 in peace, almost an unlimited authority. The doctrine of absolute sub- 
 mission, and passive obedience, became the prevailing system. The 
 Duke of York Vv'as re-appointed high admiral, w^ithout taking the test 
 oath. This prince held the reins of government, and the severities 
 exercised in the last years of Charles were more agreeable to his cha- 
 racter than to that of the king, who was always inclined to indolence 
 and good-nature. One day, when the duke proposed to him some vio- 
 lent measures, " Brother," said he, " I am too old to begin the race 
 again ; you may do it if you like it." 
 
 Charles died in 1685, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. He received 
 the sacraments of the church of Rome. He had always lived more like 
 a deist than a Catholic. He would have been more w^orthy of a throne, 
 if indolence and the indulgence of his passions had not perverted his 
 natural talents. He had the qualities of an agreeable man, rather than 
 those of a great prince. 
 
 Were not London and other towns deprived of their charters ? ■ — By whom was 
 a plot raised for an insurrection ? — ^^What noted characters suffered on ihis account ? 
 
 - Who held the reins of government at this time ? — How long did Charles reign ? 
 
 — What was his age and character? ' 
 
140 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 REMARKABLE EVENTS OF THIS REIGN. 
 
 1660. The Royal Society established. 
 1662. A great storm in London. 
 
 1665. A most terrible pestilence in London. 
 
 1666. A great fire in London. 
 1666. Tea first used in England. 
 
 1680. A great comet appeared, and continued visible from Nov. 3 till 
 March 9. 
 
 Among the many eminent persons of this reign^ were 
 
 Hyde, Earl of Clarendon ; Villiers, Duke of Buckingham ; Butler, 
 Duke of Ormond ; Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury ; Sir William Temple ; 
 Algernon Sydney ; Boyle, Earl of Orrery ; Dudley, Lord North ; Monk, 
 Duke of Albemarle ; C. Stanley, Earl of Derby. 
 
 SECTION 16. ' ^ 
 
 JAMES ir. A. D. 1G85. 
 
 The Duke of York, as James II., did not begin his reign without ap- 
 plause. His speech in the privy council, was expressive of wise and 
 moderate principles of government. After bestowing some culogiums 
 on the clemency of his brother, and saying that he should take him for 
 his model, " I have been represented," said he, *' as infatuated with prm- 
 ciples of arbitrary power, but I will endeavour to maintain the govern- 
 ment, both in church and state, as it is by law established. The church 
 of England is favourable to monarchy ; and I shall apply myself to sup- 
 port and defend it. The laws of England make me as powerful a prince 
 as I can w4sh to be, and my object is to preserve the prerogatives of the 
 crown, without invading the privileges of my subjects," &c. 
 
 This speech, though it seemed to express his sentiments, did not cor- 
 respond with his future conduct. He received respectful addresses from 
 all parts. That of the Quakers is a monument of the singularity of 
 their sect. " We are come to signify our affliction for the death of our 
 good fi-iend Charles, and our joy to see thee made ruler of the people. 
 They tell us tliat thou art not of the Church of England any more than 
 we, so we hope thou wilt allow us the same liberty that thou takest 
 thyself, and if thou dost we wish thee all manner of prosperity." 
 
 The conduct of James, however, soon occasioned apprehensions both 
 for the national liberty and for religion. The Excise and Customs, 
 granted to his predecessors, were levied by his order, as if given by par- 
 liament. He appeared publicly at mass, contrary to the laws established. 
 Priests, particularly Jesuits, became his principal confidants. Pope In- 
 nocent XL, to whom he sent his submission, condemned his imprudent 
 zeal. The Spanish ambassador represented to him that so many priests 
 about court might do hurt by their counsels. James, asking him if the 
 
 How was James's speech in the privy council received? — Among the many 
 congratulations, what said the Quakers ? — Who became James's principal confi- 
 dants and advisers ? 
 
JAMES II. 141 
 
 king of Spain did not consult his confessor, " Yes," replied the Spa- 
 niard, "and th:it is the reason why thin ;l(s go so ill with us." There is 
 no doubt that James's desire of absolute power and of cliangintr the na- 
 tional religion, led lum to the precipice from which he fell. The coun- 
 cil, indeed, was composed of Protestants ; but the queen, Maria Eleo- 
 nora of Este, and some Catholic priests, were more listened to than 
 the council. 
 
 It became necessary at the beginning- of the reign to call a parliament. 
 For some years past the court had got a great ascendency. Elections 
 were controlled, and the commons were almost wholly composed of To- 
 ries. The two houses granted the king the fixed revenue of his prede- 
 cessor. 
 
 The Duke of Monmouth, the natural son of Charles II., and who was 
 much beloved by the people, attempted to dethrone his uncle, at a time 
 when the throne seemed firmly established. He landed with three ships 
 on the western coast, with about a hundred men in his suite ; and pub- 
 lished a manifesto, in which, giving the king only the title of Duke of 
 York, he represented him as a traitor, a tyrant, a popish usurper, and 
 invited the nation to take up arms. Monmouth was proclaimed in seve- 
 ral towns, and was beaten near Bridgewater. He was warmly pursued, 
 and found in a ditch, covered with mud and disguised in the habit of a 
 peasant. The fear of punishment brought him to make humble sub- 
 mission, but he refused to impeach his partisans, and died upon the scaf- 
 fold. James had here a fine opportunity to signalize his clemency, but 
 his natural severity prevailed. 
 
 This victory was followed by many barbarous executions. Colonel 
 Kirk, a most sanguinary man, carried his cruelty so far as to sport with 
 the miseries of those whom he sacrificed. The chief justice, Jefteries, 
 still more insufferably inhuman, filled the counties that had taken part 
 in the insurrection with carnage. Father Orleans asserted that James 
 expressed his indignation at the severities of Jeiferies; but that is ut- 
 terly incredible, since Jefferies was created a peer on his return, and 
 raised afterwards to the dignity of chancellor. 
 
 The Earl of Argyle, previous to Monmouth's rebellion, had attempted 
 an invasion in Scotland ; but his countrymen not being disposed to sup* 
 port him, his small army dispersed of itself, and he was taken and exe- 
 cuted. All the acts of parliament that then took place in Scotland 
 were against the liberties of the people. It was made death to be pre 
 sent at a conventicle, and to refuse taking the test oath, when requirec 
 by the council, was declared high treason. 
 
 The English parliament was not so tractable. James had declared 
 tliat in consequence of the Catholics having served him so faithfully, he 
 totally dispensed with the test required by law ; the commons at first 
 showed some spirit of resistance, but proceeded no flirther. The upper 
 house, however, contrary to custom, undertook to examine the power 
 which the king assumed ; and in which they were encouraged by the 
 
 How terminated the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion ? — What cruelties did Kirk 
 and Jefferies exercise ? — What differences arose between the king and the parlia- 
 ment? — What test did James dispense with towards the Catholics? 
 
142 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 bishops themselves. The king was irritated, and the parliament waa 
 prorogued. 
 
 Openly to favour the Catholics, v^ho were always suspected and 
 hated, was a measure equally rash and dangerous. Lewis XIV. had 
 revoked the edict of Nantz ; and the rigours exercised against the Hu- 
 guenots, made the name of Papist more abhorred than ever. Till then 
 the power of dispensing with positive law, had been considered the pre- 
 rogative of the crown ; but the use James made of it occasioned doubts, 
 and those doubts awakened principles contrary to the ancient maxims. 
 The test act being the strongest barrier against popery, what could pre- 
 vent the establishment of that religion under a king who professes it, if 
 the act be set aside] These arguments made an impression on the 
 people, and their uneasiness increased, when they saw many of the no- 
 bility and the ministry embrace the religion of James, and the most 
 illustrious Protestants disgraced. The Duke of Ormond was recalled 
 from Ireland, and the Earl of Tyrconnel, a zealous Catholic, advanced 
 to the government of that kingdom. Father Peters, the king's confes- 
 sor, a member of the privy council, was thought to be the author of 
 these resolutions; and the people considered a Jesuit, in that place, as 
 a public enemy holding the reins of government. 
 
 Several fresh imprudences showed James's settled purpose to change 
 the national religion ; such as the establishment of an ecclesiastical court, 
 little different from that of the high commission, already abolished ; the 
 suspension of the Bishop of London by that court for not arbitrarily 
 punishing a minister who had preached against popery ; the infringe- 
 ment of the privileges of the universities, in causing the admission of 
 Catholics ; an open rupture with the Church of England ; and the penal 
 laws, by declaration, also suspended. Depending on his authority, more 
 absolute indeed than that of his predecessors, he was not afraid of send- 
 ing to Rome an ambassador extraordinary, nor of receiving at his court 
 a pope's nuncio. Every connexion with Rome had been declared high 
 treason by act of parliament, and what was to be expected from a mea- 
 sure contrary to the laws ] The Pope, Innocent XL, foresaw the con- 
 sequence, and disapproved of that intemperate zeal, which would be 
 pernicious in its effects. " It is strange," says Hume, " that James, 
 who knew what influence religious belief had on his own heart, should 
 be so blmd as not to suspect that it might have the same power over 
 his subjects." 
 
 The declaration of tolerance being renewed, arid ordered to be read 
 in all the churches, six bishops represented to the king, in a respectful 
 petition, that the declaration being founded on a power that the parlia- 
 ment had oflen pronounced illegal, they could not allow it to be read 
 publicly. Though these prelates had kept their business as secret as 
 possible, they were presently sent to the Tower. The confluence of 
 the people on the way, the consternation of the spectators, and the 
 respect shown by the soldiers who conducted them, strongly testified 
 
 What changes took place in Ireland ? — Did not James attempt to change the reli- 
 gion of the state ? — What was Hume's remark ? — For what were several bishops 
 sent to the Tower ? — What was the consequence ? 
 
JAMES II. 143 
 
 the sentiments of the public. The counsel .for the bishops defended 
 their Ccause with equal freedom and success, and the judges, in discharg- 
 ing them, gave equal satisfaction. 
 
 SECTION 17. 
 
 On the day of trial, James reviewed his troops on Hounslow Heath, 
 and hearing a sudden shout, he inquired what was the occasion. " 'Tis 
 nothing," answered a nobleman ; " the soldiers are only expressing their 
 joy for the discharge of the bishops." " Do you call that nothing !" re- 
 plied the king ; " but so much the worse for them." Two of the judges 
 on this occasion lost their places, and the ministers who had not read 
 the declaration were prosecuted. The public discontent increased. 
 Till then the Prince of Orange, in hopes of succeeding to the crown, 
 had behaved to the king, his father-in-law, with profound policy, giving 
 him every demonstration of respect and attachment. William, how- 
 ever, was wary of exposing himself to the hatred of a people whom lie 
 might one day govern. He gave the king to understand that though 
 he approved of the revocation of the penal law^s, as a friend to tolera- 
 tion, yet he regarded the test oath as a necessary means to preserve the 
 established worship. 
 
 After this declaration of his sentiments, the prince began to listen to 
 the complaints of the English, nor did he long hesitate to break with his 
 father-in-law, whose conduct he could not approve. Several of the 
 English had already invited him to their assistance. The Church of 
 England and the Presbyterians were equally desirous of such a protec- 
 tor. At length he prepared for war, without hoping, however, that this 
 would place him on the throne. For what purpose such armaments 
 were intended, was for a long time impenetrable. They appeared to 
 be destined against France. Lewis the French king's ambassador at 
 the Hague, at length penetrated into the secret and informed his mas- 
 ter. Lewis communicated the discovery to the king of England, and 
 offered him a squadron to join his fleet. James, carried away with a 
 blind confidence, rejected his offer : " I am not reduced," said he, " to 
 such a condition as to be obliged to seek the protection of France." 
 
 The English fleet mutinied because James had ordered mass to be 
 said on board. The land forces were no less disposed to revolt, because 
 their consent was required to the revocation of the test and the penal 
 laws. James rushed forward to his ruin, with the security of a man 
 who sees no danger. But the illusion vanished when it was too late. 
 His ambassador wrote to him from Holland that every thing w^as ready 
 for an invasion. Distressed and terrified with this news, James re- 
 tracted ; he restored the friends of the test and penal laws to their 
 places ; he caressed the persecuted bishops ; he broke the ecclesiastical 
 commission ; he restored the charters of London and the other cities. 
 But his indiscretion had rendered the evil incurable. A manifesto from 
 
 What said the king, after the trial of the bishops ? — Did not William, Prince of 
 Orange, raise an armament? — What concessions and retractions did James now 
 make ? 
 
144 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the Prince of Orange prepared the way for the invasion ; and lie de- 
 layed not to support this declaration with his arms. His tieet, amount- 
 ing to five hundred ships, transported an army of more than forty thou 
 sand men. He landed at Broxholme, in Torbay, on the 5th of No- 
 vember, 1688. For some days the prince had the mortification to find 
 himself joined by very few; but just as he began to despair of success, 
 a number of the nobility and English olficers joined him, and the whole 
 country soon after came flocking to his standard. Churchill, afterwards 
 the famous Duke of Marlborough, deserted his unfortunate master. 
 Prince George of Denmark, his son-in-law, and the princess Anne, his 
 favourite daughter, also abandoned him. In this scene of distress, he 
 cried, " Great God, have pity on me ! my ov,ti children have ^|^&ken 
 their father." '^' 
 
 Distrusting his army, and fearful of throwing himself upon the par- 
 liament, James, though a prince of approved valour and firmness, lost 
 all courage, and abandoned his throne without ever attempting to de- 
 fend it. He was seized in his flight, returned to London, and demanded 
 a conference with the Prince of Orange. William ordered him to re- 
 move to Rochester Castle, which is at no great distance fi'om the sea, 
 in hopes that this dangerous prisoner would rescue himself by flight. 
 The dethroned monarch fled to France, where Lewis XiV. received 
 him with more than royal generosity. 
 
 Mr. Hume has observed, in justice to the unfortunate James, that to 
 make an excellent sovereign he wanted nothing but the respect due to 
 the religion and laws of his country. " Had he possessed this excel- 
 lent quality," adds he, " even his middling talents, aided by so many 
 virtues, would have rendered his reign honourable and happy. When 
 it was wanting, every excellency which he possessed became dangerous 
 and pernicious to his kingdom." 
 
 The Prince of Orange, too politic to seize the crown, and too much 
 a friend to freedom to expose himself to the reproach of tyranny, left 
 the government to the disposal of the laws. A parliament was called, 
 under the name of the Convention, and the commons resolved, that 
 James II., having attempted to overturn the constitution of the king- 
 dom, by breaking the original contract between the king and the people, 
 and having fled out of the nation, &c., had .abdicated the government 
 and vacated the throne. This resolution occasioned high disputes in the 
 upper house, but it was at length carried in the affirmative. 
 
 The business was next to fill up the vacancy. Some were for a re- 
 gent, others for a king. The Prince of Orange then summoned several 
 of the peers, and told them that he meant not to interfere in the de- 
 liberations of the parliament ; but if they determined upon a regency, he 
 thought himself bound to acquaint them that he would not accept the 
 title. The bill then passed for the establishment of the crown. It was 
 given to the Prince of Orange, jointly witlt his wife, but the adminis- 
 tration was reserved to the prince only. Anne w-as to succeed after 
 
 In his perplexity, where did he % for safety ?— The absence of what sole quality 
 lost him the kingdom ? — What measures were now takeo by the parliament ?— Who 
 were chosen to fill tlie vaeaiat thione ? 
 
( 145 ) 
 
 13 
 
% 
 
JA3IE3 II. WILLIA3I AIN'D MAKY. 147 
 
 their death, and her posterity after those of her sister. To this regula- 
 tion was annexed a declaration which fixed the bounds of the royal 
 prerogative. 
 
 It was then enacted, that the king" could not suspend the laws by 
 the royal prerogative, without the consent of parliament; that the 
 establishment of an ecclesiastical court is illegal ; that raising money 
 for the service of the crown, without consent of parliament, is illegal ; 
 that to levy forces in the kingdom, without the consent of parliament, 
 is contrary to law ; that the election of members of parliament shall 
 be free ; that the speeches and debates in parliament are not amenable 
 to the examination of any court ; with several others. 
 
 In the reigns of the two last princes, the English militia had fallen 
 much to decay, but the navy was greatly improved. Charles, in 1660, 
 found only sixty-three ships. His fleet, eighteen years after, consisted 
 of eighty -three. That of James, at the time of his abdication, amounted 
 to one hundred and seventy-three, and required forty thousand sailors 
 to navigate it. This prince, when Duke of York, invented the signals 
 used at sea. In the course of twenty-eight years, the number of mer- 
 chantmen was doubled — an evident proof of the increase of commerce. 
 
 After the restoration of Charles II., unbounded libertinism corrupted 
 the manners of the people, fanaticism was almost extinguished, and to 
 fanaticism, irreligion succeeded. The extravagances of bigotry inspired 
 a contempt of those truths which are so necessary to the well-being of 
 society. Religion was unjustly confounded with superstition that dis- 
 graced, and fanaticism that perverted it. The two greatest philosophers 
 of the age, Boyle and Newton, opposed the torrent of impiety, both by 
 precept and example. 
 
 SECTION 18. 
 WILLIAM in. AND MARY. A.D. 1688. 
 
 William III. of Nassau, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the United 
 Provinces, King of England, &c., was the son of William of Nassau, 
 Prince of Orange, by Mary, the eldest daughter of Charles I. On the 
 4th of November, 1677, he was married to the Princess Mary, eldest 
 daughter of the Duke of York. 
 
 William and Mary were proclaimed king and queen on the 13th 
 February, 1689, and crowned in April following. It was necessary 
 either to assemble a parliament, or to give that title to the convention : 
 the latter was chosen. The king appeared in parliament, addressed tlie 
 two houses, and represented to them the necessity of vigorous measures. 
 Jt was resolved, however, that the revenue granted to James should no 
 longer subsist. While they were deliberating on the means of raising 
 supplies, William informed the commons that James was invading Ire- 
 land, and they immediately voted him four hundred thousand pounds to 
 carry on the impending war. 
 
 Under what laws and regulations was William chosen? — Under Charles and 
 James, was not the navy greatly increased ? — What change took place in the man 
 ners of the people ? — What were William's titles ? — To whom married ? — In the 
 first parliament, what supplies were granted ? 
 
148 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 In the meantime, some divisions prevailed among the people ; some 
 bishops and some peers refused to take the oaths. Those who did not 
 conform to the established government were called Novjurors. Wil- 
 liam's great object w^as to annihilate religious animosities. All such 
 oaths as were obnoxious to the consciences of the people, or that ex- 
 cluded men of merit from office, appeared to William to be equally use- 
 less and dangerous. He proposed to unite the Protestant sects, so that, 
 enjoyhig the same privileges, they might concur for the public welfare. 
 The church of England how^ever opposed this. The ancient oaths of 
 allegiance and supremacy were abolished ; but the nonconformists did 
 not obtain the privileges of the members of the national church. An 
 act of parliament exempted such only from the penal laws as should 
 take the oaths to the king, and hold no private meetings. This tolera- 
 tion extended to the Quakers and the Anabaptists. Though the Catho- 
 lics were not comprehended in this act, William treated them with the 
 same moderation. 
 
 Scotland as well as England acknowledged William, notwithstanding 
 the efforts and emissaries of the dethroned king. James wrote from 
 Ireland to the Scotch convention, soliciting it to maintain his law^ftil 
 rights against the usurper ; but the states of the kingdom declared that 
 James, by being a Papist, and by viola,ting the law^s and liberties of the 
 nation, had forfeited all right to the crown, and that the throne was va- 
 cant. William and Mary w^ere proclaimed, and commissioners were 
 sent with an act establishing their authority. The Duke of Gordon, 
 how^ever, still faithful to the Stuarts, kept the castle of Edinburgh, 
 which was blockaded by the troops of the city. He stood a regular 
 siege, and at length capitulated on terms advantageous for the garri- 
 son. 
 
 James succeeded no better in Ireland than his friends had done in 
 Scotland; this fugitive prince had been magnificently received by 
 Lewis XIV., though, by his being surrounded hy Jesuits and occupying 
 himself in ecclesiastical matters, he lost the esteem of the French, and 
 exposed himself to the raillery of the court. " Here is a good man for 
 you," said the archbishop of Rheims ; " he has given up three kingdoms 
 for a mass !" The earl, afterwards duke of Tyrconnel, in the mean- 
 time supported his affairs in Ireland. A French fleet was to escort him 
 into that kingdom. The Catholic priests received him with great so- 
 lemnity. The people, too, expressed their zeal and their joy. But 
 these happy beginnings soon terminated unfortunately. Londonderry, 
 a town built by the English, and mostly inhabited by Protestants, shut 
 its gates against him and made an obstinate resistance. The want of 
 provisions and ammunition reduced them to great distress. Razon, the 
 French general, in vain threatened them with the most cruel treatment. 
 The horrors of famine soon added to those of the siege, when they 
 were relieved by the arrival of Genera.1 Kirk, in the service of king 
 William, w^ho with two ships, broke a staccado that blocked up the port, 
 and entered the town amidst the acclamation of the inhabitants. James's 
 
 Was not William a friend to religious toleration? — What reply did the Scots 
 return to James ? — Relate James's enterprize in Ireland. 
 
WILLIAM AND MARY. 149 
 
 nrmy soon afler raised the siege, having lost nine thousand men before 
 the place. 
 
 His misfortunes changed not his conduct : James continued to be still 
 inclined to despotism, still immoderate in his zeal. The Irish parlia- 
 ment, consisting chiefly of Catholics, annulled an act by which the Pro- 
 testants were maintained in the possession of those estates that had 
 been taken from the Catholics. The Protestants were stripped of every 
 thing with great severity. The Protestant clergy were driven from 
 many of their churches, and a bill of attainder was preferred against 
 any who had correspondence with the enemies of James. These mea- 
 sures would have been dangerous in times of peace ; and at the present 
 juncture, were infinitely more so. 
 
 Lewis sent him fresh succours, and king William prepared to drive 
 his competitor from Ireland. He first sent the duke of Schomberg to 
 Ireland with an army, resolving, as soon as the affairs of government 
 would permit, to proceed thither in person. The government during the 
 absence of William was vested in the queen. The gallant Schomberg, 
 now grovv^n old in arms, had not fiilfilled the expectations of the people. 
 His troops had been sickly, and he had avoided fighting, because the 
 enemy was too strong for him. William landed in Ireland in June, 
 
 1690, and with a superior force was more active and more successful. 
 James rashly resolved to give him battle. The river Boyne separated 
 the two armies. While William was reconnoitering the ground, a can- 
 non-ball grazed his left shoulder, tore his coat, and carried away part 
 of his hair. The enemy, believing him dead, broke out into premature 
 joy. The news fled rapidly to France, and occasioned public rejoicings. 
 
 William, in the meantime, rode through the lines, animated the 
 troops by his presence, and gave orders for battle the day following. 
 Tiie English passed the river, stood the shock of the Irish cavalry, and 
 broke in upon and dispersed the infantry. Schomberg fought at the 
 head of the French refugees. That famous general, at the age of 
 eighty-two, was killed as he was crossing the water. Ilis death might 
 have been attended with fatal consequences, but William came up at 
 the critical moment, and decided the victory. He met with little re- 
 sistance, except from the troops of Lewis XIV. These retired in good 
 order, while the afli'ighted Irish fxcd in confusion ; for though the Irish 
 troops have been reckoned the best in Europe abroad, they have always 
 fought indifferently at home. James, merely a spectator of an action 
 in which he ought to have borne a part, was the first in the retreat. 
 His former courage had been shaken by misfortune, and he embarked 
 for France. 
 
 William, leaving his generals to complete the conquests, returned to 
 England. The celebrated Churchill took the towns of Cork and Kin- 
 sale. The last battle fought in favour of James was at Anghrim, in 
 
 1691, in which the Irish were put to the rout, and retreated to Lime- 
 rick. The taking of this town crowned the success of the Englisli 
 
 Did he not deprive the Protestants of their estates ? — In whom was the govern 
 jnent vested, in William's absence ? — Relate occurrences at the battle of the Boyne 
 — Where, and by what generals, was the war terminated ? 
 13* 
 
150 HISTORY OF ENGLAND 
 
 forces. The general, Baron Ginckel, granted the I'lhabitants an honour 
 able capitulation, and, as a reward for his services, he was created Earl 
 of Athlone. 
 
 In the terms of capitulation, it was agreed that all who should acknow- 
 ledge the authority of William and Mary (a very few persons excepted) 
 should be restored to their fortunes, privileges, and immunities ; that 
 each should have liberty to retire with his family and effects into any 
 other country, England and Scotland excepted ; and that such should 
 be provided with carriages and transport vessels ; that the Roman Ca- 
 tholics should have the free exercise of their religion, as they had en- 
 joyed it under Charles 11. Notwithstanding the ammesty and liberty 
 of conscience, twelve thousand Irish chose rather to banish themselves 
 than submit to the government. France was their asylum. 
 
 William returning to Holland in 1692, Lewis XIV. made fresh efforts 
 to restore the dethroned king. James published a manifesto, announcing 
 the enterprise, pledging himself to redress all grievances, and confirm 
 the happiness of the nation. Queen Mary, who was charged with the 
 government during the absence of her husband, ordered all the Catholics 
 to quit London; the militia were under arms, and Admiral Russel, rein- 
 forced by Holland, defeated the French fleet, and burnt fourteen large 
 ships in the road of La Hogue. James was an eye-witness of this dis- 
 aster, and returned in despair to St. Germain. 
 
 SECTION 19. 
 
 In 1693, William repassed the sea to put himself at the head of the 
 allies, and though the success of the wars against Lewis XIV. was not 
 answerable to the washes of the people, yet still the parliament, gained 
 over by the court, granted large supplies. This w^as effected by the usual 
 resources of corruption, such as pensions, places, favours, and all the vari- 
 ous means which seduce the heart, when self-interest is the ruling prin- 
 ciple. The parliament had lost its integrity, and hence William had 
 nothing to fear from parliamentary opposition. Queen Mary, an amia- 
 ble princess, died in 1694, at the age of thirty-two. The king lamented 
 her, and indeed her death rendered the security of his crown less cer- 
 tain. Though Mary's father was a devoted Catholic, she was a firm 
 Protestant ; she was an excellent wife, and a pious woman. 
 
 William, in departing for the Low Countries, in 1695, nominated a 
 council of regency ; and in this campaign he had the glory of stopping 
 the progress of the French anns. The first scene of action was at Na- 
 mur, which William recovered from the French. TJie French bom- 
 barded Brussels, in revenge for the bombardment of Dieppe, Havre de 
 (xrace, St. Male, Dunkirk, and Calais, which had been attacked by the 
 Eno'lish the year before. New bombardments were attempted, but not 
 with much success. All Europe was in flames, and exhausted of men 
 and money, for the quarrel of some particular princes, who were too 
 
 What were the terms of capitulation ? — What victory did the Englisligain under 
 Admiral Russel ? — From whence was WilHam said to have gained his supplies ?— 
 What conquests were made and towns taken in the Netherlands ? 
 
WILLIAM AXn MARY. 151 
 
 regardless of tlio calamities of tlieir subjects. William was 
 in triumpli by the Eii;'lisli. Tlie corKiuest of Namur merited : 
 
 William was received 
 in'triumpli by the Eii;^lish. Tlie conqueyt of Namur merited this, and 
 he acquired some degree of popularity on the occasion. 
 
 The former parliament beino- dissolved, he called a new one, which 
 granted him six millions. The taxes were enormous, and the whole 
 nation complained that it was lavishing its treasure. Yet its hatred to 
 France, and the necessity of checking the ambitious projects of Lewis 
 XIV., gave a sanction to these expenses. This parliament passed the 
 celebrated bill respecting trials for high treason. By this, the person 
 impeached was to have a copy of the impeachment five days before 
 trial, and to be allowed counsel for his defence. No person could be 
 impeached but on the testimony of two credible witnesses. If the 
 impeachment consisted of different articles, the two witnesses were to 
 be considered as only one, when their depositions were not upon tlie 
 same article. The persons accused were to liave a list of tlie witnesses 
 two days before trial ; and three years after the crime was conmiitted, 
 the accusation could not take place, unless tlie attempt were against 
 the life of the king. The lords added a clause, whereby a peer was to 
 be ju;lged by the whole body of peers. Had this law taken place sooner, 
 it would have saved the lives of many illustrious men, and liberty would 
 have had a rampart against vengeance and despotism. It is a deplora- 
 ble thing, that legislation arrives so slowly at perfection, where the in- 
 terests of humanity are at stake. Another bill passed for new coining 
 specie. Sir Isaac Newton had the direction, and Mr. Locke assisted. 
 
 In 1696, a plot was carried on for assassinating William, and restor- 
 ing his rival. The Earl of Aylesbury, Lord Montcromery, and others, 
 were at the head of the plot. The Duke of Berwick, James's natural 
 son, passed secretly through the kingdom, and concerted measures for 
 the attempt, and James came to Calais witli a design to embark. But 
 the whole was revealed to William, by one Pendergrass, an Irish offi- 
 cer, and measures were immediately taken to frustrate the scliemc. 
 Admiral Russel appeared off the coast of France, and disconcerted the 
 project of James. The two houses of parliament, when informed of 
 the plot, engaged themselves to support William's government, and re- 
 venge every attempt against his person. 
 
 In 1697, war was renewed on the continent, with the usual animosity. 
 But William's ardoui produced no striking events ; and Lewis XIV., 
 being less fortunate than before, became desirous of peace. A nego- 
 tiation waB opened at Ryswick. Lewis gave up almost all his conquests 
 to Spain and to Germany, and lastly, he acknoAvledged the Prince of 
 Orange to be King of England. Thus William was confirmed in liis 
 kingdom, while France abandoned the fruits of her victories. The bur- 
 dens of the war were become intolerable. The victors and the van- 
 quished were equally weakened. Hence, after the ambition of victory 
 had covered Europe with blood, peace was purchased by restoring what 
 had been conquered. 
 
 What induced the parliament to vote such large sums ? — Who were concerned 
 in the plot against William ? — What events induced William and Lewis to nego- 
 tiate for peace ? — What was the result of the late wars ? 
 
152 IIISTORV OF ENGLAM). 
 
 On William's return to England, the pirliament londed him with 
 congratulations, but opposed his designs. William was for a Lirge 
 standing army, but the major part opposed it, and only ten thousand of 
 the standing army were retained. Instead of ten thousand men, Wil- 
 liam, in 1699, had retained sixteen thousand. The commons expressed 
 their dissatisfaction, and reduced the standing army to seven thousand, 
 and obliged the king to discharge the Dutch guard. His remionstrances 
 on this occasion had no effect : he w^as reminded of his former promise 
 to dismiss all foreign troops, and he was obliged to accede. The com- 
 mons now made it their study to vex that hero, that politician, who had 
 governed, in a great measure, the affairs of Europe. They examined 
 into the administration, re-established the ancient India company, de- 
 clared Catholics incapable of inheriting or purchasing lands ; and they 
 deliberated on demanding of the king the dismissal of lord chancellor 
 Somers. W^illiam, sometime afler, took the seals from him to please 
 the Tories, whose party then prevailed. 
 
 Scotland gave him no less disturbance. It had set on foot a commer- 
 cial company, which the English and the Dutch looked upon with a 
 jealous eye as a dangerous rival. This company had established a colo- 
 ny in the Straits of Darien, between North and South America ; which 
 was made by agreement with the natives of the country. The Scots, 
 disappointed of their promised treasures, made violent outcries, and it 
 w^as only by time, address, and flattering promises, that the king could 
 tranquillize them. 
 
 In 1701, a new parliament was called. The first deliberations of the 
 house were on an object of great importance. The young Duke of 
 Gloucester, only surviving son of the princess Anne, who was heiress 
 to the throne, died. To exclude every Catholic prince from the succes- 
 sion, and to fix it in the Protestant line, the commons resolved that the 
 heir should be of the Church of England. Afler these, and other regu- 
 lations which restrained the prerogative, it was resolved that the princess 
 Sophia, duchess-dowager of Hanover, grand-daughter to James I., was 
 the next heir in the Protestant line, afler the respective descendants of 
 the king and princess Anne. This bill passed into a law, notwithstand- 
 ing the opposition of William, and established the right of the house of 
 Hanover to the throne. 
 
 William, with great infirmities of body, still possessed a vigour of 
 mind equal to the highest enterprises. He sent the Earl of Marlbo- 
 rough into Holland, and appointed him plenipotentiary to the States. 
 The superior talents of the minister both for war and negotiation, ren- 
 dered the appointment equally glorious to his prince and to himself In 
 1702, the king, wholly occupied with his great designs, though threat- 
 ened with approaching death, made preparations for a campaign, and 
 intended to put himself at the head of his army, when a fall from his 
 horse shortened his days. He met death with that firmness of mind 
 which always distinguished him. He died in tlie fifly-second year of 
 
 What differences arose concerning a standing army? — What commercial com 
 pany had the Scots estabhshed ? — What resohition took place, concerning the ssuc- 
 cession ? — What accident hastened the king's death ? 
 
WILLIAM AND MARY ANNE. 153 
 
 his age, after a reign of thirteen years. He was called the stadtholder 
 of England and the king of Holland ; having always had less authority 
 in the Ibrmer than in the latter country. 
 
 William III. had talents and merit sufficient to distinguish him as the 
 ablest prince of the age, and one of the best and greatest monarchs that 
 ev(;r sat on the English throne. To keep possession of the throne 
 against internal factions, and against the most powerful monarch in 
 Europe ; to direct with profound policy the councils of foreign courts, 
 and command armies with equal skill and bravery ; to be equally inde- 
 fatigable in the cabinet, and in the field, under the weight of labour, 
 and in the languor of sickness; to contend with Lewis XIV., and hum- 
 ble his prosperous power ; — these circumstances are more than sufficient 
 to immortalize him. 
 
 In this reign the Bank of England was established. 
 
 Among the great characters of this reign, were Sir Isaac Newton, 
 Locke, Tillotson, Prior, Burnet. 
 
 SECTION 20. 
 ANNE. A. D. 1702. 
 
 Anne, second daughter of James IL, and consort of George, Prince 
 of Denmark, ascended the throne in the thirty-eighth year of her age, 
 and showed herself worthy of her high dignity. The nation acknow- 
 ledged her with great unanimity; and the parliament expressed the 
 greatest zeal and readiness to support her. 
 
 The death of William, however flattering to the French, or terrible 
 to the Dutch, produced no change in the afiairs of Europe. Lewis 
 XIV. in vain attempted to shake the principles of the States. Marl- 
 borough confirmed their resolution; and the queen, in following the 
 measures of her predecessor, animated that formidable league which 
 w^as to humble France. Marlborough having great influence at court ; 
 honoured with the confidence of the queen, who made his wife her fa- 
 vourite ; secure of the favour of the parliament and the people ; with 
 superior capacity either for debate or action ; of indefatigable activity, 
 and invincible courage, — soon put himself at the head of the forces in 
 the Low Countries. 
 
 Lewis XIV. had now no longer those great ministers whose talents 
 oad contributed to the glory of his reign ; the resources of his govern- 
 ment seemed, as it were, in the old age of" monarchy, and France found 
 herself in a critical situation. Her generals made an unfortunate cam.- 
 paign in Flanders : Marlborough took Venloo, Ruremond, and Liege, and 
 was preparing for more important expeditions. At the same time there 
 was an engagement at sea. The English attacked Calais, and failed in 
 til 3 enterprise. But the Duke of Ormond and Sir George Rooke forced 
 tliG port of Vigo, where they took ten French men-of-vv^ar and burnt 
 
 What were the character and abilities of William ? — Who were among the 
 f-reatesi characters of the age? — Of what family was Anne ? — And to whom mar- 
 ried ? — In what did the queen follow the measures of William ? 
 
154 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 eleven; captured eleven galleons and sunk six. In July, 1704, Sir 
 George Rooke took Gibraltar, after a siege of two days. 
 
 The queen, by gaining the hearts of* her subjects, laid the foundation 
 of that prosperity which follow ed ; she called a parliament and made an 
 interesting speech that had all the merit of sincerity. Both houses an- 
 swered by addresses full of acknowledgement. Supplies were granted 
 for the maintenance of forty thousand men. Marlborough was created 
 duke by the queen, and she settled upon him a pension of five thousand 
 pounds a year, to descend to his posterity. To the prince of Denmark, 
 a pension of one hundred thousand pounds was granted in case he sliould 
 survive the queen. Being husband to the queen gave no authority to 
 the prince. Anne reigned alone, and he witnessed her glory without 
 acquiring any part of it himself. 
 
 In 1703, the heat of parties revived. The Tories had the upper 
 hand in parliament, and were favoured by the queen. They professed 
 attachment to the Church of England. Most of the Whigs, though in 
 appearance united with the Church of England, and not scrupling the 
 ordinary oaths, frequented the assemblies of the nonconformists, without 
 being deprived of any advantage as subjects. The then reigning par- 
 ties were desirous of excluding them from emploj^ments. A bill waa 
 offered, in consequence, and passed the house of commons, but it waa 
 thrown out by the peers. There were also two factions among the 
 clergy, the high church and low church. One party accused its adver- 
 saries of being Presbyterian hypocrites ; the other called their opponents 
 the partisans of tyranny and oppression. The prorogation of parlia- 
 ment put an end to these quarrels. 
 
 There were also troubles in Scotland, the effects of which might be 
 contagious. The ancient genius of the nation show^ed its turbulent ac- 
 tivity. The cry of liberty, and invectives against the ministry, echoed 
 through the house. The Duke of Queensberry, the queen's commis- 
 sioner, was in danger of being cut to pieces ; but he at length calmed the 
 Scots by the promise, that on the first session of parliament they should 
 pursue their measures in favour of liberty. The Irish parliament 
 show^ed the same animosity, and malversation and rapine w^ere the sub- 
 ject of complaint ; yet much zeal was shown for the established go- 
 vernment, and an act w^as passed against the Papists, who were sus- 
 pected of fresh designs in favour of the Pretender. 
 
 During this reign, the honour of the British 'arms vvas carried to an 
 amazing height, particularly by the Duke of Marlborough, v.ho humbled 
 the pride of France, by many glorious victories at Blenheim, Ramilies, 
 Oudenarde, Malplaquet, &c. In Spain, the Earl of Peterborough, one 
 of the bravest and most distinguished men, took Barcelona, and con- 
 quered all Catalonia. In 1706, the Earl of Galway, at the head of 
 twenty thousand men, took Alcantara, a city of Portugal. In 1708, 
 Major-General Stanhope landed w^th three thousand men on the island 
 
 What victories were gained both by land and sea? — What supplies did the par- 
 liament grant? — WhaT pensions did tlie queen bestow? — Were i here not two 
 factions, both in the state and the church ? — What apitalions occurred, both in Scot-, 
 Uind and Ireland ? — What were the English victories over France and Spain? 
 
ANNE. 155 
 
 of Minorca, and attacked fort St. Philip, where the garrison, consisting 
 of one thousand Spaniards and five hundred French, surrendered in 
 three days : the men were made prisoners of war, and the whole island 
 was conquered in three weeks. These wars were concluded by the 
 treaty of Utrecht, in 1713. 
 
 But in this progress of hostilities we must not lose sight of Scotland, 
 nor of the measures adopted for a union of the two kingdoms. An act 
 of parliament granted powers to commissioners named on the part of 
 both nations, to treat on the preliminary articles of the union ; and, 
 after a conference of some months, they finished the articles of that 
 famous treaty which was to unite in one body a people who had once 
 been implacable enemies. 
 
 The treaty stipulated that the two kingdoms should become one, un- 
 der the name of Great Britain; that all the subjects of Great Britain 
 should enjoy the same privileges, and be under the same laws ; that the 
 kingdom should be represented by one and the same parliament, in 
 which Scotland shall have sixteen peers, and forty-five members of the 
 lower house ; that all the Scots peers and their successors shall be ac- 
 counted peers of Great Britain, <fec. This treaty met in Scotland with 
 the most violent opposition. All parties at first united to oppose it. 
 The Presbyterians feared the loss of their religion ; the Jacobites fore- 
 saw the exclusion of the Pretender ; the merchants trembled for their 
 commerce ; and the nobility were shocked at the loss of their best pri- 
 vileges, by the abolition of their parliament. The nation in general 
 considered itself as sold to a foreign power, and several members of the 
 Scotch parliament vigorously opposed the treaty. An open revolt was 
 commenced. The Presbyterians, roused to enthusiasm, erected their 
 standard, publicly burnt the treaty, published a manifesto, and deter- 
 mined to dissolve the parliament. Yet, after all, whether the influence 
 of the court, or the means of corruption, prevailed over the national 
 spirit, or whether, after the first alarms subsided, reason and argument 
 took place, the Scotch parliament ratified all the articles, with some 
 slight alterations. 
 
 When the treaty was laid before the English parliament, it occa- 
 sioned, as it had done in Scotland, contests and disputes. So rare is it 
 to find a uniformity of sentiment. It was compared to a forced mar- 
 riage, to which the woman does not consent ; and it was said that an 
 act, like this, produced by corruption and violence, could not be perma- 
 nent These, and many other objections, w^ere ably rebutted. " The 
 security and tranquillity of the kingdom," said an advocate for the union, 
 " will evidently be the fruits of this treaty. Our inveterate enemies, 
 France and Popery, will no longer be formidable, when Great Britain 
 is united in one body." An act, supported by reason, and opposed only 
 by weak objections, carried the majority of votes ; the parliament rati- 
 fied it ; and the experience of its good effects has dissipated those phan- 
 toms which imaguiation had raised against it. 
 
 What measures were adopted for a union witli Scotland ? — And what were the 
 stipulations of the treaty ? — What arguments were advanced both for and against 
 it ? — What was the result ? 
 
156 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 SECTION 21. 
 
 In 1708, the interest of the Duke of Marlhorougli began to decline 
 in England. The Tories hated him. His wife, the duchess, who had 
 exercised a despotic authority over the queen, became at last insupport- 
 able for her haughtiness. Another favourite succeeded her, and, though 
 her cousin and her creature, had the address to supplant her. Harley, 
 secretary of state, and St. John, afterwards the celebrated Lord Boling- 
 broke, conspired the disgrace of Marlborough, and of the treasurer, Go- 
 dolphin. The general was reproached equally with avarice and ambi- 
 tion : he amassed immense treasures. War, so terrible a scourge to the 
 people, was for him the high road to fortune. 
 
 Though the first parliament of Great Britain was held, agreeably to 
 the treaty, at this juncture, Lewis XIV. countenanced an invasion in 
 favour of the Pretender, the son of James II. An English fleet of fifty 
 meii-of-war waited for the passage of the French. The prince met with 
 contrary wi«ds : it was with difficulty he saved his ships, and thus ended 
 the expedition. 
 
 In the midst of these events Anne had the misfortune to lose her 
 husband, the Prince of Denmark, a man of amiable character, without 
 ambition or intrigue, and giving no umbrage to the English nation. The 
 act of naturalization in behalf of Protestant foreigners, at length passed 
 into a law : the Tories in vain opposed it. The French refugees, how- 
 ever, had served the English very effectually, as well by their valour as 
 their industry. The revocation of the edict of Nantz had made them 
 implacable enemies to Lewis XIV., and the friends of liberty and gene- 
 rous sentiments admitted these enemies of despotism into the body of 
 the nation. 
 
 While England was triumphing over Lewis XIV., a singular kind of 
 trial rekindled the animosity of the parties in England. Dr. Sache- 
 verel, an enthusiastic preacher, carried away by the spirit of party, 
 which is sometimes miscalled zeal, preached in favour of passive obe- 
 dience, and against the toleration of the nonconformists. The house 
 of commons declared Sacheverel's sermons scandalous and seditious 
 libels, and the author was called to account. His trial suspended foi 
 three weeks all other kind of business, attracted the whole attention of 
 the public, and became so interesting that the queen was present at it. 
 The clergy and the people declared for Sacheverel ; but the Earl of 
 Wharton spoke ably in the house of peers on the dangerous conse- 
 quences of advocating such doctrines. Bishop Burnet, also, justified 
 resistance from history, botii ancient and modern; and the Duke of Ar- 
 gyle, (in reply to the Tory principles of the Bishop of Bath,) with much 
 warmth, declared, that the clergy had in all ages abandoned the interests 
 of the people, and extolled the majesty of kings, that they miglit govern 
 them with greater ease. 
 
 What caused the Duke of Marlborough's interest to decline? — Did not Lewis 
 countenance the pretender's invasion? — What was the character of the Prince of 
 Denmark? — Relate what commotion was raised by Dr. Sacheverel. 
 
ANIfE. 157 
 
 Saclicverel was found guilty, by a majority of seven votes. He was 
 toU.sperided from the pulpit for three years ; his sermons were condemned 
 to be burnt, as well as the famous decree of tlie University of Oxford in 
 favour of absolute authority, and the irrevocable right of kings. Anne 
 seemed to favour a doctrine which tended to secure her throne, and to 
 maintain the public tranquillity. She expressed her concern that any 
 doubt should arise of the church being in danger under her government. 
 
 In 1711, the Tories, who had become too powerful for their adversa- 
 ries, carried their animosities beyond all decency. Marlborough, so 
 often extolled in both houses, suffered great indignities. The people 
 insulted the hero whom they had idolized. Pride, avarice, and extortion, 
 were laid to his charge. Never had Rome or Athens known jwpular 
 clamour more iniquitous or absurd. But though Marlborough had lost 
 his court influence, he had still the command of the army, and appeared 
 again with eclat on the theatre of his victories. This campaign laid 
 France open to her enemies ; while England bought dear those triumphs, 
 from which she reaped no advantage. A conference for a peace, there- 
 fore, was opened at Utrecht, where treaties were signed in Marcli, 
 1713. 
 
 Dr. Langhorne, in a poem, when speaking in praise of Anne, calls her 
 
 " The glorious Arbitress of Europe's peace." 
 
 But the spirit of faction, which sees most objects in a false light, con- 
 demned her measures. The Whigs exclaimed against the peace, and 
 their invectives were altogether merciless; and the queen, after the 
 sacrifice she had made to general humanity, incurred the blame of her 
 own subjects. This uneasiness was increased by a dangerous contest 
 in parliament. A duty was laid on malt, and Scotland was not exempted, 
 though the Scotch members insisted, with a patriotic energy, on the 
 poverty of their country. Debates ran high ; the Tories had the ma- 
 jority, and the Scots submitted to the tax. 
 
 The more the queen, in her declining state of health, was desirous 
 of tranquillity, the more she was disturbed with the vexations of fac- 
 tion. It had been reported that she had thoughts of placing the Pre- 
 tender on the throne, and that the Hanoverian succession was in danger. 
 A price was set upon the Pretender's head, but it was provisionally 
 confined to his invasion of England. The Queen receiving the address 
 of the peers, replied that she saw no reason for coming to such extremi- 
 ties ; but parties grew warmer, and Anne at length published the de- 
 sired proclamation against her brother. 
 
 Her uneasiness was increased at the cabals of the court. St. John, 
 secretary of state, now created Lord Bolingbroke, had insinuated him- 
 self into the good graces of the favourite, and undermined the credit of 
 the Earf of Oxford. There was an open rupture between the two min- 
 isters. Anne was present at one of these disputes, in which Oxtbrd 
 lost all respect for her presence, and fell into the most violent menaced 
 
 What sentence was pronounced against him? — What was objected to Marlbo- 
 rough ? — Where was peace signed ? — What unpleasant contest occurred in parlia- 
 ment ? — Was not Anne supposed to favour the Pretender's succession ? 
 14 
 
 t 
 
158 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 against his enemies. She immediattly stripped him of his employ- 
 ments, and vexation and uneasiness hastened her death. She died in 
 the fiftieth year of her age, and the thirteenth of her reign. 
 
 Few sovereigns have merited higher eulogiums than this princess. 
 Without splendid talents, she shone in the qualities of the heart, in a 
 sincere affection for her subjects, and an invariable affability, both in the 
 government and in familiar life. She has been emphatically called, the 
 good Queen Anne, a title more glorious than the victories that distin- 
 guished her reign. Marlborough made France tremble, but she gave 
 peace to Europe. 
 
 REMARKABLE EVENTS. 
 
 1706. The kingdoms of England and Scotland united. 
 
 1707. The first British parliament met. 
 1710. St. Paul's Cathedral rebuilt. 
 
 Great Characters. — Churchill, Duke of Marlborough ; Lord Boling- 
 broke; Sir William Temple ; Boyle, Earl of Orrery; Addison; Steele; 
 Swift ; Sidney, Earl of Godolphin ; Harley, Earl of Oxford, &c. 
 
 CHAPTER VIL— HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK. 
 
 SECTION 1. 
 GEORGE I. A. D. 1714. 
 
 George of Brunswick, Elector of Hanover, son of the Princess So- 
 phia, grand-daughter of James I., was proclaimed without opposition. 
 He was about fifty-four years of age, a prince of great spirit, at once a 
 Boldier and a politician ; and his maxim was, " never to abandon his 
 friends, to do justice to all, and to fear no one.^* The parliament, 
 assembled in his absence, granted him the same revenue that Queen 
 Anne had enjoyed. 
 
 George soon arrived in England. A prince hitherto esteemed for his 
 prudence, seemed capable of extinguishing the heat of faction ; but 
 whether he thought it impossible, or whether his prejudice against the 
 Tories influenced him, he gave all his confidence to their adversaries. 
 Bolingbroke was dismissed ; the command of the army was taken from 
 the Duke of Ormond, and restored to Marlborough. This change ex- 
 tended to other public employments, and the Whigs triumphed with as 
 high a hand as they had before been disgraced. Such beginnings con- 
 tributed to inflame the animosities of parties. 
 
 What court cabals increased the queen's uneasiness ? — What was her age ? — 
 How long did she reign ? — What eulogiums have been passed on her character ? — 
 Mention the great characters that adorned her reign. — What relation was George 
 I. to James I. ? — What was his age ? — What was his maxim ? — To what party 
 did George give his confidence ?— What minister was dismissed? — Who was re- 
 stored ? 
 
GEORGE I. 159 
 
 George, ho"w^ovcr, showed more wisdom in declaring that he was 
 resolved to maintain the churches of England and Scotland, as by law 
 established, without infringing upon that toleration granted to the Pro- 
 testant nonconformists. The spirit of mutiny, notwithstanding, showed 
 itself The Tories did not fail to call in the interests of the church, 
 and the cry was " Down with the Whigs ! Sacheverel for ever." The 
 Pretender, who went by the name of the Chevalier de Saint George, 
 availed himself of this juncture by publishing a manifesto, setting forthi 
 his hereditary right, &c. 
 
 In 1715, the king called a new parliament, and his proclamation ever- 
 went so far as to suggest the election of such persons as would support 
 the Protestant succession. This influence of the court, and the spirit 
 of liberty among the people, had the desired effect. The reigning party 
 was resolved to crush its adversaries. A secret committee was ap- 
 pointed to inquire into the late negotiations; and the famous Robert 
 Walpole, president of the committee, impeached Bolingbroke, then in 
 France, of high treason, as being the author of a particular treaty, con- 
 cluded with Lewis XIV. Lord Coningsby immediately rose and said, 
 " The worthy president has impeached the hand, I impeach the head ; 
 he the scholar, I the master. I impeach Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, 
 of high treason, and other crimes and misdemeanors." Oxford's brother 
 rose up in his defence, but it was unavailing. These impeachments 
 were carried to the upper house ; and the earl, after protesting his mno- 
 cence, and tJiat he had only executed the orders of the sovereign, &c., 
 added, " I will with pleasure lay down my life for a cause which my 
 dear mistress, our late queen, had at heart. When I consider that I 
 shall be judged by the equity, honour, and virtue of my peers, I readily 
 acquiesce in their judgment : God's will be done." He was conveyed 
 to the Tower, though dangerously ill at the time. The Duke of Or- 
 mond, also, and the Earl of Strafford were impeached. The former, 
 rather than hazard the event, quitted the kingdom. A bill of attainder 
 passed against him and Bolingbroke, and their names were struck out 
 of the list of peers. 
 
 These measures increased the popular ferments. The populace, on 
 George's birth-day, burnt William in effigy. The Jacobites were in 
 motion throughout the kingdom. The king informed the parliament 
 that an invasion was threatened. Troops were raised, a fleet was equip- 
 ped. One hundred thousand pounds sterling were promised to any one 
 that should take the Pretender, alive or dead. The alarm was not with- 
 out foundation. The Tories had held a correspondence with the friends 
 o^' the house of Stuart abroad. The Pretender had relied on the pro- 
 tection of Lewis XIV., who died about the same time ; and the Duke 
 of Orleans, the regent during the minority of Lewis XV., connected 
 himself with England : his politics not corresponding with the desires 
 of the Pretender. 
 
 Did he confirm ihe toleration of the English and Scotch churches ? — What ma- 
 nifesto did the Chevalier de St. George publish ? — What great statesmen were im- 
 peached ? — What was the reply of the Earl of Oxford ? — What invasion was 
 threatened ? — What preparation was made to oppose it ? — What king died at this 
 time ? 
 
160 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 
 
 In 1715, a rebellion broke out in Scotland. The Earl of Mar raised 
 troops, and proclaimed James III. The Nortli of England followed the 
 example, but the rebels were vigorously attacked. The battle of Dum- 
 blain greatly weakened without subduing them. A reinforcement of 
 six thousand Dutch gave the king's army the superiority, and the Pre- 
 tender, who had landed in Scotland, was obliged to return, accompanied 
 by the Earl of Mar and some chiefs. Several of his partisans, however, 
 were taken up and condemned. Among them were the Lords Der- 
 wentwater and Kenmuir, who were beheaded on Tower-hill, Feb. 
 1715-16. In vain the wives of the unhappy noblemen who suffered im- 
 plored with tears the intercession of parliament. George was inflexible. 
 Lord Nithisdale was also to have died on the scaffold, but his mother, 
 obtaining permission to take her last leave of him, exchanged dresses 
 with him. By this artifice he escaped, and she remained* prisoner in 
 his stead. In justice to her affection and virtues, she was aff^erwards 
 discharged. 
 
 The court, after indulging its severity, adopted means to avert its 
 effect. The present parliament was under command ; a new one might 
 not be so, but might return upon the ministry the rigour they had exer- 
 cised on their predecessors. The act of triennial parliaments was justly 
 alarming to such a ministry, and one of the peers in the upper house 
 moved for extending the duration of parliaments. This was strongly 
 opposed by other lords. The reasons urged on each side were long and 
 numerous. Court influence prevailed. Both houses passed the bill, 
 which extended the duration of parliaments from three to seven years. 
 
 George's affairs now called him into Germany. Charles XII. of Sw^e- 
 den was incensed against the King of Great Britain, because he had 
 acquired the duchies of Bremen and Verdun, and he undertook an inva- 
 sion in favour of the Pretender. The king, informed of this design, 
 A. D. 1717, suddenly quitting Hanover, returned to London, and de- 
 manded of the parliament an extraordinary supply to defend his king- 
 dom. Thus Great Britain found herself embarked in continental con- 
 nexions, because the reigning family possessed estates in Germany. 
 The Earl of Oxford languished about two years in the Tower. He 
 availed himself of a quarrel in the ministry to demand his trial. The 
 two houses had violent disputes concerning the process. The house of 
 lords insisted on its being under their cognizance, and they carried it 
 against the commons. The accusers not appearing, Oxford was dis- 
 charged. 
 
 An unforeseen event put an end to all uneasiness on account of Swe- 
 den, Charles XII. being slain at the siege of Frederickshall, in Norway. 
 A quadruple alliance was signed in London, in June, 1718, between the 
 emperor, France, England, and Holland ; and in July of the same year, 
 Sir George Byng entirely defeated the Spanish fleet in the Mediterra- 
 nean, The Spaniards had made conquests in Sicily, and the English 
 
 What rebellion broke out in Scotland ?— How subdued ?— What nooieman escap- 
 ed, and by what means ? — Were not triennial parliaments now made septennial ? — 
 Why was Charles XII. incensed against the king? — What was the result of the 
 Earl of Oxford's imprisonment ? — What befel the king of Sweden ? — What was the 
 quadruple alliance ? — By whom was the Spanish fleet defeated ? 
 
GEORGE I. 161 
 
 admiral attacked their fleet, thouo^h more numerous than his own, and 
 destroyed it, ahnost without opposition. War had not yet been de- 
 clared, and Spain exclaimed that by this act the law of nations had 
 t)cen violated. Some members of parliament, Walpole, in particular, 
 who was no longer in favour, blamed it with great asperity, but the par- 
 liament approved all its measures, and war was declared against Spain. 
 Another invasion in favour of the Pretender, was projected by Albe- 
 roni, the Spanish minister. In 1719, ten men-of-war, and a number of 
 transport vessels, put to sea, under the command of the Duke of Or- 
 mond, who was impatient to revenge his disgrace. But George had for- 
 tune on his side. The fleet was dispersed by a tempest ; three hun- 
 dred Spaniards who had landed in Scotland, were forced to surrender 
 themselves prisoners ; and all the Pretender's hopes vanished. 
 
 SECTION 2. 
 
 In 1720, another scourge, in the insatiable hand of avarice, threw 
 England into confusion. The national debts amounted to more than 
 fourteen millions. Means were thought of to discharge them. Both 
 the Bank and the South-Sea Company made proposals for this purpose. 
 Those of the company, appearing more advantageous, were accepted, 
 and one Blount, a scrivener, the author of the scheme, took upon him 
 its management. 
 
 Not long before, there had been a scheme in France, called Law's 
 aystem, for erecting a company under the name of the Mississippi, 
 which led to the wildest speculations. The passion for riches, like 
 other passions, is sometimes too blind to be controlled. The desire and 
 the hope of large fortunes, drew into the snare a multitude of people, 
 who became the dupes of artifice and interest. The directors of the 
 South-Sea Company, having deluded the subscribers by flattering chi- 
 meras, stocks immediately rose from one hundred to one thousand. 
 The rage of stock-jobbing filled every head, and engrossed every idea. 
 Whigs, Tories, Jacobites, the nobility, the clergy, physicians, lawyers 
 merchants, the very women themselves, all were animated with the 
 same spirit. All converted their money into paper ; all believed they 
 should grow rich by parting with their riches. 
 
 This delusion was not of long duration. The South-Sea scheme 
 was soon proved to be built on a ruinous foundation. The views of ava- 
 rice were disappointed ; and stocks fell prodigiously. Several projects, 
 set on foot by the fraudulent industry of covetousness, totally failed. 
 No money appeared, payment was stopped, public credit vanished, nu 
 merous families were reduced to beggary, and despair succeeded to 
 senseless hopes. George, who was then in Germany, returned with 
 expedition, and recommended the business to the notice of parliament. 
 
 The two houses endeavoured to do justice, though some of their mem- 
 bers were implicated in these infamous proceedings. The goods of the 
 
 Who projected the Pretender's next invasion ? — How did it ternjinate ? — What 
 srmirge thr«»w England into confusion ? — Relate the (Scheme ejected in Frarrrde. 
 What was fhe ruinous consequence ? 
 14* 
 
162 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 directors were confiscated, except a bare subsistence; the creditors 
 were indemnified, as far as circumstances would permit, and public 
 credit was restored. Walpole contributed greatly, by his genius and 
 application, to allay these disorders. Upon this he was restored to 
 office, and made first commissioner of the treasury. 
 
 In 1721, some ecclesiastical matters were subjects of debate in par- 
 liament. Three years before, a bill had passed for annulling the severe 
 acts against the nonconformists ; the Bishop of Bangor had asserted 
 that all such acts were laws for persecution ; and that if principles of 
 intolerance were admitted, then all persecutions, and even the popish 
 inquisition might be justified. From whatever cause it arose, unbounded 
 luxury, dissoluteness, and infidelity, seemed to succeed the South-Sea 
 scheme, which had made gold and silver the objects of human w^orship ; 
 and in consequence a bill was brought into the upper house against 
 blasphemy and profaneness. In the bill were several articles not per- 
 fectly consistent with the liberty previously granted to the noncon- 
 formists. On this account the bill met with so great an opposition that 
 it did not pass. 
 
 The Society of Friends also, in 1722, occasioned some disputes in par- 
 liament. Under King William they had procured their solemn affirma- 
 tion to pass for a judicial oath ; and they now fiirther demanded that 
 the words — in the presence of Almighty God, should be left out of 
 their judicial affirmation. The commons passed the bill. In the house 
 of lords it was opposed by the Archbishop of York and some other peers ; 
 and the clergy of London presented a petition against a concession so 
 singular : but it ultimately passed. 
 
 It is devoutly to be wished that the legislature may ere long substi- 
 tute a form for Christians in general, that may remove the obligation 
 of such frequent oaths as serve only to multiply perjuries. The great 
 Duke of Marlborough died this year. 
 
 During this year, the king communicated to the house a newly dis- 
 covered conspiracy. A manifesto, attributed to the Pretender, inflamed 
 the minds of the people. Severe bills passed against the Catholics, and 
 the preparation for war put the whole kingdom in agitation. The com- 
 mons avowed the certainty of a plot to place a Catholic on the throne. 
 One of the persons accused was the famous Atterbury, Bishop of Ro- 
 chester, a prelate of distinguished abilities. The proofs against him 
 were two letters, intercepted at the post-office, written in a peculiar 
 cipher, which some suppose to have been fabricated by his enemies. 
 For this, however, he lost his bishopric and was banished. Atterbury 
 took refuge in France. The king pardoned Bolingbroke at the same 
 time. There was but one man hanged for the conspiracy. 
 
 The rigour of the law, in 1725, was exercised against the Earl of 
 Macclesfield, the chancellor, who, borne down by public hatred, volun- 
 tarily resigned the seals. He was impeached in parliament, and con- 
 Were not the goods of the directors confiscated ? — What ecclesiastical matters 
 were subjects of debate ? — What new demand was made by the Friends ? — Men- 
 lion what new conspiracy had occurred. — What nobleman was impeached in par- 
 liament ? 
 
GEORGE I. 163 
 
 victed of fraudulent practices, and condemned to pay a fine of thirty 
 thousand poumJs. 
 
 In consequence of an alliance entered into between the emperor and 
 Spain, in wfiich Russia joined, George took the alarm. He was appre- 
 l»ensive for his possessions in Germany, and three English squadrons 
 l)ut to sea ; one destined to block up the ports of Russia, ano^^her to 
 iiruise on the coast of Spain, and a third to seize the Spanish galleons 
 m the West Ind>«; which last did not succeed. To enable the king 
 to carry on the war, the commons voted him forty-six thousand men, 
 together with a land-tax of four shillings in the pound. . The upper 
 house was not so complaisant. A violent debate at first announced a 
 formidable opposition. The measures of the king were at length car- 
 ried. 
 
 The Spaniards in the meantime laid siege to Gibraltar, but their 
 measures were but ill taken, and the place too well defended. The 
 king, after appointing a regency, embarked for Hanover. In his journey 
 he was seized with a disorder, of wliich he died at Osnaburg, in the 
 sixty-eighth year of his age, and the thirteenth of his reign. George I. 
 had great qualities, a considerable capacity, discernment, policy, and a 
 talent for negotiation. He was an enemy to parade, grave in his con- 
 duct, and averse to every species of tyranny. 
 
 In 1727, inoculation was first tried on criminals with success. 
 
 Among the noted characters of this reign, were — Sir William Wynd- 
 ham ; Sir Robert Walpole ; William Pulteney ; Francis Atterbury, 
 Bishop of Rochester ; John, Lord Hervey ; John Perceval, Earl of Eg- 
 mont, &c. 
 
 SECTION 3. 
 
 GEORGE II. A.D. 1727. 
 
 George II. succeeded his father, and was proclaimed king of Great 
 Britain, June 15, 1727, in the 44th year of his age ; and on the 11th of 
 October the coronation of the king and queen was performed at West- 
 minster Abbey, with the usual solemnity. In December following, his 
 Majesty's eldest son. Prince Frederick, arrived in England from Hano- 
 ver, and was created Prince of Wales. 
 
 A misunderstanding with the Spaniards was one of the first occur- 
 rences of this reign. The people of the British West India Isles had 
 carried on an illicit trade with the subjects of Spain, upon the continent, 
 and complaints were often brought to England that merchants wore 
 plundered by the Spanish vessels, and sailors treated with cruelty. The 
 house of commons, in consequence of being petitioned by the merchants, 
 entered into a deliberation on the subject ; negotiations with Spain were 
 set on foot, which terminated favourably, and put off the threatened war 
 for a time. 
 
 What alliances occasioned preparations for war? — To what place did the Spa- 
 niards lay siege ? — What befel the king ? — When was inoculation first tried ? — 
 Who were the most noted characters? — When was George II. proclaimed ? — And 
 when crowned ? — What occasioned a misunderstanding with the Spaniards ? 
 
164 HISTORV OF EINGLaJSO. 
 
 In the year 1731, a society of men formed themselves mto a com- 
 pany, called the " Charitable Corporations," professing" to lend money at 
 legal interest to the poor, upon small pledges, and to persons of higher 
 rank upon proper security. Their capital was at first limited to thirty 
 thousand pounds, but they afterwards increased it to six hundred thou- 
 sand. This money was supplied by subscription, and the whole in- 
 trusted to directors. The company having continued for above twenty 
 years, the cashier and warehouse-keeper disappeared, and a most ini- 
 quitous scene of fraud was discovered, in which even some of the first 
 characters in the nation did not escape censure. 
 
 A scheme for fixing a general excise, about the year 1732, was intro- 
 duced by Sir Robert Walpole into the house. He spoke of the frauds 
 m the article of tobacco, and recommended that it should be lodged in 
 warehouses, appointed by the officers of the crown ; and from thence 
 sold by paying" a duty of 4d in the pound. The proposal raised a vio- 
 lent ferment, not less within doors than without. The parliament house 
 was surrounded with multitudes ; the ministry were intimidated, and 
 the design was dropped. 
 
 A misunderstanding with the Spaniards, before mentioned, though 
 pacified for a time, was not entirely removed. The commerce of Great 
 Britain was still insulted and distressed. The English merchants claimed 
 the right, by treaty, of cutting logwood in the Bay of Campeachy ; but 
 the Spaniards refused to allow the claim, and the British mer- 
 chants complained loudly, and from time to time, of the outrages com- 
 mitted. The Spanish guard-ships continued to seize not only the guilty 
 but the innocent. The minister at length put the nation in a condition 
 for war : and letters of reprisals were granted against the Spaniards. 
 Orders were issued, in 1739, for augmenting the land forces, and raising 
 a body of marines, and soon after two rich Spanish prizes were taken in 
 the Mediterranean. 
 
 Admiral Vernon was sent in July, as commander, with a fleet of six 
 ships, to annoy their commerce and settlements in America. In No- 
 vember, he took the town of Porto Bello, a fort and harbour in South 
 America. The next year, advice was received from Admiral Vernon, 
 that he had bombarded Carthagena, and taken Fort Chagre. A squad- 
 ron of ships was also equipped for annoying the enemy in the South 
 Seas, the command of which was given to Commodore Anson. This 
 fleet was appointed to sail through the Straits of Magellan, and steer- 
 ing northward along the coasts of Chili and Peru, to co-operate occa- 
 sionally with Admiral Vernon, across the Isthmus of Darien. But some 
 delays in the outset frustrated that part of the scheme. After reacliing 
 Brazil, he refreshed his men on the island of St. Catharine. From 
 thence he steered southw^ard, doubled Cape Horn, and reached the de- 
 lightful island of Juan Fernandez. From thence steering for the coast 
 of Chili, he attacked the city of Paita, and stripped it of its treasures 
 and merchandize. After which, coasting the western side of the Ame- 
 
 What discredit befel the charitable corporations? — Did Sir Robert Walpole's 
 plan of general excise succeed ? — How did the English resent Spanish aggression ? 
 — What appointments had admiral Vernon and commodore Anson? 
 
GEORGE II. 165 
 
 rican continent, he lay in wait for one of those great and i^ahiahle Spa- 
 nish galleons w'lich tra,ded between the Philippine It^les and Mexico, and 
 was so fortunate as to meet with and capture one of them. And after 
 a voyage of about three years, circumnavigating the globe, he returned 
 home with immense riches. 
 
 In the meantime, the government sent out a large fleet under general 
 Wentworth and Admiral Vernon against Carthagena, but owing to a 
 disagreement which arose between them, the enterprise fatally miscar- 
 ried ; and on that account the kingdom was filled with murmurs, a. d. 
 1741. The minister. Sir Robert Walpole, finding the indignation of 
 the house of commons against him, declared he would never more sit in 
 that house. The next day both houses of parliament were adjourned 
 for a few days, and in the interim Sir Robert Walpole was created earl 
 of Orford. 
 
 The emperor of Austria, Charles VI., dying in 1740, without male 
 issue, the French, regardless of treaties, (and particularly of that called 
 the pragmatic sanction, by which the reversion of the late emperors 
 dominions was settled upon his daughter, the archduchess Maria The- 
 resa,) caused the elector of Bavaria to be crowned emperor ; and the 
 king of Prussia, at the same time, seized upon Silesia. England was 
 the first ally that espoused her cause. Sardinia and Holland soon after 
 came to her assistance, and at last Russia acceded to the union. With 
 this junction in her favour, Maria Theresa began to triumph over her 
 enemies ; the elector of Bavaria was obliged to fly, and being stripped 
 of his dominions, he repaired to Frankfort, where he lived in obscurity. 
 
 The French meanwhile projected an invasion of England ; and 
 Charles, the son of the old Pretender, quitted Rome to have an audi- 
 ence with the French king. The troops destined for the expedition 
 amounted to fifteen thousand men, who were to be embarked at Dun- 
 kijfk and some of the nearest ports to England, under the eye of the 
 Pretender. But the project was defeated by the appearance of Sir John 
 Norris, who with a superior fleet made up to attack them. The French 
 fleet was thus obliged to put back, a very hard gale of wind damaged 
 their transports, and their attempts were for the present frustrated. 
 
 SECTION 4. 
 
 ' The French now openly declared war, and entered upon it with great 
 alacrity. The combined fleets of France and Spain for some time 
 fought the British armament under the admirals Matthews and Lestock, 
 though with inferior force, and came off upon nearly equal terms. Both 
 the English admirals were tried by a court-martial. Matthews, who 
 had fought the enemy with intrepidity, owing to some deviations from 
 his prescribed injunctions, was declared incapable of serving for the 
 future in his majesty's navy : Lestock, who had kept aloof, was acquit- 
 
 What prize did Anson obtain? — What induced Sir Robert Walpole to quit the 
 house of commons ? — When did the Emperor of Austria die ? — Did Maria The- 
 resa succeed him ? — Who opposed her, and who espoused her cause ? — Did not 
 Charles, the son of the Pretender, project an invasion ? — For what were the Eng- 
 lish admirals tried ? 
 
166 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 ted, not having exceeded the punctilios of discipline. The proceedings 
 in the Netherlands were still more unfavourable. The French besieged 
 Friburg, and in the succeeding campaign, April 1745, invested Tournay, 
 which they took, after one of the most bloody battles that had been 
 fought in this age. 
 
 During these continental wars, England had enjoyed internal tran- 
 quillity, till, in 1745, Charles Edward, son of the Pretender, landed in 
 the north of Scotland, and was joined by several of the Highland clans. 
 There being no adequate force there to oppose them, they took posses- 
 sion of Dunkeld, Perth, Dundee, and Edinburgh. At Preston-Pans they 
 defeated the royal troops. After some delay they marched into Eng- 
 land, took Carlisle, established their head-quarters at Manchester, and 
 advanced as far as Derby. But not finding themselves joined by the 
 English Jacobites they retreated homewards. Carlisle was retaken by 
 the duke of Cumberland ; but Stirling fell into the hands of the rebels. 
 On the advance of the duke, the Pretender retired northward, followed 
 by the royal army. 
 
 The final and fatal battle to the hopes of the Pretender was fought 
 at Culloden* (April 16, 1746). After long skulking in various disguises, 
 and experiencing a fidelity and honour creditable to the national cha- 
 racter, he made his escape to France. The barbarity exercised by the 
 victors would disgrace the best of causes. Perhaps few greater in- 
 stances of human folly could be shown, than this blind attachment to an 
 obstinate, tyrannical, and bigoted family. 
 
 On the continent, victory and defeat had rapidly succeeded each other 
 for some years, till all sides found themselves growing more feeble,fyet 
 gaining no solid advantage. A negotiation was therefore resolved on, 
 and a congress was opened at Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, and peace was 
 concluded at the end of the year. To Philip, heir apparent to the 
 throne of Spain, were ceded Parma, Placentia, and Guastalla, with pro- 
 vision against their being united to the crown of Spain or of the two 
 Sicilies ; the queen of Hungary was secured in her patrimonial domi- 
 nions ; Silesia and Glatz were guarantied to the king of Prussia, whose 
 selfish policy began the war, and who was the only real gainer by it. 
 France and England, by all their waste of blood and treasure, gained 
 nothing. Indeed, with respect to England, its interests, both at home 
 and abroad, seem to have been greatly neglected. 
 
 Though the war between England and France was thus hushed up 
 for the present in Europe, yet in the East and West Indies it was still 
 carried on. On the coast of Malabar, the English and French had 
 never ceased from hostilities, and in North America they were still quar- 
 relling about their boundaries. As war seemed inevitable, England 
 wished to make it a naval one, and it was arranged to put Hanover un- 
 der the protection of Prussia. The courts of France and Vienna were 
 displeased at this project, and concluded an alliance in 1755, in which 
 they were joined by Sweden and Saxony. In 1756 the island of Mi- 
 
 * Culloden is situate about nine miles from Inverness. 
 
 Relate the progress of the young Pretender. — Where was the final battle fought, 
 and with what success ? — VVhere and when was peace concluded ? 
 
GEORGE II. 167 
 
 norca was taken by the French, and Admiral Byng", who had been sent 
 to the relief of the place, but who neglected to fulfil his instructions, was 
 shot at Portsmouth. TJie French arms met with partial success both 
 in India and America. But in 1758, prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, 
 at the head of the Hanoverians, obliged the French to cross the Rhine. 
 At the commencement of the next campaign, in order to save Hanover, 
 the prince found it necessary to give them battle ; the conflict took 
 place at Minden, (August 1759;) the French were defeated. The 
 blame of the victory not being complete was laid on lord George Sack- 
 ville, the English commander, who was in consequence disgraced. 
 
 The English admirals Hawke and Boscawen enhanced the lustre of 
 the British arms at sea, defeating the French fleets off* Cape Lagos and 
 Belleisle. In America, the islands of Cape Breton and St. John's were 
 taken by general Amherst: the French settlements on the coast of 
 Africa were reduced ; but in India the advantage was, for a while, on 
 the side of the French. The English took the island of Guadaloupe in 
 the West Indies ; and Quebec, after the defeat of the French army by 
 general Wolfe, surrendered. This decisive victory put nearly all 
 North America into the possession of the English. Wolfe's courage 
 and perseverance surmounted incredible difficulties, and in the moment 
 of victory on the heights of Abraham, he met a death of glory. 
 
 In the East Indies, 1757, the British arms began to be successful. Mi 
 Clive, who entered the company's service in a civil capacity, gave up 
 his clerkship, and joined the war about 1751 ; and not only his courage, 
 but his military skill soon became so remarkable as to raise him to the 
 first ranks in the army. After clearing the province of Arcot of its 
 enemies, he took the French general prisoner, and restored the nabob, 
 whom the English supported, to his government. But the prince of the 
 greatest power in that country had laid siege to Calcutta, and the fort 
 having been deserted by the commander, the garrison, to the number 
 of 146 persons, were made prisoners. 
 
 By the commands of the savage conqueror, they were all crowded 
 together in a narrow prison, called the black-hole, of about eighteen 
 feet square. After fruitless attempts to burst their prison, they gave 
 vent to their distress in shrieks, groans, and despair. Suffocation and 
 expiring languor succeeded, till all was silence and death. In the morn- 
 ing, out of 146 that had iDeen incarcerated, twenty-three only were 
 found alive ; and of these very few long survived. Mr., now Colonel 
 Clive, backed by an English fleet under admiral Watson, proceeded to 
 take revenge for these cruelties. Appearing before Calcutta, he soon 
 silenced their batteries, and obliged them to abandon their fortifications. 
 
 Hoogley, a city of great trade, was soon after reduced, and tlie vice- 
 roy of Bengal's storehouses and granaries were destroyed. To repair 
 these losses the barbarian prince raised an army of ten thousand horse 
 and fifteen thousand foot. Colonel Clive advanced with his little army, 
 and by a judicious disposition of them into three columns, victory soon 
 
 What admiral was shot for supposed neglect of duty ? — What did Hawke, Bos- 
 cawen, Amherst, and Wolfe ? — Relate the courage and skill of Mr. Clive. — What 
 occurred in the Black Hole of Calcutta ? 
 
 
168 HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 
 
 declared in favour of the Englisli. After these and other decisive con- 
 quests over the Indians, colonel Clive turned to the attack of the French, 
 who had previously been successful in that part of the world ; and he 
 soon dispossessed them of all their power and all their settlements. It 
 has been said that Clive, in artifice and dissimulation, was a full match 
 for an Asiatic. 
 
 The efforts of England at this time, in every part of the globe, were 
 amazing, and the expenses of her operations had never been equalled, 
 either on land or at sea, by any nation, when an event happened of 
 great national concern. On the 24th of October, 1760, the king died 
 suddenly, full of years and glory, in the seventy-seventh year of his 
 age, and the thirty-third of his reign. 
 
 REMARKABLE EVENTS. 
 
 1738. Westminster Bridge begun. Finished 1750. 
 
 1753. The British Museum established. 
 
 1760. Blackfriars Bridge begun. Finished 1770. 
 
 Among the noted characters of this reign, were 
 
 William Pitt, Earl of Chatham; Alexander Pope; Horatio, Lord 
 Walpole, &c 
 
 SECTION 5. 
 GEORGE III. A. D. 1760. 
 
 George III., the grandson of the late king, was twenty-two years of 
 age when he came to the crown. He was the eldest son of Frederick, 
 Prince of Wales, who, dying before his father, never ascended the 
 throne. The parliament met in November, and settled eight hundred 
 thousand pounds on the king, for what is termed the civil list. The 
 whole supply for the service of the ensuing year amounted to upwards 
 of nineteen millions and a half As his Majesty could not espouse a 
 Roman Catholic, he was precluded from intermarrying into any of the 
 great families of Europe ; he chose Charlotte Sophia, Princess of Meck- 
 lenburgh Strelitz, a small sovereign State in the north-west of Ger- ' 
 many. The nuptials were celebrated on the 8th of September, 1761, 
 and their coronation was performed on the 22d of the same month, in 
 Westminster Abbey. 
 
 The war, which Mr. Pitt, in the preceding reign, had conducted 
 with success, was continued ; but this year was not distinguished by 
 any great naval or military operations in Europe, except the taking of 
 Belleisle by Commodore Keppel and General Hodgson. In the East 
 Indies the nabob of Bengal was deposed ; Prince Ferdinand repelled 
 
 Did not Colonel Clive obtain a victory av&r the viceroy, and also dispossess the 
 French of their settlements. — What were the efl&rts and success of the nation al 
 the king's death ? — Name the remarkable events; and the noted characters. — What 
 was the amount of the civil list settled on George III.? — Whom did he marry?— 
 When were they crowned ? — Fctf whjat was thq year 1761 distinguished? 
 
GEORGE III. 161^ 
 
 an attack of the French armies at Kirche Denkim; and in the following 
 year he was everywhere successful in Westphalia. 
 
 In 1762, war was mutually declared by the courts of London and 
 Madrid. Portugal, because she refused to join against England, was 
 invaded by the Spaniards ; but they were driven out by the British and 
 native troops. The death of Elizabeth, the empress of Russia, hap- 
 pened this year : she was succeeded hy her nephew, Peter III., who, 
 joining his arms to those of the Khig of Prussia, acted hostilely against 
 her former allies ; and by this step and some others, brought on him the 
 hostility of his subjects. In six months he was deposed, and soon after 
 died in prison, and was succeeded by his consort, Catharine, who with- 
 drew her forces from the King of Prussia, but did not renew hostilities 
 against him. Frederic being thus freed from one of his most formida- 
 ble enemies, recovered Silesia, and ravaged Bohemia and Franconia. 
 
 The British fleets and troops took Martinique and Ilavannah, in the 
 West Indies, and Manilla, in the Philippine Isles, besides the whole of 
 Canada, the islands of St. John and Cape Breton, part of Louisiana, the 
 island of Grenada, &c. Thus, in the space of seven years, the English 
 had possessed themselves of nearly the whole territory of North 
 America, had destroyed or taken above a hundred ships of war from 
 her enemies, had won by sea and land twelve great battles, and had re- 
 duced many islands, fortified cities, forts, and castles ; and thus the ob- 
 jects for which war was undertaken having been accomplished, she 
 listened to her enemies' solicitation for peace, and the definite treaty 
 was signed at Paris, in February, 1763. 
 
 The public attention was now called to furious political papers, and 
 among the rest to one entitled the North Briton, by a Mr. Wilkes, mem- 
 ber for Aylesbury, who had attacked the king's speech with a very in- 
 decent freedom. For this he was committed to the Tower. He was 
 afterwards released by the decision of the Court of Common Pleas, and 
 retired to France. In January, 1764, he was expelled the house of 
 commons. Mr. Wilkes returned from the continent in 1768, and ofl^ered 
 himself as a candidate for the city of London, though a sentence of 
 outlawry against him had never been repealed. He lost his election, 
 but immediately put up for Middlesex, when he was chosen by a great 
 majority. The ministry however determmed to prosecute Mr. Wilkes, 
 who, for publishing No. 45 of the North Briton, and some other papers, 
 was again imprisoned, and fined a thousand pounds. When his impris- 
 onment was expired, he was chosen one of the sheriflfs of London and 
 Middlesex, had his debts paid, was elected lord mayor, and aft.erwards 
 chamberlain of London. 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1765, were kindled the first sparks of 
 that fire, which, a few years afterwards, involved part of Europe and all 
 North America in flames. We allude to the Stamp Act, which w^as 
 now imposed upon the American colonies. But the Americans remon- 
 strated ; a change took place in the ministry, and the Act was repealed. 
 The spirit of oppression on the one hand, and of resistance on the 
 
 Why did England aid Portugal ? — What empress died ? — What conquests did the 
 British fleets effect ? — Relate the comynotion occasioned by Wilkps 
 15 
 
170 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 other, still continued ; and when the p irliament imposed a duty on tea^ 
 the Americans refused to pay it, and at Boston tlie tea was flung- into 
 the sea. The British parliament pasL^ed bills for shutting- up the port 
 of Boston. The colonists, in 1774, called a congress at Philadelphia, 
 and in the following year a civil war began.* In 1765, the old Pre- 
 tender died at Rome, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. 
 
 Mr. Pitt in 1766 was made earl of Chatham, and by his recommenda- 
 tion a new ministry was formed. The affairs of the East India Com- 
 pany were now become much embarrassed, and Lord Clive Avas sent 
 out to India, to put a stop to the growing evil. On his arrival, he con 
 eluded an advantageous treaty with the Mogul, and put the Company 
 in possession of a clear revenue of above one million and a half sterling 
 a year, at the same time enhancing his own. In 1768, his Majesty 
 established the Royal Academy of Arts, for instructing young men in 
 the principles of architecture, sculpture, and painting. The artists, 
 previous to this, had formed themselves into a society, and many had 
 Attained to a hi^^h degree of excellence. 
 
 The East India Company about this time found a new foe in one Hy- 
 ier Ally, who had raised himself from the rank of a sepoy to that of a 
 sovereign prince, and became a very troublesome enemy to the East 
 India Company ; and in 1769 and the following year the government at 
 home was again disturbed by Mr. Wilkes, who was elected for Middle- 
 sex, though confined in the King's Bench prison. This gave occasion 
 to the passing an Act for regulating the proceedings of the house of 
 commons in controverted elections. By this bill, which was called the 
 Grenville Act, thirteen members were chosen by lot to decide in all 
 such cases. 
 
 The government was censured, about this time, for suffering the 
 French without resistance to take possession of the Island of Corsica, in 
 the Mediterranean. The island had for a time belonged to the Genoese, 
 whose cruelties and exactions had driven the nation to revolt ; but not 
 being able to secure their freedom, they had thrown themselves into the 
 arms of the French. A rupture with Spain, also, concerning an island 
 in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, was with difficulty adjusted. 
 
 About the year 1772, a bill passed both houses, enacting that all the 
 descendants of his late Majesty should be incapable of contracting mar- 
 riage without the previous consent of the king, or his successors on the 
 throne, &c. This Act was proposed in consequence of the king's two 
 brothers, the dukes of Gloucester and Cumberland, having married pri- 
 vately ; and the object for passing such an Act was, to prevent, as much 
 as possible, disputed titles, by keeping the line of succession clear and 
 distinct 
 
 In the session of 1772, a barbarous practice in the criminal law waa 
 
 * For a full detail of particulars respecting this war, see Russell's History of the 
 United States, published by Hogan and Thompson, Philadelphia. 
 
 What led to the war with the American States? — What success attended Lord 
 Chve in India? — When was the Royal Academy established? — What new foe 
 had the East India Company ? — What is meant by the Grenville act ? — What 
 change did Corsica undergo i — What new marriage act passed into a law ? 
 
GEORGE 111. 171 
 
 abolit^hed : before that time, when a felon refused to plead, he was laid 
 upon liis back, and a heavy weifi^ht was placed on his breab-t, whicli was 
 gradually increased till he expired. 
 
 SECTION 6. 
 
 That iniquitous act, the dismemberment of Poland, was perpetrated 
 this year, by the Empress of Russia, the Emperor of Germany, and the 
 King of Prussia. About 1773, very many of the common people, both 
 of Scotland and Ireland, emigrated to America, in consequence, it is 
 said, of their unfeeling landlords raising their rents ; and it has been 
 farther asserted, that these emigrants composed some of the first forces 
 to resist English aggression on the American shores. This same year, 
 government sent out two ships to attempt the discovery of either a north- 
 east or a north-west passage to the East Indies, but they were retarded 
 by the mountains of ice, and returned home without accomplishing their 
 purpose. Four different voyages, also, round the world may be here 
 noticed ; one by Commodore Byron, a second by Captain Wallis, a third 
 by Captain Carteret, and the fourth by Captain Cook, w^ho, in his third 
 voyage, met his death at 0-why-hee,* in a skirmish with the natives. 
 
 In 1775, (April 19th), hostilities first commenced at Lexington, be- 
 tween the king's troops and the Americans ; and the battle of Bunker's 
 Hill shortly followed. A civil war was the result, which, after a con- 
 test of seven years, terminated in the independence of the United 
 States. 
 
 In 1776, one hundred thousand pounds per annum was added to the 
 civil list. We have already noticed that his Majesty had eight hundred 
 thousand pounds per annum granted him at the commencement of his 
 reign ; but that sum not having been found sufficient, the king had now 
 granted him nine hundred thousand pounds, for supporting the charges 
 of his civil government. An extraordinary event occurred in India : 
 the Governor of Madras, Lord Pigot, merely for executing the orders 
 of the directors, was imprisoned by the leading members of the council, 
 and not brooking the indignity, he sickened and died. He left behind 
 him an amiable character, and his death was sincerely lamented. 
 
 The war with America was still going on with doubtful success, the. 
 British forces under General Howe, and the Americans under General 
 Washington, when General Burgoyne, who commanded the British army 
 in Canada, resolved to encounter the American forces in New England : 
 for this purpose he crossed lake Champlain, and reduced the Fort of Ti- 
 conderoga, but, on his arrival at Saratoga, his army was captured by 
 the Americans, under the generals Gates and Arnold. During this war, 
 a person under the assumed name of Jack the Painter set fire to the 
 rope-house at Portsmouth, and to a street called Quay -lane, in Bristol ; 
 and he had formed a plan to destroy all the docks and shipping in the 
 
 *()ne of the Sandwich Isles in the Great Pacific Ocean, now called Hawaii. 
 
 By what powers was Poland dismembered J — What circumnavigators are men- 
 tioned ? — When did hostilities first commence in America? — What occurred to 
 Lord Pigot, governor of Madras ? — By whom was General Burgoyne captured ? 
 
172 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 country, but he was timely arrested, tried, and hung in chains. Not 
 long after, the famous Captain John Paul Jones landed at Whitehaven, 
 burnt a ship in the harbour, and even attempted to burn the town. 
 
 In the year 1778, the French openly declared in favour of the Ame- 
 ricans, the independence of whom they acknowledged and guaranteed. 
 A war between England and France was the consequence. Fleets 
 were accordingly fitted out on both sides. A running fight, but no de- 
 cisive action, took place between D'Orvilliers, who commanded the 
 French squadron, and Admiral Keppel, who conducted the English. 
 
 This year died William Pitt, Earl of Chatham : as an orator and a 
 statesman, he was the pride and boast of the English nation ; and, as a 
 mark of public gratitude for his eminent services, the parliament granted 
 the sum of twenty thousand pounds for the discharge of his debts, and 
 an annuity of four thousand pounds was settled upon his successor to 
 the earldom. A monument in Westminster Abbey was erected to his 
 memory. 
 
 In 1779, the King of Spain acknowledged the independence of the 
 American colonies, and his fleet, uniting with that of France, became 
 formidable to Great Britain. From the commencement of hostilities 
 with Spain, the fortress of Gibraltar had been closely invested, and the 
 defence of the place, under General Elliott, displayed a scene of uncom- 
 mon bravery and success. The works they from time to time erected 
 he levelled to the ground ; and their last attempt with their floating bat- 
 teries, which they deemed bomb-proof, he overwhelmed by firing red- 
 hot balls into them. The Spaniards, though failing in this attempt, 
 took the island of Minorca and the State of West Florida. In the year 
 following, Admiral Rodney set sail with a squadron for Gibraltar, and 
 in his way took a rich convoy of Spanish men-of-war, capturing the Admi- 
 ral Don Langara's ship, and three other ships of the line. Some months 
 afler, he fought a most obstinate battle with a superior French fleet, in 
 the West Indies, and two years afterwards he obtained a glorious 
 victory, near Jamaica, over another French fleet, commanded by the 
 Count de Grasse ; taking the admiral's own ship, the Ville de Paris, of 
 110 guns, and several others. For these valorous deeds he was raised 
 to the peerage. 
 
 The year 1780 was distinguished by some domestic disturbances. The 
 parliament having granted some indulgences to the Roman Catholics, a 
 riotous mob, led on by Lord George Gordon, assembled in St. George's 
 Fields, in order to petition parliament against these indulgences ; after 
 which they proceeded to commit the most horrible devastations. They 
 burnt the prisons of the Fleet, Newgate, and the King's Bench, the Ro- 
 man Catholic chapels, and many private mansions. They were going 
 to make an attempt on the Bank, but were happily opposed by a body 
 of citizens and by the regular troops, who w^ere now called in. About 
 tw^o hundred and twenty of the ringleaders were killed or dangerously 
 wounded. Lord George was afterwards tried for having collected this 
 
 When did the French declare for the Americans? — What great statesman died 
 this year ? — Relate the Spanish attack on Gibraltar. — What damages occurred in 
 Lord George Gordon's riot ? 
 
GEORGE III. 173 
 
 ^sembly ; but as he was actuate:] merely by religious prejudices, and 
 iiad never encouraged the mob to proceed to outrage, he was acquitted. 
 
 In 1781, a war with the Dutch commenced, which led to a desperate 
 engagement off the Dogger-bank, between a small squadron of English 
 ships, under Admiral Hyde Parker, and a like squadron of Dutch ships, 
 under Admiral Zoutman. This year was fatal to the British forces in 
 America. Lord Cornwallis threw himself into York Town, in Virginia, 
 and was presently invested by General Washington by land, and by a 
 French fleet which occupied the Chesapeake ; and after a short and in- 
 effectual struggle, nothing remained to the British general but to nego- 
 tiate terms of capitulation. This surrender of York Town was the 
 virtual termination of the war ; for when the news of this disaster ar- 
 rived in England, the public voice was loud against carrying on the 
 contest. Lord North, however, was still desirous of its continuance, till 
 he was outvoted in the house of commons. 
 
 This led to a change in the government. The old ministry were 
 dismissed, and a new one appointed. The Marquis of Rockingham was 
 made first lord of the treasury ; Lord John Cavendish, chancellor of the 
 exchequer ; Mr. Fox and Lord Shelburne, secretaries of state ; and the 
 Duke of Richmond, master-general of the ordnance. The prelimina- 
 ries of peace were scarcely entered into, when the death of the mar- 
 quis occasioned a change in the ministry. He was succeeded by the 
 Earl of Shelburne. This appointment gave offence to Mr. Fox and 
 several other gentlemen, who resigned their places. In 1783, these in 
 their turn yielded to the superior influence of Mr. Fox and Lord Nortli, 
 who, though of different political sentiments, now formed a coalition, 
 and finished those terms of peace which acknowledged the indepen- 
 dence of the United States. 
 
 The next object that attracted public attention was Mr. Fox's famous 
 East India Bill, which, however suitable for counteracting misrule and 
 peculation in that distant region, met at home with much discounte- 
 nance. It was carried, however, through the lower house by a great 
 majority, but in the upper house it was rejected. On the following 
 night the ministry were dismissed, and Mr. Pitt was appointed first 
 lord of the treasury. As this appointment met at first with much oppo- 
 sition from Mr. Fox's party, the parliament was dissolved in March, 
 1784, and the new parliament discovered a considerable majority on the 
 side of the minister. Mr. Pitt now brought forward his India Bill, 
 which passed with little opposition. 
 
 The attention of parliament and of the public was next called to a 
 great question of reform in the representation of the people. The pur- 
 port of the bill was to transfer from certain decayed boroughs the power 
 of election, to towns of greater consequence ; not by compulsory means, 
 but as an option of choice : but Mr. Pitt's proposition was negatived by 
 
 What defeat, in 1781, did the British forces sustain in America? — What changes 
 in the government now took place ? — What was the fate of Mr. Fox's East India 
 Bill ? — And what of Mr. Pitt's ?— What plan of reform was proposed ? — and with 
 what success ? 
 15* 
 
174 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 a considerable majority. Laws were also made for the restoration of 
 the Scotch titles which had been forfeited in the rebellion. 
 
 SECTION 7. 
 
 The month of August, 1786, was remarkable for an insane attempt 
 on the king's life, by one Margaret Nicholson, as his Majesty was 
 alighting from his carriage at the gate of St. James's Palace. While 
 the king was receiving her memorial, she struck a knife at his breast. 
 The king's attendants arrested her arm and wrenched the instrument 
 from her hand. His Majesty, with great presence of mind, exclaimed, 
 " I have received no injury, do not hurt the woman : the poor creature 
 appears to be insane." She was taken into custody, and after due ex- 
 amination sent to Bethlehem Hospital. 
 
 It was about this time that the plan was suggested by government 
 for establishing a colony, by the transportation of convicts to New Hol- 
 land. How ably and perseveringly it has been carried into effect, is 
 now generally known. In 1787, Warren Hastings, late governor of 
 the English settlements in the East Indies, w^as accused of high crimes 
 and misdemeanors. The subject was brought forward in the house of 
 commons by Mr. Burke, Mr. Sheridan, and others, who impeached him. 
 
 A disturbance in the United Provinces of Holland, between the Stadt- 
 holder and a refractory portion of his subjects, claimed the attention of 
 the English government. The malcontents had likewise treated the 
 Princess of Orange, consort of the Stadtholder, with great indignity. 
 She was sister to the King of Prussia, and that monarch took instant 
 measures to enforce his demand of satisfaction for the insult offered; 
 and the rapid success of the Prussian troops, conducted by the Duke of 
 Brunswick, obtained the reparation demanded, and re-established the 
 tranquillity of the government. 
 
 In 1788 died at Rome, Charles Stuart, who headed the rebellion in 
 1745. He was commonly known on the continent as the Chevalier de 
 St. George, and in England as the yoimg Pretender. It may be worthy 
 of remark that exactly a century had elapsed, from the abdication of 
 James to the death of the chevalier, the last hopeful branch of the 
 Stuart race. The centenary of the revolution in 1688 was this year 
 observed on the 5th of Novem.ber, in nearly all parts of the kingdom, 
 with festivity and gratulation. 
 
 His Majesty, in the month of November this year, 1788, was so se- 
 verely indisposed by a mental affliction as not to be able to perform his 
 executive functions, and after strenuous debates, the Prince of Wales 
 was proposed as regent during his majesty's indisposition, but with very 
 limited powers ; he could not confer peerages, nor grant pensions nor 
 salaries for life. The care of the king's person was committed to the 
 queen, and for her assistance a council was appointed. These arrange- 
 
 What maniac made an attempt on the king's life ? — What new settlement was 
 chosen for convicts? — By whom and when was Warren Hastings impeached? — 
 What disturbance occurred in Holland ? — What remarkable person died at Rome ?— 
 By what malady was the king afflicted in November, 1788 ? 
 
GEORGE III. 175 
 
 ments had scarcely been completed, when, on the 10th of March fol- 
 lowing, his Majesty's recovery was announced to botli houses of parlia- 
 ment ; and the 22<:1 of April was observed as a day of thanksgiving for 
 his recovery. The king, attended by the whole royal family, went to 
 St. Paul's cathedral in state, amidst the acclamations of the populace. 
 It was succeeded the same evening by a splendid illumination. 
 
 In the month of July, 1789, a most unexpected revolution took place 
 in France ; the result, perhaps, of concurring causes — a court corrupt 
 and profligate ; a literati whose philosophy was hostile to the sublimest 
 truths of religion ; a noblesse whose excessive pride and insolence galled 
 the middle orders ; and a clergy, many of whose lives had shaken the 
 general reverence for religion. The more immediate cause was the 
 (lisordered and embarrassed state of the French finances, which induced 
 the court to assemble a national council at Versailles, to replenish the 
 treasury. In that assembly the commons were thought to assume too 
 much power, and the king ordered some regiments to advance towards 
 the capital. The populace, excited by the democrats, rose, committed 
 great outrages, and demolished the fortress termed the Bastile. The 
 king was obliged to transfer the assembly to Paris, where the mob was 
 at the devotion of the democrats. The property of the church was trans- 
 ferred to the nation. The privileges of the nobility and clergy were 
 soon abolished ; and the king was compelled to assent to every thing. 
 This constitution soon surrendered its sway to another, which proved 
 more fatal to royalty, by causing the deposition and imprisonment of 
 the king, exposed to the brutal triumph of his relentless enemies. 
 
 In 1790, there arose a dispute between Spain and Great Britain, re- 
 specting certam alleged aggressions upon British sailors, and the capture 
 of two English merchant-ships, by a Spanish officer at Nootka-Sound, on 
 the north-west coast of America. The British government demanded 
 satisfaction for the aggression from the court of Spain, but that court in- 
 stead of acquiescing, asserted its claim to an exclusive right of sove- 
 reignty in those territories, as a grant from the pope. And not till En- 
 gland had prepared an immense armament, at the cost of nearly three 
 millions sterling, did the Catholic king comply with her demands ; 
 namely, — to restore whatever had been taken — to make ample compen- 
 sation for all losses, with free settlement, commerce, &c. 
 
 At this period the British possessions in the East were disturbed by 
 Tippoo Saib, the son and successor of Hyder Ally. After two years' 
 liostilities Lord Cornwallis, in 1792, completely invested Seringapatam, 
 the sultan's capital ; and he was compelled to submit to humiliating 
 terms of peace. It was in 1792 that Mr. Fox introduced his bill Yy 
 which the trial by jury was invested with an important right, jurors be- 
 ing declared judges both of the law and of the fact. And this was the 
 memorable year when a bill was brought in, on the motion of Mr. Wil- 
 l)erforce, to prohibit the further importation of slaves. The bill was 
 
 What revolution commenced in July, 1789? — How was the Spanish quarre. at 
 Nootka-Scund settled ? — What occurred at Seringapatam ? — What bill was inlro- 
 duced b) Mr. Fox ? — Was not a bill introduced for the non-importation of slaves ? — 
 and by whom ? 
 
176 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 lost by a minority of seventy-five. A bill was also passed in favour of 
 the English Catholics, who had entered into a protest against the uni- 
 versal supremacy of the pope ; they were released from certain pains 
 and penalties under which they had laboured. To the colonies of Up- 
 per and Lower Canada were now appointed legislative assemblies of 
 their own. 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1793, the Jacobins of France brought 
 their unhappy king to trial, and judicially murdered him. And in Octo- 
 ber following, the public were sensibly affected by the execution of the 
 queen. These iniquitous acts were follow^ed by a declaration of war 
 against the kings of England and Spain, and the Stadtholder of Hol- 
 land. For the restoration of the crown of France, a confederacy had 
 been entered into by the German empire and Russia. Great Britain 
 now joined this confederacy ; and British troops, under the command of 
 the Duke of York, joined the allied army. The English failed in an 
 attack on Dunkirk ; but, aided by Spain and Naples, the English fleet 
 took possession of Toulon ; they were forced, however, to abandon it. 
 In 1794, in consequence of the French threatening to invade Great 
 Britain, great exertions v/ere made to put the country in a state of de- 
 fence, and voluntary military associations were everywhere raised. 
 Earl Howe, on the 2d of .Tune, obtained a signal victory over the French 
 fleet ; and the year afler. Lord Bridport won a naval battle at port 
 rOrient. Both in the East and West Indies the British forces had been 
 successful. The Corsicans placed themselves under the king of Eng- 
 land ; an alliance of no long continuance. 
 
 SECTION 8. 
 
 On the 8th of April 1795, the marriage of the Prince of Wales with 
 Caroline, daughter of the duke of Brunswick, and niece of his majesty, 
 took place. In the following year, an insurrection breaking out in the 
 United Provinces, the stadtholder and his family took refuge in Eng- 
 land, and Hampton Court w^as assigned for their residence. The people 
 of Holland became, under the name of allies, the subjects of France, 
 and experienced, in consequence, much of that domineering exaction 
 which so oflen is the lot of the weaker party in such a relation. 
 Oil December 5, 1796, the patriotism as well as the opulence of 
 Great Britain were evinced, by a loan of eighteen millions sterling 
 being raised for government, by voluntary subscriptions, in fifteen hours 
 and twenty minutes. In 1797, the Bank of England was restrained by 
 act of parliament from making its payments in specie ; and notes of one, 
 two, and five pounds were issued. This year a victory was obtained 
 over the Spanish fleet, off Cape St. Vincent, by admiral Sir .John Jervis, 
 v/ho was in consequence created earl of St. Vincent. But the bright 
 naval prospects were for a short time clouded by a mutiny which broke 
 out among the seamen of the channel fleet, lying at Spithead. They 
 deprived the officers of the command of the ships, and even threatened 
 
 What befel ihe king and queen of France, in 1793? — Whom did the Prince ot 
 Wales marry? — What occurred in Holland? — What loan was raised? — What 
 victfyry was achieved ? 
 
GEORGE III. 177 
 
 some of them with the loss of their lives. Their chief object of revolt 
 was an increase of pay ; which being" considered by government not 
 altogether unreasonable, was complied with, and order and discipline 
 were re-established. Shortly after, another tumult broke out among 
 some ships at Sheerness. New and extravagant demands were made, 
 which government resisted, and vigorous measures were taken to reduce 
 the mutineers to their duty. Many of the ringleaders were hanged. 
 
 This stigma on the character of British seamen was soon wiped away 
 by a splendid victory over the Dutch fleet off the Texel, by admiral 
 Duncan, who captured nine of their largest ships and two admirals. 
 For this great achievement the admiral was raised to the peerage, with 
 the title of viscount. Three such glorious victories, under Howe, Jer- 
 vis, and Duncan, were succeeded by a day of solemn thanksgiving; and 
 their majesties, accompanied by the members of both houses of parlia- 
 ment, attended its celebration in St. Paul's cathedral. A third attempt 
 at negotiation for peace was set on foot at Lisle ; but, after long pro- 
 tracted conferences, nothing was eftected, and lord Malmsbury returned 
 to England. 
 
 In 1798, admiral Nelson obtained a splendid victory over the French 
 fleet on the coast of Egypt, in which nine sail of the line were taken, 
 and others either burnt or blown up in the action : two only of the French 
 fleet escaped. For this important service the admiral was created Ba- 
 ron Nelson of the Nile, and the king of Naples conferred on him the 
 title of the Duke of Bronte. This year a dangerous conspiracy mani- 
 fested itself in Ireland, and acts of open rebellion were committed in 
 the counties of Naas, Meath, Kildare, and Dublin. These commotions 
 continued till September, when about seven or eight hundred French 
 troops, which had landed in its favour, surrendered. In 1799, an un- 
 successful attempt was made on Holland by the Duke of York ; but in 
 India, Tippoo, sovereign of Mysore, lost his life and his kingdom. • Se- 
 ringapatam, his capital, was captured by general Harris, and immense 
 treasures were found in the palace. 
 
 The question of a union between Great Britain and Ireland was re- 
 vived in January, 1800, and after much opposition, it was ratified by the 
 parliaments of both kingdoms, and passed into a law by royal assent. 
 In 1801, Bonaparte succeeded in uniting Denmark, Sweden, Prussia, 
 and Russia in an armed neutrality, that is, they were to arm themselves 
 at sea against the right of search. The British government sent nego- 
 tiators to Copenhagen, accompanied by a strong fleet under admiral Sir 
 Hyde Parker, together with vice-admiral Lord Nelson and rear-admiral 
 Graves ; the attack was commenced by Lord Nelson with twelve ships 
 of the line, together with frigates, bombs, fire-ships and small vessels, 
 upon the Danish navy, which was supported by the batteries ; when, 
 after an engagement of four hours, seventeen sail of the line, nearly 
 the whole of the Danish fleet that could be brought into action, were 
 
 What victory did Admiral Duncan gain over the Dutch ? — For what victory 
 was Nelson created duke of Bronte? — What conspiracy occurred in Ireland? — 
 What occurred to Tippoo ? — When occurred the union between Great Britain and 
 Ireland ? — What occurred at Copenhagen ? 
 
178 HISTORY OF EIS'GLAKD. 
 
 cither sunk, burnt, or taken. At this juncture news arrived of the era- 
 ])eror of Russia's death ; the armed neutrality was abandoned, and the 
 confederacy dissolved. 
 
 The French, having now been so far successful as to detach from 
 England all her allies except Portugal, prepared to attack that kingdom 
 also. Great Britain prepared for an attack of the French forces in 
 Egypt, which at that time amounted to about thirty thousand men. On 
 the 2d of March, 1801, the British army, consisting of from seventeen 
 to eighteen thousand, under Sir Ralph Abercrombie, arrived off Aboukir. 
 The landing of the troops took place under the direction of Captain 
 Cochrane and Sir Sidney Smith, in which they met with incessant op- 
 position and much loss, which they sustained w^ith the utmost bravery. 
 The general action took place on the 20th of March, in which the Brit- 
 ish were victorious ; but the glories of the day were clouded by the loss 
 of their brave general. Sir Ralph Abercrombie. Major-general Hutch- 
 inson succeeded to the command. Cairo next surrendered, and soon 
 after Alexandria, which led to the evacuation of Egypt by the French. 
 
 During this period. Great Britain was threatened with an invasion, 
 and troops were stationed along the frontier towns of France and Hol- 
 land, ready to be embarked, and vessels and flat-bottomed boats were 
 stationed on the coast for their conveyance. The British, instead of 
 waiting the attack, were determuied to act on the offensive ; and a flo- 
 tilla, under the orders of Lord Nelson, was sent to destroy them in their 
 harbours. After two surprisingly bold, but unsuccessful efforts, Lord 
 Nelson returned, leaving a sufficient force to cruise on the French coast. 
 A mutual desire of peace seemed to be manifest among the belligerents, 
 and Mr. Pitt, that he might be no obstacle to the deed, resigned his office 
 of first lord of the treasury and chancellor of the exchequer, and was 
 succeeded by Mr. Addington, (late speaker of the house,) under whose 
 administration a negotiation for peace commenced, which was concluded 
 at Amiens on the 27th of March, 1802 ; and on the 29th of April, peace 
 was proclaimed in London. 
 
 The blessings of peace, however, were not of long duration. Bona- 
 parte was now declared chief consul for life. He restored the Catholic 
 religion, and gave new constitutions to France, Genoa, and Switzerland. 
 A force was sent by France to St. Domingo, where Toussaint I'Ouver- 
 ture, a negro, had erected a republic. That chief was treacherously 
 seized and sent to France ; but the French were unable fully to recover 
 the island. Its power was ultimately overthrown, and Dessalines was 
 made chief of the republic. 
 
 Disputes arose between France and England respecting the fulfilment 
 of the treaty of Amiens. The French government imposed severe re- 
 strictions on British commerce, and refused to restore some vessels cap- 
 tured in India. The annexation to France of Piedmont, Parma, and 
 other Italian States, together with the subjugation of the Swiss can- 
 tons, in direct violation of the treaty of Luneville, and the possession 
 
 What action took place in Egypt? and what brave General fell there ? — Where 
 and when were the negotiations for peace signed ? — What title did Bonaparte 
 assume ? — What disputes arose between France and England ? 
 
{ 179 ) 
 
GEORGE III. 181 
 
 of Malta, became also subjects of contention ; while the navies both of 
 Spain and Holland being held by the first consul, and the equipments 
 preparing in the French and Dutch ports, created doubt and suspicion 
 respecting the designs of Bonaparte. 
 
 SECTION 9. 
 
 After a protracted correspondence had been carried on between the 
 courts of Paris and London, relative to the objects of dispute, an inter- 
 view took place between the chief consul and Lord Wbitworth, the 
 English ambassador, in which Bonaparte treated his lordship with so 
 much indignity, that he instantly returned to England, and the British 
 government prepared for war. The public feeling in Great Britain 
 was very strong against France, and the ministry had little difficulty in 
 procuring the most ample supplies. The militia were embodied, an army 
 of reserve was raised, letters of marque and reprisal were issued, vo- 
 lunteer associations were formed, and in many of the principal towns 
 vast subscriptions were raised. On the coast of France immense prepar- 
 ations were made for the invasion of England, — an army of three hun- 
 dred thousand men was prepared, with vessels of a^suitable construction 
 to waft them across the Channel ; but with what prospect of success 
 could they approach a navy that could cope with the world, — a people 
 animated but with one impulse, and a nation of volunteers in arms 1 
 The French consul must have seen its impracticability, and his rage 
 exhausted itself in empty menaces. 
 
 The electorate of Hanover, however, was overrun and plundered by 
 the French ; but in order to annoy them as much as possible, the Elbe 
 and the Weser were blockaded by British ships. Several French ports 
 were also blockaded, and the French islands of Tobago, the Dutch 
 islands of Demerara, Essequibo, together with St. Lucia and others ; 
 these, with the settlements of Berbice on the coast of South America, 
 yielded to the British naval force. 
 
 During this and the previous year, one Colonel Despard, who had 
 previousfy, as a meritorious officer, performed some military exploits, 
 held secret communication with the French government, and entered 
 into treasonable correspondence against his country and his king. To 
 his proselytes, who were numerous, he administered a secret oath, and 
 held out the promise, when his revolution was effected, of high posts and 
 military rank : but, ere the plot was ripe, Despard and twelve of the 
 conspirators were arrested and convicted. Six, with their leader, were 
 executed; some received the King's pardon. In Ireland, also, were 
 seen the emissaries of insurrection, which led to the perpetration of 
 cold-blooded murder and sanguinary contests, but the rebellion was 
 completely quelled by the military. Many of the offenders were tried : 
 fortunately, the victims were but few. 
 
 In May 1804, a change in the administration took place. Mr. Ad- 
 dington retired from office, and was raised to the peerage, with the title 
 
 What led to a fresh rupture with France ? — What electorate was overrun by the 
 French ? — What colonel secretly corresponded with the French government ? 
 16 
 
182 HISTORY OF Ej^TGLAND. 
 
 of Viscount Sidmouth ; Mr. Pitt resumed his formei office, and formed 
 a new administration. Government having received mtelligence that 
 Spain (though not at v/ar with Great Britain) had engaged to aid the 
 French by a supply of fifteen sail of the line, and upwards of twenty 
 thousand men, and no satisfactory reply being given to the British am- 
 bassador, the ministry sent out a squadron of British frigates to encoun- 
 ter four large Spanish siiips that were returning from America loaded 
 with treasure. Two of the ships were captured, a third blew up. 
 Spain now declared war. A bill was passed this year, to empower the 
 Bank of England to issue dollars as five shilling tokens, afler being re- 
 stamped with a suitable impression. 
 
 In the course of the present year, 1804, Bonaparte assumed an impe- 
 rial diadem, with the title of " Emperor of France." He compelled the 
 pope to sanction the coronation with his presence. And at the com- 
 mencement of 1803, he transmitted to the English court proposals for 
 peace. His Britannic Majesty, in reply, declined the discussion unless in 
 conjunction with his allies. In the month of April, Mr. Whitbread brought 
 forward his motion against Lord Melville, as having connived at a gross 
 misapplication of the government money. In June following, his im- 
 peachment was carried in the house of commons, when the trial came- 
 on in Westminster Hall, and on the seventeenth day of trial, the vis- 
 count was acquitted by a great majority. 
 
 Lord Nelson was appointed to the command of a fleet of twenty-se- 
 ven ships, to watch the harbour of Cadiz, where the French and Span- 
 ish fleets were lying. The French had eighteen ships under Admiral 
 Villeneuve, and the Spaniards fifl:een under Admiral Gravina. On the 
 21st of October they appeared off Trafalgar, presenting a line of thirty- 
 three ships ; — the British hero, with the twenty seven under his com- 
 mand, approached to the conflict. He commanded the fleet to bear up 
 in two columns, issuing the signal, " England expects every man to do 
 his duty." Lord Nelson, in the Victory, commanded the windward co- 
 lumn; Rear-Admiral Collingwood the leeward column, in the Royal 
 Sovereign. Nelson caused his ship to be placed alongside his old ac- 
 quaintance, the Santissima Trinidad. The leading ships of the columns 
 broke through the enemies' lines; the others following the example, 
 broke through in all parts, and engaged the enemy at the muzzle of 
 their guns. This tremendous conflict lasted for three hours, when many 
 of the enemy's ships having struck, their line gave way a.nd the victory 
 became decisive. Nineteen sail of the line, of which tv»'o were first- 
 rates, with Villeneuve and two other flag-officers, were taken, namely, 
 Don D'Avila, vice-admiral, and the Spanish rear-admiral, Don B. H. 
 Cisneros. The other ships with Admiral Gravina, for the present 
 escaped ; but four of them were afterwards captured off Ferrol by 
 Sir Richard Strachan, and carried to a British port. Thus at one blow 
 was the enemies' marine almost annihilated, and Napoleon's boasted 
 visions of ships, colonies, and commerce, were dissolved in air. 
 
 Did not changes take place in the administration ? — What dignity did Bonaparte 
 assume ? — Relate the splendid victory achieved by Nelson. 
 
GEORGE 111. 183 
 
 SECTION 10. 
 
 Tliis splendid victory was, however, dearly purchased, by the death 
 of the gallant commander, who, about the middle of the action, received 
 a musket-ball in his left breast, and an hour afterwards expired. In 
 January 1806, the remains of Lord Nelson lay in state in the Hall at 
 Greenwich Hospital. His interment took place on the 9th, at St. Paul's 
 Cathedral, accompanied by a procession more splendid than had ever 
 been witnessed in England. On the 23d of this month, died that great 
 statesman, the Right Honourable William Pitt, in the forty-seventh 
 year of his age. He had held the first offices of state, with short inter- 
 mission, for about twenty-three years. An unremitted attention to bu 
 siness, and the unfortunate events of the war, caused excessive anxiety, 
 which superinduced extreme debility and accelerated his death. A 
 public funeral was decreed him, which was solemnized on the 22d of 
 February, in Westminster Abbey. A monument was erected to his 
 memory. 
 
 This year is also memorable for the final abolition of the slave-trade. 
 The measure was brought in by the Right Hon. Charles James Fox, 
 secretary of state, and passed through both houses by a great majority, 
 about the middle of June ; and on the 23d September following, this 
 great statesman, who had been for some time seriously indisposed, 
 died at Chiswick, in the fifty-ninth year of his age. His remains were 
 deposited with great solemity in Westminster Abbey, near to the grave 
 of Pitt. 
 
 In the beginning of this year, a bill, called the " Catholic Bill," was 
 introduced for the relief of Roman Catholics, enabling them to hold 
 places of trust under government, and though it had passed both houses 
 of parliament, the King declaring that his coronation oath did not allow 
 him to sign it, refiised his assent. He asked fi*om his ministers also, a 
 solemn pledge, that in case they continued in office, they would in fu- 
 ture abandon the measure. This they refused ; and on the resignation 
 of Lord Erskine and the other ministers, a new administration was 
 formed. Lord Eldon was created lord-chancellor; Spencer Percival, 
 Esq., chancellor of the exchequer ; the Duke of Portland, first lord of 
 the treasury, &c. 
 
 The French having previously invaded Naples, Joseph Bonaparte was 
 placed on the throne of that country. Holland was also made a king- 
 dom for Louis Bonaparte. At Berlin, Bonaparte declared the British 
 isles in a state of blockade, and, by what he vauntingly called the con- 
 tinental system, he prohibited all intercourse with them. The war was 
 renewed in the north, and a desperate, but indecisive battle, was fought 
 at Prussian Eylau. Dantzig was taken by Lefevre. The Russians 
 sustained a defeat at Friedland with great slaughter ; which was fol- 
 lowed by the capture of Konigsburg, and the treaty of Tilsit, on the 
 
 Describe the funeral of Lord'Nelson.— What great statesman died this year ?— 
 What abolition bill now passed? — To what biU did the King refuse his assent? — 
 What new kings were made ? — What followed I 
 
184 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 8th of July, 1807, between Bonaparte and the Emperor of Russia. This 
 interview took place on a raft constructed on the river Niemen, where 
 tents were prepared for their reception. This treaty deprived the King 
 of Prussia of one-third of his dominions, and erected the kingdom of 
 Westphalia for Jerome Bonaparte. 
 
 An expedition little creditable to Britain was sent out against Den- 
 mark, a ix)wer with whom she was at peace ; but the British ministry, 
 alleging that the French ruler designed to possess himself of the naval 
 force of Denmark and turn it against them, sent out an expedition in 
 order to attack Copenhagen, and obtain possession of the Danish fleet. 
 By this enterprise was obtained the surrender of the w^hole fleet, consist- 
 ing of eighteen ships of the line, besides frigates, brigs, and gun-boats. 
 
 The demands made by France in 1808, on the Regent of Portugal, 
 were so unjust, that the prince, at the desire and under the protection 
 of the British cabinet, departed for the Brazils. Bonaparte had required 
 that court to shut her ports against the English ; a demand which, on 
 account of their long commercial alliance with England, they hesitated 
 to comply with. Bonaparte next insisted that British merchants should 
 be imprisoned, and that their property should be confiscated. Junot, 
 the French general, entered Portugal; and Loison occupied Oporto 
 with a garrison of three hundred men. The Portuguese, enraged at 
 the treachery of Junot, took up arms and expelled Loison. A pow^erful 
 force was sent to Portugal, under the command of Sir Arthur Welles- 
 ley, to aid the people in their resistance of the French invasion. 
 
 In 1810, the temporary cessation of hostilities with Austria enabled 
 Bonaparte to forward additional forces into Spain ; but the Guerilla 
 bands, by intercepting convoys, were almost as formidable to the French 
 troops as a regular army. But the appearance of the British troops 
 in Portugal became fatal to the French. Lord Wellington, afler de- 
 feating the enemy under Massena at Busaco, retired on the 10th of Oc- 
 tober, into the impregnable lines of Torres Vedras. The French mar- 
 shal, though he felt convinced that it was utterly insurmountable to 
 him, yet placed his troops in bivouac before it. By the end of February, 
 1811, Massena's means of subsistence were wholly exhausted ; and, 
 learning soon afler, that English reinforcements had landed, he began 
 his retrograde march towards Spain ; in the conduct of which he dis- 
 played his great military skill, but he was guilty of the most wanton 
 and sytematic cruelty ; or, in the words of Lord Wellington, " a bar- 
 barity seldom equalled, and never surpassed." 
 
 SECTION 11. 
 
 This year was fatal to the Princess Amelia, the king's favourite 
 daughter, which brought on a return of his Majesty's malady. The 
 remainder of his days was spent in a total incapacity for government, 
 
 By whom was the treaty of Tilsit formed ? — Who conducted the expedition to 
 Denmark ? — What occurrences happened in Portugal ? — Relate the success of the 
 English forces in Portugal. — What effect had the Princess Amelia's death on the 
 king ? 
 
GEORGE III. 185 
 
 and tliC Prince of Wales was appointed Regent ; but at first under some 
 restrictions, which were subsequently removed. Massena met with a 
 severe repulse in attacking the English at Fuentes de Ilonore. His 
 ill success led to his being recalled, and Marmont was appointed, who 
 proved not a more successful warrior than his predecessor. This was 
 evinced by his defeat at the important battle of Salamanca, in which 
 the French lost, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, nearly treble the 
 number of the English. In 1812, Mr. Percival, the premier, was assas- 
 sinated in the lobby of the house of commons by one Bellingliam. Lord 
 Liverpool w^as in consequence appointed first lord of the treasury, and 
 Mr. Vansittart chancellor of the exchequer. 
 
 Wellington, who was created an earl, pursued his successes, and took 
 possession of Madrid. Relying on Spanish co-operation, but not re- 
 ceiving it, he retired to the north of Spain and the frontiers of Portugal. 
 Bonaparte was at this time preparing for a war with Russia. He collect- 
 ed an immense army, and forced his way to Borodino, on the Moskwa, 
 where, in a most sanguinary battle of three successive days, the Rus- 
 sians were out-manoeuvred, and the French pushed on to Moscow. The 
 Russians, to deprive the French army of supplies, formed the extraor- 
 dinary resolution of sacrificing their ancient capital by setting it on fire, 
 by which the greater part was consumed. 
 
 Disappointed of resources for the army, the French began their pre- 
 cipitate retreat to France, through an enemy's country, destitute of 
 provisions, and exposed to all the horrors of a northern winter, in which 
 three hundred thousand of Bonaparte's troops fell victims. These re- 
 verses led to the combination of all the European powers against France ; 
 and the year following, their united forces gained a decisive victory 
 over those of the French at Leipsic, and Napoleon's army was driven 
 across the Rhine. In the early part of the year 1814, the allied armies 
 advanced into the heart of France, and in spite of the emperor's skill 
 in manoeuvring his forces, the Austrians and Prussians possessed them- 
 selves of Paris. This led to Bonaparte's abdication on the 6th of April, 
 his retirement to the isle of Elba, and the recalling of Louis XVIII. to 
 the throne of his ancestors. 
 
 While these important events were occurring in France, Lord Wel- 
 lington was pursuing his successes in the peninsula. In .Tune, 1813, 
 he defeated the forces of Joseph Bonaparte at Vittoria ; and he reduced 
 '■ the fortresses of St. Sebastian and Pampeluna. In October he crossed 
 .the Bidassoa, and defeated Soult's army on the Nivelle, and again at 
 r Orthes, and then occupied Bordeaux. Soult led his army to Toulouse : 
 ■ Lord Wellington followed, and was there completing his victory when 
 "the news arrived of the allies entering Paris and that the war was at 
 an end. 
 
 On the return of peace, the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prus- 
 sia, together with many distinguished foreigners, visited England, and 
 were received with the most flattering attentions. 
 
 Relate the victory at Salamanca? — What did Lord Wellington gain in Spain? — 
 What capital was burned? — What reverses did Bonaparte experience? — ^To what 
 isle was Bonaparte consigned ? — What battles did Lord Wellington gain in Franco 
 J6* 
 
186 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Commercial disputes, the impressment of American seamen, and tho 
 capture of American vessels, under the orders in Council which forbade 
 the intercourse of neutral nations with France, had led to a serious mis- 
 anderstanding between the governments of Great Britain and the United 
 States. On the 18th of June, 1812, the latter power declared war 
 against the former, which was carried on with various success on both 
 eides till it terminated with the battle of New-Orleans, January 8th, 
 1815. Duimg the continuance of hostilities, the Americans failed in 
 their attempts to conquer Canada ; but they bravely defended their own 
 soil, and in a great number of actions at sea proved their superiority of 
 discipline, by capturing, with one or two exceptions, every British frigate 
 or man-of war which they encountered, when the superiority of num- 
 bers and weight of metal was not greatly in favour of their enemies.* 
 
 In the year 1815, w^hile ambassadors were assembled at Vienna to 
 adjust the claims of the European powers, the world was astounded by 
 the report of Bonaparte's escape from his exile at Elba and landing in 
 France. The French army espoused his cause. Louis made a precipi- 
 tate retreat to Lisle, and the usurper again ascended the throne of 
 France. The allied sovereigns had again to re-assemble their forces, 
 preparatory to a second invasion. They met in Belgium, where Bona- 
 parte with his forces had advanced to dispute with them once more the 
 fate of empire. The French commenced their attack on the Prussians, 
 before the allies could assemble their forces. Blucher was defeated, 
 and forced to retire from Ligny : Wellington, on the 16th of June, 
 fought with the enemy at Quatre-bras, which seemed to afford the 
 French hopes of success. But nothing could long withstand the cou- 
 rage and unshaken firmness of the English. The 18th of June was the 
 ever-memorable day of the splendid victory of Waterloo, which decided 
 the fate of many nations. After a day of the most sanguinary fighting, 
 the French army was irrecoverably routed, and fled from the field in 
 the greatest confusion. Never w^as the characteristic firmness of British 
 soldiers more strikingly displayed. Bonaparte once more abdicated the 
 throne, fled to the sea-coast, and, finding his escape by sea cut off by 
 English ships, surrendered himself to Captain Maitland, of the Belle- 
 rophon. The place appointed for his future residence was the island 
 of St. Helena, where he was closely guarded till his death, which hap- 
 pened in May, 1821. 
 
 This year, 1816, the marriage of the Princess Charlotte of Wales 
 with Leopold, Prince of Saxe Cobourg, w^as celebrated ; and that of the 
 Duke of Gloucester with his cousin, the Princess Mary. This year, too, 
 I^rd Exmouth sailed with a fleet to Algiers, to compel the Dey to terms 
 of peace ; and notwithstanding the strength of the place, its fortifica- 
 tions and fleet were destroyed, all the Christian slaves were set at 
 liberty, and slavery was abolished for a time in his dominions. In 1817, 
 
 * For a detailed account of this war, see Russell's History of the United States, pub- 
 lished by Hogan and Thompson, Philadelphia. 
 
 What caused a misunderstanding, with the United States? — When was war de- 
 clared ? — When did it terminate ? — What remarks are made respecting it ? — Relate 
 lionaparte's return from Elba, and the battle of Waterloo. — The fight at Algiers. 
 
GEORGE III.- 
 
 [JEORGE IV. 187 
 
 the riots of London, Manchester, Derby, &c., under pretence of poti- 
 tionin<T for a reform of parliament, for a while agitated the nation. To- 
 wards the close of the year, the death of the Princess Charlotte of 
 Wales, who survived but a few hours the birth of a still-born infant, 
 threw the nation into deep and general mourning : and her death hav- 
 ing broken the direct line of succession to the throne, several of the 
 royal family, in 1818, sought matrimonial alliances. The Duke of Cam- 
 bridge was united to the Princess of Hesse Cassel ; the Dnke of Kent 
 to the Princess of Leiningen, and the Duke of Clarence to the Princess 
 of Saxe Meiningen. On the 17th of November, this year, died Queen 
 Charlotte, aged 75. She was an example of conjugal affection and 
 parental care. In January, 1820, the Duke of Kent died at Sidmouth ; 
 and, on the 29th of the same month, George III. expired in the 82d year 
 of his age, and the 60th of his reign ; the longest and the most memo- 
 rable in the annals of England. 
 
 This reign was distinguished by many discoveries, inventions, and 
 improvements, — by the discoveries of Captain Cook and others in the 
 great Pacific Ocean ; the introduction of vaccination ; the use of gas 
 for the illumination of streets, &c. ; the employment of steam for pro- 
 pelling ships at sea and machines on land. Chemistry also was enriched 
 by important discoveries ; and painting and sculpture were carried to a 
 high degree of perfection. In short, eminent characters in each sepa- 
 rate department of every art and of every science, have contributed to 
 the adornment of this enlightened reign. 
 
 SECTION 12. 
 
 GEORGE IV. A. D. 1820. 
 
 George IV. succeeded his father ; but having held the reins of go- 
 vernment since the year 1810, through the late king's incapacity, no 
 material change took place immediately in the government. The first 
 event of note was what was termed the Calo-Street conspiracy. This- 
 tle wood, a restless demagogue, who had been many years before acquit- 
 ted on a charge of treason, was the ringleader of a set of low fellows ; 
 and their design was, by a stratagem to obtain access to Lord Harrow- 
 by's, while the ministers were assembled at a cabinet dinner, and thus 
 to cut off the whole party. But their plan was timely discovered ; and 
 afler a struggle with the police and a detachment of the guards, in 
 Cato-Street, the greater number were secured. Thistlewood escaped 
 for the present, but was soon afler taken, and with four others executed ; 
 some others were transported. 
 
 To this succeeded an event, which long kept the nation in a state of 
 agitation : the return of Queen Caroline to England. Notwithstanding 
 her acquittal had taken place some years previously, afler what was 
 termed the Secret Investigation, she lefl England, and afler travellmg 
 
 What important events occurred in 1817 and 1818?— What discoveries and inven- 
 tions distinguished this reign ? — What conspiracy took place soon after George IV.'a 
 
 accession 
 
188 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to Palestine and several parts of the Mediterranean, she took up hei 
 residence in the north of Italy. On tlie accession of her husband, 
 George IV., to the throne, she returned to England ; and reports haying 
 spread, while abroad, that reflected on her honour, a bill of pains and 
 penalties to deprive her of her rights and dignities, and to produce a 
 divorce, formed the subject of a trial in the house of peers. Atler forty- 
 five days' investigation, ministers obtained a majority of only nine, and 
 the bill was abandoned. Her name, however, was not to be restored to 
 tlie liturgy, nor did she receive the honours due to her station by foreign 
 powers. From the moment of her landing, the populace had very 
 warmly espoused her cause ; and it was feared that on the king's ex- 
 pected coronation, the rejection of her claim to participate in the cere- 
 mony would lead to alarming results. The queen had fixed her resi- 
 dence at Hammersmith, where she v/as hourly receiving addresses 
 expressive of the warmest attachment. But being excluded from the 
 coronation, deprived of her honours, and banished from the society of 
 the Court, proved too much for her; and, after a short illness, nature 
 sunk under it. Her remains were removed to Brunswick, in Germany, 
 and they repose by the side of those of her ancestors. 
 
 Soon after his coronation, his Majesty visited Dublin ; and as he was 
 the first English monarch that visited Ireland with peaceful intentions, 
 he was received by his Irish subjects with enthusiastic loyalty. On his 
 return, he made a visit to Hanover, which had been the residence of 
 his ancestors ; and after the close of the parliament in 1822, sailed for 
 Edinburgh, and was received by his Scottish subjects with the utmost 
 demonstrations of joy. Here, however, a gloom was cast over the fes- 
 tivities, by receiving the melancholy tidings of the death of the Mar- 
 quis of Londonderry. Mr. Canning, after some delay, w^as appointed 
 his successor. 
 
 In 1823, thf^ independence of the Spanish revolted colonies in Ame- 
 rica was acknowledged by Great Britain and other European powers. 
 In Africa, the British colonies were severely harassed by the Ashantees, 
 a native powerful tribe, by whom Sir C. M'Carthy w^as murdered. The 
 savage nations were however scon subdued. In India, the Burmese, 
 after a repeated and sanguinary struggle, were defeated, their fortifica- . 
 tions captured, and peace was granted them on terms favourable to 
 British India. 
 
 The year 1825 proved fatal to many banking-houses and joint-stock 
 companies ; nor did the embarrassments and the confusion of the money 
 markets soon subside. In 1826, the public attention was attracted to 
 Portugal : by the death of the king, John VI., the succession devolved 
 on his eldest son, Don Pedro : but he, accepting of the imperial crown 
 of Brazil, left Portugal to his daughter. Donna Maria, during whose 
 minority her uncle, Don Miguel, w^as appointed regent. The next 
 year, Don Miguel usurped the crown, and made himself absolute. To 
 dispossess him of his assumed power, a severe struggle was carried on 
 
 Relate what resulted from Queen Caroline's return to England. — What visits did 
 George IV. pay to his dominions ? — What occurred both in Africa and India ?- 
 What commercial distress happened in 1825 ? 
 
GEORGE IV. WILLIAM IV. 189 
 
 by Don Pedro, which ended in the expulsion of Miguel, and the estab- 
 lishment of Donna Maria on the throne of Portugal. 
 
 In 1827, died his royal highness the Duke of York, sincerely lament- 
 ed ; by the army denominated " the soldier's friend." Towards the 
 close of the succeeding year died Lord Liverpool, prime minister. In 
 that office he was succeeded by Mr. Canning ; but the fatigues of office 
 upon a frame far from robust, soon closed his career. After a short 
 direction of the helm of state by Mr. F. Robinson, (then created Lord 
 Goderich,) the Duke of Wellington was called to preside over the 
 national councils, in which he was ably aided by Mr. (now Sir Robert) 
 Peel. 
 
 The struggle between the Turks and Greek having continued long, 
 and having been marked by sanguinary cruelty, the sovereigns of 
 Europe were induced to interfere ; and a treaty for the pacification of 
 Greece was entered into in 1827. In the port of Navarino, the allied 
 fleets of England, France, and Russia, after a contest of four hours, de- 
 molished Ibrahim Pacha's fleet, with comparatively trifling loss to the 
 allied squadron. The liberation of Greece, soon after, from Turkish 
 thraldom, was mainly attributed to this victory. 
 
 In the early part of the year 1830, the king's indisposition com- 
 menced, and after an illness of some months' continuance, he died at 
 Windsor, on the 25th of June following. 
 
 The reigns of George III. and IV. were distinguished by a great and 
 progressive advancement in the arts and sciences. The names of Scott, 
 Southey, Moore, Byron, Crabbe, Watt, Sir Humphry Davy, Herschel, 
 &c., reflect honour on these reigns. 
 
 SECTION 13. 
 
 WILLIAM IV. A. D. 1830. 
 
 The proclamation of the king's eldest brother, the Duke of Clarence, 
 to the throne, as WiiiLiAM IV., was received with universal acclama- 
 tion ; and while feelings of delight actuated the British nation, on the 
 accession of the naval hero and patriot king, William, and his amiable 
 consort, Queen Adelaide, the affairs of France exhibited an important 
 contrast. Charles X. broke his word to his people, aimed at nothing less 
 than the subversion of every liberal institution, and at bringing back a 
 free people beneath the yoke of arbitrary and papal power. He twice 
 dissolved the chamber of deputies for their want of loyalty ; he disfran- 
 chised a portion of the electors, and he imposed fresh restrictions on the 
 press. The Parisians rose, and after three days of sanguinary conflict, 
 possessed themselves of the capital. This was generally called the 
 " Revolution of three days." Charles was compelled to abdicate, and 
 his cousin, the Duke of Orleans, was proclaimed king, by the title of 
 Louis Philip I., king of the French. 
 
 What prince died in 1827, and what great statesman? — By what powers was 
 Navarino blockaded? — When did George IV. die? — and at what age? — For what 
 was his reign distinguished ? — Kow was the proclamation of William IV. received 
 — What occurred in France ? — Who abdicated, and who succeeded ? 
 
x90 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 The Belgians, too, who had been, at the peace of 1814, reluctantly 
 united to Holland, following- the example of Paris, rose, resolving to 
 sever themselves from a people from whom they differed in language, 
 religion and general habits of life ; and after a series of civil commo- 
 tion, they succeeded in expelling their Dutch sovereign, and in forming 
 a new and separate state. The Bclgic crown was offered to Prince 
 Leopold, and accepted. The Poles, also, writhing under the oppression 
 of Russian tyranny, followed the example, and made a brave but inef^ 
 fectual struggle for their independence. The popular excitement ex- 
 tended even to America. The Brazilians compelled their emperor, 
 Don Pedro, to abdicate in favour of his son. 
 
 The Duke of Wellington's government, from some apparently acci- 
 dental occurrences, seemed to be losing something of its popularity in 
 1830 ; and his grace's speech at the opening of parliament, instead of 
 holding out to the people the prospect of any improvement in the repre- 
 sentation, conveyed his opposition to it. A circumstance soon after oc- 
 curred, with respect to the civil list being referred to a select commit- 
 tee, in which the ministers' minority was apparent, and their resigna- 
 tion followed. 
 
 For the formation of a new ministry the king applied to Earl Grey, 
 who selected his colleagues from the Whig party, and from the ablest 
 members of the Canning administration ; and in March, 1831, Lord 
 John Russell explained to the house of commons the great outline of 
 the reform contemplated. The boldness of the plan engrossed the at 
 tention of all orders of the people, and obtained for it great popularity; 
 but in the house it was less approved. The proposal for abolishing the 
 franchise of many of tlie small boroughs, militated against the interests 
 of the representatives, as it would deprive them in future of their seats ; 
 and after long and protracted debates, the second reading of the Reform 
 Bill obtained but a majority of one. In the following montli, the minis- 
 ters were twice left in the minority. Therefore, in order to obtain the 
 real sense of the nation by a new election, tlie king dissolved the par- 
 liament. In the new parliament, the result was favourable to the minis- 
 ters, and the Reform Bill was ultimately carried through the house, by 
 a majority of 123 : in the house of lords the bill was rejected by a ma- 
 jority of 41. The populace became enraged, and they proceeded to 
 riot at Derby and Nottingham, and afterwards at Bristol, while more 
 serious disturbances were apprehended. 
 
 In December, the parliament re-assembled ; and in March following, 
 the Reform Bill again passed. In the upper house it also obtained a 
 majority in the second reading ; but still, so great was the opposition to 
 it, that Earl Grey tendered his resignation. The king, perceiving that 
 nothing less than the Reform Bill would satisfy the public, and that the 
 peers had only one of two alternatives to make choice of, either that of 
 admitting an increase of members in the upper- house, or that the bill 
 
 What occurred in Belgium ? — What in Poland ? — What m Brazil ? — What change 
 occurred in the government of the Duke of Wellington ?— Whom did the king ap- 
 point as premier? — What resuUed from a dissolution of parliament? — ^What oj)po- 
 eition did the Reform Bill receive ? 
 
WILLIAM IV. 191 
 
 should 1)G allowed to pass, the latter was preferred ; many members 
 Iherolbre absented themselves, or abstained from voting, and the bill 
 passciJ, and on the 7th of June received the royal assent. It was to- 
 wards the autumn of 1831, that the cholera, after crossing- the conti- 
 nent, visited Britain. In many instances its ravages were great, though 
 less so than in many parts of Europe. On the 13th of February, 1832, 
 it was first observed in London, at Rotherhithe, and Limehouse. 
 
 Soon after the passage of the Reform Bill, others of the same charac- 
 ter, applying to Scotland and Ireland, were passed without difficulty. 
 The disturbances which afterwards arose in Ireland, made it necessary 
 to pass the law known by the name of the coercion bill, in 1833. To 
 remove the causes of discontent in Ireland, the ministry relieved the 
 Catholics from some of the imposts, levied for the support of the Pro- 
 testant church, and raised a new fund for that establishment, by abolish- 
 ing several bishoprics, and diverting the revenues of the suppressed sees 
 to the general uses of the church. The charter to the Bank of England 
 was soon after renewed, as was also that of the East India Company so 
 far as the government of India was concerned, but the company was 
 deprived of its exclusive commercial privileges, and the trade to China 
 was made free for all merchants. 
 
 The total abolition of slavery in the British West Indies, from and 
 after the first of August, 1834, was a still more important measure ; the 
 sum of twenty millions sterling, about one hundred million of dollars, 
 was voted to be paid by the nation as a compensation to the owmers of 
 slaves ; and it was arranged that the negroes should be gradually pre- 
 pared for the full enjoyment of liberty, by a limited apprenticeship. 
 
 In April, 1834, Mr. O'Connell thought proper to agitate in parliament 
 the question of a repeal of the legislative union between Great Britain 
 and Ireland. The motion to repeal was rejected in the house of com- 
 mons, by a vote of 523 to 38. 
 
 The cabinet of Lord Grey was dissolved in July 1834, and a new one 
 was organized under the direction of Lord Melbourne. No important 
 changes in the policy of the government resulted from this arrange- 
 ment. The year had not closed, however, before the king thought pro- 
 per to dissolve the whig ministry of Melbourne, and order the Duke of 
 Wellington to form a new one. He advised his Majesty to appoint Sir 
 Robert Peel premier, who being in Italy at the time, the duke was for 
 three weeks at the head of affairs. On Sir Robert's arrival, December 
 10th, a new ministry of the conservative party was formed. The whigs 
 now resorted to a coalition with the radicals led by O'Connell, and w^ere 
 thus enabled to outvote the ministry repeatedly. On the 2d of April, 
 1835, Lord John Russell's motion for applying the surplus revenues of 
 the Church of Ireland to the religious and moral instruction of the 
 people, passed the house of commons by a majority of 33, against the 
 
 Did the Reform Bill ultimately pass? — What general disease first showed itself 
 in England in September 1831 ? — What bills respecting Scotland and Ireland pass 
 ed ? — What was done to remove the discontents in Ireland ? — What charters were 
 renewed ? — What was abolished ? — What compensation was voted to the planters ? 
 — What was done respecting the union in 1834? — When was Lord Grey's ministry 
 dissolved ? — Who was his successor ? — Who succeeded Melbourne ? 
 
192 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 ministry, wlio resigned on the 8th. On the 18th, Lord Melhourno was 
 reinstated as prime minister; and he has been able, notwithstandinof 
 the suspicious connexion by which his return to power was effected, to 
 conduct aiTairs to the satisfaction of the nation, up to the present time 
 (1838.) 
 
 On the 21st of June 1837, William the Fourth died, after a short but 
 prosperous and popular reign. He was succeeded by the present queen, 
 Victoria, daughter of the late Duke of Kent, and niece to her imme- 
 diate predecessor. 
 
 The accession of the new sovereign gave great satisfaction to the 
 people in every part of the empire. Even the leaders of the radical 
 party were profuse in their professions of attachment and loyalty. Her 
 recent visit to the city of London was attended with the most lively de- 
 monstrations of affection and enthusiasm towards the royal person ; and 
 w^as distinguished by unusual circumstances of splendour and pomp. 
 May the anticipations of good government and national prosperity to 
 result from the accession of the new sovereign, now so fondly enter- 
 tained, be abundantly realized ! 
 
 VVliat enabled Melbourne to regain his power ?— When ? — \Vheii; did William the 
 Fourth die ?— Who is his successor? 
 
DUNCAN. ALEXANDER. ] '}'^ 
 
 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 The Caledonians are supposed to have been the ancient inhabitants 
 of Scotland. At the time the Romans occupied Britain, it was governed 
 by a race of brave and wise princes. Galdus, in a. d. 79, resisted the 
 Romans, who were never able to subdue the country. The Scots, wlio 
 were probably from Scythia, occupied the hills to the north ; and the 
 Picts occupied the southern part, and were men of the plains. Its early 
 history is involved in much uncertainty ; but in the fifth century, both 
 Fergus and Dongard are said to have reigned, and the Scots were repre- 
 sented as a powerful nation. 
 
 About the middle of the ninth century Kenneth MacAlpinus finally 
 subdued the Picts, and united the Picts and Scots under one monarchy : 
 the kingdom was. afterwards known by the name of Scotland. Its 
 authentic history commences at the reign of Duncan, 1033, a prince 
 distinguished for his virtues. He was treacherously murdered by Mac- 
 beth, who usurped the throne. The usurper was killed in battle, and 
 Malcolm Canmore the Third, the son of Duncan, succeeded, 1057. 
 
 This prince, espousing the cause of Edgar Atheling, heir of the 
 Saxon Kings of England, whose sister he married, provoked a war with 
 William the Conqueror, which was equally prejudicial to both king- 
 doms. In an expedition of Malcolm into England, it is alleged that, 
 after concluding a truce, he was compelled by William to do homage 
 for his kmgdom. The truth is, that this homage was done for the ter- 
 ritories in Cumberland and Northumberland won by the Scots, and held 
 in vassalage of the English crown, though this homage was afterwards 
 absurdly made the pretext of a claim of feudal sovereignty over all 
 Scotland. In a reign of twenty-seven years, Malcolm supported a spir- 
 ited contest with England, both under William I. and his son Rufus ; 
 and to the virtues of his queen, Margaret, his kingdom, in its domestic 
 policy, owed a degree of civilization remarkable in those ages of bar- 
 barism. 
 
 Alexander I., his son and successor, defended, with equal spirit and 
 good policy, the independence of his kingdom ; and his son David I., 
 celebrated even by the democratic Buchanan, as an honour to his coun- 
 
 Who were the ancient inhabitants of Scotland? — When were the Picts and 
 Scots united under one monarchy ? — ^Who reigned there during the time of Williain 
 the Conqueror? — Describe the characters of Alexander I. and David I, 
 17 
 
194 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 try and to monarchy, won from Stephen, and annexed to his crown, the 
 whole earldom of Northumberland. In tliese reigns we hear of no 
 claim of the feudal subjection of Scotland to the crown of England ; 
 though the accidental fortune of war afterwards furnished a ground for 
 it. William I., taken prisoner at Alnwick by Henry II., was compelled, 
 as the price of his release, to do homage for his whole kingdom ; an ob- 
 ligation which Richard, the successor of Henry, voluntarily relinquished, 
 as deeming it to have been unjustly extorted. 
 
 On the death of Alexander III. without male issue, in 1285, Bruce 
 and Baliol, descendants of David I. by the female line, were competi- 
 tors for the crown, and the pretensions of each were supported by a 
 formidable party in the kingdom. Edward I. of England, chosen um- 
 pire of the contest, arrogated to himself, in that character, the feudal 
 sovereignty of the kingdom, compelling all the barons to swear alle- 
 giance to him, and taking actual possession of the country by his troops. 
 He then adjudged the crown to Baliol, on the express condition of his 
 swearing fealty to him as lord paramount. Baliol, however, soon after 
 renouncing his allegiance, the indignant Edward invaded Scotland with 
 an immense force, and compelled the weak prince to abdicate the throne 
 and resign the kingdom into his hands. 
 
 William Wallace, one of the greatest heroes whom history records, 
 restored the fallen honours of his country. Joined by a few pati'iots, 
 his first successes in attacking the English garrisons brought numbers 
 to his patriotic standard. Their success was signal and conspicuous ; 
 victory followed upon victory ; and while Edward was engaged on the 
 continent, his troops were utterly defeated in a desperate engagement 
 at Stirling, and forced to evacuate the kingdom. Wallace, the deliverer 
 of his country, now assumed the title of Governor of Scotland ; a dis- 
 tinction which was followed by the envy and disaffection of many of 
 the nobles, and the consequent diminution of his army. 
 
 The Scots were defeated at Falkirk. Edward returned with a vast 
 accession of force ; and, afler a fruitless resistance, the Scottish barons 
 finally obtained peace by capitulation, from which the brave Wallace 
 was excepted by name. A fugitive for some time, he was betrayed 
 into the hands of Edward, who put him to death with every circum- 
 stance of ignominy that barbarous revenge could dictate, 1304. 
 
 Scotland found a second champion and deliverer in Robert Bruce, the 
 grandson of the competitor with Baliol ; who, deeply resenting the hu- 
 miliation of his country, once more set up the standard of war, and bade 
 defiance to the English monarch, to whom his father and grandfather 
 had meanly sworn allegiance. Under this intrepid leader the spirit of 
 the nation was roused at once ; the English were attacked in every 
 quarter, and once more entirely driven out of the kmgdom. Robert 
 Bruce was crowned king at Scone, 1306; and Edward, advancing 
 with an immense army, died at Carlisle, 7th July, 1307, enjoining it 
 
 From whom were Bruce and Baliol descended ?— Mention the character and en 
 gagements of William Wallace.— Where were the Scots defeated ?— What was the 
 fate of Wallace ? — ^What charapipn iiext appeared ?•— Where was Bruce crowned t 
 
ROBERT BRUCE JAMES I. 195 
 
 with his last breath to his son, Edward 11. , to prosecute the war witli 
 the Scots to the entire reduction of the country. 
 
 In obedience to his father's will, Edward invaded Scotland with 
 100,000 men. Bruce met this immense force with 30,000 at Bannock- 
 burn, and defeated them with prodigious slaughter, June 25th, 1314. 
 This important victory secured the independence of Scotland, and Ed- 
 ward escaped by sea to his own dominions. His successor, Edward III. 
 bent on the conquest of Scotland, marched to the north with a prodi- 
 gious army, vanquished the Scots in the battle of Hallidon-hill, and 
 placed Edward Baliol, his vassal and tributary, on the throne. But the 
 Kingdom was as repugnant as ever to the rule of England, and a fa- 
 vourable opportunity was taken for the renewal of hostilities, on the de- 
 parture of Edward for a foreign enterprise which gave full scope to his 
 ambition. 
 
 CHAPTER 2. 
 
 The Scots invading England, were defeated in the battle of Durnam, 
 by Phillippa, the heroic queen of Edward III., and their sovereign, Da- 
 vid II., was led prisoner to London, where he continued in captivity for 
 eleven years. He was ransomed by his subjects, and restored to his 
 kingdom in 1357 ; and he ended a turbulent reign in 1371. The crown 
 passed at his demise to Robert, the high steward of Scotland, in virtue 
 of a destination made by Robert L, with consent of the states. The 
 reign of Robert II., which was of twenty years' duration, was spent in a 
 series of hostilities between the Scots and English, productive of no 
 material results to either kingdom. 
 
 The weak and indolent disposition of his successor, Robert III., who 
 found himself unequal to the contest with his factious nobles, prompted 
 him to resign the government to his brother, the Duke of Albany. This 
 ambitious man formed the design of usurping the throne by the murder 
 of his nephews, the sons of Robert. The elder, Rothsay, a prince of high 
 spirit, was imprisoned, on pretence of treasonable designs, and starved 
 to death. The younger, James, escaped a similar fate which was in- 
 tended for him ; but on his passage to France, whither he w^as sent for 
 safety by his father, he was taken by an English ship of war, and 
 brought prisoner to London. The weak Robert sunk under these mis- 
 fortunes, and died, 1405, after a reign of fifteen years. 
 
 James I., a prince of great natural endowments, profited by a cap- 
 tivity of eighteen years at the court of England, in adorning his mind 
 with every valuable accomplishment. At his return in 1423 to his king- 
 dom, which in his absence had been weakly governed by the Regent 
 Albany, and suffered under all the disorders of anarchy, he bent his 
 w^hole attention to the improvement and civilization of his people, by 
 the enactment of many excellent laws, enforced with a resolute authori- 
 ty. The factions of the nobles, their dangerous combinations, and their 
 
 Where were the English defeated with prodigious slaughter? — What English 
 queen defeated the Scots ?— To v\hom did Robert II f. resign the government?— 
 What is the cliaracter of James 1. ? — Where was he a captive ? 
 
196 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 domineering tyranny over their dependants, the g-reat soarces of the 
 people's miseries, were firmly restrained, and most severely punished. 
 But these wholesome innovations, while they procured to James the af- 
 fections of the nation at large, excited the odium of the nobility, and 
 gave birth to a conspiracy, headed by the Earl of Athol, the king's un- 
 cle, which terminated in the murder of this excellent prince, in the 
 forty-fourth year of his age, a. d. 1437. 
 
 James II. inherited a considerable portion of the talents of his father ; 
 and, in the like purpose of restraining the inordinate power of his no- 
 bles, he pursued the same maxims of government, which an impetuous 
 temper prompted him, in some instances, to carry to the most blameable 
 excess. The Earl of Douglas, trusting to a powerful vassalage, had 
 assumed an authority above the laws, and a state and splendour rivalling 
 those of his sovereign. He was seized, and without accusation or trial, 
 beheaded. His successor imprudently running the same career, and 
 boldly justifying, in a conference, his rebellious practices, was put to 
 death by the king's own hand. Thus were the factions of the nobles 
 quelled by a barbarous rigour of authority. To his people James was 
 beneficent and humane, and his laws contributed materially to their 
 civilization and prosperity, and to the advancement of regal dignity. 
 He was killed in the thirtieth year of his age, by the bursting of a can- 
 non in besieging the castle of Roxburgh, 1460. 
 
 His son, James III., without the talents of his predecessors, affected 
 to tread in the same steps. To humble his nobles, he bestowed his con- 
 fidence on mean favourites ; an insult which the former avenged by re- 
 bellion. His brothers Albany and Mar, aided by Edward IV. of Eng- 
 land, attempted a revolution in the kingdom, which was frustrated only 
 by the death of Edward. In a second rebellion, the confederate nobles 
 forced the prince of Rothsay, eldest son of James, to appear in arms 
 against his father. In an engagement near Bannockbum the rebels 
 were successful, and the king was slain, in the thirty-fifi;h year of his 
 age, 1488. 
 
 James IV., a great and most accomplished prince, whose talents were 
 equalled by his virtues, while his measures of government were dictated 
 by a true spirit of patriotism, won by a well-placed confidence the af^ 
 fections of his nobility. In his marriage with Margaret, the daughter 
 of Henry VII. of England, both sovereigns wisely sought a bond of 
 amity between the kingdoms ; but this purpose was frustrated in the 
 succeeding reign of Henry VIII. The high spirit of the rival monarchs 
 was easily inflamed by trifling causes of offence ; and France, then at 
 war with England, courted the aid of her ancient ally. James invaded 
 England with a powerful army, which he wished to lead to immediate 
 action ; but the prudent delays of Surrey, the English general, wasted 
 and weakened the Scottish force ; and in the fatal battle of Flodden, 
 the Scots were defeated with prodigious slaughter. The gallant James 
 
 What did James II.'s impetuous temper prompt him to ? — What occasioned his 
 death ? — How long did he reign ? — What were the talents, and what the conduct, 
 of James III.? — What were the talents and virtues of James IV. ? — Whom did he 
 marry ? — Did he not invade England ? 
 
( los ) 
 
JAMES V. MARY. 199 
 
 perished in the fight, and with him almost the whoie of the Scottish 
 nobles, a. d. 1513. 
 
 Under the long minority of his feoii, James V., an infant at the time 
 of his father's death, the kingdom was feebly ruled by his uncle, Alba- 
 ny. The aristocracy began to resume its ancient spirit of independence, 
 which was ill brooked by a prince of a proud and uncontrollable mind, 
 who felt the keenest jealousy of a high prerogative. With a system- 
 atic policy, he employed the church to abase the nobility, by conferring 
 all the principal offices of state on able ecclesiastics. The cardinal 
 Beaton co-operated with great zeal in the designs of his master, and 
 under him ruled the kingdom. Henry VIIL, embroiled with the pa- 
 pacy, sought an alliance with the king of the Scots ; but the ecclesias- 
 tical councellors of the latter defeated this beneficial purpose. 
 
 A war was thus provoked, and James was reluctantly compelled to 
 court those nobles whom it had been hitherto his darling object to hu- 
 miliate. They now determined on a disgraceful revenge. In an attack 
 on the Scottish border the English were repelled, and an opportunity 
 offered to the Scots of cutting ofl^ their retreat. The king gave his 
 orders to that end, but his barons obstinately refused to advance beyond 
 the frontier. In a subsequent engagement with the English, 10,000 of 
 the Scots deliberately surrendered themselves prisoners to 500 of the 
 enemy. The high spirit of James sunk under his contending passions, 
 and he died of a broken heart in the thirty- third year of his age, a few 
 days after the birth of a daughter, who was still more unfortunate than 
 her father — Mary, queen of Scots, a. d. 1542. 
 
 CHAPTER 3. 
 
 Mary was educated in France, and she espoused the dauphin, after- 
 wards Francis II. She imprudently assumed the arms and title of 
 Queen of England, by the persuasion of her maternal uncles the Guises ; 
 and this laid the foundation of all the miseries of the Queen of Scots. 
 Upon her husband's death, at the age of eighteen, she returned to her 
 hereditary kingdom ; having fortunately escaped an English fleet which 
 Elizabeth had despatched to take her prisoner on her passage. Her 
 misfortunes began from that hour. Her Protestant subjects regarded 
 their Catholic queen with abhorrence, and looked up to her enemy Eli- 
 zabeth as their defender. That artful princess had secured to her in- 
 terest the very men on whom the unsuspecting Mary placed her utmost 
 confidence, the Earl of Murray, the Earl of Morton, and secretary 
 Lethington. The views of Murray aimed at nothing less" than his sis- 
 ter's crown, and the obstacles which opposed his criminal ambition 
 served only to render his attempts more daring and more flagitious. 
 
 The marriage of Mary with her cousin Lord Darnley, (a Catholic 
 as well as herself,) son of the Earl of Lennox, who stood in the same 
 relation to Elizabeth, was not relished by that princess. Encouraged 
 
 In what battle did he fall ?— Who ruled the kingdom during James V.'s minority ? 
 — What conduct of the nobles hastened James's death? — Where was Mary edn- 
 cated ? — To whom married ? 
 
200 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND, 
 
 by her ministers, Randolph and Cecil, Murray formed a conspiracy to 
 seize and imprison the queen, put to death her husband, and usurp the 
 government ; and on the detection of his designs, attempted to support 
 them by open rebellion. Defeated, exiled, pardoned, and loaded with 
 benefits by his injured sovereign, he persevered in the same atrocious 
 purposes, till he at length accomplished them. The spouse of Mary 
 had incurred her resentment by his vices and his follies. Taking ad- 
 vantage of the weakness of his mind, Murray, Morton, and Lethington 
 had rendered him jealous of the partiality of Mary for her foreign secre- 
 tary, the aged Rizzio, and engaged him in the barbarous act of mur- 
 dering this ill-fated wretch at the feet of the queen, to whose garment 
 he clung for protection. 
 
 The house which Darnley inhabited was afterwards blown up by 
 gunpowder ; his body was found near the place, and the report im- 
 mediately prevailed that Mary had been accessary to his murder. A 
 most imprudent step, to which she was conducted by the same band of 
 traitors, gave countenance to this suspicion. At the earnest recommend- 
 ation of Morton and some of her chief nobility, she married the Earl 
 of Bothwell, a man openly stigmatised as one of the murderers of her 
 husband. He had, it is true, been acquitted on his trial for that crime, 
 and had by force made himself master of her person. On the pretext 
 of the queen's guilt of murder and adultery, she was confined by Mur- 
 ray in the castle of Lochleven, and there compelled to resign her crown 
 into the hands of her natural brother, who was to govern the kingdom 
 as regent during the minority of her infant son, now proclaimed king 
 by the title of James VI., 1567. Bothwell escaped to Denmark, where 
 he died. 
 
 A great part of the nation reprobated these infamous proceedings. 
 Mary escaped from her confinement, and at the head of an army gave 
 battle to the rebels at Langside, but being defeated, she fled for shelter 
 to the north of England, and claimed as a suppliant the protection and 
 aid of Elizabeth. The queen of England professed a desire to do her jus- 
 tice, but first required that she should clear herself of the crimes alleged 
 against her. To this Mary agreed, in the intrepidity of conscious in- 
 nocence. In a conference held for that purpose, Murray openly stood 
 forth as the accuser of his sister and queen, appealing to certain letters 
 said to be written by her to Bothwell, plainly intimating her guilt ; and 
 copies of these letters were produced. Mary demanded the originals, 
 boldly declaring them to be forgeries of her enemies ; but they were 
 never produced. She retorted on Murray and Morton the charge of 
 Damley's murder ; and the conference was broken off at the command 
 of the queen of England, who detained Mary in close confinement. 
 
 AVorn out by the miseries of her situation, she privately solicited the 
 aid of foreign princes for her deliverance. Her cause was espoused by 
 all the Catholics of England ; and some of the most inveterate of these 
 
 What resulted from her connexion with Lord Darnley ? — ^\Vhat was the fate of 
 Darnley ? — Whom did the queen then marry ? — Where was she confined ? — To 
 whom was her crown consigned ? — Where did Mary fly for shelter ? — What was 
 the consequence ? — By whom was Mary's cause espoused ? 
 
MARY JAMES I. 201 
 
 had formed a plot to deliver her from captivity, and to place her on the 
 throne by the murder of Elizabeth. This dangerous conspiracy was 
 discovered, and its authors deservedly suffered death. The schemes of 
 Mary for her own deliverance were held presumptive of her acqui- 
 escence in the whole plot. Tliough an independent sovereign, she was 
 brought to trial before a foreign tribunal, which had already decreed her 
 fate ; and being condemned to suffer death, she was beheaded at Fother- 
 ingay Castle, 1587, in the forty-fiflh year of her age, and nineteenth of 
 her captivity in England. 
 
 Previously to this event, Murray had fallen the victim of the private 
 revenge of a gentleman whom he had injured, and Lethington poisoned 
 himself in prison, to escape the sentence of his enemies ; Morton, for 
 some time regent of the kingdom, was afterwards tried and suffered 
 death for his concern in the murder of Darnley. A body of the Scottish 
 nobility, dissatisfied with the new administration, which w^as entirely 
 directed by Lennox, cousin-german to the young king of Scotland, 
 and the Earl of Arran, succeeded in placing James in confinement; 
 but afterwards making his escape, he fled to St. Andrew's, and sum- 
 moned his friends and partisans to attend him. The earls of Argyle, 
 Marshal, Montrose, and Rothes, hastened to pay their duty to their 
 sovereign ; and the opposite party finding themselves unable to resist 
 so powerful a combination, took shelter in England. 
 
 The Earl of Arran was recalled to court ; a new attempt to disturb the 
 government was defeated ; the Earl of Gowrie, its reputed author, was 
 brought to the block, and severe laws were passed against the Presby- 
 terian clergy, who had applauded the Raid of Ruthven, as the late 
 conspiracy was called. Elizabeth endeavoured to keep James from 
 revenging the death of his mother, and he fell gradually into a good 
 understanding with the court of England. Elizabeth appointed him 
 her successor, and at her death he ascended the throne of England by 
 the title of James the First ; — thus uniting the two crowns. 
 
 CHAPTER 4. 
 
 One measure (said Dr. Russell, from whom this section is extracted) 
 in which James engaged, rendered him as unpopular in Scotland as he 
 had become in England. This was an attempt to establish a conformity 
 of worship and discipline between the churches of the two kingdoms ; a 
 project which he had long held in contemplation. It might have been 
 readily foreseen by the Scots, when the crown of England devolved 
 upon James, that the independence of their kingdom, for which their 
 ancestors had shed so much blood, would thenceforth be lost ; and that 
 if both kingdoms persevered in maintaining separate laws and parlia- 
 ments, the weaker must feel its inferiority more sensibly than if it had 
 been subdued by force of arms. But this idea did not generally occur 
 
 Where did she suffer death ? — What was her age ?— What the length of her cap- 
 tivity ? — What befel Murray, Morton, Lethington, &c.? — What steps were taken by 
 the young king, James VI.? — Who, for disturbing the government, was brought to 
 the block ? — What occurred between Elizabeth and James ? — What measure ren- 
 dered James unpopular ? 
 
202 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 to the Scottish nobles, formerly so jealous of the power as well as of the 
 prerogatives of their princes ; and as James was daily giving new proofs 
 of his friendship and partiality to his countryn^n, by loading them with 
 riches and honours, the hope of his favour concurred with the dread of 
 liis power in taming their fierce and independent spirits. The will of 
 their sovereign was in danger of becoming the supreme law in Scot> 
 . k.nd. 
 ^ Meanwhile the nobles, left in full possession of their feudal jurisdic- 
 tion over their vassals, exhausting their fortunes by the expense of fre- 
 quent attendance upon the English court, and by attempts to imitate 
 the manners and luxury of their more wealthy neighbours, multiplied 
 exactions upon the people, who durst hardly utter complaints, which 
 they knew would never reach the ear of their sovereign. Thus sub- 
 jected at once to the absolute will of a monarch and to the oppressive 
 jurisdiction of an aristocracy, Scotland suflered all the miseries peculiar 
 to both these forms of government. Its kings were despots, its nobles 
 were slaves and tyrants, and the people groaned under the rigorous 
 domination of both. 
 
 There w^as one privilege, however, which the Scottish nobility in gene- 
 ral, and the great body of the people, were equally zealous in protect- 
 ing against the encroachments of the crown ; namely, the independence 
 of their church, or kirk. The cause of this zeal deserves to be traced. 
 Theological writers are divided in regard to the government of the primi- 
 tive church. It appears, however, to have been that of the most perfect 
 equality among the Christian teachers, who w^ere distinguished by the 
 name of Presbyters; an appellation expressive of their gravity and 
 wisdom, as well as of their age. But the most perfect equality of 
 freedom, requires the directing hand of a superior magistrate. Soon 
 made sensible of this by experience, the early Christians were induced 
 to choose one of the wisest and most holy among their Presbyters to 
 execute the duties of an ecclesiastical governor ; and in order to avoid 
 the trouble and confusion of annual or occasional elections, his office 
 continued during life, unless in case of irregularity of conduct. Hence 
 the origin of the episcopal hierarchy, which rose to such an enormous 
 height under the Christian emperors and Roman pontiffs. 
 
 When the enormities of the church of Rome, by rousing the indig- 
 nation of the enlightened part of mankind, had called forth a spirit of 
 reformation, that abhorrence, excited by the vices of the clergy, was 
 soon transferred to their persons, and thence, by no violent transition, to 
 the offices they enjoyed. It may therefore be presumed, that the same 
 holy fervour which abolished the doctrines of the Romish church, would 
 also have overturned its ecclesiastical government, in every country 
 where the reformation was received, unless restrained by the civil 
 powder. In England, in great part of Germany, and in the northern na- 
 tions, such restraint was imposed on it by the policy of their princes ; 
 but in Switzerland and the Netherlands, where the nature of the go- 
 vernment allowed full scope for the spirit of reformation, all pre-emi- 
 
 What was the conduct of the nobles? — For what were the Scots particularly 
 zealous ? — What distinguishes the Presbyterian system ? 
 
JAMES I. 203 
 
 nonce of rank in the church was destroyed, and an ecclesiastical g-o- 
 vernmcnt established more suitable to the genius of a republican policy 
 and to the ideas of the reformers. This system, which has since been 
 called Presbyterianism, was formed upon the model of the primitive 
 church. * 
 
 It ought, however, to be remarked, that the genius of the reformers, 
 and the civil polity, had a siiare in the establishment of the Presbyterian 
 system. Zuinglius and Calvin, the apostles of Switzerland, were men 
 of a more austere turn of mind than Luther, whose doctrines were 
 generally embraced in England, Germany, and the north of Europe, 
 where episcopicy still prevails. The church of Geneva, formed under 
 the eye of Calvin, and by his direction, was esteemed the most perfect 
 mode of Presbyterian government ; and Knox, the apostle of Scotland, 
 who, during his residence in Geneva, had studied and admired it, 
 warmly recommended it to the imitation %f his countrymen. 
 
 The Scottish converts, filled with the most violent aversion against 
 popery, and being under no apprehension from the civil power, which 
 the rage of reformation had humbled, with ardour adopted a system so 
 admirably suited to their predominant passions. Its effects on their 
 minds were truly astonishing, if not altogether preternatural. A kind 
 of gloomy fanaticism, at that period, seemed to have affected all ranks 
 of men ; which induced James to attempt extending to Scotland the 
 more moderate and cheerful religion of the church of England. The 
 abhorrence of the Presbyterian clergy against episcopacy was still, how- 
 ever, very great, nor could all the devices adopted for restraining them 
 allay their jealousy and fears. 
 
 James was therefore sensible that he never could establish a con- 
 formity of worship and discipline between the churches of England and 
 Scotland, until he could procure from the Scottish parliament an ac- 
 knowledgment of his own supremacy in all ecclesiastical causes. This 
 was the principal object of his visit to his native country, where he 
 proposed to the great council of the nation that an act might be passed, 
 *' that whatever his Majesty should determine, with regard to the go- 
 vernment of the church, with the consent of the archbishops, bishops, 
 &c., should have the force of law." Had this bill received the sanc- 
 tion of parliament, the king's ecclesiastical government would have 
 been established in its full extent. But many protested, being appre- 
 hensive that by this new authority the purity of the church would be 
 polluted with all the rites and forms of the church of England ; and 
 James dreading clamour and opposition, dropped his favourite measure. 
 
 James was, however, next year, able to extort a vote from the general 
 assembly of the kirk, for receiving certain ceremonies upon w^hich his 
 heart was more particularly set ; namely, kneeling at the sacrament, 
 the private administration of it to sick persons, the confirmation of chil 
 dren, and the observance of Christmas and other festivals. Thus, by 
 an ill-timed zeal for forms not absolutely essential, the king betrayed. 
 
 Who were the apostles of Switzerland ? — Who of Germany ? — What system of 
 leligion did James wish to adopt? — Did James succeed in his scheme ? — To what 
 did the general assembly of the kirk yield ? 
 
204 HISTORY OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 though in an opposite manner, an equal narrowness of mind with the 
 Presbyterian clerory, whom he affected to hold in contempt. The con- 
 strained consent of the general assembly was belied by the inward sen- 
 timents of all ranks of people, the early bias of whose principles could 
 not admit them to conform to a servile imitation of the modes of wor- 
 ship, however good in themselves, that were practised in England. 
 
 A series of unpopular measures conspired to increase that odium into 
 which James had now fallen, in both kingdoms, and which continued to 
 the end of his reign. 
 
 CHAPTER 5. 
 
 ON THE ANCIENT CONSTITUTION OF THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT. 
 
 It was a constant policy wfth the Scottish kings to abase the power 
 of their nobles, and this struggle was the source of much misery and 
 bloodshed ; but the policy was necessary, from the dangerous ambition 
 and lawless tyranny of the nobles, who frequently aimed at overturning 
 the throne, and exercised the severest oppression on all their depen- 
 dants. The interests, therefore, of the people, as well as the security 
 of the prince, demanded the repression of this overbearing and destruc- 
 tive power. The aristocracy was, however, preserved, no less by its 
 own strength than by the concurrence of circumstances, and chiefly by 
 the violent and unhappy fate of the sovereigns. Meantime, although 
 the measures they pursued were not successful, their consequences 
 were beneficial. They restrained, if they did not destroy, the spirit of 
 feudal oppression, and gave birth to order, wise laws, and a more tran- 
 quil administration of government. The legislative power, though 
 nominally resident in the parliament, was virtually in the king, who, 
 by his influence, entirely controlled its proceedings. The parliament 
 consisted of three estates, the nobles, the dignified clergy, and the 
 lesser barons, the representatives of the towns and shires. 
 
 The disposal of benefices gave the crown the entire command of the 
 churchmen, who equalled the nobles in number ; and at least a majority 
 of the commons were dependants of the sovereign. The chief business 
 was done by a committee, termed the Lords of the Articles, who pre- 
 pared every measure that was to come before the parliament ; and these, 
 by the mode of their election, were in effect nominated by the king. It 
 is to the credit of the Scottish princes, that there are few instances of 
 their abusing an authority so extensive as that which they constitution- 
 ally enjoyed. 
 
 The king had anciently the supreme jurisdiction in all causes, civil 
 and criminal, which he generally exercised through the medium of his 
 privy council ; but in 1425, James the First instituted the Court of Ses- 
 sion, consisting of the chancellor, and certain judges chosen from the 
 three estates. This court was new modelled by James the Fifth, and 
 
 What was the policy of the Scottish kings ? — By what means was the influence 
 of the crown increased ? — What new court was instituted ? — And by whom new 
 modelled ? 
 
ANCIENT SCOTTISH CONSTITUTION. 205 
 
 its jurisdiction limited to civil causes, the cognizance of crimes being 
 committed to the Justiciary. The chancellor was the highest officer of 
 the crown, and president of the parliament. To the chamberlain be- 
 longed the care of the finances, and the public police ; to the high 
 steward the charge of the king's household ; the constable regulated all 
 matters of military arrangement; and the marshal was the king's 
 lieutenant and master of the horse. 
 
 The revenue of the sovereign consisted of his domain, which was 
 extensive, of the feudal casualties and forfeitures, the profits of the 
 wardships of his vassals, the rents of vacant benefices, the pecuniary 
 fines for offences, and the aids or presents occasionally given by the 
 subject; a revenue at all times sufficient for the purposes of govern- 
 ment, and the support of the dignity of the crown. 
 
 The political principles which regjfated the conduct of the Scots 
 towards other nations, were obvious a^ simple. It had ever been an 
 object of ambition to England to acquire the sovereignty of her sister- 
 kingdom, who was constantly on her guard against this design of her 
 more potent neighbour. It was thought the wisest policy for Scotland 
 to attach herself to France, the national enemy of England ; an alliance 
 reciprocally courted from similar motives. 
 
 In those days, this attachment was justly esteemed patriotic ; while 
 that portion of the Scots who were the partisans of England, were with 
 equal justice regarded as traitors to their country. In the period of 
 which we now treat, it was a settled policy of the English sovereigns 
 to have a secret faction in their pay in Scotland, for the purpose of di- 
 viding, and thus enslaving the nation ; and to this source all the subse- 
 quent disorders of the latter kingdom are to be attributed. 
 
 ;^ 
 
 "^ HISTORY OF WALES. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 It is probable, says an authentic historian, that Britain was first colo- 
 nised by the Celtoe of Gaul, at least a thousand years before the birth 
 of our Saviour ; a period of time coeval with the reigns of David and 
 Solomon. The names of Albion, and of Britain, are supposed to have 
 been given to the island by the Belgic Gauls, who inhabited the opposite 
 shores. The language of the ancient Britons was similar to that of 
 their probable ancestors. When Julius Caesar invaded Britain, 55 b. c, 
 Cambria, or Wales, was inhabited by three different tribes of Britons, 
 namely, the Silures, the Dimetse, and the Ordovices; who were go- 
 
 Of what did the sovereign's revenue consist? — What were the polifical princi 
 pies that regulated the Scots ? — What secret factions v^ere then encouraged ? — Who 
 were in all probability the earliest inhabitants of Wales?— What were the names 
 of the three different tribes ? 
 
 18 
 
206 HISTORY OF WALES. 
 
 verned by a number of potty princos, sovereign an.I independent. Ca- 
 ractacus, their prince, iiaving-, with vciriety of fortunes, opposed the 
 Roman arms for nine years, was at hmp^th obliged to retire among the 
 Silures, wiio were defeated by the Romans. He was afterwards be- 
 trayed to his enemies, and led prisoner to Rome, where his heroic com- 
 posure and magnanimity in the presence of the emperor Claudius, led 
 to the restoration of his liberty, a. d. 52. Suetonius, the general of 
 Nero, destroyed Mona, the centre of the druidical superstition. How- 
 ever, the Romans did not penetrate far into the interior of the country. 
 Caswallon, a prince of Cambria, in 443, made choice of Mona* for his 
 residence ; and from this era we may fix the date of a distinct sove- 
 reignty in North Wales. 
 
 When the Saxons invaded Britain, after a severe struggle, the inhabi- 
 tants pressed on every side Jml advancing enemies, and weakened by 
 incessant wars, were at lengHRbliged to retire before the Saxon arms, 
 and they fled to the mountains of Cambria ; which country about this 
 period took the name of Wales. In 586, the Saxons again endeavoured 
 to penetrate into Wales ; but the Welsh encountered them with great 
 bravery, and entirely defeated their purpose. 
 
 The Welsh were light and active, and more fierce than strong ; from 
 the lowest to the highest of the people they were devoted to arms, 
 which the ploughman as well as the courtier was prepared to seize on 
 the first summons. The chief sustenance of this people, w as cattle and 
 oats, besides milk, cheese, and butter. They were accustomed to walk 
 with their feet bare ; or, instead of shoes, they used boots of raw leather. 
 They were not given to excess either in eating or drinking, nor expen- 
 sive richness in their clothes. Their whole attention was occupied in 
 the splendid appearance of their horses and arms, in the defence of their 
 country, and in the care of their plunder. Accustomed to fast from 
 morning till night, their minds were wholly employed on their business. 
 There was not a beggar to be seen among these people, for the tables 
 of all were common to all ; and with them, bounty, and particularly 
 hospitable entertainment, were in higher estimation than any of the 
 other virtues. 
 
 As soon as travellers entered any house, they immediately delivered 
 their arms into the custody of a person in the family ; and if they suf- 
 fered their feet to be washed, they were considered as lodgers for the 
 night. The refusal of this civility intimated their desire of a morning's 
 refreshment only. Such an influence had music on their minds, that 
 they esteemed skill in playing on the harp beyond any kind of learning. 
 The Welsh were a people of an acute and subtle genius. In civil 
 causes and actions, they exerted all the powders of rhetoric ; and, in the 
 conduct of these, their talents for insinuation, invention, and refutation, 
 were conspicuous. In rhythmical songs, and extemporary effusions, 
 * Now Anglesey, or as others think, Man. 
 
 Did the Saxons effect any conquests in Cambria ? — Describe their ancient man 
 ners, customs, and habits. — In what did the Welsh always particularly pride them 
 selves ? — What skill did they display on the harp ? — What was their genius ? 
 
( 207 ) 
 
 % 
 
IRRUPTIONS OF THE SAXONS. 209 
 
 they are said to have been excellent, both in respect to invention and 
 eleqancc of style, and for these purposes bards were appointed. 
 
 The lowest of the people, as well as the chieftains, were indebted to 
 nature for a certain boldness in speech, and an honest confidence in 
 g-iving answers to great men on matters of business, or in the presence 
 of princes. Pride of ancestry, and nobility of family, were points aeld 
 in the highest estimation among the Welsh, and they w^ere far more 
 desirous of noble than of rich and splendid marriages. So deeply rooted 
 was this spirit, that even the very lowest of the people carefully pre- 
 served the genealogy of their families, and were able from memory to 
 recite the names, not only of their immediate ancestors, but to the sixth 
 and seventh generation. They w^ere vindictive and cruel in their an- 
 ger, and exceedingly prompt to revenge not only recent injuries, but 
 those which had been committed a longj^me past. 
 
 The Welsh did not reside in cities, villages, or camps ; but in gene- 
 ral led a solitary life in the w^oods. They were first instructed in the 
 Christian faith by Faganus and Damianus, who were sent by the bishop 
 of Rome, at the request of king Lucius. The pilgrimage, which above 
 all others was deemed most sacred by the Welsh, was a journey to 
 Rome. They paid also great reverence to churches and to the clergy, 
 to the relics of saints, to their portable bells, to text books, and to the 
 cross. It was the disposition of that people to pursue every object with 
 vehemence, — none were elsewhere to be found so bad as the worst, nor 
 any better than the good among the Welsh. The princes of Wales 
 usually wore on their bonnets or helmets a coronet of gold ; being a 
 broad lace, or head-band, indented upwards, and set with precious 
 stones. 
 
 Cadvan, a king of North Wales, in 613, w^as elected to the sove- 
 reignty of Britain, but on account of the Saxons, that dignity could 
 extend no further than to command the united forces of the Britons. 
 At his death, his son Cadwallon succeeded to the throne of North 
 Wales, in whose reign Edwin overran all the British territories in 
 Wales, and compelled the Welsh king to take refuge in Ireland. After 
 an absence of some years, Cadwallon recovered his dominions. This 
 prince joined Pinda, king of Mercia, and in an engagement slew Edwin 
 and his son. A scene of desolation followed this victory, but Cadwallon 
 surpassed his Pagan associate in cruelties and merciless ravages. In a 
 battle fought against Oswald, the Welsh king w^as slain, and his army 
 routed and cut in pieces. 
 
 Cadwalader, his son, succeeded to the kingdom of North Wales, and 
 to the ideal sovereignty of Britain, a. d. 676. In his reign the irrup- 
 tions of the Saxons had become more frequent, and a famine compelled 
 him to retire v/ith the nobility to Alan, his kinsman, the king of Bre- 
 tagne, in whose court he found an hospitable reception. AHer residing 
 there for some time, ,he prepared to return into Wales, having heard 
 that the Saxons, with increasing power, were endeavouring to extend 
 
 ' iTo what religious habits were they addicted ? — What of Cadvan, Cadwallon, Os- 
 wald, &c.? — Who succeeded to the throne in 676? — What sudden impulse directed 
 nis journey to Rome ? 
 
 18* 
 
210 HISTORY OF WALES. 
 
 their conquests. But at the moment that he was going to embark, lie 
 was warned in a vision, which he fancied to be a sudden impulse from 
 heaven, and which directed him to lay aside the cares of the world, lo 
 go immediately to Rome, and to receive holy orders from the hands of 
 the Pope. Accorduigly, this weak and credulous prince proceeded to 
 Rome, where he lived eight years as a religious recluse. 
 
 CHAPTER 2. 
 
 Roderic Moelwynoc, his grandson, succeeded to his throne, a. d. 720. 
 In his reign Ethelbald invaded his kingdom with a powerful army, and 
 proceeded as far as Carno mountain, near Abergavenny, where he was 
 met by the Welsh, and a bloody battle ensued, (a. d. 728,) which was 
 not decisive in favour of eithei^ party. The same prince, some years 
 after, formed an alliance with Adelred, king of the West Saxons, and 
 the two princes marched their united forces into Wales. The Welsh, 
 with great spirit, opposed the combined prmces ; and a well contested 
 action, and dreadful slaughter on both sides, ensued, until the former 
 were overpowered by superiority of numbers. The W^elsh made an 
 alliance with Cudred, king of the West Saxons, and by his assistance 
 repelled another attempt at an invasion by Ethelbald ; but being de- 
 serted by their allies, they were soon after discomfited. 
 
 Roderic left two sons, Cynan Tindaethwy and Howel, 750. Cynan, 
 the elder son of the deceased prince, succeeded to the throne of North 
 Wales. The Saxons, with a confident expectation of being .able to 
 make an easy conquest of Wales, proceeded as far as Hereford ; but on 
 that frontier they were again fiercely received by the Welsh, and the 
 battle very probably ended in favour of the latter, historians being silent 
 as to the event and further progress of the invasion. 
 
 In 776, the inhabitants of South Wales, fired with resentment at the 
 reiterated injuries, rose up in arms, entered Mercia with fire and sword, 
 and retaliated on the Saxons their usual devastations. They soon after 
 made other successful inroads, filling the Saxon borders with alarm, and, 
 obliging their enemies to retire beyond the Severn, returned into their 
 own country with a considerable quantity of cattle. In consequence of 
 this, a large army of Saxons passed the Severn into Whales ; but the 
 Welsh, too weak to encounter so great a force, retreated to the moun- 
 tains, and the Saxons, unable to penetrate the natural fortifications of 
 the country, returned into Mercia. 
 
 The Saxon king endeavoured to confine to the mountains the valour 
 and restless activity of the Welsh. He caused a deep dyke and a high 
 rampart to be made, which extended a hundred miles over rocks and 
 ^"nountains, and across deep valleys and rivers, from the water of Dee 
 oO the mouth of the Wye. The Welsh beheld this with indignation ; 
 and soon after it was finished, they broke down the rampart, and filled 
 up the dyke for a considerable way. This so exasperated the Saxon 
 
 What contests took place, about 728, with the Saxons ? — What resistance did the 
 Saxons receive at Hereford ? — Who caused deep dykes to be cut to separate Wales ? 
 — What inroads did the Welsh make in Mercia ? 
 
INVASIONS BY THE ENGLISH. 211 
 
 king, that he levied a formidable army, and the Welsh were defeated 
 with dreadful slaughter. Cynan Tindaethwy died after a long reign, 
 and left his throne to his daughter Esyllt, married to Mervyn Vrycn, 
 the king of Man, a. d. 817. 
 
 In the early part of their reign, Egbert, king of the West Saxons, 
 invading Wales with a powerful army, desolated the country as far as 
 the mountains of Snowdon ; thence he advanced to Mona, and took pos- 
 session of that island : but king Mervyn soon recovered it. Egbert 
 about this time, (a. d. 835,) issued a proclamation, that all the men, with 
 their wives and children, who were descended from British blood, should 
 quit his territories in six months, on pain of death ; and affixed the pen- 
 alty of death to every Welshman who should be found on the English 
 borders. Mervyn, king of North Wales, was slain in battle, and left 
 his eldest son, Roderic, to succeed to his dignity, a. d. 843. This prince 
 enjoyed, by the right of his father and mother, the sovereignty of the 
 isle of Man, with the territories of North Wales and Powys; and hav- 
 ing espoused the heiress of South Wales, the wiiole sovereignty of Cam- 
 bria centred in his person. 
 
 Roderic fell fighting for his country against the English, a. d. 877. 
 He had divided his dominion into three distinct sovereignties, which he 
 left to his three sons ; but he reserved a pre-eminency over the other 
 princes, for his eldest son, Anarawd, king of North Wales. This prince 
 gained an important victory over the Saxons, laid v/aste their borders, 
 and returned to his kingdom, laden with spoils. He was succeeded by 
 his eldest son, Edwal Voel, a. d. 913, during whose reign, Athelstan, 
 the king of England, imposed an annual tribute on the Welsh. Edwal 
 was slain, fighting against the English and Danes, a. d. 940. 
 
 Howel, prince of South Wales, then assumed the government of 
 North Wales, and thus united the whole government. In his reign, 
 the English invaded his kingdom ; and after they had laid waste the 
 small territory of Strath-Clwyd, they returned to their own country. 
 Howel died soon after this event, 945. 
 
 CHAPTER 3. 
 
 Jeuav and Jago, sons of Edwal Voel, then assumed the government 
 of North Wales. They invaded South Whales, the territory of the sons 
 of Howel, and succeeded in engrossing the whole government of Wales. 
 They had neglected to pay the annual tribute to the English crown, 
 and Edgar marched thither with a numerous force ; he exacted, in lieu 
 of the ancient tribute, the yearly payment of three hundred wolves' 
 heads, which singular demand was paid by the Welsh princes during 
 three or four years. 
 
 Howel Dha, by acts of injustice and cruelty, attained to the sove- 
 reignty of North Wales, a. d. 973. He obliged his uncle, Jago, to flee 
 
 What restrictions did Egbert, king of the West Saxons, enforce ? — Who imposed 
 an annual tribute on the Welsh ? — What Welsh prince united North and South 
 Wales ? — Who next engrossed the whole government of Wales ? — Who exacted 
 Ihe tribute of 300 wolves' heads? 
 
212 HISTORY OF WALES. 
 
 for refuge to the English court, and he engaged Edgar to establish him 
 on the throne. Howel was obliged to admit his uncle to an equal share 
 in the sovereignty, and the English king exacted homage from both. 
 Owen was at this time king of the principality of South Wales. Terms 
 of agreement were now entered into by the legislature of England and 
 vVales, for securing the peace of the borders. Howel was succeeded 
 by his brother, Cadwallon, a. d. 984. This usurper determined on the 
 destruction of his cousins ; but he had been in possession of the govern- 
 ment only one year, when Meredydh, the son of Owen, the reigning 
 prince of South Wales, invaded his dominions, slew him, and took pos- 
 session of his kingdom. Owen, prince of Soutii Wales, died about this 
 time, (a. D. 9S7,) and was succeeded by Meredydh, his youngest son. 
 
 The people of North Wales placed Edwal, the right heir to the 
 crown, in the sovereignty, the lineal succession liaving been set aside 
 by the late usurpations. He did not long enjoy liis dignity, for Swane, 
 a Danish chieftain, landed in North Wales, and, in attempting to expel 
 the Danes by force of arms, Edwal was slain, a. d. 993. Jago, his 
 son, being set aside in the succession on account of his tender years, 
 several competitors arose; and North Wales exhibited many years a 
 scene of the utmost confusion, ^dan ap Blegored, having slain the 
 son of Howel, was proclaimed king ; but the prince of South Wales 
 invading jEdan's dominions, dispossessed him of his royalty and life. 
 Llewelyn ap Seisyllt then took upon him the government of North 
 Wales, annexing that dignity to the other two principalities. His wise 
 administration soon produced national prosperity. He was virtuous, 
 just, and brave, yet his great and good qualities could not exempt him 
 irom the destiny which usually attended the princes of Wales ; he was 
 slain in a conspiracy in the seventh year of his reign, and was succeeded 
 by Jago, the son of Edwal. Jago was slain, however, by Gryffydh, son 
 of Llew^elyn, a. d. 1037. 
 
 Gryffydh was scarcely seated on the throne, when the united forces 
 of the English and Danes entered into Wales. With a promptness of 
 courage natural to his years and character, the young prince advanced 
 to the frontier of his kingdom ; and meeting the confederates at Cros- 
 ford, on the banks of the Severn, he entirely defeated their forces. 
 Elated vrith his success, he proceeded thence into South Wales, and, 
 marching through that principality, received the submission of the in- 
 habitants, and drove Howel, the reigning prince, out of his dominions. 
 That prince raised an army of English and Danes, with which he 
 marched into Wales against Gryflydh. Fortune, how^ever, continuing 
 propitious, that prince overthrew the foreigners, and again forced Howel 
 to a precipitate flight. Cynan, the son of Jago, who on his father's 
 death had fled into Ireland, having engaged in his interest the king of 
 Dublin, whose daughter he had married, landed in North Wales, and 
 either by accident or stratagem, made Gryflydh prisoner. But the 
 Welsh, being apprised of the disaster, and anxious for the safety of theii 
 king, pursued the Irish, recovered him, and obliged them to retire witL 
 
 What occurred between Howel Dha and Owen ? — Who were the next succes- 
 sors ? — Who governed wisely ? — Did not Gryffydh oppose the English and Danes ? 
 
THE ENGLISH DEFEAT THE WELSH. 213 
 
 great slaughter. After this, the Welsh king made an inroad into the 
 marches about Hereford, and was opposed by the English, and^ by a 
 Norman garrison in that castle. But the contest having ended in favour 
 of the Welsh prince, he returned into his own dominions, enriched with 
 the spoils of the country. 
 
 Algar, Earl of Chester, having been banished by Edward the Confes- 
 sor on slight suspicion, had retired into Ireland, where, engaging in his 
 service eighteen vessels, he landed in North Wales, and put himself 
 under the protection of Gryfiydh. These leaders, acting in conjunction 
 with each other, ravaged the borders of England, and, proceeding into 
 Herefordshire, laid waste that fertile country. They were met by Ra- 
 nulph. Earl of Hereford, with an army of English and Norman soldiers. 
 The Welsh were victorious, and pursuing the enemy, they entered 
 Hereford, and having levelled the walls, set fire to the city, and then 
 returned in triumph, laden with much valuable spoil. The Confessor 
 collected a large body of forces, and obliged the Welsh to conclude a 
 peace not much to the lionour of the English. 
 
 Harold, son of Earl Godwin, by the command of his sovereign, 
 marched into Wales, and the Welsh king could scarcely escape with 
 his life. The English general then advanced into the mountainous 
 parts of the country, and having driven the Welsh, with great slaugh- 
 ter, out of their inmost recesses, compelled them to sue for peace, 
 to submit to the ancient tribute, and to give hostages to Harold, as 
 pledges of their future obedience. Gryffydh was put to death by his 
 own subjects, at the instigation of Harold, 1064. Bleddyn and Rhiwal- 
 lon were, by the appointment of King Edward, invested with the sove- 
 reignty of North Wales and Powys. At the same time the English 
 king gave the principality of South Wales to Meredydh, the eldest son 
 of Owen. These princes were obliged to take an oath of fealty to the 
 King of England, and to pay the full tribute which had been paid to any 
 of his predecessors. A law was also made, that if any Welshman was 
 taken on the English side of OfFa's dyke, his right hand should be cut 
 oif. Rhiwallon being slain in battle, Bleddyn was left sovereign of 
 North Wales and Powys. This prince was assassinated by Rhys, the 
 son of Owen, a. d. 1073. 
 
 CHAPTER 4. 
 
 Trahaearn ap Caradoc, the cousin of the late prince, then assumed 
 the regal dignity, and marching into South Wales, overthrew Rhys, 
 the reigning prince, in battle. But Trahaearn was slain in an engage- 
 ment, and Gryffydh ap Cynan, the son of Jago, succeeded to the throne 
 of his ancestors. He was betrayed unto the English, and kept some 
 years in captivity. Rhys ap Tewdwr, King of South Wales, was slain 
 hi an engagement wdth the English forces, and with him sunk the glory 
 
 Who levelled the walls of Hereford, and set fire to the city ? — What tributes did 
 Flaroid exact? — And what pledges? — What oath of fealty did Edward exact? — And 
 for what offence did a W.elshman forfeit his right hand ? — What Welsh prince was 
 detained in English custody ? 
 
214 HISTORY 01- WALES. 
 
 of that principality. Gryffydh had languished twelve years when he 
 was restored to his country by the heroic conduct of a 3^oung man 
 named Kynwric Hir. 
 
 Animated by the presence of their sovereign, the Welsh spread de- 
 vastation and ruin along the English borders. William Rufus, with a 
 great army, marched to the confines of Wales ; where he met with a 
 spirited resistance, and was compelled to retire with considerable loss. 
 By his valour and abilities, during a reign of fifty years, Gryffydh de- 
 livered his country from the vassalage of England ; and in general, by 
 his conduct with Henry, or by the vigour of his government, he pre- 
 served his terrritories free from the invasions of the English, and from 
 civil commotions. On his death, his dominions, agreeably to the cus- 
 tom of the country, were divided among his sons. His eldest son, Owen 
 Gwynedh, under the newly adopted title of prince, succeeded as sove- 
 reign of North Wales, 1137. 
 
 In his reign the English king, Henry, resolved to employ the utmost 
 eftbrts, in attempting the conquest of Wales, a. d. 1157. He col- 
 lected a formidable army, with which he marched to Chester ; then ad- 
 vancing into Flintshire, he encamped his forces upon a marsh called 
 Saltney, which borders on the river Dee. Owen, the Prince of North 
 Wales, marched to meet the English. But he was obliged to do homage 
 to Henry ; and to deliver up two of his sons as pledges of his future 
 obedience. Thus, by a solemn act of their sovereign, and by the means 
 of an English fleet, the Welsh nation was again reduced to a depen- 
 dence on the crown of England. If the long and gallant resistance 
 which this people had made for freedom, against a power so very un- 
 equal, excite our admiration and wonder, wf shall be no less surprised 
 that a nation like the English, so much farther advanced in political 
 wisdom, should not have been able sooner to terminate the contest. 
 Owen died after a reign of thirty-two years, and was buried in the 
 cathedral church of Bangor, a. d. 1162. He had revolted from the 
 English king, and joining in confederacy with the other Welsh princes, 
 he had recovered independency, with an increase of importance to his 
 country. 
 
 David, his eldest son, succeeded to the sovereignty of North Wales. 
 The patriotism of this Welsh prince sunk under the civilities of Henry. 
 The gallant and independent spirit inherited from a long line of ances- 
 tors, and which had so eminently distinguished his own conduct, all that 
 the terror of Henry's arms and a series of hostilities could not shake, 
 was done away by a few acts of a well-directed courtesy. Forsaking 
 the dignity of his character, he was in future only as a satrap to the 
 English monarch. Mingling in the common mass, and losing for ever 
 the ancient lionours of his family, neither this prince nor his descend- 
 ants, from this period, retained any marics of royalty. Henry gave 
 David his sister Emma in marriage; thus disarming an hereditary 
 
 What heroic deed did Kynwric perform ? — Flow long, and with what success, 
 did Gryffydh reign? — What did the Knglish king, lienry, effect against Owen ? — 
 How long did Owen reign, and where was lie buried .- — What befel Wales under 
 the reign of David I 
 
ENGLISH HOSTILITIES. 215 
 
 cnoiny, oy the fascinating influence of ambition and love. This prince 
 rendered himself odious by his cruelly, and grew bold in the exercise 
 of his tyranny, by his alliance with the English king. 
 
 Llewelyn demanded, as the legal heir, the crown in preference to 
 his uncle David. This claim was granted, and David retained only a 
 few fortresses which were garrisoned by the English, a. d. 1194. A 
 treaty of peace was concluded between Llewelyn and the Earl of Essex, 
 justiciary of the realm. John, the English monarch, gave his daughter 
 Joan to the Welsh prince. John, however, soon after invaded the Welsh 
 dominions, and obliged Llewelyn to cede to the king for ever the inland 
 parts of his dominions ; and thus the remnant of the British empire, 
 after many and gallant struggles for freedom, was driven almost to the 
 verge of the ocean. But the unsettled affairs of King John induced 
 the Welsh prince to make another attempt to regain the fallen honours 
 of his country. And on the succession of Henry III. to the throne of 
 England, a treaty was concluded between that king and the Welsh 
 prince. Yet he frequently revolted from Henry, and spread terror and 
 devastation along the English borders; and on the approach of the 
 English, he would retire to the mountains which they could not pene- 
 trate, being compelled to return with great loss. When Llewelyn 
 was grown old and infirm, he gave notice to Henry that being in years, 
 and desirous of peace, he was willing to put himself under his protec- 
 tion, and to hold his dominions in future as a fief of the English crown. 
 He died after a reign of fifty-six years. His talents and his virtues, 
 with the fortunate direction of both, have acquired for this prince the 
 illustrious title of Llewelyn the Great, a. d. 1240. 
 
 David II. succeeded to the throne of North Wales in preference to 
 Gryffydh, his eldest brother ; and after he had done homage to the king 
 at Gloucester, a treaty was ratified. That the Welsh might no longer 
 be deluded by even the semblance of freedom, Henry, already in pos- 
 session of the sovereignty, gave to his eldest son Edward the title of 
 Prince of Wales, a. d. 1244. Alive to a sense of shame for his own 
 dishonour, and for the ignominious situation of his country, David re- 
 volted from his allegiance, the Welsh pursued their devastations with 
 increased rigour and fury ; and the most formidable preparations were 
 made by Henry for the entire conquest of the country. Having, in the 
 face of the Welsh, built the important fortress of Diganwy, Henry, at 
 the approach of winter, returned into England, leaving the Welsh no 
 alternative but famine or submission to his authority. In the midst of 
 this calamity David died. a. d. 1246. 
 
 CHAPTER 5. 
 
 Owen and Llewelyn were appointed joint sovereigns of North Wales. 
 They concluded a peace with Henry upon severe conditions. A quarrel 
 arising between the two princes, Owen w^as slam, and left his brother 
 
 Relate the particulars of the reign of Llewelyn, commonly styled the Great ? — 
 What homage did Henry exact ? — How did David perlbrm ? — What success had 
 Henrv in hja attempt on Wales ? — Who succeeded David ? 
 
216 HISTORY OF WALES. 
 
 the sole possession of this mutilated kingdom. He roused his subjects 
 to arms, and was opposed by Edward, over whom he gained some ad- 
 vantages. Henry once more marched into Wales, to conduct the war 
 Llewelyn retired to the mountains ; and Henry, instead of punishing a 
 revolting vassal, v/as himself, with the broken remains of his army, 
 obliged to make a precipitate and inglorious retreat to Chester. Henry 
 again marched against these brave people, who were bred upon the 
 mountains the indigenous children of freedom. The Welsh obtained 
 from the king an advantageous peace; and having freed themselves 
 from the arms of a potent enemy, they were left to enjoy their freedom, 
 for a season, in the bosom of their native mountains. 
 
 On the succession of Edward to the throne of England, Llewelyn 
 refused to do homage to that prince ; and the former, after having taken 
 every precaution to ensure success, left London with a full resolution 
 never to return until he had entirely subdued the Welsh nation. The 
 Prince of Wales, unable to resist a powerful enemy, pressing on by slow, 
 cautious, and decisive operations, retired to the mountains of Snowdon. 
 The English monarch, not choosing to enter the recesses of that diffi- 
 cult country, calmly waited the result of his policy. Not preparing for 
 contingencies, nor observing the measures of the English king, nor the 
 effects already produced, Llewelyn had neglected to furnish with neces- 
 sary supplies of provision an important post, to which he and his people, 
 in their deepest distress, might be forced to retire. His enemies were 
 masters of the country below, and seemed determined by their perse- 
 verance to starve him into submission. Thus surrounded by dangers, 
 he had no better alternative than to implore the mercy of the English 
 king. It was stipulated that he should pay the king fifty thousand 
 marks, and also the annual sum of one thousand m.arks for the island of 
 Anglesey. Having thus, in the late fortunate campaign, completed, as 
 he might think, the entire conquest of Wales, Edward returned into 
 England, amidst the applauses of his subjects. The Welsh prince was 
 summoned to appear before Edward at Worcester, to do him homage as 
 a vassal ; and we see Llewelyn, a prince of a gallant spirit, and the 
 brave descendant of a line of independent sovereigns, become amenable 
 to usurped povv^er. 
 
 But the spirit of faction and revolt again manifested itself in another 
 struggle for liberty. Mighty preparations were made by the English 
 monarch, and on his approach the Welsh princes retreated slowdy 
 towards Snowdon ; thinking it more prudent to seize every opportunity 
 of cutting oft' his detached parties, than with equal force to fight him 
 in the open field. The Welsh had at first some slight advantages, and 
 Edward collected almost the whole power of England against these 
 brave patriots. But in a skirmish Llewelyn was separated from his 
 troops and was slain, in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, 1282. 
 
 His brother David then pursued the war with the English ; but the 
 Welsh were so sunk in despair, that every fortress was immediately 
 
 What success had he in the war with Henry? — What was the fate of Wales 
 under Edward of England? — In what city did Llewelyn do homage to Edward? — In 
 what year was Llewelyn slain ? — How long did he reign ? 
 
EDWARD CONaUERS WALES. 217 
 
 yielded up, and the miserable natives fled on every side, to shelter them- 
 selves in caves, within the recesses of rocks, and in tlie deep woods of 
 their country. More than three thousand perished in the carnage. 
 Prince David remained some months in the woods and marshes ; but 
 some of his retainers, being corrupted by Edward, disclosed his retreat, 
 and he with his family was brought prisoner to the king. David was 
 tried at Shrewsbury, and condemned to die as a traitor, a. d. 1283. 
 
 The death of David closed the only sovereignty that remained of the 
 ancient British empire ; an empire which through various changes of 
 fortune had opposed the arms of imperial Rome ; and for more than 
 eight centuries had resisted the utmost efforts of the Saxon and Nor- 
 man princes. The spirit of freedom and an ardent love of their coun- 
 try, were the distinguishing traits in the character of the Welsh. 
 
 Edward having at length obtained the pomt of his ambition, by tlie 
 entire conquest of Wales, annexed that country to the crown of Eng- 
 land. To secure the obedience of the newly subdued country, he intro- 
 duced into Wales the whole system of English jurisprudence. He 
 issued a proclamation to all the inhabitants of Wales, that he would 
 receive them under his protection, giving them assurance of enjoying 
 their estates, their liberties, and property ; and that they should also 
 hold them under the same tenures as they had heretofore held them 
 under their native princes. Among other causes of that ardent spirit, 
 with which this people had so long maintained their independence, the 
 English king must have known that their bards had been the principal 
 springs of action. To silence that voice, which might revive ancient 
 ideas, and rekindle in the Welsh their love of freedom and native fire, 
 Edward commanded that all the bards in Wales should be hanged by 
 martial law, under pretence that they had incited the people to sedition. 
 
 The union of Wales with the crown of England not having pro- 
 ceeded from mutual inclination, was received by the Welsh with the 
 deepest reluctance. The rigour exercised by Edward's officers in 
 Wales, alienated them still more from an English administration. To 
 all his proposals of settling their government, they said, that they were 
 willing to be governed by a chieftain of their own country, or by the 
 king in person ; but firmly declared that they would yield no obedience 
 to any person who was not a native of Wales, or who did not reside 
 there. The English monarch dispatched orders to Eleanor, his queen, 
 to come into Wales. She bearing a son, he told the Welsh chieftains, 
 that as they had frequently desired he would appoint them a sovereign, 
 he would now indulge them in their request, provided they promised to 
 yield, to the person he should name, a proper obedience. . They assented 
 to the terms he proposed, in case that person should be a native of 
 Wales. The king then informed them that their future prince was his 
 infant son, Edward, born in Caernarvon castle a few days before. 
 
 After the conquest of Wales by Edward the First, the concerns of 
 that country, considered in a national light, are entirely uninteresting ; 
 
 When and where was David executed as a traitor? — Whose death closed the sov^ 
 reignty ?— What befel the bards ? — What, at length, reconciled the Welsh tp their 
 union with England ? 
 19 
 
218 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 as until the reign of Henry the Seventh, the inhabitants were reduced 
 to a state of bondage the most deep and severe ; for though the policy 
 of Edward had allowed the Welsh nation to enjoy their liberties, and to 
 hold their estates under ancient tenures, they had much reason to com- 
 plain of the excessive rigour which was exercised over them by the 
 officers of justice, and of the rapacity of the English barons who had 
 settled in Wales. 
 
 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 The original inhabitants of Ireland appear to have been of the same 
 Celtic stock which supplied Gaul and Britain with their early popula- 
 tion ; and whatever tribes might follow, it seems certain that this most 
 ancient people brought with them the pure Irish dialect now existing. 
 Notwithstanding the proximity of Ireland to Great Britain, history 
 makes no mention of any Roman having ever set his foot on Ireland, 
 although the latter was for nearly four centuries subject to the Romans. ' 
 The idea which some historians entertain of Ireland having been first 
 peopled from Britain, seems to be erroneous. It appears much more 
 probable that while Gaul poured her Celts upon the coast of Britain, 
 the Celts of Spain supplied the population of Ireland. " - 
 
 The Phoenicians w^ere doubtless early acquainted with the British 
 Isles, but they cautiously preserved the secret of the resources of their 
 wealth, the only islands from which tin was imported. In a work, 
 written in the time of Aristotle, mention is made of two British Isles ; 
 and the Greeks were advised to explore those regions, and secure to 
 themselves the Tyrian market, by buying up the lead. It is, however, 
 from a more modern work of Pestus Avienus, that our more certain 
 information is derived. We are justified from ancient records in be-^ 
 lieving that to the Phoenicians, if not to the Greeks, Ireland was known, [ 
 if not earlier, at least more intimately than Britain. An ancient poem^ 
 called the Argonautics, mentions lerne (or Ireland) without any refer- ^i 
 ence to Britain. A proof of the early intimacy of the Phoenician 
 Spaniards with Ireland, is derived from the geography of Ptolemy, oi* 
 from Marinus of Tyre, who lived not long before him. 
 
 Tacitus also asserts, that " the waters and harbours of Ireland were 
 better known, through the resort of commerce and navigation, than 
 those of Britain." From this it appears, that though then scarcely heard 
 of by the Romans, this island possessed channels of separate inter- 
 
 Of what excessive rigour did the country long complain ?— Who were the ori- . 
 ginal inhabitants of Ireland ? — Were the Phcenicians acquainted with the British ^ 
 isles ? —What did Tacitus assert ? 
 
ANCIENT RELIGION. 219 
 
 course witli the Phcenician Spaniards, whose barks pursued their long 
 accustomed course between the Celtic cape and the sacred promontory. 
 The epithet sacred bestowed upon this island in ancient times, seems to 
 imply some pre-eminence of a sacerdotal character. It has been be- 
 lieved that the Phoenician priesthood sent out missions to Ireland, for 
 the purpose of extending their spiritual influence over a people with 
 whom the merchants had established an intercourse. Sir Isaac New- 
 ton says, " With these Phcenicians came a sort of men skilled in reli- 
 gious mysteries." And the fact that there existed in these regions an 
 island devoted to religious rites, is confirmed by historical evidence. It 
 is stated by Plutarch, that an envoy dispatched by the emperor Claudius 
 to explore the British Isles, found on an island in the neighbourhood of 
 Britain, an order of Magi, accounted holy by the people. In another 
 work of the same writer, some fabulous wonders are related of an 
 island lying to the west of Britain, the inhabitants of which were a 
 holy race ; while at the same time a connexion between them and 
 Carthage is intimated. 
 
 Strabo, in an extract from an ancient geographer, mentions an island 
 near Britain, where sacrifices were offered to Ceres and Proserpine, in 
 the same manner as at Samothrace, which is an island in the ^Egean 
 Sea, the favourite seat of idolatrous worship ; and on the shores of 
 which religious mysteries had been established by the Phoenicians. It 
 was usual for mariners, in traversing these seas, to stop at Samothrace, 
 and offer up a prayer at its shrines for propitious winds. And it has 
 been with good reason inferred that Ireland had become the Samothrace 
 of the western seas, where the mariner found another sacred island in 
 which to the same tutelary deities they could offer their vows and 
 thanks for their safe arrival. But the monuments of Ireland, the names 
 of her hills and promontories, her old usages and rites, all bear the 
 same oriental stamp. The traditions of Ireland indicate vestiges of 
 intercourse between that country and Galicia in Spam. Indeed, so 
 abundant is the force of tradition in favour of a Spanish colonization, 
 that no hypothesis can be formed without admitting it, at least in part 
 A late popular history of Ireland by Mr. Whitty, accounts for the 
 striking similarity of the round towers and pillar-temples to those of 
 Mazanderan, by deducing their origin from the shores of the Caspian ; 
 and he yields to the current of tradition in conducting his colony from 
 Iran to the west, to give it Spain for a resting place. In short, the 
 universal voice of tradition is in favour of Ireland having received a 
 colonization from Spain. 
 
 Doubtless the Phcenicians that visited the coasts of Spain, while 
 mixing with the original Celts, might imbibe much of their ancient 
 religion, and the religion of the Irish might originate from the same 
 mixed source. There may be traced, indeed, in the religious remains 
 of the Irish, three distinct stages of superstition ; namely, the rude 
 ritual of the Celtic ; the introduction of images ; and the monuments 
 
 What said Sir Isaac Newton? — What did Strabo mention? — Where is Samo- 
 thrace ? — How does Mr. Whitty account for the origin of the round lowers? — What 
 three distinct kinds of superstition Riay be traced? 
 
220 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 of a refined system of fire worship. Some of these were traceable to 
 the Phoenicians ; and some derived through this people from Persia. 
 The mixed nature of the creed of the ancient Irish appears evident 
 from the mode of designating their own priesthood ; calling them either 
 Magi or Druids. The chief object of PhoBnician adoration, the Sun, 
 was, under the name of Baal, or Bel, the chief deity of the Irish ; and 
 this was found established in the island on the arrival of St Patrick, in 
 the fifth century. 
 
 Wherever the sun was made an object of worship, the moon came in 
 for a share of adoration. In Ireland she was adored under the sacred 
 name of Re, and those golden ornaments, in the shape of a crescent, 
 frequently found in the Irish bogs, are supposed to have belonged to tliis 
 lunar deity. With the worship of fire, that of water was usually 
 joined ; and hence particular fountains and wells were, by the Irish, 
 held sacred. It is, however, certain, that the sacrifice of human vic- 
 tims formed a part of the pagan worship in Ireland, as it did in every 
 country where the sun was an object of adoration. A plain in the 
 county of Leitrim was called Mag-Sleaeth, or field of slaughter, where 
 the Irish offered up their first-born to their chief idol Crom-Cruach. 
 This idol was surrounded by twelve lesser idols, supposed to represent 
 the signs of the zodiac. The pillar-temples, or round towers, anciently 
 60 numerous in Ireland, it is probable were fire-temples, or mere repo- 
 fiitories of the sacred fire. 
 
 Among other ancient remains with which Ireland abounds, may be 
 iientioned that most common of Celtic monuments, the Cromleach, or 
 altar. In the neighbourhood of Dundalk, in the county of Louth, was 
 a large Cromleach, which fell to ruin some time since. In the ruins 
 were found the skeleton of a human figure, the fi*agments of a broken 
 rod or wand, probably what is still called in Ireland, the conjuror's or 
 druid's wand. In the neighbourhood of this is another, called " The 
 Giant's Load," because supposed to be the work of giants in the days 
 of old. Not less ancient among the Celtic nations, was the circle of 
 upright stones, serving sometimes as a temple of worship, sometimes as 
 a place of national council. The ruinous remains of a circular temple 
 near Dundalk, is like that at Stonehenge, and composed of similar cir- 
 cles of stones. 
 
 The Irish had also their sacred hills, or tumuli, on which sacrifices 
 were offered by the priest, and fi-om which the legislator promulgated 
 his decrees. Such as are artificial have been usually denominated Bar- 
 rows, or Cairns ; their original destination was that of tombs. The 
 veneration for particular groves or trees, was also common to Ireland, 
 as to several eastern nations.* As the religious system of the Irish 
 pagans was in many instances peculiar to themselves, so the priesthood 
 differed in many points firom that of Gaul or Britain. 
 
 * We read in 1 Kings, xviii. 19, of the Prophets of the groves. 
 
 Did not the sacrifice of human victims form a part of the pagan worship in Ire- 
 land ? — What monuments and altars were raised in Ireland ? — For what purpose 
 were their barrows or cairns ? 
 
THE CELTS. 221 
 
 CHAPTER 2. 
 
 Among the evidences of the high antiquity of Ireland, there is an 
 existing* proof in the living language of her people ; in the predomi- 
 nance of its gutturals, and the deficiencies of its alphabet. These are 
 proofs of its eastern origin, and of its remote antiquity ; the tongues of 
 the east having abounded with gutturals, and the more ancient Greeks 
 having had the same number of letters as the Irish. That the Cad- 
 meian number was but sixteen is generally admitted, and sixteen is the 
 number of the genuine Irish alphabet. But though letters must have 
 been very anciently known to this people, yet the knowledge did not 
 extend beyond the Druidical class ; it was not then diffused among the 
 community at large. The materials upon which they wrote were 
 w^ood, and their characters were formed by an iron stylus or pencil. 
 
 There is a tradition that a colony under a chieftain of the race of 
 Japhet, in their migration westward, made a settlement both in Britain 
 and Ireland ; and of a later settlement of Nemedians, from the neigh- 
 bourhood of the Euxine Sea, or the Caucasian mountains. The first 
 language spoken in Europe, says Parsons, was Japhetan, called after- 
 wards the Pelasgian, " and this language," he asserts, " is to be found 
 only in Ireland, the Highlands of Scotland, and Wales." Other au- 
 thors, however, think it more probable that Ireland derived her primi- 
 tive population from Spain. And in the direction of Spain it is very 
 probable was maintained whatever foreign commerce or intercourse the 
 ancient Irish may have possessed ; not with the Britons or the Romans, 
 but with the Phoenician settlers, who in early ages visited the western 
 coasts of Spain. 
 
 It was not, in all probability, till a much later period that the Gaulish 
 colonies named by Ptolemy, established themselves in the island. The 
 rirbolgs were evidently Belgse, of the same race with the British. The 
 Menapii and the Cauci, both nations of the Belgic coast, are supposed 
 to have passed directly to Ireland, as there is no trace of them in Bri- 
 tain. It remains still uncertain whether the Belgse were a Celtic or a 
 Teutonic race. Among the tribes marked by Ptolemy in his map, may 
 be noticed the Iverni, whose chief city was Ivernis, or Hibemis, and 
 Nvho occupied a portion of Cork and Kerry. The Velabri, a people 
 situated near Kerry Head, are supposed to have been of Spanish origin. 
 Of the Brigantes, the most probable account is that they were a colony 
 from the ancient Britons. The Nagnatse inhabited Connaught. Their 
 chief city, Nagnata, is conjectured to have stood not far from the pre- 
 sent Sligo. Among the towns enumerated by' Ptolemy is Eblana, or 
 Deblana, a city placed under the same parallel with the present Dublin. 
 
 The latest and most important of the settlements in Ireland, is the 
 Scythic, or Scotic^ from whence the whole of her people in the course 
 of time received the name of Scots. There appears no grounds for 
 
 What are the evidences of the antiquity of Ireland ? — What is the tradition of 
 the race of Japhet ? — What is the opinion of Parsons concerning it ? — What is sai'i 
 of the Gaulish colonies ?— And of the Fir bolgs ?— Name the latest and most impoj 
 tant settlement. 
 19* 
 
222 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 believing that the Scotic colony settled in Ireland at a period more 
 remote than two centuries before our era. That they succeeded the 
 Firbolgs, all its records and traditions agree. The first arrival of the 
 Belgic tribes in Ireland could hardly have been earlier than about the 
 third or fourth century before Christ. Another proof of the compara- 
 tively recent date of the Scotic colony, is the entire omission of it in 
 Ptolemy's map of Ireland ; nor was it till towards the end of the third 
 century that a single instance occurs in any writer of the use of the 
 term Scotia for Ireland, or Scoti for any of her people. We learn also 
 from the confession of St. Patrick, who flourished in the fifth century, 
 that the name of Scots was the distinctive appellation of only a portion 
 of the Irish nation. The name Hiberione, is always applied by him to 
 the island itself And from the name Hibernis may not the mark of its 
 Iberian origin be adduced 1 
 
 Among the Milesian or Scotic monarchs, all before the time of King 
 Kimbaoth are uncertain. It has been asserted, but without foundation, 
 that Kimbaoth was the seventy-fifth king of Ireland, and the fifty- 
 seventh of the Milesian or Scotic dynasty. Kimbaoth's reign cannot 
 be carried back to a period more remote than 200 years before our era. 
 But if we begin with the landing of the Scotic colony, it must be no- 
 ticed that a decisive victory over the Tuatha-de-Danaan, the former 
 possessors of the country, transferred the sovereignty to Heber and 
 Heremon, the sons of Milesius. Their third brother, Amergin, they 
 appointed Arch-Bard, or presiding minister over the departments of 
 law, poetry, philosophy, and religion. Differences between the brothers 
 kindled into animosity, and led to battles, which left Heremon sole 
 possessor of the kingdom.* 
 
 During this period, it is said the Picts appeared on the eastern coast 
 of Ireland, requesting permission to settle on the island. The natives 
 reftised, but directed them to other islands on the north-east. The Picts 
 consented ; but first requested that some Milesian women might accom- 
 pany tliem, pledging themselves that should they become masters of the 
 country they were going to invade, the sovereignty should be ever after 
 vested m the descendants of the female line. This request having 
 been granted, the Pictish chiefs, accompanied by their Milesian wives, 
 set sail for the islands bordering on Scotland, and there established their 
 settlement. This matrimonial compact continued in force, it is said, for 
 2000 years. 
 
 Of the successors of Heremon there is little remarkable till the reign 
 of the idolator Tighernmas, who, while offering sacrifice, at a great 
 popular convention, to the monstrous idol Crom-Cruach, was, together 
 with the vast multitude around him, miraculously destroyed. During 
 
 * The particulars of this quarrel are thus stated by Keating. " The occasion of the 
 dispute was the possession of three of the most delightful valleys in the whole i^iland. 
 Two of these belonged to Heber; but Jiis wife, a woman of great pride and ambition, 
 envied the wife of Heremon the enjoyment of the third, passionately vowing that she 
 never would be satisfied till she was called the queen of the three most fruitful valleys 
 in Ireland." 
 
 What is said of Kimbaoth ?— What of Heber and Heremon ?— What request was 
 made by the Picts ?— What befel the idolator, Tighernmas ? 
 
ANCIENT IRISH KINGS. .. 223 
 
 this reign, gold is said to have been worked in Ireland ; a mine of tliat 
 metal having been discovered at Fothart, near tlie river Liffey, in the 
 county of Wicklow. In the reign of Achy, v^^ho succeeded Tighern- 
 mas, a singular law v^^as enacted, regulating the exact number of 
 colours by which the garments of the different classes of society were 
 to be distinguished. Plebeians and soldiers wore a single colour ; infe- 
 rior military officers, two ; commanders, three ; keepers of houses of 
 hospitality, four ; the nobility and military knights, five ; the bards, who 
 were distinguished by learning, six ; which was but one colour less than 
 the number worn by the princes themselves. From hence is seen the 
 distinction put upon learning in those days. 
 
 CHAPTER 3. 
 
 Among the kings that appeared in this period of Irish history, the 
 royal sage, Ollamh Fodhla* stands most conspicuous. He is supposed 
 to have lived about the second century before our era : his reign became 
 important in the establishment of the Great Fes, or Triennial Conven- 
 tion at Tara, of the three orders of the community, — namely, of the 
 Monarch, the Druids or Ollamhs, and the Plebeians, for the purpose of 
 passing laws and regulations for the public good. The result of these 
 deliberations was entered in the great national register, called the 
 Psalter of Tara. The policy adopted by the Egyptians and Lacede- 
 monians of rendering employments and offices hereditary in families, 
 was also, from the time of Ollamh Fodhla, observed in Ireland. The 
 descendants of a physician, for instance, or an artificer, were to con- 
 tinue such through succeeding generations. Among these hereditary 
 offices were heralds, practitioners in physic, bards, and musicians. To 
 the professors of these arts Ollamh Fodhla assigned lands for their use, 
 and also instituted a school of general instruction. 
 
 A long interval, with scarcely an event worth recording, fills up the 
 space between Ollamh Fodhla and Kimboath, from whose reign is 
 dated the dawn of authentic history. The palace of Emania, built by 
 Kimboath, forms a prominent era in the Irish annals ; from which period 
 the princes of Ulster were called kings of Emania. It is hoped that 
 the bards in describing some of these reigns have far exceeded the 
 truth ; for out of upwards of thirty kings that reigned between Ollamh 
 and Kimboath, not more than three are said to have died a natural 
 death ; the great majority of the remamder fell by the hands of their 
 successors. 
 
 The reign of Hugony the Great proved a remarkable era. He 
 succeeded in annulling the Pentarchy, and prevailed on the four prin- 
 cipal kings to surrender their right of succession in favour of his family. 
 He exacted from them an oath, " by all things visible and invisible," not 
 to accept of a supreme monarch from any other line. This extorted 
 
 * Pronounced Ollav Folia. 
 
 What singular law was enacted in the reign of Achy ? — What is said of Ollamh 
 Fodhla ? — What did the Psalter of Tara contain ? — How were employments ren- 
 dered hereditary ? — By whom was the palace of Emania built ? — What is related 
 of Hugony the Great? vi 
 
224 ' HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 abjuration the minor kings revoked on the first opportunity that offered ; 
 and under the monarch Achy Fedloch, it was rescinded, and the 
 ancient form restored. After the reign of Hugony another long interval 
 succeeded, during which, with the exception of king Labhra's return 
 from Gaul with a Gaulish colony, there is not a transaction worthy of 
 notice. 
 
 In A. D. 2, we read of the reign of Conary the Great, and of the 
 hero Cuchullior, who died early, and in his full career of glory. In the 
 latter part of the first century, Crimthan and Fiachad, Irish monarchs, 
 flourished about the time that Agricola was pursuing his conquests in 
 Britain ; and Tacitus asserts, as before mentioned, that at the period 
 when he wrote, the waters and harbours of Ireland were better known 
 than those of Britain. And these testimonies of her commerce and 
 navigation afford proofs of an early civilization. Mention is made, in 
 this period, of the Irish monarch Crimthan having made incursions into 
 the Roman provinces in Britain, and returning to his dominions laden 
 with rich plunder. To this, however, a more than usually troubled 
 period of strife and disorder succeeded, by an usurper and his followers. 
 A revolt of the old Belgic tribes was the cause, who were held in sub- 
 jection by the sword of the Milesian or Scotic rule ; and at a great pub- 
 lic assembly in Connaught was struck the first blovv of a conspiracy. 
 An indiscriminate massacre of the princes and cliiefs succeeded, and 
 the legitimate monarchy was overturned, and Carbre Cat-Can, a de- 
 scendant of the old Belgic tribes, was placed on the throne, a. d. 90. 
 
 Carbre Cat-Can's five years of rule are represented as a period of 
 gloom and barrenness. The country being abandoned to the rule of 
 the rabble, agnculture had been neglected, — " no grain on the stalk, 
 no fruitfulness in the waters, no herds in the stall, and but one acorn on 
 the oak." Unexpectedly, however, on the death of Carbre, the magna- 
 nimity of his son, Moran, placed the crown on the legitimate brow of 
 Feredach, the son of Crimthan. The post of Chief Justice, bestowed 
 on Moran, was distinguished by acts of disinterested clemency and jus- 
 tice. The fame of this judge's upright decisions gave occasion to the 
 fable of Moran's Collar (Jodhan Moran), which was said, by its degree 
 of pressure round the neck of the wearer, to direct his decisions. The 
 reign of Feredach, in conjunction with his honest counsellor, afforded 
 to the nation a scene of tranquillity as precious as it was rare. 
 
 To Feredach succeeded Fiach, his son. In his reign happened a 
 second revolt of the people, which was countenanced by the provincial 
 princes, and which for a time was so successful as to compel the young 
 monarch, Tuathal, son of Fiach, to take refuge in North Britain, at 
 the court of his maternal grandfather, the king of the Picts. The re- 
 volters, in a moment of compunction, invited back their king, who, at 
 Tara, was re-elected sovereign amidst general acclamation. Then 
 taking the field, he pursued his victories through the kingdom, till he 
 had extinguished usurpation, and restored the former relations of society, 
 
 What is said of Conary the Great? — What of Crimthan ? — Under whose govern- 
 ment were there five years of barrenness ? — What change took place under Fere- 
 dach ? — What happened to Tuathal ? 
 
THE FINE OF LEINSTEH. 225 
 
 A.D. 130. Tuatlial afterwards, in a convocation of the states at Tara, 
 made efforts to confine the right of succession to his family, as two of 
 his ancestors, Ileremon and Ilu^rony, had done. lie found as little diffi- 
 culty in obtaininf^ from them their solemn oath, as they found upon the 
 first occasion in breaking it. 
 
 A circumstance not creditable to his policy is related of him, in 
 having imposed a fine on the province of Lcinstcr to atone for the 
 offence of its ruler, Athy, a worthless prince. Athy had espoused one 
 of the daughters of Tuathal. In the second year after their union he 
 made his appearance at Tara ; and informing the monarch, under every 
 appearance of sorrow, that his young queen was dead, requested per- 
 mission to solicit the hand of her sister. He succeeded in making her 
 his bride. But on accompanying him to his dominions, and finding his 
 queen still living, the base and unpardonable indignity put upon her cost 
 her her life. Nor was her sister, the queen, less a sufferer ; the perfidy 
 of her lord, and the melancholy fate of her sister, so preyed upon her 
 mind that she pined away and died. 
 
 For this base act, which should have been revenged only upon the 
 unnatural offender, a heavy fine was imposed not only on his subjects, 
 but upon their posterity for more than five hundred years. This tribute, 
 called the Fine of Leinster, according to the old history, cited by 
 Keating, which was paid through the reigns of forty kings, consisted 
 of 3,000 cows, as many hogs and sheep, 3,000 copper caldrons, as many 
 ounces of silver, and the same number of mantles. The payments took 
 place every second year, and in numerous instances occasioned resist- 
 ance, collision, confusion, and bloodshed. In the reign of king Fin- 
 nacta, a. d. 693, through the intercession of St. Moling, the fine was 
 remitted. 
 
 CHAPTER 4. 
 
 Tuathal established courts of municipal jurisdiction for the regula- 
 tion of tradesmen and artificers, previous to which it seems evident that 
 none'of the Milesian or dominant class occupied themselves in trade. 
 For the minor Milesian branches were reserved the higher offices of 
 the state, bards, physicians, judges, &c. The reign of King Feidlim, 
 in A. D. 164, proves that the Irish jurisprudence was at that time rude 
 and barbarous, since we find that the old law of retaliation was then for 
 the first time changed for the more lenient one of a mulct or fine. 
 Some writers, it is true, have asserted that the very reverse of this was 
 the fact, and that Feidlim, finding the law of compensation already estab- 
 lished, introduced the Lex Talionis in its stead. But this assuredly 
 would have been to retrograde rather than to advance in civilization. 
 
 His son Con, of the Hundred Battles, succeeded ; a prince whose 
 reign was a series of conflicts of various success. From him descended 
 that race of chieftains, who, under the title of the Dalriadic kings, 
 
 What fine did he impose on the province of Leinster? — How long was the fine 
 paid ? — In whose reign did it cease? — What occurred in the reign of Feidlim ? — 
 From whom descended the Dalriadic kings ? 
 
226 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 supplied Albany, the modern Scotland, with her first Scottish rulers: 
 Carbry Riada, the son of Conary the Second, by the daughter of the 
 monarch Con, having been the chief, who about the middle of the third 
 century established that Irish settlement in Argyleshire, which taking 
 the name of its princely founder, grew up in the course of time into 
 the kingdom of Dalriada ; and finally, on the destruction of the Picts 
 by Keneth Mac Alpine, became the kingdom of all Scotland. The 
 incursions of those Irish into those northern parts of Britain, had com- 
 menced at a very remote period. 
 
 The most accomplished of all the Milesian princes, whether as legis- 
 lator, soldier, or scholar, was the monarch Cormac Ulfadha, who flou- 
 rished about A. D. 254. Through his munificence were founded three 
 academies at Tara : the first for the science of war ; the second for 
 historical literature ; the third for jurisprudence. The abdication of 
 the supreme power by this monarch in the full vigour of his age and 
 faculties was the consequence of an ancient law or custom of the coun- 
 try, which forbade that any one who was affected with a personal blem- 
 ish should hold possession of the throne : and, as, in resisting a rebellious 
 attack on his palace, he incurred the loss of an eye, this accomplished 
 monarch was thereby disqualified from longer retaining the sovereignty. 
 He passed his latter days in retirement. 
 
 Carbre was the son and successor of Cormac. It was in his reign 
 that the famous Fianna Eirinn, or militia of Erin, was, in consequence 
 of its dissensions, and the degree of power which it assumed, put down 
 by force. Such violent feuds arose among the chieftains, as could only 
 be appeased by the intervention of the bards, who, shaking the chain 
 of silence between them, succeeded for a while in calming their strife. 
 To such a pitch did the presumption of one clan arrive in the reign of 
 Carbre, that it menaced the throne itself; and was put down only by a 
 carnage which almost produced its annihilation. 
 
 From this period nothing occurs very remarkable till about the begin- 
 ning of the fourth century, when Huss Colla usurped the throne ; and 
 three brothers bearing the same name, produced a long series of san- 
 guinary wars, in which Fisch, the rightful monarch, lost his crown and 
 his life. After a reign of five years, the usurper Colla and his brothers 
 took flight to North Britain, and left the sovereignty to the rightful suc- 
 cessor of the late monarch, Muredach Tiry. Colla, afterwards return- 
 ing, dispossessed the king of Ulster of his dominions : and, in the course 
 of the contest, the princely palace of Emania was destroyed, and not a 
 vestige of its former glories remained. 
 
 In A. D. 396-7, is recorded an invasion of Britain, on rather a bold 
 scale, by the gallant Nial of the nine hostages. During the absence of 
 the Roman forces, he made a descent upon the unprotected territory, 
 and carried off great plunder. Nial afterwards, encouraged by the 
 tottering state of the Romans in Gaul, extended his ravages to Brittany 
 
 Who was the most accomplished of the Milesian princes? — What caused Cormac 
 TJlfadha's abdication? — In whose reign was the militia of Erin put down? — Did not 
 Huss Colla usurp the throne ?— When did Nial of the nine hostages extend liis 
 ravages ? 
 
INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY. 227 
 
 and the north-west coast, where he was assassinated hy one of his own 
 •bllovvers. It was in one of these predatory excursions that the soldiers 
 of Nial carried off a youth in his sixteenth year, who was detained for 
 many years in Ireland as a slave ; but who in the course of Providence 
 was destined by his arduous labours to effect such a great religious revo- 
 lution in the country, as has entitled him to be conmiemorated as the 
 great Christian apostle of Ireland. To Nial the Great, succeeded 
 Dathy, the last of the Pagan monarchs of Ireland, who extended his 
 predatory excursions even to the foot of the Alps, and was there killed 
 by a flash of lightning. Christian kings thereafter filled the throne of 
 Ireland. 
 
 It has not been satisfactorily ascertained at what period Christianity 
 was first preached in Ireland. The boast of Tertullian, that in his time 
 a knowledge of the Christian faith had reached those parts of the Brit- 
 ish Isles yet unapproached by the Romans, is supposed to imply Ireland- 
 as w^ell as the northern regions of Britain ; and Eusebius has asserted 
 that some of the apostles preached the gospel in the British Isles. Some 
 writers suppose St. James the elder to have been the promulgator of the 
 faith among the Irish, just as St. Paul has been supposed to have com- 
 municated it to Britain. However this may be, we have proof of the 
 Irish having early distinguished themselves as scholars and writers, in 
 the person of that eminent heresiarch, Pelagius, and his able disciple 
 Celestius ; and two of the most learned of all the writers, respecting 
 the heresy, admit Pelagius, no less than Celestius, to have been a native 
 of Ireland. 
 
 CHAPTER 5. 
 
 Already had the tenets of Pelagius rapidly gained ground in Britain ; 
 and the mission of St. Germain and Lupus to that country in 429, wa.s 
 for the purpose of opposing this heresy. The future apostle of Ireland, 
 Patrick, then in his 42d year, accompanied them. The state of Chris- 
 tianity in Ireland, and the inroads made there by the Pelagian doctrines, 
 induced Pope Celestine to send. Palladius thither to counteract them, 
 and in him the Irish Christians saw their first bishop. For a short pe- 
 riod success appears to have attended his mission, but at length, after 
 some unavailing efforts to establish his doctrine, he was forced to fly 
 from the country, and being driven by a storm, he died on the coast of 
 North- Britain. St. Patrick was afterwards more successful, so that it 
 gave rise to the Irish adage, " not to Palladius but to Patrick did God 
 grant the conversion of Ireland." 
 
 St. Patrick appears to have been fitted for the mighty w^ork he had to 
 accomplish, by an extraordinary train of preparation. Respecting his 
 birth-place, he appears to have been a native !of the old Gallican, or 
 rather Armoric-Britain, which comprised the whole of the north-west 
 coast of Gaul ; and in the territory now called Boulogne, St. Patrick, it 
 appears, was born. The year of his birth, according to accounts most 
 
 What are the conjectures respecting the introduction of Christianity ? — Who 
 were sent to oppose the tenets of Pelagius ? — What is said of St. Patrick ? 
 
228 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 to be relied upon, was about a. d. 387, which brings the period of his 
 captivity, when sixteen years of age, to 403, the period when Nial of 
 the nine hostages extended his ravages to Gaul. On being carried to 
 Ireland, he was purchased as a slave by a man named Milcho, in Dala- 
 radia, now a part of Antrim. The occupation assigned to him was that 
 of attending sheep, which employment became the nurse of his devo- 
 tional feelings. After six years' servitude, a voice in his dreams, he 
 says, told him that " he was soon to go to his own country," and that 
 *'a ship was ready to convey him." Accordingly in the seventh year 
 of his slavery he betook himself to flight, and making for the western 
 coast, was received on board a merchant's vessel, and m three days was 
 landed in Gaul.* 
 
 When in Gaul he repaired to that celebrated monastery or college of 
 St. Martin, near Tours, where he remained four years to be initiated 
 into the ecclesiastical state. About this time he dreamed of a messen- 
 ger appearing before him, and bearing innumerable letters, with these 
 words : " the voice of the Irish ;" and at the same time he fancied he 
 heard voices from the wood, Foclut, crying out " we entreat thee, holy 
 youth, to come and walk still among us." At the time of this vision 
 St. Patrick was about thirty years old, and he shortly after placed him- 
 self under the spiritual direction of St. Germain of Auxerre, a man of 
 distinguished reputation, both as a civilian and ecclesiastic. In 429, 
 we find him accompanying St. Germain and Lupus to Britain. It is 
 supposed that the recent death of Palladius opened a way for St. Pa- 
 trick, and his first landing appears to have been on the shores of Dub- 
 lin, about A. D. 432.1 
 
 After meeting with a repulse here and at other places in Leinster, the 
 Baint proceeded with his companions, to visit his old master Milcho, who, 
 on hearing of his approach, refused to see him. On his journey, how- 
 ever, he is said to have been more successfiil with Dicho, a lord of the 
 district, (now called the barony of Locale,) who with all his house em- 
 braced Christianity. In an humble barn belonging to this chief, which 
 was ever after called Sabhul Padruic, or Patrick's Barn, the saint cele- 
 brated divine worship. This w^as his first spiritual triumph, and we 
 shall find this to be his last most frequented spiritual retreat. He soon 
 after preached at the palace of Tara, in the presence of the king, Leo- 
 gaire, where he also maintained an argument agamst the Druids. Upon 
 this occasion the arch-poet Dubtach became his convert, and thenceforth 
 devoted his poetic talents to religious subjects. The monarch himself 
 is said also to have professed himself Christian, exclaiming to his sur- 
 rounding nobles, " It is better I should believe than die." 
 
 It does not appear, however, that St. Patrick, among the first in- 
 stances of his success, makes mention of the king and queen, though 
 
 * In gome of the lives of St. Patrick, it is said that there was a law in Ireland, by 
 which slaves should become free in the seventh year, and that, by this law, he gained 
 his liberty, 
 
 (• The celebrated port of the territory of the Evoleni, supposed to be the " portus Ebla- 
 norum" of Ptolemy, the present harbour of Dublin. 
 
 What influenced his mind to return to Ireland ?— What opposition did he meet 
 with ? — And what encouragement ? 
 
ST. PATRICK. 229 
 
 i\e boasts of many sons and daug-hters of hi^li rank who embraced tho 
 faith. And among the females even of the highest class, the lessons of 
 the gospel were received with welcome. In tlie course of his journey- 
 ings, he passed through that plain of slaughter in the county of Leitrim, 
 where stood the Druidical idol Crom-Cruach ; the image to which, as to 
 Moloch of old, children were offered up in sacrifice. For St. Patrick 
 was reserved the glory of destroying both idol and worship, and of 
 erecting a Christian church upon its ruins. His labours appear to have 
 been, with little exception, attended with great success ; he baptizing 
 multitudes, and providing churches for the newly converted. 
 
 He arrived in the neighbourhood of Foclut, near the ocean, soon after 
 the death of the king of that territory, and at the time when his seven 
 sons had just terminated a dispute concerning the succession ; a vast 
 multitude of people had collected on the occasion. St. Patrick ap- 
 proached the assembly, and by his preaching brought over to the Chris- 
 tian faith, not only the seven princes, but twelve thousand persons more, 
 all of whom he soon after baptized. Notwithstanding the general for- 
 bearance of his hearers, even where his doctrines were not received, 
 his life was sometimes in danger, once by a desperate chieftain, and 
 another time by the captain of a band of robbers. But his most inve- 
 terate foes were amongst the Magi, or Druids, who saw in his preach- 
 ing the downfall of their influence. 
 
 Having at length preached through all the provinces, and filled the 
 island with Christians, he formed the design, of constructing a metro- 
 politan see at Armagh, near the place where the celebrated palace of 
 Emania had formerly stood. Residing in the midst of his newly-formed 
 converts, St. Patrick spent the remainder of his days in building up and 
 consolidating his newly-erected hierarchy. Among these last proceed- 
 ings, are mentioned some synods which were held at Armagh, in which 
 canons w^ere decreed and ecclesiastical matters regulated. When under 
 an impression that he was near his end, he wrote his confession, the 
 object of which was to publish to the world the wonderftil effects of his 
 ministry. He died in his favourite retreat at Sabhul, on the 17th of 
 March, a. d. 465, having reached, it is believed, his seventy-eighth year. 
 
 Although Christianity, during the times of St. Patrick, had spread sc 
 rapidly, it does not appear that much moral good was effected, the same 
 factious and turbulent feelings operating with their usual violence. Per- 
 secutions fi-om Pagan princes, and perpetual struggles for power, con- 
 tinued to present scenes of commotion until the invasion of the Danes 
 in the eighth century. It was then that large bodies of Danes and 
 Norwegians, made descents upon the sea-coasts of different countries, 
 and even plundered ships ; and Xhe disturbed state of Ireland, at that 
 time, offered to them a scene particularly favourable : notwithstanding, 
 too, the powerful resistance they experienced from some of the Irish 
 princes, they continued to burn and devastate wherever they made a 
 descent, and then retreat to their vessels with the plunder. 
 
 What people of rank were among his first converts? — Where did St. Patrick 
 convert some thousands to the Christian faith ?— Where did he construct a metro- 
 politan see ? — What people now made a descent upon Ireland ? 
 20 
 
230 IIISTORT OF IRELAJ^D. 
 
 At length Turgesius, a Norwegian prince, fixed his residence at Ar* 
 migh, and drove away the clergy. And in 833, the Normans made a 
 numerous descent, and were, if possible, more cruel and destructive 
 than the former. Turgesius collected his forces, and after a desperate 
 conflict expelled the Normans. Animated by this success, he extended 
 his conquests, and fortified some strong holds ; and though Malscehlin, 
 or Malachy, king of Meath, made a spirited resistance, yet Turgesius, 
 aft;er reducing the greater part of the kingdom to a state of subjugation, 
 assumed the title of monarch. After some years of cruel oppression, 
 he was taken prisoner, by a stratagem of Malscehlin, and put to death, 
 and this was succeeded by a general slaughter of the Danes. 
 
 CHAPTER 6. 
 
 Fresh swarms of Norwegians soon arrived ; these were followed by 
 Danes, and the nation presented a scene of plunder and oppression till 
 the reign of Brien Boiroimhe, who, about a. d. 1014, in a battle fought 
 at ClontarfFe, destroyed their power, though they could not be entirely 
 driven out of the kingdom. But they had committed ravages which 
 ages could not restore : they had pillaged and destroyed most of the 
 churches and monasteries, and obstructed the progress of knowledge, 
 civilization, and Christianity, so that when the English obtained posses- 
 sion of Ireland, in the reign of Henry XL, very few traces remained of 
 that learning which had in former ages attracted students from many o\ 
 the nations of Europe. 
 
 In 1150, Ireland had five petty monarchs, who ruled in Leinster, Uls- 
 ter, Munster, Meath, and Connaught. The whole kingdom w^as subject 
 to one monarch, who owed his elevation more to the powder of his arms 
 than to the law of inheritance. The minor thrones were not established 
 on any firmer foundation. They had often " to wade through slaughter 
 to a throne," and some part or other of the island was almost always in 
 a state of war. 
 
 About the year 1150, duping the contests of the princes Turlogh 
 O'Connor and O'Lochlan, Dermot MacMurrough, king of Leinster, had 
 carried off* Dovergilda, the wife of O'Ruarc, prince of Breffhey (Lei- 
 trim and Sligo). The latter applied to O'Connor, king of Connaught, 
 the chief of the five provincial monarchs, and Dermot was chased out 
 of his dominions by their united forces. He repaired to Henry II., 
 then in Guienne, and sought his aid, offering to acknowledge himself 
 his vassal. 
 
 Henry being then engaged, gave him letters, empowering any of his 
 English subjects who pleased, to engage in the enterprize. Richard, 
 Earl of Pembroke, surnamed Strongbow, and some other adventurers, 
 embarked in the expedition, among whom were Robert Fitzstephen, and 
 Maurice Fitzgerald, and though their numbers were small, such was 
 
 Who was Turgesius ? — And whom did he expel? — Who resisted and destroyed 
 the power of the Norwegians ? — Name the five petty monarchies of Ireland ?— 
 Who was driven from his kingdom ? — Did Henry II. of England lend him his assis'*' 
 %nce ? 
 
( 231 ) 
 
ENGLISH HOSTILITIES. 233 
 
 tlip superiority of their arms and their skill, that they overpowered all 
 resistance. Henry had obtained from Pope Adrian IV., a bull investing 
 him with the kingdom of Ireland, with authority to reduce the people 
 to obedience unto laws, for the propagation of the Christian faith, and 
 securing to the Church of Rome the yearly pension called Peter's pence. 
 Henry himself appeared in Ireland, in 1072, and received the homage 
 of its princes. But the conquest was merely nominal ; and ages elapsed 
 before Ireland w^as really subdued. 
 
 During the absence of Richard, Earl Pembroke, and other English 
 lords, the Irish chieftains were disposed to shake off the yoke of sub- 
 mission. But Pembroke on his return appointed Raymond le Gros to 
 the command of the army ; who, after chastising some petty disaffected 
 chieftains, and gaining considerable booty, entered Waterford in triumph. 
 A misunderstanding between Strongbow and Raymond, induced the 
 latter to quit the command of the army and retire into Wales. This 
 was succeeded by some reverses of the English troops, which induced 
 several of the Leinster chieftains to disclaim the submission they had 
 lately made to Henry. Apprehensive of the consequences, and not able 
 to place reliance on his own troops, Strongbow entreated the return of 
 Raymond, to whom he offered the terms which were formerly refused. 
 Raymond with the forces he could speedily raise, arrived at Waterford 
 in twenty transports, in time to prevent a massacre of the garrison, 
 which the townsmen had projected. He then undertook the siege of 
 Limerick, which was in the possession of the prince of Thomond, and 
 after no very powerful resistance, made himself master of the place. 
 
 Roderick, son of the late king of Connaught, who had been raised to 
 the supreme power, convinced that no reliance could be placed on his 
 chieftains, now resolved to yield to the English yoke; and sent to 
 Henry the archbishop of Tuam, to oflter homage and tribute ; by which 
 act Roderick obtained the administration of the kingdom, and the Eng- 
 lish interest became strengthened. By various intermarriages, how- 
 ever, the English settlers became so closely connected v/ith the natives 
 as to occasion the jealousy of Henry, w^ho ordered Raymond, a. d. 1176, 
 to appear before him to answer to some charges that envy had raised 
 against him. While Raymond was waiting for a favourable wind, news 
 arrived of O'Brien of Thomond having besieged Limerick. 
 
 Strongbow being at that time ill, the English soldiers refused to 
 march to the relief of Limerick, unless under the command of Ray- 
 mond ; and the commissioners agreed to wait the issue of the expedi- 
 tion. O'Brien raised the siege, and awaited the enemy's approach in 
 his entrenchments. Being defeated by Raymond, he gave security for 
 his allegiance. On receiving intelligence of Strongbow's death, Ray- 
 mond attended the funeral of the earl in Dublin, and the council nomi- 
 nated him as his successor, and the commissioners made a favourable 
 report of his conduct to the king ; but Henry's apprehensions of Ray 
 mond not being removed, he sent over William Fitzandelem, as chief 
 governor, a. d. 1177. Under his rule the English power was greatly 
 
 Did not the Trjsh chieftains attempt to shake off the yoke ? — What king resolved 
 to yield to the English yoke ? — What did Raymond on the death of Strongbow ? 
 
 20* 
 
234 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 weakened, and complaints being raised against him, he was recalled, 
 and de Lacy was appointed his successor. About this time Henry 
 appointed his son John lord of Ireland, where, in subservience to his 
 father, he exercised the supreme power. 
 
 The admhiistration of de Lacy became so justly popular, that Henry 
 felt alarm and recalled him ; but he found it needful to restore him to 
 his office. He was, however, again replaced and succeeded by Philip 
 de Braosa, whose government counteracted the security effected by 
 de Lacy. In 1085, prince John and his numerous attendants arrived in 
 Ireland, but the courtiers, by their haughty carriage, treating tlie Irish 
 chieftains and the earlier English settlements with indignity, produced 
 sanguinary contests ; and the assassination of de Lacy was one of the 
 fatal consequences. To repair these disasters, John was recalled in 
 1186, and the chief government was entrusted to John de Courcy, 
 whose desperate valour succeeded in quelling the adventurous encroach- 
 ments of the chieftains, and in establishing tranquillity. Amidst these 
 commotions, Roderick was assassinated by one of his sons, a. d. 1189. 
 Henry did not long survive. 
 
 Richard did not interfere with his brother John's authority in Ireland. 
 John's first act was to remove de Courcy from the government, and ap- 
 point to succeed him Hugh de Lacy, the younger. Among the sur- 
 vivors of Roderick, was Cathal, called the Bloody-handed. De Lacy 
 was afterwards recalled, and William Petit succeeded : and he was 
 again removed to make way for William, earl marshal of England, the 
 husband of Isabella, daughter of Strongbow and Eva. In 1197, Hamo 
 de Valois succeeded William Petit, and to provide for the exigencies 
 of the state, he seized upon the property of the see of Dublin. An 
 appeal to both John and Richard was without effect ; but after a lapse 
 of years, Valois compensated the see of Dublin. Roderick died in 
 1198, at an advanced age. John, at this time, united the power of lord 
 of Ireland and king of England. 
 
 While king of England, John had but little leisure to attend to Ire- 
 land. He removed de Valois. His successor was Meyler Fitz-Henry, 
 natural son to Henry II. De Courcy and de Lacy acted as independent 
 of the English monarch. In 1210, John landed in Dublin, where he 
 received the homage of a considerable number of Irish chieftains, de- 
 posited in the exchequer of Dublin a code of laws, and appointed she- 
 riffs and other officers in many counties, and after a visit of three 
 months, returned to England. The next chief governor was John de 
 Grey, bishop of Norwich, who well maintained the English power. He 
 was succeeded by Henry de Londres, archbishop of Dublin, in whose 
 administration the castle of Dublin was finished. 
 
 John died in 1216, and was succeeded by Henry II! who assured 
 the Irish that he would grant them the same liberties which had been 
 secured to his English subjects. Prince Edward was invested by his 
 father, Henry III., with the government of Ireland, and he was ordered 
 
 Relate the transactions that now occurred. — What removals took place in the 
 Trish government?— When was the castle of Dublin founded ?— What promise did 
 Henry III. make to Ireland? 
 
BATTLE CF ATIIENREE. 235 
 
 to repair thither ; but unfortunately the disorders in his father's reign, 
 and his passion for the holy wars, prevented Ireland from enjoying the 
 privilege of an efficient governor. To heighten the calanriities attendant 
 on scenes of public commotion, the King of England and the Pope 
 made very considerable exactions from both clergy and laity. On for- 
 eigners and Englishmen was bestowed the patronage of the Irish 
 church, which received great opposition from her clergy. 
 
 CHAPTER 7. 
 
 In 1272, Edward I. ascended the throne of England ; and from a 
 monarch of his abilities much benefit might have accrued to Ireland, 
 had not the wars in Scotland and Wales so entirely absorbed his atten- 
 tion : for the ditferent provinces were still a prey to faction, and torn by 
 the frequent contentions of its chiefs. Edward also made extensive 
 grants, which introduced a train of new comers, to take possession. 
 Some of the chieftains exclaimed loudly against these encroachments, 
 and the contests terminated in an appeal to the sword. A tenth of the 
 revenues of the Irish clergy, Edward had already obtained, and he now 
 demanded an additional fifteenth. The clergy representing to the king 
 their utter inability to comply with his demand, he applied to the laity, 
 from whom he obtained a fifteenth of their efl^ects. In 1290, William 
 de Vescy was made chief governor : he held the oflice for five years, 
 and was succeeded by Sir J. Wogan, who strove, not without success, 
 to compose the dissensions of the chiefs. He also summoned a more 
 regular parliament than had met heretofore, by which many abuses 
 were corrected, and many new laws, intended for the benefit of the 
 state, enacted. 
 
 In 1307, Edward II. succeeded his father, and appointed Gaveston to 
 the chief government of Ireland. He was not popular : he removed from 
 office all who opposed his measures ; and the envy of the great lords 
 threatening to oppose his measures, he was recalled, and Sir John Wo- 
 gan reinstated in the high office. Sir John was for a time employed 
 in ordaining and in endeavouring to enforce laws which the subject 
 would not obey, when a new and unexpected cause of agitation pre- 
 sented itself Robert Bruce of Scotland had, by his victory at Ban- 
 nockburn, given the Scots a hope of freeing themselves from the Eng- 
 lish yoke. The chieftains of Ulster, therefore, addressed themselves to 
 Robert Bruce, oflfering to him or to any warrior the sovereignty, that 
 could free them from English domination. 
 
 Robert's brother, Edward, embraced the offer ; and in 1333, he landed 
 on the north-east coast, with six thousand Scots. The Irish lords of 
 Ulster, with some others, flocked to his standard ; and, after several 
 contests, Bruce was crowned at Dundalk. Alarmed at the danger that 
 threatened their own possessions, the English lords now resolved to sup- 
 port their king ; and a severe battle was fought at Athenree, which was 
 
 How did Edward I. treat the Irish ? — To what Scotsman did the chieftains of 
 Ulster apply for aid ? — Was the offer embraced ? — And by whom ? — With what 
 Buccess ? 
 
236 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 gained by the English. It was etill difficult to arrest the progress of 
 Brace: at length an army of thirty thousand men was raised to oppose 
 him, and Bruce retraced his steps. The pope lent his aid to the royal 
 cause by excommunicating Robert and Edward Bruce by name, and also 
 all the enemies of the king. In 1318, the armies met at Dundalk, both 
 parties anxious to terminate the struggle. Each side fought with in- 
 trepid bravery, but the Scots received a total defeat. Edward Bruce 
 fell in the action : his brother Robert arrived in Ireland only in time to 
 hear of his brother's defeat, whose death put an end to this rash and 
 widely devastating invasion. 
 
 The increasing property and influence of the English nobles who had 
 settled in Ireland, and their contentions for power and possessions, per- 
 petuated and increased the disorders of the kingdom. In the hope of 
 arresting the progress of this unsteady course of things, some of the 
 prelates used their influence to establish a university in 1320, which 
 afterwards received the sanction of Edward III., who, by a special writ, 
 enlarged the original endowment. But the scenes of disorder and 
 anarchy which succeeded, defeated, for a w^hile, its beneficial results. 
 In order to obtain supplies for his projected invasion of Scotland, Ed- 
 ward amused his parliament with proposals for visiting Ireland, and 
 bringing the whole into a better state of subjection , he ordered several 
 noblemen to be in attendance to accompany hhn to Ireland: but at 
 length, when his plan was complete, he discovered his real object, and 
 marched to Scotland. Edward died in 1377. 
 
 The accession of Richard II. made no improvement in the state of 
 Ireland. In remote districts, hostilities were carried on ; and the Eng- 
 lish parliament expressed their dissatisfaction at the expense attending 
 the king's Irish dominions. The Irish, on the contrary, complained of 
 many of the nobility, who abandoned their estates. A law was in con- 
 sequence passed, imposing a penalty on absentees. In this reign, the 
 king gave a liberty to the Irish to work mines, coin money, and hold a 
 free trade with Portugal. A most extraordinary proof of Richard's im- 
 prudence appeared in his creatmg the Earl of Oxford, his favourite, 
 Marquis of Dublin ; and, at the same time, granting him, on certain 
 conditions, the dominion of Ireland. Vast preparations were made, and 
 great expectations were raised in consequence ; and the king accompa- 
 nied his favourite as far as Wales, on his journey : but w'hen about to 
 separate, the king's affection was too strong, the marquis returned, and 
 left Ireland to his deputies. 
 
 The king, however, did not long enjoy his favourite, who was soon 
 banished by the Enoflish nobility ; and the government of Ireland was 
 committed, first to Sir John Stanley, and afterwards to the Earl of Or- 
 mond. But the subsidies granted by the English parliament for the 
 service of Ireland, still occasioned great dissatisfaction. The Duke of 
 Gloucester, the king's uncle, offered his services for Ireland ; but the 
 king, apprehending danger, probably from the duke's popularity, when 
 
 What increased and perpetuated the disorders in Ireland ? — Was not a university 
 now established ? — Was not a penalty imposed, during the reign of Richard II., on 
 absentees ? — What occurred between the king and the Earl of Oxford ? 
 
KICIIATJD II. IN IRELAND. 237 
 
 .nvested ^ith so much authority and power, did not accept them. In 
 1394, tlic king was determined to go in person ; and in October, he 
 landed at Waterford, witli four thousand men-at-arms, and thirty thou- 
 sand archers, attended by the Duke of Gloucester and other distin- 
 guished personages. During his stay in Ireland, instead of adopting 
 regulations for reducing the disaffected chiefs to peace and tranquillity, 
 Richard contented himself with receiving the homage of submission 
 from a number of Irish chietlains, whom he entertained with great 
 magnificence. One stipulation, however, he made, with respect to 
 the Irish of Leinster, who engaged to evacuate that province; and, 
 after a residence of nine months, he departed, and with him the royal 
 army. 
 
 Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, vicegerent, in order to enforce the 
 stipulations with respect to Leinster, had recourse to hostilities, in which 
 he fell, and his army was defeated. Determined to avenge his death, 
 Richard returned, and landed at Waterford, 1399 ; and, after waiting 
 awhile for reinforcements, he marched against MacMurchad, who, on 
 the enemy's approach, retreated, and sheltered securely in the woods. 
 The king rashly vowed never to quit Ireland till MacMurchad was in 
 his possession. Perhaps on this resolution hung the fate of England's 
 crown. After a stay of six weeks in Dublm, receiving intelligence of 
 having been dethroned, he departed. 
 
 CHAPTER a 
 
 The bloody contests of the houses of Lancaster and York, were not 
 without their influence in Ireland. On the arrival of the Duke of Lan- 
 caster, in 1402, several regulations were made, and the submission of 
 chieftains was renowned. MacMurchad, however, bade the deputy defi- 
 ance; and though, in a well contested battle, he was defeated, he was not 
 entirely subdued : and during the reign of Henry V., Ireland received but 
 little attention from a monarch who was occupied in wars with France, 
 and the people were ready to sink under the turbulence of war and fac- 
 tion, when John Talbot, Lord Furnival, distinguished for his military 
 talents, was sent to assume the reins of government. He acted 
 with a vigour that paralyzed the disaffected chieftains ; and even Mac- 
 Murchad was compelled to give hostages for his future behaviour. 
 
 During this reign, numbers of the necessitous Irish had sought relief 
 for their wants in England, and the English parliament had enacted 
 that all such should be obliged to quit the country ; and the law was 
 carried to an unjustifiable length. This so greatly irritated the Irish, 
 that a parliament met in Dublin, to lay their grievances before the 
 throne. In the reign of Henry VL, an instance occurs of its being 
 agreed in council, " that as the hall of the castle of Dublin and the 
 
 Did not the king go in person to Ireland ? — How long did he remain ? — Did not 
 Richard return to Ireland in 1399? — What unpleasant intcHigence did he receive 
 from England ? — Was not the contest between the houses of York and Lancaster 
 severely felt ihere? — What chieftain was disaffected ?— What law was enacted in 
 the English parliament ? 
 
238 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 windows thereof were in a ruinous state, and that there was in the trea- 
 sury a certain ancient silver seal cancelled, which was of no use to the 
 king, the said seal should be broken up and sold, and the money laid 
 out in repairing the hall and windows." 
 
 About the year 1438, the Irish enjoyed a short cessation from public 
 commotion. The neglect shown by the Lancastrian princes to some of 
 the nobility, and the favour shown to others, occasioned jealousies and 
 animosities which waited only for a favourable moment to break forth. 
 Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, now created Earl of Waterford, was ap- 
 pointed to the government ; and some of the most obnoxious, for theii 
 hostilities, were condemned and executed. About a. d. 1447, a parlia 
 ment w^as convened at Trim, in which " it was declared penal to con 
 form to the Irish fashion of the hair and beard, — that no persons should 
 use gold trappings, horse furniture, or gilded harness, except knights or 
 prelates ;" and to discourage the transportion of bullion, a custom of 
 twelve pence was imposed on each ounce of silver so transported. Du- 
 ring the reign of Henry VI., there were eleven sessions, and thirty-six 
 acts were published. 
 
 In 1473 the Earl of Kildare raised a company of 160 archers and 64 
 spearmen for the protection of the Pale, and parliament provided for 
 their support. He also instituted a fraternity of arms, consisting of 
 thirteen persons of the highest rank, who assembled in Dublin annually 
 on St. George's day, and were thence called the fraternity of St. George. 
 The Pale included the city of Dublin, and portions of the adjacent coun- 
 ties. The boundaries of this petty territory were occasionally enlarged, 
 when the weakness of the native Irish, or the strength of the British 
 settlers, permitted the latter to encroach upon the neighbouring districts. 
 
 But these encroachments upon the lands beyond the Pale, were oflen 
 retaliated when an enterprising Irish chief headed his troops, and it 
 sometimes occurred that the limits of the Pale were driven back almost 
 to the walls of Dublin. The original settlement of the Pale might be 
 termed accidental, — the expulsion of the prince of Leinster from his 
 territory, — his league, under the sanction of Henry II., with some 
 Welsh noblemen and Norman lords, by whose aid he was restored to 
 his chiefry, — these were the events, which in their ultimate conse- 
 quences, brought about the political union of the two countries. 
 
 The prince of Leinster (as has been already stated) had been expel- 
 led his petty kingdom in consequence of the forcible abduction of the 
 wife of O'Rourk of Breffny, and of other excesses. But when his allies 
 appeared in the field, his partisans and neighbours rallied round his 
 standard, and he at length retained the possession of his dominions. 
 The Earl of Pembroke, surnamed Strongbow, married hie- daughter and 
 his only child, and succeeded at Dermid's death to an Irish title and 
 principality. But Strongbow, though he thus became an Irish prince, 
 was also a British subject ; and his new title required British support. 
 Under cover of that support, the British power was gradually extended 
 
 From what source was the hall of the rasile repaired? — What Irish fashions 
 were declared penal ? — What company did llie Earl of Kildare raise ?— And what 
 rccasioned the settlement of the Pale .' 
 
LITERATURE IN IRELAND. 239 
 
 ovor Leiiister ; and by similar means, crept from time to time into re- 
 moter parts of the island. The estates then of tlie Anglo-Irish lords 
 in Leinster, and of others, thinly scattered through the country, were 
 termed the territory of the Pale. 
 
 The iVnglo-Irish lords, like the native Irish nobility, claimed supreme 
 authority upon their estates, and exercised sovereign power. They 
 executed the laws, inflicted punishments, levied taxes, and performed 
 all other functions of absolute dominion, which the customs and institu- 
 tions of the country permitted ; they very soon also adopted the lan- 
 guage, dress, and modes of living of the island, and were in all respects 
 Irish, but by descent. 
 
 The Danes, during their visits to Ireland in the eighth and ninth 
 centuries, had by means of their commerce, improved the cities of Dub- 
 lin, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, and others ; and the Irish lords, after 
 having subdued them, offered no molestation to the industrious citizens, 
 by whom they were supplied with foreign commerce, arid the revenue 
 was increased. On this account the Danes were permitted to pursue 
 their traffic undisturbed. 
 
 There is evidence that no small degree of cultivation existed in Ire- 
 land from very remote times. The Christian missionaries introduced 
 with the gospel the learning of Rome ; and churches were built, and 
 colleges were founded, for the instruction of the chiefs and priesthood, 
 and the accommodation of strangers. But when the Irish historians 
 talk of colleges of Armagh and Lismore, &c., and of the thousands of 
 native and foreign students w^ho resorted to those places of instruction, 
 it is not to be imagmed that those colleges were sumptuous buildings 
 resembling the fine gothic structures consecrated to literature in other 
 parts of the world. Buildings so extensive as those in Ireland, must have 
 been of cheap materials, consisting mostly of a strong frame-work of 
 timber, with wattles and plaster. These were the ordinary buildings 
 of the country, and continued so for ages after, and they were capable 
 of being rendered very comfortable and commodious. 
 
 CHAPTER 9. 
 
 It is true of Ireland as of all other countries in those ages, that learn- 
 ing was confined to the schools and monasteries, and had little efl^ect 
 upon the bulk of the people. The beams of literature that illuminated 
 their halls and colleges, left the outer courts in profound darkness. 
 There was a time when the learned disdained to write in their vulgar 
 tongue, and wrote in Latin. There was then a double seal upon the 
 fountain of knowledge, — the scarcity of manuscripts, and the difficulty 
 of a foreign dialect. 
 
 The church of Ireland down to the time of Henry II. had maintained 
 the faith as derived from St. Patrick and his predecessors ;* then first 
 she submitted to the yoke of Rome. The Roman pontiffs had previously 
 
 What authority did the Anglo-Irish lords assume ? — What is said of the Danes 
 and of their advantageous traffic? — What of the missionaries, churches, colleges, 
 &c.? — What ia said of the learning of Ireland ? — And what of the church of Ireland ! 
 
240 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 made frequont attempts upon the Irish church in vain, with all their 
 skill and manasrement. It was at the council of Lismore, at which 
 Henry assisted, that the Irish church was at Icn^^th subdued, and sub- 
 mitted to the papil authority. The ancient church of Ireland acknow- 
 ledged no higlier authority on earth than the Archbishop of Armagh. 
 The doctrine, discipline, and ceremonial, as far as w^e know of them, 
 of the ancient Irish church differed in many important particulars from 
 those of modern Rome. 
 
 The study of the holy scriptures appears to have been the chief occu- 
 pation of the pious, not the modes and ceremonies of worship. The 
 bishops and parish clergy were mostly married men. The ceremonies 
 of worship appear to have been few and simple, and to have been de- 
 rived principally from the Eastern churches previous to the preaching 
 of St. Patrick. The mode of observing Easter was Asiatic, as were 
 many other observances of the Irish church, which supported the tradi- 
 tion that the first preachers in Ireland were disciples of St. John. The 
 ancient order of the Culdees existed in Ireland previously to St. Patrick, 
 and gave many eminent men to the Irish and Scotch churches ; among 
 whom Columbkill has still a name in Ireland as venerable and revered 
 as that of Patrick himself 
 
 The church discipline of the Culdees seems to have afforded the mo- 
 del for the moilern Presbyterian mode of worship in Scotland. 
 
 It w^ould not be consistent in an elementary abridgement like the pre- 
 sent, to swell the pages with details of every barbarity, and recitals of 
 every treachery. The history of fierce conflicts, the artifices of fraud, 
 and the efforts of oppression are all marked by little variety, and if fre- 
 quently repeated, are liable to be disgusting. We shall, therefore, pass 
 over some intermediate reigns, and approach the period when Henry 
 VIII. , with the consent of the Irish princes, changed the title of Lord 
 of Ireland, which he derived from Roderick, into that of King, which 
 the increasing power of the British monarchy, and the decay of feudal- 
 ism rendered much more appropriate. 
 
 Several of the most distinguished Irish lords attended Henry VIII. at 
 his court in London, and acknowledged and ratified his title. It is pro- 
 per to be noticed, that neither at this nor at any former time had there 
 been a conquest of Ireland. The title of Henry II. was founded upon 
 treaty with Roderick, and confirmed by the consent of the feudal lords. 
 And, again, in the reign of Richard II., the Irish princes did voluntary 
 homage to the kins', then in Ireland ; and, therefore, that the title of the 
 king of England to the crown of Ireland, was a true and substantial 
 title, cannot be doubted. It had been settled by treaty, and repeatedly 
 confirmed by the voluntary submissions of the Irish princes. 
 
 Henry VIIL, though a tyrant, was a man of no ordinary talent. He 
 presented the first outline of the Reformation in Ireland, as he had done 
 in England, commanding assent rather than seeking to win opinion. 
 
 When was it first subject to the papal authority ? — Wherein did lliey differ from 
 the present ceremonies of the church of Rome? — When was the king of England's 
 title ciianged from " Lord of Ireland" to that of king ? — Was the king of England's 
 title to Ireland "a true and substantial title"? 
 
CATHOLIC KKLUaON liESTORMl). 2il 
 
 But finding that violence would accompl'usli not]iin<T in tliin cnse, he took 
 the cour.-e of a judicious statesnian. lie induced the groat chicft;;in, 
 O'Neil, to visit him at his court in I.ondon. The kjng received the 
 chief of Ulster with the most flatterinj^f courtesies, and prevailed upon 
 him to accept the title of the earl of Tyrone : he placed a gold chain 
 on his neck; and won him not only to the strongest professions of 
 attachment and allegiance, but induced liim to renounce the Church of 
 Rome, and adopt the reformed religion. 
 
 For the remainder of Henry Eighth's reign, unusual peace prevailed 
 in Ireland, and a ground- work was laid for a great change in the reli- 
 gion of the country ; and it may excite surprise that none of his suc- 
 cessors attempted to imitate this cheap and easy mode of governing 
 that portion of their dominions. The affairs of Ireland were not so 
 well governed under Edward VI. A petty contest between the chief- 
 tains O'Connor and O'Moore was suppressed by the Ix)rd Deputy, Bel- 
 Imgham, and they were invited to prefer their complaints at the court 
 of England. They did so, in confidence of meeting w^ith a reception 
 such as O'Neil had received from Henry VIII. But by the imprudent 
 conduct of the young king, they were imprisoned, and their lands con- 
 fiscated. This treatment alarmed the Irish people, indisposed them to 
 the British crown, and to the cause of the reformation. 
 
 The accession of Mary blotted out the small share of Protestantism 
 which lingered in the country. The officers of state without difficulty 
 conformed to the religion of the crown, making solemn avowal of their 
 late errors ; and as the reformed faith had made but little progress in 
 Ireland, the ancient religion was rei^tored without difficulty or violence. 
 One of the chief events of Mary's reign, as respects Ireland, w^as the 
 settlement of the King and Queen's Counties, W'hich w^as attended with 
 great severities towards the inhabitants of those districts ; in which 
 Mary sustained her character of sanguinary rigour : she slaughtered 
 her Catholic subjects in Ireland for their lands, and her Protestant peo- 
 ple of England for their religion. A new^ Parliament was called in 
 1556. No Parliament had met in the Pale for thirteen previous years. 
 They acknovvdedged the Queen's title and that of the Pope. They re- 
 pealed all acts since the twentieth of Henry VIIL, with respect to tlie 
 power and pretensions of his holiness. 
 
 CHAPTER 10. 
 
 Elizabeth's first measures tended to defeat the end she had in 
 view: they exasperated the people of Ireland, until their discontent 
 issued in a series of wars that exhausted the finances of England. 
 Henry had soothed and temporized with his Irish subjects; Elizabeth 
 adopted another course, and made a bold attempt to compel them to the 
 adoption of the new creed. By Elizabeth, queen Mary's acts were re- 
 versed, as she had reversed king Henry's. Elizabeth's Irish Parliament 
 
 How did Henry Vin. receive the chiefrain O'Neil? — IJovv were the affairs of 
 Ireland governed under PMward VI.?— What were the chief events in Mary's 
 roijrn ?— Wherein did Ehzabeth's treatment of the Irish differ from that of iiei 
 father ? — And wherein from that of her sister Mary ? 
 21 
 
242 HISTORY OF IRELAND. 
 
 met in January, 1500. It embraced by representation a greater portion 
 of the kingdom than former parliaments of the pale. 
 
 On tlie accession of James I., 1603, the opinion tiiat he secretly 
 favoured their religion, induced the Roman Catholics openly to cele- 
 brate its worship in many cities of Leinster, and in all Munster. 
 But in Cork the magistrates refused to proclaim the king: Mountjoy, 
 therefore, marched into Munster with his army, but the citizens of 
 Waterford refused to open their gates to him, pleading, that by the 
 charter of king John, they were exempt from quartering soldiers ; but 
 on the deputy's threatening to " draw king James's sword, and cut the 
 charter of king John to pieces," he was admitted. 
 
 An Act of State was then published, called an act of oblivion and 
 indemnity, by proclamation, under the great seal ; all offences against 
 the crown were pardoned, never again to be called in question. The 
 government then proceeded in the extension of the law and the estab- 
 lishment of public justice. Counties wx^re formed, sheriffs appointed, 
 and circuits established. The native Irish were invested with all the 
 privileges of subjects, and admitted to all the benefits of the English 
 law. The lands which had in former times been usurped wxre re- 
 stored ; glebes were assigned to the different parishes ; the bishops were 
 obliged to resign all their impropriations, and the tithes paid to them 
 out of parishes, to the respective incumbents ; churches were allotted 
 to each parish ; free-schools were endowed ; considerable grants made 
 to the university, together with the advowson of six parishes ; and seve- 
 ral towns were incorporated, so as to give them a right of representa- 
 tion in the Irish Parliament. 
 
 On the accession of Charles I., the Roman Catholic religion was 
 more openly professed. This was highly offensive to the puritanical 
 spirit which was every day increasing ; and such representations were 
 made to the English court, that it was deemed necessary to increase the 
 military establishment ; and by the king's prerogative, this army was to 
 be quartered on the towns and counties, with the promise of such 
 favours as should amply compensate for the present burdens. Thesfi 
 promises produced instant submission. It was in this reign that the 
 name of governor of Ireland was changed to the more honourable title 
 of lord-lieutenant. It was conferred by Charles L, on Wentvvorth, 
 whom he created Earl of Strafford and Knight of the Garter. 
 
 The execution of Charles distracted all their measures in Ireland. 
 The time was now come when the ruling powers of England were 
 ready to demonstrate that they were not insensible to the Irish commo- 
 tions. From the moment that their triumph over the royal power was 
 completed, the necessity for reducing Ireland was contemplated ; and 
 the parliament voted a jjowerful army to be sent into that kingdom. 
 Cromwell deemed that conducting an Irish war was not unworthy of 
 
 How^ did the Roman Catholics act under James I. ? — Wliat occurred in Cork and 
 
 Waterford ? — What act ofx)blivion was published ? — What laws and regulations 
 
 were passed in this reign ?-»^Enumerate them. — What gave offence to the Puritans 
 
 *in the reign of Charles 1.? — In whose reign was the title of lorddieutenant first 
 
 .ised ? — W'hat effect had Charles's execution upon Ireland ? 
 
KKSTORATION OF CHARLES. 243 
 
 nis own abilities; and he contrived to bo chosen lord-lieutenant of Ire- 
 land, by an unanimous vote of parliament. 
 
 Cromwell steered liis course for Dublin, and there he exercised his new 
 authority, regulate 1 all civil and military aflair.-, and ofii red indemnity 
 and protection to all who would submit to the parliament; — an ofler 
 readdy embraced by many of its bitterest adversaries: lie repaired the 
 fortifications of the city, and augmented the garrison. His enemies 
 indulged hopes of success ; but Cromwell w^as possessed of that vigour 
 and impetuosity which soon dissipated their expectations. Such was 
 the consternation occasioned by the progress and severities of Crom- 
 well, that the citizens of Waterford, Kilkenny, Ross, &c., trembling 
 for their security, seemed ready to submit, on the first appearance of his 
 forces. From Kdkenny, Cromwell proceeded to invest Clonmell ; and 
 after a brave defence of two months, the garrison found their amnmni- 
 tion and provisions totally exhausted, and the townsmen surrendered the 
 place upon honourable terms. Cromwell now resigned his army to the 
 care of Ireton, and embarked for England. 
 
 In 1652, the parliament of England concerted measures for the final 
 administration of Ireland. Lambert was appointed successor to Ireton, 
 with the title of commander-in-chief of their forces. Lambert refused 
 to accept the command, and it was conferred on Fleetwocd, who had 
 lately married the relict of Ireton. Fleetwood found all orders of the 
 Irish submitting to the terms imposed by the conquerors. He assigned 
 to himself a new council, who were instructed to improve the inter- 
 est of the commonwealth, to suppress idolatry, popery, superstition, 
 profaneness, &c. It was observed by the enemies of Cromwell, with 
 no small degree of jealousy, that the present form of administration 
 was more suited to a royal than to a republican government, and indi- 
 cated a settled purpose in Oliver of establishing a monarchical power in 
 his family. 
 
 On the death of Cromwell, Charles II. was soon informed of favour- 
 able appearances in Ireland ; and he received many letters and embas- 
 sies, which gave the warmest assurances in his favour. It was even 
 debated, in the king's council, whether he should not go directly to Ire- 
 land. But there were now great expectations fi-om the proceedings of 
 Monk; and it was thought proper to suspend this resolution till the 
 issue of English affairs should be discovered. The restoration of 
 Charles was an event of great exultation. The body of the nation 
 caught the flame of loyalty. He was proclaimed in all the great towns 
 in Ireland, with every manifestation of joy. A few inconsiderable 
 finatics, and some of the old Irish, with their primate, were the only 
 persons who presumed to declare against the king. 
 
 The death of Charles II. revived the hopes of the Catholics in Ireland ; 
 ond the hopes of the Protestants were proportionably depressed. Many 
 years had elapsed since the royal brothers first betrayed their purpose 
 of establishing a Catholic interest in Ireland. But, terrified by the 
 
 What vigorous measures did Cromwell adopt ? — What reception had Charles II. 
 a Tier Cromwell's death? — Were not the Romanists and Protestants differently 
 a/Tec ted ? 
 
244 HISTORY OF 1RELA^'D. 
 
 spirited remonstrances of an English parliament, they suspended their 
 attempts. They renewed them, however, when the royal authority 
 seemed above control : Charles, with a careless acceptance of any mea- 
 sure which promised to confirm the ascendency he had acquired ; James, 
 with a bigoted and passionate affection for the Catholic religion. Such 
 a prince as James II., seated on the throne of England, inspired the 
 Catholics of Ireland with the most extravagant expectations. They 
 already saw the victory of their party over all its adversaries, from, a 
 kmg of their own religion. 
 
 Even the rumours of these changes were sufficient to alarm the Pro- 
 testants. Traders sold their effects, and abandoned a country in which 
 they expected the speedy re-establishment of the ancient religion. But 
 James's abdication of the throne, and William's adoption, dissipated 
 their fears. James raised his standard in Ireland. Of all the northern 
 cities, Derry (or Londonderry, as it was called) afforded the principal 
 shelter to the fugitive Protestants. The account of its memorable 
 siege, of the privations the inhabitants endured, and the patience with 
 which they sufiered, together with their almost miraculous deliverance, 
 will be found detailed in the history of England,* together with the 
 battle of the Boyne, the final defeat of James, and his escape to 
 France. And to the same History the juvenile reader is referred for 
 what commotions have occurred, or what changes have since taken 
 place ; as the limits prescribed to Ireland have been already exceeded. 
 
 * See Chapter vi. Sections 16, 17, and 18. 
 What was the result of the contest in Ireland between James II. and WiUiam III.? 
 
 THE END. 
 

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