THE LIBRARY 
 
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 LOS ANGELES 
 
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 LOS ANGELES COUNTY 
 FREE LIBRARY 
 
 ^. Rimdall 
 
 History of .England. 
 
 REFERENCE
 
 EMBLEMATICAL FRONTISPIECE. 
 
 On a shield Or, the emblem of strength and durability, is an 
 Equilateral Triangle, emblematical of the British Constitution : this 
 is subdivided into other Triangles, bearing the national emblems of 
 the component paits of the British Empire, — namely, the Lion, the 
 Thistle, the Leek, and the Irish Harp. 
 
 Above the shield is the Imperial Crown of the Realm, from which 
 spiing two branches of Oak, sheltering the symbols of the East and 
 West-Indies.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND; 
 
 IN WHICH THE 
 
 MOST REMARKABLE EVENTS 
 
 ARE ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 NUMEROUS SYMBOLICAL ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 BY MISS M. A. RUNDALL. 
 
 Seronlr lElritton Jftnprobelr, 
 
 WITH GREAT ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTEn FOR THOMAS TEGG, 73, CHEAPSIDE ; 
 
 JAMES LECKIE, DUBLIN ; AND E. GRIFFIN AND CO. GLASGOW. 
 
 1829. 
 
 "^ I DISCARD'
 
 1 ^^^ 
 
 Q 
 
 
 EPISTLE DEDICATORV. 
 
 TO MY NEPHEWS AND NIECES. 
 
 My dear Children, 
 
 The trouble I have taken to illustrate the History of Eng- 
 land by symbolical diagrams, is amply repaid by the assurance 
 you give me, that the study of it has afforded you no less plea- 
 sure than improvement : and that the plan I have adopted, 
 has awakened in your minds a more lively interest for the his- 
 tory of your native country, than any preceding work on the 
 same subject. 
 
 I am fully aware that young people, in general, consider the 
 History of England much less amusing than the Histories of 
 Greece and Rome. It is not, however, that the incidents and 
 facts recorded, are in themselves less interesting; but there is 
 an air of romance, a mixture of truth and fable, that accom- 
 panies ancient history ; and which, to young minds, who are 
 more dazzled by what is splendid than attracted by what is 
 solid : who love to be astonished rather than to be informed, 
 is peculiarly delightful ; as their ardent imaginations seem per- 
 mitted to wander uncontrolled, over the airy regions of fiction. 
 Yet, the simple, unadorned history of our ancestors, though it 
 
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 flog.". 
 
 V
 
 IV EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 present nothing to captivate the imagination, speaks forcibly to 
 the heart, and offers to our contemplation examples of magna- 
 nimity, wisdom, and courage, public and private virtue, no less 
 admirable than those recorded by the Grecian and Roman his- 
 torians. 
 
 In the education of boys, in most public schools, the study 
 of the classics obtain pre-eminence, as by proficiency in them 
 alone, can young men become distinguished at the Universities. 
 The history of their native country seldom forms any part of 
 their regular studies : its importance appears to be overlooked, 
 and the acquirement of it is left to their leisure hours. Boys 
 become familiar with the works of Xenophon, Nepos, Tacitus, 
 and Plutarch ; but are too often ignorant of the historians of 
 their own country. They can recite the orations of Demos- 
 thenes, or of Cicero ; yet are unacquainted with the eloquence 
 of a Chatham, a Fox, a Burke, or a Pitt. 
 
 In affecting incidents — in heroic achievements — in the inte- 
 resting development of its laws, and policy of government, 
 the History of England holds out to youthful Britons ample 
 materials for the exertions of their best feelings. 
 
 The untimely fate of Lady Jane Grey, of Charles the First, 
 or of Russel, Sidney, &c., is not less pitiable than the fall of 
 Pompey or of Caesar. Our Edwards and Henries, our Marl- 
 borough, our Wolfe, and our Wellington, are not inferior in 
 military skill to any of the boasted heroes of antiquity. 
 
 In what does the defeat of the Persians at Salamis surpass 
 that of the " invincible armada," or the destruction of the 
 French fleet at the battle of the Nile ? 
 
 If the virtuous Camillus, forgetful of his wrongs, saved Rome 
 from the devastating fury of the Gauls, was Monk's a less vir- 
 tuous act, when he restored to an outcast prince a kingdom, he 
 might have retained, and which he was almost solicited to keep ? 
 If Cincinnatus was taken from the plough to fill the chief dig-
 
 EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 nity of Rome, did not Wolsey and Cranmer arise from the 
 meanest situations to the highest offices in church and state ? 
 If a Codrus devoted himself to death for the safety of his coun- 
 try, is the generous valour of British seamen less worthy of ad- 
 miration, when, at the memorable siege of Gibraltar, they nobly 
 plunged amidst a sea of fire, to save, at the hazard of their own, 
 the lives of their enemies ? What a contrast is presented to us 
 in the conduct of the victorious Black Prince, after the battle 
 of Poictiers, and that of ancient conquerors ! While the for- 
 mer, with true nobility and greatness of mind, attended upon 
 the person of a captive monarch, anxious, by the courtesy and 
 respect of his demeanour, to soften the bitterness of defeat : 
 we behold the latter, first ch-agging their royal victims at their 
 chariot-wheels, exposed to the shouts and insidts of a barbarous 
 rabble; and next consigning their hapless victims to a cruel 
 and ignominious death. 
 
 We can find parallels for the vu-tues of the ancients, but, 
 thank Heaven, we can find no parallel to their vices ! The 
 most vicious of our Princes,* bear no comparison with Tibe- 
 rius, Caligula, Nero, and many others ; nor did the most suc- 
 cessful of British usurpersf proscribe in cold blood the lives of 
 thousands of their fellow citizens, like Sylla, Marius, and the 
 Augustan Triumvirate of Rome ! 
 
 To engage the attention of youth, to induce them to study 
 with pleasure and with attention the history of the country 
 which gave them birth, to excite their patriotism, to inspire 
 them with that love for the constitution and the laws, which, 
 in mature life, shall render them enlightened citizens, guarding 
 
 * Richard III., Heiuy VUI., Mary, and Charles il. 
 t Henry IV. and Oliver Cromwell.
 
 VI EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 
 
 with equal vigilance the throne from the attacks of licentious- 
 ness and anarchy ; and the people from tyranny and despotibm, 
 and strongly to impress upon their memories the leading events 
 of the history of tlieir country, has been my aim ; and to you, 
 my beloved nephews and nieces, this Second Edition is dedi- 
 cated, as a small testimony of the sincere esteem and love of 
 your affectionate Aunt, 
 
 Port Hill House, 
 Jan. 182:?. 
 
 M. A. RUNDALL.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 " Because our understanding cannot in tliis body found itself but on 
 " sensible tilings, nor arrive so clearly to the knowledge of things invi- 
 " sible, as by orderly conning over the visible creature, the same method 
 " is necessarily to be followed in all discreet teaching." — Milton. 
 
 We learn by experience, that the transactions in which we 
 may be personally engaged, are those which continue mOsf 
 powerfully impressed upon our minds ; and, that those events 
 are the most perfectly remembered, in all their details and cir- 
 cumstances, to which we may be eye-witnesses. Such being the 
 case with points rendered visible, and palpable as it were, to 
 the senses, it became evident, to me that great advantage would 
 result from communicating events gone by, in a manner assi- 
 milated, as nearly as possible, to that, which so perfectly 
 impresses the acts of present times upon our minds. 
 
 Pictorial designs certainly approach nearest to the natural 
 system of impressing events upon the mind, of any plan here- 
 tofore used; but, to be rendered efficacious, they must be 
 adopted to a very considerable extent, by which great bulk 
 would be rendered necessary, and a heavy expense involved. 
 To avoid these inconveniences, it became necessary to devise 
 that which should embrace the spirit, and avoid the inconve- 
 nience of pictorial designs. 
 
 Symbols appeared to give this effect : they may be considered 
 to bear the same relation to pictiu"e, that picture does to matter 
 of fact ; the first is the actual representation of the event which
 
 VIU . PREFACE. 
 
 took place, the latter may be considered as type of the repre- 
 sentation. Symbols may be said to bear the same relation to 
 picture that allegory does to matter of fact. They have, be- 
 sides, this advantage : the student must consider and reflect, 
 before he can discover the bearing of the " type ;" and the 
 greater the exertion to discover the meaning may be, the more 
 tenaciously vfill the mind retain the meaning when discovered. 
 
 The use made by the ancieiits of symbols, was also in my 
 mind when I adopted the plan, and I might defend the use of 
 them upon their authority; but such a course is unnecessary: 
 the sanction which the plan has received, and the acknowledg- 
 ments which have been given of its efficacy, preclude the neces- 
 sity of entering into such a disquisition. 
 
 I do not lay claim to much originality, as to the idea of 
 illustrating by symbols, however much I may consider myself 
 entitled to consideration on this account, for the manner in 
 which the idea lias been carried into effect. It has been my 
 endeavour to define and perfect a system, the utility of which 
 has been long acknowledged, but which has not heretofore 
 been carried into practice to any extent. That my humble 
 efforts have been received with approbation is a source of 
 much satisfaction to me; and I cannot conclude without ex- 
 pressing my gratitude for the support with which I have been 
 favoured. 
 
 M. A. R.
 
 LIST OF PLATES. 
 
 Page 
 
 Plate I. — Fig. 1. A Druidical Sacrifice. 2. Tlie Roman 
 Invasion. 3. Caractacus Prisoner at Rome. 4. Boadicea. 
 5. Christianity introduced into Britain. 6. Britain invaded by 
 the Saxons. 7. Marriage of Vortigern and Rowena. 8. King 
 Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. 9. The Union 
 of the Heptarchy, under Egbert 3 
 
 Plate II. — Fig. 1. England invaded by the Danes. 2. Alfred the 
 Great. 3. England divided into Shires. 4. Benefits of Al- 
 fred's Government. 5. Tlie Death of Edmund. 6. Edwy. . 11 
 
 Plate III. — Fig. 1. Edgar. 2. Death of Edward the Martyr. 
 3. Ethelred. 4. Canute reproving his Flatterers. 5. Reign of 
 Edvvai-d the Confessor. 6. England invaded by the Normans. 
 7. Conquest of England by William of Normandy 17 
 
 Plate IV Fig. 1. The Curfew. 2. Building of the Tower of 
 
 London. 3. Origin of the Dissentions in the Conqueror's 
 Family. 4. Robert soliciting his Father's Forgiveness. 5. The 
 New Forest, with a ruined Village. 6. Domesday Book. 
 
 7. Death of William the Conqueror. 8. Division of the Con- 
 queror's Dominions amongst his Sons 25 
 
 Plate V. — William Rufus. — Fig. 1. Normandy invaded by the 
 English. 2. Invasion of Engl.ind by the Scots and Welsh. 
 3. Origin of the Crusades. 4. Normandy mortgaged to ^^'illiam 
 Rufus. 5. Westminster Hall. 6. William Rufus killed in 
 the New Forest 32 
 
 Plate VI. — Henrj- the First. — Fig. 1. Marriage of Henry and 
 Matilda. 2. Treaty of Peace between Robert and Henrj-. 
 3. Robert imprisoned in Cardiff Castle. 4. Nonnandy invaded 
 by the French. 5. Death of Prince William 39 
 
 Plate VII. — Fig. 1. Stephen and Matilda Competitors for the 
 Cro\vn. 2. Imprisonment of the Bishops of Salisbury, Lin- 
 coln, and Ely. 3. Landing of Matilda in England. 4. Defeat 
 of Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln. 5. Matilda returning into 
 Normandy. G. Compromise of Stephen and Hemy Plantagenet 46 
 
 Plate VIII. — Heni-y the Second. — Fig. 1. Becket disclaiming 
 the Civil Authority. 2. Becket's triumphant Return. 3. Tlie 
 Death of Becket. 4. The Conquest of Ireland. 5. Henry 
 doing Penance at Becket's Tomb. 6. William, King of Scot- 
 land, made Prisoner. 7. England divided into Circuits. 
 
 8. Fair Rosamond's Bower. 9. Rebellion of Hem-y"s Sons.. 52 
 Plate IX. — Character of Richard I. — Fig. 1. Massacre of the 
 
 Jews at the Coronation of Richard I. 2. Richard selling his 
 paramount Dominion of England over Scotland. 3. Defeat 
 of Saladin in the Holy Land. 4. Imprisonment of Richai-d. 
 5. Richard pardoning his brother John. 6. Death of Richard. . G6 
 Plate X. — Character of John. — Fig. 1. Assassination of Arthur. 
 2. England shackled by the Pope. 3. The Pope giving the 
 Crown of England to Philip of France. 4. John doing 
 Homage to the Pope's Legate. 5. Magna Charta. 6. Land- 
 ing of Prince Lewis of France VS
 
 X LIST OF PLATES. 
 
 Page 
 
 Plate XI. — Henry the Third. — Fig. 1. The Regent present- 
 ing young Henry the Third to the Barons. 2. The King 
 trampling on Magna Charta. 3. Henry, meeting his Barons 
 in Parliament, finds them clad in Armour. 4. Prince Edward 
 defeated, and taken Prisoner by tlie Earl of Leicester. 5. 'The 
 British Constitution. 6. Prince Edward stabbed by an As- 
 sassin in the Holy Land. 7. The Feudal System 85 
 
 Plate XII. — Edward the First. — Fig. 1. Conquest of Wales. 
 2. Massacre of the Welch Bards. 3. Edward chosen Arbiter 
 between Baliol and Bruce. 4. Edward disposing of the Scot- 
 tish Crown. 5. Submission of Baliol to Edward. 6. Wallace 
 raising the Scottish Standard. 7. The Death of Wallace. 
 8. Robert Bruce and his Associates destroying the British 
 Standard 99 
 
 Plate XIII. — Edward the Second. — Fig. 1. Marriage of Ed- 
 ward with Isabella of France. 2. Death of Gaveston. 3. Battle 
 of Bannockburn. 4. Death of the two Spensers. 5. Murder 
 of Edward the Second 110 
 
 Plate XIV Edward the Third. — Fig. 1. England invaded by 
 
 the Scots. 2. Execution of Mortimer, Earl of March. .3. In- 
 vasion of France. 4. Battle of Crecy. 5. David, King of 
 Scotland, taken Prisoner by Queen Philippa. 6. The Surren- 
 der of Calais. 7. Institution of the Order of the Garter. 
 8. Dreadful Pestilence. 9. Battle of Poictiers 119 
 
 Plate XV. — Richard the Second. — Fig. 1. Insurrection of Wat 
 Tyler. 2. Queen Anne's Intercession for Burley. 3. Banish- 
 ment of Norfolk and Hereford. 4. Duke of Lancaster's In- 
 vasion. 5. Deposition of Richard. 6. Death of Richard the 
 Second 139 
 
 Plate XVI. — Henry the Fourth. — Fig. 1. Insunection near 
 Windsor. 2. Martyrdom of William Sautre. 3. Earl of 
 Northumberland's Rebellion. 4. Tlie Battle of Shrewsbury. 
 
 5. Commitment of the Prince of Wales 1 50 
 
 Plate XVII.— Henry the Fifth.— Fig. 1. Lord Cobham, 
 
 2. Invasion of France. 3. Battle of Agincourt, 4. Tlie 
 Treaty of Troye. 5. Henry espousing Catharine of France. 
 
 6. Death of Henry the Fifth 160 
 
 Plate XVIII. — Henry the Sixth. — Fig. 1. Marriage of James 
 
 of Scotland with the Duke of Somerset's Daughter. 2. Joan 
 of Arc introduced to the Dauphin. 3. The Death of Joan of 
 Arc. 4. Death of the Duke of Gloucester. 5. The English 
 expelled France. 6. Murder of the Duke of Suffolk. 7. In- 
 surrection of Jack Cade. 8. The Duke of York, claiming the 
 
 Crown. 9. Edward the Fourth assumes the Crown 173 
 
 Plate XIX.— F/g 1. First Battle of St. Alban's. 2. Battle of 
 Bloreheath. 3. Battle of Northampton. 4. Battle of Wake- 
 field. 5. Battle of IMortimer's Cross. 6. Second Battle of 
 St. Alban's. 7. Battle of Touton. 8. Battle of Hexham. 
 9. Battle of Barnct; and Death of Warwick. 10. Battle of 
 Tewkesbury ; Murder of Prinpe Edward 189
 
 LIST OF PLATES. XI 
 
 Page 
 Plate XX. — Edward the Fourth. — Fig. 1. Queen Margaret 
 and tiie Robber. 2. Marriage of Edward with Lady Elizabeth 
 Gray. 3. Treaty between Warwick and Margaret. 4. The 
 Restoration of Henry. 5. Death of the Duke of Clarence . . 198 
 Plate XXI.—Fis. 1.— Edward the Fifth. 2. Richard the Third 207 
 Plate XXII. — Heniy the Seventh. — Fig. 1. Mai-riage of Henry 
 of Lancaster with Elizabeth of York. 2. Lambert Siinnel. 
 
 3. Insurrection of Sir Thomas Egremond. 4. Invasion of 
 France. 5. Perkin Warbeck. 6. ^larriage of Prince Arthur 
 with Catharine of Arragon, and of the Princess Margaret with 
 tlie Scottish King. 7. Discovery of America; and the Build- 
 ing of the Great Harry 215 
 
 Plate XXIII. — Henry tlie Eighth. — Fig. 1. Invasion of 
 France, and Battle of the Spurs. 2. Battle of Flodden Field; 
 Death of James the Fourth of Scotland. 3. Interview of Henry 
 and Francis the First. 4. Death of Cardinal Wolsey. 5. Di- 
 vorce of Catharine of Arragon, and Marriage of Henry with 
 Anne Boleyn. 6. The Reformation. 7. Death of Queen 
 Anne Boleyn ; MaiTiage of the King with Jane Seymour. 
 8. The Deatli of Thomas Cromwell. 9. Persecutions £30 
 
 Plate XXIV.— Edward the Sixth.— F^v. i. The Duke of So- 
 merset chosen Protector. 2. Invasion of Scotland, and De- 
 feat of the Scots. 3. Execution of Admiral Lord Seymour. 
 
 4. The Protestant Bishojis presenting the Liturgy to Edward. 
 
 5. Execution of Somerset. 6. Marriage of Lady Jane Grey 
 with Lord Guilford Dudley 259 
 
 Plate XXV. — Mary. —Fig. 1. Maniage of Mary with Philip 
 of Spain. 2. Execution of Lady Jane Grey, and of Lord 
 Guilford Dudley. 3. The Catholic Religion restored, and 
 Persecution renewed. 4. Death of Cranmer. 5. Calais taken 
 by the French 271 
 
 Plate XXVI. — Elizabeth.- J'/cr. i. Re-establishment of Pro- 
 testantism. 2. Contemporary State of Scotland, f Division a. J 
 Marriage of the Queen of Scots with the Earl of Darnley. 
 f Division b.J Assassination of David Rizzio. f Division c.J 
 Murder of Lord Darnley. (Division d.) Death of Marv- 
 Queen of Scots. 3. Defeat of tlie Spanish Armada. 4. Re- 
 bellion of Tyrone in Ireland. 5. Death of the Earl of Essex. . 290 
 
 Plate XXVII. — James the First.— Fjn^. 1. Union of the 
 Crowns of England and Scotland. 2. The Gunpowder Plot. 
 3. Death of Sir Tliomas Overbury, who was poisoned by the 
 Countess of Essex. 4. Death of Sir Walter Raleigh. 5. Dis- 
 grace of Lord Chancellor Bacon. 6. Rupture with Spain .. 317 
 
 Plate XXVII I.— Charles the First.— P^V- 1- The Bill of 
 Rights. 2. The Scottish Covenant. 3. The Standard of Re- 
 bellion raised in Scotland. 4. Death of the Earl of Straftbrd. 
 
 5. Insurrection and Massacre of the Protestants in Ireland. 
 
 6. Commencement of the Civil War. 7. The Scots selling 
 the King to the English Parliament. 8. The King escaping 
 
 to the Isle of Wight. 9. Death of the King 334
 
 Xn LIST OF PLATES. 
 
 Plate XXIX.— The Civil Wars 360 
 
 Plate XXX. — The Commonwealth. — Fifi: I. Defeat of the 
 Scots. 2. Battle of Worcester. 3. Naval War witli llie Dutch. 
 
 4, Cromwell dissolving the Parliament. 5. Ambition of 
 Cromwell. 6. Death of Cromwell. 7. Tlie Restoration .... 5GS 
 
 Plate XXXI. — Charles the Second. — Fig. 1. The Plague. 
 
 2. War with Holland. 3. Fire of London. 4. The Cabal. 
 
 5. The Habeas Corpus Act. 6. Execution of Iliissej, Sidney, 
 
 &c 382 
 
 Plate XXXIl. — James the Second. — Fig. 1. Rebellion and 
 Death of the Duke of Monmouth. 2. Consequences of Mon- 
 mouth's Rebellion. 3. Acquittal of the Bishops. 4. Landing 
 of the Prince of Orange, whose Standard is supported by the 
 British People. 5. Flight of James. 6. The Abdication. .. . 395 
 Plate XXXIII. —William the Third. — i-^g. I. Death of 
 Dundee, at the Battle of Killicranky. 2. Siege of London- 
 den-y. 3. Battle of the Boyne. 4. Massacre at Glencoe. 
 
 5. Battle of La Hogue. 6. Death of King James 409 
 
 Plate XXXIV. — Anne. — Fig. 1. French War 2 Victory 
 
 and Death of Admiral Benbow. 3. Victories of Marlborough. 
 4. Gibraltar taken by Sir George Rooke. 5. The Union of 
 England and Scotland. 6. Victories of Marlborough. 7. Peace 
 
 of Utrecht 121 
 
 Plate XXXV.— George the First. -Fig. 1. Tlie Riot Act 
 passed. 2. Tlie Pretender's Standard erected in Scotland. 
 
 3. Defeat of the Pretender at Preston. 4. Cruel Treatment 
 of the Rebels. 5. The Quadruple Alliance between Eng- 
 land, France, Germany, and Holland. 6. The South Sea 
 Bubble 433 
 
 Plate XXXVI. — George tlie Second. — Fig. 1. The Twelve 
 Years' Peace. 2. War with Spain and France. 3. Final 
 Efforts of the House of Stuart to regain the Throne. 4. Vic- 
 tories at Sea. ,5. Death of Admiral Byng. 6. Victories in 
 India. 7. Quebec taken ; Death of General Wolfe 444 
 
 Plate XXXVII. — George the Tliird. — Fig. 1. England vic- 
 torious by Land and Sea. 2. Affairs concerning Mr. Wilkes. 
 3. Primitive State of the Colonies in America. 4. Causes of 
 the War with America. 5. War with America. 6. The 
 French defeated in India, and the Spaniards at Gibraltar. 
 7. Result of the American War. 8. I^ngland at Peace with 
 all the World. 9. Abolition of the Slave Trade IC>'2 
 
 Platk XXXVIII. — Fig. 1. War with France. 2. Mutiny in 
 the Fleet. 3. Resources of England against Inva.sion. 4. Re- 
 bellion in Ireland. 5. War in India ; Fall of Seringapatarn. 
 
 6. Union of Ireland with England. 7 Peace of Amiens .. 486 
 Plate XX XIX. — Fig. 1 to 5. War witli France renewed. 
 
 6. Marriage and Death of the Princess Charlotte of Wales. . . . .50,'>
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 The Island of Great Britain is situated on the North-west 
 of Europe, and lies between 50 and 58 degrees of North lati- 
 tude. It is bounded on the North by the Atlantic Ocean; on the 
 South by the English Channel ; on the East by the German 
 Ocean ; and on the West by St. George's, or the Irish 
 Channel. 
 
 At what time the Island of Britain was peopled, is uncertain. 
 There are no accounts that can be depended upon prior to the 
 arrival of Julius CjEsar ; but he found the Southern parts full of 
 people of a very warlike disposition, and supposed them to have 
 been a colony of the Gauls. This opinion is embraced by 
 most of the ancient as well as modern writers. The Britons, 
 according to Caesar and other Roman historians, were very 
 numerous, and had their country well stocked wdth cattle. 
 Their houses resembled those of the Gauls, being a confused 
 parcel of huts, placed at a small distance from each other ; to 
 which all the avenues were slightly guarded with ramparts of 
 earth, or with trees. They used copper or iron plates, weighed 
 by a certain standard, instead of money. They were in a state 
 
 B
 
 2 HISTORY OF ENGLAKD. 
 
 of wretched barbarism, even when compared with their rude 
 neighbours, the Gauls, on the Continent. The use of clothes 
 was scarcely known among them ; but it was a general custom 
 to paint their bodies. They lived chiefly on milk, on flesh pro- 
 cured by the chase, on acorns and on berries. They are said 
 to have been fierce and cruel, and exceedingly blood-thirsty. 
 The arms of the Britons were, a sword, a short lance, and a 
 shield. They usually fought in chariots, some of which were 
 armed with scythes at the wheels. 
 
 DEFIKITION. 
 
 Gauls. — The ancient inhabitants of France, then called Grallia or 
 Gaul.
 
 PflgeS.] 
 
 PLATE I. 
 
 A .D. 50 I
 
 PLATE I. •* 
 
 Fia. 1. — A Drudical Sacrifice. 
 
 Explanation.— The upright lines represent Druids : they are 
 surmounted with acorns, because the oak was held sacred among 
 them, and considered as a symbol of the Deity. The torches in 
 their hands shew that they are going to offer a sacrifice ; and. 
 the figure of wicker-work is the idol in which they consumed 
 their victims. 
 
 Fig. 2. — The Roman Invasion. 
 
 The letter B signifies Britain. The Roman Eagle planted on 
 its base, its invasion by the Romans. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Caractacus Prisoner at Rome. 
 
 The upright line in the centre is Caractacus. His hands are 
 chained ; he is therefore a prisoner. The crown Ij ing at his 
 feet, reversed, denotes his loss of Empire. The Roman Eagle 
 erect, shews by whom he was defeated ; and its towering above 
 the city, marks that city to be Rome. 
 
 Fig. 4. BoADICEA. 
 
 The triple line surmounted with a crown, is Boadicea; her two 
 daughters are near her. A death's head on the cup denotes 
 poison. The British Flag recumbent, and the Roman Eagle 
 erect, shew that she was defeated by the Romans. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Christianity introduced into Britain. 
 
 Shewn by the cross being inserted in the letter B. 
 Fig. 6. — Britain invaded by the Saxons. 
 
 The Saxons are represented under the symbol of a flag in- 
 scribed with an S. 
 
 Fig. 7. — Marriage of Vortigern and Rowena. 
 
 Vortigern (the upright line surmounted with a crown) holds 
 a ring in one hand, which he is presenting to Rowena, with the 
 other he is giving to Hengist a symbol of the county of Kent, 
 which is a hop-pole. 
 Fig. 8. — King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. 
 
 Fig. 9. — The Union of the Heptarchy, under Egbert. 
 
 The letter E is divided into seven parts, which are united on 
 one side, formuig the initial for both England and Egbert.
 
 't HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 A DRUIDICAL SACRIFICE. 
 
 The first and most distinguished order, among the Gauls and 
 Britons, was that of the Druids : they were chosen out of the 
 best families ; and the honours of their birth, joined with those 
 of their function, procured them the highest veneration among 
 the people. They were versed in Astrology, Geometry, Na- 
 tural Philosophy, Politics, and Geography. They were the 
 interpreters of Religion, and the judges of all affairs indifferently. 
 Whoever refused obedience to them was declared impious and 
 accursed. They believed in the immortality of the soul, and, 
 according to some authors, in the transmigration of the soul. 
 The Druids had one chief, who acted as high-priest : his 
 authority over the rest was absolute; and he commanded, 
 decreed? rewarded, or punished, at pleasure. To them was 
 committed the education of youth. They worshipped the 
 Supreme Being under the symbol of the oak, and performed 
 all their religious rites in a wood or grove, having no other 
 temple. It is said that they sacrificed human victims, whom 
 they burned in large wicker idols, mgde so capacious as to 
 contain a multitude of persons, who were thus consumed 
 together. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Astrology. — Tlie science which pretends to predict future events 
 from the appearance of the stars. 
 
 Geometry- — The science which teaches the properties and relations 
 of quantities having extension ; that is, length, breadth, and thickness. 
 It is the foundation of the INIathematics. 
 
 Natural Philosojihy. — The science which treats of the properties and 
 powers of Nature. 
 
 Politics. — Tlie science of government 
 
 Transmigration of the S(ml.—The doctrine of Pythagoras, an ancient 
 Grecian philosopher ; who taught, tliat tlie soul of man, after his decease, 
 passes immediately into tJie body of some other animal, until purified 
 from the sins committed in his human state. 
 
 Si/?nbol. — A type, that wliich comprehends in its figure a representa- 
 tion of something else.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. J 
 
 THE ROMAN INVASION. 
 
 Britain was first invaded by the Romans, under Julius 
 Caesar, in the year b. c. 55. The motive for this expeditior., 
 according to Suetonius, was a desire of enriching himself with 
 British pearls, which wei-e then much esteemed. The pretence, 
 however, which he made use of to justify his invasion, was, 
 that the Britons had sent assistance to the Gauls, during his 
 wai-s with them. The natives, informed of his intention', 
 eudeavom-ed to appease him by submission, which did not 
 however retard the execution of his design. After some resis- 
 tance, Csesar effected a landing at Deal ; and having obtained 
 several advantages over the Britons, withdrew his forces into 
 Gaul, upon their promise of obedience to the Roman power. 
 The stipulations which he had exacted not being fulfilled, he 
 returned with a greater force the ensuing summer, and totally 
 defeated Cassibelaunus. 
 
 After the death of Ceesar, the Britons enjoyed their liberty 
 unmolested for almost a century. Under the reign of Claudius, 
 the Romans renewed thek hostilities ; and in the time of Nero, 
 Suetonius Paulinus obtained many victories, particularly over 
 the Druids, in the Isle of Anglesey. 
 
 Julius Agricola, who governed Britain during the reign of 
 Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, defeated the Britons in every 
 encounter ; and having fixed a chain of garrisons between the 
 frith of Clyde and Forth, he secured that part of the island 
 which the Romans had subjugated, from the incursions of the 
 Caledonians.- 
 
 The Emperor Adrian built a rampart between the river Tyne 
 and the frith of Solway, whicli was further strengthened by 
 Severus. 
 
 The empire, about this time, was assailed on all sides by 
 rapacious plunderers ; and further weakened by intestine dis- 
 sentions, so that the Romans could no longer attend to the 
 remote province of Britain. They therefore took their final 
 
 E 3
 
 6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 leave of the island about the year 448, after being masters of it 
 near four centuries. 
 
 — o — 
 CARACTACUS PRISONER AT ROME. 
 Caractacus, king of the Northern Britons, was a renowned 
 warrior, who for nine years made a vigorous stand against the 
 Romans. He was at length defeated by Ostorius, and fled to 
 Cartismunda, Queen of the Brigantes, who delivered him up to 
 the Roman general. When led through the streets of Rome, 
 he coidd not help exclaiming, as he viewed the grandeur and 
 splendour of that noble city, " Alas ! how is it possible that a 
 people possessed of such magnificence at home, could envy me 
 an humble cottage in Britain 1" When brought before the 
 Emperor, he addressed him in these words : " It my pros- 
 perity, O Claudius, had been as conspicuous as my birth and 
 fortune, I should now have entered this city as a friend, and 
 not as a prisoner; nor would you have disdained the friendship 
 of a prince descended, from such illustrious ancestors, and 
 governing so many nations. My present condition, I own, is 
 to you honourable, to me humiliating. I was lately possessed 
 of subjects, horses, arms, and riches. Can you be surprised 
 that I endeavoured to preserve them ? If you, Romans, have 
 a desire to arrive at universal monarchy, must all nations, 
 to gratify you, tamely submit to servitude ? If I had sub- 
 mitted without a struggle, how much would it have diminished 
 the lustre of my fall, and of your tktory ! And now, if you 
 resolve to put me to death, my story will soon be buried 
 in oblivion ; but if you think proper to preserve my life, I 
 shall remain a lasting monument of your clemency." This 
 speech had such an effect upon Claudius, that he immediately 
 pardoned Caractacus and his whole family, and commanded 
 them to be set at liberty. 
 
 DEFIKITIOK. 
 
 Briganles. — The ancient appellation of the inliabitants of York- 
 lure, Durham, Lancashire, Westmoreland, and Cumberland.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. i 
 
 BOADICEA, 
 
 Prasutagus, king of the Iceni, by his last will, left the 
 Roman Emperor joint-heir with his two daughters, in hopes 
 of obtaining his favour and protection for them by so great an 
 obligation; but the event turned out very diiFerent, No 
 sooner was he dead, than the Romans seized on all his pos- 
 sessions, and treated the queen, Boadicea, and her daughters, 
 with the utmost cruelty and indignity. 
 
 Boadicea was a woman of too haughty a disposition tamely 
 to suffer insult ; she therefore persuaded the Iceni to take up 
 arms in her favour, who, being joined by the Trinobantes, and 
 some other nations, poured like a torrent on the Roman 
 forces, wlio are said by some authors to have sustained a loss 
 of 70,000 men on this occasion (but Milton, in his history, 
 says the Romans amounted to 10,000 men only, and estimates 
 their loss at no more than 400) : however they soon after 
 defeated the Britons with a terrible slaughter ; and Boadicea, 
 to avoid falling into their hands,. a||t an end to her life 
 by poison. < 
 
 DEFINITIOKS. 
 
 Jcenj.*- The ancient name of the inhabitants of Norfolk and 
 Suffolk. 
 
 Tri7iobantes.'— The ancient name of the inliabitants of Essex. 
 
 CHRISTIANITY INTRODUCED INTO BRITAIN. 
 
 Christianity is supposed to have been originally introduced 
 into Britain by St. Paul, or some of his disciples. In the year 
 596, Pope Gregory I. sent Augustine into Britain, to convert the 
 Enghsh Saxons to Christianity. Augustine, with forty Monks, 
 landed on the Isle of Thanet ; and having sent some French 
 interpreters to King Ethelbert, to inform him of their errand, 
 the King gave them permission to convert as many of his subjects 
 as they could ; and assigned their place of residence at Doro- 
 
 B 4
 
 8 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 vernum, now called Canterbury : to which they were confined 
 till the king himself was converted ; whose example had a 
 powerful influence in promoting the conversion of his subjects. 
 
 BRITAIN INVADED BY THE SAXONS. 
 
 The Britons having suffered severely from the incursions of 
 the Picts and Scots, after the Romans had taken their final depar- 
 ture from Britain, resolved to invite the Saxons to assist them in 
 repelling their nortliern neighbours. Ambassadors were accord- 
 ingly sent, who were very favourably received; and an expedition 
 was fitted out under the command of Hengist and Horsa, who 
 soon after their arrival in Britain defeated the Picts and Scots. 
 Vortigern at that time governed the kingdom ; and was so 
 highly pleased with the behaviour of his allies, that he bestowed 
 large possessions on them. 
 
 - DZriKITION. 
 
 Picts and Scots. — The aiySent inhabitants of North Britain. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF VORTIGERN AND ROWE^^A. 
 
 Hengist, the Saxon commander, having highly ingratiated 
 himself with Vortigern, persuaded that weak monarch to 
 authorize him to send for further aid, under the pretence that 
 the enemy were still unsubdued : accordingly, another body of 
 Saxons arrived; and along with these came Rowena, the 
 daughter of Hengist. Vortigern fell in love with her ; and, in 
 order to obtain her in marriage, divorced his lawful wife. 
 Hengist pretended to be averse to the match, but Vortigern 
 obtained his consent by investing him with the sovereignty of 
 Kent. The latter was soon after deposed by his subjects, who 
 raised his son Vortimer to the throne. Vortinier reigned only 
 six years ; and upon his death Vortigern was restored. The 
 Saxons still continued to gain ground; and Hengist, under
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 9 
 
 pretence of concluding a treaty with Vortigern, invited hira to 
 a feast. The King accepted the invitation, and went accom- 
 panied by three hundred of his nobility, who, during the 
 entertainment, were all massacred by the treacherous Saxons. 
 Vortigern alone escaped : he was some time after killed by 
 lightning. 
 
 KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE 
 ROUND TABLE. 
 
 The history of King Arthur is so much obscured by absurd, 
 romantic, and ridiculous fables, that some have supposed no 
 such person ever existed ; but a most convincing proof of his 
 existence is, that his tomb was discovered at Glastonbury in 
 Somersetshire, in the reign of Hemy II. This renowned 
 prince, the son of Uther Pendragon, King of Britain, is said 
 to have defeated the Saxons under Cerdic in twelve pitched 
 battles. The last of these was fought on Badon Hill, supposed 
 to be Bansdown, near Bath : in which the Saxons received 
 such a terrible overthrow, that for many years they gave the 
 Britons no farther molestation. He is said to have instituted 
 the famous order of the Knights of Hie Round Table. 
 
 THE UNION OF THE HEPTARCHY, UNDER 
 EGBERT. 
 
 The Saxon Heptarchy consisted of seven independent king- 
 doms, established at different times by these perseverin"- in- 
 vaders. The first Saxon kingdom in Britain was that of Kent 
 founded by Hengist; the second was the kingdom of the 
 South Saxons, containing Sussex and Surrey ; the third the 
 West Saxons, comprising Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Wilts 
 Hants, and Berks; the fourth, the East Saxons, containing 
 Essex, Middlesex, and part of Hertfordshire j the fifth, under 
 
 B 5
 
 10 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 tlie name of Northumberland, embraced Lancaster, York, 
 Durham, Cumberland and Northumberland, and part of Scot- 
 land, as far as Eduiburgh Frith ; the sixth, the East Angles, 
 comprized Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire ; the seventh, 
 Mercia, included the counties of Gloucester, Hereford, Wor- 
 cester, Warwick, Leicester, Rutland, Northampton, Lincoln, 
 Huntingdon, Bedford, Buckingham, Oxford, Stafford, Salop, 
 Nottingham, Chester, and part of Hertfordshire.
 
 PageU.] 
 
 PLATE II.
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 11 
 
 PLATE II. 
 
 Fis- 1. — England invaded by the Danes. 
 The Danes are represented by the flag inscribed with a D. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Alfred the Great. 
 The King with a harp in his hand is Alfred, who, in the disguise 
 of a shepherd, entered into the Danish camp, which is shewn by 
 the Danish standard in front of the tents. On the right of the 
 diagram is Selwood Forest ; and the small upright hnes are the 
 soldiers of Alfred, awaiting his commands. 
 
 Fig. 3. — England divided into Shires. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Benefits of Alfred's Government. 
 The ship is emblematical of navigation ; and the scales of 
 justice. 
 
 Fig. 5. — The Death of Edmund. 
 The assassin is distinguished by a line surmounted by a death's 
 head. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Edwy. 
 The upright line, with a mitre, is Archbishop Odo ; in his 
 hand he holds a firebrand, with which he persecuted Queen 
 Elgiva, the beautiful wife of King Edwy. She is represented as 
 bent beneath his power. 
 
 B 6
 
 12 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 ENGLAND INVADED BY THE DANES. 
 
 Soon after Egbert became sole monarch of England, the 
 Danes landed in the Isle of Sheppey, plundered it, and 
 escaped with safety. The next year they landed in Dorset- 
 shire, and were defeated by Egbert at Charmouth ; after 
 which they formed an alliance with the Britons of Cornwall. 
 Two years afterwards they made an irruption into Devonshire. 
 About this time Egbert died, and left the kingdom to Ethel- 
 wolf, his son ; during whose government, and the reigns of 
 Ethelbald and Ethelred, his immediate successors, the Danes 
 continued their incursions, until they had subdued almost the 
 whole country. 
 
 ALFRED THE GREAT. 
 
 Alfred the Great, the fourth son of Ethelwolf, succeeded 
 his brother Ethelred; and, on his accession to the throne, 
 found himself involved in a dangerous war with the Danes, 
 who had penetrated into the heart of his kingdom. For a 
 time he was obliged to live concealed ; but hearing that some 
 of his subjects had defeated the Danes, and taken their, ma- 
 gical standard, he wrote letters to his nobility, informing them 
 of the place of his retreat, and inviting them to come and 
 consult with him on the measures they had best adopt for the 
 public advantage. In order to ascertain the situation of the 
 enemy, Alfred disguised himself as a shepherd ; and, with 
 a harp in his hand, went into their camp, through which he 
 passed without suspicion; and was even admitted into the 
 royal tent, to jjlay to Guthurm, the Danish King. Having, by 
 this means, acquired an exact knowledge of the situation of 
 the enemy, he returned, and dismissed his nobility to their 
 respective homes, with orders for each to draw together as great 
 a force as he could, and meet him upon a certain day in 
 Selwood Forest. All this was accomplished with so much
 
 HISTOnV OF ENGLAND. 13 
 
 secresy and expedition, that Alfred appeared at the head of a 
 formidable army, before the Danes had the least intelligence 
 of his design. He took advantage of their surprise and terror, 
 fell upon them, and totally defeated them at Eddington. 
 Those who escaped from the battle fled to a neighbouring 
 castle, where they were soon after besieged, and obliged to 
 surrender at discretion. Alfred granted them very favourable 
 terms. Gathurm, with thirty of his chief officers, embrace<l 
 the Christian faith ; and, on their baptism, Alfred answered for 
 Guthurm at the font, giving him the name of Ethelstone. 
 
 ENGLAND DIVIDED INTO SHIKES. 
 
 After reducing the Danes to obedience, Alfred enjoyed a 
 profound peace for three years, and sedulouslj' bent all his 
 thoughts towards improving and regulating the internal go- 
 vernment of his country. He divided England into counties 
 and hundreds, and founded the University of Oxford. All our 
 historians agree in representing him as one of the bravest, 
 wisest, and best kmgs that ever reigned in England. 
 
 BENEFITS OF ALFRED'S GOVERNMENT. 
 
 Alfrjed gave great encouragement to Navigation in ge- 
 neral, prornoted Commerce, and enlarged the Navy, which 
 had previously been much neglected. He was a great economist 
 of time ; and as clocks and watches were not then invented, he 
 measured his time by wax candles, made of certain dimensions; 
 and in order to prevent their wasting, from being exposed 
 to the air, he invented the lanthorn. He was a lover of 
 justice ; instituted the leading principles of the Common Law, 
 still in force, and is generally allowed to have laid the basis of 
 our excellent Constitution. The introduction of the Trial by 
 Jury is, by some, attributed to him but others say j that it is
 
 14 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 of a much more ancient date. He died in 901. The policy 
 and vigour which he had infused into the civil and military 
 branches of government, and the spirit caught by his nearest 
 descendants, upheld the country during five connected reigns. 
 His second son, and immediate successor, Edward the Elder, 
 not only repelled the new invasions which the Danes at- 
 tempted, but reduced some foreign settlers already in the 
 kingdom, and expelled others. He obliged the Scots to sub- 
 mit, forced several tribes of Britons to co-operate in the 
 national defence ; and, ha\ang fortified nine cities or military 
 stations, left the kingdom independent, internally tranquil, and 
 ready armed against foreign aggression. He died in 925. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Navigation. — The art of sailing, or of conducting ships from one 
 port to another. 
 
 Commerce. — The interchange of commodities between different 
 nations ; trade. 
 
 Coinmtm Law. — Those laws which are common to the whole king- 
 dom, originating in custom from time immemorial. They were 
 formed into a code, first by Alfred, and afterwards by Edward the 
 Confessor. 
 
 Trial bi/ Jury. — A jury consists of twelve persons, peers or equals 
 of the person accused ; they are sworn to invesdgate the truth of the 
 evidence brought before them, and upon tlieir decision (which is called 
 a verdict) the prisoner is acquitted or condemned. 
 
 THE DEATH OF EDMUND. 
 
 On the death of Edward the Elder, the infancy of his 
 legitimate children gave Athelstan, his natural son, an oppor- 
 tunity to ascend the throne. He had to overcome several 
 domestic confederacies and foreign leagues, before he could 
 enjoy the crown in tranquillity. He reduced Constantine, King 
 of Scotland, who had repeatedly seconded movements against 
 his authority in the English provinces; and he imposed a
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 15 
 
 tribute on Wales. To encourage commerce, he enacted the 
 remarkable law, that a merchant who had made three long 
 vojages on his own account should be admitted to the rank of 
 thane or gentleman. After a reign of nine years, he died in 
 934. Edmund, the third King from Alfred, was the son of 
 Edward the Elder, and brother of Athelstan. He was the 
 first who inflicted capital punishments : finding that mulcts and 
 fines were not sufficient to prevent robberies, he ordered that, 
 on the apprehension of a gang of robbers, the oldest of the 
 band should be hanged. This was reckoned a very severe law 
 at that time. The virtues, abilities, and temperance of this 
 prince, promised a long and prosperous reign ; but unhappily, 
 as he was one day celebrating a feast in Gloucestershire, he 
 saw sitting at one of the tables, with his attendants, a man of 
 the name of Leolf, a robber whom he had banished for his 
 crimes. The King ordered him to leave the room : this he 
 refused to do ; which so enraged Edmund, that, starting from 
 his seat, he sprang upon the villain, who plunging a dagger 
 into the King's breast, he fell dead upon the bosom of his 
 murderer. 
 
 E D W Y. 
 
 Edwy was the son of Edmund, and nephew to Edred, who 
 had succeeded Edmund. Elgiva, his beautiful wife, became 
 obnoxious to the Monks from having married within the degrees 
 of affinity prohibited by the canon law. On the day of the 
 coronation, Edwy having retired from the noisy festivities of his 
 nobles, to enjoy the conversation of his queen and her mother 
 in private, Dunstan rushed furiously into the room ; and, after 
 upbraiding the King, pushed him back into the hall. Edwy, to 
 revenge this insult, accused Dunstan of malversation, and 
 banished him the kingdom ; but this excited the indignation of 
 the whole nation, who universally considered Dunstan as a man
 
 .16 .h:story of England. 
 
 of great sanctity. In the mean time Archbishop Odo sent a 
 party of soldiers to the palace, who seized the Queen, and 
 branded her on the face with a red-hot iron ; after v/hich they 
 banished her into Ireland, and obliged the Kinjx to divorce her* 
 The Queen, however, being cured of her wounds, returned into 
 England, in the hope of rejoining the King, whom she still 
 considered as her husband ; but, unfortunately, she was inter- 
 cepted by a party of the Primate's soldiers, who put her to 
 death with the most ferocious cruelty.
 
 Page 17.] 
 
 PLATE III. 
 
 1002 1 
 
 071 I 
 
 •''-a^ 
 
 ^r^ 
 
 1017 I 
 
 979 I 
 
 1066 I 
 
 1041 I 
 
 -T^ 
 
 -A 

 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 17 
 
 PLATE III. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Edgar. 
 The upright line, surmounted with a leek, represents the 
 Welsh; and the wolves' heads shew the tribute which that 
 country paid to Edgar. 
 
 Fi-g. 2. — Death of Edwaed the Maetyr. 
 The flag on the top of the castle shews it to be a royal palace : 
 it is the residence of Elfrida. The King is fallen to the ground, 
 pierced through the body by the assassin who stands over him. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Etuelbed. 
 The Duulsh flag reversed by an assassin, shews the massacre 
 of the Danes. The letter E, that it extended all over England. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Canute repboving his Flatterees. 
 The line surmounted by a crown, occupying a chair placed on 
 the sea-shore, and encircled by symbols for knights and nobles, 
 represents Canute reproving the flattery of his courtiers. 
 
 pla. 5. — Reign of Edward the Confessor. 
 The King, holding the English and Danish flags furled together 
 at the bottom, denotes the union of the English and Danes 
 under Edward the Confessor. 
 
 Fig. 6. — England invaded by the Normans. 
 
 ]^ig. 7. — Conquest of England by William of Normandy. 
 
 William, with the ducal coronet, is standing on the territory 
 
 of England (represented by the letter E), holding the flags of 
 
 England and Normandy, united at the top by a crown of laurel.
 
 16 HisToay of englanb. 
 
 EDGAR. 
 
 The reign of Edgar, the brother of Edwy, proved one of 
 the most fortunate which is recorded in the ancient English 
 history. This King took the most effectual methods, as well for 
 preventing tumults at home as invasions from abroad. He built 
 a powerful navy ; and, in order to keep the seamen in the prac- 
 tice of their duty, commanded the fleet, from time to time, to 
 make the circuit of his dominions. Edgar took warning from 
 the fate of his predecessor, and paid due court to the Monks ; 
 who, on their part, celebrated him with the highest praises: 
 though some of his actions prove that he was a man incapable 
 of being bound either by the ties of religion or humanity. 
 Edgar had taken great pleasure in hunting wolves, which at that 
 time were extremely numerous in England. At last, finding 
 that they had all taken shelter in the forests and mountains of 
 Wales, he changed the tribute, imposed on the Welsh by Athel- 
 stan, into an annual tribute of three hundred wolves' heads ; 
 and thus produced such diligence in hunting them, that they 
 have never since appeared in England. 
 
 DEATH OF EDWARD THE MARTYR. 
 
 Edward the Martyr was the son of Edgar by his first wife. 
 His stepmother, Elfrida, was a woman of exquisite beauty, but 
 ambitious, haughty, treacherous, and cruel. She was the daugh- 
 ter and heiress of Olgar Earl of Devonshire. Before she had 
 been introduced at Court, the fame of her beauty reached the 
 King, who, desirous of knowing whether the report of her 
 charms had not been exaggerated, sent his favourite, Ethelwold, 
 to see her, and to bring him a faithful report ; declaring, that 
 if she equalled his expectations, he would marry her. The 
 favourite no sooner saw the incomparable fair one than, forget- 
 ful of his master's commission, he asked and obtained her in 
 marriage for himself. On his return to Edgar, he represented
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 19 
 
 Elfrida to be destitute of any superior attractions, but that her 
 birth and inheritance made her an advantageous match for a 
 subject. The King afterwards discovered the deception, and one 
 day told him that he was determined to see the lady who had 
 been the subject of such universal panegyric. Ethelwold has- 
 tened to prepare his wife for this dreaded visit ; and, relating 
 his past artifices, conjured her to conceal her beauty as much as 
 possible from the monarch : but she, influenced by ambition and 
 revenge, heightened the effect of her charms by every thing that 
 depended on herself. She succeeded in attracting the King's 
 attention ; and, upon the murder of her husband, who, as 
 some represent, was killed by the King's own hand, she became 
 the wife of Edgar, and by him had a son named Ethelred. On 
 the death of Edgar, in 958, she was desirous to secure the 
 crown for this son, to the exclusion of Edward, the rightful 
 heir. In the first attempt to execute her ambitious design, she 
 was disappointed ; and, notwithstanding her intrigues, Edward 
 was crowned by Dunstan. This prince, though he well knew 
 how strenuously Ms stepmother had opposed his succession, yet 
 behaved to her with the greatest respect. Being one day in the 
 neighbourhood of the castle where she resided, he paid her a 
 visit, unattended by $l^f of his retinue. After mounting his 
 horse, with a design to depart, he desired some liquor to be 
 brought to him. While he was drinking, a servant of Elfrida's 
 stabbed him in the back : the King, finding liimself wounded, 
 clapped spurs to his horse : but, fainting from the loss of blood, 
 he fell from his saddle, and his feet becoming entangled in the 
 gtiiTup, he was dragged along tUl he expired. This amiable 
 prince reigned only four years. 
 
 ETHELRED. 
 
 In the reign of Ethelred, surnamed the Unready, the Danes 
 again invaded England; but after they had ravaged Essex and
 
 20 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the adjacent provinces, the weak Etheh'ed, by a bribe of ten 
 thousand pounds, induced them to depart. In the year 993 
 they again appeared, under the command of Sueno their King ; 
 but were once more bought off. This shameful compromise, 
 however, procured only a temporary relief : the Danes resumed 
 their accustomed ravages ; till at length Ethelred became de- 
 sirous of conciliating that formidable people, by forming an 
 alliance with the chief of a Danish settlement in France. He 
 accordingly married Emma, sister to Richard II., Duke of Nor- 
 mandy. Although the Danes had been long established in Eng- 
 land, yet theu- descendants did not assimilate in manners nor 
 unite in interest with the English inhabitants, and were always 
 ready to betray them to the foreign Danes. Hence hereditary 
 animosities were perpetuated between the two races of people ; 
 which induced Ethelred, acting on the barbarous policy com- 
 mon to weak princes, to give secret orders for a general massa- 
 cre of the Danes throughout the kingdom. Accordingly, on 
 the 13th of November 1002, they were all put to the sword, 
 and neither sex nor age was spared. 
 
 CANUTE REPROVING HIS FLATTERERS. 
 
 Soon after the massacre of the Danes by order of Ethelred, 
 Sueno appeared off the western coast, menacing vengeance for 
 his slaughtered countrymen. He ravaged the whole country : 
 agriculture was neglected ; a famine ensued ; and the kingdom 
 was reduced to the greatest miser}'. At length Ethelred, dread- 
 ing alike the violence of his enemies and the treachery of his 
 subjects, fled into Normandy. Upon the death of Sueno, which 
 happened shortly afterwards, the people recalled their banished 
 monarch ; but misfortunes had not taught him wisdom, and he 
 governed with his accustomed imbecility until his death- 
 Canute, the son and successor of Sueno, ravaged the eastern 
 coast with merciless fiirv. Edmund Ironside, who had succeed-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 21 
 
 ed his father Etheh'ed, in vain opposed him : he was obliged to 
 divide the kingdom with him. Dying soon afterwards, he left 
 Canute in possession of the whole. This fierce monarch, having 
 exiled the two sons of Edmund Ironside, the heirs of the royal 
 Saxon line, to secure himself in the possession of the throne, 
 appeared to be desirous of obliterating the remembrance of his 
 former cruelties by his public \'irtues; for he became as re- 
 markable for his justice, humanity, and religion, as he had for- 
 merly been for his cruelty, rapine, and violence. Upon a certain 
 occasion, being desirous of shewing his courtiers the futility of 
 the exaggerated adulation which they bestowed on him, he com- 
 manded his chair to be brought, and, having seated himself on the 
 sea-shore whilst the tide was coming in, he thus addressed the 
 sea : " O sea, thou art under my dominion ; the land on which 
 " I sit is mine : I charge thee approach no further, nor dare to 
 " wet the feet of thy s-jivereign." The tide, however, continu- 
 ing to advance ; he arose, and, turning to his courtiers, ex- 
 claimed : " Learn from hence, that the title of Lord and Master 
 " belongs only to Him whom both wind and sea obey." 
 
 REIGN OF EDWARD THE CONFESSOR. 
 
 Harold and Hardicanute, the successor of Canute, had, by 
 their cruelties and avarice, rendered themselves hateful to the 
 nation at large, who bestowed the crown on Edward, surnamed 
 the Confessor, a prince of the Saxon line. His reign was long 
 and happy. His lieutenant, Harold, repressed and chastised the 
 incursions of the Welsh, by employing, at once, bodies of light- 
 armed foot to pursue them to their fortresses, parties of cavalry 
 to command the open country, and a squadron of ships to make 
 attacks on their coast. The King managed to unite the English 
 and Danes so firmly in support of each other, that henceforward 
 they formed but one people.
 
 23 HISTOSY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 ENGLAND INVADED BY THE NORMANS. 
 
 Aftee the death of Edward the Confessor, there were two 
 competitors for the crown : Harold, the son of Earl Godwin, 
 and William Duke of Normandy. Harold affirmed, that he 
 had been nominated to the succession by the late King's will ; 
 and, being greatly beloved, he was elected by the unanimous 
 voice of the people, and crowned the very day after the death 
 of Edward. Soon after his accession, his brother Tosti, assisted 
 by the Norwegians, invaded England. Tosti was defeated by 
 Harold at Sandfort. The King had scarcely time to rejoice at 
 this victory when news was brought him that the Normans 
 were landed in Sussex. Previous to this invasion of England 
 by the Normans, William Duke of Normandy had sent an em- 
 bassy to England, summoning Harold to resign the kingdom, 
 and upbraiding him with the breach of an oath, which, during 
 the life of Edward the Confessor, when- Harold was a fugitive 
 in Normandy, William had extorted from the latter, to this 
 effect : That he would assist William in enforcing his preten- 
 sions, and second the intentions of King Edward. Harold 
 replied, " That the oath with which he was reproached was 
 " neither lawful nor obligatory, whether in regard to the fear 
 " of violence under which it was extorted, or the transfer of 
 " the succession, which he had no authority from the late King 
 " to make. That he had obtained the crown by the united 
 " suffrages of the people ; and should show himself unworthy 
 " their favour did he not strenuously maintain those liberties 
 " with which they had entrusted him. That the Duke, if he 
 " made any attempt by force of arms, should experience the 
 " power of a united nation, conducted by a prince who, sen- 
 " ftible of the obligations imposed on him by his royal dignity, 
 " was determined that fhe same moment should put a period 
 " to his life and to his government,"
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 23 
 
 CONQUEST OF ENGLAND BY WILLIAM OF 
 NORMANDY. 
 
 The battle which gave to William of Normandy the appella- 
 tion of Conqueror, and the title of King of England, was 
 fought near Hastings, a sea-port town in Sussex. The night 
 previous to the battle was passed very differently by the two 
 armies. The English spent the interval in riot and feasting ; 
 the Normans in devotion and pra3'er. When the signal for 
 battle was given, the Norman army advanced at once, singing 
 the hymn, or song, of RoliiPd. Their first attack, though des- 
 perate, was received with eifual valour by the English. After 
 a furious combat, which remained long undecided, the Nor- 
 mans, overcome by the difficulty of the ground, began to give 
 way, and confusion was spreading among the ranks, when 
 William, who found himself on the brink of destruction, 
 hastened with a select band to the relief of his dismayed forces, 
 and restored the action : but finding that the English were aided 
 by the advantage of the ground, he determined to make use of 
 a stratagem to allure them from it ; for this purpose he ordered 
 his troops to make a hasty retreat into the plain, and, when 
 pursued, immediately to turn on the enemy. The artifice suc- 
 ceeded ; the English were repulsed with great slaughter, and 
 driven back to the hill ; where, being again rallied by the bra- 
 very of Harold, they were able, notwithstanding their loss, to 
 maintain their post and continue the combat. At length 
 Harold was slain by an arrow, whilst fighting with great bravery 
 at the head of his men. His two valiant brothers shared the 
 same fate. The English, discouraged by the fall of their prin- 
 ces, gave ground on all sides, and were pursued with great 
 slaughter by the victorious Normans. Thus was gained the 
 famous and decisive victory of Hastings, after a sanguinary con- 
 flict, which lasted from morning till sunset. William had three 
 horses kUled under him. There fell on the side of the Nor- 

 
 24 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 mans near 15,000 men, while the loss was still more considerable 
 on the part of the vanquished. 
 
 WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 
 
 William the Conqueror was the natural son of Robert, Duke 
 of Normandy, by Arlette, a beautiful young woman of Faiaise, 
 with whom Robert fell in love as she stood at the door gazing 
 on him as he passed through the town. William possessed 
 great abilities and vigour of mipd; was aml?itious, bold, and 
 enterprising ; yet, in times of danger and difficulty, cool, de- 
 liberate, and indefatigable. He was not devoid of generosity : 
 but it seemed in him to be more the result of a desire to be 
 celebrated as much for his clemency as for his severity, than a 
 principle of \nrtue. His aspect is said to have been nobly 
 severe and imperious ; his stature tall, his constitution robust, 
 and the composition of his bones and muscles so strong, that 
 there was hardly a man of that age who coidd bend his bow, 
 or handle his arms.
 
 Page 25.] 
 
 PLATE IV. 
 
 1068 I 
 
 1078 I ^ "1 
 
 \ 
 
 1078 I 
 
 
 1087 T 
 
 1087 I
 
 HISTORY OF EKGLAND. 25 
 
 PLATE IV. 
 
 Fig. 1. — The Curfew. 
 The extinguisher, marked with the figure 8, denotes that at 
 that hour all fires and candles were to be put out. The figure 
 on the right hand is an exact representation of the ancient 
 Couvre-feu or Curfew. 
 
 Fi". 2. — Building of the Tower of London. 
 
 O 
 
 On the left is a man holding the plan of a fortification ; a 
 tower is rising on the right hand : and various implements neces- 
 sary in the art of building are scattered in the foreground. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Origin of the Dissentions in the Conqueror's Family. 
 The Princes, William and Henry, are sportively throwing 
 water on the head of their elder brother, Robert, who is passing 
 through the court. Robert, enraged, has drawn his sword, and 
 is encouraging his followers to resent the supposed indignity. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Robert soliciting his Father's Forgiveness. 
 
 Fig. 5. — The New Forest, with a ruined Village. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Domesday Book. 
 
 Fig. 7. — Death of William the Conqueror. 
 
 Fig. 8. — Division of the Conqueror's Dominions amongst 
 
 his Sons.
 
 26 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 THE CURFEW. 
 
 A Bell, called the Curfew-bell, was ordered by William to 
 be rung every evening at eight o'clock ; at the sound of which 
 all the inhabitants were compelled to extinguish their fires and 
 candles. It was probably instituted by him, less for the pur- 
 pose of securing the dwellings of the people from fire, than foi' 
 that of keeping them in check, and thereby preventing those 
 nocturnal meetings among them, which he feared might be pre- 
 judicial to his government. 
 
 BUILDING OF THE TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 It was long before the English could be brought quietly to 
 submit to the govenrment of their conquerors. William, on 
 all occasions, gave the preference to his Norman followers; 
 bestowed on them the estates of those English barons who had 
 opposed him, and invested them with all the real power of the 
 kingdom. This greatly disgusted the English, who considered 
 that he owed the kingdom more to their generosity than to 
 actual conquest. The oppression of the people, and the ex- 
 clusion of the English nobility from power, produced frequent 
 insurrections on the part of the vanquished, and repeated 
 punishments on that of the Conqueror. To so great a height 
 had their dissentions risen, that seldom a day passed but some 
 Normans were assassinated. The King had disarmed the city 
 of London, and every town where the inhabitants were warlike 
 or populous. During the time that William was absent in 
 Normandy, the English formed a plan for a general massacre 
 of the Normans, similar to that of the Danes : but the timely 
 return of the King frustrated their sanguinary project. From 
 this time he not only lost all confidence in his English subjects, 
 but began to regard them as inveterate and irreconcileable 
 enemies. He had already erected many fortresses in different 
 pans of the country, and quartered his Norman soldiers
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 «r 
 
 wherever he dreaded an insurrection. He built the Tower of 
 London to overawe the citizens, and from that time deter- 
 mined to treat the English as a conquered nation. 
 
 — o — 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE DISSENTIONS IN THE CON- 
 QUEROR'S FAMILY. 
 
 William had four sons, and several daughters. Richard, 
 the second son, had been killed, in hunting, by a stag. The 
 latter part of the King's life was greatly embittered by the dis- 
 sentions in his own family. Robert, the eldest, was a prince 
 who inherited all the bravery and ambition of his ancestors- 
 He had formerly been promised the government of Maine, a 
 province in France, and had also been declared heir to the 
 Duchy of Normandy ; but on his demanding from his father 
 the fulfilment of these promises, William gave him a direct 
 denial, observing, that, " it was not his custom to throw off his 
 " clothes until he went to bed." Robert not only declared his 
 resentment at this usage, but publicly expressed his jealousy 
 of his brothers, William and Henry. An open rupture soon 
 occurred. The two young princes one day, in a juvenile frolic, 
 threw some water on their elder brother, as he passed through 
 the court, after leaving their apartment. Robert instantly con- 
 strued this jest into a studied indignity; and his resentment 
 being inflamed by some of his favourites, he drew his sword, 
 and ran up stairs to take vengeance on his brothers. The 
 whole castle was quickly filled with uproar and confusion : the 
 King with some difficulty appeased the tumult, but he could 
 not allay the animosity which from that moment prevailed in 
 his family. 
 
 ROBERT SOLICITING HIS FATHER'S FORGIVENESS. 
 
 Robert, denied reparation for the supposed affront (as men- 
 tioned in the preceding section), withdrew the same night, and,
 
 28 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 with several of his coiifedrates, hastened to Rouen, hoping to 
 surprise the castle : but the \'igilance of the governor defeated 
 this design. The popular character of the prince, however, 
 induced all the young nobility, as well of Normandy as of Anjou 
 and Brittany, to espouse his quarrel. Some writers have even 
 supposed that his mother encouraged him in his rebellion, and 
 sent him secret remittances. This unnatural contest lasted 
 some years, and William was obliged to have recourse to the 
 English for support against his son. He accordingly, collected 
 an army, and conducted it to Normandy : there he soon de- 
 feated Robert, and re-established himself in his native domi- 
 nions. Robert fled to the castle of Gerberoy, which the King 
 of France had provided for him, and where he was shortly after 
 besieged by his father. The garrison was strong, and, being 
 conscious of their treason, made an obstinate resistance. 
 Duiing the seige, many skirmishes and duels took place under 
 the walls ; in one of which the King and his son happened to 
 meet : and both being concealed by their helmets, they attacked 
 each other with great fury. Robert wounded his father in the 
 arm, threw him from his horse, and was preparing to repeat 
 his blow, which would in all probability have cost William his 
 life, had he not called out for assistance. The prince, recol- 
 lecting his father's voice, leaped from his horse, and raised the 
 fallen monarch from the ground. Struck with remorse for his 
 undutiful conduct, the prince fell on his knees before his father, 
 imploring forgiveness, and promising strict obedience in future. 
 The King at first refused to pardon him, and even denounced 
 his malediction : but they were soon after reconciled, and 
 William took Robert with him to England. 
 
 THE NEW FOREST, WITH A RUINED VILLAGE. 
 
 William delighted greatly in hunting; and, in order to 
 make an extensive forest for this exercise , he laid waste and
 
 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 29 
 
 depopulated the county of Hampshire for thirty mUes: he 
 turned out the inhabitants, and destroyed the villages, without 
 making any compensation to the wretched people, whom he 
 thus cruelly deprived of their fields and habitations. It is 
 worthy of remark, that several of this King's descendants met 
 with their death in this forest : viz, his two sons, Richard and 
 Rufus, and his grandson, Henry of Normandy. 
 
 In the time of the Saxons, all the nobility had been privileged 
 to hunt in the royal forests ; but William seized all these tor 
 his sole personal use, and published the first severe laws to 
 restrain the hunting or shooting of game. The killing of a boar, 
 a deer, or even a hare, was punished with the loss of the tres- 
 passer's eyes ; whilst the murder of one of the King's subjects 
 might be atoned for by the payment of a moderate fine. 
 
 DOMESDAY BOOK. 
 
 This ancient record, containing a survey of all the lands in 
 England, was begun, according to the testimony of the Red 
 Book in the Exchequer, by order of William the Conqueror, 
 with the ad^-ice of his Parliament, in the year 1080, and con> 
 pleted in 1086. The reason assigned for making it, according 
 to several ancient records and historians, was, that every man 
 should be satisfied with his own right, and not with impunity 
 usurp what belonged to another : but, according to other repre- 
 seatations, all those who possessed landed estates became vassals 
 to the Kmg, and paid him so much money, by way of homage, 
 in proportion to the lands which they held. This survey, at 
 the time it was made, gave great ofience to the people, who 
 feared that it was only a prelude to some new imposition. 
 William took great pains to have it executed ^\ith fidelity and 
 impartiality; and though, in some instances, it appears that 
 the commissioners made false returns, yet the authority of 
 Doomsday (or Domesday) Book was never called in question : 
 
 c 3
 
 30 HlfiTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 and whenever it has been necessary to distinguish, whether 
 lands were held in ancient demesne, or in any other manner, 
 recourse has been had to Doomsday Book, and to that only, 
 to determine the doubt. Formerly it was secured under three 
 Jocks and keys ; one of which was kept by the treafrurer, and 
 the two others by two chaiuberlains of the Exchequer. It is 
 now deposited in the Chapter-house at Westminster, and is 
 open for the inspection of every person, whose ciu-iosity may 
 induce hira to examine it. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Exchequer.— A Court of Record, in which all causes relating to 
 the revenues of tlie Crown are manajred. 
 
 Domesday or Dcm-boc. — Is of Saxon original, and signifies the 
 Book of the Verdict. 
 
 DEATH OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 
 
 We now approach the last events of William's active refgn. 
 During his absence in Normandy, on the expedition against 
 his son Robert, his brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, formed the 
 design of transporting his immense wealth to Rome, to pur- 
 chase the papacy. William hastened his return, to defeat this 
 scheme. Odo, whose vessel had been detained at the Isle of 
 Wight by contrary winds, was just stepping on board, when 
 William arrived, and ordered him to be arrested. The King 
 sent him prisoner to Normandy; and, notwithstanding the 
 menaces of Pope Gregory VII., detained him in custody. 
 
 Soon after he had disgraced Odo, intelligence arrived of a 
 general insurrection at Maine, the inhabitants of which had 
 always been averse to his government. Upon his arrival on the 
 Continent, he found that the insurgents had been secretly excited 
 by the King of France. William, after he had announced hos- 
 tile intentions against Philip on this account, was detained in 
 bed some time by severe sickness. His delay was ascribed by
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 31 
 
 Philip to hie extreme corpulence, who by his sarcasms stimu- 
 lated William's resentment and impatience to lead an army 
 into the French dominions. On his recovery, the English mo- 
 narch levied a powerfid army ; and, entering the Isle of France, 
 destroyed every thing with fire and sword. He afterwards took 
 Nantes, and reduced it to ashes. But his mode of vengeance 
 hastened the termination of his conquests and life ; his horse, 
 happening to put his foot on some hot cinders, plunged so 
 violently, that the King was thrown forward, and severely 
 bruised in the fall. He was carried in a litter to the monastery 
 of St. Germain, where he shortly after expired, penetrated with 
 remorse for the many violences and cruelties of which he had 
 been guilty. 
 
 William died the 9th of September 1087, in the sixty-third 
 year of his age, after having reigned twent3'-one years over 
 England, and fifty-four over Normandy. 
 
 DIVISION OF THE CONQUEROR'S DOMINIONS 
 AMONGST HIS SONS. 
 
 William left to his eldest son Robert nothing in addition 
 to the dukedom of Normandy and the province of Maine. By 
 a letter, despatched, while his last illness was in progress, to 
 Lanfranc the Primate, he directed him to crown his son 
 William king of England. To Henry, the youngest, he be- 
 queathed only the treasures of his mother Matilda; but fore- 
 told that Henry would one day surpass both his brothers in 
 opulence and power. 
 
 c 4
 
 32 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 PLATE V. 
 
 William Rufus. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Normandy invaded by the English, 
 
 Fig. 2. — Invasion of England by the Scots and Welsh, 
 The Scots are represented by the thistle, and the Welsh by 
 the leak. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Origin of the Crusades. 
 Peter the Hermit, pointing to the Cross, denotes the origin 
 of the Crusades. 
 
 Pig, 4. — Normandy mortgaged to William Rufus. 
 Robert, Duke of Normandy, desirous of going to the Holy 
 Land, which is represented by the cross on the hill, is offering 
 WilHam IL a map of his dominions. The King holds a bag of 
 money which he is to give Robert for the mortgage. 
 
 Fig. 5. — W^tminster Hall. 
 At the upper end is the figure of Justice ; and beneath, the 
 twelve Judges. 
 
 Fig. 6. — William Rufus killed in the New Forest.
 
 [Page 32.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLiND. 33 
 
 WILLIAM RUFUS., 
 
 The diaracter of this prince was disgraced by the practice of 
 almost every vice: he was devoid of principle and honour; was 
 haughty, passionate, revengeful, a scoffer at religion, and an 
 inveterate enemy to the English. He appears to have been a 
 violent and tyrannical prince; a perfidious, encroaching, and 
 dangei'ous neighbour ; and an unkind and ungenerous relation. 
 He was so impatient to obtain possession of the throne, that 
 he left his father in the agonies of death, and set out for Eng- 
 land, He employed ^the utmost despatch in getting himself 
 firmly ectablished, fearing that Robert would claim the crown 
 in virtue of his seniority. The haughty, violent, and t\Tan- 
 nicul behaviour of the King occasioned many of the nobility to 
 enter into a conspiracy against him ; at the head of which was 
 his uncle Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. The King, however, assisted 
 by his English subjects, defeated their project. Some of the 
 conspirators were pardoned, but most of them had' their estates 
 confiscated. 
 
 During the opposition of the Norman Barons, he had con- 
 trived to gain the attachment of the English, by promising to 
 mitigate their burdens, and to grant them liberty to hunt in 
 the royal forests; but as soon as the impending danger was 
 averted, he thought no more of these engagements. After the 
 death of Lanfranc, who had been his preceptor, and who re- 
 strained him v.'ithin some limits, William gave full scope to his 
 rapacity. Not content with oppressing the laity, he seized the 
 temporalities of all the vacant bishoprics and abbeys, and 
 openly put many of them to sale. While his proceedings 
 excited discontent, the terror of his gi-eat power prevented 
 commotion. 
 
 c 5
 
 34 HISTOHV OF EKGLANO. 
 
 NORMANDY INVADED BY THE ENGLISH. 
 
 In the year 1090, William thought himself strong enough to 
 undertake the conquest of Normandy, which at that time was 
 in great confusion, owing to the indolence and negligence with 
 which the government there was administered. Several of the 
 nobles had revolted from Robert, and were encouraged in their 
 disaffection by the King of France. Robert also feared the 
 intrigues of his brother Henry, whom, for the sum of three 
 thousand marks, he had put in possession of the district of 
 Cottentin, nearly one-third part of the duchy of Normandy : he 
 therefore surprised him, and kept him for some time a close 
 prisoner; but finding himself threatened with an invasion by Wil- 
 liam, he gave Henry his liberty, who assisted him in quelling the 
 rebellion of his subjects. The King of England soon afterwards 
 landed in Normandy; but the nobles on both sides interposed, 
 and a treaty of peace was concluded, 
 
 INVASION OF ENGLAND BY THE SCOTS AND WELSH. 
 
 Whilst William was in Normandy, Malcolm King of Scot- 
 land took advantage of his absence to invade Northumberland, 
 whence he carried off a great booty. William, on his return, 
 invaded Scotland, which brought on a peace between the two 
 kingdoms. In order to prevent the future incursions of his 
 northern neighbours, the English King rebuilt the city of 
 Carlisle, which had been destroyed by the Danes. Malcolm, 
 upon some disgust that he received from William, renewed his 
 incursions, but was soon after slain in battle. He had with him 
 a general of the name of Walter, to whom, as a reward for his 
 services, he had given the office of steward of his household. 
 From this officer sprung the unfortunate family of the Stewarts, 
 who for a long time swayed the Scottish sceptre, and for nearly 
 a century that of the English. The Welsh also made many 
 juiursions into England, ravaging and plundering the adjacejiU
 
 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 35 
 
 counties; but on the approach of the English, they imme- 
 diately retired to their fortresses in the mountains, where it was 
 impossible to attack them. 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE CRUSADES. 
 
 The Cinisades, or Holy Wars, first began in 1096, on the 
 following occasion. — Jerusalem had been taken, and Palestine 
 conquered, by Omar, the successor of Abu Beker, who had 
 succeeded Mahomet himself. This greatly incommoded the 
 pilgrims, who went from all quarters to perform their devotions 
 at the Holy Sepulchre : they were however permitted to go 
 immolested, on paying a small tribute to the Saracen Caliphs. 
 But, in 1065, Jerusalem fell under the power of the Turks; 
 who being more fierce and barbarous than the former possessors) 
 the pilgrims found they could no longer perform their devotions 
 there in safety. Peter the Hermit, a native of Amiens in 
 Picardy, had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem; and being 
 deeply affected with the danger to which the pilgrims were 
 exposed, as well as with the oppression under which the 
 Eastern Christians groaned, formed the bold design of leading 
 into Asia the vast armies of the West, in order to rescue the 
 Holy Land from the possession of Infidels. He submitted this 
 project to Urban II., who then filled the papal chair. Urban 
 summoned, at Placentia in Italy, a Council, consisting of four 
 thousand ecclesiastics and thirty thousand seculars; and, as 
 no hall could be found sufficiently large to contain such a mul- 
 titude, the assembly was held on a plain. Here the Pope 
 himself, as well as Peter, harangued the people, representing the 
 lamentable situation of their brethren in the East, and the 
 indignity offered to the Christian name, in allowing the Holy 
 City to remain in the hands of the Infidels. These speeches, 
 were so agreeable to the auditors, that the whole multitude, as 
 by one impiUse, vehemently declared for the war, and solemnly 
 
 c 6
 
 36 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 devoted themselves to a service which they believed to be so 
 meritorious in the sight of God. 
 
 Although Italy had embraced the design with ardour, Urban 
 saw it necessary to engage the cooperation of all the nations of 
 Cliristendom. He therefore sent Peter to the chief courts in 
 Europe ; and meanwhile summoned another Council at Cler- 
 mont, in Auvergne. The fame of the great and pious project 
 attracted to the meeting an august cuxle of cardinals, mitred 
 prelates, powerful barons, and princes. When the Pope was in 
 the midst of a pathetic address, the whole assembly cried out, 
 " It is the wUI of God !" These words were ascribed to a 
 divine impulse ; and, after the war was undertaken, the adven- 
 turers always employed them as the signal of battle. 
 
 An undiscipHned multitude, computed at three hundred 
 thousand men, preceded the regular armies, under the command 
 of Peter the Hermit, and Walter the Pennyless. Traversing 
 Hungar}^ and Bulgaria, on their way to Constantinople, then 
 fhe capital of the Greek empire, this irregular host was com- 
 pelled to seek subsistence by plunder ; and the enraged inhabi- 
 tants attacked and slaughtered most of them. About a third 
 part escaped with Peter and Walter. The more disciplined 
 armies followed; and, after passing the Straits of Constanti- 
 nople, were mustered in the plains of Asia, amounting, alto- 
 gether, to seven hundred thousand men. 
 
 NORMANDY MORTGAGED TO WILLIAM RUFUS. 
 
 All orders of men were impatient to embark in the Holy 
 War, and every individual who enlisted had the cross affixed 
 to his right shoulder. The nobles, who engaged in it, sold at low 
 prices their ancient castles and inheritances, in the hope of 
 procuring more opulent establishments in the East. The infirm 
 and aged, who could not give their personal assistance, contri- 
 buted to the expedition by presents and money.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 87 
 
 The princes engaged in this first Crusade were, Robert Duke 
 of Normandy, who mortgaged his dominions to Rufus for ten 
 thousand marks; Hugo, Count of Vennandois; Robert, Earl 
 of Flanders; Raymond, Earl of Thoulouse; Godfrey of 
 Bouillon, with his brothers Baldwin and Eustace ; Stephen, Earl 
 of Chartres ; Hugo, Count of St. Paul ; besides many other 
 lords. In this expedition the city of Jerusalem was taken by 
 the confederated army, and Godfrey made King. 
 
 WESTMINSTER HALL. 
 
 Westminster Hall was first built by William Rufus, as 
 an addition to a royal palace, and was afterwards rebuilt by 
 Richard II. It is reckoned one the largest rooms in Europe, 
 being two hundred feet long, seventy wide, and ninety high, 
 supported only by buttresses. In this room the Kings of 
 England generally held their coronation, and other solemn 
 feasts. Since the reign of Henry III. the three great courts of 
 Chancery, King's Bench, and Common Pleas, have been held 
 in separate apartments of this hall, and the court of Exchequer 
 above stairs. It is also the principal entrance to the House of 
 Commons and the House of Lords ; and when any Peers of the 
 Realm are tried by impeachment, it is fitted up as the Court of 
 Judicature. 
 
 WILLIAM RUFUS KILLED IN THE NEW FOREST. 
 
 The acquisition of Maine and of Normandy involved William 
 Rufus in perpetual contests with the haughty and turbulent 
 Barons who inhabited those countries; yet, notwithstanding, 
 he was still desirous of extending his dominions, either by pur- 
 chase or conquest. William Earl of Poictou and Guienne, had 
 assembled a large army for the purpose of joining the Crusades; 
 and, like Robert of Normandy, offered to mortgage his
 
 38 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 dominions for money sufficient to convey him into Asia. The 
 King accepted the offer, and prepared a fleet and army to take 
 possession of those dominions : when an unfortunate accident 
 put a period to his project, and to his life. Walter Tyrrel, a 
 French gentleman, remarkable for his skill in archery, attended 
 the King to a hunting match in the New Forest ; and being 
 anxious to shew his dexterity, let fly an arrow at a deer that 
 suddenly started before him. The arrow glanced from a tree, 
 and struck the King to the heart, who instantly fell; while 
 Tyrrel, afflicted at the accident, clapped spurs to his horse, 
 hastened to the sea-side, and embarked for France, where he 
 joined the Crusade that was setting out from that country. 
 The death of William Rufus happened on the 2d of August 
 1100, before he had completed the fortieth year of his 3ge. 
 He reigned thirteen years.
 
 Page 39.] 
 
 PLATE VI. 
 
 I. 
 
 IIOO 
 
 m. 
 
 HOP I 
 
 I iioi I 
 
 I 
 
 >> 
 
 ? 
 
 iioo I 
 
 ^H^ 
 
 I 
 
 1117 I 
 
 4 
 
 1120 I 

 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 39 
 
 PLATE VI. 
 
 Henry the First. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Marriage or Henry and Matilda. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Treaty of Peace between Robert and Henry, 
 Concluded at Portsmouth, A.D. 1101 ; by which the former 
 
 renounced his claims to England, and the latter his pretensions 
 
 to Normandy. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Robert imprisoned in Cardiff Castle. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Normandy invaded ey the French. 
 The symbol of the French forces is a flag with a fleur de lys: 
 their flag is drooping ; while the flag of the English, by Afvhom 
 they are defeated, is waving over it. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Death of Prince William,
 
 40 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 HENRY THE FIRST. 
 
 Henry I. was the third son of the Conqueror. He is des- 
 cribed to have been of middle stature and robust make, with 
 dark brown hair, and serene blue eyes. He was facetious, 
 eloquent, and affable : his capacity, naturally good, was so 
 mudi improved and cultivated, that he acquired the name of 
 Beau Clerc. He was cool, cautious, politic, and penetrating : 
 his courage was unquestioned, and his fortitude invincible : but 
 he was vindictive, cruel, and implacable ; inexorable to offend- 
 ers, rigorous and severe in the execution of justice. His 
 Norman descent, and connections with the Continent, inspired 
 bim with a contempt for the English. At the beginning of his 
 reign, in order to crush a conspiracy of the Norman lords, he, 
 like the preceding monarch, amused the English with promises 
 of liberty : he even signed an illusory Charter in their favour, 
 and had recoiu"se to other temporary artifices, related in the 
 next chapter : but, during his whole I'eign, his native subjects 
 were treated as an inferior race, and kept in a state of abject 
 dqjression. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Charter.^-A deed by which the King passes any grant, to one or 
 more jjersons, or to any body politic. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF HENRY AND MATILDA. 
 
 After the death of William, the crown, of right, belonged 
 to Robert, his eldest brother; but Henry, availing himself of 
 Rolxa-t's absence in the Holy Land, no sooner heard of the 
 deaUi of Rufus, than he hurried to Winchester, seized the 
 royal treasure, and, in less than three days, got himself crowned 
 King of England, by Maurice Bishop of London. Possession 
 su}>j)lied every deficiency of title, and no one dared to appear 
 in belialf of the absent prince. But Henry still looked, with 
 uneasy apprehension, to the possibility of his being dethroned.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 41 
 
 should his brother Robert land in the kingdom to enforce his 
 right to the crown. He distrusted the Norman nobility, 
 because he knew that many of them were attached to his 
 brother. To conciliate, therefore, the affection of his English 
 subjects, Henry abolished the Curfew, and passed a Charter, 
 engaging to remove many of the grievous oppressions that had 
 been complained of during the reigns of his father and brother : 
 he further promised a general confirmation and observance of 
 the laws of King Edward. But none of these concessions, as 
 far as they embraced essential benefits, were ever executed; 
 and the grievances proposed to be redressed by the Charter 
 continued in their full extent, and were felt everywhere. 
 
 Meanwhile, in order to strengthen his claim to the crown, 
 Henry determined to marry Matilda, the niece of Edgar 
 Atheling j for he was sensible that the English looked back with 
 regret to the interruption of the Saxon line. From a nunnery, 
 where she had been educated, she was therefore taken to be 
 placed on a throne ; and Henry hoped, by electing her as bis 
 consort, to heal the division, and establish perpetual amity 
 between tlie Saxons and Normans. 
 
 TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN ROBERT AND HENRY. 
 
 Whilst Henry was rendering himself popular at home, his 
 brotlier Robert had loitered away a twelvemonth in Italy, where 
 he married Sibylla, daughter of the Count Conversana- In 
 1101 he arrived in England, in order to lay claim to the crown. 
 His fame, on account of his great exploits in Palestine, was 
 such, that he was joined by many noblemen of the first rank; 
 and the whole nation seemed prepossessed in his favour. 
 Henry, however, by paying court to Anselm Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, had secured the array in his interest, with which 
 he immediately marched down to Portsmouth, to meet Robert, 
 who had landed there with his forces a few days before. The
 
 42 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 armies lay for some days in sight of each other, both unwilh'ng 
 to commence hostilities ; when an accommodation was effected, 
 through the mediation of Anselm and other leading men ; and 
 the pretensions of the rival brothers were thus settled in an 
 amicable manner. A treaty was entered into, by which it was 
 agreed, that Robert should resign his claim to England, and 
 receive, in lieu of it, an annual pension of three thousand 
 marks ; that if either of the princes died without issue, the other 
 should succeed to his dominions ; that the adherents of each 
 should be pardoned, and restored to all their possessions, in 
 Normandy or England; and that neither Henry nor Robert 
 shoidd henceforth encourage, receive, or protect, the enemies 
 of each other. The two princes separated with marks of 
 mutual friendship ; but Henry, under various pretences, con- 
 fiscated the estates of all Robert's adherents : and when the 
 latter returned to England, in order to remonstrate with his 
 brother on this unjust conduct, he met with so bad a reception, 
 that, apprehending his liberty to be in danger, he was happy to 
 make his escape, at the expense of relinquishing his pension. 
 
 ROBERT IMPRISONED IN CARDIFF CASTLE. 
 
 The indolent good-nature of Robert, joined to his aversion 
 from business, occasioned the greatest disorder in his dominions. 
 The Normans, admiring the good policy and wise government 
 of Henry in England, petitioned him to come over and redress 
 their grievances. Henry, who only wanted a pretext to invade 
 his brother's territories, readily embraced their offer, and began 
 the conquest of Normandy with the siege of Tinchebray, a 
 place of great strength, and well supplied with every appoint- 
 ment. The Duke of Normandy was not backward in making 
 preparations to receive him: he was joined by the Earl of 
 Montargne, and Robert de Balesme, who brought a considera- 
 ble force to his assistance. The King of France also sent him
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 43 
 
 some troops : and several Norman lords, when they found 
 Henry was not acting for them, but for himself, joined their 
 levies to his, and greatly increased his army. Thinking himself, 
 with these reinforcements, a match for his brother, Robert 
 hastened to relieve Tinchebray. The two armies met under the 
 walls of that place : they were nearly equal in numbers : Robert 
 had the strongest line of infantry, Henry the most numerous 
 cavalry. The battle did not last long ; for the Norman horse 
 were thrown into disorder at the first onset; and the whole 
 army was quickly put to the rout. The Duke of Normandyj 
 finding it impossible to rally his men, surrendered ; as did also 
 Edgar Atheling and the Earl of Montargne. Four hundred 
 knights and ten thousand men were made prisoners. The 
 battle of Hastings had put the Normans in possession of 
 England ; the battle of Tinchebray made the English masters 
 of Normandy. The Duke was sent prisoner to Cardiff Castle, 
 in Wales, where he died, after a tedious captivity of twenty- 
 six years. Some authors say, that, in consequence of Robertas 
 attempting to make his escape, Henry ordered his sight to be 
 destroyed, by applying a burning hot basin to his eyes : but the 
 silence of the best historians concerning it renders the point 
 doubtful. The conquest of Normandy was completed in 11 06. 
 
 NORMANDY INVADED BY FHE FRENCH. 
 
 It was the policy of Louis le Gros, king of France, to lose 
 no opportunity of disturbing the government of Henry in Nor- 
 mandy, by encouraging the malcontents, and stirring up the 
 neighbouring princes against hira. He invested William Crito, 
 the son of Robert, with the duchy of Normandy, and promised 
 to assist him with all his forces to take possession of it. For 
 this purpose he entered Normandy with a powerful armr, 
 Henry prudently waited until the French had vented the first 
 ebullitions of their fury : he then passed over into Normandy
 
 44 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 with a considerable body of men, and offered the enemy battle. 
 Louis accepted the challenge; and the two armies engaged. 
 During the fight, a French cavalier, named Crispin, personally 
 attacked the King of England, and struck him so violentl}', 
 that, notwithstanding his helmet, the King was covered with 
 blood ; tlie sight of which animated him with fresh courage, and 
 summoning all his vigour, he discharged so furious a blow upon 
 his adversary, that he threw him from his horse, and took him 
 prisoner. This exploit roused the spirit of his troops to fresh 
 exertions ; and, after a sharp conflict, the enemy was obliged to 
 quit the field, and the standard of France was taken. 
 
 DEATH OF PRINCE WILLIAM. 
 
 Henry had taken with him into Normandy his only son, 
 WUliam, in order to have him acknowledged by the people as 
 his successor. On their return to England, in the year 1120, 
 the King, in order to make the voyage more agreeable to the 
 royal youth, allowed him, and many of the young nobility, to 
 go together in one of the vessels of the fleet. The prince, who 
 was then only sixteen years of age, anxioul to be first on shore, 
 offered tlie seamen a reward if they arrived before the King : 
 the pilot, in his eager haste, ran the ship upon a rock ; and it 
 was instantly dashed to pieces. William, who had been put 
 into the boat, would have escaped, had he not been induced to 
 turn back, in the hope of saving his sister Maude : this giving 
 other individuals a prospect of saving their lives, several leaped 
 in, and, the boat being upset, they all, except one man, went 
 to the bottom. When Henry heai-d of the fate of his only 
 son, he covered his face in the agony of grief, and seemed to 
 become suddenly insensible to every source of comfort. He is 
 said to have never afterwards smiled, or to have recovered his 
 wonted clieerfulncss. It is doubtful whether the premature 
 death of this prince was not a benefit to the nation, for he had
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 45 
 
 been often heard to express the utmost hatred to the natives ; 
 and to threaten, that when he came to the crown, he would 
 make them draw the plough, and use them as beasts of burden. 
 As Henry had no legitimate children surviving, except Matilda, 
 whom he had betrothed to the Emperor of Germany, he 
 married Adelisa, the daughter of Godfrey Duke of Louvaine, 
 and niece to Pope Calixtus II., but she brought him no children. 
 In the year 1135, Henry died in Normandy, from eating too 
 plentifully of lam.preys, having lived sixty-seven years, and 
 reigned thirty-five.
 
 4G HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE VII. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Stephen and Matilda Competitors for the Crown. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Imprisonment of the Bishops of Salisbury, Lincoln, 
 
 AND Ely. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Landing of Matilda in England. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Defeat of Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln. 
 
 Fig. 5. — INIatilda returning into Normandy. 
 
 Fig 6. — Compromise of Stephen and Henry Plantagenet. 
 The King is engaged in a conference with Henry Plantagenet: 
 the crown, and the coffin near it, to which he is pointing, are 
 symbols of concession, that on his own death the latter shall 
 succeed to the English crown.
 
 PLATE VII. 
 
 [Page 46. 
 
 115 9 I 
 
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 115 9 I 
 
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 A
 
 HISTORY OF EN'GI.AKD. A^ 
 
 STEPHEN AND MATILDA COMPETITORS FOR THE 
 
 CROWN. 
 
 Stephen, the third son of Adela, daughter of William the 
 Conqueror, by the Count of Blois, was a prince of great cou- 
 rage, fortitude, and activity. Had he succeeded by a just title, 
 he seems to have been well qualified to have promoted the hap. 
 piness of his people. He was not deficient in ability, and pos- 
 sessed, in a high degree, the art of gaining the affections of those 
 about him. Immediately on the death of Henry I. he hastened 
 to London, where, with very little opposition, he was crowned 
 King by the Bishop of Winchester ; and, in order to establish 
 himself on the throne as firmly as possible, he passed a charter, 
 making verj' liberal promises to all ranks of people. He also 
 seized the late King's treasures at Winchester, which amounted 
 to £100,000; with this he not only hired mercenaries to sup- 
 port his pretensions, but procured a Bull from the Pope con- 
 firming his title to the throne. 
 
 Matilda, his rival, was the only surviving child of Henry I. 
 She was first married to Henry V., Emperor of Germany, and 
 afterwards to Godfrey Plantagenet, eldest son of the Count of 
 Anjou. She was not backward in her endeavours to recover 
 her just rights ; but for some time met with so little success, 
 either in England or Normandy, that her husband was glad to 
 make peace with Stephen, on condition of being paid five thou- 
 sand marks annually'. Robert, Earl of Gloucester (natural son 
 of the late King), a man of great honour and ability, and firmly 
 attached to the cause of Matilda, was the first who shook the 
 power of Stephen. When the latter usurped the thrbne, 
 Robert had stipulated conditions on which he would take the 
 oath of fealty to him : one of which was, that the King should 
 never invade any of Robert's rights or dignities. The great 
 power of that nobleman induced Stephen to accept the over- 
 ture, though he knew that the reservation of independence was, 
 on a favourable opportunity, to be made subservient to revolt.
 
 48 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 In the year 1137, having concerted an insurrection, the Earl of 
 Gloucester retired to the Continent, whence he sent the King 
 a defiance, solemnly renouncing his allegiance. In the follow- 
 ing year David, King of Scotland, appeared with an army in 
 support of his niece's title, and penetrated into Yorkshire j but 
 he was defeated at Northallerton by a powerful army which 
 some of the northern Barons had raised. The complete failure 
 of this invasion so awed the party disaffected to Stephen, that 
 his power might have been established, had he not engaged in 
 a contest with the clergy. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT OF THE BISHOPS OF SALISBURY, 
 LINCOLN, AND ELY. 
 In the beginning of Stephen's reign, the Barons, imitating the 
 Earl of Gloucester, extorted from him a permission to fortify 
 their castles, and to put themselves into a posture of defence. 
 The clergy also annexed to the oath of allegiance the following 
 conditions, namely, that they were only bound so long as the 
 King defended the ecclesiastical liberties, and supported the 
 discipline of the church. Stephen was obliged to comply with 
 both conditions. All England was immediately filled with for- 
 tresses : the nobility garrisoned these with their vassals, or with 
 licentious soldiers, who flocked to them from all parts. The 
 whole country became a scene of rapine and devastation ; wars 
 were carried on by the Barons in every quarter ; they even 
 assumed the right of coining money, and of exercising without 
 appeal every act of jurisdiction. The inferior gentry, as well as 
 the people, finding no defence from the laws during this total 
 suspension of sovereign authority, were obhged, for their imme- 
 diate safety, to pay court to some neighbouring chieftain, and 
 to purchase his protection, both by submitting to his exactions, 
 and by assisting him in his depredations upon others. 
 
 When Stephen saw the mischief arising from this liberty, of 
 which the original grant on his part was too reluctant and invo-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 49 
 
 luntary to be called injudicious, he determined to reduce it as 
 much as possible : for this purpose he began with the castles 
 erected by the Clergy, who seemed to have the least right to 
 these military securities. Therefore, taking advantage of a dis- 
 turbance that had arisen between the retainers of the Bishop of 
 Salisbury and those of the Earl of Brittany, in which the former 
 had been supported by the Bishops of Lincoln and Ely, he 
 seized the Bishops implicated, threw them into prison, and 
 obliged them to surrender the castles which they had recently 
 built and fortified. The commotion thus produced was an op- 
 portunity favourable to the pretensions of Matilda. 
 
 LANDING OF MATILDA IN ENGLAND. 
 
 On the 22d of September 1139 Matilda landed in England, 
 accompanied by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and 140 knights; 
 her train of partizans daily increased, and she was soon enabled 
 to face Stephen in the field \vith equal forces. Numberless en- 
 counters followed, and war was spread through every quarter 
 of the country ; for the turbulent Barons having, in a great 
 measure, thrown ofF the restraint of a paramount government, 
 redoubled their oppressions, cruelties, and devastations, under 
 the plea of fighting for their country. They tortured their 
 captives to make them reveal their treasures, sold them for 
 slaves, and set fire to their houses, after pillaging them of every 
 thing valuable. When private rights were subverted, the land 
 was left untilled, a grievous famine ensued, and the whole 
 nation was reduced to a deplorable state of misery. 
 
 DEFEAT OF STEPHEN AT THE BATTLE OF 
 LINCOLN. 
 
 After a multitude of indecisive conflicts, the King laid sieee 
 to the city of Lincoln, in the hope of surprising Matilda : but 
 
 D
 
 50 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the Duke of Gloucester hastened to her relief. The two armies 
 engaged on the 2d of February 1141, within sight of the city. 
 The battle was long and obstinate ; at length Stephen's cavalry 
 gave way, and the infantry, finding themselves unsupported, also 
 fled. Meanwhile the King, who was left with few attendants, 
 fought on foot with most astonishing intrepidity. He endeavoured 
 to force his way through the enemy with his battle-axe; but that 
 breaking, he drew his sword, and continued the unequal con- 
 test some time longer, until, his sword flying in pieces, he was 
 compelled to surrender himself a prisoner. He was conducted 
 to Gloucester ; and though the treatment which he received 
 was at first respectful, he was soon afterwards, upon some 
 slight suspicion, loaded with irons and thrown into prison. 
 
 MATILDA RETURNING INTO NORMANDY. 
 
 About a month after the battle of Lincoln, MatUda was 
 crowned at Westminster with great solemnity ; but her incapa- 
 city to govern so turbulent a nation as the English then were 
 soon became apparent : she was equally destitute of policy and 
 prudence ; was proud, insolent, and overbearing. A conspiracy 
 was therefore formed against her, headed by the Bishop of 
 Winchester, who detached a party of his friends to block up 
 the city of London, where she resided. He also attempted to 
 seize her person : but, having notice of the plot, she fled to 
 Winchester; here she was shortl}' after besieged by the Bishop, 
 and, the town being pressed by famine, she with difficulty 
 made her escape. Her brother, the Earl of Gloucester, in the 
 attempt to follow her, was taken prisoner. The Earl was ex- 
 changed for Stephen, who, being once more seated on the 
 throne, prosecuted the war with redoubled vigour ; and Matilda 
 flfcw from one fortress to another, a fugitive, unable to keep 
 the field. She escaped from Oxford to Wallingford Castle, at 
 a time when the fields were covered with snow, by being
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 51 
 
 dressed all in white, with four knights, her attendants, habited 
 in the same colour. At length she was obliged to quit the 
 kingdom, and retire into Normandy. About this time the Earl 
 of Gloucester died, an event which gave a fatal blow to the 
 interests of Matilda. 
 
 COMPROMISE OF STEPHEN AND HENRY 
 PLANTAGENET. 
 
 In 1153 Prince Henry (the son of Matilda by her second 
 husband, Geoffry Plantagenet), then in his sixteenth year, came 
 over to England to dispute once more Stephen's pretensions to 
 the crown. He met with some success on his first landins : but 
 was quickl}- opposed by Stephen with a powerful army. The 
 hostile forces lay within a quarter of a mile of each other, and 
 a general engagement seemed to be impending ; when William, 
 Earl of Arundel, an adherent of the King, offered his media- 
 tion to adjust the claims of the royal competitors without an 
 appeal to arms. The proposition was acceded to by both parties, 
 and a treaty was set on foot. Diu"ing its progress, the death of 
 Eustace, Stephen's eldest son, whom he had designed to succeed 
 him, intervened ; an event which facilitated its conclusion. It 
 was agreed that Stephen should reign during his life ; that 
 justice should be administered in his name; and that, on his 
 death, Henry should succeed him. This treaty filled all Eng- 
 land with joy ; and, after the Barons had sworn to the observ- 
 ance of it, Henry left England. Stephen returned to the 
 peaceable possession of his crown, which, however, he lived to 
 enjoy but a short time : he died on the 25th of October, in the 
 year 1154, aged 49. 
 
 His surviving son William inherited his patrimonial propert)', 
 and became Earl of Boulogne, in right of the Queen his mother. 
 
 o 3
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 53 
 
 HENRY THE SECOND. 
 
 Henry the Second is said to have been the greatest prince 
 of his time, for wisdom, virtue, and ability. He was of a mid- 
 dle stature, strong, and well-proportioned: his countenance 
 was lively and engaging ; his conversation affable and enter- 
 taining; his elocution easy and persuasive. He loved peace, 
 but possessed both conduct and bravery in war : in the execu- 
 tion of justice, he was severe without rigour ; and in his manner 
 of living, temperate without austerity. When he could enjoy 
 leisure, he recreated himself in learned conversation or in read- 
 ing ; and he cultivated his natural talents by study, above any 
 prince of his time. He was remarkably compassionate ; and so 
 charitable, that he constantly allotted one-tenth of his house- 
 hold provisions to the poor, and, in a time of dearth, main- 
 tained ten thousand indigent persons from the beginning of 
 spring to the end of autumn. 
 
 On his accession to the English throne, Henry found himself 
 also invested with very extensive dominions on the Continent. 
 In right of his father he possessed Anjou, Touraine, and 
 Maine ; in that of his mother, Normandy ; in that of his wife, 
 Guienne, Poictou, Saintogne, Auvergne, Perigord, Angoumois, 
 and Limousin : he soon after annexed Brittany to his other 
 states, by marrying his son, who was yet a child, to the heiress 
 of Brittany, who was a child also. These territories composed 
 above a third part of the French monarchy, and confessedly 
 the most opulent part of it ; so that Henry, who was vassal to 
 the King of France, was greatly his superior in power. The 
 first acts of his administration were wise and vigorous : he 
 began with demolishing the castles that had been erected in the 
 last reign, and which served only as retreats for the vicious and 
 turbulent ; except only a few well situated for the defence of 
 the kingdom, which he garrisoned for that purpose ; he, at the 
 same time, banished all the foreign mercenaries, who had com- 
 mitted the greatest disorders. The debased money which had 
 
 D 3
 
 54 II18T0RY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 been struck during the reign of Stephen he called in, issuing 
 in its place a new coinage of the standard goodness and weight. 
 He resumed many of the grants which had been given to 
 churches and monasteries; and he gave charters to several 
 towns, by which the citizens acquired, with their personal 
 freedom, privileges independent of any superior but himself. 
 
 BECKET DISCLAIMING THE CIVIL AUTHORITY. 
 
 The growing ascendancy of the Clergy at this time, to which 
 the imperfect title of the last King and the superstition of the 
 people had contributed, connected with the very relaxed state 
 of church discipline, called aloud for reform; and it required 
 great wisdom, as well as firmness, on the part of the monarch, 
 to curb the scandalous usurpation of that order, who during 
 the last reign had extorted from Stephen an immunity from all 
 but ecclesiastical penalties : therefore, not being amenable to 
 the civil law, the number and magnitude of their crimes had 
 increased in proportion to the impunity with which they might 
 be committed ; and it is upon record, that, between the short 
 space from the King's accession to his first interference to 
 abridge the ecclesiastical power, no fewer than a hundred mur- 
 ders had been committed by the Clergy, of which not one was 
 punished with degradation by their spiritual superiors. On the 
 death of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, which happened 
 in 1162, Henry invested Thomas a Becket, his Chancellor, with 
 that high office, who was the first man of English pedigree that 
 had risen to any eminent station since the Norman Conquest. 
 
 Before his instalment, Becket had been exceedingly com- 
 plaisant, good-humoured, and agreeable to his master; but 
 no sooner was he invested with this great dignity, which made 
 him for life second only to the King, than he totally altered his 
 conduct, and assumed those airs of affected and ostentatious 
 , humility, which he thought would recommend him to the igno-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 55 
 
 rant and superstitious multitude. He resigned the office of 
 chancellor without consulting his Sovereign : for he knew that 
 the King intended to abridge the ecclesiastical power, and was 
 desirous to avoid the embaiTassing appearance of being tlie 
 King's adviser. Henry, indignant that the Clergy should escape 
 with impunity for crimes which demanded the severest punish- 
 ment, proceeded to determine the exact boundaries between 
 the civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions, and for that purpose 
 summoned a great council of the Clergy and Nobility at Claren- 
 don, to whom he submitted this important subject. Many 
 regulations were there drawn up, which were afterwards known 
 by the name of the Constitutions of Clarendon. The principal of 
 these were, " That clergymen accused of any crime should be 
 tried in the civil courts ; that laymen should not be tried in 
 spiritual coiu*ts, except on the allegations of legal and reputable 
 witnesses ; that the King should ultimately judge in ecclesiasti- 
 cal and spiritual appeals; that the Archbishops and Bishops 
 should be^regarded as Barons, and obliged to contribute to the 
 public expenses like other persons of their rank." These and 
 some others of less consequence, amounting in all to sixteen, 
 were subscribed to by all the Bishops present ; and even Becket, 
 after some hesitation, put his name to it. T e constitutions, 
 thus enacted, were sent to Rome to be ratified by the Pope; 
 but he rejected them with the greatest indignation. Upon this, 
 Becket expressed his repentance at having complied with the 
 wishes of the King, declared himself unworthy of performing 
 his daily functions in the church, and actually suspended him- 
 self till he should have received pardon for his offence. This 
 he soon obtained ; but the King, considering these affected aus- 
 terities as insults offered to himself, determined to humble him, 
 and for this purpose instituted various suits and prosecutions 
 against him. The last was a citation to account for the monies 
 received and expended while he was Chancellor. The deficiency 
 was computed at no less a sum than forty thousand marks ; and 
 
 D 4
 
 56 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Becket, either unable to give an account of it or to find secu- 
 rities, took an extraordinary method to evade it : he arrayed 
 himself in his episcopal vestments, and, taking the cross in his 
 hand, went forward to the palace. Having entered the council 
 chamber, he sat down, holding the crosier as his banner and 
 protection. He then, in the most solemn manner, put himself 
 under the protection of the Supreme Pontiff, and appealed to 
 his authority against any penalty which his iniquitous judges 
 might inflict. This he did in the hope of intimidating the 
 judges. When he left the palace he requested the King's per- 
 mission to quit Northampton, which was refused : Becket then 
 withdrew in disguise, and escaped to the Continent. Mean- 
 while the tribunal, who had to decide on the charges against 
 hira, declared him a perjured traitor. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 CivU Law. — The law which relates to the government and internal 
 policy of the state. It is generally understood to be founded upon 
 tlje municipal law of the Roman Empire, as comprized in the Insti- 
 tutes of Justinian, under whose auspices the present body of cival law 
 was compiled and finished by Triboniun and other lawyers, about 
 A. D. 533. 
 
 Marks. — An ancient coin, value 13s. Ad. 
 
 Supreme Pontiff. — The Poi>e, or Chief of the Roman CathohV 
 Church. 
 
 BECKET'S TRIUMPHANT RETURN". 
 
 Becket on his arrival at the Holy See was received with- 
 every mark of esteem, whilst Henry's ambassadors were treated 
 with coolness and contempt. The King, greatly irritated, de- 
 termined to throw off all dependance upon the Court o£ 
 Rome. The Pope and the Archbishop meanwhile issued ful- 
 minations tending to shake the foundation of the King's govern- 
 ment ; excommunicating his ministers, and menacing the state
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 57 
 
 with an interdict. At the first, Henry paid but little regard to 
 the anathemas of his opponents ; but when he found that his 
 authority over his subjects was endangered by them, and that 
 rivals on the Continent were endeavouring to disturb his do- 
 minions, he began seriously to desire an accommodation. The 
 Pope, too, being threatened with the machinations of an Anti- 
 pope, whose pretensions he was apprehensive the King of 
 England might support, became more willing to negotiate; 
 and, after much delay, occasioned by conflicting interests, a 
 reconciliation was effected, and Becket reinstated in the see of 
 Canterbury. Nothing could exceed the an-ogance of this 
 haughty prelate on his return to England, after he had been an 
 exile seven years ; instead of retiring quietly to his diocese, he 
 made a progress through Kent with all the splendour of a sove- 
 reign Pontiff, and was received in London with every demon- 
 stration of joy. 
 
 DEFINITIOKS. 
 
 Archbishop of Canterbury/.— 'After the King, he is the chief dignitary 
 of the church of England, and the first Peer in the realm, having rank 
 next to the Royal Family. It is his prerogative by custom to crcsvn 
 the Kings and Queens of England ; and he has also the power to 
 grant licenses and dispensations in all cases formerly sued for in the 
 Court of Rome, if not repugnant to the law of God, or statutes of the 
 realm. 
 
 Excommunication.— A prohibition to participate in religious rites.. 
 
 Interdict. — A papal ordinance to the clergy, forbidding them to 
 celebrate the holy offices of religion. 
 
 Anathemas. — Curses pronounced by ecclesiastical authority. 
 
 Antipope. — A person who claims or usurps the papacy in opposition 
 to the right Pope.
 
 'S8 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 THE DEATH OF BJECKET. 
 
 No sooner was Becket re-established in his dignity, than he 
 began to direct the weight of ecclesiastical authority upon his 
 enemies, and upon such of the clergy as had been subservient 
 to the King in his absence. He suspended the Archbishop of 
 York, and excommunicated the Bishops of London and Salis- 
 bury, with several of the principal nobility and clergy ; because 
 the first, at the requisition of the King, had crowned his eldest 
 son, and the others had assisted at the coronation. The par- 
 ties excommunicated repaired to the King, who was then in 
 Normandy, threw themselves at his feet, and implored his pro- 
 tection, inveighing bitterly against the haughty and vindictive 
 ecclesiastic. Henry, enraged at the repeated insolence of 
 Becket's conduct, was heard to exclaim, " Is there none to 
 revenge their monarch's cause upon this audacious priest?" 
 These words induced four of his attendants, viz. Hugh de 
 Moreville, William de Tracy, Richard Brito, and Reginauld 
 Fitzurse, to form a design against Becket's life. They hastened 
 to Canterbury, and, on the 29th of December 1171, entering 
 the cathedral where Becket was officiating with but few at- 
 tendants, they beat out his brains with clubs. The King was 
 thrown into the utmost consternation on hearing of Becket's 
 murder: apprehending that his death might accomplish what 
 his most violent opposition during his life had failed to do, he 
 felt, or affected, the deepest sorrow, and for three days even 
 refused all nourishment ; tUl, at last, his courtiers broke in upon 
 his solitude, and induced him to acquiesce in an event which 
 could not be recalled. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Sitsptnded,. — Forbidden to exercise their clerical functions.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 59 
 
 THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND. 
 Ireland was at this time divided into five principal sovereign- 
 ties, namely, Munster, Leinster, Ulster, Meath and Connaught, 
 each governed by its respective sovereign ; but there was 
 commonly one prince, who, ha\ang superior influence to the 
 rest, acted, for the time, as King of Ireland. To him the 
 haughty chieftains paid a precarious tribute, and united with 
 him rather as his allies than his subjects. Dermod Macmarogh, 
 Prince of Leinster, was a fierce, haughty, and oppressive 
 tyrant ; he had carried off the wife of O'Ruarc, when that 
 prince was in the utmost distress, and had been defeated and 
 driven out of his dominions by a confederacy of the bordering 
 chieftains. Dermod, in his turn, was vanquished by Torlogh 
 O'Connor, deposed as unworthy of his station, and another of 
 his family raised to the throne. The exiled chief fled for 
 safety to England, where, his character being unknown, he 
 was received as an injured prince, driven from hi« throne by an 
 iniquitous confederacy. 
 
 Henry being in Aquitaine, Dermod went thither from 
 England, and implored his assistance; promising to hold his 
 dominions, which, with assistance from England, he was con- 
 fident of regaining, in vassalage to Henry and his heirs. Henry 
 had long meditated the conquest of Ireland, and had even 
 procured a grant from the Pope, investing him with the sove- 
 reignty of that country: he therefore received Dermod with 
 great encouragement. But the situation of his own affairs did 
 not allow him, at that time, to take advantage of the servile 
 and flattering application from the Irish chieftain: Henry, 
 therefore, dismissed him with large presents, and letters of cre- 
 dence to his subjects in England, empowering them to aid him 
 in the recovery of his dominions. Dermod, after several dis- 
 couraging refusals from the English knights and barons, at length 
 prevailed on Richard Earl of Strigul or Chepstow, surnamed 
 Strongbow, with Robert Fitz-Stephen, Maurice Fitz-Gerald, 
 
 d6
 
 60 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 and a few other feudal lords of South Wales, to go over to 
 Ireland as his auxiliaries. In May 1170 they landed in a 
 creek near Wexford. The whole force which they carried ta 
 the succour of Dermod amounted to no more than forty knights, 
 sixty men in armour, and five hundred archers. This assist- 
 ance, trivial as it may seem, changed the face of affairs almost 
 instantaneously. The Irish opposed to Dermod were every- 
 where defeated with great slaughter. 
 
 Fitz-Stephen and Rtz-Gerald were jointly invested with the 
 lordship of Wexford. Richard Earl Strongbow afterwards 
 landed at Waterford, with a larger force, consisting of two 
 hundred knights, and one thousand two hundred infantrj'. 
 For his services to Dermod, in this expedition, he was invested 
 with the lordship of Dublin. 
 
 Henry now resolved to transport an army to Ireland, and 
 complete the conquest of that country in person. Preparatory 
 to this, he summoned Strongbow to return without delay. 
 The Earl obeyed, and met the King at Newnham, near 
 Gloucester, whom he conciliated by the surrender of Dublin, 
 and a large territory adjacent : the other adventurers followed 
 his example. 
 
 Henry embarked at Milford, with a train of barons, four 
 hundred knights, and about four thousand soldiers, on board a 
 fleet of two hundred and forty sail. He landed at Waterford, 
 in October 1172, and seemed not so much to go to conquer a 
 kingdom as to receive what was already his own. The Irish 
 chieftains submitted one after the other; and thus, in the 
 short space of a few weeks, this valuable country became an 
 appendage to the English crown. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Vassalage. — Dependance or subjection according to the feudal 
 system. 
 
 Tlie remains of vassalage in this country are estates held by copy- 
 hold tenure.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 61 
 
 HENRY DOING PENANCE AT BECKET'S TOMB. 
 
 While Henry was regulating his new dominions, he received 
 the unwelcome news that two cardinals, Albert and Theodine, 
 delegated by the Pope, had arrived in Normandy the preceding 
 year, to make inquisition into the death of Becket. By these 
 he was summoned to appear without delay, if he would avoid 
 excommunication, and a general interdict upon his dominions. 
 The Pope, with diificulty persuaded of his innocence, refused 
 to continue him within the pale of the Church, except on 
 condition that he would in future perform every injunction of 
 the Holy See. Between the time of this submission to papal 
 authority, and the performance of the extraordinary penance 
 to which he submitted, there happened the distressing contests 
 with his children — the revolt of various of his subjects — and 
 the invasion of England by an army of eighty thousand Scots — 
 as afterwards related. 
 
 Henrj-, attributing these accumulated disasters to the dis- 
 pleasure of heaven for the murder of Becket, or desirous to be 
 reconciled entirely to the Church, in the year 1174 carried into 
 effect his promise of doing penance at the Archbishop's shrine. 
 He accordingly made a journey to Canterbury. When he came 
 within sight of the cathedral, he alighted from his horse, and 
 walked barefoot, in the habit of a pilgrim, to Becket's tomb. 
 After he had prostrated himself there, and prayed for a consi- 
 derable time, he submitted to be scourged by the monks on his 
 bare shoulders ; and passed all that day and night in fasting, 
 kneeling upon the stone, and watching the relics. He made a 
 grant of fifty pounds a year for the constant supply of tapers to 
 be kept burning before the shrine. On the foUo^ving day he 
 received absolution. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Cardinal. — An ecclesiastical prince in the Romish Church, being 
 entitled to vote at the election of a Pope, The Cardinals compose the
 
 JSa? HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 Pope's Council, and until the year 1630 were styled illustrious, but 
 since that period they have had tlie title of Eminence. 
 
 Fale of the CAwrcA.— Protection of the Church. 
 
 Penance — Punishment, public ,or private, sustained as an expression 
 of repentance for sin. 
 
 Absolution, in the Roman Catholic Church, implies an absolute 
 pardon for sins committed, and for which persons were not to be 
 accountable hereafter. 
 
 WILLIAM KING OF SCOTLAND MADE PRISONER. 
 
 Whilst Henry was engaged on the Continent by the rebellion 
 of his sons, William King of Scotland invaded England, and 
 committed dreadful ravages ; he was, however, repulsed, and a 
 truce agreed upon. This he soon violated, and renewed his 
 outrages, but was shortly after defeated and taken prisoner. 
 Henry obliged him to do homage for the kingdom of Scotland, 
 and compelled all the Bishops and Barons of that nation to do 
 the same ; and this was the greatest humiliation to which the 
 Scottish nation had ever been subjected. This homage was per- 
 formed in the cathedral of York, on the 10th of August 1174. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Homage. — An acknowledgment of service and fealty to a sovereign 
 or superior lord. 
 
 ENGLAND DIVIDED INTO CIRCUITS. 
 
 England was divided into circuits by Henry II. Each circuit 
 contains a certain number of counties. Two judges are ap- 
 pointed to each circuit, which they visit in spring and autumn, 
 to administer justice to those subjects who are at a distance 
 from the capital. In the Lent or Spring Assizes, the Northern 
 circuit, which contains the counties of Northumberland, Cum- 
 berland, and Westmoreland, extends to York and Lancaster.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ]68 
 
 The Assizes of Durham, Newcastle, Carlisle, and Appleby, being 
 held only in the autumn, this is distinguished by the name of 
 the Long Cu-cuit. The Western circuit embraces Hampshire, 
 Wiltshire, Dorsetshii-e, Somersetshire, Devonshire, and Corn- 
 wall. The Midland includes the counties of Derby, Notting- 
 ham, Lincoln, Rutland, Northampton, Leicester, and Warwick. 
 The Oxford circuit contains Worcestershire, Staffordshire, 
 Shropshire, Herefordshii-e, Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire, 
 Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. The Norfolk comprises the 
 counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Bucking- 
 ham, and Bedford. The Home circuit contams Hertfordshii'e, 
 Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Surrey. 
 
 FAIR ROSAMOND'S BOWER. 
 
 The fair Rosamond, whose beauty, wit, and accomplishments 
 fascinated Henry, was the daughter of Walter Lord Clifford : 
 with her he passed all his hours of leasure ; and, in order to 
 elude the jealousy of his queen Eleanor, he kept Rosamond 
 concealed in a labyrinth at Woodstock. By this lady he had 
 two sons : William Longsword, Earl of Salisbury ; and Geoffry, 
 Bishop of Lincoln. Whilst Henry was absent in France, on 
 account of a rebellion there, the Queen found means to discover 
 the retreat of her rival ; and, giving her the option of poison 
 or a dagger, compelled the unhappy Rosamond to put an end 
 to her existence. 
 
 REBELLION OF HENRY'S SONS. 
 
 Henry had no sooner terminated the war with Ireland, and 
 the dangerous controversy with the Pope, than he was involved 
 in unnatural contests with his children, to whom he had always 
 behaved with the utmost tenderness and affection. He had 
 caused his eldest son, Henry, to be anointed King, designing
 
 64 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 him for his successor over the kingdom of England, the duchy 
 of Normandy, and the counties of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine. 
 Richard, the second son, was invested with the provinces of 
 Guienne and Poictou : GeofFry, the third, was in possession of 
 Brittany: and the new conquest, Ireland, was destined for 
 John. The King of France, alarmed at the greatness of Henry's 
 family, excited the young prince, Henry, in 1180, to demand 
 of his father the immediate resignation, either of the crown of 
 England, or the duchy of Normandy. The King refused to 
 comply with so extraordinary a demand ; upon which the Prince 
 made his escape to Paris. The Queen, too, being swayed by 
 resentment at the King's indifference to her, imparted a spirit 
 of discontent to her sons GeofFry and Richard, whom she per- 
 suaded also to demand the territories assigned to them, and then 
 fly to the court of France : she also endeavoured herself to escape 
 in man's apparel to the same court, but was discovered, and 
 confined by Henry's order. The Princes raised the standard 
 of rebellion, supported by the King of France ; and as there were 
 but few of the Barons on whom Henry could rely, he enlisted 
 twenty thousand Brabancons into his service. With this force 
 he totally defeated his enemies on the Continent ; and being 
 desirous of putting an end to the war, agreed to a conference, 
 in which he offered his children the most advantageous terms : 
 but owing to the insolent conduct of the Earl of Leicester, the 
 conference was suddenly broken off. 
 
 It was not long, however, before the disobedient Princes 
 were made sensible of their error : but the terms now granted 
 them were much less favourable than those which Henry had 
 before offered. In 1183, Prince Henry died of a fever at Martel, 
 deeply lamenting his undutiful conduct. A short time after- 
 wards, Geoffry was killed at a tournament at Paris. The loss 
 of this Prince was felt by few except the King ; he was hated 
 by the people, amongst whom he was styled the Child of Per- 
 dition,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 65 
 
 Philip King of France once more seduced Richard from his 
 filial duty. The event of this war was very unfortunate to 
 Henry ; who was obliged to conclude a peace on very humiliat- 
 ing terms, prescribed by his surviving sons in concert with the 
 King of France. The name of John being found on the list of 
 rebellious nobles whom it was stipulated should be pardoned, 
 the good old King was so shocked that he broke out into the 
 most bitter lamentations, cursed the day in which he received 
 his miserable being, and bestowed his malediction on his 
 children, which he could never after be persuaded to recal.
 
 '66 -HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE IX. 
 
 Character of Richard the First. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Massacre of the Jews at the Coronation of 
 
 Richard the First. 
 An emblem of the depressed state of the Jews, the fallen 
 banner, inscribed with the word Ephraim, in Hebrew charac- 
 ters (CID^D^<), is trampled upon by assassins : one holds a bag 
 of treasure, which intimates the object of the murderers. The 
 crown alludes to the coronation. 
 
 Fis. 2. — Richard selling his paramount Dominion op 
 
 o 
 
 England over Scotland. 
 The line surmounted with the English crown is Richard, 
 transferring to a correspondent emblem of the King of Scotland 
 his sovereignty in chief over that kingdom, represented by the 
 Scottish banner. The bag of treasure indicates the sum which 
 the King of Scotland paid to recover his independence. The 
 crown designates Richard's intended expedition to Palestine. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Defeat of Saladin in the Holy Land. 
 The King holds in one hand a sword, and with the other 
 grasps the standard of the Saracens, which is drooping beneath 
 that of England. The crown at a distance denotes Palestine. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Imprisonment of Richard. 
 Eleanor, the Queen Mother, giving one hundred thousand 
 marks to the Emperor of Germany, a part of the ransom to be 
 paid for the King her son. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Richard pardoning his Brother John. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Death of Richard.
 
 PLATE IX. 
 
 [Page 66.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 67 
 
 CHARACTER OF RICHARD THE FIRST. 
 Richard the First succeeded his father, a. d. 1189. The 
 most shining part of this Prince's character is derived from 
 his military talents. His valour acquired him the appellation of 
 Cceur de Lion, or Lion-hearted: he passionately aspired after 
 military glory; and as his conduct in the field was not inferior 
 to his valour, he seems to have possessed every talent necessary 
 for acquiring it. His resentments vi^ere strong, and his pride 
 unconquerable. Of an impetuous and vehement spu'it, he was 
 distinguished by all the good, as well as by all the bad qualities 
 incident to that character. He was open, frank, generous, 
 sincere, and brave; but revengeful, domineering, haughty, and 
 cruel: he was thus better calculated to dazzle men by the 
 splendour of his enterprizes, than to promote theu* happiness by 
 sound policy. As military talents make great impression on the 
 people, he appears to have been much beloved by them; and 
 he is remarked to have been the first of the Norman line who 
 manifested any sincere regard for his English subjects. 
 
 MASSACRE OF THE JEWS AT THE CORONATION OF 
 RICHARD THE FIRST. 
 
 An immoderate zeal for the externals of religion, united 
 with the grossest superstition, formed a strong feature in the 
 character of the people at this time. The Jews, who were in 
 possession of immense sums of ready money, which they lent 
 at exorbitant and unequal rates of interest, were the objects of 
 universal detestation; which induced the King to issue an edict, 
 forbidding any of them to appear at his coronation : but some 
 of them, bringing him large presents from then- body, presumed, 
 notwithstanding these orders, to approach the hall where the 
 King dined. Being discovered, they were exposed to the insults 
 of the bye-standers ; in consequence of which they fled, and 
 were pursued by the people. A report was spread that the
 
 68- HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 King had given orders to massacre the Jews: this supposed 
 order was immediately executed, in the most cruel manner, on 
 such as were so unhappy as to fall into the hands of the popu- 
 lace; those who kept at home were exposed to equal danger: 
 the people broke into their houses, which they plundered, after 
 having murdered their owners. Multitudes were slaughtered in 
 the city of London ; and this example was followed in most of 
 the cities in England. In York, five hundred of the Jews, who 
 had taken refuge in the castle, finding themselves unable to 
 defend the place, murdered their wives and children, threw 
 the dead bodies over the wall against their enemies, who were 
 in the act of scaling it; and then, setting fire to the castle, 
 perished in the flames. The gentry of the neighbourhood, who 
 were all indebted to the Jews, ran to the cathedral where their 
 bonds were kept, and made a solemn bonfire of them before the 
 altar. 
 
 I" 
 
 RICHARD SELLING THE PARAMOUNT DOMINION 
 OF ENGLAND OVER SCOTLAND, 
 
 The conquest of the Holy Land was the leading object of 
 Richard's ambition: he lost no time therefore in making 
 preparations for his expedition into Palestine. His father had 
 left him a treasure of above a hundred thousand marks; and 
 this sum he augmented by all the expedients he could devise, 
 however pernicious to the public interest, or dangerous to the 
 royal authority. He put to sale the revenues and manors of the 
 Crown; and several offices of the greatest trust and power were 
 disposed of to persons whose qualifications reached no higher 
 than ability to pay the required sums. Liberties, charters, and 
 castles, were granted to the highest bidders; and the mercenary 
 rapacity of the King became quite undisguised. When some 
 of the wiser among his ministers remonstrated with him on his 
 venality, he replied, that he would sell London itself could he
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 6& 
 
 find a purchaser. Nothing indeed could be a stronger proof 
 of his neglect of all future interest, in comparison of the 
 Crusade, than his selling for so small a sum as ten thousand 
 marks the vassalage of Scotland, together with the fortresses of 
 Roxburgh and Berwick, the greatest acquisition that had been 
 made by his father during his victorious reign. The English 
 of all ranks and stations were oppressed by numerous exactions; 
 menaces were employed against both the innocent and the 
 guilty, in order to extort money from them : and where a pre- 
 tence was wanting against the rich, the King obliged them, by 
 the fear of his displeasure, to lend him large sums, which he 
 knew it would never be in his power to repay. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Manor.'— A district of ground, held by lords or great personages, 
 who'kept in their own hands, as much land as was necessary for the use 
 of Hieir own families, which was thence called demesne lands ; and 
 the other part was distributed among their tenants. Manors were 
 formerly called Baronies as they still are Lordships, and each Lord or 
 Baron was empowered to hold a domestic court, called the Court Baron. 
 This court is an inseparable ingredient in every manor, and if tlie num- 
 ber of suitors should so fail, as not to leave sufficient to make a jury or 
 homage, that is, two tenants at the least, the manor itself is lost. 
 
 DEFEAT OF SALADIN IN THE HOLY LAND. 
 
 Before embarking for the Holy Land, Richard vested the 
 administration of the kingdom in the hands of Hugh Bishop 
 of Durham, and of Longchamp Bishop of Ely, who were 
 appointed justiciaries, and guardians of the realm. All the 
 military and turbulent spirits flocked to the King's standard, 
 impatient to distinguish themselves against the infidels in Asia, 
 whither Richard was impelled by repeated messages from the 
 Iving of France, who was about to embark in the same enter- 
 ; prize- The Emperor Frederick, a prince of great spirit and con-
 
 70 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 duct, headed an array, collected in Germany, of one hundred and 
 fifty thousand men : he had penetrated as far as Cilicia when he> 
 fell a sacrifice to his imprudence, in bathing in the cold waters of 
 the river Cydnus, during the greatest heat of the siunmer season. 
 His array, commanded by his son Conrade, reached Palestine, 
 but so diminished by fatigue, famine, sickness, and the sword, 
 that it was totally unable to withstand the power of Saladin. The 
 Kings of France and England, whose combined array amounted 
 to one hundred thousand men, put to sea, but were obliged by 
 stress of weather to take shelter in Messina, where they were de- 
 tained during the whole winter. This incident laid the foundation 
 of animosities, which proved fatal to their enterprize. Tancred, 
 the usurper of the SicUian crown, an artful and designing prince, 
 taking advantage of the fiery and ambitious temper of the two 
 Kings, did all in his power to foment their mutual jealousies 
 and distrust ; but, to put an end to these disputes, it was pro- 
 posed that they should by a solemn treaty adjust all differences, 
 which, after some delay, was accomplished. Philip then set 
 sail for the Holy Land ; and the English army arrived there just 
 in time to partake in the glory of the siege of Acre, which had 
 been attacked for above two years by the united force of all 
 the Christians in Palestine, and had been defended by the utmost 
 efforts of Saladin and the Saracens. 
 
 The arrival of Philip and Richard gave new life to the Chris- 
 tians ; and the two Princes, acting in concert, and sharing the 
 honour and danger of every action, inspired hopes of a final 
 victory over the infidels. Richard, animated by the most ardent 
 courage, drew upon himself general attention, and acquired a 
 great and splendid reputation. The Saracen garrison were, by 
 the length of the siege, reduced to the greatest extremity, and 
 surrendered at discretion. Philip, under the plea of declining 
 health, had abandoned the undertaking. Richard pursued his 
 victories, completely defeated Saladin at Ascalon, and advanced 
 within sight of Jerusalem, the object of his enterprize, when he
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 71 
 
 had the mortification to find that he must relinquish all hopes 
 of immediate success. His army was weakened by disease, want, 
 and fatigue ; and every one, except the King of England, ex- 
 pressed a desire of speedily returning home. A truce was there- 
 fore concluded with Saladin ; in which it was stipulated, that 
 Acre, Joppa, and other sea-port towns of Palestine, should 
 remain in the hands of the Christians ; and that every one of 
 that religion should have liberty to perform his pilgrimage to 
 Jerusalem unmolested. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Pilgrimage. — A long journey perfomied as an act of devotion, and 
 in that age considered as a highly meritorious act. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT OF RICHARD. 
 
 Richard having concluded a treaty with Saladin, set out 
 on his return to England. As he could not proceed by the way 
 of France, on account of the u'reconcilable enmity that had 
 taken place between him and the French King, he took ship- 
 ping for Italy, but was wrecked near Aquileia. From thence 
 he travelled towards Ragusa, and resolved to pursue his journey 
 through Germany, in the disguise of a pilgrim. But his libera- 
 lities and expenses having betrayed him, notwithstanding his 
 disguise, he was arrested by order of Leopold, Duke of Austria, 
 loaded with shackles, and thrown into prison. Leopold had 
 served under Richard at the siege of Acre ; where, having re- 
 ceived some disgust, he took this base method of revenging 
 himself. Henry VI., Emperor of Germany, was at that lime 
 equally an enemy to Richard, on account of his having married 
 Berengaria, the daughter of the King of Navarre ; and therefore 
 demanded that the royal captive should be given up to him, 
 offering the Duke a large sum of money as a reward. When 
 the news of the King's captivity was received in England, it 
 excited general indignation throughout the whole nation. The
 
 72 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 greatest and almost the only traitor in the kingdom, was Prince 
 John, Richard's brother, who united with the King of France 
 in his endeavours to make the captivity of the unhappy monarch 
 perpetual : but all their efforts were ineffectual. Richard was 
 taken before the Diet of the empire at Worms, where the Em- 
 peror Henry charged him with many crimes and misdemeanors ; 
 but to this the King replied with so much spirit and eloquence, 
 that the German Princes loudly exclaimed against the conduct 
 of the Emperor ; and the Pope, on the same account, threatened 
 him with excommunication. The Emperor was therefore 
 obliged to conclude a treaty with his captive for his ransom ; he 
 agreed to liberate him for one hundred and fifty thousand marks, 
 about three hundred thousand pounds of our present money. 
 This sum was most cheerfully raised by the English : the churches 
 and monasteries melted down their plate to the amount of thirty 
 thousand marks ; the bishops, abbots, monks, and parochial 
 clergy, contributed largely ; and, the necessary sum being col- 
 lected, Queen Eleanor and Walter, Archbishop of Rouen, set 
 out with it for Germany, paid one hundred thousand marks to the 
 Emperor and Duke of Austria, at Mentz ; delivered hostages for 
 the remainder of the money; and freed Richard from his captivity. 
 He returned to England the 20th of March 1194; and was 
 received by his subjects with unbounded joy, who seemed never 
 weary of beholding the monarch who had suffered so many 
 calamities, who had acquired so much glory, and who had 
 spread the national reputation in such remote regions. 
 
 RICHARD PARDONING HIS BROTHER JOHN. 
 
 During the time that Richard was absent in Palestine the 
 kingdom was in the utmost confusion, owing to the disputes 
 between the Bishops of Durham and Ely, who were left guar- 
 dians of the realm. The King of France being informed of 
 these dissensions, strove to take advantage of them, by urging
 
 HISTORY OF ENQLANB. 73 
 
 John to throw off his allegiance ; promising to put him in pot- 
 session of all Richard's continental dominions. No sooner did 
 John hear of his brother's unjust detention by the Emperor 
 than he hastened to France, and held a consultation \\ ith Philip, 
 the object of which was the perpetual captivity of Richard. 
 John promised to deliver into Philip's hands a great part of 
 Normandy ;. and, in return, received the investitiu-e of all 
 Richard's transmarine dominions : and it is even said that he 
 did homage to the French King for the crown of England. 
 John, on his return from the Continent, met with little success 
 in his attempts to usui'p the throne of England. He could 
 make hunself master only of the castles of Windsor and Wal- 
 lingford. When he came to London and demanded the king- 
 dom as heir to his brother, of whose death he pretended to 
 have certain intelligence, he was rejected by all the Barons, and 
 measures were taken to oppose and reduce him. Defeated in 
 his subsequent attempts, he was compelled to conclude a truce 
 with Richard's adherents : before this had expired, he deemed 
 it proper to retire to France, where he openly acknowledged 
 his alliance with Philip. Richard, who was well informed of 
 his brother's treachery, had been but one day landed in England, 
 when John threw himself at his feet, and craved his pardon : 
 the generous monarch, at the intercession of Queen Eleanor, 
 forgave him, with this remark, " I hope I shall as easily forget 
 his injuries as he will my pardon." John was incapable even of 
 returning to his duty without perpetrating an act of baseness. 
 Before he left Philip's party he invited all the officers to dinner, 
 massacred them during the entertainment; and, with the as- 
 sistance of the townsmen, fell upon the garrison, put them to 
 the sword, and then delivered up the place to his brother. 
 
 DEATH OF RICHARD. 
 The animosities which had broken out between the Kings of 
 England and France during the Crusade, had been inflamed to 
 
 £
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the highest pitch by subsequent occurrences. The base aud 
 dishonourable conduct of Philip, during the detention of Richard 
 in Germany, made the latter impatient to avenge himself; 
 Richard promptly commenced a war against the French : but 
 as both Kings found it impossible to engage their Barons heartily 
 in this personal quarrel, their hostilities were attended with 
 nothing remarkable or decisive. In 1195a truce for five years 
 was concluded ; but, on some slight occasion, their deep-rooted 
 enmity was on the point of breaking out anew, when the Pope's 
 Legate interposed ; a treaty was again begun, but the death of 
 Richard put an end to the negociation. Vidomer, Viscount of 
 Limoges, a vassal of the King's, had found a treasure, of which 
 he sent a part to his Sovereign as a present. Richard, as his 
 superior Lord, claimed the whole, and besieged the Viscount in 
 the castle of Chalons, in order to make him comply with his 
 demands. As he approached the castle with the intention of 
 surveying it, he was aimed at by one Bertram de Jourdain, an 
 archer, who wounded him in the shoulder with an arrow. The 
 wound was not in itself dangerous ; but the unskilful treatment 
 of the surgeon induced a mortification. The King, fintling him- 
 self near his end, sent 'for Jourdain, and asked, " Wretch, what 
 have I ever done to you that you should take away my life ?" — 
 "What have you done tome!" replied the prisoner, "you 
 killed with your own hands my father and my two brothers ; 
 and you intended to have hanged me. I am now in yoiir power, 
 and you may take your revenge by inflicting on me the severest 
 torments ; but I shall endure them all with pleasure, thinking 
 that I have rid the world of a tyrant." Richard, struck with 
 this answer, and humbled by the prospect of death, ordered 
 him to be set at lil)erty, and a sum of money to be given to him ; 
 but Marcade, one of his generals, unknown to him, seized the 
 unhappy man, flayed him alive, and then hanged him. Richard 
 expired on the Gtli of April 1199, in the tenth year of his reign, 
 and tin; forty-second of his age.
 
 Page 75.]
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 75 
 
 PLATE X. 
 
 Character of John. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Assassination of Arthur. 
 Arthur, Duke of Brittaii)', assassinated by King John, vyho 
 is represented by a deatli's head beneath the diadem. 
 
 Fig. 2. — England shackled by the Pope. 
 
 Fig. 3. — The Pope giving the Crown of England to 
 Philip of France. 
 
 Fig. 4. — John doing Homage to the Pope's Legati. 
 
 John laying his crown, and the tribute he was to pay, at the 
 feet of Pandulf, the Pope's Legate, intimating his abject sub- 
 mission to the Papal power. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Magna Charta. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Lanmng of Prince Lewis of France. 
 
 E s;
 
 fQ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 CHARACTER OF JOHN. 
 John succeeded his brother, Richard I., without oppositioil, 
 A.D. 1199. In his person he was above the middle size, well 
 made, and of a pleasing countenance ; but in disposition he 
 was treacherous, cruel, ungrateful, cowardly, licentious, and 
 tyrannical. It is difficult to say whether his conduct to his 
 father, his brother, his nephew, or his subjects, was the most 
 cul{?able. His Continental dominions, when they devolved to 
 him by the death of his brother, were more extensive than have 
 since his time been ruled by any English monarch. He, howTever, 
 lost by his misconduct the flourishing provinces of France, the 
 ancient patrimony of his family ; and subjected his kingdom to 
 a shameful vassalage under the See of Rome, Yet his reign 
 was not altogether destitute of beneficial acts and institutions ; 
 for he regulated the City of London, and other places in the 
 kingdom, and was the first who coined sterling money. 
 
 ASSASSINATION OF ARTHUR. 
 
 Arthur, the young Duke of Brittany, was the son of Geoffry, 
 the third son of Henry II. He was now approaching to man- 
 hood; and, sensible of the dangerous character of his uncle 
 John, determined to secure his safety and aggrandizement by 
 imiting with Philip of France and the discontented Barons. 
 Arthur, fond of military glory, had made an irruption into 
 Poictou at the head of a small army, and laid siege to Mirabeau, 
 in the hope of obtaining possession of the person of Eleanor, 
 his grandmother, who had always been inimical to his interest ; 
 but John, who was roused to unusual exertion by this attempt, 
 suddenly fell on Arthur's camp, dispersed his army, and took 
 him prisoner, together with the Count de la March, GeofFry de 
 Lusisnan, and the most considerable of the revolted Barons. 
 The greater pai't of the prisoners were sent over to England : 
 but Arthur was shut up in the Castle of Falaise. Here the
 
 aiSTCHRY OF ENGLAND. / / 
 
 King had a conference with him ; but, finding him possessed 
 q£ a spirit and bravery that might hereafter prove dangerous, 
 he detennined to dispatch him. For this purpose he had him 
 removed to Rouen ; and, going by night to that place, com- 
 nranded Aithur to be brought forth to him. The young Prince, 
 aware of his danger, threw himself on his knees before his 
 uncle, and begged for mercy. The barbarous tyrant made no 
 reply, but stabbed him with his own hand ; and, fastening a 
 stone to the dead body, threw it into the Seine, All men were 
 struck with horror at this inhuman deed ; and from tliat mo- 
 ment the King was detested by his subjects, and retained a 
 very precarious authority over either the people or the Barons. 
 
 ENGLAND SHACKLED BY THE POPE. 
 
 Pope Innocent IIL, who at that time filled the Papal chair, 
 was just in the prime of life : his unbounded ambition was 
 assisted to reach its objects by a lofty and enterprizing genius. 
 The Clergy, who for some time had acted as a community 
 totally independent of the Civil power, had their elections of 
 each other generally confirmed by the Pope, to whom alone 
 they acknowledged subjection. The election of Archbishops 
 had, however, long been a subject of dispute between the 
 suffragan Bishops and the Augustine Monks; and, upon the 
 death of Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Augustines, 
 in a private manner, elected Reginald, their sub-prior, for the 
 successor. The Bishops exclaimed against this election, as a 
 manifest infringement on tlieu" privileges ; a violent ecclesiastical 
 contest was likely to ensue. John, imprudently, took part in 
 the controversy, and espoused the side of the Bishops, who, 
 at his request, elected John de Gray, Bishop of Norwich. An 
 appeal was then made to the Pope, who eagerly seized the 
 opportunity of extending his power, and commanded the Monks 
 to choose Cardinal Stephen Langton, an Englishman, then at 
 
 E 3
 
 78 HISTOJiy OF ENGLAND, 
 
 the Court of Rome, The power of nominating an Archbishop 
 of Canterbury, a person of authority nearly equal to that of 
 the King, was an acquisition that would effectually give the 
 Court of Rome an unlimited authority over England. John, 
 therefore, resolved not to submit to the imposition ; he violently 
 expelled the monks from their convents, and seized upon their 
 revenues ; but was unequal to the task of contending, for any 
 length of time, with such a man as Innocent, who threatened 
 to put the kingdom under an interdict. An interdict was, at 
 that time, a most formidable engine of the Pope. John replied 
 to the menace by an oath, that, if the kingdom was put under 
 an interdict, he would banish the whole body of the Clergy, 
 and confiscate their possessions. The Pope, sensible that he 
 might with security proceed to extremities against such a 
 monarch as John, at length issued the terrible sentence. By 
 this measure a stop was immediately put to the performance of 
 divine service, and the administration of all the sacraments 
 except baptism. The church doors were shut ; the images of 
 tlie saints were laid on the ground; the dead were refused 
 Christian burial, and were thrown into ditches and on the high- 
 ways without any funeral solemnity. John, in retaliation, 
 rigorously persecuted the adherents of Cardinal Langton ; but, 
 unsupported by any class of his subjects, his furious opposition 
 was abortive. Meanwhile, the Pope continued his fulmina- 
 nations ; and not only denounced sentence of excommunication 
 against the King, but absolved his subjects from their allegiance, 
 declaring every one to be excommunicated who held any 
 commerce with him, at his table, his council, or even in private 
 conversation. 
 
 i DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Suffragan Bhhop. — A titulai- Bishop appointed to assist the Bishop 
 of the diocese ; lie is also called the Bishop's Vicegerent. 
 
 yliigui^ine Monks. — A religious order founded by St, Augustine, 
 avid buVjjcct to monastic rules.
 
 HlgTOUY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 "9 
 
 THE POPE GIVING THE CROWN OF ENGLAND TO 
 PHILIP OF FRANCE. 
 
 Philip of France, whose ambitious and active spirit had been 
 restrained by the sound policy of Henry, and the martial spirit 
 of Richard, took advantage of the weakness of John to expel 
 the English arms from France, and to re-annex to that crown 
 the many considerable fiefs which had been dismembered from 
 it. Upon this, John had the meanness to solicit the protection 
 of the Pope, who immediately sent orders to Philip to stop the 
 progress of his arms : but the French King disregarded the 
 orders of his Holiness, and laid siege to Chateau Galliard, the 
 bulwark of Normandy, which, notwithstanding the noble defence 
 of Roger de Laci, and the efforts of the Earl of Pembroke to 
 relieve it, was taken by assault, and the whole province soon 
 after subdued, John was forced to fly into England ; and, in 
 order to cover his own disgrace, he accused and punished his 
 Barons, for having, as he said, abandoned his standard. He 
 soon after quarrelled with the Pope ; who, having exhausted all 
 the thunders of the Vatican without bringing him to submission, 
 resolved to depose him : for this object he made a formal gift 
 of his kingdom to Philip of France ; and proclaimed a crusade 
 all over Europe against King John, exhorting his subjects, and 
 the government and people of every Christian state, to take up 
 arms against him, and support the invasion of Philip. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Vatican. — The palace of the Pope. Here are supposed to have 
 Ijeen taken, and now deposited, many ecclesiastical documents relative 
 to the Church of England. 
 
 JOHN DOING HOMAGE TO THE POPE'S LEGATE. 
 
 Philip, dazzled by the tempting offer of aggrandizement 
 which the Pope held out to him, saw not the impolicy of 
 allowing such an exorbitant increase of power to the Papal 
 
 E 4
 
 80 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 See. He levied a numerous army, and collected a fleet of 
 seventeen hundred vessels, for the expedition against England : 
 but Innocent, who hoped to derive greater advantages from the 
 &ubnaission of John than from his alliance with Philip, s^nt 
 over his legate, Pandulf, to confer with the former Prince. 
 The conference took place at Dover : the Legate represented 
 to the King the greatness of his danger, the little dependence 
 that could be placed upon the fidelity of his Barons; and, con- 
 trasting the situation of John with the great power of Philip, 
 intimated that there was but one way to secure himself from 
 the impending danger, which was to put himself under the pro- 
 tection of the Sovereign Pontiff. Abject and timid, John sub- 
 mitted to this arrogant requisition ; and bound himself by oath 
 to ol>ey whatever the Pope should command. Pandulf desired 
 him, as the first proof of his obedience, to resign his kingdom 
 to the Church; and this was complied with in the following 
 manner. The King came disarmed into the Legate's presence ; 
 threw himself upon his knees before him; and, holding up both 
 his hands between those of tlie Legate, took the foUowuig most 
 extraordinary oath : " I John, by the grace of God, King of 
 England and Lord of Ireland, in order to expiate my sins, from 
 ray own fi-ee will and the advice of my Bai'ons, give to the 
 Church of Rome, to Pope Innocent, and his successors, the 
 kingdom of England, and all other prerogatives of my crown. 
 I will hereafter hold them as the Pope's vassal ; I will be faith- 
 i'ul to Qo^, to the Church of Rome, to tlie Pope viy master, 
 and his successors legitimately elected. I promise to pay him a 
 tribute of one thousand marks, to wit, seven hundred for the 
 kingdom of England, and three hundred for the kingdom of 
 Ireland." He then received the crown, which he had been sup- 
 posed to have forfeited; while the Legate, to surpass his former 
 insolence, trampled under his feet tlie tribute which John 
 had consented to pay.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 81 
 
 MAGNA CHART A. 
 John was no sooner relieved from the dangers that mena<?ed 
 him, than he renewed the same cruel and tyrannical measures 
 which had already made him so odious to his subjects. The 
 Barons v/ere therefore determined to seize the first opportunity 
 that offered of reducing the enormous prerogatives of the 
 Crown. They were greatly assisted in their schemes by the 
 advice of Langton the primate, who, on all occasions, shewed 
 a sincere regard for the real interests of the kingdom. Among 
 the ruins of an old monastery, Langton found a copy of Heniy 
 the First's Charter ; it v.-as the only one remaining in the king- 
 dom : tins he shewed to the Barons, and exhorted them to 
 insist upon the renewal of it, which they solemnly swore to do. 
 In the beginning of January 1215, the Barons repaired to Lon- 
 don, accoutred in their military habiliments and equipage : here 
 they presented their petition to the King, alleging that he had 
 promised to grant a confirmation of the laws of Edward the 
 Confessor, at the time he was absolved from excommunication. 
 At first the King resented their presumption ; but, finding them 
 resolute, he promised them a definite answer at Easter. At 
 the stipulated time, the King taking no notice of their petitions 
 as he had promised, the Barons assembled at Stamford, where 
 they were joined by two thousand knights, and a great number 
 of foot. They marched to Brackley, about fifteen miles from 
 Oxford, where the Court then resided. On intelligence of their 
 approach, John sent the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Earl 
 of Pembroke, and others of his council, to know the particu- 
 lars of their demands. The Barons delivered to these commis- 
 sioners a schedule, stating the liberties which they claime<l, 
 foundeil on the charters of Edward and Henry ; and these they 
 required John to recognize and confirm by a solemn and public 
 instrument : but their requisitions were in the highest degree 
 displeasing to the King, who swore he would never accede to 
 them. The Barons had recourse to arms : the King was deserted,^ 
 
 E 5
 
 S2 HISTORY OF ENGLANU. 
 
 and obliged to coiaply. A conference was therefore appointed, 
 and all things were adjusted for this important treaty. 
 
 The King's Commissioners met the Barons at a place called 
 Runymede, between Staines and Windsor. Here the King 
 signed Magna Charta, which continues in force to this day, 
 and is still regarded as the bulwark of British liberty. By this 
 charter the most tyrannical part of the forest laws was abo- 
 lished, and the rigour of the feudal system was greatly mitigated. 
 It was also provided, that the same services which were remitted 
 in favour of the Barons, should in like manner be remitted in 
 favour of their vassals. One of the clauses established an 
 equality of weights and measures throughout England. Another 
 exempted the merchants from arbitrary imposts ; and gave them 
 liberty to enter and depart the kingdom at pleasure. The 
 Aarter further enacted, that the villain, or bondman, should 
 not be subject to the forfeiture of his implements of tillage. 
 Lastly, by the twenty-ninth article, it was stipulated that no 
 subject should be exiled, or in any shape whatever molested, 
 either in his person or effects, otherwise than by the judgment 
 of his Peers, and according to the law of the land. Thus the 
 rights and privileges of the individual, as well in his person as 
 in his property, came to be established on axioms of jurispru- 
 dence, or unalterable institutes of law. The Great Charter, 
 which at first was enacted with so much solemnity, was after- 
 wards confirmed at the beginning of each succeeding reign ; 
 and became the foundation of those equitable laws, which pro- 
 gressively have risen, and been mouldered into a system 
 equally framed for the protection of all ranks of people. 
 
 DEFINITIOK. 
 
 Jurisprudence. — The Bcience of law ; both civil and common.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 83 
 
 LANDING OF PRINCE LEWIS OF FRANCE. 
 The consciousness of degradation, in being compelled to 
 submit to his own vassals, siink deep into the mind of John. 
 He became silent, sullen, and reserved. Shunning the society 
 of his former confidants, he retired into the Isle of Wight, to 
 meditate there an oblique plan of vengeance against his enemies. 
 He sent to the Continent to enlist foreign soldiers ; and obtained 
 from the Pope a bull to annul the Charter. On the arrival of 
 his mercenary troops, which composed a great army, he threw 
 oft" the mask, and revoked all the liberties which he had granted 
 to his subjects. The Barons, not suspecting he would violate 
 so solemn a treaty as that of Runymede, were unprepared for 
 resistance, and fled the kingdom in the greatest consternation. 
 Some sought safetj' in Scotland, some in Ireland. The King 
 therefore pursued his march without opposition, everywhere 
 spreading terror and devastation : villages and castles were 
 reduced to ashes, and the miserable inhabitants exposed to 
 every degree of insult and cruelty. The Barons, reduced to 
 this extremity, and menaced with the total loss of their liber- 
 ties, their properties, and theii* lives, applied to the Court of 
 France for relief; offering to acknowledge Lewis, the eldest 
 son of Philip, for their sovereign. Philip, having accepted 
 their offer, at first dispatched a small force, seven thousand men, 
 to assist the confederates; and soon afterwards a more numerous 
 body, under the personal command of his son Lewis. At this 
 crisis, John's foreign troops, who were Flemings, refused to 
 fight against the heir of their monarchy : on the defection of 
 these, the few nobility who had hitherto adhered to the King 
 abandoned his cause ; his castles daily fell into the hands of the 
 enemy ; and the only place that remained faithful to him was 
 Dover, which was commanded by Hubert de Burgh. But owing 
 to the impolicy of Lewis, in promoting on all occasions his 
 French followers, and neglecting his English subjects, the re- 
 volted Barons did not long continue in harmony with him. A 
 
 E 6
 
 84 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 report also gained ground, founded on the death-bed confession 
 of the Count de Melun, one of the French Prince's courtiers, 
 that the ultimate design of Lewis was to exterminate the 
 English Barons, and bestow their estates on his own followers. 
 The open partiality to foreigners by which the depression of the 
 leading English families had already commenced, and the strong 
 ground for suspicion that tlie perfidy of Lewis was prepaiing a 
 cruel catastrophe for tlaem and their connections, induced 
 many of the English nobles to desert his standard, and once 
 more to range themselves under the royal banner. John was 
 determined to fight one great battle for hb crown, and with 
 this view was assembling a considerable army : but in passing 
 from Lynn to Lincolnshire, by the sea^shore, the road was 
 overflowed; and he lost in the inundation all his carriages, 
 treasure and baggage. Vexation from the distracted state of 
 his affairs, followed by grief for his losses in this disaster, brought 
 on a fever, of which he died at Newai-k, October the 17th, 
 A.D. 1216, in the fifty-fii-st year of his age, and the eighteenth 
 of his reign.
 
 Page 85.] 
 
 PLATE XI. 
 
 ^ 
 
 1216 
 
 12581 
 
 1216 I 
 
 f < 
 
 / 
 
 
 125 5 I 
 
 1271 I 
 
 12 04 I 
 
 I 
 
 / 
 
 126.5 1
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. ~ 85 
 
 PLATE XI. 
 
 Henry the Third. 
 
 Fig. 1. — The Regent presenting yodng Henry the Third 
 
 TO the Barons. 
 The Earl of Pembroke, as Regent of the kingdom, present- 
 ing the young Monarch to the Barons, who are doing homage. 
 The crown, placed above the Regent, indicates that the Royal 
 authority was vested in him. 
 
 -Fig'. 2. — The King trampling on Magna Charta. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Henry, meeting his Barons in Parliament, finds 
 them clad in Armour. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Prince Edward defeated, and taken Prisoneb ry 
 the Earl of Leicester. 
 
 Fig. 5. — The British Constitution. 
 An equilateral triangle, divided into three equal parts, re- 
 presents the King, Lords, and Commons, under the sjTubols of 
 a crown, a coronet, and a simple gentleman's hat. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Prince Edward stabbed by an Assassin in the Holy 
 
 Land. 
 
 Fig. 7. — The Feudal System. 
 The nobles are represented as united to the Crown by very 
 sknder ties ; whilst the people are held in complete slavery, and 
 as it were chained to the soil by their imperious masters.
 
 86 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 HENRY THE THIRD. 
 Henry was of the middle size, and of a robust make. A 
 prince of very mean talents, his conduct was marked by irreso- 
 lution, inconstancy, and caprice. He was prodigal to excess ; 
 levying great sums from his subjects, which he squandered away 
 upon worthless favourites. He appears not to have been natu- 
 rally a tyrant, although there are instances of oppression to be 
 found in his reign ; but they were rather owing to the examples 
 left him by his predecessors, than to innate cruelty. He was 
 remarkable for his regular attendance on public worship ; and in 
 a dispute with Lewis IX. concerning the preference due to 
 sermons or masses, Henry maintained the superiority of the 
 latter : saying, he would rather have one hour's conversation 
 with a friend, than hear twenty elaborate discourses in his 
 favour. 
 
 THE REGENT PRESENTING YOUNG HENRY THE 
 THIRD TO THE BARONS. 
 
 Henry the Third was but nine years of age when his father 
 died ; and it was fortunate for him that the Earl of Pembroke 
 was at that time at the head of the government. The Earl was 
 a man of ability and integrity : he had maintained his loyalty 
 to John during all his distresses : he determined now to s.upport 
 the authority of his son ; and for that purpose he had Henry 
 crowned at Gloucester. The young Prince was compelled to 
 swear fealty to the Pope, in the presence of Gualo his Legate ; 
 but few of the English nobility were present at the ceremony. 
 Soon afterwards the Earl of Pembroke, in order to enlarge his 
 own authority, and to acquire a regular and legal title to govern, 
 summoned a general council of the Barons at Bristol, in which 
 he was solemnly chosen Protector of the realm. The first i)opu- 
 lar act of the Regent was, to cause his pupil to grant a new 
 Charter of Liberties, founded upon the former concessions ex-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 87 
 
 torted from John. He wrote letters, in the King's name, to all 
 the malcontent Barons, with the object of inducing them to 
 abandon their alliance with Prince Lewis of France. These 
 communications represented, that whatever jealousies the 
 Barons addressed might have entertained against the late King, 
 a 3'oung Prince, the lineal descendant of their ancient monarchs, 
 had succeeded to the throne without having imbibed either the 
 resentments or the principles of his predecessors : that the 
 desperate expedient which they had employed, of calling in a 
 foreign potentate, had, happily for them as well as for the 
 nation, failed of entire success ; and it was still in their power, 
 by a quick return to their duty, to restore the independence of 
 the kingdom, and secure that liberty for which they so zealously 
 contended : that having now obtained a Charter of their Liber- 
 ties, it was their interest to shew, by their conduct, that that 
 acquisition was not incompatible with their allegiance : and that 
 the rights of the King and People, so far from being hostile and 
 opposite, might mutually support and assist each other. These 
 considerations, enforced by Pembroke's known character for 
 constancy and fidelity, had a very happy influence on the Barons, 
 most of whom returned to their duty. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Protector or Regent. — One who is invested with regal power, under 
 certain limitations, during the minority, absence, or incapacity of a 
 Sovereign. Regents were first appointed by Parliament or council ; 
 excepting in the case of the Earl of Pembroke, who assumed that 
 title by his own authority. In cases of absence, Regents were appointed 
 by tlie King, who generally invested tlie Queen Consort witli that 
 dignity. The present time alone has witnessed a Regency owing 
 to the incapacity of the Sovereign ; and his Royal Highness the Prince 
 of Wales was appointed to that high office by Act of Parliament in 
 1812. 
 
 Allegiance.— ThQ duty of subjects to their Sovereign.
 
 88 IU9T0RY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 THE KING TRAMPLING ON MAGNA CHARTA. 
 
 As the King grew up, he was found to be very unfit for the 
 government of so turbulent a people as the English were at 
 that time. He disgusted his subjects by his attachment to 
 foreigners, upon whom he bestowed riches in a quantity which 
 esoeeded his resources : this brought him into difRculties, and 
 compelled him, in order to extricate himself, to have recourse 
 to arbitrary measures. About the year 1255, the Pope found 
 means to engage the King in a scheme which not only brought 
 much dishonour on him, but involved him for some years in very 
 great expense and trouble. He offered huu the crown of Sicily 
 for his second son Edmund : Henry, without consulting his 
 Parliament, gave the Pope unlimited credit, to expend whatever 
 sums he thought necessary for completing the conquest of Sicily. 
 In consequence of this, his Holiness determined to exert his 
 Apostolical authority to the utmost, in extorting money from 
 the English. A tenth on all the ecclesiastical benefices in Eng- 
 land was levied for three years ; and orders were given to ex- 
 conununicate the bishops who did not make punctual payment. 
 A grant was made to the King of the goods of intestate clergy- 
 men, as well as of the revenues of vacant benefices, and those 
 of non-residents. These transactions, however grevious, were 
 submitted to with little murmuring : but another measure, 
 suggested by the Bishop of Hereford, excited the most violent 
 damours. This prelate, who was resident at the Court of 
 Rome, drew bills on the Abbots and Bishops of the kingdom to 
 the amount of no less than 150,540 marks, which he granted to 
 Italian merchants for money stated to have been advanced by 
 them for the Sicilian war. This excited the most \iolent alter- 
 cations. After the clergy submitted, the Barons still held out, 
 refusing to give the King any supplies : he was, in consequence, 
 so much involved in debt, as to be reduced to the humiliating 
 expedient of going personally to such of his subjects as he thought 
 most attached to him, to beg assistance from them at their own
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 89 
 
 houses. At length the Barons appeared willing to give him some 
 aid ; and, upon his promising to grant them a plenary redress of 
 grie\-ances, a very liberal supply was obtained, for which he 
 rene^ved their Charter with more than usual solemnitj'. Des- 
 titute o£ good faith, the King presently shewed his insensibility 
 to the obligation of an oath. No sooner had he received the 
 supplies of which he stood so much in need, than, forgetful of all 
 his engagements, he violated the Charter which in an assembly 
 of the Prelates and Barons he had sworn to keep : thus trampling 
 on the rights of has people. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Intestate-, — Dying without making a will for the disposal of property. 
 
 HENRY, MEETING HIS BARONS IN PARLIAMENT, 
 FINDS THEM CLAD IN ARMOUR. 
 
 Simon de Mountfort, Earl of Leicester, a man of violent 
 and ambitious temper, enraged at finding no dependence was to 
 be placed on the King's promises, determined to attempt an 
 innovation in the government. He formed a powerful confede- 
 racy : and when Henry summoned a Parliament, in the expecta^ 
 tion of receiving some supplies for his Sicilian project, he was 
 not a little astonished, on entering the hall, to find the Barons 
 dad in complete armour. The King asked them, what was 
 their intention, and whether they pretended to make him their 
 prisoner? Roger Bigod, Earl Marshal, answered in the name 
 of the re-st, that he was not their prisoner; but as he had 
 frequently made submission to the Parliament, had acknowledged 
 his past errors, and had still allowed himself to be carried into 
 the same path, he must now jield to more strict regulations, 
 and confer authority on those who were able and willing to re- 
 dress the public giievances. Henry instantly assured them aS 
 his intentions to grant them all possible satisfaction j and for that 
 purpose summoned another Parliament at Oxford, to digest t|ie
 
 90 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 new plan of government. By this assembly, twenty-four Barons 
 were appointed, with supreme authority, to reform the abuses 
 of the State; and Leicester was placed at their head. They 
 ordered four knights to be chosen out of each county, who 
 should examine into the state of their respective constituents, 
 and attend at the ensuing Parliament, to give information of 
 their complaints. They ordained, that three sessions of Parlia- 
 ment should be held every year ; that a new high-sheriff should 
 be elected annually ; and that no wards nor castles should be en- 
 trusted to foreigners ; no new forests made j nor the revenues of 
 any counties let to farm. 
 
 These constitutions were so just, that some of them remain to 
 this day. But now, the Parliament having obtained the supreme 
 power, were unwilling to lay it down again ; they protracted the 
 time of their sitting, under various pretences ; and not only 
 abridged the power of the King, but that of the Parliament 
 also, by giving up to twelve persons the whole parliamentary 
 power between each session. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Knights of the Shire are gentlemen chosen on the King's writ in 
 full county court ; Pleno Comitatu, by such of tlic freeholders of every 
 county as can expend forty shillings annually, to represent such 
 county in Parliament. The appellation of Knight was anciently a 
 military title, usually given to every man of rank and fortune, to 
 qualify him to give challenges, to fight in the lists, and to perform feats 
 of arms. To tliis day the writ runs, that they shall be '* Knights girt 
 with a sword," mUites gladio cincti ; but custom now authorizes esquires 
 to be chosen to tliis service, but they must at the least possess ^£'500 a year. 
 
 Constituents. — The freeholders by whom a member of Pai-liaraent is 
 chosen, and whom he represents. 
 
 Sessio)is !>/■ Parliament — The time during which the Parliament sits 
 for tlie dispatch of business. 
 
 High Sheriff".— 'An officer to whom in every county the execution of 
 the law is entrusted. As keeper of the King's peace, the Sheriff is 
 the first man in the county, and sujjerior in rank to any nobleman
 
 HWTORY OF EKGLAND. 91 
 
 therein during his office. He is bound to pursue and take all traitors, 
 murderei-s, felons, &c., and commit them to jail for safe custody ; he 
 is also to defend his country, against any of the King's enemies ; and, 
 when necessary, he may command all the people of the county to 
 attend him, which is called the Posse Comitatus. 
 
 Wards. — IMinors whose property is entrusted to the care of the Lord 
 Chancellor, until they become of age. 
 
 PRINCE EDWARD DEFEATED, AND TAKEN PRI- 
 SIONER BY THE EARL OF LECESTER. 
 
 The usurpations of the Mad Parliament, as that devoted to 
 Leicester was called, were first opposed by the knights of the 
 shire, who represented, that though the King had performed all 
 that was requu'ed of him, the Barons had hitherto done nothing 
 on their part that shewed an equal regard to the people ; their 
 own interest and power appearing to be the sole aim of their 
 decrees. The knights proceeded to call upon Prince Edward, 
 the King's eldest son, to interpose his authority, and save the 
 sinking State. The Prince was at that time twenty-two years 
 of age ; and by his active and resokite conduct had inspired the 
 nation with great hopes. He sent a message to the Barons, re- 
 quiringthemto bring their undertaking to an end,or to expect the 
 most vigorous resistance to their usurpations ; but under various 
 pretences, and particularly by deluding the people with a new 
 code of laws of little practical benefit, they managed to continue 
 their power for three years longer. At length the Pope absolved 
 the King and his subjects from the oath which they had taken to 
 obey the twenty-four Barons. Soon after this a Parliament was 
 called, and the King re-established in his authority: but his 
 pusillanimity prevented any judicious proceeding from being 
 taken to restore peace and tranquillity to his subjects. His ill- 
 conducted opposition ended in a degrading treaty with the 
 Barons, by which they were reinstated in all their power, with 
 a commission to nominate the officers of the royal household.
 
 ^ mSTOEY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 They summoned a Parliament at Oxford, in which it was enact- 
 ed, that the authority of the twenty-four Barons should continue 
 not only during the life of King Henrj^, but also during that o f 
 Prince Edward. 
 
 These scandalous conditions were utterly rejected by Prince 
 Edward; and a chil war ensued. The Prince was at first 
 successful ; but through his impetuosity occasioned the loss of 
 a great battle at Lewes, in Sussex, in which his father and uncle 
 were taken prisoners ; and he himself was obliged soon after to 
 surrender to Leicester. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Absolved. — Freed from the guilt and punishment incurred in violating 
 the sancitity of an oath^ 
 
 THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION. 
 
 In the year 1265, the Eaid of Leicester, in order to secure to 
 himself the power he had usurped, was induced to have recourse 
 to an aid, till then utterly unknown in England, namely, the 
 body of the people. He called a Parliament, to which, besides 
 introducing, with the Barons of his own party, some ecclesiastics 
 who were not properly tenants of the Crown, he ordered two 
 knights to be returned from every shire, and also deputies fr-om 
 the boroughs, which hitherto had been considered as too inconsi- 
 derable to be allowed a share in the legislation. This was the first 
 outline of an English House of Commons, an institution which has 
 ever been esteemed as the bulwark of English libertj-. Previous 
 to this, the bulk of the people were considered as little better 
 than slaves.* The institutions of Alfred, forming a system of 
 jurisprudence adapted to the habits and genius of the English 
 people, are the laws which our ancestors stniggled so arduously 
 , . . 
 
 • See the Diagram representing tlie Feudal Constitution, Fig. 7.
 
 mSTORY OF ENGLAND. &3 
 
 to maintain, and are, in short, the basis that gave rise to that 
 collection of maxims and customs, no^v known by the name of 
 the Common Law. William of Normandy subverted the 
 Saxon institutions, and established the feudal system of go\'en> 
 ment ; he also ordered that all law proceedings should be carried 
 on in the Norman, instead of the English language. Stephen in- 
 troduced the Roman Civil and Canon law into this kingdom, and 
 the doctrine of appeals to the Court of Rome. Liberty first 
 began to dawn under Henry L, who, having ascended the 
 throne to the exclusion of his elder brother, passed a charter 
 abrogating much of the rigour of the feudal laws, with a view of 
 ingratiating himself with his subjects. Under Henry H, the 
 trial by jury was again revived, though its application was much 
 restrained. 
 
 From John was extorted the famous Magna Charta. Edward 
 L gave a legal sanction to the assembling of the Commons, and 
 invited the towns and boroughs of the different counties t» 
 send deputies to Parliament : he also decreed that no tax should 
 be laid, nor impost levied, without the joint consent of the 
 Lords and Commons, a statute of equal importance with M^na 
 Charta, Under Edward H. the Commons began to annex 
 petitions to the bills by which they granted subsidies : this was 
 the dawn of their legislative authority. In the reign of Edward 
 HL, they declared they would not in future acknowledge any 
 law to which they had not expressly consented.* Soon after 
 this, the Commons extorted a privilege, in which consists, at 
 this time, one of the great balances of the Constitution, namely, 
 that of impeaching and punishing the King's Ministers for mat- 
 administration. The great accession of weight which the popu- 
 lar branch of the Constitution received in the reign of Henry 
 111. has been already noticed. Under Henry IV. the Comnwna 
 refused to grant subsidies, before an answer had been given f» 
 
 * Edward III. abolished the custom of pleading in tlie Norman tongue.
 
 94 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 their petitions. During the reign of Henry V. the nation was 
 occupied in foreign wars. In the time of Henry VI. began the 
 fatal contests between the houses of York and Lancaster ; and 
 from the accession of Henry VII. to the end of the reign of 
 James I. the royal power had gained so great an ascendancy, 
 that the government was nearly despotic. Under Charles I., the 
 Commons became sensible of their strength ; arbitrary imprison- 
 ment and the exercise of martial law were abolished ; the High 
 Commission Court and the Star Chamber were suppressed. In 
 the reign of Charles II., according to Blackstone, we may date 
 the complete restitution of English liberty, for the first tune 
 since its total abolition at the Conquest: because, not only 
 were the slavish tenures, with their oppressive appendages, re- 
 moved from encumbering landed estates, but additional security 
 to the person of the subject from imprisonment was obtained by 
 the Habeas Corj)us Act ; and the true balance between liberty and 
 prerogative was happily established by law. When James II. at- 
 tempted to enslave the nation, he was dethroned, and the vacant 
 crown transferred to William of Nassau and Mary. Previous 
 to their coronation, however, an oath was required of them to 
 govern according to the Bill of Rights, which the Commons had 
 drawn up in favour of the people. 
 
 The basis of the British Constitution is, that the legislative 
 power belongs to Parliament alone ; that is to say, the power of 
 enacting laws, and of abrogating, changing, or explaining them. 
 The King, Lords, and Commons, form the constituent parts of 
 government. The King is the fountain of honour : he has the 
 power of conferring titles of nobility ; of nominating to vacant 
 bishoprics j of disposing of the several governments of the 
 kingdom ; and of all civil, military, and naval employments ; he 
 alone can declare war, make peace, receive and appoint ambas- 
 sadors. The law is administered constantly in his name, and he 
 has the power of pardoning criminals. No money can be law- 
 fully coined but by his command : and he can refuse his assent to
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 96 
 
 any bill, though it should have passed both Houses of Parliament. 
 Any one of the three branches can prevent a bill from passing 
 into a law; but, when once enacted, nothing but the united 
 power of the three can repeal it. Only the King can convoke, 
 dissolve, or prorogue a Parliament. The King of England is 
 the chief Magistrate of the State ; all other Magistrates acting 
 by commission from, and in due subordination to him. In the 
 execution of lawful authority, he is held to be absolute, at 
 least so far, that there is no legal power can either delay or resist 
 him. Nor is he bound by any Act of Parliament, unless named 
 therein by special and particular words. These privileges and 
 powers form what is called the royal prerogative. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Borotiglis. — To\vns wliich are incorporated either by charter or cus- 
 tom, and wliich have a common seal, one head, and other inferior 
 officers and members, who are able, by their common consent and seal, 
 to grant and execute in law, any corporate act. 
 
 Canon Line. — That wliich is made and ordained in a general council, 
 or provincial synod of the church. 
 
 Commons. — Members of the House of Commons, that is, persons 
 elected by the people to represent them in Parliament, and to watch 
 over their rights and privileges. Every cou'nty returns two members ; 
 and every borough one or two members, according to its ancient custom. 
 
 Xorrf*.— The Lords spiritual and temporal of tlie realm, who com- 
 pose the Upper House of Parliament ; the former, by virtue of their 
 episcopal dignity, the latter by their hereditary descent. 
 
 Subsidies. — Money voted by the Commons, to be levied on the 
 people, for ilie use of the Government. 
 
 Arbitrary Imprisonment. — Imprisonment at the v/ill of the Sovereign. 
 
 Martial Law. — Punishment inflicted by military authority, without 
 the intervention of tlie common law. 
 
 Habeas Corpus. — This celebrated Act, which secures tlie subject 
 from arbitrary and illegal confinement, is a writ, which any man com- 
 mitted for a crime (unles it be felony or treason) may sue for, in the 
 Courts of Chancer)', Exchequer, King's Bench, or Common Pleas,
 
 96 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to oblige the persons detaining him a prisoner to produce him, and 
 explain to the court tlie cause of his detention, and the time he has 
 been confined; in order diat, if the imprisonment be illegal, the 
 prisoner may be discharged or admitted to bail. This \mt, which is to 
 be acted upon in the counties Palatine, in all other pri^dleged places, 
 and in the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, further jirovides, that no 
 inhabitants of England (unless at their desire, or having committed 
 some capital offence in the place to which they are sent) shall be sent 
 prisoners to Ireland, Scotland, Jersey, or Guernsey, or to any places 
 beyond the seas, within or without his Majesty's dominions, on pain 
 that the person so committing, and his ad\-isers and abettors, sliall 
 forfeit to the injured party a sum not less than ^500, to be recovered 
 witli double costs, shall be disabled from holding any office, and be 
 incapable of the King's pardon. The Habeas Cor^ius Act has been 
 subject to temporary suspensions by autliority of Parliament, in times 
 of riot and rebellion. 
 
 PRINCE EDWARD STABBED BY AN ASSASSIN IN 
 THE HOLY LAND. 
 
 The Earl of Leicester not finding the new Parliament, which 
 he had summoned at Oxford, so compliant as he expected, was 
 obliged to liberate Prince Edward, who had languished in prison 
 ever since the fatal battle of Lewes; but this liberation was 
 more specious than real, as he was surrounded only by the 
 creatures of Leicester, who watched all his actions. An oppor- 
 tunity however soon presented itself for eluding their \'igilance, 
 of which Edward availed himself: and it was no sooner known 
 that he had recovered his libertj', than the royalists joined him 
 from all quarters, and soon raised a considerable army. By 
 pursuing the Prince to the borders of Wales, Leicester got into 
 inextricable difficulties. Succours which were advancing under 
 his son having been intercepted, he was defeated and slain in 
 the battle of Eversham; which proved so decisive in favour of 
 the royal party, that almost all the castles garrisoned by the j
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLANB. 97 
 
 Barons hastened to make ihevc submission, and opeacd their 
 gates to the King. 
 
 In 1271, Prince Edward, having settled the affairs of the 
 kingdom, undertook an expedition to the Holy Land, where 
 he signalized himself by many acts of valour. The InfideLs, 
 dreading his power, hired an assassin to attempt his life; who, 
 pretending to communicate some secrets of importance, gave 
 him a letter to read; and at the same time aimed a blow at his 
 body, which the Prince warded off, and leaping upon the as- 
 sassin, wrested the dagger from him and killed him. Edward 
 received a wound in the arm, which threatened serious conse- 
 quences, as it had been inflicted with a poisoned weapon: 
 happily, however, the skilfulness of his surgeon effected a 
 cure; though some authors say he owed his life to the affection 
 of his wife, who sucked the poison from the wound, at the 
 imminent risk of her own safety. 
 
 During the absence of the Prince in Palestine, Henry HI., 
 overcome by the cares of government, and worn out by the 
 infirmities of age, expired at St. Edmondsbury, on the 16th of 
 November 1272, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and the 
 fifty-sixth of his reign. 
 
 THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. 
 
 The subject of this article is confessedly a digression, 
 intended to illustrate the difference between the Feudal System, 
 as it had prevailed from the Norman Conquest, and the 
 British Constitution, as it had considerably advanced towards 
 its present free character in the reign of Henry III. 
 
 The feudal form of government was rather a confederacy of 
 independent warriors, than a society controlled by civil sub- 
 jection to a common law; and derived its principal force from 
 numerous inferior and voluntary associations, m hich indinduals 
 formed under a pai^ticular head or chieftain, and which it
 
 98 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 became the highest point of honour to maintain with inviolable 
 fidelity. The glory of the chief consisted in the number, the 
 bravery, and the zealous attachment of his retainers: of whom 
 it was required that they should accompany their chief in all 
 wars and dangers ; that they should fight or perish at his side ; 
 and should esteem his renown and favour a sufficient recom- 
 pence for all their toil. The King himself was only a great 
 chieftain, chosen from among the rest on account of his superior 
 valour or nobility, and deriving his power from the voluntary 
 association or attachment of the other chieftains. 
 
 When a number of chiefs, united in an expedition, had sub- 
 dued large territories, they assigned to their leader, or suffered 
 him to assume, the noblest division of land and revenue, for 
 supporting his dignity as a prince j and distributed among them- 
 selves, with his concurrence, or received by his investiture, 
 minor divisions of territory, under the title of fiefs, to be held 
 of the paramount chieftain by military services. The first order 
 of nobles made a new partition of estates and rents among their 
 retainers: but the express condition of all these grants was, I 
 that they might be resumed at pleasure, and that the possessors 
 should always be in readiness to take the field in defence of the 
 whole confederacy. These fiefs were, however, in process of 
 time, made hereditary; the authority of the sovereign gradually 
 decayed, as that of the nobles increased : who, confident of the 
 attachment of their vassals, severally fortified their territories, 
 and secured by law what they had originally acquired by 
 usurpation.
 
 Page 99.] 
 
 PLATE XII. 
 
 P
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 99 
 
 PLATE XII. 
 
 Edward the First. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Conquest of Wales. 
 Edward, trampling upon the Welch banner, holds in one 
 hand a crown of laurel, the emblem of conquest; and in the 
 other his sword. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Massacre of the Welch Bards. 
 An assassin trampling upon an unstrung harp, near which is 
 a broken leek, indicates the massacre of the Bards. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Edward chosen Arbiter between Baliol and Bruce. 
 Baliol and Bruce, Pretenders to the Scottish crown, soli- 
 citing the arbitration of Edward, who has seized it for himself. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Edward disposing of the Scottish Crown. 
 Edward placing the crown of Scotland on the head of Baliol. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Submission of Baliol to Edward. 
 Baliol lays his crown and the Scottish standard at the feet of 
 Edward, behind whom is the stone which was considered as the 
 palladium of Scotland. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Wallace raising the Scottish Standard. 
 Wallace raising the standard of Scotland, is represented with 
 a shield, in commemoration of his noble defence of his native 
 country. 
 
 Fig. 7. — The Death of Wallace. 
 
 Fig. 8. — Robert Bruce and his Associates destroying the 
 British Standard.
 
 100 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 EDWARD THE FIRST. 
 Edward is generally considered as a model for a warlike 
 and politic king, and is by some authors styled the English 
 Justinian. He was possessed of industry, penetration, courage, 
 vigilance, and enterprize; he was frugal with respect to unne- 
 cessary expenses, yet, on proper occasions, knew how to open 
 the public treasures ; he punished criminals with severity, but 
 was gracious and affable to his servants and courtiers. Being 
 of a majestic figure, and expert in all military exercises, he was 
 no less qualified to captivate the populace by his exterior 
 accomplishments, than to gain the approbation of men of sense 
 by his more solid virtues. But the chief advantage which the 
 people of England reaped, and stUl continue to reap, from the 
 reign of this great prince, was the amendment, extension, and 
 establishment of the laws; the authority of which Edward 
 maintained with great vigour, and transmitted them to poste- 
 rity, with a constitution much improved. He settled the 
 jurisdictions of the several courts ; first established the office of 
 Justice of the Peace ; repressed robberies and disorders ; en- 
 couraged trade; and, in short, introduced a new order of 
 things, by the vigour and wisdom of his administration. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Juslinian. — A Roman Emperor, who compiled a celebrated code of 
 Laws. 
 
 Jusl ice of llie Peace. — A Magistrate appointed by the King's com- 
 mission to attend to the preservation of the peace in the county or 
 district in wliich he resides. 
 
 CONQUEST OF WALES. 
 In 1276, Edward undertook an expedition against Llewel- 
 lyn, Prince of Wales, who had refused to do homage for his 
 crown; he therefore invaded that country with an army 
 greatly superior to any force the Welch could bring to oppose
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 101 
 
 him. Llewellyn had no resource but in the inaccessible for- 
 tresses of his mountains, whither he retreated with his army, 
 and was closely followed by Edward ; who, unwilling to put to 
 trial the valour of a proud and independent nation, trusted to 
 the slow but sure effects of famine; and Llewell}^ had the 
 mortification of being obliged to submit, without striking a 
 single blow in defence of his country. It was not long, how- 
 ever, before the Welch revolted, in consequence of the insolence 
 and oppression of their conquerors. Edward was not displeased 
 at having an opportunity of making his conquest final and 
 absolute: he therefore quickly levied a numerous body of 
 forces, and once more entered the Principality. Llewellyn at 
 first gained some slight advantages; but being surprised by 
 Mortimer, he was defeated and slain, and two thousand of his 
 followers were put to the sword. All the Welch nobility 
 submitted, and the English laws were introduced. The Queen 
 of England happening some time after to lay-in at Caernarvon, 
 of a son, the King created him Prince of Wales ; which title 
 has ever since been borne by the eldest son of the Kings of 
 England. 
 
 MASSACRE or THE WELCH BARDS. 
 David, who succeeded to his brother's rights, determined 
 to make one effort more to wrest his country from the hands 
 of the conqueror ; but, unable to collect an army sufficient to 
 face the English, he was driven from one retreat to another ; 
 and, to conceal himself, had recourse to various disguises, till 
 at last he was betrayed into the hands of the enemy. Edward 
 sent him in chains to Shrewsbury, and brought him to a formal 
 trial before all the Peers of England, who ordered this sovereign 
 prince to be hanged, ch-awn, and quai-tered as a traitor, for 
 having defended by force of arms the liberties of his native 
 country and his own hereditary authority. Edward, sensible 
 
 r 3
 
 102 nisTcny of zncland. 
 
 that nothing kept alive the ideas of military valour and of 
 ancient glory amongst the Welch, so much as the traditional 
 poetry of their bards, in which the great and noble actions of 
 their ancestors were celebrated, with a barbarous and cruel 
 policy ordered all the bards to be put to death : which inhuman 
 command was immediately executed, and has left a lasting stain 
 on his memory. 
 
 BEFINITIOK. 
 
 Bards. — Wandering minstrels and poets, who chaunted to tlieir 
 liarps the heroic achievements of their ancestors ; tJiereby animating 
 tJieir hearefs to emulate the valour of their predecessors. 
 
 EDWARD CHOSEN ARBITER BETWEEN BALIOL 
 AND BRUCE. 
 
 Margaret of Norway, the presumptive heiress of the 
 Scottish crown, dying whilst an infant, the vacant throne was 
 claimed by the decendants of the daughters of David, Earl of 
 Huntingdon, brother to King William. John Baliol was grand- 
 son to Margaret, David's eldest daughter ; and Bruce was the 
 immediate son of the second daughter. John Hastings, son 
 of the third daughter, was contented to set up pretensions to 
 a third part of the kingdom. With respect to the rights of 
 Baiiol and Bruce, the nation was divided ; but, in order to avert 
 the horrors of civil war, the candidates referred their cause to 
 the decision of Edward King of England. Taking advantage 
 of this, Edward revived an obscure claim to a feudal superiority 
 over the Scotch, and required their acknowledgment of his 
 own right. The people of Scotland were astonished to find in 
 the English monarch a new competitor for their kingdom, 
 which was indeed claimed by an increasing number of rivals, 
 till they at length amounted to fourteen. Florence, Earl of 
 Holland, founded his title on being the great-grandson of Ada, 
 eldest sister of the deceased King William. Robert de Pynkeny
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 103 
 
 deduced a similai* right, from being a descendant of William's 
 second sister. John Cummin, Earl of Badenoch, relied on his 
 pedigree from Donald Bane, who two centuries back had 
 usurped the Scottish crown. Six other candidates started, on 
 the absurd grounds of a descent from natural children of former 
 sovereigns. Last of all, the King of Norway by an embassy 
 demanded the crown, as father and next heir to the late Queen. 
 The majority of the applicants, it is natural to conjecture, 
 were encouraged by Edward to present themselves, to make 
 the cause appear more inti-icate, and enable him to bestow 
 the crown upon the most obsequious candidate. Robert Bruce 
 was the first who acknowledged Edward's superiority over 
 Scotland : his example was soon followed by the others, though 
 with evident reluctance ; and, shortly afterward, all the Prelates 
 and Barons took the oath of fealty. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Civil IFar.-— Warfare between people of Uie same nation. 
 
 EDWARD DISPOSING OF THE SCOTTISH CROWN. 
 
 Edward, in order to give greater authority to his intended 
 decision of the claims made to the Scottish throne, proposed 
 this question to all the celebrated lawyers in Europe : " In the 
 succession of kingdoms, fiefs, and inheritances, is the claim of 
 a person decended from the elder sister, but farther removed 
 by one degree, preferable to that of another descended from the 
 younger sister, but one degree nearer the common stock ?" 
 The question was uniformly answered in the affirmative. He 
 therefore pronounced sentence in favour of Baliol, who was 
 accordingly crowned : but the new King soon found that he was 
 invested with only the shadow of royalty. Edward, upon the 
 most frivolous pretences, obliged him to come to London, and 
 appear at the bar of his Parliament as a private person. It is 
 evident that he sought to enrage Baliol, and to provoke him 
 
 F 4
 
 104 HISTORY or INGLAND. 
 
 to rebel, that he might at once seize upon his dominions as a 
 punishment for his treason. 
 
 SUBMISSION OF BALIOL TO EDWARD. 
 
 Baliol, disgusted with the arbitrary conduct of Edward, 
 
 entered into an alliance ^ith Philip of France; and having 
 
 refused, when cited, to appear at an English Parliament held 
 
 at Newcastle, Edward marched into Scotland with an army of 
 
 thirty thousand foot and four thousand horse, determined to 
 
 chastise his rebellious vassal. The town of Berwick was taken 
 
 by assault. Sir William Douglas the governor made prisoner, 
 
 and seven thousand of the garrison put to the sword. Dunbar 
 
 next fell into Edward's hands : the castle of Roxborough was 
 
 ' yielded up by James, steward of Scotland ; and even Edinburgh 
 
 and Stirling, after a slight resistance, opened their gates to him. 
 
 The feeble and timid Baliol, alarmed by these successes, 
 
 hastened to make his submission to Edward, expressed the 
 
 deepest concern for his disloyalty to his liege lord, and made 
 
 a jiolemn and irrevocable resignation of his crown into the hands 
 
 of the English monarch. Edward also got possession of what 
 
 was considered as the palladium of the Scottish monarchy ; a 
 
 stone, on which were engraved two lines, in Latin, to the 
 
 following effect : 
 
 " Or Fates deceive, and Heaven decrees in vain, 
 
 " Or wliere they find this stone, the Scots shall reign." 
 
 It was preserved v/ith great care at Scone, and held in the 
 highest veneration by the people, their Kings being always 
 seated on it at their inauguration. This stone is now inclosed 
 in the seat of Edward the Confessor's chair, and is used at the 
 coronation of our Kings. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Palladiitm. — A symbol of protection. In ancient history it is 
 said to have been a statue of Minerva, which fell down from Heaven,
 
 mSTORY OF EKGI.AND. 105 
 
 near the tent of Illus, as he was l)uilding the citadel of Illium, and 
 it was an universal opinion that the safety of Troy depended on its 
 preser\-ation. In a general sense, it signifies whatever is considered as 
 the bulwark or safeguard of a nation. 
 
 WALLACE RAISING THE SCOTTISH STANDARD. 
 The governors whom Edward appointed over Scotland, 
 Ormesby the justiciary, and Cressingham the treasurer, treated 
 the Scots with so much indignity and injustice, that that nation 
 was exasperated to the highest degree against the English 
 Government. William Wallace, a gentleman of small fortune, 
 but descended from an ancient and noble family in the west 
 of Scotland, determined to attempt the deliverance of his 
 native country from the dominion of foreigners. He had been 
 provoked by the insolence of an English officer to put him 
 to death ; and, finding himself exposed on that account to the 
 severity of the Government, he fled into the woods, and 
 offered himself as leader to all the malcontents in the kingdom. 
 Being endowed with gigantic strength of body, heroic courage, 
 vigour of mind, patriotism, wisdom, magnanimity, and ex- 
 emplary patience, he soon acquired among his followers that 
 authority to which he was so justly entitled by his virtues. 
 In May 129" he began to infest the English quarters. Many 
 detached parties of Edward's force were surprised and 
 routed; and when the English happened to repel his attack, 
 they were unable to follow him, as he always secured a retreat 
 in the morasses and mountains of the country. Haying, by 
 I many successful enterprizes, brought the valour of his men to 
 correspond with his own, he resolved to strike a decisive blow 
 against the English viceregency at Scone. Ormesby, with the 
 force under him, apprized of Wallace's intention, hastily fled; 
 the courage of the Scots revived, and they prepared to shake 
 off their fetters at once, by a united effort. But Earl War- 
 renne, Edward's viceroy, collecting an army of forty thousand 
 
 r 5
 
 100 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 men ia the north of England, attacked them before their 
 forces were concentrated, and defeated them with considerable 
 slaughter at Irvine. He then advanced towards Stirling, and 
 found Wallace encamped near Cambuskenneth. He ordered his 
 army to attack the Scottish camp; but, partly owing to the 
 judicious ground which Wallace had taken up, and partly 
 owing to the English being inconsiderately led over a narrow 
 bridge to the attack, the Scots gained a complete victory over 
 the English. The castles of Roxborough and Berwick soon 
 after foil into the hands of Wallace. He then penetrated as far 
 as Diu-ham; and returned back laden with spoil. On account 
 of these brilliant successes, being universally revered as the 
 deliverer of his country, he was made Regent of the kingdom, 
 under the captive Baliol. 
 
 THE DEATH OF WALLACE. 
 
 King Edward was in France when he received intelligence of 
 the successes of Wallace, and the discomfiture of his troops. 
 Having concluded a truce with the French, he returned to 
 England, determined to recover Scotland, the previous con- 
 quest of which he had considered as the chief glory and advan- 
 tage of his reign. With this view, he marched with an army 
 of one hundred thousand combatants to the northern frontier. 
 The elevation of Wallace to the high dignity of Regent, and, j 
 above all, his reputation and glory, had excited the envy and 
 jealousy of the nobles ; in consequence of which he resigned 
 his authority, being anxious only for the public good. The 
 chief power then devolved on the Stewart of Scotland, and 
 Cummin of Badenoch, men of high birth, under whom the 
 chieftains were more willing to fight. 
 
 These two commanders collected all their forces, and deter- jfl 
 mined to await the attack of the English at Falkirk. Wallace 
 commanded a third body of men, who, having been accustomed
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 107 
 
 to \ictorv under his standard, refused to follow any other 
 leader into the field. The Scottish army placed their pikemen 
 along the front, which they endeavoured to secure by pali- 
 sadoes, tied together with ropes, as they justly feared the great 
 superiority of the English cavalrw On the 22d of July 1298, 
 the invaders arrived before the Scottish position. Edward 
 divided his army into three bodies; and, well pleased with the 
 prospect of finishing the war by one decisive stroke, commenced 
 the attack. As the English archers at this time began to 
 surpass those of all other nations, they drove the Scottish 
 bowmen off the field ; then pouring in their arrows among the 
 pikemen, who were confined within then- entrenchments, they 
 threw them into confusion ; this greatly facilitated the success 
 of the English pikemen and cavahy, and the Scots were de- 
 feated with prodigious slaughter. Some authors say that there 
 fell on that memorable day fifty or sixty thousand men : this 
 account is probably exaggerated ; yet it is certain that the Scots 
 never sustained a greater loss, and the subjugation of their 
 country appeared almost inevitable. 
 
 After the battle, Wallace retreated behind the Carron, 
 whence he took every opportunity of annoying the enemy, 
 determined to maintain his independence to the last. Edward 
 was employed two yeai's in completing the conquest of Scot- 
 land ; but not deeming it perfectly secure whilst Wallace was 
 alive, he employed every art to discover the place of his 
 retreat, and to secuj'e his person. At last this intrepid war- 
 rior was betrayed by his pretended friend. Sir John Monteith, 
 into the hands of the King ; who ordered him to be carried ia 
 chains to London, to be tried as a rebel and traitor, although 
 he had never made submission nor sworn allegiance to the 
 English monarchy. The Scottish hero was condemned to be 
 hanged, drawn, and quartered, for having, with undaunted 
 courage and perseverance, defended the liberties of his country 
 against a public and oppressive enemy. 
 
 f 6
 
 108 HISTOKV OF ENGLAND, 
 
 ROBERT BRUCE AND HIS ASSOCIATES DESTROY- 
 ING THE BRITISH STANDARD. 
 
 Robert Bruce, grandson of that Robert who had been 
 one of the competitors for the Scottish throne, animated by 
 the noble and just sentiments of Wallace, with whom, ac- 
 cording to the Scottish historians, he had an interview after the 
 Mtle of Falkirk, resolved, after the death of that hero, to make 
 a bold attempt to rescue his country from slavery. He first 
 opened his mind to John Cummin, a powerful nobleman, whom 
 he supposed to be his friend, but who betrayed his plans to 
 Edward. Bruce was however warned of his danger, and fled 
 to Dumfries in Annandale, the chief seat of his family interest, 
 where he happily found a great number of the Scottish nobility 
 assembletl, and, among the rest, John Cummin, 
 
 The noblemen were not a little astonished at seeing Bruce 
 among them. He discovered to them the object of his jour- 
 ney ; he declared that he was come to live or die with them in 
 tlefence of his country; and exhorted them to redeem the 
 Scottish name from all the indignities which it had so long 
 suffered from the tyranny of their imperious masters. The 
 spirit of his discourse, the boldness of his sentiments, and the 
 novelty of the declaration, assisted by his youth and noble 
 deportment, made a deep impression on the minds of his auditors; 
 and all, except Cummin, declared their unanimous resolution 
 to retrieve the honour of the Scottish name, or perish in the 
 cause. The presence of Bruce once more roused the martial 
 genius of the Scots; they flew to arms, and expelled the 
 English from the kingdom. But Edward, not discouraged by 
 this unexpected reverse, sent Aymer de Valence, Earl of 
 Pembroke, with a considerable force into Scotland. The small 
 army under Bruce was encamped at Methven, near Perth. The 
 English general, having fixed his head-quarters at Perth, sent 
 u challenge to Bruce ; in consequence of which a day was fixed, 
 by nuitual agreement, for a battle between the two armies :
 
 KISTOKY OF ENGLAND. 109 
 
 but on the day before that stipulated, the English forces sur- 
 prised their adversaries by an attack, which threw the Scottish 
 army into such disorder as ended in a total defeat. Bruce 
 fought with most heroic courage; but was obliged to take 
 shelter, with a few followers, in the Western Isles. Edward 
 meanwhile was advancing with a great army, to enter Scotland, 
 with the design of making the insurgents feel the effects of his 
 vengeance. At Carlisle, however, he was attacked with a 
 dysentery, and died on the 7th of July 1307, within sight of 
 the Scottish border, enjoining his son, with his last breath, to 
 prosecute the war, and never to desist until he had finally 
 reduced the kingdom of Scotland.
 
 110 HISTOKY or ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XIII. 
 
 Edward the Second. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Marriage of Edward with Isabella of France. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Death of Gaveston. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Battle of Bannockburn. 
 Ptobert Bruce exalting the Scottish standard, and depressing 
 that of the Enghsh. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Death of the two Spensers. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Murder of Edward the Second.
 
 PLATE XIII. 
 
 [Page MO- 
 
 151^ I 
 
 1508 I 
 
 ^ 
 
 G^ 
 
 15^6 1 
 
 1514 I 
 
 F ^ 
 
 15^71 
 
 e P- m w
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 1 1 1 
 
 EDWARD THE SECOND. 
 Edward IL, the son and successor of Edward I,, was in the 
 twenty-third year of his age when he ascended the throne. 
 Nature had given Mm an agreeable figure. He had a mild and 
 gentle disposition, without vigour of understanding to give to 
 good intentions stability and effect ; hence he was very unfit 
 for governing a fierce and turbulent people, who required to be 
 restrained within the bounds of duty by a strong and powerful 
 hand. The indolence and little penetration of Edward induced 
 . him to make choice of ministers and favourites, who were not 
 always the best qualified for the important trust committed to 
 them. The seditious nobles, under pretence of attacking his 
 ministers, insidted him, and invaded his authority ; whilst the 
 misjudging populace, mistaking the cause of their grievances, 
 threw all the blame of the disorders which distinguished thia 
 reign upon the unhappy monarch. 
 
 — o — 
 
 MARRIAGE OF EDWARD WITH ISABELLA OF 
 
 FRANCE. 
 
 Soon after the accession of Edward to the throne, he was 
 was obliged to go over to France, in order to do homage for 
 the duchy of Guienne ; and to espouse the Princess Isabella, 
 daughter of Philip King of France, to v/hom he had long been 
 affianced, though the completion of the marriage had hitherto 
 been delayed by unexpected accidents. This princess was of 
 an imperious and intriguing spirit ; and finding that her hus- 
 band's capacity reqmred him to be governed, she thought 
 herself, in every respect, best entitled to perform the office. 
 On that account she contracted an implacable hatred against 
 Gaveston, the King's favourite, of whose ascendancy over her 
 husband she was extremely jealous.
 
 113 HISTORY OF ENdLAND. 
 
 DEATH OF GAVESTON. 
 
 A Gascon knight of some distinction, who had honourably 
 served the late King Edward I., obtained, as a reward, an es- 
 tablishment for his son in the family of the Prince of Wales. 
 The young man, Piers Gaveston, was equally noted for the 
 beauty and elegance of his figure, and for his skill in all warlike 
 and graceful exercises, as well as for the brilliancy of his wit ; 
 but he was vainglorious, profuse, and rapacious. At all tour- 
 naments, he took delight in foiling the English nobility by his 
 superior address j and in conversation he always made them the 
 objects of his wit and ridicule. Edward loved him witli the 
 most enthusiastic fondness ,• and during the time that he went 
 over to France, to espouse the Princess Isabella, he left him 
 guardian of the realm, with more ample powers than had usually 
 been conferred on such occasions. This injudicious partiality 
 excited the opposition of the Barons ; and soon after the Queen 
 had arrived, his influence over the King excited her displeasure 
 also. The Barons therefore formed a conspiracy against him, at 
 the head of which were the Queen and the Earl of Lancaster, 
 cousin-german to the King, and the most powerful nobleman in 
 England. In consequence of this, Edward was obliged to 
 banish his favourite ; but he was soon after recalled, and taken 
 into greater favour than before. Gaveston, forgetful of his past 
 misfortunes, resumed the same ostentatious and insolent be- 
 haviour which had formerly been so disastrous to him, and 
 became more than ever an object of detestation among the 
 nobility. He was once more banished, and recalled : but the 
 Barons, renewing their conspiracy, became irresistible, being 
 joined by Earl Warrenne, who had hitherto always supported 
 the Ptoyal party. The Earl of Lancaster raised an army, and 
 pursued the King and his minion. Edward left Gaveston at 
 Scarborough, as in a place of safety, whilst he endeavoured to- 
 collect an army in his defence.
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 
 
 113 
 
 In the mean time the castle of Scarborough was besieged 
 by the confederate nobles. Gaveston surrendered ; and shortly 
 after, without any regard either to the laws or to the military 
 capitulation, the head of this obnoxious favourite was struck 
 off by the hands of the executioner. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 TournameiU.—A military sport or exercise, which ancient cavaliers 
 used to perform to shew their bravery and address ; it is derived from 
 the French word " tourner," to turn round ; because much agility 
 was requisite, bodi in the horse and his rider. Tournaments are 
 noticed as early as the reign of Stephen, but did not become general 
 till the reign of Richard the Second. 
 
 CoTispiracy. — Concerted treason ; a private agreement between 
 several persons to commit some crime. 
 
 — o— 
 BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN. 
 
 Edwabd, instead of pursuing the vigorous measures of his 
 father, and persevering in the war with Scotland, marched but 
 a little way into the country : for, being entirely averse from 
 business, he penetrated only to Cumnock, on the frontier of 
 Airshire, and then returned to England, committing the guar- 
 dianship of Scotland to Piers de Gaveston, Earl of Pembroke. 
 A fortnight afterwards this appointment was superceded, and 
 the important office conferred upon John de Bretagne, Earl of 
 Richmond. As soon as the English main army had departed, 
 Robert Bruce issued from his fastnesses in the mountains, and 
 invaded Galloway. After having wasted that county, he was 
 compelled by the Guardian to retreat. He then overran the 
 north parts of Scotland,- and directing his attacks on those 
 Scottish chiefs who were in the English interest, drove them 
 from their hills, and made himself master of the Highlands. 
 He even made inroads upon the English territory ; and taught 
 his followers to despise the military genius of a people whom
 
 114 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 they had long regarded with terror. Edward, at last roused 
 from his lethargy by these insults, assembled a lai'ge army, 
 determined by one decisive action to finish the conquest of 
 Scotland. He not only called out the military strength of 
 England and Wales, but drew a force from Ireland, levied 
 from the tribes subject to his government ; invited to his assist- 
 ance Eth O'Connor, Chief of Connaught, and twenty-six 
 other Irish Chiefs, as auxiliaries; summoned over the most 
 warlike of his vassals from Gascony ; and enlisted a large body 
 of foreign mercenaries. With this numerous army, consisting, 
 according to some authors, of one hundred thousand men, he 
 advanced into Scotland. The army of Bruce did not exceed 
 thirty thousand combatants, but they were all men who had 
 distinguished themselves by many acts of valour, and were 
 rendered desperate by their situation. 
 
 The castle of Stirling, which was almost the only place 
 remaining in the hands of the English, had long been besieged 
 by Bruce ; and the Governor, Sir Phihp de Mowbray, had pro- 
 mised to surrender it if he were not relieved by a certain day. 
 Sensible thei'efore that this was the spot on which he must 
 expect the English, Bruce took a position at Bannockburn, 
 which had a hill on the right and a morass on the left, where 
 he patiently awaited the coming up of the enemy. Fearful of 
 their superior cavalry, he had ordered deep pits to be dug along 
 the banks of a rivulet in front of his army, into which were 
 fixed sharp stakes, that were carefully covered over with turf. 
 
 The English arrived in the evening, and a furious contest 
 ensued between an English party of eight hundred horse, which 
 attempted to relieve the castle of Stirling, and a body of 
 spearmen. The English party retired in disorder. 
 
 When King Edward's vanguard appeared, Robert Bruce was 
 in front of the Scottish line. Henry de Bohun, an English 
 knight, rode forward to encounter him. Robert Bruce 
 slew his antagonist with one blow of his battle-axe, in
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. J15 
 
 sight of the two armies. The English vanguard fled with 
 precipitation. 
 
 The next raoming both armies prepared for battle : the Scots, 
 animated by the valour of their King, were anxious to signalize 
 themselves ; and the EngUsh were impatient to revenge the 
 death of Bohun. The left \ving of Edward's cavalry was com- 
 manded by the Duke of Gloucester, who, impelled by the ardour 
 of youth, rushed forward to the attack, and fell among the 
 covered pits prepared by Bruce ; the cavalry were disordered, 
 and Gloucester slain. Sir James Douglas, who commanded the 
 centre of the Scots, left the English no time to rally, but pur- 
 sued them vigorously, and drove them off the field with con- 
 siderable loss. Meanwhile the King of Scotland, perceiving 
 that his troops were grievously annoyed by the English archers, 
 ordered Sir Robert Keith, the mareschal, with a few horsemen, 
 to attack the archers in flank. The archers could make httle 
 resistance in a close encounter ; and their flight spread terror 
 through the whole army. The main body of infantry, who 
 were greatly alarmed at this disastrous beginning, were quite 
 dismayed on observing an army on the heights, which seemed 
 to be marching to surround them. This was a number of 
 waggoners and sumpter boys, whom Robert had collected, and 
 supplied with military standards. The stratagem succeeded : 
 the English, panic-struck, threw down their arms and fled. 
 They were pursued with great slaughter as far as Berwick. 
 The Scots made a considerable booty, and took many prisoners, 
 among whom were several of the nobility, and four hundred 
 gentlemen. Edward himself fled to Dunbar, and narrowly 
 escaped being taken. From Dunbar he passed by sea to Berwick. 
 
 DEATH OF THE TWO SPENSERS. 
 
 The factious nobility no sooner saw the King return with 
 disgrace from his Scottish expedition, than they insulted his
 
 116 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 
 
 fallen fortunes, and renewed their cabals. Lancaster, thoHgh 
 placed at the head of the council, was suspected of holding a 
 secret correspondence with the enemy ; for, being entrusted 
 with the command of the English armies, he contrived that 
 every enterprize should fail. Edward sought relief against 
 public faction, in the indulgence of private attachment. After 
 the death of Gaveston he chose a new favourite, named Hugh 
 le Despenser, or Spenser. This young man was of a noble 
 English family, and possessed of every exterior accomplish- 
 ment, but was utterly destitute of prudence and moderation. 
 His father was a nobleman of distinguished merit, venerable 
 from his years, and respected through all his past life for wis- 
 dom, valour, and integrity. The King, who set no limits to 
 his bounty towards his favourites, had imprudently dispossessed 
 some lords of their estates, and bestowed them on Spenser ; 
 this was sufficient to kindle a civil war ; the Earls of Lancaster 
 and Hereford flew to arms, and, after pillaging and destroying 
 the lands of the younger Spenser, they marched to London^ 
 and procured by menaces and violence an act of attainder and 
 perpetual banishment against both the father and the son, who 
 were at that time absent, employed in different commissions 
 by the King. At last Edward took the field at the head of 
 thirty thousand men, and pressed the Earl of Lancaster so 
 closely that he had not time to collect his forces together ; 
 but, fljing from one place to another, he was at last seized 
 in his way to Scotland, and was immediately condemned by 
 a court-martial, and executed at Pomfret with circumstances 
 of the greatest indignity. Spenser now triumphed for a time ; 
 but he was soon opposed by a more formidable enemy. Queen 
 Isabella had retired to France, and her Court became an 
 asylum for all the malcontents in England. Having artfully 
 gotten into her hands the young Prince, the heir of the monar- 
 chy, she resolved on the utter ruin of the King as well as his 
 favourite ; and, whea Edward required her to return, she pub-
 
 HISTORY OF EKGLAVD. 
 
 ii; 
 
 licly replied, that she never would return till Spenser was 
 banished the royal presence. By this declaration she acquired 
 great popularity. As soon as she thought matters were ripe 
 for her purpose, she set sail from Dort, with three thousand 
 men; and on the 24th September 1326, landed in Suffolk 
 without opposition. She no sooner appeared than there occurred 
 a general revolt in her favour : the garrison of Bristol, which 
 was commanded by the elder Spenser, mutinied, and delivered 
 him up to his enemies, by whom he was immediately hanged : 
 his head was sent to Winchester, and his body cut in pieces 
 and thrown to the dogs. The younger Spenser was taken in 
 an obscure convent in Wales, and, without any form of trial, 
 hanged on a gibbet fifty feet high : his head was sent to London, 
 where it was received by the citizens with brutal triumph, and 
 fixed on the bridge. 
 
 MURDER OF EDWARD THE SECOND. 
 
 The unfortunate King, finding the spirit of disloyalty had 
 infected the whole nation, sought refuge in Wales; but he 
 was quickly discovered, and delivered up to his adversaries. The 
 people heaped upon him reproaches. By the party into whose 
 power he fell he was conducted to the capital, and confined 
 in the Tower, receiving from their agents the grossest insults. 
 A charge was soon exhibited against him, accusing him of 
 indolence, incapacity for government, the love of pleasure, 
 and of being swayed by evil counsellors ; his deposition was 
 quickly voted by Parliament, and a pension assigned for his 
 support. His son, a youth of fourteen, was nominated to 
 succeed him ; and the Queen appointed Regent. The deposed 
 monarch was first consigned to the custody of the Earl of 
 Lfcicester ; but this nobleman was thought to show him too 
 nnich respect : he was therefore taken out of his hands and 
 given over to the Lords Berkeley, Gournay, and Mautravers.
 
 118 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 The former still treated him with some humanity : bvit when it 
 came to the turn of the two latter, every species of indignity 
 was acted against him that malice and cruelty could suggest, 
 as if they designed to accelerate his death by the bitterness of 
 his sufferings. But as long as he survived, his persecutors 
 were afraid of a revolution in his favour ; and Mortimer gave 
 secret orders to two of his three keepers to dispatch him. The 
 King was at Berkeley Castle ; but Lord Berkeley was prevented 
 from attending him by sickness. Gournay and Mautravers, 
 taking advantage of this, went thither and seized his person : 
 by an infernal contrivance, they burnt his bowels without 
 disfiguring the body, hoping by this means to escape detection : 
 but the shrieks of the agonized monarch were heard even at a 
 distance from the castle ; a suspicion of the murder was raised, 
 and the whole was soon after divulged by one of the accom- 
 plices. Thus fell Edward II., in the forty-third year of his 
 age and the twentieth of his reign.
 
 Pane 119. 
 
 PLATE XIV.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGtAND. 119 
 
 PLATE XIV. 
 
 Edward the Third. 
 
 Fig. 1. — England invaded by the Scots. 
 
 Fig. 2, — Execution of Mortimer, Earl of March. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Invasion of France. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Battle of Crecy. 
 The cross swords denote the battle ; the plume of feathers is 
 a trophy won by Edward the Black Prince ; and the cannon 
 intimates that artillery was first used by the English in this 
 engagement. 
 
 Fig. 5. — David, King of Scotland, taken Prisoner by 
 Queen Philippa. 
 
 Fig. 6. — The Surrender of Calais. 
 
 F^. 7. — Institution of the Order of the Garter. 
 
 Fig. 8. — Dreadful Pestilence. 
 Death reclining on the Eastern hemisphere, with one hand 
 resting on Asia; the other on Europe, points out how far the 
 malady extended. 
 
 Fig. 9. — Battle of Poictiers. 
 The King of France and his son taken prisoners by the 
 Prince of Wales, who is distinguished by the plume of feathers.
 
 120 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 EDWARD THE THIRD. 
 
 This monarch was only fourteen years of age when he 
 ascended the throne. During his minority the government was 
 vested in a council of regency, appointed by the Parliament, 
 consisting of twelve persons : the Archbishops of Canterbury 
 and York, the Bishop of Winchester, Worcester, and Here- 
 ford ; the Earls of Norfolk, Kent, and Surry ; and the Barons 
 Wake, Ingham, Piercy, and Ross. The Earl of Lancaster was 
 appointed guardian and protector of the King's person. 
 
 Edward was tall and majestic, and excelled all his contem- 
 poraries in feats of arms and personal address. He was distin- 
 guished for courtesy of manners, affability, and eloquence. His 
 ruling passion was the love of fame, or rather the love of con- 
 quest ; and the glory of a conqueror is so dazzling to the vulgar, 
 that the injustice of Edward in the Scottish and French wars 
 was lost in the blaze of victory. It was in this reign that the 
 seeds of that bitter animosity was sown, which has for so many 
 centuries rankled in the hearts of Englishmen and Frenchmen. 
 The domestic government of Edward was vigorous and pru- 
 dent ; and to him we are indebted for many excellent laws and 
 regulations. 
 
 ENGLAND INVADED BY THE SCOTS. 
 
 Robert Bruce, the valiant King of Scotland, though 
 dechning in years, still retained that martial spirit which had 
 raised his nation from the lowest ebb of fortune. He con- 
 sidered the minority of Edward a favourable opportunity for 
 invading England, and accordingly collected an army of twentj- 
 five thousand men on the frontier, the command of which he 
 gave to the Earl of Murray and Lord Douglas. The English 
 Regency in vain endeavoured to make peace. The young King, 
 Imrning with a passion for military fame, was anxious for an 
 opportunity of displaying his valour: at the head of a numerous
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 
 
 121 
 
 body of forces he marched in quest of the enemy, who had 
 already broken in upon the frontier, and laid every thing waste 
 around them. Edward's chief difficulty was to overtake an 
 enemy so rapid in their marches, and so little encumbered in 
 their motions. The flame and smoke of burning villages suffi- 
 ciently pomted out the line of theii- progress; but when the 
 King had tUscovered their encampment, and moved up to it, 
 they successively abandoned the ground, and, by a secret 
 march, went off to a new position, sometimes not easily traced. 
 After the army had been long harassed in this fruitless chase, 
 certain intelligence was brought that the Scots had fixed their 
 camp on the southern banks of the Were. Impatient for 
 revenge and glor}', Edward here sent them a defiance, and 
 challenged them to meet him on an equal field : but Murray 
 replied, " That he never took the council of an enemy in any 
 of his operations." The King therefore kept his station oppo- 
 site the Scots, in the hope that necessity would oblige them to 
 change their quarters. Whilst he lay in this position, an inci- 
 dent happened which had nearly proved fatal to the English. 
 Douglas, having gotten the watchword, secretly entered the 
 English camp in the night time, and, supported by a body of 
 two hundred determined soldiers, penetrated to the royal tent, 
 in the hopes of killing or carrying off the King : but his 
 attendants awaking at that critical moment, a stout resistance 
 was made, and the King, after a brave defence, escaped in the 
 dark. Douglas, having lost most of his men, retreated ; and 
 soon after the Scottish army removed, without noise, in the 
 dead of the night, and arrived without any further loss in their 
 own country. King Edward, who had expected a decisive 
 battle, on finding the enemy had fled, burst into tears, so 
 acutely did he feel the disappointment he had met with in his 
 first enterprize ; but the symptoms of bravery and spirit which 
 he had discovered highly delighted his people, who considered 
 them as prognostics of an illustrious reign. 
 
 G
 
 122 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 EXECUTION OF MORTIMER, EARL OF MARCH. 
 
 Roger Mortimer, a potent Baron in the Welch marches, 
 had, during the reign of Edward II., been condemned for 
 high treason ; and, though his life had been spared, he was 
 detained in the Tower, whence he made his escape into France. 
 Being extremely violent in his animosity against the Spensers, 
 he was easily admitted to pay his court to Queen Isabella, con- 
 sort of Edward II., who had retired to France in disgust. The 
 graces of his person, and address, soon procured him an 
 ascendancy over her ; and she scrupled not to sacrifice to him 
 all the sentiments of honour and fidelity due to her husband. 
 When she brought the expedition from Dort to the coast of 
 Suffolk, he returned with her to this country. After the over- 
 throw of the Spensers, this unworthy favourite of Isabella was 
 not satisfied to dethrone Edward II., but caused him to be 
 murdered, as already related. On that monarch's deposition, 
 he contrived to assume the whole sovereign authority. Edward, 
 the late King's son, a youth of fourteen, was chosen his suc- 
 cessor; and Isabella was appointed Regent during the Prince's 
 minority, with a privy council of twelve persons. Mortimer 
 affected to exclude himself from this council, but directed 
 their proceedings by a secret influence. The greater part of 
 the royal revenues were by the Parliament and Council 
 settled on the Queen Regent. Under this form of government 
 the young King was so surrounded by creatures of the favourite, 
 that no access could be procured to the Royal presence. Sus- 
 picious of the Princes of the blood, Mortimer determined to 
 intimidate them ; and having by his emissaries induced the 
 Earl of Kent to believe that his brother King Edward was 
 alive, that Prince entered into a design of restoring him ; upon 
 which he was seized by Mortimer, accused before the Parlia- 
 ment, condenmed, and executed. Many prelates and nobles 
 were also prosecuted upon the same charge ; and the favourite 
 was enriched by the forfeiture of their estates. At length.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 123 
 
 young Edward, indignant at the restraint imposed upon himself, 
 and disgusted with the arrogance of Mortimer, formed the 
 design of terminating a tyranny odious to the whole nation ; he 
 engaged Lords Mountacute, Clifford, and other Barons, to 
 enter into his views. The guilty Isabella and her paramour 
 had for some time made the castle of Nottingham their resi- 
 dence ; and, for greater security, the gates were locked every 
 night, and the keys carried to the Queen, The royal party 
 rendered tlus caution unavailing by gaining over Sir William 
 Eland, the governor of the fortress, who, on a night agreed 
 on, opened a subterraneous passage, known only to one or two 
 persons : by this the noblemen in the King's interest entered, 
 and suddenly seized Mortimer, who was in an apartment 
 adjoining the Queen's. A Parliament was immediately sum- 
 moned, by which he was condemned without trial, and hanged 
 on a gibbet at the Elms, near London. The Queen was im- 
 prisoned in the castle of Risings, where she lived for twenty- 
 five years, abandoned to contem])t and perpetual regret, though 
 her son continued to pay her an annual visit of respect and duty. 
 
 — o — 
 INVASION OF FRANCE. 
 
 Upon the death of Mortimer, Edward, who was then 
 eighteen years of age, assumed the reigns of government. His 
 first enterprize was to raise Edward Baliol to the Scottish 
 throne ; but in this attempt he did not entirely succeed. In 
 the year 1328, he had married Philippa of Hainault; who, two 
 years afterwards, was delivered of a son, commonly known bv 
 the name of the Black Prince. 
 
 Edward in his youth had entertained an idea that he had a 
 right to the crown of France, being the grandson of Louis 
 Hutin, on the female side. By the Salique law, which regu- 
 lated the succession of inheritances in Prance, females were 
 considered as incapable of succeeding to the crown of that
 
 124 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 monarchy: and, for the space of nine hundred years, no 
 females, nor any who founded their title on a female descent, 
 had ever mounted that throne, Charles the Fair, at his death, 
 left one daughter ; but, as the Queen was pregnant, the next 
 male heir, Philip of Valois, was appointed Regent, with a 
 declared right of succession, if the issue should prove female. 
 The Queen was delivered of a daughter ; the regency ended ; 
 and Philip of Valois was unanmiously placed on the throne of 
 France. 
 
 Edward, in 1337, did homage to Philip for Guienne ; and 
 in all probability he would have renounced his pretensions 
 entirely, had not a quarrel intervened between the French 
 ffing and Robert of Artois, a Prince of the blood, who took 
 refuge in the English court, and was received with great 
 kindness by Edward. Robert, to revenge himself on Philip, 
 roused the ambition of Edward, and urged him to prosecute 
 his claim to the crown of France. Preparations were soon set 
 on foot for this important enterprize : the Count of Hainault, 
 the Duke of Brabant, the Archbishop of Cologne, the Duke 
 of Gueldres, the Marquis of Juliers, the Count of Namur, 
 and the Lords of Fauquemont and Baquen, embraced the 
 cause of Edward. James D'Arteville, a brewer of Ghent, who 
 brought over the Flemings to the interest of the English King, 
 gave him the greatest assistance, and prevailed with hhn to 
 quarter the arras of France with his own. In 1339 Edward 
 becan his operations, and encamped in the plains of Vironfosse 
 with an army of fifty thousand men. Philip approached him 
 with an army nearly double that number. They faced each 
 other for a fev/ days ; nmtual defiances were sent : and at last 
 Edward retked into Flanders, und disbanded his army, without 
 iiaving obtained any advantage.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 125 
 
 BATTLE OF CRECY. 
 Some years passed away before Edward again invaded France, 
 during which time he was employed in quelling domestic dis- 
 turbances, and in regulating the internal policy of the kingdom, 
 Avhich had been greatly deranged by the extensive preparations 
 made during the first campaign. The affairs of Brittany, too, 
 had also engaged much of his attention ; and though, as King 
 of England, he was restrained by a truce with Philip, yet, as 
 an ally of a competitor for Brittany, he had made some efforts 
 to gain ground in the South of France. These were unsuc- 
 cessful : but, upon the expiration of the truce, he suddenly 
 altered his plans, and landed at La Hogue, in Normandy. There 
 he bestowed the honour of knighthood on his son, the Prince 
 of W'ales, and several of the young nobility ; created the Earl 
 of Arundel High-constable of the army, and the Earls of War- 
 wick and Hainault, Mareschals. The array consisted of four 
 thousand men at arms, ten thousand archers, ten thousand 
 Welch infantry, and six thousand Irish. This invasion was 
 totally unexpected by Philip, and threw him into great per- 
 plexity : however, he issued orders for levying forces in all 
 quarters ; and sent a body of troops to the defence of Caen, 
 which was, notwithstanding, taken by the English and pillaged. 
 Rouen shared the same fate; and the victorious army pro- 
 ceeded along the banks of the Seine, burning the villages even 
 witliin sight of Paris. Philip, at the head of a vast army, was 
 impatient to take revenge on the English for the ravages they 
 had hitherto committed with impunity. The two a,rmies met 
 near the village of Crecy. Edward had chosen his ground with 
 great advantage, and disposed his army in excellent order : it 
 was drawn up in three lines ; the first was led on by the Prince 
 of Wales ; the Earls of Arundel and Northampton were at the 
 head of the second line ; and the third was commanded by the 
 King in person. He rode from rank to rank, animating his 
 men, and bidding them remember the honour of their country 
 
 Q 3
 
 126 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 and to follow the example of himself and the Prince of Wales, 
 not doubting but that their united courage would ensure them 
 the victory over their enemies. Philip had also drawn up his 
 army in three lines : the first was commanded by Anthony 
 Doria and Charles Grimaldi; the second by the Duke of 
 Alen9on, brother to the King; and the King himself was at 
 the jiead of the third. Besides the French King, there were 
 no fewer than three crowned heads engaged on the side of 
 the enemy : the bhnd King of Bohemia, his son the King of 
 the Romans, and the King of Majorca. The French army 
 amounted to more than one hundred and twenty thousand 
 men, above three times the number of the English. The 
 battle began at three in the afternoon, by the bowmen. The 
 Genoese archers in the semce of France were quickly thrown 
 into disorder, and fell back upon the heavy-armed horse of the 
 Count of Alenfon. It was in this engagement that artillery 
 was first used by the English : some pieces which Edward had 
 placed in front of his lines fired amidst the hostile crowd, in 
 which nothing was to be seen but confusion, terror, and dis- 
 may. The young Prince of Wales, to take advantage of their 
 situation, led on his men to the charge : the French horse, 
 rallying, attempted to surround him : the action became hot 
 and dangerous, and was for some time obstinately contested. 
 The Earl of Warwick, apprehensive of the result from the 
 superior numbers of the French, sent a messenger to the King 
 for succour : his first question was, " Is the Prince slain or 
 wounded ?" and being answered in the negative, " Tell my 
 son," said he, " I reserve the honour of the day for him ; I 
 am confident he will shew himself worthy of the honour of 
 knighthood, and be able, without my assistance, to repel the 
 enemy." This message, being reported to the Prince and his 
 attendants, inspired them with fresh courage: they renewed 
 the attack ; the Duke of Alen9on was slain, and the entire 
 line of cavalry which he had commanded thrown into confusion.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 127 
 
 The route now became general : the French King in vain 
 attempted to stop the fugitives ; he was compelled to quit the 
 field ; and the pursuit was continued till night put an end to 
 the carnage. 
 
 On the day of battle, and on the ensuing, there fell, by a 
 moderate computation, one thousand two hundred French 
 knights, one thousand four hundred gentlemen, four thousand 
 men at arms, besides about thirty thousand of inferior rank. 
 The Kings, also, of Bohemia and Majorca were slain : the crest 
 of the former was three ostrich feathers, with the motto " Ich 
 DiEN " (I serve), which the Prince of Wales and his successors 
 adopted in memorial of this great \dctory. On the side of the 
 English, there fell only one esquire, tliree knights, and very 
 few of inferior rank. 
 
 DAVID KING OF SCOTLAND TAKEN PRISONER BY 
 QUEEN PHILIPPA. 
 
 Soon after the battle of Crecy, Edward laid siege to Calais, 
 which was obstinately defended for twelve months. In the 
 meantime, David Bruce, King of Scotland, was strongly urged 
 by his ally, Philip of France, also to begin hostilities, and to 
 invade the southern counties of England. The project being 
 extremely agreeable to the Scottish nobles, David was soon at 
 the head of fifty thousand men ; he invaded Northimiberland, 
 and carried his ravages as far as Durham. But Queen Philippa 
 assembling a body of little more than twelve thousand men, 
 whom she entrusted to the command of Lord Piercy, met the 
 enemy at Neville's Cross ; and riding through the ranks of her 
 army, she exhorted every man to do his duty, and to repel 
 the barbarous invaders ; nor was it till they were on the point of 
 engaging that she was prevailed on to quit the field. In this 
 engagement the Scots were completely discomfited, and chased 
 off" the ground. Fifteen thousand of their men were slain ; 
 
 G 4
 
 128 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 and David himself, with many of his nobilityj was taken pri- 
 soner. Philippa, having secured her royal captive in the 
 Tower, crossed the sea at Dover ; and was received by the 
 English, in their camp before Calais, with all the triumphs due 
 to her rank, her merit, and her eminent success. 
 
 THE SURRENDER OF CALAIS. 
 Calais, a sea-port town in the north of France, was so 
 advantageously situated, that the possession of it was an object 
 of great importance to Edward, as it would at all times afford 
 him an easy entrance into that country. It was at this time 
 commanded by John de Vienne, a valiant knight of Burgundy, 
 and was well supplied with every thing necessary for defence. 
 Edward, knowing this, did not attempt to take it by storm, but 
 determined to reduce it by famine. Philip, after an ineffectual 
 attempt to relieve it, retired, and left the brave inhabitants to 
 their fate. The siege having lasted nearly twelve months, 
 the garrison were reduced to the last extremity by famine and 
 fatigue ; and the governor, feeling the necessity of surrendering, 
 desired a parley. Sir Walter Manny was sent by Edward, 
 whom the governor thus addressed. " Brave Knight ! I have 
 been entrusted by my Sovereign with the command of this 
 town : it is almost a year since you besieged me ; and I, as well 
 as those under me, have endeavoured to do my duty : but you 
 are acquainted with our present condition ; we have no hopes 
 of relief; we are perishing with hunger. I am willing to 
 surrender ; and desire, as the sole condition, to ensure the 
 lives and liberties of those brave men who have so long shared 
 with me every danger and fatigue." Manny replied, that he 
 knew the King to be so enraged at the length of the siege, that 
 he was determined to take exemplary vengeance on them ; to 
 which De Vienne answered, " This is not the treatment to 
 which brave men are entitled : the inhabitants of Calais have
 
 HISTORY OF EVGLAXD. 129 
 
 done for their Sovereign that which merits the esteem of every 
 prince : but I inform you, that if we must perish, we shall not 
 perish unrevenged ; we are not so reduced but that we can sell 
 our lives at a high price to the victors ; it is the interest of all 
 to prevent these desperate extremities," 
 
 Manny was struck with the justness of these sentiments, and 
 represented to the King the danger of reprisals, if he should 
 exercise the intended severities on the citizens of Calais. 
 Edward at length consented to spare the lives of the inhabitants, 
 upon condition that they should deliver up six of the most 
 considerable citizens, to be disposed of as he should think 
 proper; that these should bring him the keys of the city, 
 coming into the English camp bareheaded, and with ropes about 
 their necks. This intelligence struck the inhabitants with new 
 consternation, and filled them with despair : at length Eustace 
 de St. Pierre offered himself as the first \actim, and his example 
 was quickly followed by five others. Habited like malefactors, 
 the six heroic burgesses entered the camp, and laid the keys of 
 the city at the feet of Edward, who ordered them to be led to 
 execution. But at this moment the Queen threw herself on 
 her knees, and pleaded so powerfully in behalf of these brave 
 men, that at last she prevailed, and obtained their pardon. She 
 then took them to her tent, ordered refreshments to be brought 
 to them, and, after making them a present of money and 
 clothes, dismissed them in safety. 
 
 The King, on taking possession of Calais, ordered all the 
 inhabitants to quit the town. To fill the void thus created, 
 he peopled it anew with an English colony ; at the same time 
 he made the place a staple for wool, leather, tin, and lead. 
 It was probably owing to this politic measure that the domi- 
 nion of that important fortress was preserved so long to hii 
 successors. 
 
 G O
 
 130 HISTOUY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 INSTITUTION OF THE ORDER OF THE GARTER. 
 
 In an age so renowned for chivalry as that of Edward III., 
 even a trifling incident became of importance. Several orders 
 of knighthood, both religious and military, had been established 
 in different parts of Europe. Edward instituted the order of 
 the Garter, in compliment (as it is said) to the Countess of 
 Salisbury, who, one night at a ball, accidentally dropped her 
 garter; which the King picked up, and presented to her, 
 saying, " Honi soit qui mat y pense" which words are the 
 motto of the order. This class of knights consists of twenty- 
 five persons besides the sovereign ; and as the number has never 
 been enlarged, the order of the Garter still continues as ho- 
 nourable an institution as when it was first created. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Chivalry.-^ A term used to express the peculiar characteristics, 
 privileges, and duties of that order of men, who flourished during the 
 vigour of the feudal sj'stem of government. 
 
 Tlie indispensable requisites of Knights or Knights Errant, were 
 valour and dexterity in arms. 
 
 DREADFUL PESTILENCE, 
 
 Whilst Edward and Philip, by their mutual dissensions, 
 were diminishing the number of their subjects by the sword, a 
 more dreadful scourge menaced them from heaven. A pesti- 
 lence, which had first discovered itself in the north of Asia, 
 now passed into Europe, where it spread from one extremity 
 to the other, and sensibly depopulated every territory through 
 which it passed. In London alone, it is said that upwards of 
 fifty thousand people perished. According to Antoninus, arch- 
 bishop of Florence, the distemper carried off sixty thousand 
 people in that city ; and it is generally computed that one- 
 third of the inhabitants of every country which it visited fell 
 victims to its desolating power.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 131 
 
 BATTLE OF POICTIERS. 
 John succeeded Philip on the throne of France, and, like 
 his predecessor of the same name in England, had to contend 
 at once with a factious nobility at home, and a powerful, 
 vigilant, and successful enemy abroad : his resources, therefoi-e, 
 were very unequal to the exigences of his situation. The 
 English, animated by the recollection of their brilliant suc- 
 cesses at Crecy, and devotedly attached to the Prince of Wales, 
 under whom a great proportion of the army had successfully 
 served, burned with the desire of again distinguishing them- 
 selves under his banner. On the expiration of the truce which 
 had been concluded between the two nations, Edward in 
 person entered France with an army, by the way of Calais, and 
 committed another expedition to the Prince of Wales, which 
 was to penetrate on the side of Guienne. In the first campaign, 
 the King plundered and desolated the open country as far as 
 St. Omer, where the French army under John was posted. 
 John retired before Edward, who was unable to bring him to 
 an engagement. The English monarch, after his antagonist had 
 repeatedly challenged him to fight a pitched battle, 'and as 
 often disappointed him, returned to Calais : thence he passed 
 over to England, to repel an invasion of the Scots. Mean- 
 while the Prince of Wales had plundered and burnt all the 
 towns and villages of Languedoc; had passed the Garronne; 
 and after exteading his incursions to Narbonne, had returned 
 with a vast booty and numerous prisoners to Guienne, where 
 he took up his winter-quarters. In the next campaign the 
 Prince penetrated into the heart of France. After ravaging the 
 Agenois, Querci, and the Limousin, he entered the province 
 of Berri, with the intention of proceeding into Normandy : but 
 finding the bridges on the Loire broken down, and all the 
 passes guarded, he was under the necessity of commencing his 
 retreat ; in the midst of this, he was overtaken by the French 
 array near Poictiers. The forces which John had collected 
 
 G G
 
 132 HISTOUY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 amounted to above sixty thousand men, while those under the 
 Prince of Wales did not exceed twelve thousand. Cardinal de 
 Perigord, anxious to spare the effusion of human blood, en- 
 deavoured to bring about an accommodation : but John, 
 imagining that he had now got into his hands a sufficient pledge 
 for the restitution of Calais, required concessions from the 
 English Prince utterly incompatible with his honour to make. 
 A battle was the momentous alternative : but as the day had 
 been already spent in negociation, it was postponed until the 
 next morning. During the night, the Prince of Wales en- 
 trenched the post he had before so judiciously chosen; and 
 prepared an ambuscade of three hundred men at arms, and as 
 many archers, to assail, by a circuit, the flank or rear of the 
 enemy. In the morning, the mass of both armies appeared 
 drawn up in three divisions. The French army advanced to 
 the attack : but there was no reaching the English position but 
 through a narrow lane, covered on each side by hedges. A 
 body of men at arms were sent forward by John, to open this 
 passage: while advancing, they were annojed, and greatly 
 reduced, by lines of archers masked behind the hedges : their 
 van was received on the plain by the Prince of Wales, and 
 instantly broken ; their rear, still in the lane, recoiled on their 
 own army, and threw it into confusion. At this critical moment, 
 the ambuscade of English archers attacked, in flank, part of 
 the French line commanded by the Dauphin. This Prince, \\ith 
 his young brothers, immediately had recourse to flight; and 
 his whole division followed him. The Duke of Orleans also 
 retreated with the front line; and the third, or reserve, 
 directed by John in person, was the only force that continued 
 to dispute the field. This was more numerous than the whole 
 English army. The Prince of Wales fell with impetuosity on 
 some German cavalry in front of the French position. In this 
 fiercest stage of the battle, three German generals were killed, 
 together with the Constable of France ; the cavalry which had
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 133 
 
 covered John gave way, and left him exposed to the whole 
 fury of the enemy. It had now been easy to have slain the 
 King of France; but every English gentleman was ambitious 
 of taking him alive. To the offers of quarter he cried out, 
 " Where is my cousin the Prince of Wales ?" Being told that 
 the Prince was at a distance, at length he surrendered to Dennis 
 de Morbec, a knight of Arras. His son, only foiu-teen years 
 of age, who had received a wound while fighting in his defence, 
 was taken with him. The Prince of Wales was reposing him- 
 self after the toils of battle, when he received intelligence of 
 the capture of the King of France. He unmediately came 
 forth to meet the fallen monarch, to whom he manifested 
 every indication of sympathy and regard : while he paid him 
 the tribute of praise due to his valour, he ascribed his own 
 success to an over-ruling Providence, which controuls all the 
 efforts of human force, and disappoints the calcidations of 
 worldly prudence. The behaviour of John shewed him to be 
 not unworthy of this courteous treatment; but his present 
 misfortune never made him forget for a moment that he was a 
 King. Prince Edward ordered a repast to be prepared in his 
 tent for the royal captive ; during the entertainment, he stood 
 at tlie King's back, and served as one of his retinue, constantly 
 refusing to take a place at the table ; declaring that, being a 
 subject, he was too well acquainted with the distance between 
 his own rank and that of royal majesty, to assume such freedom. 
 The English and Gascon knights in his army emulated his 
 courtesy and generosity in their behaviour to the noblemen 
 and gentlemen among the captives. Tliis memorable victory 
 was gained on the 19th September 1356. 
 
 The Prince of Wales conducted his prisoner to Bourdeaux ; 
 and in order that he might transport him in security to 
 England, concluded a truce for two years with the Dauphin of 
 France. On the 24th of May, in the following year, he landed 
 at Southwark, with his distinguished captive, and was met by a
 
 134 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 great concourse of people of all ranks. John was clad in royal 
 apparel, and mounted on a white steed distinguished by its size 
 and beauty. The conqueror rode by his side in meaner attire, 
 on a small black horse. In this manner he passed through the 
 streets of London, and presented the King of France to his 
 father, who advanced to meet the royal prisoner, and received 
 him with the same courtesy as if he had been a neighbouring 
 potentate come to pay him a friendly visit. 
 
 The splendid conquests gained in France by Edward and his 
 son failed to produce any permanent advantage to England, 
 although the immediate consequences were very distressing to 
 the rival country. During the captivity of John, the govern- 
 ment of France devolved on Charles the Dauphin : who had at 
 once to withstand the shocks of a turbulent and cruel domestic 
 faction; and to provide against the impending attack of a 
 victorious enemy, for v/hich the short truce was employed in 
 formidable preparations. In the second year after the battle of 
 Poictiers, Paris was in insurrection against the Dauphin : the 
 troops which had been in the service of John, and which the 
 deficiency of the public treasury had left unpaid, broke loose over 
 the provinces as banditti, and, joined by bodies of peasants 
 desperate in the common misery, desolated the open country, 
 plundering and burning the villages ; while, by intercepting the 
 usual conveyance of provisions to the fortified towns, they 
 reduced those also to dreadful extremity. The King of Navarre, 
 a claimant of the French crown, headed the malcontents. 
 Meanwhile the English monarch negociated a treaty with his 
 royal captive ; in which John covenanted to restore all the pro- 
 vinces which had been possessed by Henry II. of England, and 
 to release them for ever from homage or fealty to him and 
 his successors. The Dauphin and the assembled States of that 
 kingdom refused to acknowledge this treaty, which would have 
 totally dismembered the French monarchy.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 135 
 
 On the expiration of the truce, therefore, Edward prepared 
 for a new invasion of France. He embarked from this country 
 with a numerous force ; added to which, the certain prospect 
 of plunder, from the defenceless condition of the assailed terri- 
 tory, drew to his standard all the hardy adventurers of Europe. 
 At Calais he assembled an army of near one hundred thousand 
 men. The Dauphin, unable to meet him in the field, allowed 
 the adventurers to expend their fury on the open country. 
 After ravaging Picardy, Edward entered the province of Cham- 
 pagne; and having a strong desire to be crowned King of 
 France at Rheims, he laid siege to that city ; but at the end of 
 seven weeks, the severity of winter compelled him to raise the 
 siege. After some tune, he appeared before the gates of Paris, 
 and endeavoui'ed to provoke the Dauphin to risk a battle : but 
 that Prince could not be diverted from his original plan ; and 
 Paris was protected from assault by its numerous garrison. 
 Unable to subsist his troops in that quarter, the King removed, 
 and spread his troops into the provinces of Maine, Beausse, 
 and the Chartraine. 
 
 The negociations for peace were never interrupted while this 
 ruinous warfare was proceeding. At length the advice of the 
 Duke of Lancaster prevailed on the King to relax from insisting 
 on the full execution of the treaty v.'hich he had made with his 
 prisoner in London. On the 28th of May 1360, the French 
 and English Commissioners concluded a peace at Bretigni, in 
 the Chartraine, which contained the following stipulations, 
 among others less important. " That King John shoidd be 
 restored to his liberty, and should pay as his ransom three mil- 
 lions of crowns of gold, about ^2,500,000 of our present 
 money ; to be discharged at different payments. That Edward 
 should for ever renounce all claim to the crown of France, and 
 to the provinces of Maine, Touraine, and Anjou, possessed by 
 his ancestors ; and should receive in exchange the provinces of 
 Poictou, Xantonge, I'Agenois, Perigort, the Limousin, Querci,
 
 136 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Rovergue, rAngoumois, and other districts in that quarter, 
 together with Calais, Guisnes, Montreuil, and the county of 
 Ponthieu, on the other side of France: That the full sove- 
 reignty of all these provinces, as well as that of Guienne, 
 should be vested in the crown of England." 
 
 John and Edward met at Calais; solemnly ratified this 
 treaty; and parted with many professions of mutual amity. 
 Seldom has a convention involving great territorial cessions and 
 acquisitions been so faithfully executed. Nevertheless, some 
 obstacles were created by the stubborn reluctance which many 
 towns and vassals in the vicinity of Guienne expressed against 
 submitting to the English dominion. John, sincerely desirous 
 to adjust these differences, returned to England for that pur- 
 pose ; although his council strenuously endeavoured to dissuade 
 him from doing so. Dui'ing his captivity he had been lodged 
 in the Savoy ; and the same palace was assigned for his resi- 
 dence during this voluntary visit. Soon afterwards, however, 
 he was surprised by sickness, and died in this country. He 
 was succeeded by the Dauphin, known in history as Charles 
 the Wise, on account of the refined policy by which he sur- 
 mounted the difficulties of his situation, both as Regent and 
 as King. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales, whom his father had 
 invested with the principality of Aquitain, was diverted from 
 the proper object of strengthening the English dominions in 
 France, and of conciliating such of his new subjects as had 
 unwillingly submitted under the cessions of the treaty. With 
 the consent of Edward, he undertook an expedition into Spain, 
 to reinstate Peter, King of Castile, surnamed the Cruel, who 
 had been dethroned by an invading force from France, under 
 Du Guesclin, seconded by the disaffection of his own subjects. 
 Henry, Count of Transtamere, the new King of Castile, had 
 collected an army of one hundred thousand men ; which was 
 treble the amount of that brought by Prince Edward to dis-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 137 
 
 possess him. A battle took place on the 3cl of April 1367, at 
 Najara; and Henry was chased off the field, with the loss of 
 above twenty thousand men. There fell on the side of the 
 English only four knights and forty private soldiers. Peter of 
 Castile, whom this victory restored to the throne, made Prince 
 Edward a retui'n full of ingratitude and perfidy : he withheld 
 the stipulated pay for the English force. The augmentation 
 which the Prince had made to his military fame was counterba- 
 lanced by many disadvantages : finding his soldiers daily perish 
 by sickness, and his own health impaired by the climate, he 
 withdrew to Guienne without receiving any equivalent. 
 
 The expedition to Castile, while it gave time for the French 
 monarchy to recruit its affairs, involved Prince Edward so deeply 
 in debt, that he found it necessary, after his return to his 
 French dominions, to impose a new tax on the inhabitants^ 
 Tliis imposition, which was a livre a hearth throughout the 
 provinces possessed by the English, gave offence to the native 
 nobility, was felt as a grievance by the lower classes of the 
 population, and excited a general spirit of defection. These 
 circumstances, together with the languishirig state of Pi'ince 
 Edward's health, emboldened Charles of France, who had 
 silently made preparations for invading the principality of 
 Aquitain, to assume a tone intended to produce a rupture. 
 He sent a summons to the Prince of Wales to appear at his 
 court at Paris, and justify his conduct towards his vassals. The 
 Prince replied, that he would come to Paris j but it should be 
 at the head of sixty thousand men. Charles immediately exe- 
 cuted his meditated invasion. He first fell upon Ponthieu, 
 which to the English had been the inlet to the heart of France. 
 The citizens of Abbeville, St. Valory, Rue, and Crotoy, opened 
 their gates to him. The whole territory speedily submitted. 
 Meanwhile the Dukes of Berri and Anjou invaded the southern 
 provinces with similar success. One of Edward's most cele- 
 brated officers, Chandos, constable of Guienne, was slain : his
 
 138 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 successor, the Captal de Buche, was taken prisoner : and the 
 alarming decline of the Prince of Wales's health obliged him 
 to relinquish the chief command in the field, and return to his 
 native country. 
 
 In the midst of these reverses. King Edward, by advice of 
 his parliament, resumed the empty title of King of France. 
 But his attempts to recover even the provinces lost, were by 
 sea and land alike unsuccessful; and he was at length com- 
 pelled to conclude a truce with the enemy, after all his ancient 
 possessions in France had been wrested from him, except 
 Bourdeaux and Bayonne, and all his conquests, except Calais. 
 The declension of Edward's military glory, and the loss of 
 his foreign dominions, were followed with a diminution of 
 popularity and influence at home, manifested in some sharp 
 remonstrances addressed to him by Parliament. 
 
 The memory of this monarch and his son will, however, 
 always be revered. The Black Prince was carried off by a 
 consumption, in the forty-sixth year of his age, and left a cha- 
 racter illustrious for every eminent virtue. His generosity, 
 humanity, and true nobility of mind, were conspicuously dis- 
 played in his conduct towards John of France : his valour and 
 military virtue shine forth in the battles of Crecy and Poictiers. 
 King Edward, who had during the last years of his life 
 given himself up to indolence and pleasure, survived his son 
 only one year, and expired at Sheen on the 21st of June 1377, 
 in the 65th year of his age, and the 51st of his reign. Before 
 his death, he publicly declared his grandson Richard, the son 
 of the Black Prince, his heir and successor on the throne. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Ambuscade. — A concealed station, where men lay in wait, to surprise 
 an enemv.
 
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 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 139 
 
 PLATE XV. 
 
 Richard the Second. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Insurrection of Wat Tyler. 
 Wat Tyler is holding in one hand the standard of insurrec- 
 tion, to which are depicted two swords and a death's head, 
 emblematical of murder and bloodshed. In the other hand he 
 holds the hammer with which he struck out the brains of the 
 tax-gatherer. The anvil indicates that Tyler was a smith. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Queen Anne's Intercession for Burley. 
 Anne, Queen of Richard II., pleading before the Duke of 
 Gloucester for the life of Sir Simon Burley. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Banishment of Norfolk and Hereford. 
 The King presenting to the Dukes of Norfolk and Hereford 
 the order for their exUe. 
 
 Fig. 4 — Duke of Lancaster's Invasion. 
 England invaded by Henry of Lancaster, The standard of 
 Lancaster is designated by the red rose. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Deposition of Richard. 
 Lancaster placing the red rose on the Crown. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Death of Richard the Second.
 
 140 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 RICHARD THE SECOND. 
 
 Richard, the son of Edward the Black Prince, succeeded 
 his grandfather on the throne when only eleven years of age. 
 His education was much neglected ; and to that may be ascribed 
 the principal errors of his government, and the consequent 
 misfortunes which distinguished his reign. His three ambitious 
 uncles encouraged him in luxury and dissipation ; which made 
 him idle, profuse, and profligate : he gave himself up to the 
 dominion of favourites, and entirely neglected the manage- 
 ment of public affairs. Ilis person was handsome, his judg- 
 ment weak, and his temper violent. 
 
 Soon after his accession, a Parliament was summoned: there 
 was no express appointment of a regency ; but the administra- 
 tion was conducted by nine counsellors and other great officers, 
 in the name of the King ; though the Duke of Lancaster, one 
 of Richard's uncles, was in fact Regent. Edward had left his 
 grandson involved in many dangerous wars : the pretensions of 
 the Duke of Lancaster to the crown of Castile engaged Eng- 
 land in a war with the Spaniards ; whilst the Scots were so 
 closely allied with France, that a rupture with one country 
 infallibly brought on a breach with the other. The war with 
 France languished ; one expedition succeeded another, without 
 producing any enterprize of lustre or renown ; whilst the 
 treasury, as is usual in a minority, was completely exhausted. 
 
 INSURRECTION OF WAT TYLER. 
 To recruit the treasury, an unusual tax of three groats a 
 head had been laid upon every person in the kingdom above 
 fifteen years of age : this was farmed out to tax-gatherers in 
 each county, who levied the money with extreme rigour. As 
 the rich paid no more than the poor, violent discontents ensued 
 among the common people : these were greatly inflamed by one 
 John Ball, a seditious preacher ; who went about the country,
 
 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND. 141 
 
 teaching that all mankind were derived from one common 
 stock, and that all of them had equal rights to liberty and the 
 goods of Nature, of which they had been deprived by the am- 
 bition of a few insolent rulers. 
 
 The first commotion was excited by a blacksmith in Essex, 
 known in history by the name of Wat Tyler. This man was 
 at work in his shop when the tax-gatherers came in, and de- 
 manded payment for his daughter, Tyler refused to pay, 
 alleging she was under the age assigned by the statute. The 
 brutal collector, by proceeding to acts of insolence and outrage, 
 so incensed the father of the young woman, that with a blow 
 of his hammer he laid him dead on the spot. The bystanders 
 applauded the action, and exclaimed, that it was full time for 
 the people to take vengeance on their enemies, and vindicate 
 their native liberty. They immediately flew to arms ; the 
 whole county joined in the sedition, and the flame soon spread 
 itself through Kent, Hertford, Surrey, Sussex, Suffolk, Norfolk, 
 Cambridge, and Lincoln, The insurgents amounted to 100,000 
 men, and were headed by Wat Tyler, Jack Straw, Hob Carter, 
 and Tom Miller : fictitious names which they assumed, be- 
 cause they were fond of denoting their mean origin, in con- 
 tempt of the titles of the nobility, on whom they committed 
 the most outrageous acts of violence. They broke into the 
 city, burned the Duke of Lancaster's palace, and cut off the 
 heads of all the gentlemen they laid hold of. A great body of 
 them quartered themselves at Mile-End. The King, who had 
 taken refuge in the Tower, finding it weakly garrisoned, and 
 ill supplied with provisions, at length went out to them, and 
 desired to know their demands. They required a general 
 pardon, the abolition of slavery, freedom of commerce in the 
 market towns, and a fixed rent on lands instead of villanage. 
 These requests were complied with ; charters to that purpose 
 were granted them ; and this body immediately dispersed and 
 returned home. In the meantime, another body of the rebels
 
 143 HISTORY OF EN'GLAND. 
 
 had broken into the Tower ; had murdered Sir Simon Sudbury, 
 the primate and chancellor; Sir Robert Hales, the treasurer, and 
 some other persons of distinction ; and continued theii" ravages 
 in the city. The King, with a few guards, passing through 
 Smithfield, met with Wat Tyler at the head of his rioters. 
 This ringleader ordered his companions to retire till he should 
 give them a signal, when they were to murder all the party 
 except the King, whom they were to make prisoner. 
 
 Being invited to a conference by Richard, who professed 
 himself willing to hear and redress their grievances, Tyler 
 advanced alone to meet the King, in the midst of his retinue. 
 During this interview, he often raised his sword in a threatening 
 manner: which insolence so enraged Walworth, the Lord 
 Mayor, that he struck him with his mace to the ground ; and 
 one of the King's knights, riding up, dispatched hifn with his 
 sword. The mutineers, seeing their leader fall, bent their bows 
 to avenge his death. At this perilous moment, Richard, who 
 was then only sixteen years of age, rode up alone to the in- 
 fiiriate multitude, exclaiming, " What, my people, will you 
 kill your King? Be not concerned for the loss of your leader: 
 I myself will now be your general. Follow me into the fields, 
 and you shall have whatever you desii'e." The populace, over- 
 awed by his presence, desisted from their intended violence ; 
 and young Richard led them into the fields: there he was 
 joined by Sir Robert Knolles, and a body of well-armed 
 veterans. These soldiers he strictly forbade from falling upon 
 the rioters, but peaceably dismissed them with the same charters 
 which had been granted to their companions. Soon afterwards, 
 the nobility and gentry, hearing of the King's danger, flocked 
 to London with their adherents and retainers; and Richard 
 took the field at the head of 40,000 men : the rebels were 
 compelled to submit; the charters of enfranchisement and 
 pardon were revoked by Parliament ; and several of the ring- 
 leaders punished for the late disorders.
 
 HISTOnY OF EKGLAND. 143 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Villana''e.—A state of dependence little better tlian absolute 
 slaver)-. Villains were tlie property of their lords; whose service 
 thev could not quit without permission, and if they ran away might 
 be claimed, and recovered like beasts or chattels. Villains were era- 
 ployed in the lowest and most degrading offices, and could acquire no 
 property either in land or goods. 
 
 QUEEN ANNE'S INTERCESSION FOR BURLEY. 
 
 The courage, addi*ess, and presence of mind, which the 
 King had discovered in quelling the insurrection of Wat Tyler, 
 had raised great hopes in the people that he would equal the 
 reputation of his father and grandfather : but as he advanced 
 in years, his want of capacity, at least of sound judgment, 
 appeared in every enterprize he attempted. He first lost the 
 favour of the people by revoking the charters he had granted 
 them ; and disgusted the nobility by his partiality to his 
 favourites. His first favourite was Robert de Vere, Earl of 
 Oxford, a young man of pleasing exterior, but of the most 
 dissolute manners. This nobleman he first created Marquis of 
 Dublin (a title never known before), and soon afterwards Duke 
 of Ireland : transferring to him the entire sovereignty of that 
 island for life. Vere soon became sole dispenser of the King's 
 favours : hence a conspiracy was formed against him, at the 
 head of which were the Earls of Nottingham, Arundel, Nor- 
 thumberland, Salisbury, and Warwick : he was impeached in 
 Parliament, and though nothing of moment was even alleged 
 against him, he was condemned and deprived of his office. 
 They next proceeded to attack the royal authority itself. 
 Under pretence that the King, though twenty-one years of age, 
 was not able to govern the kingdom, they appointed a Com- 
 mittee of fourteen persons, to whom the sovereignty was to be 
 transferred for a year ; and none but the creatures of the Duke 
 of Gloucester, whose measure this was, were admitted into the
 
 144 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Committee. The King, finding himself thus totally deprived 
 of authority, first endeavoured to gain over the Parliament to 
 his interests ; but this measure failing, he applied to the Judges, 
 who declared, that the Committee which had deprived the 
 King of his authority was unlawful, and that they who had 
 procured or advised it were punishable with death. This sen- 
 tence was soon opposed by a declaration from the Lords. The 
 Duke of Gloucester took up arms, and appeared at Haringay 
 Park, near Highgate, at the head of a body of men sufficient to 
 intimidate the King and all his adherents. A few days after- 
 wards, the confederated nobles appeared armed in the King's 
 presence, and accused by name the Archbishop of York, the 
 Duke of Ireland, the Earl of Suffolk, Sii* Robert Tresilian, one 
 of the Judges, and Sir Nicholas Bembre. They then compelled 
 the King to summon a Parliament, which was entirely at their 
 devotion: and they entered an appeal before this assembly 
 against five of his counsellors, charging them with high treason, 
 merely because they had attempted to defeat the late commis- 
 sion. On this accusation, Sir Nicholas Bembre, Sir Robert 
 Tresilian, Lord Beauchamp, Sir James Berners, and John 
 Salisbury, were condemned and executed. Another victim of 
 the triumphant party was Sir Simon Burley, a gentleman much 
 beloved for his personal merit, and distinguished by many 
 honourable actions'; he had been appointed governor to 
 Richard by the late King, and the Black Prince. Being sup- 
 posed to have influenced the proceedings of the King, Glou- 
 cester marked him out for vengeance; and refused to spare 
 him, though the Queen Consort (sister of the Emperor Win- 
 ceslaus. King of Bohemia) remained three hours on her knees 
 before that inexorable tyrant, interceding for Burley's life. 
 This execution, more than all the others, made a deep impres- 
 sion on the mind of Richard. 
 
 nEFINITIOX. 
 
 Enfranchisement. — Freedom.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 145 
 
 BANISHMENT OF NORFOLK AND HEREFORD. 
 
 In the year 1389, at an extraordinary council of the nobility 
 assembled at Easter, the King, to the astonishment of all 
 present, desired to know his age; and being informed that he 
 was turned of twent3^-two, " Then," said he, " it is time that 
 I should reign alone : I have long been under the government, 
 of tutors, and I will now shew my right to power, by their 
 removal." He then ordered Thomas Arundel, the chancellor, 
 to give up the seals, which he bestowed on Wickham Bishop 
 of Winchester. He next removed the Duke of Gloucester, the 
 Earl of Warwick, and other lords of the opposite faction, 
 from the council; and changed all the great officers of the 
 household, as well as the Judges. 
 
 In the year 1397, the restless and ambitious Gloucester, 
 perceiving that Richard was not of a warlike disposition, fre- 
 quently spoke with contempt of his person and government, 
 and deliberated concerning the lawfulness of throwing off his 
 allegiance. The King, informed of this conduct by his spies, 
 determined to rid himself of Gloucester and his faction at once. 
 He therefore had that nobleman suddenly arrested, and sent 
 over to Calais, where, detached from his numerous adherents, 
 he might be detained in custody without danger of a rescue. 
 The Earls of Arundel and Warwick were seized at the same 
 time. The malcontents, deprived of their leaders, were over- 
 awed ; while the proceedings of the King were countenanced 
 and supported by the Dukes of Lancaster and York. A new 
 Parliament was immediately summoned : both Houses annulled 
 for ever the commission which had usurped upon the royal 
 authority, and abrogated the attainders which had been passed 
 against the King's Ministers. Several of Gloucester's party 
 were then publicly impeached ; and being found guilty, were 
 either executed or banished. A warrant was issued to bring 
 over the Duke of Gloucester from Calais for trial : the gover- 
 nor answered, that he had died suddenly of an apoplexy. In 
 
 H
 
 146 HISTORY OF EXGIANO. 
 
 the subsequent reign, it was proved that he had been sufTocated 
 with pillows. 
 
 Soon afterwards, a dissension arose between the noblemen 
 who had joined in the prosecution. The Duke of Hereford, 
 son of tiie Duke of Lancaster, in full Parliament accused the 
 Duke of Norfolk of having spoken seditious words against the 
 King, in private conversation. Norfolk gave Hereford the lie, 
 and offered to prove his innocence by single combat. The 
 challenge was acceptetl, and the lists were appointed at Coven- 
 try. The whole nation was held in suspense v/ith regard to the 
 event of this imix)rtant duel ; but when the two champions appear- 
 ed in the field accoutred for the combat, the King, interp>csing, 
 banished the Duke of Hereford for ten years, and the Duke 
 of Norfolk for life. The former behaved himself with so much 
 submission, that the King, before his departure, promised to 
 shorten the term of his exile four years : he also granted him 
 letters-patent, ensuring to him the enjoyment of any inheritance 
 whicli should fall to him during his absence. These proceedings 
 took place in the year 1398. 
 
 DUKE OF LANCASTER'S INVASION. 
 
 No sooner had Hereford left the kingdom, than a revived 
 jealousy of the power and riches of the Lancastrian family 
 manifested itself in the King's actions. Being informed that 
 Hei-eford was negociating a marriage with the daughter of the 
 Duke of Berri, uncle to the French King, Richard sent a com- 
 missioner to the French Court to prevent the alliance. The 
 death of tlic Duke of Lancaster happened soon after ; on which 
 the King seized his estates, and severely punished tl.e attorney 
 of his successor, who was still in banishment, for faithfully 
 executing the trust reposed in him by his master. 
 
 Henry, the new Duke of Lancaster, by his conduct and 
 abilities, had acquired the esteem of the public ; and having
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 147 
 
 served against the infidels in Lithuania, to his other praises \va^ 
 added a reputation for piety and valour. He was connected by 
 blood, alliance, or friendship, with most of the principal nobi- 
 lity; and as the injury done liiin by the King might in its 
 consequences affect them all, he easily brought them to take part 
 in his resentment. Nor was he less a favourite with the army. 
 On information that the King was absent in Ireland, Lancas- 
 ter embarked at Nantz with a retinue of about sixty persons 
 (among whom were the Archbishop of Canterbury and his 
 nephew the Earl of Arundel), and landed at Ravenspur in 
 Yorkshire. He was immediately joined by the Earls of West- 
 moreland and Northumberland, two of the most powerful 
 Barons in England. In order to quiet the apprehensions of 
 the people, he took a solemn oath, that he had no other 
 purposes in this invasion than to recover the duchy of Lancas- 
 ter, which had been unjustly detained from him. By this 
 apparent moderation, every one was induced to succour him ; 
 his army daily increased, and he was soon at the head of sixty 
 thousand combatants. The Duke of York, who had been left 
 guardian of the kingdom, assembled forty thousand men ; but, 
 destitute of energy and judgment, he was imposed upon by a 
 message from the invader, declaring he only came as a sup- 
 pliant, to recover his patrimony, the duchy of Lancaster. 
 
 DEPOSITION OF RICHARD. 
 
 Richard was in Ireland (whither he had gone to avenge the 
 death of Roger de la Marche, who had been slain in a skirmish 
 with the natives) when he received intelligence of the invasion 
 of Lancaster, and the rebellion of his people. He lost no 
 time in returning to England, and landed at Milford Haven 
 \vith an army of twenty thousand men ; but they were seized 
 with the spirit of disaffection or fear, and gradually deserted 
 from him, until about six thousand of them continued to 
 follow his standard. From this remnant of force, so inadequate 
 
 h2
 
 148 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to his protection, he secretly withdrew to the Isle of Angle- 
 sea, designing to embark either for Ireland or France, and 
 await a favourable change in his affairs. Henry sent the Earl 
 of Northumberland to Richard, with strong professions of 
 loyalty and submission ; and that nobleman, by treachery and 
 false promises, made himself master of the King's person, and 
 carried him to his enemy at Flint Castle. Richard was oon- 
 ducted to London by the Duke of Lancaster, who was received 
 by the citizens with acclamations of joy. He soon after issued 
 writs of election, in the King's name, for a new parliament ; 
 and appointed it to meet immediately at Westminster. A 
 charge, consisting of thirty-three articles, was drawn up against 
 the King ; and although it was liable to objections in almost 
 every article, only one man, namely, the Bishop of Carlisle* 
 had courage enough to plead in behalf of his unhappy master : 
 for wliich he was immediately arrested by order of the Duke 
 of Lancaster, and sent prisoner to the Abbey of St. Albans. 
 The King was formally deposed by the votes of both houses ; 
 and the throne being now vacant, Lancaster, who was present 
 in the assembly, stepped forward and claimed it. His speech, 
 purposely obscured by a mixture of jargon, insinuated that he 
 was descended from Henry III. by " right line of the blode." 
 To understand what was too absurd to be openly asseited, 
 we must advert to a story that had obtained circulation among 
 some of the vulgar, averring, that Edmond Earl of Lancaster, 
 son of Henry III., was really the brother of Edward I., but, 
 on account of some deformity in his person, had been super- 
 seded in the succession; his younger brother having been 
 imposed on the nation as the firstborn. 
 
 No objection was made by Parliament to this challenge as of 
 right ; and the unanimous suffrages of Lords and Commons 
 placed die crown on Henry of Lancaster's head. 
 
 DEFINITION'. 
 
 D'qyosition.'—The act cf degrading a King from liis dignity.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 149 
 
 DEATH OF RICHARD THE SECOND. 
 Soon after the deposition of Richard, it was unanimously 
 voted by the House of Peers that he should be imprisoned in 
 Pomfret Castle, and be deprived of all commerce with any of 
 his friends and partisans. Plistorians are not agreed as to the 
 manner in which he was murdei*ed. Some relate that Sir 
 Piers Exton, and others of his guards, unexpectedly rushed 
 into his apartments; and that Richard, knowing their des^n, 
 wrested a pole-axe from one of the murderers, with which be 
 killed four of them; but was at length overpowered and slain. 
 Other writers state, that he was starved in prismi ; and that 
 after he was denied all nourishment, he prolonged his life four- 
 teen days by feeding on the flocks of his bed. The latter 
 account is more consistent with a further story, that his body 
 was exposed in public, to shew that there were no marks of 
 violence upon his person. He fell in tlie 34th year of his age, 
 and the 23d of his reign. He left no posterity. 
 
 H 3
 
 150 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XVI. 
 
 Henry the Fourth. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Insurrection near Windsor. 
 The first insurrection against Henry IV. is indicated by a 
 standard with the appropriate emblems, and distinguished by 
 the date. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Martyrdom of William Sautre. 
 The stake and fire shew the manner of his death ; the cross 
 indicates that he sufferetl in the cause of religion. ' 
 
 Fig. 3. — Earl of Northumberland's Rebellion. 
 The divided state of the kingdom in the year 1403 is repre- 
 sented by the English banner torn asunder. 
 
 Fig. 4. — The Battle of Shrewsbury. 
 On the right is the royal standard of Lancaster, distinguished 
 by the Red Rose with the crown above it : On the left is 
 the standard of rebellion. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Commitment of the Prince of Wales. 
 The vertical line on the right is Judge Gascoigne ; he holds 
 the scales of justice in equilibrium, as an emblem of his impar- 
 tial decisions. The intermediate symbol is the Prince ; and that 
 with the keys represents the jailor.
 
 PLATE XVI 
 
 [Page 150. 
 
 14^00 I 
 
 1405I 
 
 •^' 
 
 \ 
 
 1-^0^ I 
 
 14<05|
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAKD. i51 
 
 HENRY THE FOURTH. 
 
 Henry the Fourth possessed many great and distinguishing 
 qualities, that eminentlj- fitted him for the high station to which 
 he attaineil. In the measures by which he maintained his 
 power, he evinced prudence, vigilance, and foresight. With 
 military courage he combined the decision of a statesman. His 
 command of temper was remarkable: his insight into the 
 charactei's and designs of men enabled him to elude and coun- 
 teract tlie stratagems and rebellions which were successively 
 designed against his life and authority. Previous to his usurpa- 
 tion, he was a marked favourite of tlie people : but when men 
 came to reflect, in cool blood, on the aimes which had led 
 him to the throne, they could not but regard with distrust the 
 man who, in dereliction of the most solemn protestation! of 
 ioyalty and fidelity, first dethroned, and then mm-dered his 
 sovereign ; and who continued to hold the true lieir of the 
 crown in custody at Vv indsor. Henry, a prey to remorse, and 
 suspecting the fidelity of his people, governed them more by 
 ten'or than benignity, and was obeyed rather through fear than 
 from a sense of duty and allegiance. In his very first Parliament, 
 he was forced to c^erve the dangers of that station which Ire 
 had assumed, and the obstacles to be encountered in governing 
 an unruly aristocracy, whose passions and resentments were 
 inflamed to the highest degree by the late convulsions in the 
 State. The Peers, on their meeting in Parliament, displayed 
 the most violent animosities against each other : forty gauntlets, 
 as pledges of defiance, were thrown on the floor of the house 
 by noblemen of conflicting interests ; and the opprobrious terms 
 of liar and traitor resounded through the assembly. The King 
 was able to prevent the menaced duels; but he could not allay 
 the hostile spirit which sub^sted between the parties. As he 
 surmounted one difficulty, new sources of inquietude and 
 danger embittered his envied greatness. The great popularity 
 
 H 4
 
 152 HISTORY OF ENGtAND. 
 
 ■which he had enjoyed before his elevation to the throne was 
 entirely lost many years before the end of his reign. 
 
 BEFIXITION. 
 
 Gauntlet. — Iron gloves, part of the armour then in use. WTien any 
 person designed to challenge another, he threw his gauntlet on tlie 
 floor, which being picked up by the adverse party, was an indication 
 that the challenge was accepted. Gauntlets were not introduced till 
 towards the thirteentli centurj-. 
 
 INSURRECTION NEAR WINDSOR, * 
 Henry had been but a short time seated on the throne, 
 when the dissatisfaction of a strong party of nobles was mani^ 
 festedin a precipitate recourse to open rebellion. 
 
 The Earls of Rutland, Kent, Huntingdon, and Lord Spenser, 
 having been degraded by the usurper from the respective titles 
 of Albemarle, Surrey, Exeter, and Gloucester, conferred upon 
 them by Richard, entered into a conspiracy, together with 
 tlie Earl of Salisbury and Lord Luniley, to excite an insurrection, 
 and seize the King's person at Windsor. On the eve of this 
 movement, Rutland betrayed their plans to Henry, who 
 suddenly withdrew to London ; and the conspkators, on coming 
 to Windsor with five hundred horse, found they had missed 
 the blow on which tlie success of their enterprize depended. 
 Henry the next day appeared at Kingston upon Thames, at 
 the head of twenty thousand men ; and his enemies, unable 
 to oppose tliis force, dispersed, with the design of raising their 
 adherents in those counties which were the seat of their interest ; 
 but they were closely pursued by the King's party, and arrested 
 before they could collect any levies. The Earls of Kent and 
 Salisbury were beheaded at Cirencester by the citizens ; Spen- 
 ser and Lumley shared the same fate at Bristol ; and the Earl 
 of Huntingdon, Sir Thomas Blount, and Sir Benedict Sely, 
 who were also taken prisoners, suffered death, with many
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 153 
 
 -.Others of the conspirators, by the order of Henry. When the 
 quarters of these unhappy men were brought to London, they 
 were received by the populace with the most indecent marks 
 of joy and exultation. 
 
 But a spectacle shocking to every one who retained any 
 humane impulse or honourable principle, was in reserve. The 
 Earl of Rutland appeared, bearing on a pole the head of his 
 brother-in-law. Lord Spenser, which he presented in triumph 
 to Henr}-, as a tribute of his loyalty. Tliis base man, who was 
 aftenvards Duke of York, and first prince of the blood, had 
 been instrumental in the death of his uncle tlie Duke of 
 Gloucester; had then deserted Richard, by whom he was 
 trusted ; had conspired against the life of Henrj', to whom he 
 had sworn allegiance ; had betrayed liis associates, whom he 
 had seduced into this enterprize ; and now displayed in the face 
 of the world tliese badges of his multiplied dishonour ! 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Insurrection. — A rising of the mass of the people, in opposition to 
 the ruling powers, witliout any concerted or ^ecifically active measure 
 being determined upon. 
 
 MARTYRDOM OF WILLL^M SAUTRE. 
 Near tlie close of the reign of Edward the Third, John 
 WickliiFe, a secular priest educated at Oxford, had begun to 
 spread the doctrine of reformation ; and by his discourses, ser- 
 mons, and writings, made many disciples among men of all 
 ranks and stations. His followers received tlie name of Wick- 
 liffites or Lollards. The doctrines of WicklifFe were derived 
 from the Scriptures, and from researches into Ecclesiastical 
 antiquity. He denied the doctrine of the real presence, the 
 supremacy of the Church of Rome, the merit of monastic 
 vows ; and maintained, that tlie Scriptures were the sole rule 
 of faith ; tliat the Church was dependent on the State, and 
 
 H 5
 
 154 HISTORY OP ENGLAND, 
 
 should be reformed by it. The propagation of these princi- 
 ples greatly alarmed the Clerg}- ; and a bull was issued by Pope 
 Gregory the Eleventh, for taking WicklifFe into custody, and 
 examining into the scope of his opinions. Accordingly he was 
 cited before Courtney, Bishop of London : but the powerful 
 protection of the Duke of Lancaster (father of Henry the 
 Fourth), and of the mareschal. Lord Percy, had screened him 
 from the first exercise of ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Then, the 
 indisposition of the University of Oxford to receive a new bull 
 and the growing favour of the populace towards the reformer, 
 together with his cautious explanations before subsequent 
 Synods, amounting to a recantation on some points, induced 
 the prelates to dismiss him from trial without censure. Wick- 
 lifFe died of a palsy in 1235. His opinions, however, continued 
 to gain ground ; and Henry himself, whilst a subject, was believetl 
 to have strongly imbibed the prejudices of the Lollai'ds against 
 the Established Church ; but possessing the throne by a precarious 
 title, he determined by every expedient to pay court to the 
 clergy. Hitherto there had been no penal laws enacted against 
 heresy : but when the learning and genius of WicklifFe had once 
 broken down the barriers of prejudice, the ecclesiastics called 
 aloud for the punishment of his disciples; and the King, to 
 acquire the favour of the Church, was induced to sacrifice his 
 principles to his interest. He engaged the Parliament to enact 
 a law, that when any heretic either refused to abjure his 
 opinions, or relapsed, he should be delivered over to the secular 
 arm by the bishop or his commissaries, and be committed to the 
 flames by the civil magistrate. This horrible weapon of perse- 
 cution was immediately employed. William Sautre, rector of 
 St, Osithes in London, had been condemned by the Convocation 
 of Canterbury ; his sentence was ratified by the House of Peers ; 
 the King issued his writ for the execution : and the unhappy 
 man atoned for his opinions by the penalty of fire ! This is
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 155 
 
 the first instance in England of such a victim to cclesiastical 
 tyranny. 
 
 DEFIXITIOXS. 
 
 Secular Priests.— Those who do not belong to any particular com- 
 munity of monks, and who are not subject to monastic restrictions. 
 
 The licformalion.—Rehrmmg the abuses tliat had crept into the 
 Catliolic Cliurch, and restoring, as much as possible, its original sim- 
 plicity and purity. 
 
 Real Presence. — One of the doctrines of the Romish Church, which 
 declares, tliat in tlie Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, tlie elem.ents cf 
 bread and wine jire miraculously dianged into the body and blood of 
 Cirist 
 
 St/jfreiruicy. — The superiority (rf the Churdi of Rome o^er all Olivers 
 hj Qu-istendom. 
 
 BuU. — A letter jmblished by the Pope, containing his decrees, or 
 command, to which was affixed a leaden seal, in imitation of an orna- 
 ment worn by the young noljility, called Bullas, which afterwards was 
 hung to tlie diplomas of Emperors and Popes, whence tliey derived 
 the name of Bulls. In addressing Princes, golden seals were gene- 
 rally affixed instead of lead. 
 
 Sj/nods. — An assembly of ecclesiastics called for consultation on 
 matters relative to the Church. 
 
 Penal Laws. — Laws denouncing punishment upon certain offences. 
 
 Heresy. — Ecclesiastical docuines generally believed to be true. 
 
 EARL OF NORTHUMBERLAND'S REBELLION. 
 Owen Glendour, a descendant of the Welch Princes, had, on 
 account of his attachment to Richard, become obnoxious to 
 the present rulers. Lord Grey, who possessed considerable 
 estates in the marches of Vv'ales, and who was closely connected 
 with tlie King, took advantage of these circumstances to seize 
 upon his neighbour's estates. Glendour, provoked at this in- 
 justice and indignity, recovered possession by the sword. Henry 
 assisted Grey : the Welcli supported Glendour : and a tedious 
 
 H 6
 
 156 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 war was kindled. Glendour attacked, promiscuously, all the 
 English property ; and in one of his excursions took prisoners 
 the Earl of Marche and Sir Edmund Mortimer his uncle. 
 Henry, who hated and dreaded all the family of Marche, al- 
 lowed the Earl to remain in captivity; and even refused the 
 Earl of Northumberland (to whose assistance he himself owed 
 the crown) permission to treat of his ransom. 
 
 Meantime the Scots, to the number of twelve thousand men, 
 under the command of Archibald Earl of Douglas, invaded the 
 northern counties of England, and committed great devasta- 
 tions : on their return, they were met at Homeidon by the 
 Percies, who completely defeated them, and took Douglas 
 prisoner, with many more of the Scottish nobility. When 
 Henry received intelligence of this victory, he sent orders to 
 Northumberland not to ransom his prisoners ; intending by their 
 means to make an advantageous peace with Scotland. This 
 pi-ohibition gave fresh disgust to the Percies; who thought that 
 tlie King had not sufficiently rewarded them for setting him upon 
 the throne ; although, on his accession, he had bestowed the 
 office of Constable on Northumberland for life, and conferred 
 many other gifts upon the leading members of this family. They 
 determined therefore to dethrone him ; and for that purpose 
 entered into a correspondence with Glendour; liberated the 
 Earl of Douglas, and entered into an alliance with him ; sum- 
 moned their own partisans immediately to arms; and soon 
 collected a numerous army. Just as they were ready to march, 
 tlie Earl of Northumbei'land was seized with a sudden illness at 
 Berwick ; and his son, surnamed Hotspur from his impetuous 
 valour, taking command of the troops, marched towards Shrews- 
 bury, in order to join his forces to those of Glendour. 
 
 The King had fortunately a small army on foot, with which 
 he had intended to act against the Scots. Aware of the great 
 importance of celerity in civil wars, he instantly hurried down 
 to the disturbed counties, to give battle to the rebels; and
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 157 
 
 reached the army of young Percy before Owen Glendour had 
 formed a junction with him. 
 
 DEFINITION, 
 
 Rebellion. — Actual ojjposition to lavrful government, after having 
 been planned and digested ia secret. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY. 
 
 The evening before the battle, Percy sent a manifesto to the 
 royal quarters, in which he renounced his allegiance; offered 
 defiance to the arms of Henry ; and, in the name of his father 
 and uncle as well as his own, enumerated all the acts of the 
 King which could be construed into infractions of the Constitu- 
 tion, or regarded as national grievances. 
 
 The armies were nearly equal ; and the commanders, on both 
 sides, of the highest talents and bravery. Henry exposed his 
 person in the thickest of the fight ; and his valiant son kept 
 pace with his footsteps ; nor could he be persuaded to leave tlie 
 field when wounded in the face with an arrow. Percy support- 
 ed the lustre of his fame ; and the valiant Douglas performed 
 achievements almost incredible. Henry, either to elude attacks 
 upon his person, or to encourage his own men in the persuasion 
 that he was every where, had disguised several captains in the 
 royal habiliments ; and Douglas, who sought the distinction of 
 fighting with the King, had made the office of personating him 
 fatal to many ; but the death of Henrj' Percy, by an unknown 
 hand, put an end to the contest, and the royalists were victo- 
 rious. In this engagement there fell, on the side of the King, 
 the Earl of Stafford, Sir Hugh Shirley, Sir Nicholas Gausel, 
 Sir Hugh Mortimer, Sir John Massey, and Sir John Calverley. 
 Of the entire number slain, comprizing two thousand three 
 hundred gentlemen and about six thousand private men, two- 
 thirds were of Percy's army. The Earls of Worcester and
 
 158 . HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Douglas were taken : the former was beheaded at Shrewsbury, 
 and the latter was treated with merited courtesy. 
 
 The Earl of Northumberland had, on his recovery, le\'ied an 
 army to join his son : but hearing of the defeat at Shrewsbury, 
 he dismissed his forces, and went, with a small retinue, to the 
 King at York, to whom he pretended that his sole design m 
 oa'ming was to mediate between the parties. Henry accepted 
 his apology, and granted him a pardon. But the restless Earl 
 soon entered into a fresh conspiracy with the Earl of Notting- 
 ham and the Archbishop of York. Before he could join them, 
 tlie two latter, induced to disband their forces by the Earl of 
 Westmoreland, were arrested, and severally executed. This 
 was the first instance of a dignified churchman being put to 
 death by the civil power. Northumberland, together with Lord 
 Bai'dolf, fled into Scotland ; and both returning shortly after- 
 w^ards to invade the north of England, were slain in the battle 
 of Bramham. In the train of fortunate events for Henry, 
 lastly succeeded the death of Owen Glendour. 
 
 The King was now freed from all his domestic enemies; 
 having, notwithstanding his exceptionable title to the throne, 
 acquired, by valour and address, a greater ascendancy over his 
 haughty Barons than the right to govern, unaccompanied by 
 eminent talents, had ever been able to confer. 
 
 COMMITMENT OF THE PRINCE OF WALES. 
 The suspicious disposition of the King, augmented by nume- 
 rous conspiracies, led hun to entertain unreasonable distrust 
 witli regard to the fidelity of his eldest son. During the latter 
 years of his life, jealous of the prince's rising celebrity, he 
 had excluded him from all share in public business : it excited 
 his particular displeasure to see him at the head of an army, 
 fearing that his martial talents, though useful to the Govei-nment 
 and nation, might acquire him such renown as would prove 
 dangerous to the regal autliority. Thus resti'tuned from its
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 159 
 
 proper exercise, the active spirit of young Henrj' broke out 
 into every kind of extravagance and dissipation. By mixing 
 with plebeians, he seemed to forget the dignity of his birth ; and 
 by his disorderly life, to court the loss of popularity. In the 
 midst of these excesses, the nobleness of his nature frequently 
 gleamed through the cloud which hung over his chai'acter. He 
 had become the associate of a circle of profligates, who made 
 a practice of committing the most illegal acts of violence. One 
 of his dissolute comrades was aiTaigned before the cliief-justice 
 for some misdemeanor; and the prince was not ashamed to 
 appear at the bar with the criminal, in order to give him 
 c»untenance and protection. Unable by his presence to over- 
 awe the tribunal, or to shield his favourite from condemnation, 
 he was so exasperated that he struck the judge upon the bench. 
 Tliis worthy magistrate, whose name was Sir William Gascoigne, 
 mindful of the majesty of the laws, and the supreme dignity 
 which he represented, immediately committed the prince to 
 prison. Young Henry, conscious of the insult which he had offer- 
 ed to the crown and to public justice, readily submitted, and 
 quietly suffered himself to be conducted to jail by the officers. 
 
 When this transaction was reported to the King, he exclaimed, 
 in a transport of joy : " Happy is the King who has a magistrate 
 aidowed with courage to execute the lav.s on such an offender ; 
 and still more happy in having a son willing to submit to such 
 chastisement !" 
 
 Henry IV. expired at Winchester, in the forty-sixth year of 
 his age, and the thuteenth of his reign. He had been twice 
 married : first to Mary of Bohun, daughter and co-heiress of 
 the Earl of Hereford, by v. horn he had four sons : Henry, his 
 successor on the throne; Thomas, Duke of Clarence; John, 
 Duke of Bedford; and Humphrej', Duke of Gloucester; also 
 tvv-o daughters, Blanche and Philippa. His second wife was 
 Jane, daughter of the King of Navarre, and widow of the 
 Duke of Brittany : by her he left no posterity.
 
 160 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XVII. 
 Henby the Fifth. 
 
 Fig. 1. — LoBJJ COBHAM. 
 
 The date " 1413" over the rebellious standard, is that of an 
 insurrection of the Lollards, which Lord Cobham was alleged 
 by his enemies to have excited; the date 1417 refers to his 
 execution, the manner of v.hich is denoted by the gibbet and 
 fire. The cross in his right hand indicates that he suffered in 
 the cause of religion. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Invasion of France. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Battle of Agincourt. 
 The battle is indicated by the cross swords in the centre ; the 
 result of it, by the French standard reversed. The English 
 standard is waving over it in triumph. 
 
 Fig. 4. — The Treaty of Thoye. 
 The union of the crowns of England and France, which, by 
 , the terms of the treaty of Troye, was designed to take place in 
 ;the line of Henry V., is indicated by the joined hands, sur- 
 irounded by a circle of oak leaves and fleur-de-lis. ^ 
 
 Fig. 5. — Henry espousing Catharine of France. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Death of Henry the Fifth,
 
 PLATE XVII. 
 
 [Page IGO. 
 
 tit 
 
 1413 
 
 1415 j 
 
 14il7 
 
 ^.^^ 
 
 
 ^==^^^^^^^ 
 
 1 I 141& I 
 
 1415 i 
 
 14^2 I
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 161 
 
 HENRY THE FIFTH. 
 Henry V. was rather above the middle size, well made, and 
 remarkably handsome. He excelled in all warlike exercises. 
 His hardy constitution, or heroic spirit, rendered him more 
 patient of labour, cold, hunger, and fatigue, than any indi- 
 vidual of his army. His abilities were erament both in the 
 cabinet and in the field. He had the talent of attaching his 
 friends by native courtesy, and of gaining his enemies by 
 address and clemcncj'. When he had abjured the transient 
 contamination of low and dissolute connexions, his manners 
 became correct and elegant. He was chaste, temperate, modest, 
 and devout ; just in administering the laws, and exact in mili- 
 tary discipline. The persecution which he suffered the Clergy 
 to inflict upon the Lollards is to be ascribed rather to the 
 alarm of a statesman at the prosi)ect of a fundamental change 
 in ecclesiastical institutions, or to the misguided faith of a 
 higot, than to a willing renunciation of the virtue of clemency, 
 the best attribute of kings. His magnanimity is attested by 
 the friendship which he cultivated with the Earl of Marche, and 
 by munerous other amiable examples of reconciliation and con- 
 fidoice. Immediately on his accession to tlie throne, he 
 entered upon a reformed course of life ; and, calling together 
 his former companions, exhorted them to imitate his example ; 
 but strictly prohibited tliem from appearing again in his pre- 
 aenoe, until they had given proofs of entire amendment ; after 
 which he dismissed them with liberal presents. The wise 
 ministers of his father, who had checked his riotous behaviour, 
 met from the new sovereign only confidence and kindness 
 Tlie chief-justice, Gascoigne, who trembled to approach the 
 Royal presence, received tlie highest praise from the noble- 
 minded Henry, who exhorted the illustrious Judge to persevere 
 in a rigorous and impartial execution of the laws. He was 
 anxious not only to repair his own misconduct, but also to 
 make amends for the iniquities of his father ; he expressed the
 
 162 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 greatest sorrow for the fate of the unhappy Richard, made 
 just acknowledgments to his memory, and performed his 
 funeral obsequies with great pomp and splendour. He even 
 cherished all those who had distinguished themselves by steady 
 loyalty and attachment to their unhappy sovereign. He re» 
 ceived the young Earl of Marche, whose undoubted title 
 constituted him a vktual competitor for the crown, with dis- 
 tinguished kindness ; and that young nobleman becarae one of 
 his firmest adherents. The King, as though ambitious to bury 
 in oblinon all party distinctions, restored the family of Percy 
 to its estates and honoiu-s. He opened to virtue an unre- 
 strained field for exertion ; all men became unanimous in their 
 attachment to him ; and the defects of his title were overlooked 
 amidst the personal esteem which he universally attracted. 
 
 LORD COBHAM. 
 
 SiK John Oldcastle, Baron of Cobham, was the most con- 
 siderable of the Wickliffites, or Lollards ; and, as such, was 
 become extremely obnoxious to the Clerg}', who, to strike 
 dismay into the new sect, determmed upon making an example 
 of tlieir chief. Henry highly esteemed this nobleman on 
 account of his valour and military talents, which had gi^eatly 
 contiTbuted to the establishment of the Lancastrian dynasty : 
 before he would sanction any persecution against him, he 
 endeavoured by arguments, in a personal conference, to induce 
 Lord Cobham to recant his opinions, that he might reconcile 
 him to the Catholic faith : but, finding his principles not to 
 be shaken, Henry withdrew all the interference of personal 
 regard, and allowed the ecclesiastical court to proceed against 
 him with the utmost rigour. Cobham was quickly indicted 
 by Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, and condemned to the 
 flames for his erroneous opinions : but he contrived to escape 
 from his prison, the Tower, before the day appointed for his
 
 HISTOBY OF ENGLAND. 163 
 
 execution. With respect to his subsequent conduct, such 
 opposite relations have been handed down to us, that it is 
 difficult to discriminate between them, or to assign the respeo 
 tive degrees in which they deserve credit. One party venerate 
 him as the Good Lord Cobham, and as the first martyr among 
 riie English nobihty. Another class of writers represent him jbs 
 the secret mover of an insiu"rection of the Lollards ; and from 
 them the following narrative is derived, which is suspected to 
 be overcoloured by the Catholic historians of the time^ 
 Stimulated by zeal, and incensed by persecution, this noble- 
 man, after his flight, was induced to attempt the most ciiminal 
 entei'prizes. He dispatched emissaries to all quarters, appoint- 
 ing a general rendezvous of the Lollard party, in order to 
 seize the King at Eltham, and to put their persecutors to the 
 sword. Henry, apprized of the plot, removed to Westminster. 
 Lord Cobham, not disconcerted, made a corresponding change 
 in tlie rendezvous for the insurgents ; instructing them to meet 
 in St. Giles's Fields, a tract which was at that time an open 
 heath. The King, whose intelligence anticipated their intended 
 movements, on the evening before shut the gates of the city, 
 posting guards at all the avenues, to prevent any reinforce- 
 ment to the Lollards from that part ; he then entered the field 
 in tlie night-time, seized such of the conspirators as appeared, 
 and afterwards intercepted the several parties who were hasten- 
 ing to the place appointed. Many were slain, and the rest 
 taken. Some of the prisoners were executed, but the greater 
 number were pardoned. Cobham eluded pursuit ; and was not 
 taken till four years afterwards, when he was hanged as a 
 traitor, and his body burned on the gibbet, in execution of the 
 sentence pronounced against him as a heretic.
 
 .164 HISTORY OF ENGLAN'D. 
 
 INVASION OF FRANCE. 
 It was the dying injunctioa of the late King to his son, 
 not to allow the English to remain long in peace, but to 
 employ them in foreign expeditions ; in order that the nobility, 
 by sharing his dangers, might become attached to his person ; 
 whUe all the restless spu-its would find occupation. This 
 advice was well suited to the natural disposition of Henrj'; 
 and he eagerly prepared to take advantage of the internal state 
 of France, which had been brought almost to the brink of 
 ruin by the contending factions of the Armagnacs and Bur- 
 gundians. 
 
 Charles VI. of France, being incapable of governing his 
 dominions, on account of a periodical frenzy to which he was 
 subject, the administration of affairs was disputed between his 
 brother, Lewis, Duke of Orleans, and his cousm-german, John, 
 Duke of Burgundy. The people were divided between the 
 two contending parties. At length, by the interposition of 
 common friends, the rival Piinces agreed to bury all past 
 animosities in oblivion, and to enter into a partnership of 
 views as to national measures. The most solemn protestations 
 of sincere amity were made, and the holy sacrament was 
 received by them in conjunction : they swore before the altar 
 to the sincerity of their friendship ; and all the sacred pledges 
 which bind man to man were interchanged. But tliis solemn 
 prelude was only a mantle for the blackest treacliery on the 
 part of the Duke of Burgund}-, who caused his rival to be 
 assassinated in the streets of Paris ! Tliis atrocious infraction 
 of every principle of compact entailed a civil war between the 
 partisans of the Duke of Orleans, who were called Armagnaca, 
 and tlieir opponents tlie Burgundians. The city of Paris was e 
 perpetual scene of violence and bloodshed ; and the whole 
 kingdom exhibited the eficcts of distrust, revenge, and anarchy ; 
 assassinations, open robberies, and illegal public executions. 
 The King and Royal family were often detained captives in the
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 165 
 
 hands of the populace ; and their most faithful ministers were 
 imprisoned with them, or butchered in their presence. 
 
 The advantage which this wreck of government in France 
 offered to the arms of England was perceived at the Court of 
 Henry ; and it was determined to embrace the favourable 
 opportunity. To agitate discussions between the two couq- 
 tries, the King sent over ambassadors to Paris, with offers of 
 I>erpetual peace and amity; but demanding in marriage 
 Catharine, the French King's daughter, with two millions of 
 crowns as her portion ; claiming, also, one million six hundred 
 thousand crowns as the arrears of King John's ransom ; aiul 
 requiring the immediate possession, in full sovereignty, of Nor- 
 mandy, and all the other provinces which had been ravished 
 from England by the arms of Philip Augustus. Tliese terms 
 Henry well knew were too exorbitant to be complied with ; he 
 therefore hastened his preparations for war, and assembled a 
 large army, and a numerous fleet at Southampton, whence he 
 proposed to embark on his expedition. 
 
 But while he was meditating foreign conquests, he unexpect- 
 edly found himself in danger from a conspiracy at home. The 
 Earl of Cambridge, second son to the late Duke of York, who 
 had espoused the sister of the Earl of Marche, had, in secret 
 meetings with Lord Scrope of Masham, and Sir Thomas Grey, 
 began to confer about the means of recovering to the Earl of 
 Marche his right to the crown. The conspirators, as soon as 
 detected, acknowledged their guilt, and received sentence of 
 death ; which was soon after executed. The Earl of Marclie, 
 simply accused of having given his approbation to the conspiracy, 
 received a general pardon from the King. 
 
 On the 14th of August, 1415, Henry put to sea, and landed 
 at Harfleur, at the head of six thousand men at arms, and 
 twenty-four thousand foot, mostly archers. He immediately 
 invested that place; which, after an obstinate defence, sur-
 
 165 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 rendered to him in September : but the fatigues of the siege, and 
 the unusual heat of the season, had so diminished his army, 
 that he began to think of returning to England. His transports 
 had been dismissed, because they could not anchor in an open 
 road upon the enemy's coast ; and he was therefore under the 
 necessity of marching by land to Calais, before he could rearh 
 a place of safety. The French had by this time assembled a 
 force in Normandy, under the command of the Constable, 
 D'Albret, consisting of fourteen thousand men at arms, and 
 forty thousand foot. As this army was ready to intercept him, 
 Henry offered to sacrifice his conquest of Harfleur for a safe 
 conduct to Calais. Ptejecting this proposal, the enemy stationed 
 themselves to dispute v.ith him the ford of Blanquetague : but 
 the English leader was so fortunate as to seize, by surprise, a 
 passage weakly guarded near St. Quintin, and passed his army 
 over in safety. 
 
 BATTLE OF AGINCOURT. 
 Henry, having successfully crossed the Somrae, contmued 
 his march towards Calais, exposed to imminent danger from 
 the enemy; for while their flying parties harassed his flanks, 
 their main body crossed the Somme, lower down, so as to 
 intercept his retreat. After passing the little river of Ternois, 
 at Blangi, Henry was surprised to observe, from the heights, 
 the v.hole French army drawn up on the plains of Agincourt, 
 and so posted that it was impossible for him to proceed without 
 coming to an engagement. Nothing could appear more unequal 
 than the impending battle. The number of English combatants 
 did not exceed twelve thousand, and even those were much 
 enfeebled by sickness and fatigue : the enemy were four times 
 as numerous, led on by the Dauphin and all tlie princes of the 
 blood, and had to depend on supplies of provisions. Henry's
 
 HISTORY or INGLAKD. 16/ 
 
 situation was precisely similar to that of Edward at Cross}-, and 
 that of the Black Prince at Poictiers ; and the memory of those 
 "reat victories inspired the English with the hope of extricating 
 themselves in as triumphant a manner. Henry drew up his 
 army on a narrow ground between two woods, and expected 
 the attack of the enemy. On the part of the French, the want 
 of circumspect generalship, the impetuous valour of the nobility, 
 and the vain confidence in superior numbers which flushed the 
 troops, precipitated them into an immediate action, instead of 
 waiting till the want of provisions had compelled the advance 
 of the intercepted army. The French archers on horseback, 
 and their men at arms, in crowded ranks, attacked the English 
 archers, who, standing in safety behind a line of palisades, 
 discharged an irresistible shower of arrows on the assailants. 
 The clayey soil, moistened by rain, was an additional obstacle 
 to the French cavalr}-. The wounded men and horses disturbed 
 their ranks: the narrow ground prevented them from reco- 
 vering order : their whole army was a scene of confusion and 
 dismay. Henry seizing the moment of victory, ordered the 
 English archers to advance upon the enemy. With their battie- 
 axes they hewed in pieces the French, incapable of flying or of 
 making resistance. Seconding this impression, the men at arms 
 pushed on, and covered the field with the killed, wounded, 
 and dismounted of the enemy. After all appearance of oppo- 
 sition had ceased, the English had leisure to make prisoners ; 
 advancing, with uninterrupted success, into the open plain: 
 but there they saw the remains of the French rear-guard, which 
 still maintained the aspect of a line of battle. At the sanK 
 moment they heard an alarm from behind : some gentlemen of 
 Picardy, at the head of six hundred peasants, had fallen upon 
 the English baggage, and were doing execution on the unarmed 
 camp followers, who fled before them. Henry, seeing the 
 enemy on all sides, began to entertain apprehensions of his
 
 168 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 prisoners, and issued orders to put them to death ; but soon 
 discovering the true circumstances, he stopped the slaughter, 
 and was still able to save a great number. 
 
 No battle was ever more fatal to France, from the number 
 of princes and nobility slain or taken captive. It is computed 
 that ten thousand French combatants fell, of whom eight thou- 
 sand were gentlemen. Henry was master of fourteen thousand 
 prisoners. The only person of note, slain on the side of the 
 English, was the Duke of York, who fell fighting by the King's 
 side. The whole loss of the English, according to accounts 
 transmitted to us, did not exceed forty men. Henry continued 
 his march to Calais, and from thence passed over to England, 
 carrying his prisoners with him. He there concluded a truce 
 with the enemy ; and it was not till after two years that the 
 English again appeared in France. 
 
 THE TREATY OF TROYE. 
 
 The disturbances in France, which had first encouraged the 
 invasion of the English, still continuing, Henry, upon the 
 expiration of the truce, conducted thither a new expedition. 
 On the 1st of August, 1419, he landed in Normandy, at the 
 head of twenty-five thousand men. He speedily reduced Falaise, 
 Evreux, and Caen ; he then formed the siege of Rouen, which 
 dty submitted after a long and obstinate defence ; he also made 
 himself master of Pontoise and Gisors ; and the French court, 
 alarmed for its safety, removed from Paris to Troje. Henry, 
 during the successful progress of his arms, continued to nego- 
 ciate. As the conditions of peace, he expressly offered — to 
 espouse the princess Catharine ; and to accept all the provinces 
 ceded to Edward III., with the addition of Normandy in full 
 sovereignty. These terms were submitted to by the French 
 Queen and the Duke of Burgundy : but whilst arrangements
 
 HISTORY OF KNGLAND. i® 
 
 were making for finally adjusting the treaty, a convention wa« 
 entered into between the Dauphin and the Duke of Burgundy, 
 by which they agreed to share the royal authority during the 
 lifetime of King Charles, and to unite their arms in order to 
 expel foreign enemies. This at first seemed to threaten the 
 total overthrow of Henry's schemes. The two princes agreed 
 to an interview, in order to concert measures for attacking the 
 English ; but the assassination of the late Duke of Orleans, 
 perpetrated by the Duke of Burgundy, and his open avowal of 
 it, had impressed the minds of men with so much distrust, that 
 each party was suspicious of the intentions of the other. Tl>e 
 place of meeting was the bridge at Montereau, the avenues of 
 which were strictly guarded ; all the persons permitted to enter 
 were the two princes, each with ten adherents : but all these 
 precautions were vain ; the friends of the Dauphin had no 
 sooner passed the barrier than they drew their swords, and 
 attacked and slew the Duke of Burgundy, whose friends either 
 shared his fate or were made prisoners. This unexpected event 
 changed the aspect of affairs. The city of Paris, passionately 
 devoted to the family of Burgundy, broke out into the highest 
 fiuy against the Dauphin, The court of King Charles, from 
 interest, entered into the same views ; and the Queen persisted 
 in her unnatural animosity against her son. But, above all, 
 Philip Count of Charolois, now Duke of Burgundy, thought 
 himself bound by every tie to avenge the death of his father ; 
 and in this general transport of rage, eveiy consideration of 
 national interest was lost sight of by all parties. A league was 
 concluded between Henry and the Duke of Burgundy, at Troye. 
 The principal articles of this famous treaty were : That Henry 
 should marry the Princess Catharine of France : That he should 
 be acknowledged heir of that monarchy, and be entrusted with 
 the present administration of the government : That that king- 
 dom should pass to his heirs general : That France and England 
 should be for ever united under one king : That all the people 
 
 I
 
 170 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 of France should swear, both to acknowledge the future suc- 
 cession of Henry in France, and to pay him present obedience 
 as Regent. 
 
 HENRY ESPOUSING CATHARINE OF FRANCE. 
 In a few days after the conclusion of the Treaty of Trove, 
 Henry espoused the Princess Catharine : by this alliance he 
 gained the support of the Queen, and the Duke of Burgundy, 
 with the tranquil administration of the centre of the French 
 territory, comprizing those provinces which had neither been 
 conquered by the English, nor thrown by the vicissitudes of a 
 dvil war into the hands of the Dauphin. He carried his father- 
 in-law, Chai'les VI., with him to Paris, and obtained a ratifica- 
 tion of the alliance from the parliament and three estates. He 
 then immediately turned his arms against the adherents of the 
 Dauphin ; who, as soon as he heard of the Treaty of Troye, 
 had assumed the style and authority of Regent, appealing to 
 God and his sword for the maintenance of his right. Henry 
 subdued Sens after a slight resistance ; and with the same faci- 
 lity he reduced Montereau. The defence of Melun was more 
 obstinate ; and after four months' siege it capitulated only 
 through famine. Circumstances now diverted him from the 
 prosecution of the war in person. 
 
 DEATH OF HENRY THE FIFTH. 
 The necessity of providing supplies, both of men and money, 
 obliged Henry to go over to England : he therefore left his 
 uncle, the Duke of Exeter, governor of Paris during his ab- 
 sence. The detention of the young King of Scotland in the 
 English court had hitherto proved advantageous to Henry ; 
 and by keeping the Regent of Scotland in awe, had preserved, 
 during the whole of the French war, the northern frontier in 
 tranquillity. But when intelligence arrived in Scotland of
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. I7l 
 
 Henry's intended succession to the crown of France, that 
 nation became alarmed, foreseeing their own inevitable fall, 
 if the subjection of their ally left them to combat alone a 
 victorious enemy, who was already so greatly their superior in 
 power and riches. The Regent therefore, though he de- 
 clined an open rupture \vith England, yet permitted a body of 
 7,000 Scots, under the command of the Earl of Buchan, to be 
 transported into France for the service of the Dauphin, by 
 whom they were employed to oppose the progress of the Duke 
 of Clarence in Anjou. 
 
 The two armies met at Bauge i the English were defeated, 
 the Duke himself slain, and the Earls of Somerset, Dorset, and 
 Huntingdon were taken prisoners. This was the first action 
 that interrupted the tide of success against the English. But 
 the arrival of Henry from England, with a new army of 
 24,000 archers and 4,000 horsemen, soon repaired this loss. 
 He was received at Paris with every demonstration of joy. 
 He immediately obliged the Dauphin to raise the siege of 
 Chartres ; and that Prince, after the fall of Meaux, was chased 
 beyond the Loire, and forced to abandon the northern pro- 
 vinces : he was even pursued into the south, by the united 
 arms of the English and Burgundians, and threatened with 
 total expulsion. 
 
 The birth of a son, who was called by his father's name, 
 seemed to crown all the prosperity of Henry ; and this aus- 
 picious event was celebrated by rejoicings no less pompous and 
 sincere at Paris than at London. But the glory and prospe- 
 rity of Henry was suddenly arrested by the hand of death. He 
 was seized with a fistula, a disorder which the medical men 
 of that age had not skill to cure. Sensible that his end was 
 approaching, he sent for his brother, the Duke of Bedford, to 
 whom he committed the regency of France ; that of England 
 he gave to his younger brother, the Duke of Gloucester ; and 
 
 I 2
 
 172 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 the care of his son's person to the Earl of Warwick ; and 
 intreated them to continue towards his infant son the same 
 fidelity and attachment which they had always manifested 
 towards himself during his lifetime. 
 
 Henry expired in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the 
 tenth of his reign. Catharine his widow married, soon after 
 his death, a Welch gentleman, Sir Owen Tudor, said to be 
 descended from the antient princes of that country. The 
 family of Tudor, first raised to distinction by this alliance, 
 afterwards ascended the throne of England.
 
 Page 173.] 
 
 PLATE XVIII. 
 
 
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 HISTORY OP ENGT,ANI>. 173 
 
 PLATE XVIII. 
 
 Henry the Sixth, 
 
 Fig, 1. — Marriage of James of Scotland with the Duke 
 OF Somerset's Daughter. 
 James is represented trampling on a chain, tiie emblem of 
 captivity. One hand points to the letter E, intimating that he 
 would be faithful to England, according to the marriage treaty ; 
 and the other is united with that of Joanna, daughter of the 
 Duke of Somerset. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Joan of Arc introduced to the Dauphin. 
 Joan is distinguished by a helmet, in allusion to her mihtaiy 
 exploits. 
 
 Fig. 3. — The Death of Joan of Arc. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Death of the Duke of Gloucester. 
 The book is a symbolical memorial of his having established 
 the first public library in England, 
 
 Fig. 5. — The English expelled France. 
 The standard of England is represented as fallen in France : 
 indicating the total decline of the English power in that 
 kingdom. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Murder of the Duke of Suffolk. 
 
 Fig. 7. — Insurrection of Jack Cade. 
 
 Fig. 8. — The Duke of York claiming the Crown. 
 The assertion of the Duke's title is expressed by his placing 
 the white rose over the crown, as representative of the house 
 of York. 
 
 Fig. 9. — Edward the Fourth assumes the Crown. 
 
 I 3
 
 174 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 HENRY THE SIXTH. 
 Henry the Sixth, while yet an infant in the cradle, was pro- 
 claimed King both of France and England ; and had be been 
 conscious of the then fortunate state of public aifairs, might 
 reasonably have entertained the most splendid prospects. The 
 Parliament, whose authority seems to have been more con- 
 firmed under the Lancastrian princes than at any former period, 
 appointed the Duke of Bedford Protector of England ; but on 
 account of his absence in France, over which kingdom he had 
 the authority of Regent, they conferred on the Duke of Glou- 
 cester the administration of the domestic government. The 
 education of the young King was committed to the Bishop 
 of Winchester, the legitimated son of John of Gaunt Duke of 
 Lancaster. A long minority encouraged the Lords and Com- 
 mons to extend their influence : and as the King, when he 
 grew up, was found destitute of tlie great abilities which had 
 distinguished the character and secured the power of his im- 
 mediate predecessors, discontent, faction, and rebellion, arose 
 in the bosom of the State. The title of Henry to the crown 
 was disputed : and his long reign was little else than a continued 
 scene of treachery, cruelty, rapine, and bloodshed ; although 
 he was himself distinguished for piety, compassion, and inoffen- 
 sive manners. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF JAMES OF SCOTLAND WITH THE 
 DUKE OF SOMERSET'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 Bedford, the Protector, was the most accomplished prince 
 of his time ; and his experience, prudence, valour, and gene- 
 rosity, eminently qualified him for the high station to which he 
 had attained. The whole power of England was at his com- 
 mand ; he was at the head of armies accustomed to victory, 
 and was seconded by the most renowned generals of the age. 
 In addition to Guienne, the ancient inheritance of England, he
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 175 
 
 was master of the capital of France, and of almost all the 
 northern provinces, which were well able to furnish him with 
 supplies both of men and money. Charles of France, though 
 only in his twentieth year, and involved in circumstances of 
 difficulty and adversity, was a prince not to be lightly estimated 
 by an enemy. His amiable manners had endeared him to his 
 subjects and followers; and a sound understanding qualified 
 him to employ with advantage sudi resources as remained to 
 him. Though his virtues lay for some time in obscurity, yet the 
 Duke o£ Bedford knew tliat his title alone would make him 
 formidable, and that every foreign assistance would be neces- 
 sary before an English Regent could hope to complete the 
 conquest of France. Bedford therefore formed alliances with 
 tJieDukes of Burgundy, Brittany, and Richemont; and, to secure 
 the neutralit}' of the Scots, who were ever ready to unite with 
 the French against England, Bedford persuaded the English 
 Council to release James the young King of Scotland, and to 
 connect him with England by man-ying him to the daughter of 
 the Earl of Somerset, cousin to the young King, Henry VI. 
 James had long been a prisoner in England ; for being wrecked 
 on the British coast, whilst in his way to France, whither he 
 was going for his education, Henry IV. unjustly detained him ; 
 and he had ever since remained in capti\aty. Both the King 
 ajid the Scottish Regent embraced the ovei'tures of the English 
 Court. James accepted Joanna in marriage, and engaged by 
 treaty not to assist France iii the war with England. He was 
 then restored to the throne of his ancestors, under a stipulation 
 to pay £40,000 for his ransom. During his lifetime there was 
 no rea^n to complain of any breach of the neutrality of 
 Scotland. 
 
 — o — 
 
 JOAN OF ARC INTRODUCED TO THE DAUPHIN. 
 
 The constant successes of the English, under the conduct of 
 the Duke of Bedford, had reduced that part of France under 
 
 I 4
 
 176 HISTORY OF ENftLA^JD. 
 
 Charles to a state the most deplorable. The flower of his 
 army had been lost; the bravest of his nobles had fallen in 
 various combats with the enemy j his towns and fortresses had 
 surrendered for want of supplies ; and he had no resources for 
 recruiting his army, being destitute of money to keep his own 
 toble regularly supplied with even the plainest viands. 
 
 The city of Orleans, being situated between the provinces 
 eommanded by Henry and those that still remained to Charles, 
 the possession of it became an object of importance. The Earl 
 of Salisbury, a man of distinguished abilities, was appointed to 
 command an army destined to act against that city. The 
 French used every eifort to save it, and supplied it with a 
 garrison of choice troops. Salisbury was killed by a cannon- 
 ball at the very beginning of the siege: the command then 
 devolved upon the Earl of Suifolk ; who, being reinforced with 
 great numbers of English and Burgundians, carried on the siege 
 with great vigour.. Various skii'mishes took place between the 
 contending parties, under the walls, and the city continued 
 from day to day to be more closely invested. Charles, in 
 despair, gave it up for lost, and began to think of retiring, with 
 the remainder of his forces, into Languedoc and Dauphiny; 
 but from this he was deterred by the spirited counsels of his 
 Queen, Mary of Anjou, and his favourite, Agnes Sorrel. At 
 this critical juncture, too, appeared the Maid of Orleans ; who,, 
 by her religious enthusiasm and military valour, raised the- 
 depressed spirits of his soldiers, induced them once more to 
 rally round their Prince, and fight for their liberty and their 
 country. Joan of Arc was servant at a small inn in the vUlage 
 of Domremi, near Vaucouleurs : she was at this time twenty* 
 seven years of age ; and having been accustomed to a life of 
 hardship and drudgery, had acquired strength to endure the 
 fatigues of war. The siege of Orleans was the subject of every 
 conversation ; and the distressed situation of the young King, 
 *'ho had been expelled his throne by the sedition of his native
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 177 
 
 subjects and by the arms of strangers, naturally excited the 
 pity and compassion of all those whose bosoms glowed with 
 patriotic ardour. Joan, animated by the general sentiment, 
 lonsred to become the aveno;cr of her country's wrongs ; and 
 this wild desire occupying her mind day and night, she at last 
 fancied herself inspired, and destined by Heaven to expel the 
 foreign invaders, and restore her sovereign to the throne of his 
 ancestors. She applied to Baudricourt, the governor of Vau- 
 couleurs, who treated her at first with contempt : but her im- 
 portunate solicitations at length prevailed ; and he conducted 
 her to the French court, which was at that time held at 
 Chinon. It is pretended that Joan knew the King immediately 
 on being admitted into his presence, although she had never 
 seen him before, and though he had purposely laid aside the 
 ensigns of royalty. She promised him, in the name of the 
 Most High, to raise the siege of Orleans, and to conduct him 
 to Rheims to be anointed and crowned. On the King's ex- 
 pressing some doubts of her mission, it is said she revealed to 
 him, before sworn confidants, a secret that was known only to 
 himself, and which must have been communicated to her by 
 Divine inspiration. She demanded, as the instrument of her 
 future victories, a particular sword, which she described, and 
 which had long lain neglected in the church of Saint Catharine 
 of Fierbois. An account of these transactions, with all their 
 miraculous accompaniments, was circulated among the crowd, 
 who were fully persuaded that Heaven had now declared in 
 favour of France ! The maid was ai-med cap-a-pie, mounted 
 on horseback, and shewn in that martial habiliment to the 
 people. A large convoy for the supply of Orleans had been 
 prepared at Blois, with an army of 10,000 men, under the 
 command of St. Severe, to escort it. Joan, who carried a 
 consecrated standard, was sent to attend this convoy, which 
 safely reached the bank of the river before Orleans : whence it 
 
 I 5
 
 17$ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 was conveyed to the city in boats, Joan covering the em- 
 barkation with her troops, while the besiegers quietly looked 
 on. The English had previously affected to deride her mission, 
 and to despise her menaces of vengeance unless they should 
 vacate France; yet now Suffolk, their commander, did not 
 venture to attack her. Joan was received with triumph by 
 her countrymen, and considered as their guardian angel. She 
 carried a second convoy between the redoubts of the English 
 without interruption, and effectually relieved the town. The 
 siege of Orleans was raised ; and the greatest part of the be- 
 sieging forces, overtaken in then* retreat, were killed or taken 
 prisoners. One part of the maid's promise being amply ful- 
 filled, Charles put himself at the head of 12,000 men, and, in 
 conformity with the vehement exhortations of his warlike 
 prophetess, set out for Rheims, the road to which was com- 
 manded by strong garrisons in the hands of the enemy. Trove 
 and Chalons opened their gates to him, A deputation met 
 him with the keys of Rheims ; in which city, according to the 
 prediction of Joan, who stood at his side in complete armour, 
 displaying her consecrated banner, the ceremony of his corona- 
 tion was performed. 
 
 THE DEATH OF JOAN OF ARC. 
 Joan, after the coronation of Charles, was desirous of 
 returning to her former station, but was prevailed on by the 
 Count of Dunois to throw herself into the town of Compeigne. 
 In a sally which she made the next day, after twice driving the 
 enemy from their entrenchments, she was at length so hard 
 pressed by superior numbers that she ordered a retreat : va- 
 liantly fighting her way back, she was taken prisoner ; being 
 deserted by her friends, who shut the gates against her. The 
 common opinion was, that the French officers, from envy of
 
 HISTORY OF ENGtAND. 
 
 179 
 
 her renown, willingly exposed her to this calamity. She was 
 taken by the Burgundians, whose commander, John of Luxem- 
 bourg, sold his captive to the Duke of Bedford. 
 
 The Regent for England, either from revenge or barbarous 
 policy, had her arraigned for witchcraft. In vain she displayed 
 the most heroic intrepidity, modesty, and simplicity ; her judges 
 were determined to find her guilty, and she was accordingly 
 condemned for sorcery, impiety, idolatry, and magic. This 
 patriotic heroine fell a martyr to the ignorance and superstition 
 of the age : she was condemned to the flames, and suffered in 
 the market-place of Rouen. By this iniquitous act, Bedford 
 tarnished tlie lustre of his fame, and blasted those laurels which 
 ho had previously acquired. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 /ri^c/icrq/?.— Supernatural power, alleged to have been obtained by 
 unlawful agency witli e\i\ spirits. The belief in witchcraft was at 
 this time very general, but tlie diffusion of knowledge has now almost 
 exploded this superstitious folly. 
 
 DEATH OF THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER. 
 Jaqueline, Countess of Hainault and Holland, having from 
 political motives married John Duke of Brabant, cousin-german 
 to the Duke of Burgundy, soon conceived an insurmountable 
 aversion for a prince who was not only her junior in years, but 
 a man of very weak intellect. She therefore applied to the 
 Pope for the dissolution of her marriage ; and fearing the 
 opjjosition of her relations, escaped into England in 1424, and 
 threw herself on the protection of the Duke of Gloucester ; 
 who, fascinated by the charms of her person, and attracted by 
 her ricli inheritance, entered into a contract to marry her, 
 without waiting for a papal dispensation ; and immediately 
 attempted to take possession of her dominions. This greatly 
 
 I 6
 
 ISO 
 
 HISTORY OF tXGLAXD. 
 
 ofieiuled the Duke of Burgiiiuly, who resolved to support his 
 kinsman. Bedford saw all the bad consequences of this im- 
 prudent quarrel, and endeavoured, but without success, to 
 effect an accommodation. 
 
 At length a Bull was issued by the Pope, confirming the 
 marriage of Jaqueline with the Duke of Brabant, and annulling 
 the contract with Gloucester, who in despair married another 
 lady of inferior rank. On the death of her husband, Jaqueline 
 was obliged to declare Philip of Burgundy her heir, before she 
 could i-egain her power. Though this afi'air was at length 
 terminated to the satisfaction of Philip, yet it gave rise to an 
 extreme jealousy of his English allies, and induced him shortly 
 after to abandon them. About the same time the Duke of 
 Brittany also withdrew his alliance ; and the affairs of the 
 English in France continuing to decline, a truce for twenty -two 
 months was agreed upon in 1443. 
 
 The Cardinal Bishop of Winchester, preceptor to the young 
 King, was a prelate of great capacity and experience, but of an 
 intriguing jind dangerous character; heading a faction con- 
 stantly opposed to the Duke of Gloucester, the administrator 
 of government in England. His pupil being now in his twenty- 
 third year, it was judged proper that ho should marry. The 
 Duke of Gloucester proposed a daughter of the Count of 
 Armagnac, but had not sufficient influence to obtain the sanc- 
 tion of the necessary authorities : his opponent, the Cardinal, 
 who selected another princess, triumphed in the council ; and 
 a marriage was negotiated for Henry with Margaret of Anjou. 
 She brought her husband no accession either of riches or 
 power; but she v/as a woman of great personal and mental 
 accomplishments, of a masculine and courageous spirit, and 
 of an understanding as solid as it was brilliant. The Earl of 
 Suffolk, who had conducted the treaty for the marriage, as a 
 re-.vard for his services, was created first a marquis, and then a 
 f'i;ke. The new Queen attached herself to the Cardinal's
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 181 
 
 party; and the Dukes of Somerset, Suffolk, and Buckingham, 
 emboldened by her powerful patronage, resolved on the final 
 ruin of Gloucester. This generous prince, who was greatly 
 beloved b}' the people, and whose open temper was little suited 
 to court intrigues, had endured many mortifications from the 
 opposite party, without violating the public peace. His du- 
 chess, the daughter of Reginald Lord Cobham, had been 
 accused of witchcraft, condemned to do public penance, and 
 to suffer perpetual imprisonment. The injury inflicted by this 
 malicious proceeding did but increase the love of the people 
 for Gloucester ; which determined the Cardinal of Winchester 
 to destroy a man whose popularity might become dangerous. 
 A parliament was therefore summoned at St. Edmondsbury. 
 As soon as Gloucester appeared there, he was accused of 
 treason and thrown into prison. He was soon after found 
 dead in his bed ; and though it was pretended that his death 
 was natural, no doubt was entertained of his having fallen a 
 victim to the vengeance of his enemies. This prince is said to 
 have received a better education than was usual in those times, 
 to have been a great patron of learned men, and to have 
 founded one of the first public libraries in England. 
 
 THE ENGLISH EXPELLED FRANCE. 
 By a secret article in the treaty for the marriage of Mar- 
 garet, Suffolk had promised that the province of Maine should 
 be ceded to Charles of Anjou, the Queen's uncle. This en- 
 gagement had not been divulged till the death of Gloucester : 
 but the court of France now strenuously insisted on its per- 
 formance ; and orders were accordingly dispatched under 
 Henry's hand, commanding the governor of Mons to surrender 
 that city to Charles of Anjou. No place being appointed to 
 receive the garrison after they had vacated the territory 
 belonging to Maine, for subsistence they overran Brittany,
 
 182 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 which they plundered. Tlie Duke of Brittany complained to 
 Charles as his liege lord : and Charles remonstrated with the 
 Duke of Somerset, the English governor of Brittany; who 
 replied, that the injury had been done without his knowledge, 
 and that he had no authority over the marauders. Charles, 
 sensible of his present superiority, made preparations for re- 
 newing the war as soon as the present truce should be expired. 
 England during this time was sgitated with contending fac- 
 tions : the people were dissatisfied with the government at 
 home, and had become tired of conquests which, however bril- 
 liant, seemed to add nothing to the real strength and welfare of 
 the kingdom. Charles recommenced hostilities in 1449; and 
 Somerset, being unsupported by the government at home, was 
 obliged to surrender the castle of Rouen. He purchased a 
 retreat to Harfleur by paying 50,000 crowns, and by the cession 
 of all tiie places in Upper Normandy. The entire conquest of 
 this province was completed by Charles in one year. The 
 same rapid success attended the French arms in Guienne; 
 which was now finally incorporated with the French monarchy, 
 after having been united to England ever since the time of 
 Henry II. Thus terminated those fatal wars, originating solely 
 in ambition, which had cost both countries so much blood and 
 treasure ; and which brought upon the English, who were the 
 aggressors, the loss of the whole of their previous possessions 
 in France ; while no trace remained of the mighty victories 
 whicli they had gained on the plains of Cressy, Poictiers, and 
 Agincourt, but empty fame ! 
 
 MURDER OF THE DUKE OF SUFFOLK. 
 
 Henry's prime minister, the Duke of Suffolk, was generally 
 
 detested by the people, for his arbitrary measures, but above 
 
 all, for hanng borne an active part in procuring the Duke of 
 
 Gloucester's assassination. He had long been an object of
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 183 
 
 envy to the ancient nobility, on many accounts : although only 
 the great grandson of a merchant, he was elevated above the 
 first families by his power in the State ; and after he became 
 the declared favourite of the Queen, the addition thus gi\-en 
 to his influence was not equal to the augmented opposition 
 which his overbearing use of it provoked. At length he was 
 impeached by the House of Commons. Among other grounck 
 of charge, the articles sent up to the Peers accused him of 
 sacrificing the interests of his country, in ceding the province 
 of Maine to Charles of Anjou, unauthorized by Parliament : 
 they further attributed the loss of Normandy to treachery on 
 his part. The Commons likewise adopted all the popular 
 clamours against the Duke, and magnified every irregular 
 exercise of power into an act of tyranny. 
 
 Suffolk, sensible of the public odium under which he 
 laboured, endeavoured to intimidate his enemies, by boldly 
 presenting himself to the charge, and by insisting npon his 
 innocence and merits. He urged, that after having served the 
 Crown in thirty-four campaigns; after having lived abroad 
 seventeen years without once returning to his own native 
 country; after losing a father and three brothers in the war 
 witli France ; after being liimself a captive there, and pur- 
 chasing his liberty by a great ransom ; it was very improbable 
 that he should now betray his Prince, by whom he had been 
 rewarded with the highest honours and greatest benefits that it 
 was in the power of majesty to bestow. This alluded to a 
 most improbable article of his impeachment ; which was, that 
 he had persuaded the French King to invade England, in order 
 that he might depose Henry, and place his own son, John de 
 la Pole, on the throne. The Commons, as if sensible that the 
 charge of treason against Suffolk would not bear a scrutiny, 
 soon afterwards sent up new articles, relating only to misde- 
 meanors: they alleged that he had procured exorbitant 
 grants from the Crown, had embezzled the public money, had
 
 ]84 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 conferred offices on improper persons, and had perverted justice 
 by instituting unjust suits, and obtained pardons for notorious 
 offenders. Suffolk threw himself on the King's mercy; and 
 Henry, desirous of saving his minister, l)anished him for five 
 years; but his enemies, considering his exile without a trial as 
 an attempt to evade justice, intercepted him on his passage 
 to France : he was seized near Dover, his head struck off on 
 the side of a long-boat, and his body thrown into the sea. 
 
 INSURRECTION OF JACK CADE. 
 
 After the murder of Suffolk, the Duke of Somerset suc- 
 ceeded to the chief power in the ministry, and to the favour 
 of the Queen. He. became equally as obnoxious to the people 
 as Suffolk had been. Various commotions arose, which were 
 soon suppressed ; but one in Kent was attended with serious 
 consequences. John Cade, a native of Ireland, and a man 
 of low condition, had been obliged to fly his country, to avoid 
 the punishment due to his crimes. Sir John Mortimer, the 
 last male of the family of Marche, and to whom of right the 
 crown belonged, had been put to death at the beginning of 
 this reign. Cade took the name of John Mortimer, intending, 
 as is supposed, to pass himself for a son of that popular noble- 
 man. The common people of Kent therefore, attracted by the 
 name, flocked to Cade's standard, who excited their zeal by 
 publishing complaints against the Government. The Court, 
 not aware of the extent of the danger, sent only a small force 
 against the insurgents, under the command of Sir Humphrey 
 Stafford, who was defeated and slain at Sevenoaks. Cade next 
 encamped upon Blackheath ; and sending a plausible list of 
 grievances to the Court, demanded that Lord Say the treasurer, 
 and Cromer the sheriff' of Kent, should be punished for their 
 malversations; promising at the same time to lay down his 
 arms. The King fled to Kcnilworth Castle ; and Cade entered.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 185 
 
 London ; where, to gratify the personal antipathies of his 
 followers, he put Say and Cromer to death ^vithout a legal 
 trial : after this, he could no longer restrain the licentiousness 
 of his adherents. Their \ioIence alarmed the citizens, who 
 shut their gates against them ; and being seconded by a detach- 
 ment of soldiers from Lord Scales, governor of the Tower, 
 they repulsed the rebels with great slaughter. A price was 
 9et on the head of Cade, who was afterwards killed by one 
 Iden, a gentleman of Sussex , and many of Cade's followers 
 were punished for their rebellion. 
 
 THE DUKE OF YORK CLAIMING THE CROWN. 
 
 Richard, Duke of York, was descended by the female side, 
 from Lionel Duke of Clarence, second son of Edward IIL 
 The reigning King was descended from John of Gaunt Duke 
 of Lancaster, third son of Edward III. It is evident, there- 
 fore, that the claim of the Duke was preferable to that of the 
 King. Richard was brave, skilful, prudent, and humane: he 
 had been governor of the English pro\ances m France, but had 
 been recalled by the intrigues and superior interest of the Duke 
 of Somerset ; and was afterwards sent to suppress a rebellion 
 in Ireland, in which he had not only succeeded, but secured 
 the attachment of the whole Irish nation to his person and 
 family. He was first prince of the blood, and allied to most 
 of the great families in England. His fortune was immense ; 
 he had succeeded to the rich hereditary estates of York, 
 Cambridge, and Mortimer, together with those of Clarence 
 and Ulster, besides the patrunonial possessions of the family 
 of Marche. He had married the daughter of Ralph Nevil Earl 
 of Westmoreland ; and thus had extended his interest to many 
 noble houses allied to the family of Nevil by intermarriage. 
 This had connected him with the celebrated Earl of Warwick, 
 generally known by the name of the King-maker, as well as
 
 186 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 with the Earl of Salisbury ; and the personal qualities of those 
 noblemen gave theui very great influence over the people. It 
 is said of the former, that he maintained at his table daily, in 
 the various manors and castles he possessed, no fewer than 
 thirty thousand people. His numerous retainers were devoted 
 to his will ; and he was the greatest, as well as the last, of 
 those powerful Barons who formerly overawed the crown, and 
 rendered the people incapable of receiving any regular system 
 of civil government. Courtney Eai-1 of Devonshire, and 
 Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, had also attached themselves to 
 the party of York. The people still considered the Queen as 
 a French woman, and a latent enemy of the kingdom ; and 
 their disgust was still farther increased, when they beheld her 
 father and other relations strenuously aiding the success of the 
 French. The murder of the Duke of Gloucester, in whicJi 
 she was supposed to have been concerned, still fai'ther irritated 
 than, and made them ready to join any party, who should 
 aim at deposing the reigning family. The rights of Henry and 
 Richard were the subjects of daily conversation. The adlier- 
 ents of the House of Jjancaster maintained, that tliough the 
 advancement of Henry IV. to the crown might be considered 
 as irre^lar, yet it was founded upon general consent, and so 
 became a national act; that the Lancastrian succession Iiad 
 acquired solidity by the length of time which it had been esta- 
 Wished ; that the principles of liberty were violated by reviving 
 the pretensions of the House of Yorkj whilst the allegiance 
 a£ the nation was bound to that of Lancaster, no less by 
 political than moral duty, having frequently taken the oath 
 of fealty to the Lancastrian princes. The Duke of York him- 
 self had repeatedly done homage to the King as his lawful 
 sovereign ; by which he had made a solemn, though indirect, 
 renunciation of his claims. 
 
 On tlie part of the Duke of York it was replied, that the 
 good of the peoi)le required the maintenance of order in the
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 187 
 
 succession of princes, by which numerous inconveniences 
 would be avoided that must otherwise ensue ; that the legi- 
 timate order of succession had been invaded in the case of 
 Henrj' IV., and it was never too late to remedy a pernicious 
 precedent ; that it would be a great encouragement to usurpers 
 if the immediate possession of power, or their continuance in 
 authority for a few years, could convert them into legal princes ; 
 and that the people would be reduced to a very miserable 
 situation, if all restraints on violence and ambition were 
 removed, and full liberty given to every innovator to make 
 inroads on the throne. The deposition of Richard II., and 
 advancement of Henry IV., were not legal acts, but the effects 
 of mere levity in the people, in which the House of York had 
 acquiesced from necessity ; that the reigning prince was noto- 
 riously disqualified for government by imbecility, being under 
 the blind tutelage of corrupt ministers, and an imperious 
 Queen ; whilst, on the other hand, the true heir of the crown 
 was a native of England, a prince of approved judgment and 
 experience, who would not fail to correct all the existing abuses, 
 and reinstate law and public right on its ancient foundations. 
 
 The Duke of York was a man of moderate and cautious 
 temper ; and rather disposed to trust to time for his advance- 
 ment to royalty, than to have recourse to violence : but the 
 King being seized by a distemper, which prevented him from 
 maintaining even the appearance of royalty, the York party 
 prevailed in the cabinet ; and the Duke was appointed Lieute- 
 nant of the kingdom, with power to open and hold a session 
 of Parliament. That assembly constituted him Protector 
 during pleasure : meanwliile, Somerset was sent to the Tower. 
 Richard, instead of stepping into the throne as his own right, 
 accepted and exercised the government as a trust; which 
 moderation, or want of resolution, enabled Henry, who soon 
 after recovered from his indisposition, to resume his authority. 
 Acting under the guidance of the enemies of Richard, he
 
 188 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 annulled the act of Protectorship, released Somerset from the 
 Tower, and made him again minister. The Duke of York, 
 sensible of the dangerous situation in which he stood, levied 
 an army, and met his opponents at St. Alban's. At this aera 
 commenced those sanguinary contests which for so many years 
 involved England in all the horrors of civil war.
 
 Page 189] 
 
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 HI»TOAY OF EXGLAKD. 981 
 
 PLATE XIX. 
 
 Fig. 1. — First Battle of St. Alban's. 
 On the right hand is the standard of York triumphant: on 
 the left is King Henry, a prisoner; the crown and red rose are 
 reversed at his feet. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Battle of Blobeheath. 
 The decline of the cause of the Yorkists, through the spirit 
 of desertion which followed the skirmish, is shewn by the 
 relative position of the flags. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Battle of Northampton. 
 The reverse experienced by the Lancastrian arms is shewn 
 by the relative position of the flags. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Battle of Wakefield. 
 The death of the Duke of York, which took place in the 
 action, is represented by the full blown rose broken from its 
 stem ; whilst the expanding bud is an emblem of his son 
 Edward. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Battle of Mortimer's Cross. 
 
 Fis. 6. — Second Battle of St. Alban's. 
 
 O 
 
 Fig.7- — Battle of Touton. 
 The victory having been obtained by the archers, the 
 quiver, bow, and arrows are introduced as memorials of 
 the battle. 
 
 F^g. 8. — Battle of Hexham. 
 Edward is represented holding an axe over the Lancastrian 
 standard, which is prostrate at his feet ; intimating his determi- 
 nation utterly to destroy that party. 
 
 Fig. 9. — Battle of JBarket; and Death or Warwick. 
 
 JFig. 10. — Battle of Tewkesbury. — Murder of Prince 
 
 Edward.
 
 190 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 EMBRACING TWELVE BATTLES. 
 The entire design relates to the Civil Wars during the con- 
 tention between the Houses of York and Lancaster. The 
 symbol on the top of the page represents England rent by the 
 contending factions. The Lancastrian Rose is placed at the 
 top, Henry VL being at this time in possession of the throne ; 
 but it is turned to the left, because the family were usurpers. 
 The White Rose, the emblem cf the House of York, is turned 
 to the right. The Death's-head and Cross Swords allude to the 
 fatal effects resulting from ill-directed ambition. 
 
 The symbol at the bottom is an epitome of the whole. The 
 emblem of the Houie of York has gained the ascendancy. 
 The sum " 12 " denotes the number of pitched battles fought 
 between the rival princes; "30," the series of years during 
 whicJi the disputes lasted: and "100,000," the aggregate 
 number of men who are computed to have fallen in the dif- 
 ferent engagements. The twelve connected diagrams are de- 
 scriptive of as many battles. The figures are explained, and 
 the battles described, under the history of the Sovereigns in 
 whose reigns the events respectively occurred, viz. 
 Fig. 1. First Battle of St. Alban's. 
 
 2. Battle of Bloreheath. 
 
 3. Battle of Northampton. 
 
 4. Battle of Wakefield. 
 
 5. Battle of Mortimer's Cross. 
 
 6. Second Battle of St Alban's.' 
 
 7. Battle of Touton. 
 
 Tliese battles were fouglit 
 during the reign of Henry 
 VL 
 
 8. Battle of Hexham. 
 
 9. Battle of Banbury. 
 
 10. Battle of Barnet. 
 
 11. Battle of Tewkesbury. 
 
 12. Battle of Bosworth. 
 
 These battles were fought in 
 the reign of Edward IV. 
 
 fTliis in the reign of Richard 
 1 IIL 
 
 #•
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 191 
 
 FIRST BATTLE OF ST. ALBANS. 
 In the battle fought at St. Alban's in 1455, the Lancastrians 
 lost about 5,000 men; among whom were the Duke of Somer- 
 set, the Earl of Northumberland, and many other persons of 
 distinction. The King fell into the hands of the Duke of 
 York : he was treated with respect and tenderness, and seemed 
 pleased with his situation, although obliged to transfer the 
 whole authority of the crown to his rival. In the following 
 year, Margaret his queen, a woman of a bold and masculine 
 spirit, excited him once more to assert his sovereigntj-. She 
 produced him before the House of Peers, where he declared 
 his intentions of resuming the government, and of putting an 
 end to Richard's authority. The Duke of York was obliged to 
 retire from court. A negociation for reconciling the great 
 leaders on each side was set on foot, under the auspices of 
 Bourchier Archbishop of Canterbury : but though an amicable 
 compact was ostensibly entered into, and celebrated by a pro- 
 cession to St. Paul's, in which the chiefs and adherents of the 
 two houses marched hand in hand, yet each party consumed 
 the interval of peace in watching for an opportunity to subvert 
 the other. 
 
 BATTLE OF BLOREHEATH. 
 
 The Earl of Salisbury, on his march to join the Duke of 
 York, was overtaken at Bloreheath, on the borders of Stafford- 
 shire, by Lord Audley, with a force greatly superior: but 
 feigning a retreat, he turned upon the royalists, when the van 
 only of their army had passed a brook to pursue him, and 
 totally defeated them. After this victory, Salisbury advanced 
 to the general rendezvous of the Yorkists at Ludlow. When 
 the royal army approached, and a general action was every hour 
 expected, a body of veterans, under the command of Sir 
 Andrew Trollop, deserted to the King ; and this so intimidated
 
 192 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the Duke's party, that they separated the next morning, with- 
 out striking another blow. The Duke of York fled to Ireland ; 
 and the Earl of Warwick, who had brought over with him 
 from France a considerable force, escaped to Calais. 
 
 BATTLE OF NORTHAMPTON. 
 
 The partis-ans of York everywhere kept themselves in readi- 
 ness to rise on the first summons from their leaders. After 
 gaining some successes at sea, the Earl of Warwick landed in 
 Kent, and was im.mediately joined by several persons of distinc- 
 tion. He then, amidst the acclamations of the people, marched 
 to London; which opened its gates to receive him. His troops 
 daily becoming more numerous, he hastened to oppose the 
 royal army. A battle was fought at Northampton, in which 
 the King sustained a defeat, in consequence of the treachery of 
 Lord Gray of Ruthvin, the commander of Henry's van, who 
 during the heat of the action deserted to the enemy. The 
 slaughter of this day fell chiefly on the nobility and gentry ; 
 the common people being spared, by the order of Warwick. 
 Henry was once more taken prisoner ; but as the innocence 
 and simplicity of his manners bore the appearance of sanctity, 
 and had procured him the regard of the people, the leaders of 
 the York party were careful to treat him with the greatest 
 respect and courtesy. 
 
 BATTLE OF WAKEFIELD. 
 After the defeat at Northampton, Margaret fled with her 
 infant son to Scotland. On her way thither she had solicited 
 the assistance of the powerful Barons of the north. Indignant 
 that the southern Barons should pretend to dispose of the 
 cro\\n, and touched with pity at her misfortunes, the nobility 
 of that quarter, who considered themselves as the most warlike
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 193 
 
 in the kingdom, flocked to her standard ; and Margaret soon 
 saw herself at the head of an army 20,000 strong. The Duke 
 of York, informed of her appearance in the north, hastened 
 with a body of 5,000 men, to suppress, as he imagined, the 
 be=nnnin'T of an insurrection. On his arrival at Wakefield, find- 
 ing himself greatly outnumbered by the enemy, he threw him- 
 self into Sandal Castle : but considering that he should be for 
 ever disgraced, if, by taking shelter behind walls, he should 
 reiign the victory to a woman, he descended into the plain ; 
 and a battle ensued, in which the Lancastrians were victorious. 
 The Duke of York fell in the engagement : his head was after- 
 wards cut off by orders from Margaret, and fixed on the gates 
 of York with a paper crown, in derision of his claims to 
 royalty. His son, the Earl of Rutland, a youth of seventeen, 
 was murdered in cold blood by Lord Clifford, in revenge for the 
 death of his father, who fell in the battle of St.Alban's. 
 
 BATTLE OF MORTIMER'S CROSS. 
 After the death of the Duke of York, his son Edward 
 became the leader of that party, and defeated the Earl of Pem- 
 broke at the battle of Mortimer's Cross in Herefordshire. 
 Pembroke escaped by flight ; but his father, Sir Owen Tudor, 
 was taken prisoner, and immediately beheaded by Edward's 
 order. This barbarous practice, originally resorted to by the 
 Lancastrians, was afterwards continued by both parties, under 
 the plea of retaliation. 
 
 SECOND BATTLE OF ST. ALBAN'S. 
 
 Queen Margaret compensated for the defeat at Mortimer's 
 
 Cross, by a \'ictory which she obtained over the Earl of 
 
 Warwick at St. Alban's. This was owing to the treachery of 
 
 Lovelace, the commander of a considerable body of Yorkists,
 
 194 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 who, while the armies were warmly engaged, withdrew from 
 the combat. The King again fell into the hands of his own 
 party ; and Lord Bonville, to whose care he had been en- 
 trusted by the Yorkists, remained with him, upon assurance* 
 of pardon given hun by Henry : but Margaret, regardless of 
 her husband's promise, ordered that nobleman to be imme- 
 diately beheaded. 
 
 EDWARD THE FOURTH ASSUMES THE CROWN. 
 
 Queen Margaret derived no great advantage from the 
 victory at St. Alban's: for she found it necessary to retreat 
 with her army to the north. Meanwhile, Edward, the new 
 Duke of York, entered the capital ; and confiding in the 
 attachment strongly manifested towards him by the people, he 
 insisted openly on his claim, and at once assumed the name and 
 dignity of King. The consent of the nation, or the appear- 
 ance of it, was still wanting : but as the convocation of a par- 
 liament might be attended with too many delays, he ventured to 
 substitute a less regular measure. He directed his army to 
 assemble in St. John's Fields : great numbers of people also 
 attended : and to this mixed multitude an harangue was made, 
 setting forth the pretensions of Edward, and inveighing against 
 the usurpation and tyranny of the Lancastrians. The people 
 were then asked, whether they would have Henry of Lancaster 
 for their King, or Edward eldest son of the Duke of York ? 
 They decided in favour of Edward with loud acclamations. A 
 number of bishops, lords, magistrates, and other persons of 
 distinction, were next assembled, who ratified the popular 
 election ; and the new King was proclaimed the next day, bj 
 the title of Edward the Fourth.
 
 HISTORY OF EKGLAND. 193 
 
 EDWARD THE FOURTH. 
 This Prince, who was only in his twentieth year when he 
 ascended the throne, was remarkable for the beauty of his 
 person; for his bravery, activity, condescension, and every 
 other popular quality; and was of a temper well fitted to 
 make his way through a scene of war, havoc, and devastation ; 
 his hardness of heart, and sanguinary spirit, rendered him 
 impregnable to the influence of compassion, whenever the 
 chances of war enabled him to send a noble antagonist to the 
 scaffold, or to consign a multitude of captive enemies to the 
 sword. Though a slave to sensual pleasures, he could be 
 cruel when cruelty wanted even the instigation of revenge, of 
 whi^-h he gave a remarkable instance in the commencement of 
 his reign. A tradesman of London, who lived at the sign of 
 The Crown, having said that he would make his son heir to 
 the Crown, was condemned and executed for this harmless 
 pleasantry, because it was interpreted to have been spoken in 
 derision of Edward's title. 
 
 BATTLE OF TOUTON. 
 
 Upon the accession of Edward to the crown, Margaret had 
 retreated to the north, where her partisans were numerous ; 
 and in a few days had assembled an army of 60,000 men. The 
 new King, and the Earl of Warwick, with 40,000 men, hastened 
 to check her [)rogress. A skirmish took place at Ferrybridge, 
 between Lords Fitzwalter and Clifford, in which the Yorkists 
 were defeated, and Lord Fitzwalter slain. Lord Falconberg, 
 however, recovered the post, and Clifford fell in its defence. 
 A pitched battle followed at Touton, which was both fierce and 
 bloody. Whilst the Yorkists were advancing to the charge, 
 there happened a great fall of snow ; which driving full in the 
 faces of their enemies, blinded them. Falconberg ordered his 
 
 K 2
 
 196 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 infantry to advance, to discharge their arrows, and immediately 
 retire : the Lancastrians, therefore, imagining they were come 
 up with the enemy, discharged their arrows, which thus fell 
 short of the mark. After the quivers of his antagonists had 
 !)een emptied, Edward advanced his line, and fell upon them 
 sword in hand. The Yorkists gained a decisive victory ; and 
 Edward issued orders to give no quarter. The routed army 
 was pursued to Tadcaster; and it is said that above 36,000 
 men fell in the battle and in the pursuit. 
 
 BATTLE OF HEXHAM. 
 
 Atter the battle of Touton, Henry and Margaret fled to 
 Scotland, which country was in little less confusion than that 
 which they had just quitted, James H,, anxious to recover 
 some of those places that had formerly been wrested from his 
 ancestors by the English, laid siege to Roxborough Castle, and 
 was killed by the bursting of one of his cannons, as he was 
 firing it. The Scottish Council were not at first very eager to 
 interfere in the quarrel of the English Roses ; but on Margaret'? 
 offering to give up to them the important fortress of Berwick, 
 and to contract her son in marriage with the sister of King 
 James, the Scots promised to assist her in endeavouring to 
 reinstate her family on the throne. Edward in the mean time 
 called a parliament, and found the good effects of his vigorous 
 measures in assuming the crown, which had received additional 
 strength from the victory at Touton. 
 
 In this parliament the title of Edward by hereditary right 
 was recognized : the members expressed their abhorrence of 
 the usurpation of the House of Lancaster ; passed an act of 
 attainder against Henry VL, Margaret his queen, and tlicir 
 infant son Prince Edward, and also against most of the nobility 
 of their party, whose estates they gave to the crown. Martial
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 197 
 
 law was also introduced in several cases which belonged to a 
 civil tribunal ; and several adherents of the deposed family 
 were tried before the Constable, condemned, and executed. 
 
 Meanwhile Lewis XI. King of France, whose military re- 
 sources were impaired by the turbulence of his own vassals, 
 sent over a small body of forces, under the command of 
 Varenne, to assist the desperate cause of Henry; but on Mar- 
 garet's going in person to the French court, and promising to 
 deliver up Calais if her family recovered the throne by the aid 
 of Lewis, he was induced to send to England with her a body 
 of 2,000 men at arms ; which enabled her once more to take 
 the field. She was further strengthened by a numerous train 
 ol' adventurers from Scotland, and by many partisans of the 
 house of Lancaster. On advancing with her army, she was 
 met at Hedgeley-Moor by Lord Montacute, brother to the 
 Earl of Warwick, and received a severe check. He again 
 attacked her at Hexham, where she was completely defeated. 
 All the nobles of her party who survived the unfortunate con- 
 flict suffered on the scaffold ; the Yorkists always acting after 
 victory as if their diject was the utter extermination of their 
 adversaries. 
 
 K 3
 
 198 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XX. 
 
 Edward the Fourth. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Queen Margaret and the Robber. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Marriage of Edward with Lady Elizabeth Gray. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Treaty between Warwick and Margaret. 
 Warwick receiving the Lancastrian standard from the hands 
 of Margaret. 
 
 Fig. 4. — The Restoration of Henry, 
 Clarence and Warwick are represented exalting the red rose, 
 to shew their instrumentality in restoring Henry. The symbol 
 of York is depicted as fallen, to denote the expulsion of 
 Edward. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Death of the Duke of Clarence.
 
 PLATE XX. 
 
 [Page 198. 
 
 l-^^«l Q
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 199 
 
 QUEEN MARGARET AND THE ROBBER. 
 After the defeat of the Lancastrians at Hexham, Queen 
 Margaret with her son took refuge in a forest, in the hope of 
 concealing herself from the pursuit of her enemies : but her 
 ill fortune still pursued her. In the darkness of the night she 
 was attacked by banditti, who despoiled her of all her jewels, 
 and, ignorant or heedless of her rank, even treated her with 
 indignity. The division of their spoil occasioned a contest 
 among them, and Margaret eagerly seized that opportunity to 
 escape. She fled with her son into the depths of the forest, 
 where she remained some time, exhausted with hunger and 
 fatigue, and depressed by affliction and terror. In this de- 
 plorable situation she was met by another robber ; and, finding 
 herself driven to the last extremity, she determined to discover 
 her rank, and thus throw herself on his generosity. Advancing 
 towards him with an undaunted air, and leading the young 
 Edward, she presented him to the robber, exclaiming, " Behold 
 your Prince ! to your care I commit the safety of your King's 
 son." The man, whose humanity had not been entirely eradi- 
 cated, struck with her manner, and flattered by the confidence 
 reposed in him, vowed to protect and serve her. Assisted by 
 him, she remained some tune concealed in the forest ; and at 
 length escaped, under his guidance, to the sea-coast, whence 
 she embarked for Flanders. She soon after reached her 
 father's court, and obtained a short respite from misfortune. 
 Her husband remained concealed a twelvemonth in Lancashire; 
 but was at length delivered up to Edward, and thrown into 
 the Tower. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF EDWARD WITH LADY ELIZABETH 
 
 GRAY. 
 
 After the victory at Hexham, the expulsion of Queen 
 Margaret, and the imprisonment of Henry, Edward yielded 
 
 e4
 
 200 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 himself up to all the seductive pleasures which his youth, high 
 fortune, and natural temper, invited him to enjoy. During the 
 . present interval of peace, he lived in the most familiar and 
 convivial manner with his subjects, particularly the Londoners, 
 and was the peculiar favourite of the young and gay of both 
 sexes. But the varied amusements in which he mixed did not 
 prevent him from forming an individual attachment, and that 
 under circumstances which affected his public character. 
 Happening one da}', after a hunting party, to pay a visit to 
 Jatjueline of Luxembourg, dowager Duchess of Bedford, at 
 Grafton in Northamptonshire, her daughter, the widow of 
 Sir John Gray, who had been slain in the second battle of 
 St. Alban's, took that opportunity of throwing herself at the 
 feet of the young monarch, and of imploring his protection 
 for her impoverished and distressed children. The sight of 
 beauty in distress made a strong impression on the susceptible 
 heart of Edward: he raised the fair suppliant from the ground; 
 and finding that, in addition to beauty of person, graceful 
 manners, and the power of charming in conversation, she had 
 all the dignity of character conferred by virtue, he offered to 
 share with her his heart and throncv The marriage was pri- 
 vately celebrated, and the secret carefully kept for some time. 
 
 Whilst this romantic train of events was passing in England, 
 the Earl of Warwick, who had been despatched to Paris by the 
 King himself to make overtures, was negotiating a marriage for 
 Edward with Bona of Savoy, sister to the French Queen : to 
 which step the King had been led by an expectation that it 
 would secure the frientlship of the French court, which alorje 
 was able, and inclined, to give assistance and support to his 
 rival. The news of Edward's imprudent marriage therefore 
 excited the displeasure and indignation of Warwick, who re- 
 turned fo England burning with resentment. Edward's recep- 
 tion of him widened the breach ; and the new Queen, whose 
 influence over the King was not lessened by tlieir marriage, still
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 201 
 
 farther irritated the haughty Earl, by procuring every grace and 
 favour in the gift of the crown for her own friends and rela- 
 tions, whilst those of Warwick, whom she considered as her 
 inveterate enemy, were excluded. 
 
 TREATY BETWEEN WARWICK AND MARGARET. 
 The disgust which Warwick had conceived against Edward 
 continued to rankle in his bosom : he could not suffer with 
 patience the least diminution of that influence he had long 
 enjoyed, and which he thought his important services merited. 
 Notwithstanding he had received, in grants from the crown, 
 an additional revenue of 80,000 crowns a-year, his ambitious 
 spirit was still dissatisfied, whilst he saw others surpass him in 
 authority at court. The nobility, too, envying the sudden 
 greatness of the Woodevilles, took part with Warwick ; and 
 an extensive and dangerous conspiracy was insensibly form€d 
 against Edward and his ministry. An insurrection broke out 
 in Yorkshire ; which, after several accessions of force to the 
 rebels, was followed by an action at Banbury (see Plate XJX. 
 Fig. 9.), in which the Lancastrians were victorious. In their 
 alternate successes both parties violated the laws of war, by 
 ordering their prisoners of note to execution like criminalf. 
 The Yorkists inflicted summary punishment on Sir Henry 
 Neville; the Lancastrians retaliated upon the Earl of Pem- 
 broke ; and one of their detachment seized and beheaded the 
 Earl of Rivers and his son. Justice was no more : ambition 
 and revenge gave the impulse to public men, and, like fiends, 
 were only to be satiated by blood ! Another insurrection arose 
 in Lancashire, headed by Sir Robert Welles; but the insurgent^ 
 were defeated by Edward in person. Sir Robert Welles and 
 Sir Thomas Laude were taken prisoners, and immediately be- 
 headed. During these transactions, Edward had entertained 
 so little jealousy of Warwick and Clarence, that he sent them 
 
 K 5
 
 202 • HISTOBY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to levy forces against the rebels : but they enlisted troops in 
 their own name, and issued declarations against the Govern- 
 ment. On the defeat of Welles, they fled to France. Warwick 
 was received with great kindness by the French King, who 
 prevailed on him to coalesce with Margaret, and to enter into 
 a confederacy for re-establishing the Lancastrian Line on the 
 English throne. A treaty was accordingly concluded, in which 
 it was stipulated that Prince Edward, Henry's son, should 
 marry Lady Anne, Warwick's second daughter, and that, on 
 failure of male heirs of Henry's line, the crown should descend 
 to the Duke of Clarence, in exclusion of Edward and his pos- 
 terity. The marriage was immediately celebrated in France ; 
 and Warwick became the head of the Lancastrian party. 
 
 THE RESTORATION OF HENRY. 
 Whilst Edward was occupied in quelling an insurrection ^n 
 the north, Warwick, accompanied by Clarence, Oxford, and 
 Pembroke, landed at Dartmouth. They brought from France 
 only a small body of troops ; but such was the popularity of 
 Warwick, that multitudes flocked to his standard, and in a very 
 few days his army amounted to 60,000 men. Edward hastened 
 southward to encounter him. The two armies were approach- 
 ing each other near Nottingham ; and a decisive action was 
 hourly expected. The Marquis of Montague, brother-in-law 
 to Warwick, who ser\'ed in Edward's army, had concerted a 
 plan for aiding the Lancastrian cause ; and accordingly, in the 
 night, he made known his intentions to his men. They readily 
 «ame into his design, and hastened tumultuously to Edward's 
 quarters. The King, alarmed by the cry of war usually em- 
 ployed by the Lancastrians, had only time to mount on horse- 
 back, and hurry with a few followers to Lynn in Norfolk, 
 whence he embarked for the Continent. Thus was the Earl of 
 Warwick left master of the kingdom in eleven days only after
 
 HISTORY OF EKGLAND, 203 
 
 his first landing. King Henry was liberated from the Tower ; 
 a Parliament was summoned in his name, and the treaty be- 
 tween Margaret and Warwick ratified. Henry's title was 
 recognized : but as his incapacity for government was avowed, 
 Warwick and Clarence were appointed regents till the majority 
 of Edward, the son of Henry ; if the male line of that Prince 
 should fail, Clarence was declared successor to the Crown. All 
 the parliamentary acts under Edward IV. were reversed ; that 
 Prince was declared an usurper, and attainders passed against 
 him and his adherents. 
 
 BATTIE OF BARNET; AND DEATH OF WARWICK. 
 The fugitive Edward had landed at Alkmaer in Holland, in 
 the most destitute condition. His brother-in-law, the Duke of 
 Burgundy, had at first manifested towards him only coolness 
 and neglect ; but finding his efforts to conciliate Warwick had 
 not won his friendship, and that his dominions would be endan- 
 gered by the united arms of England and France, he equipped 
 a small squadron in a covert manner, and delivered them, with 
 a scanty sum of money, to Edward. With this assistance the 
 exiled monarch, impatient to recover his authority, and to take 
 revenge on his enemies, immediately set sail for England, He 
 attempted to land in Norfolk, but was repulsed : on which he 
 sailed northward, and disembarked at Ravenspur in Yorkshire, 
 with his troops, which did not exceed 2,000 men. His standard 
 was soon joined by a considerable number of people ; he was 
 admitted into the city of York, and was able to take a for- 
 midable attitude. Warwick assembled an army at Leicester, 
 to give him battle ; but Edward, by taking another road, passed 
 unmolested, and presented himself before the gates of London. 
 His admission was facilitated by numerous adherents in the 
 city ; and the passive Henry once more fell into the hands of 
 his enemies. 
 
 k6
 
 204 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 Wai'wick, being reinforced by his son-in-law Clarence, and 
 his brother the Marquis of Montague, took his post at Barnet, 
 in the neighbourhood of London. The arrival of Queen Mar- 
 gai-et was every day expected, which would have drawn together 
 all the genuine Lancastrians ; but Warwick, who dreaded a 
 participator in his fame and power, determined to try the fate 
 of a battle. Clarence, though bound to Warwick by every tie 
 of honour and interest, in the night-time deserted to Edward, 
 taking with him a body of 12,000 men. On the 14th of April, 
 1471, the two armies came to action: the conflict was obsti- 
 nate on both sides, and the victory remained long undecided ; 
 at length an accident turned the balance in favour of the 
 Yorkists. The Earl of Oxford, who fought on the side of the 
 Lancastrians, was by mistake attacked by his friends, and 
 chased off the field. The brave Warwick, contrary to Ids usual 
 custom, fought this day on foot, and with his brother was slain 
 in the engagement. Edward issued orders not to give any 
 quarter, so that a great and undistinguished slaughter was made 
 in the pui-suit. 
 
 BATTLE OF TEWKESBURY; MURDER OF PRINCE 
 
 EDWARD. 
 
 Ox the very day that the battle of Barnet was fought. Queen 
 Margaret and her son, who was now eighteen years of age, and 
 a youth of great promise, landed at Weymouth, attended by a 
 small body of French forces. When the Queen heard of the 
 captivity of her husband, and the defeat and death of Warwick, 
 her spirit, which had hitherto supported her under reverses, 
 gave way, and she foresaw the irretrievable fall of her house 
 among the consequences of this disastrous event. At first she 
 took sanctuary in the abbey of Beaulieu; but being encouraged 
 by several of the nobility, who joined her with their armed 
 followers, to entertain hopes of a favourable vicissitude, she
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 205 
 
 determined to defend to the last the ruins of her fallen great- 
 ness. She advanced through the counties of Devon, Somerset, 
 and Gloucester, increasing her army on each day's march ; but 
 was at last overtaken by Edward, at Tewkesbury. Here the 
 Lancastrians were totally defeated. The Duke of Somerset, 
 and about twenty other persens of distinction, took shelter in 
 a church, whence they were dragged out, and immediately 
 beheaded. 
 
 Queen Margaret and her son v.-ere taken prisoners, and 
 brought before the King; who tauntingly asked the Prince, 
 how he dared to invade his dominions ? The j outh replied, 
 that he came " to claim his just inheritance ; to revenge his 
 fiither's injuries, and redress his own !" The brutal Edward, 
 irritated by this spirited answer, struck him on the face with his 
 gauntlet : the Dukes of Clai-ence and Gloucester, Lord Hast- 
 ings, and Sir Thomas Grey, taking the blow as a signal for 
 further violence, hurried the Prince into an adjoining room, 
 and tliere dispatched him with their daggers. Margaret was 
 thrown into the Tower, where she was detained a prisoner till 
 the year 1475, when she was ransomed by Lewis of France, for 
 the sum of 50,000 crowns. She died in the year 1482. Henry 
 had died in the same state prison, a few days after the battle of 
 Tewkesbury : but whether by a violent or a natural death is 
 uncertain, though it is generally believed he was murdered by 
 the Duke of Gloucester. 
 
 DEATH OF THE DUKE OF CLARENCE. 
 
 George Duke of Clarence was second brother to Edward IV.; 
 and considering himself neglected by him after his m.arriage with 
 Lady Elizabeth Grey, had joined the Earl of Warwick, whose 
 temporary regency and fall have been related. Warwick, to 
 attach the Duke more firmly to his interest, had given him in 
 marriage his eldest daughter, the co-heiress of his immense for-
 
 206 HISTORY OF EKGLAND. 
 
 tunes. Being disappointed in an insurrection which they had 
 planned in Lincolnshire, they retired to Calais : meanwhile the 
 King ofFered a reward of £1000 to any person who would 
 seize them. On the eve of the battle of Barnet, however, 
 Clarence abandoned his new friends, and joined the King ; and 
 after the battle of Tewkesbury assisted in the murder of the 
 young Prince Edward of Lancaster. He did not, however, 
 succeed in regaining the friendship of his brother, who still 
 regarded him as a man of dangerous character. Having offended 
 the Queen, and his brother the Duke of Gloucester, a Prince 
 disposed to reach the objects of a wily policy by any sanguinary 
 means, a combination was formed between these potent adver- 
 saries to work the destruction of Clarence. Some of his par- 
 ticular friends were upon frivolous charges put to death ; and 
 the Prince loudly exclaimed against the iniquity of their prose- 
 cutors. The King, highly offended with the freedom of his 
 speeches, committed him to the Tower. A Parliament was 
 summoned, at which the King personally appeared as his 
 brother's accuser, and pleaded against him : the Duke was con- 
 demned, and the only favour allowed him was to choose the 
 mode of his death. He was privately drowned in a butt of 
 malmsey. After the destruction of the Lancastrian party, 
 Edward gave a loose to his passions ; and the remainder of his 
 reign is little else than the history of his amours. Berwick was 
 retaken from the Scots by the Duke of Gloucester, and the 
 King began to think seriously of a French war ; but while he 
 was making preparations, he was seized with a distemper of 
 which he died, in the forty-second year of his age, and the 
 twentj'-third of his reign. Besides five daughters, he left two 
 sons: Edward Prince of Wales, his successor, then in his 
 thirteenth year, and Richard Duke of York in his ninth.
 
 Page 207.] 
 
 PLATE XXI. 
 
 1483
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 207 
 
 PLATE XXI. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Edward the Fifth. 
 
 In the centre of the letter E, the initial of his name, are two 
 white rose-buds, which are separated from the parent branch 
 by the sword of the assassin. On the right hand is the Duke 
 of Gloucester, seizing the crown. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Richard the Third. 
 Richard's crown is upheld by assassins, who grasp in one 
 hand standards typical of his crimes. The axes at the bottom 
 refer to his sanguinary executions.
 
 308 HISTORY OP ENGI^ND. 
 
 EDWARD THE FIFTH. 
 
 During the latter years of Edward IV. the kingdom had 
 been agitated by some court intrigues. The Queen's familj', 
 the Woodevilles, on account of their great power and unlimited 
 influence, were extremely obnoxious to the old nobility. A 
 combination was formed against them, headed by the Duke of 
 Buckingham, and the Lords Hastings, Howard, and Stanley. 
 The King, in his last illness, was anxious to compose their dif- 
 ferences, fearful of the injurious consequences that might ensue 
 during the minority of his son. Having summoned the leaders 
 of the rival parties to his presence, he forcibly represented to 
 them the dangers that would attend a continuance of their 
 animosities; and, under his mediation, they embraced each 
 other with every appearance of cordial reconciliation. He then 
 appointed his brother of Gloucester regent of the kingdom ; 
 and committed the care of the Prince of Wales's person, and 
 the superintendance of his education, to the Earl of Rivers, the 
 mcKt accomplished nobleman at that time in England. No 
 sooner had the King expired, than the jealousies and cabals 
 l>etween the two parties was renewed ; of which the Duke of 
 Gloucester, who was endued with almost every bad quality, 
 determined to take advantage. 
 
 On his return from the North, he arrested the Earl of 
 Rivers, the young King's maternal uncle and guardian : he 
 then met young Edward on his way from Ludlow Castle, and 
 r^pectfuliy offered to conduct him to London. Having thus 
 got possession of the person of the King, he took measures for 
 securing that of his brother, whom the Queen, when she heard 
 of the arrest of the Eai-1 of Rivers, had taken for safety to the 
 abbey of Westminster. Cardinal Bourchier and the Arch- 
 bishop of York had remonstrated against the use of violence : 
 Gloucester therefore sent these prelates to persuade the Queen 
 to comply with a summons for the young Duke of York to 
 attend his brother's coronation. It was long before they could
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 209 
 
 prevail on her to produce her son ; she seemed to presage h'a 
 uiihajipy fate; wept over him in an agony of grief; and re- 
 luctantly delivering him into their custody, bade him an eternal 
 adieu. The young Princes were sent to the Tower ; and 
 Gloucester began to spread reports of their illegitimacy, in 
 order to delay the coronation. Meanwhile he had induced the 
 council to appoint him Protector of the realm. 
 
 He attempted to bring over Lord Hastings to his interest ; 
 but finding that nobleman firmly fixed in allegiance to the 
 King, he accused him, at the council-board, of witchcraft. 
 On Hastings vindicating himself, Gloucester interrupted him, 
 calling him a traitor ; and concluded by sapng, " I swear by 
 St. Paul that I will not dine until your head be brought me." 
 He struck the table ; armed men rushed in ; Hastings was 
 hurried away, and instantly beheaded on a log of wood that 
 lay in the court-yard, on the very same day that Rivers, Gray, 
 ami Vaughan, were executed at Pomfret Castle. 
 
 Gloucester now judged that he might venture to lay claim to 
 the crown. One Dr. Shaw was employed to make an harangue 
 to the people, from St. Paul's Cross ; in which Gloucester was 
 held up as the only genuine descendant of the House of York. 
 It was expected that the congregation would immediately have 
 declared in Richard's favour ; but they kept a profound silence. 
 The Duke of Buckingham, who had been won over to the Pro- 
 tector's party, next harangued them, expatiating on the \'irtues 
 of Puchard ; but still the people were silent At length the 
 Recorder repeated the substance of the Duke's speech ; and a 
 few of Buckingham's servants exclaimed, " Long live King 
 Richard !" Some apprentices among the populace echoed the 
 cry; and this was considered as the voice of the nation. When 
 the crown was presented to Gloucester, by Buckingham, he 
 affected to decline the honour; but on being told, that if he 
 refused it they would seek some person less ecrupulous, he
 
 210 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 condescended to accept it. This solemn farce was acted on the 
 25th of June 1483; and from that time Richard assumed the 
 style and title of " King." 
 
 To secure his ill-gotten power, he determined on the de- 
 struction of his nephews. Sir Robert Brakenbury, constable 
 of the Tower, refused to have any hand in the infamous trans- 
 action ; but a fit instrument was not long wanting, and Sir 
 James Tyrrel effected the murder of the innocent youths. In 
 the dead of the night they were suffocated, whilst asleep ; and 
 the assassins buried their bodies under a heap of stones, at the 
 foot of the staircase leading to their apartment. Their remains 
 were discovered in the reign of Charles II., and were interred 
 under a marble monument in Westminster Abbey. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Westminster Abbey. — A magnificent Gothic church, on the north 
 side of the Thames, supposed to have been founded by Sebert King 
 of die East Saxons, about die beginning of the seventh century. 
 Many of our Sovereigns are buried there ; and it is particularly noted 
 for tlie number of splendid monuments erected there, to the memory 
 of departed statesmen, heroes, poets, and philosophers, &c. 
 
 Recorder. — An officer who keeps die rolls or records of a city. 
 
 RICHARD THE THIRD. 
 
 r 
 
 Richard III., the most cruel and unrelenting tyrant that 
 ever sat on the English throne, was small of stature, and of a 
 dark, severe, and forbidding aspect : he acquired the surname 
 of Crookback from the deformity of his person. His ruling 
 passion was ambition, for the gratification of which he scrupled 
 not to violate every law both human and divine ; and was re- 
 solved to ascend to the throne, though every step should be 
 imprinted in blood. He was not destitute of talents for govern- 
 ment; and had his title to the crown been legal, he might
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 211 
 
 have acquired the character of a good king. He passed some 
 popular laws ; and administered justice with impartiality when 
 it did not interfere with his ambition. 
 
 Richard had not long been seated upon the throne, when 
 mutual disgust arose between him and the Duke of Bucking- 
 ham, who thouglit he could never be sufficiently rewarded for 
 having placed him on the throne. Buckingham conspired 
 against Richard, with the remains of the Lancastrian party, 
 and with such of the Yorkists as were desirous of avenging 
 the murdered Princes. His object was to transfer the crown 
 to Henry, Earl of Richmond : and, with the approbation of 
 the Queen-dowager, he entered into a secret treaty with that 
 nobleman, who resided at the court of Brittany; under 
 which Richmond contracted to marry Elizabeth, daughter of 
 Edward IV. This match was calculated, by uniting distinct 
 branches of the Roses, to strengthen the pretensions of Rich- 
 mond, to allay the animosities of party, and to obviate disputes 
 in future respecting the succession. The Queen-dowager also 
 sent Richmond a sum of money, to levy a force to be brought 
 to England ; and she and Buckingham promised to co-operate 
 with their partisans. 
 
 Meanwhile Richard had obtained some obscure intelligence 
 that an extended plot was forming against him, and prepared 
 to act with vigour. Suspecting that Buckingham, who had 
 retired from court in disgust, was connected with it, he sent 
 a message to him, professing that he had occasion to consult 
 him on some affairs of consequence : but Buckingham excused 
 himself upon pretence of indisposition. Richard, who was 
 not to be deceived by this evasion, sent a peremptory sum- 
 mons ; to which the Duke replied, " That he did not chuse 
 to risk his person with his most inveterate enemy." Sensible 
 that he had now no middle course, Buckingham assembled his 
 troops. He advanced by long marches towards the Severa^
 
 212 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 on his way to join his confederates in the counties of Devon 
 and Dorset ; but that and the other rivers, swelled by rains, 
 had inundated the whole adjacent country. For six days, he 
 could neither pass the stream, nor find subsistence for his 
 followers. His Welch forces, dispirited by the want of pro- 
 vision^ and overcome by fatigue, retired to their mountains. 
 So general was this desertion, that Buckingham was left with 
 a single domestic. In this exigence, he sought shelter in the 
 house of one Bannister, who had formerly lived in his service, 
 and who owed all he ha<l to the bounty of the Duke and his 
 father. Richard, informed of the dispersion of his enemies, 
 offered a thousand pounds for the head of Buckingham : to 
 obtain which reward the ungrateful Bannister betrayed his 
 master. Buckingham was taken, disguised as a peasant, and 
 sent to Shrewsbury ; where he was beheaded by Richard's order, 
 without any form of trial. Meanwhile the Earl of Richmond 
 set sail from St. Maloes : but receiving intelligence of the fate 
 of Buckingham, he returned to Brittany. 
 
 Richard, emboldened by the ill success of his enemies, sum- 
 moned a parliament; in which his right to the throne was 
 acknowledged. The children of Edward IV. were declared 
 illegitimate ; an act of attainder was passed against the Earl 
 erf Richmond and his adherents j the duties of tonnage and 
 poundage were granted to the King for life ; and his only son, 
 Edv/ard, then about twelve yeai's of age, was created Prince of 
 Wales. The Prince died soon afterwards, and his mother did 
 not long survive him. She was the daughter of the Earl of 
 Warwick, and the widow of Prince Edward, whom Richard 
 had murdered. It is said by some authors that she was poisoned 
 by Richard ; and others affirm that she died of a broken heart, 
 in consequence of his cruel treatment. 
 
 Richard now paid great court to the Queen-dowager ; who, 
 tired of her retirement, gave ear to his blandishments, and put
 
 HISTORY OF EXGLVXD. 213 
 
 herself and her daughters into his hands. Knov.ing that the 
 projected match between Richmond and the Princess Elizabeth 
 could alone make his rival formidable to him, Richard resolved 
 to obtain a dispensation from the Pope for marrjing the Prin- 
 cess himself. It is affirmed that the Queen-dowager assented 
 to this project j but her daughter constantly rejected it m ith 
 iiorror. The sudden descent of Richmond in Wales discon- 
 certed this plan. 
 
 After his first abortive expedition, Richmond and the othej 
 English exiles had left Brittany, and taken refuge at the court 
 of France. The countenance and protection of Charles VIII. 
 enabled him to sail from Harfleur vnth a small armament of 
 about '2,000 men. On the seventh of August, 1485, he landed 
 at Milford Haven : the Welch were prepossessed in his favour ; 
 and as he advanced towards Shrewsbury, he daily received 
 reinforcements. Richard, at the head of his army, met his 
 rival at Bosworth, near Leicester. On this field a decisive 
 battle (See Pi^fe XIX. Fig. 12.), the last that was fought in 
 the quarrel of the Roses, took place on the twenty-second of 
 August. Henry was at the head of 6,000 men : Richard hcid 
 an army above double that number ; but he could not depend 
 on their fidelity. When he had empowered Lord Stanley to 
 levy forces, he detained his eldest son. Lord Strange, as a 
 pledge for his fidelity ; and that nobleman was therefore obliged 
 to employ great caution and reserve in his proceedings. He 
 made such a disposition of his forces, which amounted to 7,000 
 men, as might enable him on occasion to join either party. 
 Soon after the battle began, he declared for Richmond; and 
 this measure, which was unexpected to the men, though not 
 to their leaders, inspired Henry's soldiers with additional 
 courage, whilst it infused proportional dismay and confusion 
 among those of Richard. Sensible of his desperate situation, 
 he eagerly sought out his rival, in hopes that cither Henry's
 
 214 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 death or his own would promptly decide the victory. He 
 killed with his own hands Sir William Brandon, standard- 
 bearer to the Earl : he dismounted Sir John Cheyney : he was 
 now within reach of Richmond himself, who declined not the 
 combat ; when Sir William Stanley broke in with his troops, 
 and surrounded Richard, who fell oppressed with numbers, 
 but fighting bravely to the last. About 4,000 of the vanquished 
 perished in the engagement. The body of Richard was found, 
 after the battle, beneath heaps of slain : it was thrown care- 
 lessly across a horse, and carried to Leicester, amidst the shouts 
 of the insulting spectators ; and buried in the church of the 
 Grey-Friars, at that place.
 
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 1509
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 215 
 
 PLATE XXII. 
 Henry the Seventh. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Marbiage of Henry of Lancaster with Elizabeth 
 
 OF York. 
 The red and the white rose proceeding from difFerent steins, 
 in connexion with the Crown, shew the union of the York 
 and Lancastrian families. The King typifies the marriage. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Lambert Simnel. 
 Simnel is holding the standard of insurrection. The falcon 
 in his left hand shews his ultimate condition in life. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Insurrection of Sir Thomas Egremond. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Invasion of France. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Perkin Warbeck. 
 James IV. of Scotland giving Lady Catherine Gordon in 
 marriage to Perkin Warbeck ; who, on account of his being the 
 ton of a Jew, is distinguished by the Hebrew letter Aleph. 
 
 Fig. fi. — Marriage of Prince Arthur with Catharine of 
 Arragon, and of the Princess Margaret with thb 
 Scottish King. 
 
 Fig. J. — Discovery of America ; and the Building of th« 
 
 Great Harry.
 
 216 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 HENRY THE SEVENTH. 
 Henry VIL is represented to have been tall and well made, 
 of a grave aspect, serious in demeanour, and plain in his dress. 
 The caution of his character and narrowness of his heart matle 
 him reserved in conversation, unless he chose to assume an in- 
 sinuating manner to carry some favourite object. He was en- 
 dowed with a fund of natural sagacity, which was heightened 
 and improved by study and experience. He had great personal 
 bravery and political courage. Some remarkable statutes passed 
 in his reign shew him to have been a good legislator ; although 
 several branches of political economy are now better under- 
 stood. He possessed, in a peculiar manner, the art of turning 
 all domestic troubles and foreign disputes to his own advantage. 
 His accession had happily terminated the civil wars ; and while 
 he maintained peace at home, he, by judicious alliances and 
 embassies, rather than by military demonstrations or great 
 achievements abroad, acquired the friendship of some foreign 
 Princes, and the consideration and regard of all. It was his 
 policy to depress the nobility, and to check their insolent and 
 factious spirit ; which he effected partly by a law prohibiting 
 them from engaging retainers, and partly by a statute permitting 
 them to alienate their estates : at the same time he raised the 
 people to plenty and independence, by the administration of 
 just laws, and by encouraging trade and commerce. Although 
 avarice has been attributed to him as his ruling passion, he at 
 times lent large sums of money, without interest, to those 
 merchants whose stock he knew to be not sufficient for the 
 enterprize they had in view. The great blemish of his character 
 and reign was his animosity toward the Yorkists, and the train 
 of unjust pretences under which he imprisoned and destroyed 
 the last male of tlic Plantagenet line. He may be termed the 
 founder of the English navy, as consisting of ships set apart 
 for warlike purposes ; and he had some share in promoting the
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 217 
 
 great naval discoveries which distinguished the age in which he 
 reigned. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF HENRY OF LANCASTER WITPI 
 ELIZABETH OF YORK. 
 
 After the battle of Bosworth, Richard's crown having been 
 found on the field, was placed on the head of the conqueror ; 
 the whole army exclaiming, as if by a common impulse, " Long 
 live King Henry !" His first act of power was to order the 
 young Earl of Warwick * to be imprisoned in the Tower ; and 
 the Princess Elizabeth, who had been placed there by Richard 
 III., to be set at liberty. He then proceeded to London, where 
 he was received by the people with loud and sincere expressions 
 of joy : but his coronation was delayed for a few weeks by a 
 dreadful malady, called the sweating-sickness, which at that 
 time raged with great violence in the metropolis as well as other 
 parts of the kingdom. He was crowned on the 30th of October 
 1485; when, to add splendour to the scene, he instituted a body 
 of fifty archers, who were termed Yeomen of the Guard. 
 Henry's design was to be acknowledged king in his own right ; 
 for which reason he postponed his marriage with the Princess 
 Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV. ; and previously assem- 
 bled a Parliament, which entailed the crown upon him, and 
 reversed the attainders against the Lancastrians. He even 
 procured a bull from the Pope, confirming his title. Although 
 he instigated the Parliament to attaint the late King, and about 
 twenty noblemen and gentlemen who had fought on his side, 
 he proclaimed an amnesty to such of the common people as had 
 borne arms for Ricliard, on their submitting and taking the 
 oath of allegiance. After these preliminary measui-es, he ful- 
 
 • The young Earl of Warwick was the son of the unfortunate 
 Duke of Ciai-eiice, who was drowned by order of Edward IV, 
 
 t.
 
 318 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 filled his engagements with the Princess Elizabeth. The wed- 
 ding was solemnized on the 18th of January 1486, with great 
 pomp; and as this step promised to harmonize the conflicting 
 interests of the Roses, it was hailed by the people with un- 
 bounded rapture : but Henry, attributing expressions of joy 
 surpassing those manifested at his coronation to a latent pre- 
 ference for the House of York, was greatly displeased ; and the 
 suspicions arising from it not only disturbed the tranquillity of 
 his reign, but generated a disgust towards the Queen which 
 embittered all his domestic enjoyments. Elizabeth was virtuous, 
 amiable, and submissive to the caprices of his temper ; yet she 
 never won a proper return of affection from her husband j for 
 the malignancy of faction had seized upon his heart, and 
 checked all the sentiments of conjugal affection. 
 
 Shortly after his marriage, Henry resolved to take a journey 
 into the North. On his way thither, he received intelligence 
 of an insurrection against him, headed by Viscount Lovel, Sir 
 Humphrey Stafford, and his brother Thomas Stafford. When 
 Henry had arrived at York, one army of the insurgents was 
 marching to besiege the city of Worcester, and the other, 
 under Lovel, was proceeding to attack the King. Henry 
 assembled a small body of troops in whom he could confide, 
 and put them under the command of the Duke of Bedford ; 
 but he instructed the Duke not to approach the rebels, but to 
 offer them a pardon if they would return to their allegiance. 
 Lovel, fearful of being deserted, withdrew into Flanders j and 
 his troops submitted to the King's clemency. Sir Henry 
 Stafford, who had besieged Worcester, was taken and hanged, 
 but his brother was pardoned. 
 
 Soon after this success, Henry was gratified by the birth of a 
 son, whom he named Arthur, in commemoration of the cele- 
 brated British King of that name. Though this event was 
 highly pleasing to the nation, yet the King had lost much of 
 his popularity by the severity exercised against the Earl of
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 219 
 
 Warwick. On the other hand, the youth and innocence of 
 that nobleman excited compassion, which, with the place of 
 his confinement, occasioned a comparison to be made between 
 the detested Richard and his successor. Whilst the high idea 
 entertained by the nobility of Henry's policy and vigour 
 retained them in obedience, extraordinary incidents indicated 
 the growing unpopularity of the King. 
 
 — o — 
 LAMBERT SIMNEL. 
 A REPORT had been spread among the people, and received 
 with great avidity, that Richard Duke of York, second son of 
 Edward IV., had escaped the cruelty of his uncle Richard, and 
 was somewhere concealed in England. On this, one Simon, a 
 priest of Oxford, who was watching for some opportunity to 
 disturb Henry's government, secretly instructed Lambert 
 Simnel, a youth of fifteen years of age, the son of a baker, 
 to assume the name of Richard Duke of York : but before he 
 began to act on this imposture, a second rumour was afloat, 
 that the young Earl of Warwick had made his escape from the 
 Tower, and was preparing to head an insurrection. The 
 satisfaction with which this news was received by the public 
 induced Simon to alter his plan ; and his pupil, already fur- 
 nished with domestic anecdotes of the Royal family, was 
 tutored to personate the Earl of Warwick. As the contriver 
 of the imposture knew that it would not bear a close examina- 
 tion, and as the people of Ireland were greatly attached to the 
 House of York, he made that country the first scene of the 
 enterprize. Simnel no sooner presented himself to the Earl 
 of Kildare, the royal deputy, and claimed his protection as the 
 unfortunate Warwick, than that credulous nobleman, not sus- 
 pecting so bold an imposture, began to consult other persons of 
 rank with regard to this extraordinary incident. The read}- 
 belief of these dispelled his hesitation. The Viceregal Council 
 
 L 2
 
 220 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 had been left by Henry as it had been nominated by his pre- 
 decessors ; hence the deputy and other great officers zealously 
 embarked in the cause of a Plantagenet. As the story spread, 
 all ranks imbibed the delusion. The pretended prince was 
 lodsed in the Castle of Dublin : the inhabitants rendered him 
 their spontaneous allegiance : he was crowned with a diadem 
 taken from a statue of the Virgin, and proclaimed King, by 
 the title of Edward VI. 
 
 Henry was in some perplexity when he first received this 
 intelligence; he suspected the Queen-dowager to be deeply 
 implicated in the plot, and in consequence placed her under 
 close restraint in a nunnery at Bermondsey, at the same time 
 confiscating all her lands and revenues. The Queen in vain 
 remonstrated : she remained in close confinement till the time 
 of her death, which happened some years after. 
 
 He next ordered that Warwick should be taken from the 
 Tower, and led through the principal streets of London: after 
 which he had him conducted to St. Paul's Cross, where great 
 numbers of people assembled to see him. 
 
 Meanwhile the people of Dublin supported the dignity of 
 their pretended monarch; and he was crowned with great 
 solemnity by the Earl of Kildare, the Chancellor, and other 
 officers of state. Encouraged by this success, Simnel prepared 
 to invade England with a body of troops under the command of 
 the Earl of Lincoln* and the Earl of Kildare. He was furtlier 
 
 » The son of John de la Pole Duke of Suffolk and of Elizabeth 
 eldest sister to Edward IV. Richard had formed a design, in case lie 
 should die without issue, of declaring Lincoln successor to die Crown. 
 Henry's jealousy against all eminent persons of the House of York, 
 and his rigorous treatment of Warwick, filled Lincoln with aiTpre- 
 liensions, and induced him to seek for safety in the most dangerou-s 
 counsel. Having concerted a secret correspondence wjdi Sir Thomas
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 221 
 
 Strengthened with 2,000 German veterans, furnished him by the 
 Duchess of Burgundy. With these forces, he landed in Lan- 
 cashire ; whence he marched to York, expecting to be joined by 
 a popular insurrection : but in this he was disappointed. The 
 people in general were convinced of Simnel's imposture ; and 
 the disaffected were awed by Henry's military rej)utation. The 
 invaders were met by the royal army at Stoke, in the county of 
 Nottingham ; and an olistinate engagement ensued, in which 
 Henry was victorious. Four thousand men fell in the action, 
 together with Lord Kildare, the Eail of Lincoln, and Martin 
 Swart, the leader of the Germans. King Simnel, and his tutor 
 Simon, were taken prisoners : the latter was committed to close 
 confinement ; but Simnel, too contemptible to be an object of 
 apprehension, was pardoned, and made a scullion in the King's 
 kitchen : he was afterwards advanced to the rank of falconer ; 
 in which employment he died. 
 
 INSURRECTION OF SIR THOMAS EGREMOND. 
 
 In punishing those who had assisted the rebels, Henry made 
 his revenge subservient to his avarice. Heavy fines were levied 
 upon the delinquents. On his return from the North, he de- 
 termined to gratify the wishes of the people, in having the 
 Queen's coronation performed ; a ceremony which tended 
 greatly to tranquillize them, for much of the public discontent 
 had arisen from its being so long delayed. He also restored the 
 Marquis of Dorset to his liberty ; of which he had some time 
 before deprived him, from an apprehension that he would resent 
 the ill-treatment of the Queen-dowager. 
 
 Meanwhile the French Court had nearly completed the sub- 
 jugation of Brittany. Though the King had not opposed the 
 
 Broughton, lie retired to Flanders, and resided some time with bis 
 aunt the Duchess of Burgundy. 
 
 L 3
 
 222 HI8T0RY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 plans and progress of the French with sufficient vigour and pre- 
 caution, and was determined to maintain a pacific conduct, yet 
 knowing the warlike temper of his subjects, and that their an- 
 cient animosity against France was revived by the prospect of 
 this great accession to her power, he resolved to derive advan- 
 tage from this disposition, and to obtain some supplies from the 
 people, under pretence of giving assistance to the Duke of 
 Brittany. Parliament granted him a considerable subsidy for 
 that service. But the levying of this tax involved Henry in 
 new troubles at home. The counties of Durham and York had 
 always been averse from his government, and were extremely 
 enraged at the oppressions under which they had laboured after 
 the extinction of Simnel's rebellion. They opposed the com- 
 missioners sent by the King, and murdered the Duke of Nor- 
 thumberland, wlio came to support their authority. After 
 these acts of violence, they grew desperate; and putting them- 
 selves under the command of Sir John Egremond, they deter- 
 mined to resist the royal power : but this precipitate enterprize 
 was undertaken by a crowd imperfectly armed, without any 
 assistance in reserve. Henry promptly le\'ied a considerable 
 force, which he put under the command of the Earl of Surrey, 
 by whom the rebels were quickly defeated, John Achamber, 
 one of their leaders, was made prisoner, and executed with 
 some accomplices. Sir John Egremond escaped to Burgimdy. 
 
 INVASION OF FRANCE. 
 
 The great fiefs of Normandy, Champagne, Anjou, Dauphiny, 
 Guicnne, Provence, and Burgundy, had been united to the 
 Crown of France in the reigns of Charles VII. and his son 
 Lewis XI. During the minority of Charles VHI. the regency 
 was entrusted to his sister Anne, Lady of Beaujeu, a woman of 
 great spirit and capacity, who formed the bold project of uniting 
 Brittany also to the dominion of France.
 
 HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 223 
 
 The Bretons, disgusted with the weakness of their sovereign 
 Francis II., and the insolence of his minister, Peter Landais, 
 seized the latter, and put him to death. The French regent, 
 Anne, taking advantage of the dissensions in that duchy, enter- 
 ed into a secret agreement with the discontented Bretons, to 
 assist them against their Prince. The auxiliary force_,w'as treble 
 that stipulated by the insurgents ; and when it had penetrated 
 into the heart of Brittany, the revolting Barons and misguided 
 people saw too late that they had betrayed their country into 
 the hands of a powerful and intriguing enemy. In vain they 
 endeavoured to repair the ruin by returning to their allegiance ; 
 in vain they implored the assistance of the English King. The 
 Lady of Bcaujeu sent an embassy to England ; and the vigilance 
 and penetration of Henry were eluded by the dissimulation of 
 the French Court. In 1488, Francis Duke of Brittany died; 
 and was succeeded in the government by his eldest daughter 
 Anne. Henry then sent a body of 6,000 men to the assistance 
 of the young Duchess : they were at first successful, but the 
 distracted state of the counsels of Brittany induced the troops 
 to return as soon as the time of their service, which was only 
 ten months, had elapsed. Brittany was shortly after united to 
 France, by the marriage of the Duchess with the young King, 
 Charles VIII. 
 
 Henry once more resolved on an invasion of France; and 
 issued a commission for levying a benevolence on his people, a 
 species of taxation that had been abolished by an act of Richard 
 III. The nobility were eager for military glory ; and many of 
 them borrowed large sums of money, or sold their manors, that 
 they might appear in the field with greater splendour. 
 
 The King landed at Calais, on Oct. 4th, 1492, with an army 
 of 25,000 foot and 1,G00 cavalry. He then marched into the 
 enemy's country, and laid siege to Boulogne ; but a peace was 
 shortly after concluded; by which Charles engaged to pay 
 Henry 745,000 crowns, nearly £400,000 sterling of our present 
 
 L 4
 
 224 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 money; partly as a reimbursement of the sums advanced to 
 Brittany, and partly as the arrears of the pension due to Ed- 
 ward IV. On a separate ground, he stipidated to pay Henry 
 and his heirs a pension of 25,000 crowns. 
 
 — o — 
 
 PERKIN WARBECK. 
 
 Aftkr concluding a peace with France, Henry had reason to 
 hope for the enjoyment of tranquillity : his domestic authority 
 was fully established ; his reputation for policy and conduct was 
 daily extending ; his treasureshad increased even from the most 
 unfavourable events ; and the hopes of all pretenders to his 
 throne were cut off by his marriage, and by the birth of a son. 
 But the Duchess of Burgundy,* rather irritated than discouraged 
 by past disappointments, determined at least to disturb the 
 government she was unable to overthrew. 
 
 She first spread a report, that her nephew the Duke of 
 York, who was said to have been murdered in the Tower, had 
 escaped and was still alive. Finding this rumour greedily re- 
 ceived, she was not long in finding a young man proper to per- 
 sonate that unfortunate Prince. 
 
 There was a youth of the name of Perkin Warbeck, the son 
 of a rcuegado Jew, whose person bore a strong resemblance to 
 Edward IV. This being reported to the Duchess, she deemed 
 him a fit instrument for the prosecution of her schemes. The 
 beauty of his person, the gracefulness of his actions, his lively 
 and ready wit, filled her with admiration, and seemed to 
 promise success. His manners were so easy, and his conversa- 
 tion so elegant, that he easily imposed upon all those who were 
 not privy to the imposture. Like Simnel, he made his first 
 apiiearance in Ireland ; and taking the name of Richard Pla»- 
 
 * She was sister to Edwaid I V., and had been married to the Duke 
 of Burgundy in 14C8.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 226 
 
 tagenet, he was immeiliately suppoited by a great number of 
 credulous people. He wrote letters to the Earls of Desmond 
 and Kildare, inviting them to join his party : he every where 
 dispersed intelligence of his wonderful escape from the cruelty 
 of his uncle Richard ; and soon became the subject of general 
 con\ersation. The French King, ever disposed to interrupt the 
 peace of England, sent Perkin an invitation to repair to Paris ; 
 received liim as the Duke of York, and settled on him a hand- 
 some pension, assigning him magnificent lodgings, and giving 
 him a guard of honour for his protection. Perkin, by his cour- 
 teous behaviour, increased the admiration of his partisans ; and 
 the whole kingdom resounded with the praises of the accom- 
 plished and unfortunate Plantagenet, so that he began to enter- 
 tain the most sanguine hopes of success. All who were disgusted 
 with the King prepared to join Perkin, particularly Henry's 
 former favourites, who thought their services in raising him to 
 the throne not sufficiently recompensed. Their attempts were 
 however frustrated ; and many of the conspirators of note suf- 
 fered by the hands of the executioner. Lord Stanley was tried 
 on a charge of implication in their projects; and being found 
 guilty, was put to death. The fate of this nobleman made a 
 great impression on the people, and struck all the partisans of 
 Perkin with the deepest dismay. The desertion of Lord CliiFord 
 from their party, who had betrayed their plans to the King, and 
 revealed to him all the particulars of Perkin's former life and 
 connexions, filled them with mutual distnist; confidence was 
 destroyed, and men became suspicious even of their intimate 
 friends and acquaintance. Finding it fruitless to attempt any 
 tiling in England, Perkin repaired to the court of James IV. of 
 Scotland : he was received by the King with the greatest cor- 
 diality ; who carried his friendship so far as to give him in mar- 
 riage the daughter of the Earl of Huntley, a near relation of his 
 own. He even attempted to set him on the throne of Eng- 
 land ; but not meeting with the success he expected, he retreat- 
 
 L 5
 
 226 HISTORY OF ENGIAN©. 
 
 ed into his own country. A peace was soon after concludecf 
 between the two kingdoms ; and Perldn was obliged to leave 
 Scotland. Born in England, though of Flemish extraction, it 
 was doubtful whether he would be received in the Low Coun- 
 tries, according to the terms of the treaty. He therefore took 
 shelter for a time in the wilds and fastnesses of Ireland ; whence 
 he embarked for Cornwall. No sooner did he raise his standard 
 at Bodmin, than three thousand of the populace joined him. 
 Elated with this promise of success, he assumed the appellation 
 of Richard IV. of England, and laid siege to Exeter. Almost all 
 the local forces, influenced by the neighbouring nobility and 
 gentry, hastened to oppose him. Henry was preparing to fol- 
 low with a considerable army : when Perkin, alarmed at the 
 formidable and increasing number of his opponents, raised the 
 siege, and retu-ed to Taunton ; although his army then amount- 
 ed to 7,000 men. Despairing of success, he retired to the 
 sanctuary of Beaulieu, in the New Forest. The Cornish rebels 
 submitted, and a second time experienced the King's mercy.* 
 Lady Catherine Gordon, wife to Perkin, was taken, and treated 
 with great kindness by Henry. He soothed her mind with 
 many marks of regard, placed her in an honourable situation 
 about the Queen, and assigned her a pension, which she enjoy- 
 ed even under his successor. 
 
 Perkin having taken sanctuary, Henry deliberated for some 
 time in what manner to get possession of his person. At lengtli 
 Perkin was persuaded to surrender himself into the King's 
 hands, under a promise of pardon. He was conducted in a 
 kind of mock triumph through the streets of London; and 
 as the history of his real parentage was now generally known, 
 he was treated with derision by the people. Though his IMe 
 
 * An insurrection of the Comisli men liad lately been suppressed : 
 they were defeated by llie King at the battle of Blackbeatli. The 
 ringleaders were put to death, but the people were pardoned.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND* 227 
 
 was granted him, he was still retained in custody : but he broke 
 from his keepers, and flew to the sanctuary of Shyne : he was 
 however again pardoned, after being put in the stocks, and 
 (rfJiged to read aloud to the people the confession which had 
 formerly been published in his name. He was then confined in 
 the Tower. Here his restless spirit of intrigue followed him ; 
 and having found means to open a correspondence with the 
 Earl of Warwick, a conspiracy was formed, of which the first 
 object was the murder of the lieutenant : but this contrivance 
 being discovered, Perkin v/as put to death. 
 
 The unfortunate Earl of Warwick was executed a short time 
 afterwards. The conduct of Henry towards this unhappy youth 
 is the deepest blemish of his reign, and occasioned much discon- 
 tent among the people. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF PRINCE ARTHUR WITH CATHA- 
 RINE OF ARRAGON, AND OF THE PRINCESS 
 MARGARET WITH THE SCOTTISH KING. 
 The Infanta Catharine of Arragon was the fourth daughter 
 of Ferdinand and Isabella, sovereigns of Castile and Ai'ragon 
 and had long been contracted to Arthur Prince of Wales, 
 Henry's eldest son. Their marriage took place, Nov. 12, 1503; 
 but proved unfortunate, the Prince dying a few months after, 
 much regretted by the whole nation. The King, desirous to 
 continue his alliance with Spain, procured a dispensation from 
 the Pope, and married the Infanta to his second son, Henry, 
 then in his twelfth year; an event which was afterwards 
 productive of the most important consequences. In 1513 he 
 gave Margaret his eldest daughter in marriage to James, King 
 of Scotland : by this compact, Henry hoped to remove every 
 source of discord with that neighbouring kingdom, by whose 
 animosity England had so often suffered. 
 
 This same year the Queen died. The situation of the King's 
 affairs, both abroad and at home, was extremely fortunate; 
 
 L 6
 
 228 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 his alliance was courted by all the Princes of Europe; and 
 the prudence and vigour of his domestic administration had 
 reduced the people to entire submission and obedience. His 
 rigid economy in the decline of life, degenerated into avarice ; 
 and his two ministers, Empson and Dudley, were guilty of 
 many acts of extortion. Henry, however, hoarded for the 
 public J and it is said, that at his death he possessed, in ready 
 money, the sura of jE 1,800,000; a treasure almost incredible, 
 considering the scarcity of money in those times. 
 
 Henry died of a consumption at Richmond, a. d. 1509, in 
 the fifty-second year of his age, after a reign of twenty-three 
 years and eight months. 
 
 DISCOVERY OF AMERICA; AND THE BUILDING 
 OF THE GREAT HARRY. 
 
 It was during this reign that the celebrated na\4gator, Chris- 
 topher Columbus, first discovered the Western hemisphere. 
 Bartholomew, his brother, came to London, in order to solicit 
 the protection and support of Henry in his projected disco- 
 veries; the King in consequence invited Columbus over to 
 England : but Bartholomew being taken prisoner and detained 
 on his voyage, his brother meanwhile obtained the patronage 
 of Isabella of Castile, who supplied him with a small fleet. 
 He set sail August 3d, 1492; and in less than nine weeks the 
 sanguine expectations of this bold and intrepid projector were 
 happily crowned with success. In 1498, Henry engaged Sebas- 
 tian Cabot, a Venetian settled in Bristol, to undertake a voyage 
 Westward. Cabot discovered a section of the main land of 
 North America, commencing at the 60th degree of northern 
 latitude, together with Newfoundland and other islands, but 
 returned without making any conquest or settlement. 
 
 In 1509, the King ordered a ship of two decks to be built, 
 which he called the Great Harry. It was of one thousand tons'
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 229 
 
 burthen, and cost £14,000. Before this time, ships of 
 twenty-four guns were the largest in the service ; they were 
 devoid of port-holes, having guns only on the upper deck. 
 The Great Harry was, in fact, the first ship in the 
 English navy ; for previous to this, when the King wanted a 
 fleet, he had no other expedient than that of hiring or pressing 
 ships from the merchants.
 
 230 HISTORY OF ENGtAND. 
 
 PLATE XXIII. 
 
 Henry the Eighth. 
 
 Firr, 1. — Invasion of Fbance and Battle of the Spp&s. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Battle of Flodden Field. — Death of James the 
 Fourth of Scotland. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Interview of Henry and Francis the First. 
 Henry is surrounded by the French nobles, and Francis by 
 those of England. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Death of Cardinal Wolsey. 
 The mitre and Cardinal's hat allude to his ecclesiastical dig- 
 nities ; and the College Caps (one inscribed " C. C. C. Oxford," 
 and the other Ipswich), to the Colleges which he founded. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Divorce of Catharine of Arragon, and Marriage 
 OF Henry with Anne Boleyn. 
 
 Fig. 6. — The Reformation. 
 The bible, resting upon the letter E, shows the stability of 
 the Reformation. Beneath are the Papal Insignia reversed and 
 broken. 
 
 Fig. 7. — Death of Queen Anne Boleyn. — Marriage of the 
 King with Jane Seymour. 
 The emblematical personages are explained by the title_ 
 The death's head, conspicuous above the crown, alludes to the 
 tyranny and cruelty of Henry. 
 
 Fig. 8. — The Death of' Thomas Cromwell. 
 The smith's anvil alludes to his humble origin ; and the axe 
 to the manner of his death. 
 
 Fig. 9 — Persecutions. 
 The gibbet, the fire, the axes, and the wheel, exhibit the 
 different modes of persecution. — The rosaiy and bible inti- 
 mate that both Catholics and Protestants were alike victims to 
 Henry's capricious persecutions.
 
 PLATE XXIII. 
 
 [Page 230.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 231 
 
 HENRY THE EIGHTH. 
 
 Henuy VIII., the sole surviving son of the late King, as- 
 cended the throne in the eighteenth year of his age. His 
 countenamce was handsome ; his person dignified and com- 
 manding ; he was dexterous in every manly exercise ; and had 
 a spirited air. His understanding was naturally good ; but his 
 sphere of thinking was cramped by the nature of his studies, 
 which were chiefly confined to gloomy and scholastic disqui- 
 sitions. The high opinion he entertained of his own talents 
 and acquirements rendered him vain, arrogant, and presump- 
 tuous : with vigour of mind he possessed great intrepidity and 
 vigilance, was sincere in the first professions of attachment, 
 and made liberal returns for grateful services ; but these popular 
 virtues were eclipsed by his pride and caprice, his violence, 
 injustice, and rapacity, his profusion and fondness for expen- 
 sive pageants and carousals, his bigotry, and unrelenting cruelty. 
 
 The accession of young Henry inspired universal satisfaction, 
 as the rights and pretensions both of the York and Lancastrian 
 Houses were equally centered in him ; so that the people natu- 
 rally expected from a Prince who was obnoxious to no party, 
 a just and impartial administration. Every think seemed to 
 promise Henry a peaceful and happy reign : his kingdom was 
 free from all domestic troubles; his friendship and alliance 
 were courted by the neighbouring potentates ; and his treasury, 
 owing to the wise economy of his father, was more than suffi- 
 cient to answer all reasonable demands. The young King 
 retained such of the old ministers and councillors as were least 
 unpopular ; but Empson and Dudley, being particularly ob- 
 noxious to the people, were, upon an improbable charge of 
 conspu'acy, pronounced guilty by a jury, and put to death.
 
 S32 HISTOHY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 INVASION OF FRANCE, AND BATTLE OF THE 
 
 SPURS. 
 At this period the balance of power in Europe was such as 
 might have ensured general tranquillity, had it not been for 
 the ambition of Pope Julius II. By his intrigues, a league was 
 formed at Cambray, between himself, Maximilian Emperor of 
 Germany, Lewis XII. of France, and Ferdinand of Spain, to 
 subdue, by their united arms, the Commonwealth of Venice. 
 Henry, without any particular object in view, had allowed his 
 name to be inserted in the treaty for the confederacy. The 
 assailants triumphed by an overwhelming force ; but no sooner 
 was Venice prostrate before her enemies, than Julius turned his 
 arms against France, and induced two of the leading powers to 
 assist him. Henry, dazzled by the prospect of military glory, 
 and the title of Most Christian King, which the Pope gave him 
 hopes of obtaining, joined with the latter and Ferdinand to 
 expel Lewis from Italy : as party to this new league, he sent a 
 herald to Pans, to exhort the French King not to wage an 
 impious war with the Sovereign Pontiff. Henry then sum- 
 moned a Parliament, and demanded supplies, all of which the 
 Commons voted. His old and prudent counsellors endeavoured 
 to divert his intentions, but in vain ; he was deaf to all remon- 
 strances, and resolved mimediately to begin the war. 
 
 By the advice of his father-in-law Ferdinand, the King of 
 England, sent a body of 10,000 men, under the command of the 
 Marquis of Dorset, to invade Guienne. Ferdinand wished to 
 make the conquest of Navarre, and for this purpose he required 
 the English to assist him ; but Dorset declined to co-operate 
 actively, having no orders to attack that country : nevertheless 
 the English, by theu* position, prevented the French from 
 affording any assistance to the Navarcse, who, unable to cope 
 with the victorious Duke of Alva, were quickly subdued, and 
 John their King obliged to seek protection in the court of 
 Lewis. Ferdinand next invited the Eaj-1 of Dorset to invade
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 233 
 
 the principality of Bearne, an undertaking which was not within 
 the declared objects of the two allied powers; and dissensions 
 arising between the English and Spanish couimanders, the 
 former returned with the whole armament to England. Henry 
 was so much displeased at the ill success of this enterprize, that 
 it was with some difficulty Dorset appeased him, even when he 
 made known to him the fraudulent conduct of Ferdinand,, 
 About this time Pope Juhus died ; and was succeeded by John 
 de Medicis, who took the appellation of Leo X., and proved 
 one of the most illustrious Princes that ever filled the papal 
 chair. 
 
 In the summer of 1513, Henry in person invaded France, by 
 the way of Calais; and was seconded by the Swiss with an army 
 of 25,000 men. Maximilian also joined him with some German 
 and Flemish soldiers ; and observing the English monarch to be 
 more intent on glory than on interest, enlisted himself in his 
 service, wore the cross of St. George, as one of his subjects, 
 and received a hundred crowns daily for his pay. 
 
 The English, under the command of Lord Herbert, had met 
 with a severe check whilst besieging Teroiiane; but Henry soon 
 after obtained a signal victory at Guinegate over the enemy's 
 cavalry, who, the moment that the English came within sight 
 of them, appeared panic-struck, and instantly took to flight. 
 The Duke of Longueville, their commander, Buissi D'Amboise, 
 the Chevalier Bayard, and many other officers of distinction, 
 were made prisoners. This action is sometimes termed the 
 Battle of Guinegate, from the place where it was fought ; but 
 more frequently the Battle of the Spurs, the French ha\-in£ 
 made more use of their spurs than of their swords. 
 
 This success was not followed up : Lewis soon after con- 
 cluded a separate truce with Ferdinand and Maximilian. Henry 
 was highly incensed at the defection of the Emperor, on whose 
 account alone he had entered into the war. Longueville, who 
 was still a prisoner, taking advantage of this, [^-evailed with
 
 234 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 Henry also to make a peace, and to cement the friendship of 
 the French and English Kings by the marriage of Mary, Henry's 
 youngest sister, with Lewis, who was now a widower : Anne of 
 Brittany having died a short time before. 
 
 This union took place in 1514, and in three months after- 
 wards Lewis died. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, Francis 
 Duke of Angoulerae. 
 
 BATTLE OF FLODDEN FIELD; DEATH OF JAMES 
 THE FOURTH OF SCOTLAND. 
 
 Whilst Henry was engaged on the Continent, he endea- 
 voured to secure the neutrality of Scotland, and sent Dr. West 
 on an embassy to that country, to allay some dissatisfaction 
 that had arisen in consequence of the defeat of a Scotch pirate, 
 who had for some time infested the English seas, but was at 
 length killed in an engagement with Admiral Howard. An 
 ancient league had long subsisted between the Scotch and 
 Frencli ; and James, thinking himself bound to take part with 
 his ally, sent a squadron of ships to the assistance of Lewis ; 
 although he at the same time professed to maintain a strict 
 neutrality. Henry therefore gave orders to the Earl of Surrey 
 to put the borders into a posture of defence, lest the Scots 
 should attempt to invade them. The King of Scotland in the 
 mean time crossed the Tweed with an army of 50,000 men, and 
 ravaged those parts of Northumberland that lay nearest the 
 river. The Earl of Surrey, with a force of 26,000 men, met 
 hira in the field of Flodden, near the Cheviot hills, and gained 
 a complete victory. In this sanguinary conflict fell 10,000 of 
 the Scots, among whom was their King and most of their 
 nobility ; whilst the English loss, although it amounted to 5,000 
 men, comprized no officer of note. • 
 
 To reward the Earl of Surrey for this important service, 
 Henry restored to him the title of Duke of Norfolk, and made 
 his son, Lord Howard, Earl of Surrey.
 
 HISTOKT OF ENGLAND. 235 
 
 The Queen-dowager of Scotland, Henry's sister, who had 
 been created Regent during the minority of her son, had no 
 resource but to negociate : Henry generously forbore to pursue 
 his advantages against the Scottish nation, and readily granted 
 peace. If he relinquished an in\iting opportunity for attempt- 
 ing the complete reduction of Scotland, immediate security 
 obtained on that side enabled him to give undivided attention 
 to the affairs which connected England with the Continent. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Embassy. — A deputation fi-om one country or sovereign to another, 
 to negotiate mercantile exchanges, or to settle political differences. 
 
 Pirates. — Robbers, who for the sake of plunder attack indiscrimi- 
 nately the ships of all nations, during peace or war, and sell their 
 prisoners for slaves. 
 
 INTERVIEW OF HENRY AND FRANCIS THE FIRST. 
 
 The insolent conduct of the French towards the Milanese, 
 in the time of Lewis XII., had so enraged that people, that, 
 with the assistance of the Swiss, they expelled the French from 
 the duchy. Great preparations had been made by Lewis to 
 reconquer that province, when his intentions were arrested by 
 the hand of death. His successors, however, accomplished 
 what he had projected ; and the victory of Marignan put the 
 French once more into possession of the Milanese. 
 
 This success, and the glory which Francis I. in consequence 
 acquired, began to excite the jealousy of Henry ; who was still 
 farther displeased with the Iving of France for sending the Duke 
 of Albany into Scotland, a measure which tended to under- 
 mine the authority of his sister the Regent. But what chiefly 
 ahenated the English cabinet, was the disgust which Wolsey 
 entertained against the French monarch, who had not hitherto 
 courted him with that assiduity and respect which he thought 
 his due.
 
 236 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 It was not, however, the interest of France to enter into a 
 new war. The deaths of Ferdinand and Maximilian at this 
 period made Charles V. the most powerful monarch of his 
 time. Francis was sensible of the necessity of Henry's friend- 
 ship, to maintain a balance of power : aware, too, of the 
 unbounded influence of Wolsey over his master, he began to 
 pay great court to that liaughty favourite ; and at length the 
 harmonious tone which the correspondence of the two courts 
 assumed, made the King of France believe that he had secured 
 Wolsey in his interest. Francis solicited an interview with 
 Henry at Calais ; to which the latter readily assented. As he 
 was preparing to depart, he was surprised at receiving a visit 
 from the Emperor Charles V., who, having heard of the 
 intended meeting between the two Kings, and apprehending 
 some arrangements hostile to his government, had come in 
 person to the English court, to solicit the friendship of the 
 Monarch. The Emperor also paid the most flatterir.g atten- 
 tions to the English Cardinal, leading him to expect, that 
 through his influence he should eventually be elevated to the 
 Papacy, the primary object of Wolsey's ambition. 
 
 On the very day of the Emperor's departure, Henry with 
 the Queen and his whole court passed over to Calais. Francis, 
 with a similar retinue, came to Ardres : the two Monarchs met 
 for the first time in a field within the English pale, in compli- 
 ment to Henry for crossing the sea. The nobility both of 
 France and England here displayed their magnificence with 
 such profusion, that the place of their interview was called 
 " The field of the cloth of gold." 
 
 In order to put a stop to the tedious ceremonials employed 
 at every interview, Francis one day paid Henry a visit attended 
 only by two gentlemen and a page. Henry, who was greatly 
 astonished and highly flattered by this mark of confidence, 
 exclaimed: " My brother, you have played me the most 
 agreeable trick in the world : I surrender myself your prisoner
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 237 
 
 from this moment." He then took from his neck a collar of 
 pearls of great value, and, putting it on Francis, begged him 
 to wear it for the sake of his prisoner. Francis in return gave 
 Henry a bracelet double in value to the collar. 
 
 A defiance had been sent by the two Kings to London and 
 Paris, and to all the chief cities in Europe, importing that 
 Henry and Francis would be ready to answer all comers at tilt, 
 tournament, and barriers. The two monarchs, who were the 
 handsomest persons of their age, entered the field on horse- 
 b<ack, most splendidly equipped ; Henry surrounded by the 
 French guards, and Francis by those of England. Both 
 Princes were very expert in all militarj' exercises ; but Henry, 
 who Contended with a number of French noblemen and gentle- 
 men, bore away the honour of the field. In these entertain_ 
 nients, rather than in serious business, the two Kings passed 
 tlie time till their mutual visit terminated. Wolsey had 
 adjusted with Francis some additions to the late alliance, before 
 tJie Kings met. 
 
 Soon after this, a war broke out between the Emperor 
 Charles V. and Francis : Henry was appealed to as umpire, 
 who committed the business to the mediation of Wolsey. 
 Francis, however, would not accede to the unreasonable 
 demands of Charles : at length Wolsey, having met the Empe- 
 ror at Bruges, concluded a treaty with him; the tenor of 
 which was, that Henry should invade France the ensuing 
 autumn, with forty thousand men; and that, in order to 
 cement the friendship of the English and Spanish monarchs, 
 the Princess Mary, Henry's daughter, should be betrothed to 
 the Emperor Charles. 
 
 — o — 
 
 DEATH OF CARDINAL WOLSEY. 
 
 Thomas Wolsey, the minister and favourite of Henry VIII., 
 
 was the son of a private gentleman of Ipswich. He had the 
 
 advantage of a learned education, having taken his degree of
 
 238 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Bachelor of Arts in the University of Oxford, at the early age 
 of fourteen years, where he was commonly called the Boy 
 Bachelor, In his twenty-fifth year he took orders, and was 
 soon after made tutor to the Marquis of Dorset's sons : he 
 was presented by that nobleman with the living of Lymington.* 
 On the death of his patron, he was recommended by Sir John 
 Nefant to King Henry VII., who made him one of his Chap- 
 lains, and employed him in a secret negociation respecting 
 his intended marriage with Margaret of Savoy, daughter of 
 Maximilian. Henry VII. was so much pleased with Wolse^s 
 diligence and success in that business, that he bestowed on 
 hun the bishopric of Lincoln. 
 
 At the accession of Henry VIII., Wolsey was introduced 
 at Court by the Bishop of Winchester, who hoped, by pro- 
 moting him, to have a counterpoise to the Earl of Surrey, in 
 a member of the cabinet, subordinate to himself. Wolsey 
 soon insinuated himself into the King's favour ; and became no 
 less useful to him by his assiduity in business, than pleasing to 
 him by joining in his festivities and diversions.^ 
 
 Henry, charmed with his plan of transacting business, which 
 was to converse on state affairs in the intervals of amusement, 
 made him a member of his council, and afterwards his sole 
 and absolute minister. In this high station he had full oppor- 
 tunity of developing the greatness of his character, and the 
 extent of his genius. He was a man of extraordinai"y capacity 
 
 • During his residence here, Wolsey was for some misdemeanor 
 put into the stocks by Sir Amyat Paulet : and he failed not to resent 
 tJiis insult when he became Chancellor, by confining tlie Knight for 
 some years in the Temple. 
 
 f Wolsey is said to have laughed, danced, and sung with the 
 young courtiers, in a manner unbecoming lioth his years and dignity : 
 but his pleasures never interfered with his official duties; and he i« 
 allowed, even by his enemies, to have been indefatigable in busanc«s.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 239 
 
 and unbounded enterprize ; ambitious of power, and fond of 
 glory ; oppressive to the people ; zealously subservient to the 
 King in every thing not interfering with his own views on the 
 papacy ; insinuating and engaging when he designed to please ; 
 at other times lofty and commanding ; haughty to his equals, 
 and less moved by injuries than by contempt ;* liberal to his 
 partisans ; gentle and affable to his dependants, by whom he 
 appears to have been greatly beloved. He was a generous 
 patron of literature, which was then in its infancy; and, by his 
 jmblic institutions and private bounty, gave encouragement to 
 every branch of learning.-f- In 1513 he was made Archbishop 
 of York ; to which he annexed the sees of Durham and Win- 
 cJiester, besides farming the revenues of the bishoprics of Bath, 
 Worcester, and Hereford, which were held by Italian prelates 
 who resided at Rome. The Pope, observing his great influence 
 with the King, and desirous of engaging him in his interest, 
 soon after made him a Cardinal. No man ever carried to a 
 greater height the state and dignity of that character. His 
 inmiense revenues enabled him to support an ostentatious mag- 
 nificence, surpassing that of many princes. lie had no fewer 
 than five hundred servants, among whom were nine or ten 
 Lords, fifteen Knights, and forty Esquires. He was the first 
 clergyman in England who wore silk and gold. 
 
 Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, having resigned the 
 office of Chancellor, the great seal was immediately given to 
 Wolsey.J In this high office, he is said to have been strict 
 in the administration of justice : and Sir Thomas More obsei'vesj 
 that no Chancellor ever discovered greater impartiality in his 
 
 * The Duke of Buckingham Iiaving imprudently giyen him some 
 disgust, was attainted of high treason, brought to trial, condemued, 
 and executed. 
 
 f He founded Christ- Church College at Oxford, and one at 
 Ipswich. Tlie latter fell with him, but the former still flourishes. 
 
 ^ Wolsey was made a Cardinal, and Chancellor of England in 1515.
 
 240 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 decisions, deeper penetration of judgment, or more enlarged 
 knowledge of law and equity. 
 
 Upon the surrender of Tournay, Henry bestowed the admi- 
 nistration of that See upon Wolsey ; and put him in immediate 
 possession of its revenues, which were considerable. It was 
 afterwards ceded to the King of France, who promised to pay 
 the Cardinal a pension of 1,200 livres annually, as an equivalent. 
 In 1518, Wolsey was appointed legate with unbounded 
 power. He erected an office which he called the Legatine 
 Court, vesting in it a kind of inquisitorial jurisdiction, which 
 gave great offence to the people in general. 
 
 Upon the application of Henry to the Court of Rome, to 
 obtain a divorce from his Queen Catherine, Wolsey, in con- 
 junction with Cardinal Campeggio, was appointed to examine 
 the validity of the King's marriage. The situation of Wolsey 
 was now very critical ; his immediate interest disposed him to 
 gratify his master, who was impatient of Ecclesiastical controul ; 
 but, on the other hand, he was unwilling to detract from the 
 authority of the Pope, as his final aim was to succeed to the 
 Pontifical chair. He foresaw that the delays attending the 
 divorcement of Catherine would prove his ruin, knowing that 
 the King would make his Ministers answerable for the success 
 of those transactions which were confided to them. Henry, 
 who expected that Wolsey would have M^armly supported him, 
 was greatly offended by his wavering and indecisive conduct. 
 Anne Boleyn, too, was prepossessed against him ; and, suspecting 
 that the obstacle to her elevation was willingly left imdissolved, 
 increased the King's displeasure. The great seal was taken from 
 Wolsey, and given to Sir Thomas More. The Cardinal waa 
 then ordered to depart from York Palace (now Whitehall) ; and 
 all his plate and furniture were seized.* 
 
 * It is said that the walls of his palace were hung with cloths of" 
 gold and silver : he had a service of plate consisting of massy gold, and 
 the rest of his furniture was equally sumptuous.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 241 
 
 The King shewing some symptoms of returning kindness to 
 Wolsej', his enemies, who dreaded his influence should he 
 retmni to Court, never ceased pursuing tlie disgraced Minister 
 with fresh accusations. Wolsey lived for a short time in privacy 
 and retirement ; but at length he was arrested for high treason, 
 and ordered up to London to take his trial. He was, however, 
 unable to proceed far on his journey, being seized with sudden 
 illness : with much difficulty he reached Leicester Abbey, and 
 immediately took to his bed, from whence he never rose more. 
 A short time before he expired, he addressed the following 
 words to Sir William Kingston, constable of the Tower, who 
 had him in custody : " I pray you have me heartily commended 
 unto his Royal Majesty ; and beseech him, on my behalf, to call 
 to his remembrance all matters that have passed between us 
 from the beginning, especially in regard to his business with the 
 Queen ; and then will he know in his conscience whether I have 
 offended him. He is a Prince of a most royal carriage, and 
 hath a princely heart ; and rather than he will miss or want any 
 part of his will, he will endanger the one half of his kingdom. 
 I do assure you, that I have often kneeled before him, sometimes 
 three hours together, to persuade him from his will and appe- 
 tite; but could not prevail. Had I but served God as diligently 
 as I have served the King, he would not have given me over in 
 my grey hairs. But this is the just reward that I nmst receive 
 for my indulgent pains and study, not regarding my service to 
 God, but only to my Prince. Therefore let me advise you, if 
 you be one of the King's Privy Council, as by your wisdom 30U 
 are fit, take care what you put into the Bang's head, for you cau 
 never put it out again." 
 
 DEFIJIITIONS. 
 
 Legate. — A Cardinal or Bishop, or other clerical character, sent by 
 the Pope, as his Ambassador, to any Sovereign Prince. 
 
 High Treason.-~A crime by which the safety of tlie King or State 
 is endangered. 
 
 M
 
 242 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 DIVORCE OF CATHERINE OF ARRAGON, AND 
 MARRIAGE OF HENRY WITH ANNE BOLEYN. 
 
 Henry had been eighteen years married to Queen Catherine, 
 when he began to disclose his scruples concerning the lawfulness 
 of a union with his brother's widow. He observed, that having 
 studied Thomas Aquinas, he found, in the works of that learned 
 Doctor, an express declaration of the unlawfulness of such mar- 
 riages. That he had long been troubled in conscience about it ; 
 and in particular he was struck with the visible displeasure of 
 Heaven, as all his children by the Queen, excepting one daughter, 
 had died in their infancy. The Archbishop of Canterbury and 
 all the Prelates, except Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, were 
 strongly inclined to favour the King's scruples. 
 
 But a more powerful reason than any before enumerated 
 influenced Henry : he was become enamoured of the charms of 
 Anne Boleyn, maid of honour to the Queen. This lady was the 
 daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, who had been employed by the 
 King in several embassies. Anne herself, when very young, ha<l 
 accompanied the King's sister to Paris, when that Princess 
 married Lewis XII. It is uncertain at what time she returned 
 to England. Henry was at first attracted by her exquisite 
 beauty ; and finding the charms of her mind correspond with 
 her external graces, he determined on marrying her so soon as 
 he could get divorced from the Queen. He therefore instituted 
 an application to Pope Clement, soliciting the Pontiff to annul 
 the bull of his predecessor, which had sanctioned the marriage 
 with Catherine, and to grant a dispensation for a second mar- 
 riage. Clement was at this time a prisoner in the hands of the 
 Emperor ; and having no hopes of regaining his liberty but 
 through the intervention of the King of England, he gave a 
 favourable answer to his demands. No sooner was he free from 
 his captivity, than he began to temporize ; having promised the 
 Emperor, who was Catherine's nephew, to take no steps in the 
 siffair without imparting them to Charles's ministers : but in
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ~4o 
 
 order to fippease the King of England, he sent over a commis- 
 sion, in which Cardinal Campeggio was joined with Wolsey, to 
 try the legality of the marriage. The two Legates opened their 
 Court at London. To give an air of impartiality to their pro- 
 ceedings, Wolsey, though the elder Cardinal, yielded the chair 
 of presidency to the Italian Legate. Campeggio summoned the 
 King and Queen to appear before him on the 18th June 15:29. 
 The King answered to his name when called ; but the Queen, 
 on rising from her seat, threw herself at the King's feet, and 
 addressed him in the most pathetic strain ; telling him, " That 
 she was a stranger in his dominions, without protection, without 
 counsel, without assistance ; that she had quitted her native 
 country, and had no refuge but in her union with him ; that she 
 had been his wife during twenty years, and would appeal to 
 himself whether her affectionate submission to his will had not 
 merited better treatment. That their parents, the Kings of 
 England and Spain, were esteemed the wisest Princes of their 
 time, and had acted from the best advice. That she acquiesced 
 in their judgment, and would not submit her cause to be tried 
 by a Court, whose dependence upon her enemies was too visible 
 ever to allow her any hope of obtaining from them an equitable 
 decision." Having thus spoken, she arose, and, respectfully 
 curtseying to the King, departed from the Court, in which she 
 determined never again to appear. 
 
 After her departure, the King did justice to her virtues ; and 
 acknowledged that not only had she been a dutiful and affec- 
 tionate wife, but that the whole tenor of her life had been con- 
 formable to the strictest rules of probity and honour. 
 
 The Legates again summoned the Queen ; who not appearing, 
 was declared contumacious, notwithstanding her appeal to 
 Rome. After multiplied discussions, and the production of 
 various evidence, the business seemed drawing to a conclusion, 
 and Henry every day expected to receive sentence in his favour ; 
 when, to his great surprise, Campeggio prorogued the Court tiii 
 
 M 2
 
 244 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the 1st of October. Meanwhile Henry, by the advice of Dr. 
 Thomas Cranmer, consulted all the Universities of Europe on 
 this important subject: their opinions coincided with the wishes 
 of the King ; who, in order to force the Pope to pronounce the 
 sentence of divorce, engaged the principal Clergy and Nobility 
 to write to his Holiness, threatening him with a renunciation of 
 his appellant jurisdiction, in case he refused to do justice in the 
 cause of the divorce. Clement sent an answer to vindicate his 
 proceedings. But this did not satisfy Henry, who resolved to 
 abide the consequences of a rupture with the See of Rome. 
 With this intention, he in January 1532 was privately married 
 to Anne Boleyn, whom he had previously created Marchioness 
 of Pembroke. A sentence of divorce between Henry and 
 Catherine was pronounced by Cranmer, Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury; and a subsequent sentence of the Primate ratified the 
 marriage with Anne Boleyn, who was soon afterwards publicly 
 crowned with all suitable pomp and solemnity. On the 7th of 
 September she was delivered of a daughter, a circumstance which 
 gave Henry so much pleasure, that he conferi'ed on the Royal 
 infant, who received the name of Elizabeth, the title of Princess 
 of Wales. 
 
 Catherine, though commanded to consider herself only as 
 Dowager Princess of Wales, would not relinquish her Royal 
 title and pretensions ; but withdrew from Court, and lived in 
 retirement. In the year 153G, this amiable and unfortunate 
 Princess was seized with a lingering illness, of which she died 
 at Kimbolton in Huntingdonshire, in the fiftieth year of her age. 
 
 THE REFORMATION. I 
 
 The abuse of i)ower is one of the first steps towards its 
 downfall ! The line of the Roman Pontic's pretended to hold j 
 their dominion over the Christian world as the immediate 
 successors of the Apostle Peter, and founded their claims to i
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 245 
 
 infallibility upon the power given to St. Peter by our Saviour. 
 Unlike the Apostles, the Papal Princes aimed at nothing less 
 than universal despotism over both the minds of men and their 
 possessions : instead of being preachers of peace, they were too 
 often the chief promoters of war ; and it was no uncommon 
 thing to see a Pope cased in a coat of mail, and leading his 
 troops in person to the field. 
 
 Various arts were employed to increase the revenues of the 
 Papal See ; and the people were purposely kept in ignorance, 
 that theu- superstition and credulity might be the more easily 
 imposed upon. 
 
 One of the most extraordinary methods of replenishing the 
 Treasury, was the sale of Plenary Indulgences : that is, written 
 pai'dons for sins ; not for those sins only which had previously 
 been committed, but even for those of which the purchasers 
 might hereafter be guilty : and these Indulgences were to be 
 bought at taverns, gaming-houses, &c. 
 
 Plenary Indulgences were first devised by Pope Gregory VII., 
 who distributed them as a recompense to those men who went 
 in person to the Crusades. In this he was followed by Victor^ 
 and Urban II. Clement V. was the first who offered them to 
 public sale, Leo X., in order to defray the expenses of build- 
 ing the church of St. Peter at Rome, gave a commission to 
 the Dominican Friars for the sale of Indulgences ; which 
 hitherto had been the privilege of the Augustines, who highly 
 resented the transfer. 
 
 IMartin Luther was an Augustine Friar, and, irritated at the 
 innovation, preached publicly against the efficacy, and even 
 lawfulness, of Indulgences. As he enlarged his reading, he 
 discovered so many errors and abuses in the Church of Rome, 
 that he at length began to question the authority of the Pope 
 himself. He inveighed against the Seven Sacraments, reducing 
 the number of Sacraments to two ; he combated the doctrine 
 of Transubstantiation ; declaimed against Purgatory ; and ex- 
 
 M 3
 
 346 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 posed the dangerous consequences of Clerical celibacy. His 
 books were condemned as heretical, and were burned by the 
 Dominicans. By way of reprisal, Luther, in the streets of 
 Wirtemberg, publicly burned the Pope's Bull, in which he was 
 anathematized. His writings and discourses roused the atten- 
 tion of all Europe; and he was openly protected by Frederic 
 Elector of Saxony, surnamed the Wise. 
 
 Henry, who prided himself on his scholastic knowledge and 
 his skill in divinity, wrote a book in Latin against Luther, a 
 copy of which was sent to the Pope; who, receiving it in full 
 Consistory, pretended to be in raptures at its excellence, and 
 conferred on the author the title of Defender of the Faith, an 
 appellation which is still retained by the Kings of England. 
 
 Leo was succeeded in the pontificate by Adrian VI., who 
 died soon afterwards. The procrastination and duplicity of 
 Clement VII,, in the progress of Henry's divorce, so irritated 
 that Monarch, that, without waiting for the Papal decision, or 
 a dispensation, he divorced his Queen, Catherine, and married 
 Anne Boleyn. Clement, in 1533, issued a proclamation, re- 
 quiring Henry to take back Catherine as his only lavvdful wife, 
 and denouncing provisional censiu-es against him should he 
 prove refractory, Henry was greatly enraged when he received 
 the proclamation. The Parliament he knew to be devoted to 
 him ; and many of the Clergy were ready to side with him, 
 being greatly dissatisfied to see Italian bishops in possession of 
 English benefices. He therefore required the clergy to ac- 
 knowledge him head of the church : the Parliament confirmed 
 the King's supremacy; and the authority of the Pope was 
 formally abolished in England. The different monastic houses 
 then underwent a strict examination; and the licentiousness 
 which prevailed in most of them occasioned the destruction of 
 them all. Three hundred and seventy-six of the lesser monas-* 
 teries were first suppressed ; and their revenues and effects, 
 with the riches of their shrines, confiscated to the King.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 247 
 
 In 1536, the Convocation deliberated concerning a new 
 Translation of the Bible, that of Tindal being found very 
 incorrect. The Catholic party strongly opposed it; but the 
 better cause prevailed ; and an act was passed for a new Trans- 
 lation, which in three years was finished, having been printed 
 at Paris. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 /rt/aWJJiViV?/.— Exemption from error, A perfection assumed by 
 die Popes, with respect to ecclesiastical matters, by \'irtue of their 
 accession to the apostolic see of St. Peter. 
 
 Purgatory. — According to tlie Romish church is a place appointed 
 for tlie souls of deceased persons, and where they remain in a state of 
 suffering, undl they have expiated the sins committed during their 
 lives ; after which they are received into eternal happiness. 
 
 Consistory. — An ecclesiastical assembly held in the presence of the 
 Pope, for the reception of Princes, or tlieir ambassadors; for the 
 promotion of cardinals, and other affairs of importance. 
 
 Convocation. — An assembly of all the clergy, to consult upon eccle* 
 siastical matters in time of Pailiament. The Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury is the president of tiie Convocation, and prorogues and dissolves 
 it by mandate from the King. The Convocation examine and censure 
 all heretical and schismatical books and persons ; but an appeal lies to 
 the King in Chancerj', or to his delegates. 
 
 DEATH OF QUEEN ANNE BOLEYN; MARRIAGE OP 
 THE KING WITH JANE SEYMOUR. 
 
 Henry's second Queen, Anne Boleyn, did not long retain 
 the aiFections of her husband. In the year 1536 she was 
 delivered of a dead son : and Henry's impatience to have male 
 issue being disappointed, he vented his spleen and displeasure 
 against the unhappy mother. He had also become recently 
 captivated ^vith one of the Queen's ladies, Jane Seymour. The 
 attachment of Anne to the cause of the Reformation made the 
 
 u 4
 
 248 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Papists her enemies : they soon discovered the King's coolness, 
 and conspired her ruin. The circumstance of being educated 
 at Paris had given her a tincture of volatile gaiety, foreign to 
 the manners of the English court. Her enemies took advan- 
 tage of this J and hinted to the King imputations against her 
 fidelity and honour, wliich either inflamed his jealousy, or 
 countenanced his previous design to sacrifice her. With his 
 mind already unfavourably disposed, he observed the Queen at 
 a tournament at Green^vich to drop her handkerchief: an inci- 
 dent which was interpreted as a signal of favour to one of her 
 paramours. Henry, abruptly returning to Whitehall, arrested 
 four of her attendants, viz. Norris, Brereton, Smeton, and 
 Weston, together with her brother. Lord Rochford. The next 
 day the Queen was sent to the Tower. Of all those to whom 
 she had been a benefactress during her prosperity, Cranmer 
 alone appeared in her behalf; and, as far as the King's impe- 
 tuosity would permit, endeavoured to soften his resentment 
 against her. The Queen wrote a most pathetic letter to Henry, 
 but it made no impression on his cruel and unrelenting heart. 
 Smeton, Brereton, and Weston were executed. Norris had a 
 promise of pardon, if he would accuse the Queen ; but he nobly 
 refused, saying that he would rather die a thousand deaths than 
 calumniate an innocent person. 
 
 The Queen, and her brother Lord Rochford, were tried by a 
 jury of Peers : their uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, now one of 
 her most bitter enemies, presided as High Steward. Anne, 
 though unassisted by counsel, defended herself with so much 
 judgment and presence of mind, that the spectators could not 
 forbear pronouncing her entirely innocent. Sentence was, 
 however, given against her ; and she was condemned to be 
 either burned or beheaded at the King's pleasure. When she 
 heard this dreadful sentence, she exclaimed : " O Creator ! 
 thoii who art the way, the truth, and the life ! thou knowest 
 that I have not deserved this." Then turning to the judges,
 
 histohy of England. 249 
 
 she made the most solemn declaration of her innocence. The 
 day before her death, Anne sent a last message to the King> 
 thanking him for the care he had uniformly taken of her ad- 
 vancement ; from a private gentlewoman, he had made her a 
 Marchioness, then a Queen ; and now that he could raise her 
 no higher in this world, he was sending her to be a saint in 
 heaven : she then renewed her protestations of innocence, and 
 committed her daughter to his care. She continued to behave 
 with her usual serenity and cheerfulness. On the morning of 
 her execution, she sent for the Lieutenant of the Tower, to be 
 present while she received the sacrament, and witness the 
 declaration of her innocence. She afterwards inquu-ed about 
 the dexterity of the executioner ; and putting her hands about 
 her neck, observed, smiling, " 1 have but a little neck." When 
 brought to the scaffold, she said, " That she was come to die, 
 as she had been sentenced by the law; she would accuse none, 
 nor say any thing of the ground upon which she had been 
 judged." She prayed fervently for the King ; and desu-ed, if 
 any one should think proper to canvass her cause, he would 
 judge for the best. 
 
 She was beheaded by the executioner of Calais, who was 
 sent for, as more expert than any in England. 
 
 The brutal Henry, nowise softened by the bloody catastrophe, 
 nor attentive to the restraints of common decorum, mai-ried 
 Jane Seymour the very day after the execution of his once- 
 loved Anne Boleyn. He soon after assembled a Parliament, 
 and caused an act to be passed, declaring the Princess Elizabeth 
 to be illegitimate, as by a former act he had stigmatized the 
 Princess Mary. 
 
 THE DEATH OF THOMAS CROMWELL. 
 
 Thojias Ckomwell was the son of a blacksmith at Putney. 
 Being endowed with sound judgment and a strong natural 
 
 M 5
 
 960 HISTOKY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 genius, he considered travelling as the best means of improving 
 his understanding ; and to the knowledge thus collected he was 
 indebted for the high rank and distinguished offices to which he 
 afterwards attained. On his return to England, he was taken 
 into the sei-vice of Cardinal Wolsey : who procured him a seat 
 in the House of Commons, where he acquired great honour by 
 the noble defence which he made in behalf of his master. In- 
 deed it laid the foundation of his favour with the King, who 
 gave him several very important places, and honoured him with 
 his confidence. For his active services in promoting the sup- 
 ,pression of the monasteries, and in reconciling the people to the 
 seizure of theii* possessions, he was rewarded with the title of 
 Earl of Essex, and many manors and estates, chiefly spoils of 
 the Church. He connected himself with the prelates and 
 nobles who favoured the progress of the Reformation. Soon 
 after the death of Queen Jane, who died in giving birth to a 
 son, Henry resolved to have a fourth wife from some of the 
 princely families on the Continent. Cromwell at length pro- 
 posed Anne of Cleves, on account of the great influence which 
 her father had with the Protestant Princes of Germany. A 
 flattering picture of this lady by Hans Holbein determined the 
 King in her favour : but, on her arrival, finding her utterly des- 
 titute of grace or beauty, Henry not only conceived an insur- 
 mountable dislike to her, but also to Cromwell. 
 
 After living in a state of indifference with the Queen about 
 five months, he fell in love with Catherine Howard, niece to 
 the Duke of Norfolk. Partly in order to conciliate the Catholic 
 party, of which Norfolk was the head, and partly to prepare the 
 way for a divorce from Anne of Cleves, he with his usual want 
 of principle determined to sacrifice his minister. Cromwell was 
 obnoxious to two parties : the nobility hated him because he 
 was of a low origin, and yet took precedence of all the temporal 
 lords who were not Princes of the blood ; and the Roman Ca- 
 tholics, because they considered him as the concealed enemy of
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 251 
 
 their religion. He had been invested with the order of the 
 Garter, and made Vicar-general ; besides which he was Lord 
 Privy-seal, Chamberlain, and Master of the Wards. 
 
 Cromwell had, however, supported the height of his pros- 
 perity with moderation, had betrayed no insolence or contempt 
 towards his inferiors, and gratefully acknowledged those obli- 
 gations which he had received during his humble fortunes. 
 
 He was a great politician, and a good man : but, in his zeal 
 for the new religion, he had introduced an unjustifiable appli- 
 cation of the penalty of attainder. As soon as he was disgraced 
 and arrested, his enemies accused him of heresy and treason ; 
 and notwithstanding a most pathetic letter that he addressed to 
 the King, and which even drew tears from the eyes of the 
 tyrant, who caused it to be thrice read to him, he was behead- 
 ed on Tower Hill in 1540. He is said to have promoted more 
 men of merit whilst he was in power than any of his predeces- 
 sors ; and to him we are indebted for the institution of parish- 
 registers. 
 
 DEFIKITION. 
 
 Parisk-registers. — Books, in which are written the baptisms, mar- 
 riages, and burials, that take place in each parish. 
 
 PERSECUTIONS. 
 No Prince in Europe ever possessed more absolute authority 
 than Henry VIII. ; and while revolting from papal dominion, 
 he assumed its intolerance. He was an enemy to the Reformers, 
 because he hai'- been offended by Luther ; and he had no affec- 
 tion for the Papists, because the Pope had given him abundant 
 cause of displeasure. He expected that his will respecting 
 Church doctrines and discipline should be law; and that his 
 opinions, however mutable and discordant in themselves, should 
 regulate the consciences of his subjects. Hence both parties 
 were obnoxious to him, and both suffered persecution i Never- 
 
 M 6
 
 252 HISTORY OP ENGLAKD. 
 
 theless, the doctrine of the Reformation, encouraged and pro- 
 tected by Cromwell and Cranmer, insensibly gained ground. 
 It had met with little check under" the administration of 
 Wolsey : but his successor Sir Thomas More, although a man 
 of genius and learning, from a superstitious attachment to the 
 ancient faith, endeavoured to suppress those opinions by force 
 which he was unable to overthrow by argument. Mr. James 
 Bainham, a gentleman of the Temple, and Thomas Bilney, a 
 priest, were among the first who suffered martyrdom. About 
 this time appeared Elizabeth Barton, commonly called the 
 Holy Maid of Kent, She had been subject to hysteric fits, and 
 in intervals of delirium had uttered many strange and incoherent 
 expressions, which the silly people in the neighbourhood ima- 
 gined to be supernatural suggestions. The parish priest of Al- 
 dington took advantage of the delusion ; and, in conjunction 
 with Dr. Bocking, a canon of Canterbury, formed a design of 
 practising on the credulity of the jjeople for their own advan- 
 tage ; with this view they gave out that the maid was inspired 
 by the Holy Ghost, In order to raise the credit of a chapel 
 which belonged to the secular priest, Elizabeth pretended that 
 the Virgin Mary had appeared to her, and declared that she 
 could never recover until she bad made a visit to the image of 
 the Virgin within the chapel. Having gone in pilgrimage ac- 
 cordingly, while before the shrine she affected to fall into a 
 trance, and, at its termination, to have received a perfect cure 
 by the intercession of the Virgin. The miracle was soon noised 
 abroad ; and the priests, finding their scheme successful, taught 
 her to declaim against the new doctrine, and even against the 
 King's supremacy. Many monks and prelates, from different 
 motives, treated her ravings or tutored effusions as inspirations 
 from heaven. Miracles were said to be wrought by her ; and 
 the pulpits echoed with the fame of the new prophetess. Fisher 
 Bishop of Rochester countenanced the delusion ; and Warham 
 Archbishop of Canterbury seems to have fallen into it from sin-
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 253 
 
 cere credulity. Multiplied warnings and prophecies from this 
 source, revealed to the King, that he should die in a month if 
 he divorced Catherine ; and all the favourers of the new doc- 
 trine were threatened with divine vengeance. At length the 
 King had Elizabeth and her accomplices examined before the 
 Star-chamber ; where they confessed all the particulars of the 
 imposture, and were shortly after executed. Bishop Fisher, 
 with some others, was throwTi into prison for misprision of 
 treason, because he had not given information of some speeches 
 asserting, and some private meetings aiming to restore, the para- 
 mount authority of the Pope. Henry having been declared 
 head of the Church, it was inferred that to deny his supremacy 
 was treason ; and in consequence of tliis tyrannical construction 
 many persons suffered death ; among whom were Fisher Bishop 
 of Rochester, and Sir Thomas More : the oath of supremacy 
 was tendered to each of these in prison ; but they refused to 
 take it in the terms in which it was conceived. 
 
 Upon the death of Queen Anne, the Pope made overtures 
 for a reconciliation with Henry : but the King having become 
 indifferent to papal censures, and finding a great increase of 
 authority as well as revenue to arise from his quarrel with the 
 Court of Rome, resolved to persevere in his present measures. 
 His reforms were not, however, uniA-ersally well received. The 
 monks who had been expelled their convents, and for whom no 
 provision had been made, wandered about the country, and ex- 
 cited the compassion of all who witnessed their destitute con- 
 dition: discontents manifested themselves first in Lincolnshire, 
 and afterwards in the northern counties, York, Durham, and 
 Lancaster ; but they were quickly suppressed, and many of 
 the leaders put to death. 
 
 In the year 1538, Dr. liambert, a schoolmaster in London, 
 was accused by Dr. Taylor, before Cranmer and Latimer, of 
 denying the real presence in the sacrament; of which point 
 Henry was very tenacious. Cranmer endeavoured to persuade
 
 2S4 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ' 
 
 this man to recant, but Lambert appealed to the King. Henry, 
 who prided himself upon his leainiing, was very glad of an op- 
 portunity of displaying his knowledge in divinity, and undertook 
 to confute Lambert in Westmhister-Hall, before the bishops, 
 nobility, and dignitaries of the law : public notice was given, 
 that he intended to enter the lists with the schoolmaster ; and 
 scaffolds were erected in the hall for the accommodation of the 
 public. 
 
 After an unequal dispute of eight hours (for Lambert was 
 brow-beaten and confounded, while the King was seconded by 
 all his prelates), Lambert was condemned to suffer death as a 
 heretic. He was burned, or rather roasted, at a slow fire. His 
 legs and thighs were consumed to the stumps, whilst the vital 
 parts remained uninjured ; at length, some of the soldiers, to 
 put an end to his torments, lifted him on their halbets, and 
 threw him into the flames, whilst he continued to exclaim, 
 " None but Christ, none but Christ," until he expired. 
 
 A few days before this execution, four Dutch Anabaptists 
 (three men and a woman) were burned at St. Paul's Cross, and 
 two others in Smithfield. In the year 1539, a new Parliament 
 was called, and the first act that passed was the famous law of 
 the Six Articles, commonly termed the Bloody Statute ; which 
 denounced death against all who should deny the doctrine of 
 the real presence, the sufficiency of communion in one kind, the 
 perpetual obligation of vows of chastity, the utility of private 
 masses ; the divine authority for enjoining celibacy on the clergy, 
 and the necessity of auricular confessions. The penalty for dis- 
 puting the first article was death by fire, with the same forfeiture 
 as in cases of treason; and the accused was not allowed the 
 privilege of abjuring : an unheard-of severity, unknown to the 
 Inquisition. The punishment for denying any of the other five 
 articles was death ; but might be mitigated, if the party recant- 
 ed, to the forfeiture of goods and chattels, and imprisonment 
 during the King's pleasure : but a relapse was punishable with
 
 aiSTORT OF EKGLAKO. fiSd 
 
 absolute death, the party not being allowed to recant. To ab- 
 stain from confession, and from the Eucharist, subjected the ab- 
 sentee to fines and imprisonment. Cranmer had the courage to 
 oppose this bill in the House for three days successively, though 
 the King had desired him to absent himself; but he was obliged, 
 in obedience to the statute, to dismiss his wife. Latimer and 
 Shaxton resigned their bishoprics on account of this law, and 
 were committed to prison. 
 
 Soon after, the Parliament, abusing the high trust committed 
 to them by the people, gave to the King's proclamation the 
 force of an act of parliament, under a few limitations, which 
 were uisufficient for the protection of civil liberty. 
 
 After the death of Cromwell, the marriage of Henry with 
 Anne of Cleves was annulled by mutual consent : the Princess 
 parted from him with great indifference, and accepted £3,000 
 a-yeai- as an indemnit}^ His marriage with Catherine Howard 
 immediately followed ; and so happy did he now think himself 
 that he publicly returned thanks for his conjugal felicity. A 
 short time, however, destroyed the illusion ; and whatever 
 guilt his cruel suspicion attached to his former unhappy wives 
 was more than verified in the Ucentious conduct of his new 
 Queen. Two of her paramours were arrested, and confessed 
 their criminality : the Queen herself acknowledged her incon- 
 tinence before marriage, but denied having been guilty of any 
 infidelity to the King. Both Houses of Parliament declared the 
 charges to be proved ; and she was beheaded on Tower Hill, 
 together with the Viscountess Rochford her confidante, whose 
 fate excited no commiseration, as she had been a principal 
 instrument in procuring the death of Anne Boleyn, The ground 
 for regarding Anne Boleyn as innocent is strengthened by this 
 discovery of the guilt of her accuser. Meanwhile, Henry con- 
 tinued his persecutions against both Catholics and Protestants ; 
 punishing the former for denying his supremacy, and the latter 
 for infringing the Six Articles. A foreigner at that time in
 
 256 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 England used to say, that those who were for the Pope were 
 hanged, and those who were against him were burned. 
 
 A slight rebellion broke out in Yorkshire : and as it was sup- 
 posed to have been set on foot by Cardinal Pole,* Henry deter- 
 mined to make the Countess of Salisbury suffer for her son's 
 offences : and this venerable matron, the last of the line of 
 Plantagenet, perished on the scaffold. 
 
 Towards the end of the year 1542, a war broke out with 
 Scotland ; but was attended with no particular event, excepting 
 the victory obtained by Henry's troops over the Scotch at 
 Solway. James V. was so affected on receiving news of the 
 disastrous route of his troops, that he died of grief and mor- 
 tification. A rupture with France occurred soon afterwards, 
 but produced nothing memorable ; and a peace was concluded 
 between England, France, and Scotland, in 1546. 
 
 After the death of Catherine Howard, Henry, who could 
 rtot long remain a widower, had in July 1543 taken for his 
 sixth vdfe Catherine Parr, relict of Nenll Lord Latimer : she 
 was a woman of consum.mate prudence and excellent temper, 
 and in her heart inclined to the principles of the Reformation. 
 Having once ventured to differ with the King on a point of 
 theology, he was so much displeased, that he entertained the 
 thought of having her arraigned as a heretic ; and in this he 
 was encouraged by Gardiner Bishop of Winchester, who ob- 
 served that the more elevated the person who was chastised, 
 and the nearer to his person, the greater terror would the 
 example strike on every one. A friend of the Queen's found 
 
 • Reginald de la Pole was a Plantagenet, being tlie fourth son of 
 the Countess of Salisbury, daugliter of the Duke of Clarence. He 
 was a man of great genius and learning, and in his youth highly 
 esteemed by Henry ; Ijut religious differences intervening, they 
 became bitter enemies ; and Henry carried his resentment so far as to 
 put to death most of this nobleman's family.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 257 
 
 a paper containing the basis of an impeachment against her, 
 subscribed by the King, which Gardiner had ihopped. Being 
 apprized by this of her danger, she contrived to pacify the 
 King; so that when the chancellor appeared the next day, 
 with forty pursuivants, to take her into custody, he found her 
 walking in the garden with Henry, who sharply rebuked the 
 sanguinary minister for his intrusion, and expelled him fron 
 the council. 
 
 Henry had for some time been confined with an ulcer in his 
 leg ; the pain of which, added to his violence of temper, ren- 
 dered him so irritable, that his courtiers and attendants dreaded 
 to venture into his presence. The spii'it of persecution in- 
 fluenced him to the last. Anne Askew, a young woman of 
 great merit and beauty, had been convicted under the Six 
 Articles just before the narrow escape of the Queen : she was 
 first racked, and then burned to death, for tenaciously ad- 
 hering to 'Protestant principles: four men suffered at the same 
 time. 
 
 The favour which he shewed to Roman Catholic leaders was 
 no pledge of safety to individuals. The Duke of Norfolk had 
 served him with courage and fidelity : the Earl of Surrey, 
 Norfolk's son, a young man of great promise, was distinguished 
 by every accomplishment that adorns a scholar, a courtier, and 
 a soldier. The Earl of Hertford and Sir Thomas Seymour 
 persuaded Henry that the Earl of Surrey aspired to a marriage 
 with the Princess Mary ; and they hinted that he had designs 
 on the crown. Among the direct allegations against him, was 
 that of harbouring some Italian spies, and of bearing the arms 
 of Edward the Confessor quartered with his own; and Sir 
 Robert Southwell, who had been admitted to his confidence, 
 charged him with infidelity to the King. Surrey denied the 
 expressions of discontent imputed to him, and challenged 
 Southwell to single combat. He was tried by a common jury ; 
 and, notwithstanding his eloquent and spirited defence, was
 
 25d HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 condemned and executed for high treason. The Duke of 
 Norfolk, whom the principal charges against his son did not 
 reach, and who must have been exculpated on a fair trial before 
 his Peers, was consigned to the penalties for high treason by a 
 bill of attainder, and only escaped being executed by the 
 King's death intervening the night before he was to have suf- 
 fered. Henry died Jan. 28th, 1547, after a reign of thirty- 
 seven years and nine months, and in the fifty-sixth year of his 
 age. By his will he left the crown to Prince Edward and 
 his issue J with successive remainders to the Princess Mary, 
 and after her to the Princess Elizabeth, and their respective 
 descendants. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Marti/rdo?n.— The suffering of deatli or torture, contrary to law and 
 justice, for conscience sake. 
 
 Private Masses. — The service of the Romish Church performed a 
 certain number of times for the release of the souls of deceased per- 
 sons from the pains of purgatory ; for this purpose sums of money 
 were frequently left by will. 
 
 Auricular Confession. — A {re& acknowledgment of sins com- 
 mitted, made in private to a priest ; who enjoined some penance by 
 way of atonement, on the completion of which they received absolu- 
 tion. 
 
 Protestants. — A name first given in Germany to those who adliered 
 to the doctrines of Luther, because tliey protested against a decree of 
 the Emperor Charles V. and the Diet of Spires, and is now become 
 a common denomination for all persons of tlie reformed churches. 
 
 Rack — An instrument of torture resembling a wheel, on wliich the 
 criminal was extended, and his limbs strained with such violence as 
 to diilocate all tlie joints.
 
 Page 259.] 
 
 PLATE XXIV.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. £59 
 
 PLATE XXIV. 
 
 Edwaud the Sixth. 
 
 Fig. 1. — The Duke of Somerset chosen Protector. 
 The central figure, with the crown just above him, is 
 Somerset ; the subordinate relation of the nobles indicates that 
 he is, for the time being, the representative of the King. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Invasion of Scotland, and Defeat of the Scots. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Execution of Admiral Lord Seymour. 
 
 Fig. 4.— The Protestant Bishops presenting the Litubgt 
 
 to Edward. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Execution of Somerset. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Marriage of Lady Jane Grey with Lobs 
 Guilford Dudley,
 
 260 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 EDWARD THE SIXTH. 
 This excellent young Prince, the son of Henry VIII. by 
 Jane Seymour, is celebrated by historians for the beauty of his 
 person, the sweetness of his temper, and the extent of his 
 learning. At the age of sixteen, he had attained proficiency 
 in the Greek, Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish languages ; 
 was skilled in Logic, Music, and Natural Philosophy, and pos- 
 sessed a competent knowledge of Theology. When the cele- 
 brated Jerome Cardan visited the English Court, he was so 
 astonished at the attainments of Edward, that he afterwards 
 extolled him in his works as a prodigy of nature. To what 
 shall we fairly ascribe two instances of persecution unto death, 
 on account of religious opinion, which took place at the begin- 
 ning of this reign ? to the leaven of intolerance which hangs 
 about recent separatists from the Church of Rome. The first 
 heads of the reformed churches were rather unsettled seceders 
 from Popery, than consistent Protestants. Young Edward, less 
 a bigot than his counsellors, by the advancing light of one gene- 
 ration, objected to authorize the death of the condemned 
 heretics by the royal sign manual, but was overruled by 
 Cranraer. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Logic. — The art of reasoning. It explauis the nature of the human 
 mind, and the proper manner of conducting its several powers, in 
 order to the attainment of truth and knowledge. 
 
 Theology, — The science of divinity. 
 
 THE DUKE OF SOMERSET CHOSEN PROTECTOR. 
 
 The young King was only nine years of age at the time of 
 his father's death : his majority was fixed at the completion of 
 his eighteenth year. Henry had appointed sixteen executors 
 of his will, who were to govern jointly during the minority of 
 Edward j he also named a collateral council of twelve members,
 
 HISTOftY OF ENGLAND. 2G1 
 
 who were to assist the regency when called upon for aduce. 
 Among the councillors was Sir Thomas Seymour, Edward's 
 uncle, who was soon after made admiral, and created Lord 
 Seymour of Sudley. 
 
 One of the first acts of the executors was to choose a pre- 
 sident; as the mover of this step justly observed, that the 
 government would lose its dignity, if left destitute of some 
 representative of royal majesty, who might appoint and receive 
 ambassadors ; and whose name might be employed in all orders 
 and proclamations. 
 
 After some opposition from Chancellor Wriothesly, a majority 
 of the co-executors elected the King's maternal uncle, the Earl 
 of Hertford, afterwards Duke of Somerset, to be protector of 
 the realm; who was accordingly invested with all the external 
 symbols of royalty. 
 
 INVASION OF SCOTLAND, AND DEFEAT OF THE 
 
 SCOTS. 
 
 In a treaty between the late King and the Scottish gentry, 
 it had been stipulated that a marriage should be solemnized 
 between the English heir apparent, Edward, and Mary the 
 young Queen of Scotland. This project was so agreeable to 
 Henry, that he had enjoined his executors, in his last moments, 
 to make every effort to complete it. Somerset cordially em- 
 braced Henry's intentions, equally knowing that the match 
 would tend to unite the two countries under one government, 
 and prevent those sanguinary conflicts that were perpetually 
 occurring on the frontiers of both kingdoms. The Government 
 and leading nobility of Scotland, however, were decidedly 
 averse to the match : partly because, being bigoted adherents 
 to the Catholic faith, they considered tlie English as heretics, 
 and partly because they apprehended that the loss of their 
 national independence might follow the union of the reigning
 
 262 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 families ; while the French, who exercised great influence over 
 the Scottish Court as old allies, aggravated every motive to 
 antipathy, from a secret fear that Britain undivided would be 
 too powerful. Hence the overtures from Edward's guardians 
 for a performance of the existing treaty were rejected; and 
 Somerset, finding it impossible to conciliate the Scots, who 
 resolutely evaded the contract, made preparations to obtain by 
 force what was denied to negociation. He passed the borders 
 at Berwick, and advanced towards Edinburgh. After some 
 skirmishing, a desperate engagement took place near Pinkey, in 
 which the Scots were defeated with the loss of 10,000 slain, 
 and 1,500 prisoners, whilst the English lost only fifty horsemen. 
 Somerset was unable to prosecute his successes, being called 
 back to counteract the cabals and intrigues of his brother the 
 admiral. The Scots meanwhile sent their young Queen over 
 to France, and finally married her to the Dauphin. 
 
 EXECUTION OF ADMIRAL LORD SEYMOUR. 
 
 Lord Seymour was a man of eminent talents, but haughty, 
 turbulent, and vindictive. The ascendancy of his elder brother 
 excited his envy, and converted him into an ambitious compe- 
 titor for the Regency. Soon after the death of Henry VHI., 
 he prevailed on the Queen-dowager to give him her hand in 
 private; and the splendour of this alliance imparted a fresh 
 stimulus to the Admiral's ambition. He obtained from the 
 young King a letter, expressing his desire that such a marriage 
 should be celebrated, and then he publicly avowed it, in open de- 
 fiance of the Protector. Whilst Somerset was in Scotland, Sey- 
 mour pursued his intrigues with great alacrity, and endeavoured 
 to get himself appointed governor to the King. When some 
 friends remonstrated with him on the folly and danger of his 
 schemes, he replied that if he were thwarted in his attempts, 
 he would make this the blackest session that ever sat in Eng-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 2G3 
 
 land. A message from the Council, however, threatening him 
 with imprisonment in the Tower, and with a prosecution for 
 high-treason, induced him to submit, and to sue for a reconcilia- 
 tion with his brother. The Queen-dowager djing shortly afteri 
 wards, SejTnour made overtures of marriage to the Lady 
 Elizabeth. Meanwhile, he once more endeavoured to seduce 
 the young King to his interests ; openly decried his brother's 
 administration; and had formed so strong a party, including 
 secret adherents in the Privy-Council and the two Houses of 
 Parliament, that he calculated on mustering an army of 10,000 
 men. He is said to have actually assembled, at different places, 
 2,000 armed followers, with the design of getting possession 
 of the King's person. The Council, finding the public peace 
 endangered by his rebellious schemes, committed him to the 
 Tower, and appointed Commissioners to take the depositions of 
 his accusers. Somerset meanwhile exhorted him to resign his 
 office, and retire from court; but Seymour refused this peace- 
 offering and pledge of submission. The Protector then deemed 
 that decisive measures were requisite for his own safety : the 
 King, by the advice of the Council, signified his disapprobation 
 of Seymour's proceedings, and deprived him of the office of 
 admiral. The Commissioners made a report to the House of 
 Peers, accusing him of high-treason, on which he was con- 
 demned by a bill of attainder, and executed on Tower-hill. 
 
 THE PROTESTANT BISHOPS PRESENTING THE 
 LITURGY TO EDWARD. 
 
 Upon the death of Henry, the hopes of the Protestants, and 
 the fears of the Catholics, began to revive. The Protector was 
 a zealous friend to the Reformers, and took care to entrust 
 the King's education only to persons attached to the same 
 principles. In pursuing his design of advancing the Reforma- 
 tion, he always consulted Cranmer, who being a man of
 
 264 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 moderation and prudence, was averse to all violent changes, 
 and proposed to bring over the people by insensible innovations 
 to that system of doctrine and discipline, which he deemed the 
 most pure and perfect. Among the dignitaries of the English 
 Church, the most pertinacious obstructor of the Reformation 
 was Gardiner Bishop of Winchester ; but his remonstrances to 
 the Protector were fruitless : and for persisting to oppose a 
 commission for visiting the monasteries, he was committed to 
 the Fleet, as Bishop Bonner was to the Tower. An order, 
 issued by the Council in the beginning of 1548, prohibited the 
 carrying of candles in precession on Candlemas-day ; of ashes 
 on Ash-Wednesday ; and of palms on Palm Sunday : and all 
 images were ordered to be removed from the churches, private 
 masses were abolished, and auricular confession left to the 
 discretion of individuals. A committee of bishops and divines, 
 by appointment of the Council, proceeded to compose a new 
 Liturgy, which is, with a few exceptions, the same that is now 
 used. The mass had always hitherto been celebrated in Latin ; 
 the Missal was now translated into English, and as much of it 
 retained as the principles of the Reformers would admit : the 
 prayers to Saints were retrenched, and all the superstitious 
 ceremonies abolished. An act was passed to establish this form 
 of worship in all the churches; and uniformity was enjoined 
 in all rites and ceremonies. 
 
 — o — 
 
 EXECUTION OF SOMERSET. 
 
 In the late reign, when Henry's profusion had exhausted his 
 revenue, to palliate the deficiencies of the treasury he had 
 debased t!ic coin. The necessities of the State obliged Somerset 
 to have recourse to the same pernicious expedient. I'he ill 
 effects of this were aggravated by some temporary evils which 
 attended the suppression of monasteries ; one of which was, 
 that most of the expelled monks were obliged to earn a sub-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 265 
 
 sistence by manual labour, so that every common occupation 
 was overstocked with hands. Thus, while the poor who could 
 find employment, were defrauded of a sufficient maintenance 
 by wages much below the nominal amount, others were sup- 
 planted in their proper callings, and utterly deprived of sub- 
 sistence. Under their indescribable hardships, the common 
 people every where murmured, and in many counties pro- 
 ceeded to acts of outrage and rebellion. While the insurgents 
 in Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Gloucester, Warwick, Essex, 
 Hertford, Leicester, Worcester, and Rutland, were appeased by 
 the mediation of moderate persons, more obstinate commotions 
 in the counties of Oxford, Devon, Norfolk, and York, long 
 defied, and in some cases defeated strong detachments from 
 the Royal army. In many parts, the distresses of the expelled 
 friars and nuns, and of persons who had farmed monastic 
 lands, operating with the disinterested zeal of multitudes of 
 Papists, added to the other causes of rebellion a furious dissa- 
 tisfaction with the innovations in the Church. In Oxfordshire, 
 many of the insurgents were slain in battle, and their captive 
 ringleaders executed ; in Devonshire and Norfolk the spirit of 
 resistance was so resolute and terrible, that successive battles 
 and repeated executions were necessary to subdue it. In Nor- 
 folk, the rebels, after losing Noi*wich by assault, and failing in 
 an attempt to retake it, made a last stand near Dussendale. 
 Here the Earl of Warwick, who had about 7,000 infantry and 
 3,000 cavalry, with a train of artillery, totally defeated them, 
 with such carnage, that, in the pursuit alone, 3,000 of the rebels 
 were slain. Kit, the tanner, was hanged on Norwich castle ; 
 his brother, on Wymondham steeple ; and nine of their ac- 
 complices, on a large tree, since called the Oak of Reforma- 
 tion, under which the committee of insurgents had held their 
 sittings. 
 
 In order to confirm the restoration of internal peace, Somer- 
 set published a general amnesty ; he did this without consulting 
 
 N
 
 266 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the Privy-councillors in general, which gave many of them 
 offence. His influence over his old partisans began to decline ; 
 and the Earl of Warwick, an artful and ambitious member of 
 the Superior Council, was intriguing to procure his fall, in order 
 to succeed to his power. Wriothesley Earl of Southampton, 
 had been Chancellor in the beginning of this reign : but on 
 account of commissioning four substitutes to hear and decide 
 causes during his absence, he was deprived of the seals, and 
 dismissed the Council : the Judges having declared, that his 
 delegating his power to others was an act highly illegah After 
 being re-admitted into the Council, he united with Warwick to 
 imdermine the authority of the Protector. At length, on the 
 6th of October 1349, Warwick, Lord St. John the president, 
 and six other members of the Council, met at the Bishop of 
 Ely's house in Holborn, and, after some concerted proceedings, 
 sent for the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common-council of Lon- 
 don, together with the Lieutenant of the Tower, and forbade 
 them to acknowledge the Duke of Somerset as Protector. In 
 consequence of this cabal, Somerset repaired with the young 
 King to Windsor. Next day. Chancellor Riche, and six other 
 members of the executive Council, joined Warwick's party at 
 Ely House. Somerset was desirous of a compromise ; and 
 this indecisive conduct induced his friends, who had yet acted 
 with him as members of the collateral Council, to desert him. 
 The triumphant malcontents then addressed a letter to the 
 King, justifying the vote by which they rescinded their election 
 of Somerset as Protector. The young King being advised to 
 assent to their demands, Somerset submitted, and was carried 
 before tlie Council ; whence, after being required to answer 
 prepared :irticles of impeachment, he was sent to the Tower. 
 Next session a bill of attainder against him was agitated in the 
 House of Peers ; but he averted total ruin by confessing that 
 the executive Council had a right to resume the office of joint 
 re<^ents. He was deprived of all his offices, and adjudged to
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 26" 
 
 forfeit all his moveables, with great part of his landed estates, to 
 the King. He was then released, on giving security for his 
 future conduct ; and two months afterwards was re-admitted 
 into the Council. 
 
 In 1551, Somerset had made great progress in retrieving the 
 King's favour, and began to take measures for regaining the 
 office of Protector. Warwick, now created Duke of Northum- 
 berland, not deeming his elevation secure during the life of such 
 a powerful rival, detached the King's affection from his uncle 
 by artful insinuations ; and then proceeded to arrest Somerset 
 on a criminal information, charging him with a design to marry 
 his third daughther to the King, and alleging that he had con- 
 certed a plan for assassinating the Duke of Northumberland, 
 the Marquis of Northampton, and the Earl of Pembroke. The 
 Peers acquitted him of high-treason, but condemned him to 
 death for simple felony on a statute of Henry VH. which made 
 it felonious to harbour the thought of killing a Privy-councillor. 
 It was not until the 22d of January, 1552, that Somerset was 
 beheaded, under colour of this scandalous sentence. He was 
 much beloved by the populace. The numerous crowd which 
 witnessed his execution sympathised so strongly with him, that 
 they seemed on the eve of attempting his rescue, had he not in- 
 treated them to remain quiet. Many of the spectators dipped 
 their handkerchiefs in his blood, and preserved them as precious 
 relics. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Lord Mayor. — The Supreme Blagistrateof the City, chosen annually 
 by xhc Citizens, pursuant to a charter of King John. The civil co- 
 vernment of the City of London resembles tlie legislative power of 
 the nation : the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common-Counrilmen making 
 laws, and governing the City, as the King, Lords, and Commons, pre- 
 side over, govern, and make laws for the whole nation. No act can be 
 performed in the name of the City of London, without the concurrence 
 of the Common- Council, but they cannot assemble, without a sum- 
 
 N 2
 
 268 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 mons from the Lord Mayor, who nevertheless is obliged to call a Com- 
 mon-Council, whenever it shall be demanded, upon extraordinary oc- 
 casions, by six respectable citizens, and members of the court. — Enfield. 
 
 Alder men, among our Saxon ancestors, was a title of nobility, answer- 
 ing to our Earl or Count at present. In London there are twenty-six 
 Aldermen, each having one of the Wards of the City committed to 
 his care. Tliis office is for life. All the Aldermen are Justices of the 
 Peace by ft charter, and are exempted from serving inferior offices ; 
 nor can they be put upon assizes, or serve on juries, so long as they 
 continue in office. — Gregory. 
 
 Common-Council. — A court, in whicli are made all bye-laws that 
 bind the citizen. Like the parliament, it consists of two houses : an 
 upper, composed of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen ; and a lower, of 
 a number of Common-Councilmen, chosen by the several Wards, or 
 representatives of tlie body of the citizens. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF LADY JANE GREY WITH LORD 
 GUILDFORD DUDLEY. 
 
 The Dudleys, who are so conspicuous in the history of 
 Edward, are the son and grandsons of that Dudley who had 
 been minister to Henry VII., and was sacrificed to popular re- 
 sentment in the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII. That 
 monarch, sensible of the illegality of the sentence, took the son 
 into favour ; and finding him brave, industrious, and vigilant, 
 he entrusted him with many important concerns ; bestowed on 
 him the title of Viscount de Lisle ; and, in his will, constituted 
 him one of his executors. During the minority of Edward, he 
 had been created Earl of Warwick. In the disputes between 
 Somerset and his brother Lord Seymour, Warwick acted a very 
 insidious j)art, and contributed all in his power to widen the 
 lireach. 
 
 From the close of 1 549, he had assumed the office of Pro- 
 tector, having, by a scries of machinations, effected the fall, and 
 ultimately the death, of the Duke of Somerset, as already re-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 269 
 
 lated. He had in the interval obtained the dukedom of Nor- 
 thumberland. The state of Edward's health was very pre- 
 carious. The small-pox had left a disorder on his lungs, which 
 degenerated into a confirmed consumption, and threatened his 
 dissolution. Northumberland, who had formed the design of 
 retaining the sovereign authority after the death of Edward, re- 
 presented to him, That his sister Mary's antipathy to the re- 
 formed religion would dispose her to visit the Protestants with 
 the most dreadful persecutions ; and that there was no way of 
 averting the restoration of Popery, but by excluding her from 
 the succession: That the Princess Elizabeth was involved in 
 the only legal objection that could be urged against Mary, for 
 both had formerly been declared illegitimate by different acts of 
 Parliament ; and, That as the children of Margaret Queen of 
 Scotland stood excluded under Henry's will, the right of suc- 
 cession devolved on Frances wife of the Marquis of Dorset, 
 eldest daughter of Mary sister of Henry VHI., who after the 
 death of her first husband Lewis XH. of France married Charles 
 Brandon Duke of Suffolk. Northumberland's proposal to Ed- 
 ward, however, was to pass by the Marchioness of Dorset in 
 favour of her daughter Lady Jane Grey, a lady eminent for her 
 learning, knowledge of di\-inity, and piety. Edward agreed to 
 have the succession submitted to the Council. Meanwhile, the 
 title of Suffolk being extinct, Northumberland induced the 
 King to bestow it on the Marquis of Dorset ; and then had a 
 marriage solemnized between his fourth son. Lord Guildford 
 Dudley, and the Lady Jane Grey ; hoping by this means to se- 
 cure the English crown in his family, and to govern the nation 
 according to his own pleasure. 
 
 The young King, whose health continued to decline, was at 
 length prevailed on to set aside the claims of his sisters by let_ 
 ters-patent, and to settle the crown on the heirs of Frances, now 
 Duchess of Suffolk. It was observed by the people that Edward 
 daily grew worse from the time that the Dudleys were about 
 
 N 3
 
 270 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 his person. The physicians were dismissed by Northumber- 
 land's advice ; and the King was put under the care of an 
 ignorant old woman, who undertook to restore him ; her medi- 
 cines seemed but to increase all the distressing symptoms ; the 
 art of the physicians, who were recalled, was ineffectual ; and 
 shortly afterwards Edward breathed his last. He died at Green- 
 wich on the 6th of July, 1533, in the seventeenth year of his 
 age, and the seventh of his reign, deeply regretted by the whole 
 nation.
 
 Page 271.) 
 
 PLATE XXV.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 2/1 
 
 PLATE XXV. 
 
 Mary. 
 
 ria. 1. — Marriage of Mary with Philip of Spain. 
 Philip is designated by the olive branch. In his hand is the 
 Spanish standard, inscribed with the golden fleece. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Execution of Lady Jane Grey, and of Lord 
 Guildford Dudley. 
 
 Fig. 3. — The Catholic Religion restored, and Persecution 
 
 renewed. 
 The Queen, with a torch in her hand, has just lighted the fire 
 of Persecution. Near her are Bonner and Gardiner : the 
 former holds a whip, the latter a torch. The skulls in the fore- 
 ground point out the fatal effects of intolerance. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Death of Cranmer. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Calais taken by the French. 
 
 N 4
 
 272 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 . MARY. 
 
 Mary, daughter of Henry VIII. by Catherine of Arragon, 
 partook more of the violent temper of her father than of the 
 amiable gentleness of her mother. Early accustomed to -witness 
 scenes of cruelty, and taught to consider persecution as lauda- 
 ble, and the only expedient for bringing back her subjects to 
 the religion of their forefathers, she beheld with apathy, if not 
 with pleasure, spectacles that, had not the sufferers been heretics, 
 might perhaps have excited her commiseration. Her person 
 was disagreeable ; and her manners harsh and unpleasing. Her 
 temper was gloomy ; her disposition severe ; her understanding 
 contracted, and her religion darkly tinctured with bigotry and 
 superstition. Cruel and tyrannical to her subjects, slighted and 
 neglected by her husband, and unhappy in herself, her character 
 involved every stage of her reign in gloom, the shade of which 
 was illumined only by the blaze of persecuting fires, that served 
 to point out a path of blood. 
 
 3IARRIAGE OF MARY WITH PHILIP OF SPAIN. 
 
 The Duke of Northumberland concealed the death of Ed- 
 ward, with the design of securing the Princess Mary. She had 
 been required, by an order of Council, to attend her brother in 
 his illness; and had arrived at Hoddesdon, within seventeen 
 miles of London, when a message from the Earl of Arundel ap- 
 prized her of Edward's death, and of the steps which had been 
 taken to exclude her from the throne. On this intelligence, she 
 retired to the house of Mr. Huddlestone, a Roman Catholic, at 
 Sawston in Cambridgeshire; whence, disguised as a maid -ser- 
 vant, she was conveyed, behind a country-looking man, on 
 horseback, to Kenning Hall, in Norfolk. She then addressed 
 letters to the Council and Lords Lieutenants, requiring them to 
 proclaim her : and at same time sent orders to Sir George 
 Somerset, Sir William Drury, and Sir W. Waldegrave, to
 
 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 2/3 
 
 attend her with all the forces they could raise. After these 
 preparatory steps, she withdrew to Framlingham Castle in 
 Suffolk, to secure her escape by sea, in case of not being sup- 
 ported. 
 
 Meanwhile the Dukes of Northumberland and Suffolk, the 
 Marquis of Northampton, and the Earl of Pembroke, went as 
 deputies from the Council to Lady Jane Grey, to make known 
 the patent by which Edward had transferred the succession to 
 her, and to salute her as Queen. When she understood the 
 design of their visit, she was overcome with surprise ; this 
 giving way to grief, she shed a flood of tears ; at last, with the 
 utmost reluctance, she suffered herself to be conveyed to the 
 Tower, in order to be crowned. On the fourth day after 
 Edward's death, she was proclaimed Queen in London ; and 
 tlie Council sent an answ er to Mary's letter, advising her to 
 lirop her pretensions, as having been born under an unlawful 
 marriage, and to acknowledge the sovereignty of Jane. 
 
 The elevation of Jane w as totally unexpected by the people ; 
 and when they heard her proclaimed, they returned no accla- 
 mations. They hated the Duke of Northumberland, as the 
 author of Somerset's ruin. Besides, the claims of Mary were 
 too well established, by being recognized in her father's will, 
 to be affected by any act of her brother, a minor. The 
 remembrance of the senior part of the community could also 
 attest what the nation had suffered in the latest Lancastrian 
 wars, caused by departing from the regular line of succession- 
 Hence Jane had no partizans zealously affected to her, beyond 
 the immediate dependants and connections of the two houses 
 of Northumberland and Suffolk. 
 
 To meet the forces which Mary was collecting, the Duke of 
 Northumberland put himself at the head of some troops which 
 had assembled at Newmarket, amounting to 8,000 men. Either 
 distrusting his followers, or conscious of the weakness of his 
 cause, instead of advancing into Suffolk, he loitered near 
 
 N 5
 
 274 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Cambridge, till the army of Mary amounted to 40,000 men. 
 At this crisis, the Earl of Arundel and Earl of Pembroke, 
 who had concurred with Northumberland and Suffolk from 
 necessity, being detained in the Tower with the other members 
 of the Council, were permitted to repair to the Earl of Pem- 
 broke's house, on pretence of conferring with the French am- 
 bassador. Instead of which, they invited to the place all the 
 noblemen about London whom they judged well affected to 
 Mary ; and after this assembly had solemnly engaged to support 
 her, they imparted their resolution to the Lord Mayor and 
 Aldermen, and had her immediately proclaimed Queen in 
 Cheapside. On this, some companies took possession of the 
 Tower, in the name of Mai'y, without opposition. Lady Jane 
 Grey, after reigning ten days, resigned her royalty with evident 
 satisfaction, and retired with her mother to the family residence. 
 
 The Duke of Suffolk and the rest of the Council acquiesced 
 in these transactions, and signed an order to the Duke of Nor- 
 thumberland to disband his forces. He had already been in- 
 formed of this sudden revolution, and began to dismiss his 
 army. His first intention was to quit the kingdom ; but the band 
 of Pensioners insisted that he must stay to justify their conduct. 
 He then proclaimed Mary in Cambridge, and endeavoured to 
 conciliate her by extravagant demonstrations of zeal for her 
 service. This did not prevent him from being arrested, and 
 brought to trial. Sir Thomas Palmer and Sir John Gates, and 
 several others deeply involved in his treasons, suffered with 
 him on the scaffold. 
 
 On the 3d of April, 1553, the Queen made her entry into 
 liOndon, accompanied by her sister Elizabeth, who had joined 
 her with a tiiousand horse raised for her service. When she 
 arrived at the Tower, she released the Duke of Norfolk, who 
 had remained a prisoner during all the last reign. The 
 Bishops Gardiner, Tonstal, and Bonner, were not only liber- 
 ated, but admitted to her confidence. Day and Heath were at 
 
 (
 
 HISTOnY OF ENGLAND. 275 
 
 the same time restored to their sees. On the other hand, 
 Hooper bishop of Gloucester, and Coverdale of Exeter, with 
 other Protestant clergymen, were imprisoned, because they 
 would not submit to Gardiner as the dispenser of licenses to 
 preach. Divine service was celebrated in the old manner, con- 
 trary to subsisting laws. Judge Hales, who had strenuously 
 defended the Queen's title, was treated with such severity for 
 enforcing the unrepealed statutes of Edward, that he fell into 
 a frenzy and committed suicide. The men of Suffolk, who had 
 declared in her favour on her express promise to grant them 
 liberty of conscience, were now restricted by her proclamation, 
 and involved in rigorous prosecutions ; and one of the deputies 
 sent to remind the Queen of her engagement was placed in the 
 pillory. Bonner next ventured to assail Cranmer, by coarse 
 ridicule, and by inventing a report that he had promised to re- 
 cant. Bishop Latimer, and the archbishop, were then summon- 
 ed before the Council. The former was committed at once to 
 the Tower : Cranmer was sent thither the day after, on a charge 
 of treasonable practices, his written declaration of faith being 
 construed into a seditious libel. The Protestant aliens, who in 
 the preceding reign had taken refuge in England, were allowed 
 to quit the kingdom unmolested ; and many useful arts and 
 manufactures which they had introduced fled with them. 
 
 It was a better prelude to a coronation to reward with high 
 distinctions those who had first armed in support of the Queen's 
 rights. The Earl of Arundel was made Lord Steward of the 
 Household ; on the Earl of Sussex was conferred the privilege 
 of appearing covered in the Queen's presence; the Order of 
 Jerusalem being restored, Sir Thomas Tresham was created 
 Lord Prior, which gave him rank as the premier Baron ; tlie 
 entire scale of creations and promotions attested her gratitude 
 to many others. She was crowned on the first of October 
 1553; and the same day published an amnesty, which, by being 
 narrowed to the retrospect of a month, and by excluding many 
 
 » 6
 
 27G HISTOllY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 by name who had been arrested since the first of September, 
 seemed to be dictated by a desire to evade the exercise of a 
 princely grace, and to mock the dependants on her clemency. 
 Immediately afterwards, Holgate Archbishop of York was com- 
 mitted to the Tower. It was not until the 3d of November in 
 the same year that Lady Jane Grey, and her husband Lord 
 Guildford Dudley, together with his two brothers, and Arch- 
 bishop Cranmer, were brought to trial. They pleaded guilty ; 
 and the sentence of the law was pronounced upon them. It was 
 supposed, at the time, that Mary did not intend to have the 
 sentence executed upon Lady Jane and her husband, because, 
 from their juvenile age, they were regarded as the innocent 
 and unwilling instruments of Northumberland's ambition. As 
 to Cranmer, the Queen forbore at present to declare the See of 
 Canterbury void ; designing that he should be deposed in a ca- 
 nonical manner, and suffer as a heretic, while she made a merit 
 of pardoning his offence against herself. Meanwhile the Arch- 
 bishop, with the other prisoners, were remanded to the Tower ; 
 and the revenues of the primacy sequestered. 
 
 How the political relations of the country might be affected 
 by the Queen's marrying, now became a subject of anxious 
 speculation with the public. The son and heir of the Marquis 
 of Exeter, whom she had created Earl of Devonshire, is said 
 to have excited some regard in the mind of Mary : but he had 
 conceived a predilection for the Princess Elizabeth, the disco- 
 veiy of which not only produced in the Queen a coolness 
 towards the Duke his father, but an inveterate dislike to her 
 sister, on whora she accumulated indignities and mortifica- 
 tions. 
 
 The accession of Mary to the throne of England was scarcely 
 announced on the Continent, before Charles V. pi-ojected a 
 marriage between his son Philip and the Queen ; which alliance 
 he expected would compensate for the failure of all his mihtary 
 plans in Germany. With earnest solicitude, he made overtures
 
 HISTORY OF liNGLAiiD. 377 
 
 on the subject in a letter under his own hand ; and Mary was 
 glad to strengthen the connection with her mother's family, 
 and had many political motives for entertaining the proposal. 
 Gardiner, who was now Chancellor, advised her to accept Philip 
 for a husband : but at the same time represented to her the 
 necessity of suspending all farther approaches to a complete 
 reunion of the English Church with the Holy See, until the 
 intended marriage should be concluded; and that the first care 
 of the Government ought to be, to reconcile the people to the 
 introduction of the Emperor's heir, by rendering the condi- 
 tions as favourable to England as possible, and by securing the 
 ancient laws and popular privileges. 
 
 The first intelligence of the negociation alarmed the whole 
 kingdom ; and the Commons sent a deputation to the Queen, 
 with a strong remonstrance against an alliance which might 
 bring the nation under foreign dominion. Mary, to avoid their 
 importunity, immediately dissolved the Parliament. 
 
 Although Gardiner, who concluded the treaty, had received 
 from the Emperor 12,000,000 crowns, to be distributed to 
 various individuals whose objections could be surmounted only 
 by a bribe, it must be owned that the articles of marriage 
 contained many concessions from Philip to the jealousy and 
 independent spirit of the English. The principal stipulations 
 were : — That although Philip and Mary should bear the con- 
 junct title of King and Queen of England as long as the mar- 
 riage should subsist, the administration should be vested entirely 
 in the Queen ; that no foreigner should fill any public office in 
 the kingdom ; that no innovation should be made in the laws, 
 customs, and privileges of the English nation; that Philip 
 should not carry the Queen abroad without her consent ; nor 
 any of her children, without the consent of the nobility ; that 
 £60,000 a-year should be settled on her, as her jointure ; that 
 the eldest son of Philip and Mary should inherit, together with 
 England, Burgundy, and the Low Countries; while the Arch-
 
 278 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 duke Charles, the son of Philip by a former mai'riage, should 
 succeed to the kingdoms of Spain, Naples and Sicily, the duchy 
 of Milan, and the Imperial Fiefs in Italy. If the Archduke 
 Cliarles should die without issue, the eldest son or daughter of 
 Philip and Mary should succeed to all the dominions of both 
 parents ; but shoidd administer the government only by natives 
 of the respective countries. Philip also engaged, that all his 
 domestics should be English, or subjects of the Queen : that in 
 case of his survi\'ing her, he should not arrogate to himself any 
 authority over England, but leave the succession to the lawful 
 heir ; and that the alliance between England and France should 
 remain inviolate. 
 
 The apprehensions of the people, that Philip would introduce 
 the ai'bitrary maxims of the Spanish Government, seemed to 
 l>e increased by the cautious stipulations of the treaty. The 
 ratification of it excited loud murmurs; and was the pretext 
 for a rebellion, contrived for raising Lady Jane Grey once more 
 to tlie throne. Sir Thoma' Wyatt, of Kent, was obliged to 
 precipitate the execution of the project, by the flight to the 
 Continent of Sir Peter Carew of Devonshire, another principal 
 conspirator, whose design had been discovered. "Wyatt assem- 
 bled a small force at Maidstone, and proclaimed that his inten- 
 tion was to prevent the kingdom from being enslaved by the 
 Spaniards. He then repaired to Rochester, and fortified the 
 bridge ; here he refused an offer of pardon, expecting to collect 
 a greater force than could be sent against him, as the Queen 
 hatl disbanded her army. The Duke of Norfolk was sent to 
 suppress the revolt, reinforced only by 500 Londoners. An 
 agent of Wyatt's, pretending to desert, persuaded the Lon- 
 doners, and the greatest part of the guai'ds, to join the rebels. 
 Qn tliis, Norfolk fled, leaving his baggage and ai-tillery ; and 
 Wyatt, who had now 4,000 men, marched for London. Al- 
 though he defeated the remnant of the guards at Westminster, 
 he was unable to force Ludgate : near which place, being inter-
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 279 
 
 cepted in his retreat by the Earl of Pembroke, who had col- 
 lected an imposing force of horse and foot, he surrendered with 
 all his followers. Fifty rebels were hanged in the city; and 
 many persons of distinction in Kent, as accessaries to the 
 insurrection. The Duke of Suffolk, who had retired to War- 
 wickshire, was discovered to have a share in the conspiracy, by 
 an intercepted letter from Wyatt. He was taken in disguise, 
 at the house of his own ranger, and was executed before 
 Wyatt. The latter, being tampered with while under sentence, 
 implicated the Marquis of Exeter as privy to the plot ; and the 
 suspicions of the Court involved the Princess Elizabeth as an 
 accomplice. Wyatt, however, on his way to execution, im- 
 plored the forgiveness of the Marquis, for having loaded him 
 with so foul a calumny ; and, in the presence of the sheriffs, 
 exculpated Elizabeth. After a strict examination before the 
 Council, the Queen was obliged to dismiss the charge of 
 treason : but the Mai'quis was sent from the Tower to the 
 castle of Fotheringay ; and Elizabeth was committed to the 
 custody of Sir Henry Bedingfield, at Woodstoke. 
 
 The marriage of Philip and Mary did not take place till after 
 the execution of Lady Jane Grey ; but it will preserve the 
 unity of tlie subject, to relate in this place the events which 
 connect tlie treaty with the wedding. 
 
 On the 20th of July 1554, Philip arrived at Southampton 
 with a fleet of sixty ships. When he set foot on English 
 ground, he unsheathed his sword ; and being presented with the 
 keys of the town by the magistrates, he returned them without 
 sj>eaking one word. The Queen met him at Winchester, where 
 they were married by Gai'diner, and their nuptials celebrated 
 with great magnificence. Philip was in his twenty-seventh 
 year, and Mary turned of eight-and-thirty. After the ceremony, 
 they were proclaimed King and Queen of England, France, 
 Naples, and Jerusalem, with many other high-sounding titles. 
 He was a prince of profound dissimulation, and maintained a
 
 2S0 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 reserve which disgusted the English people : nevertheless he 
 brought over great sums of money, which reconciled many 
 persons to the match. In order to conciliate his new subjects, 
 he interceded for several state-prisoners whom Gardiner had 
 devoted to destruction ; and obtained the pardon of the Prin- 
 cess Elizabeth, the Archbishop of York, and ten knights. But 
 he could never gain the attachment of the nation, who attri- 
 buted to his influence some of the most odious acts of Mary. 
 
 EXECUTION OF LADY JANE GREY, AND OF LORD 
 GUILDFORD DUDLEY. 
 
 The Duke of Suffolk's connection with the rebellion of 
 Wyatt, brought on the execution of Lady Jane Grey and her 
 husband. She was nowise agitated at receiving a message from 
 the Queen, desiring that she would prepare for immediate 
 death : this summons, which she had long expected, was deli- 
 vered two days after the execution of Wyatt. Dr. Fecknam, 
 Dean of St. Paul's, who was the bearer of it, persuaded the 
 Queen to grant her a reprieve for three days, that he might 
 have time to attempt her conversion to the Catholic religion. 
 When Lady Jane was informed of this respite, she assured him 
 that it was far from being agreeable to her wishes. In the 
 disputes into which the Doctor drew her, she defended the 
 principal points of the Protestant faith with uncommon strength 
 of reason, and displayed a great fund of knowledge. She em- 
 ployed part of the short period allowed her in writing a letter 
 to her sister, in the Greek language ; exhorting her to persevere 
 with fortitude in the maintenance of her principles. 
 
 On the day of her execution, her husband. Lord Guildford, 
 had obtained permission to take his last farewell of her : but 
 she would not consent to see him, saying that the meeting 
 would but overcome their fortitude, and increase the anguish 
 of their parting; that they should soon rejoin each other in a 
 
 <
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 281 
 
 scene where they should be for ever uiiited, and where death 
 could no more have access to them, nor any sorrow disturb 
 their eternal felicity. It had been intended to execute the 
 wife and husband both together, on the same scaffold, on 
 Tower-hill : but the Council, fearing the youth, beauty, and 
 noble birth of the victims, would excite the compassion of the 
 people, gave directions that Lady Jane should be beheaded 
 within the verge of the Tower. 
 
 She saw her husband led to execution ; and having given 
 him from the window some sign of her remembrance, she 
 calmly awaited the hour that should bring her to a like fate. 
 The sight of his headless body, carried back in a cart, seemed 
 only to strengthen her resolution and constancy. Sir John 
 Gage, constable of the Tower, when he led her to execution, 
 requested her to bestow on him a small present as a perpetual 
 memorial of her ; she gave him her tablet, on which she had 
 just written three sentences : one in Latin, one in Greek, and 
 a third in English ; the purport of them was, " That though 
 the justice of man was inimical to the body, Divine Mercy 
 would be favourable to the soul ; that if her fault deserved 
 punishment, her youth and imprudence merited excuse ; and 
 that God and prosperity, she trusted, would shew her favour." 
 
 On the scaffold she addressed the spectators, and said, 
 " That her offence was not the having laid her hands upon the 
 crown, but the not rejecting it with sufficient steadiness. That 
 she had erred less through ambition than filial duty ; and that 
 though her infringement of the laws had been constrained, she 
 would, by her voluntary submission, make all the atonement 
 now in her power ; and that the story of her life might at least 
 be useful, by proving that innocence is no excuse for errors, if 
 they tend to the destruction of the commonwealth." 
 
 She then caused herself to be disrobed, and with a steady 
 countenance submitted herself to the executioner.
 
 262 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 This amiable, accomplished, and unfortunate lady, was only 
 seventeen years of age when she was beheaded. Being of the 
 same age with the late King, she had received the whole of her 
 education with him. She had acquired a familiar knowledge of 
 the Greek and Latin languages, besides several of the modern 
 tongues, and passed most of her time in study. Roger Ascham, 
 tutor to the Princess Elizabeth, speaks highly of Lady Jane 
 Grey's attainments, and of her love for literature and the 
 polite arts. 
 
 THE CATHOLIC RELIGION RESTORED, AND 
 PERSECUTION RENEWED. 
 
 Nothing now retarded the complete reunion of the English 
 Church with the See of Rome, but the determination of the 
 leading families not to restore the lands which had been torn 
 from the monasteries. The new Parliament, which met on the 
 11th of November 1554, were ready to yield to the Queen and 
 Pope on every other point. On the twenty-ninth of November, 
 Cardinal Pole, as the Pope's legate, gave absolution to both 
 Houses, which the members received on their knees. He pre- 
 scribed as a penance, that tliey should repeal all the statutes 
 against the Papal authority. They qualified the repeal with an 
 express clause, that the possessors of alienated church lands 
 should not be disturbed. The Mass was re-established, together 
 ■with the Liturgy used in the latter part of Henry's reign. The 
 Archbishop of York, the Bishops of St. David's, Chester, and 
 Bristol, were deposed, because they had not lived in celibacy; 
 and those of Lincoln, Gloucester, and Hereford, on pretence 
 that they had preached erroneous doctrines. Of 10,000 inferior 
 ecclesiastics, two-thirds were deprived of their benefices, on 
 account of having been married. Although Cardinal Pole ad- 
 vised in council that the infliction of capital punishments on
 
 HISTORY OF EKGLAND. 283 
 
 the Protestants should be avoided, Gardiner received a com- 
 mission from the Queen to extirpate heresy; and commenced a 
 cruel persecution under it. 
 
 Rogers, prebendary of St. Paul's, a man eminent for virtue 
 as well as learning, was burned in Smithfield. The Commis- 
 sioners had condemned Hooper, bishop of Gloucester, at the 
 same time ; but they sent him to be executed in his own 
 diocese, in the hope of intimidating the parochial clergy under 
 that See. In the midst of the flames he continued to pray, and 
 to exhort the people, till his tongue, swoln with the violence of 
 his agony, could no longer minister to utterance. He was 
 three quarters of an hour in torture, which he bore with 
 inflexible constancy. The next victims were, Sanders a preacher 
 at Coventry, and Dr. Taylor vicar of Hadley. 
 
 After these four executions, Gardiner, fearing the hatred of 
 the public, wliich began to vent itself in murmurs against him, 
 transferred his authority to Bonner, a man of profligate man- 
 ners. Such was the brutal ferocity with which he exercised the 
 power of persecution, that he seemed to derive enjoyment from 
 inflicting torments. He sometimes whipped the prisoners with 
 his own hands; he is said to have torn out the beard of a 
 weaver, who refused to abjure the Protestant faith ; and, in 
 order to give the lacerated sufferer a specimen of burning, held 
 his hand to the flame of a taper until the veins burst, and the 
 sinews were consumed. 
 
 At the beginning of Bonner's barbarities, humane persons 
 of all persuasions were so loud in condemning them, that the 
 other Bishops disclaimed the persecution. The odiiun, of 
 course, fell on the King and Queen ; but most pointedly on the 
 King, as having been educated in a country subject to the 
 Inquisition. Philip, being informed that the English enter- 
 tained an opinion so much to his prejudice, exculpated himself 
 before the whole court, by Alphonso his confessor; who charged 
 the bishops with those cruelties against which the nation ex-
 
 384 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 claimed, and challenged them to produce one passage in Scrip- 
 ture authorizing them to put people to death merely for matters 
 of faith. Bonner, confounded, suspended his inhuman rage 
 for some weeks. But such is the dissimulation of Papists, that 
 he soon derived from some quarter encouragement enough to 
 commission the flames with tenfold fury. 
 
 Ferrar bishop of St. David's was burned in his own diocese. 
 Ridley and Latimer, prelates of eminent learning and virtue, 
 were martyred together at Oxford. When the first was tied 
 to the stake, he said to his fellow-sufferer, " Be of good heart, 
 " brother ; for God will either assuage the flame, or enable us 
 " to bear it." And Latimer, to cheer him in retum, cried 
 out, " We shall this day kindle such a torch in England, as I 
 " trust, by God's grace, will never be extinguished." 
 
 A young man of the name of Hunter, having unwarily 
 denied the real presence, absconded. Bonner seized his father* 
 and threatened him with the greatest severities if he did not 
 produce the young man. Hunter, to save his father, voluntarily 
 surrendered, and was condemned to the flames. The women 
 were nowise inferior to the men in constancy and resolution ; 
 cheerfully submitting to the greatest tortures, rather than deny 
 their principles. At length the people had become generally 
 shocked at the diabolical cruelties which had been perpetrated ; 
 and every fresh martyrdom was equivalent to a hundred sermons 
 against Popery. The new doctrines continued to spread ; and 
 the spectators of the executions gradually displayed a bolder 
 indignation against the remorseless agents of persecution. The 
 Government daily became more odious ; and the Queen, not 
 yet satiated with these sanguinary and horrid acts, wrote letters 
 to the magistrates, urging them to pursue the pious work with- 
 out interruption. In this persecution, which lasted three 
 years, ending in 1557, it is computed that five prelates, twenty- 
 one inferior clergymen, eight lay gentlemen, eighty-four trades- 
 men; 100 husbandmen, servants, and labourers; fifty-five
 
 HISTORY OF EXGI-AND. 285 
 
 women, and four children, perished by fire ; besides those who 
 were punished by fines, imprisonment, and confiscations ! 
 
 DEATH OF CRANMER. 
 
 Dr. Thomas Cranmer was admired as an eminent scholar, 
 and revered for the sincerity, beneficence, disinterested spirit, 
 and apostolic simplicity of his character, as a Christian and 
 prelate. Henry VIII. entertained a high opinion of his talents 
 as a civilian ; and relied on a treatise of Cranmer's in defence 
 of his divorce, as an invincible chain of argument. 
 
 In 1533, Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury. He 
 was strongly attached to the Reformation, but was ever guided 
 by moderation and humanity ; and so skilfully had he managed 
 the capricious and violent temper of Henry, that his enemies 
 were unable to deprive hun of the King's confidence. By his 
 conscientious opposition to the Six Articles, which had ema- 
 nated from the reliques of Popery in Henry's inconsistent 
 mind, he even increased the King's esteem, though he could 
 obtain no relaxation of that intolerant statute. 
 
 Upon the accession of Edward VI. Cranmer was taken into 
 the confidence of the Protector, who was directed by his judg- 
 ment in forwarding the Reformation. 
 
 When Mary assumed the sceptre, Cranmer was imprisoned, 
 together with the other Protestant dignitaries. In 1556 she 
 had completed the preparations for his punishment. He was 
 cited by the Pope to lake his trial at Rome ; and though it was 
 notorious that he was kept in close custody at Oxford, he was 
 condemned as contumacious for not obeying the summons, A 
 commission, sent to Oxford, then degraded him from the 
 primacy as a heretic. The implacable spirit of the Queen, not 
 satisfied with (what she believed inevitable) the eternal con- 
 demnation of Cranmer, conspired with the Popish commis-
 
 286 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 sioners and leading clergy to allure him to apostacy, by the 
 offer of life, while they designed to evade the promise of jjardon, 
 
 A great number of Catholic divines, both natives and 
 Spaniards, assailed him with different engines : they engaged 
 him in doctrinal disputes, threatened him with the consequences 
 of obstinate heresy, intreated him to be reconciled to the 
 Church, and soothed him with the prospect of a pardon, until 
 he was surprised into signing a recantation. As soon as this 
 had been printed and circulated, the Queen sent down a 
 warrant for his execution. He was then conducted to St. 
 Mary's church, where Cole, provost of Eton, extolled his con- 
 version as the immediate work of God's inspiration ; assuring 
 the Archbishop that masses should be said for his soul in all 
 the churches of Oxford. During the whole sermon, Cranmer, 
 with his eyes lifted up to heaven, groaned with internal 
 anguish. Being desired to declare his faith, he repeated the 
 Creed of the Apostles, confessing that he had subscribed a 
 paper contrary to his conscience, from the apprehension of 
 death ; for which reason the hand that signed the recantation 
 should first feel the torture of the fire. He renounced the 
 Pope as the enemy of Christ, and vindicated the Protestant 
 principles, avowing himself ready to seal with his blood that 
 faith which was founded on the Scriptures. When bound to 
 the stake, without shewing the least sign of pain or agitation, 
 he held out his right hand to the flames until it was entirely 
 consumed; frequently exclaiming, " That unworthy hand!" 
 He afterwards poured forth pious ejaculations until he expired. 
 After his body was destroyed, his heart was found entire, 
 among the ashes. 
 
 — — 
 CALAIS TAKEN BY THE FRENCH. 
 
 Mary seems to have had only two objects in view during her 
 reign : the one, to re-establish Popery ; the other, to gratifj-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 287 
 
 the wishes of Philip, even at the expense of undermining the 
 public safety and ruining her country. 
 
 In 1555, Charles V. had resigned his dominions to his son 
 Philip. A subsequent cession by Philip, in the same year, of 
 the Imperial dignity to his brother Ferdinand, left Philip the 
 sovereignty of Spain, with that of Naples and other continental 
 territories. In 1556, Pope Paul IV. declared vi'ar against the 
 King of Spain, and engaged Henry of France to arm as his 
 ally, promising to assist Henry in the conquest of Naples. 
 The mediation of Mary, nevertheless, effected a truce for five 
 years between the Kings of France and Spain. The Pope 
 liaving been thus abandoned by his ally, the Duke of Alva 
 invaded his territories, and was approaching Rome; when 
 Henry broke the truce, to which he was instigated by a second 
 embassy from the Pope. Philip now solicited the co-operation 
 of England : he told the Queen that if so reasonable an appli- 
 cation for aid was refused, he would never more set foot in 
 England. The Queen, alarmed at this threat, and willing to 
 gratify her husband, prevailed on. the Council to espouse his 
 (juarrel and declare war against France. Meanwhile, the Pope 
 and the King of Spain compromised their differences. 
 
 The town of Calais had at this time all the capabilities of an 
 impregnable fortress. It was well defended by nature, and had 
 been greatly strengthened by art since the time of Edward III. 
 who, at the head of a victorious army, had not taken it imtil 
 after a siege of eleven months. As it gave the English an easy 
 entrance into France, it was regarded as the most important 
 possession belonging to the Crown. It was now, however, in 
 a comparatively defenceless state. Near the close of 1556, 
 Philip sent intelligence to Mary that the Cabinet of France had 
 projected some attempt on Calais : and offered to supply lier 
 with troops for the defence of that fortress. The Council sus- 
 l^ected this intimation to be a stratagem of Philip to gain pos- 
 session of Calais, and advised the Queen to decline the offer.
 
 288 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 They equally neglected to reinforce the garrison, or to repair the 
 defences of the place, notwithstanding the repeated solicitations 
 of Lord Wentworth the governor. The ministry were too much 
 occupied in extirpating heresy, to fulfil the proper duties of 
 governors. Calais had been in the hands of the English above 
 200 years, when the Duke of Guise attacked it by surprise in 
 the depth of winter. Having taken two forts at the first 
 assault, from these he battered the town, and compelled the 
 governor to surrender on the seventh day. He then, with 
 similar rapidity, reduced the dependent town of Guisnes, and 
 the Castle of Hames, the garrisons of which were intimidated 
 by the loss of Calais. Thus, within the short space of fifteen 
 days, all that remained of the English conquests in France was 
 lost by the infatuation and improvidence of the Queen and 
 Council. The whole nation murmured at this important loss 
 attended with indelible disgrace. The ministry were so con- 
 founded, that they could not open their mouths in theu* own 
 justification ; and the Queen was overcome with grief and de- 
 jection. She was heard to say, that, when dead, the name of 
 Calais would be found engraven on her heart. Philip, who, by 
 his own troops under Spanish generals, had penetrated France 
 from the Netherlands, had gained several important victories, 
 and had taken St. Quintin, pressed her to make a powerful 
 effort for the recovery of the place, before the French had 
 time to repair the fortifications : but the ministry declined the 
 enterprize, m order to be the more terrible at home ; and a 
 proclamation of the Queen denounced immediate execution, 
 under martial law, on all those who should receive heretical 
 books without delivering them to the magistrates. Meanwhile 
 the Parliament meeting on the 20th of January 1551, after a 
 subsidy had been granted for the war, some of the partisans of 
 the court proposed an act for giving the force of law to the 
 Queen's proclamations. A member who opposed this, on the 
 ground that such an unUiuited power would enable the Queen
 
 HISTORY OF EN'GLAND. 
 
 289 
 
 to alter the Succession, was committed to the Tower by the 
 House itself. Nevertheless, the bill was not introduced, pro- 
 bably because Mary perceived that the country was tenacious 
 of the right of the Princess Elizabeth. At this time the King 
 of Sweden made overtures of marriage to Elizabeth, which she 
 rejected. 
 
 In the month of October, a negociation for a peace between 
 France, Spain, and England, was opened at Cambray. The 
 Queen demanded a supply from Parliament in case the war should 
 continue : but the Commons shewed no readiness to make the 
 grant. Accumulated mortifications, the coldness and neglect 
 of her husband, the consciousness of being hated by her sub- 
 jects, the disasters of the war, and the prospect of a successor 
 whom she knew to be attached to the Reformation, preyed 
 upon her spirits, and aggravated a dropsy to which she was 
 subject, and which had been improperly treated. She died on 
 the 17th of November 155", in the forty-third year of her 
 age, after a reign of five years, four months, and eleven days.
 
 290 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XXVI. 
 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Re-establishment of Protestantism. 
 The triangle represents the British Constitution. The Bible 
 inserted in the centre of it implies that the Protestant reli- 
 gion, having been established as the basis of the National 
 Church, by the King, the Lords, and the Commons, cannot 
 again be overturned without destroying the Constitution itself. 
 
 Fia.2. — Contemporary State of Scotland. 
 The escutcheon encloses the symbolical abstract of Scottish 
 History during the reign of Elizabeth. The letter S, which 
 occupies the centre, is rent in several places, to shew the dis- 
 tracted state of Scotland ; and the existence of civil war there 
 is further typified by the swords and halberds by which it is en- 
 vironed. In the angles of the escutcheon are separate groups 
 of symbols, illustrating the biography of Mary Queen of Scots. 
 At the top, the division a shews her marriage with the Earl of 
 Darnley; b, on the right, the assassination of Rizzio; c, on 
 the left, the murder of Darnley ; and d, at the bottom, the 
 execution of Mary. 
 
 Fig. 2. ("Division a.) — Marriage of the Queen of Scots 
 WITH THE Earl of Darnley. 
 
 Fig 2. (Division h.) — Assassination of David Rizzio. 
 
 Fig 2. (Division c.J — Murder of Lord Darnley. 
 
 Fig. 2. (Division d.J — Death of Mary Queen of Scots. 
 
 Fi". 3. — Defeat of the Spanish Armada. 
 The anchor of England has fallen upon and destroyed the 
 Spanish standard. On each side, encircled with wreaths of 
 laurel, are the names of those distinguished commanders under 
 whose auspices that glorious event was accomplished. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Rebellion of Tyrone in Ireland. 
 
 Fis. 5. — Death of the Earl of Essex.
 
 PLATE XXVI. 
 
 [Page 290 
 
 15S8
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 291 
 
 ELIZABETH. 
 This illustrious Queen received her education in the best 
 of all schools, the school of adversity; and under this tutor 
 she had made great proficiency in the vu-tues of self-command, 
 and a disposition not to revenge the injuries when a Queen, 
 which she had received as a Princess. Under able masters 
 in classical learning, liberal studies, and polite accomplish- 
 ments, she had acquired an intimate knowledge of the Greek 
 and Latin languages, and of ancient history ; was well 
 instructed in divinity ; had become a ready mistress of French, 
 Italian, German, and Spanish, while she displayed a grace in 
 dancing, and a skilful execution on several musical instruments, 
 which few could emulate. Nature had endowed her with a 
 tenacious memory and a vigorous understanding. Her sagacity, 
 penetration, vigilance, and address, have never been surpassed. 
 These endowments, strengthened and assisted with the solid 
 fruits of application and reflection, combined to give her 
 singular talents for government. By professing a constant 
 regard for the public interest, and acting in correspondence 
 with so elevated a motive for a sovereign, she obtained an 
 uncontrolled ascendancy over her people. She was heroic, 
 but not rash; frugal, but not avaricious; and though never 
 without a favourite, her partiality appears only in one instance 
 to have blinded her judgment, and to have induced her to 
 bestow an important ofUce on a person of inadequate capacity : 
 but the conduct of the Earl of Leicester, in many high trusts 
 and grand expeditions, is a siu^prising exception to the general 
 wisdom with which'slie chose her great officers. Her confiden- 
 tial ministers were distinguished for judgment and abilities. 
 In her person, Elizabeth was tall and masculine, but well 
 proportioned. She liked to be complimented on the power of 
 her charms, and on that head was open to the grossest flattery ; 
 j'et was she never seduced by flatterers into any act that mili- 
 tated against the dignity or interest of her kingdom. She 
 
 2
 
 292 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 knew how to command ; and though no one ever carried the 
 prerogative to a higher pitch, her good sense prevented her 
 from abusing it to the disadvantage of the nation. 
 
 Her unjust detention of the Queen of Scots, was a violation 
 of the rights of hospitality which cannot be palliated : simply 
 to have detained Mary, was incompatible with any claim to 
 magnanimity ; to tantalize her with dissembling negociations 
 or her release was dishonourable ; and hardly less cruel than 
 to terminate nineteen years of captivity with a sudden execution. 
 The whole tragedy, from the first act to the catastrophe, is a 
 dark stain on Elizabeth's memory; the dai'ker, because policy 
 might have been generous where malice was severe. In every 
 thing these Queens were rivals ; rivals in power, in the pro- 
 motion of opposite religions, in talents, in accomplishments, 
 in personal charms.* Mary excelled in beauty, and in fascina- 
 tion of manner; Elizabeth in solidity of judgment, and vigour 
 of intellect. Mary captivated as a woman ; Elizabeth ruled 
 as a Queen. Self-love, and a misguided pursuit of happiness, 
 led Mary to the commission of indiscreet acts, which involved 
 her under the suspicion of participating in atrocious crimes ; 
 self-love, directed by ambition and envy, impelled Elizabeth 
 to take an unworthy advantage of the unhappy circumstances 
 of Mary as a wife and Queen, and the heir presumptive to 
 the throne of England. 
 
 The accession of Elizabeth inspired universal joy ; for her 
 past dangers and misfortunes had excited the sympathy of 
 the people, and her conduct under them had evinced that she 
 
 * No one will hesitate to give the palm of beauty to Mary ; but it 
 is well known that Elizabeth always expected the preference. Sir 
 James Melville reports, tliat tlie Queen one day asked him which 
 was the tallest, she or INIary ? lie replied, tliat Maiy was : " then,'* 
 said Elizabeth, " she must be too tall, for I am just the proper 
 kiigbt for a woman."
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 293 
 
 possessed a firm mind, tempered by prudence. She magna- 
 nimously resolved to bury in oblivion all past offences against 
 herself. She received the congratulations of the different 
 orders with kindness and complacency; and, excepting to Bonner, 
 the cruel and unrelenting persecutor of the Protestants under 
 Mary, she testified to all, sentiments of esteem and regard. 
 She then notified her accession to the foreign Courts, and 
 solicited their friendship and alliance. 
 
 RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF PROTESTANTISM. 
 
 Elizabeth, that she might not alarm her Catholic subjects, 
 retained eleven of her sister's councillors ; but, in order to 
 balance their authorit)'^, she added eight more, who were 
 distinguished Protestants. Sir Nicholas Bacon was appointed 
 Lord Keeper ; and Robert Cecil, Secretary of State. Educa- 
 tion and interest equally led her to favour the Reformation : 
 she resolved, however, to proceed by gradual and secure steps. 
 She first liberated such of the Protestants as had been impri- 
 soned on account of religion; and then recalled the natives 
 ■who had been exiled, and the foreign refugees who had been 
 expelled for the same cause. She next ordered that the 
 Litany, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Gospels, should 
 be read in English ; and after commanding that all churches 
 should conform to the ceremonies in her own chapel, she 
 forbade the Host to be any more elevated in her presence. 
 However inconsiderable this innovation may appear, it was an 
 intelligible prelude to fundamental changes. 
 
 A Parliament was soon after summoned, and one of their 
 first acts vested the supremacy over the Church of England in 
 the Queen; a bill was also passed for abolishing the mass, and 
 re-establishing the Liturgy of Edward VL Thus, in one 
 session, without any violence, tumult, or clamour, was the 
 whole system of religion altered, on the very commencement 
 
 3
 
 294 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 of a reign, by the wisdom, prudence, and moderation of a 
 Queen, who was only twenty-five years of age, and reigning 
 without a consort. The Commons voted her a subsidy of 
 four shillings in the pound on land, two shillings and eight- 
 pence on moveables, and two fifteenths. In the course of the 
 session, they presented an address to Elizabeth, intreating 
 her to marry, for the benefit of a quiet succession : To which 
 she replied, that England was her husband, and all the English 
 people her children; and that whilst she was employed in 
 governing and protecting them, she never should consider her 
 life useless, or unprofitable. That she desired no higher 
 character, or fairer remembrance of her, should be transmitted 
 to posterity, than to have this inscription engraved on her 
 tomb-stone : " Here lies Elizabeth, who lived and died a 
 maiden Queen." 
 
 Philip of Spain, alarmed at the sudden loss of his influence 
 in England, and fearing that the King of France, by powerfully 
 supporting the pretensions of Mary Queen of Scots to the 
 English crown, would ultimately unite not only Scotland, but 
 England and Ireland to his own dominions, had, soon after the 
 accession of Elizabeth, made overtures of marriage to her by 
 his ambassador ; but she declined the proposal in a courteous 
 tone, which prevented him from taking offence. She still 
 regarded him as a friend and ally, and he continued to 
 entertain the hope of espousing her. With these inducements, 
 he began to negociate, in concert with Elizabeth, for a general 
 peace between Spain and France, between England and France, 
 and between England and Scotland, Philip insisted on the 
 restoration of Calais to the English, until the renewal of his 
 suit produced a final repulse from Elizabeth ; when he com- 
 promised his differences with the French Court, and left the 
 English Government to its own resources. The Queen, thus 
 deserted, signed a peace with France and Scotland in 1559. 
 By the principal treaty, it was stipulated, that the French
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 295 
 
 King should retain Calais, and the other places lately wrested 
 from the English, for eight years ; at the expiration of which 
 time he should restore them to Elizabeth : and if he failed to 
 deliver them up at the appointed period, he was to pay 500,000 
 golden crowns as a penalty, without being released from the 
 obligation to restore them. In the treaty with Scotland, 
 Elizabeth and Mary mutually contracted not to attempt any 
 thing to each other's prejudice. During the short period in 
 which this peace was observed, EUzabeth devoted her attention 
 to the domestic policy of the nation. She paid off the debts of 
 the crown, restored the purity of the coinage, and furnished 
 her arsenals with great quantities of arms fi-om Germany, and 
 other foreign countries. She introduced into England the art 
 of making gunpowder and brass cannon; fortified the frontier 
 of the kingdom on the side of Scotland ; encouraged agricul- 
 ture, promoted commerce, patronized enterprizing navigation ; 
 and so much increased the magnitude and number of the 
 ships equipped for the public service, that she was justly styled 
 the restorer of naval glory, and the Queen of the northern seas. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Secretaries of State. — High officers of State, that have under their 
 management and direction the most important affairs of the king- 
 dom, and are obliged constantly to attend on the King. They have 
 authority to commit persons for treason, and other offences against 
 the State ; are members of the Privy Council, and with them is depo- 
 sited tlie seal called tlie signet. 
 
 Host, in the Church of Rome, is a name given to the consecrated 
 wafer, enclosed in a kind of covered chalice. When, during the 
 celebration of Mass, the Host is elevated by the priest, a bell is 
 rung for tlie people to prostrate themselves in token of adoration ; 
 as it is generally understood by them that the simple element is tran- 
 substantiated, or changed into the real body of Christ. 
 
 o 4
 
 296 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 CONTEMPORARY STATE OF SCOTLAND. 
 We have seen, in the preceding reign, that the young 
 Queen of Scots was married to the Dauphin of France, after- 
 wards Francis II. As nearly all the Catholics in England 
 deemed the claims of Elizabeth to the throne to be doubtful, 
 they looked upon Mary of Scotland as the rightful heir ; and 
 she was prevailed upon by the councils of France, in conjunc- 
 tion with her husband the Dauphin, to assume the title of 
 King and Queen of England. This public signal of compe- 
 tition and defiance, displayed before the wax of the treaty was 
 cold, not only excited alarm in the breast of Elizabeth, but 
 gave birth to a jealousy of her rival that was never to be 
 appeased; notwithstanding the Dauphin and Mary, through 
 the influence of the Constable, Montmorency, afterwards laid 
 aside the distinctions which had challenged Elizabeth's title. 
 
 Henry II. of France having been slain in a tournament neai' 
 the close of 1559, Mary, as the consort of Francis II., became 
 Queen of France, an elevation of which she was soon deprived 
 by the death of Francis in the following year. In 1561, she 
 returned to Scotland. Although she was received with accla- 
 mations by her native subjects, she soon found herself exposed 
 to innumerable mortifications. Such severe laws were in force 
 against her religion, that it was with difficulty she was permit- 
 ted to celebrate mass in her private chapel. Having been 
 accustomed from her infancy to the splendour and urbanity of 
 the French court, she felt keenly the coarse and harsh manners 
 of her native subjects. Guided by fanaticism instead of reason, 
 the celebrated John Knox mistook insolence for sincerity, and 
 violence for holy zeal. To be a Papist was, in his estimation, to 
 be abominable; and the Queen was continually exposed to con- 
 tumely and insult. Knox usually called her Jezebel ; and though 
 she endeavoured by the most gracious condescension to wm 
 his favour, she could make no impression on his obdurate 
 heart.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 297 
 
 The Queen of Scots, destitute of any military force, and 
 possessing only a narrow revenue, harassed by a factious nobi- 
 lity, and by the frantic hostility of the Scottish reformers, and 
 the majority of the people whom they influenced, soon per- 
 ceived that her only expedient was to preserve a good corres- 
 pondence with Elizabeth. After some delays, occasioned by 
 Mary's desire of being nominated to succeed to the crown of 
 England, and Elizabeth's determination never to declare a 
 successor, that subject was dropped, and both Queens assumed 
 all the appearances of a cordial reconciliation and friendship. 
 
 MARRIAGE OF THE QUEEN OF SCOTS WITH THE 
 EARL OF DARNLEY. 
 
 The close connection of Mary with the House of Guise gave 
 just grounds of apprehension to Elizabeth ; who dreaded lest 
 the Scottish Queen should form any powerful foreign alliance, 
 which might tempt her to revive her pretensions to the crown 
 of England, and to invade the kingdom on the side where it 
 was weakest and most exposed. She therefore, by her minis- 
 ter in Scotland, exhorted Mary to marry some English noble- 
 man ; which would remove all grounds of jealousy, and cement 
 the union between the two kingdoms. She even proposed 
 that she should marry Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester; but 
 no sooner did Mary seem inclined to acquiesce in the proposal, 
 than Elizabeth receded. The duplicity of her conduct in this 
 instance produced a coolness between the two Queens; but 
 harmony was again restored by the interposition and address of 
 Sir James Melville. 
 
 At length Mary's councillors and subjects began to think it 
 full time that some marriage was concluded ; and the Earl of 
 Darnley was generally considered as a fit person to share the 
 throne of Scotland : for being nearly allied to Mary, he would 
 by espousing her preserve the royal dignity in the family of 
 
 5
 
 298 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Stuart ; and as he was, after her, the next heir to the English 
 throne, it was deemed no inconsiderable advantage that she 
 could by marrying unite both their claims. Elizabeth, though 
 secretly pleased with her choice, yet affected great displeasure 
 at it, in order to conciliate the popular party in Scotland. 
 The marriage of Mary with Darnley took place in 1565. 
 
 ASSASSINATION OF DAVID RIZZIO. 
 
 Previous to her marriage with Darnley, the conduct of 
 Mary had not only been unexceptionable, but laudable ; never- 
 theless, differing from her people in religious principles, she 
 was suspected of insincerity ; and a letter that she wrote to 
 the Council of Trent, in which, after alluding to her title to 
 the crown of England, she expressed a hope of being one day 
 able to bring back all her subjects to the bosom of the church, 
 alarmed the Reformers, and increased their distrust. The 
 Duke of Chateleraud, the Earl of Murray, and some of the 
 nobility, jealous of the favour shewn to the King's friends, 
 convened secret meetings at Stirling, under the pretence of an 
 anxious concern for the security of religion ; but the prompt 
 and vigorous measures of Mary put a stop to these machina- 
 tions, and compelled those persons to seek safety in England. 
 
 It was not long after her marriage when Mary discovered 
 that the mind of Darnley was nowise correspondent to the 
 beauty of his person. In the first effusion of her fondness, 
 she had taken a pleasure in exalting him above measure ; but 
 perceiving his weakness and his vices, she determined to re- 
 strain her liberality, and to be more resei-ved in the trust she 
 reposed in him. His resentment at this conduct increased her 
 disgust ; meanwhile he was preparing to take vengeance on every 
 one whom he deemed the cause of this change in her behaviour. 
 
 There was in the court a musician, one David Rizzio, a 
 Piedmontcse of mean birth, who had come into Scotland in
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 299 
 
 the train of an ambassador from the Duke of Savoy. As he 
 possessed a good ear and a tolerable voice, Mary retained him 
 in her service. Her secretary for French dispatches having 
 incurred her displeasure, she promoted Rizzio to that of&ce, 
 which gave him frequent access to her person. He soon 
 became so great a favourite, that no honours nor offices were 
 to be obtained from the Queen, but through his interest ; in 
 consequence of which he became insolent and overbearing. 
 He had at first employed his credit in promoting the marriage 
 of Darnley ; but oii the Queen's change of sentiments, the 
 latter was persuaded by his friends that the alienation of her 
 affection was owing to her partiality for Rizzio. Impelled by 
 jealousy and revenge, Henry combined with the discontented 
 nobles to remove the favourite by assassination. 
 
 On the 9th of March 1565, about seven in the evenmg, 
 when Mary was at supper, in her own apartment, with the 
 Countess of Argyle, David Rizzio, and several other persons, 
 Darnley entered the room by a private passage, and stood 
 behind Mary's chair. The conspirators then rushed into the 
 room, and, overturning every thing in their way, seized the 
 unhappy Rizzio, who vainly attempted to save himself by 
 clinging to the Queen for protection; he was dragged into 
 another room, where he was dispatched, receiving in the 
 struggle fifty-six wounds. The unhappy Queen, hearing of 
 his fate, immediately dried her tears, saying, " Henceforth I 
 will weep no more, but meditate revenge." 
 
 At this crisis the Queen was advanced six months in her 
 pregnancy : but as if it had not been enough to begin the mur- 
 der of Rizzio in her presence, Ruthven, one of the assassins, 
 was permitted by her husband to return and upbraid her with 
 the past measures of her administration. 
 
 The assassins, fearing Mary's resentment, detained her a 
 prisoner until their safety was assured, by the King's declara- 
 tion that nothing had been done but by his orders. 
 
 o 6
 
 300 HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 CoM7ia7o/TreK<.^ An ecclesiastical council, assembled by the Popes 
 Paul III., Julius III., and Pius IV., to correct, illustrate, and fix 
 with precision the doctrine of the Church, to restore the vigour of 
 its discipline, and to reform the lives of its ministers. 
 
 MURDER OF LORD DARNLEY. 
 
 The outrage perpetrated against Mary by the murder of one 
 of her servants, under circumstances which seemed contrived 
 for filling her with horror and affliction, increased her aversion 
 to her hosband. Taking advantage of his fickleness and irreso- 
 lution, she proposed an accommodation. Henry embraced the 
 offer, and she recovered her liberty. On her return to 
 Edinburgh, she persuaded him to disavow any concurrence 
 with the assassins of Rizzio, and even to publish a procla- 
 mation containing a falsehood so notorious to the world. 
 
 Having thus rendered him contemptible, she laid aside all 
 marks of regard for him. He was, however, permitted to 
 have apartments in the castle of Edinburgh ; where Mary was 
 delivered of a son, in 1566. This event gave great joy to all 
 her partisans, both in Scotland and England ; and so much 
 had she gained upon the hearts of all, by her late moderation 
 and condescension in pardoning the assassins of Rizzio, that 
 the public were willing to ascribe her imprudence to her youth 
 and inexperience. The calm was deceitful; and Mary was 
 destined to feel the severest of misfortunes, aggravated by the 
 horrors of self-reproach. 
 
 The Earl of Bothwell, a Scottish nobleman of ancient family 
 and considerable power, but destitute of talents either military 
 or civil, and notorious for his vices and profligacy, had suc- 
 ceeded Rizzio as the favourite of Mary. Reports injurious to 
 her honour were in continual circulation. Henry, on retiring 
 to Glas'^ow, was seized with an extraordinary illness, which
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 361 
 
 was ascribed to poison, administered by the agents of a confe- 
 deracy originating with the Earl of Murray, and involving 
 Secretary Lidington and the Earls of Bothwell and Morton 
 Mary, when she heard of Darnley's illness, immediately under- 
 took a journey to see him ; and behaved towards him with so 
 much tenderness, that he put himself implicitly in her hands, 
 and attended her to Edinburgh. She lived in the palace of 
 Holy-rood House ; but as the situation of it was low, she fitted 
 up a house for her husband in a retired place at some distance, 
 called the Kirk of Field. Mary here treated him with kindness 
 and attention, conversed cordially with him, and slept some 
 nights in an apartment under his chamber ; but on the ninth of 
 February she told him she would pass that night in the palace, 
 because the marriage of one of her servants was to be cele- 
 brated in her presence. About two o'clock in the morning the 
 whole town was thrown into the utmost confusion and alarm j 
 and the people were still more astonished when they under- 
 stood that the house in which the King lay was blown up with 
 gunpowder, and his dead body found at some distance in a 
 neighbouring field. 
 
 Few persons doubted that Bothwell was accessary to this 
 atrocious deed ; and the public voice in Edinburgh clamorously 
 inveighed against him as the author of the plot. When it was 
 found that the man who was suspected of being the King's 
 murderer still retained the favour and confidence of the Queen, 
 it was justly inferred that she was an accomplice in his guilt. 
 Shortly afterwards, when Mary, who had been to see her infant 
 son, was on her return to Stirling, Bothwell, at the head o 
 800 horse, intercepting her, seized and carried her to Dunbar, 
 with the most criminal intentions. Some of the nobility pri- 
 vately informed her, that if she was detained by force, they 
 would use all their efForts to rescue her. Her answer was, that 
 though she was carried off by force, yet she had been so well 
 treated since her arrival, that she willingly remained with Both- 
 
 i
 
 302 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 well. Very shortly after, in despite of all decency, she married 
 him, he having for that object divorced his wife. 
 
 All Europe was filled with amazement and concern at this 
 fresh instance of guilty imprudence, which covered the actors 
 of it with eternal infamy. 
 
 DEATH OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. 
 
 The marriage of Mary with Bothwell was equally displeasing 
 to men of all ranks and persuasions. The Earl of Athol, a 
 staunch Catholic, put himself at the head of a confederacy to 
 protect the infant Prince from the attempts of Bothwell. Lord 
 Hume was the first who took up arms against Mary ; he de- 
 feated her at Carberry Hill, from whence he conducted her to 
 Edinburgh. Bothwell fled to Dunbar, and from thence to 
 Denmark, where he was thrown into prison, lost his reason, 
 and died miserably : an end worthy of his flagitious conduct 
 and behaviour. Mary was imprisoned in Lochlevin Castle, 
 situated in a lake of that name, where she was treated with 
 much hardship and severity. Elizabeth, who was fully informed 
 of all these incidents, was touched with compassion for the 
 unfortunate Queen. Her fears and jealousies being now laid 
 asleep, she reflected on the instability of human greatness, and 
 the danger of encouraging rebellious subjects. She sent Sir 
 Nicholas Throgmorton ambassador into Scotland, in order to 
 remonstrate both with Mary and the confederated Lords. She 
 intreated the former to lay aside all thoughts of revenge, ex- 
 cept against the murderers of her husband ; and also to send 
 the young Prince to England to be educated. To the confe- 
 derated Lords she urged, that whatever blame she might throw 
 upon Mary's conduct, it did not become them to punish the 
 nial-administration of theu* Prince ; she even required them to 
 restore the Queen to liberty, and promised them in that case 
 to concur with them in all proper expedients for regulating the
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 303 
 
 government. After a long debate, it was determined by the 
 confederated Lords to depose the Queen, to acknowledge her 
 son as Kng, under the title of James VI., and during the 
 minority to vest the regency in the Earl of Murray. An in- 
 strument was quickly drawn up to this effect ; and the unhappy 
 Queen, believing that no deed which she executed during her 
 capti\'ity could be valid, was prevailed on to sign it. 
 
 George Douglas, brother Xo the Laird of Lochlevin, was 
 induced, from motives of compassion, to attempt freeing the 
 Queen from captinty ; he conveyed her in disguise into a small 
 boat, and himself rowed her on shore. She hastened to Ha- 
 milton ; and the news of her arrival being quickly spread 
 abroad, many of the nobility quickly flocked to her with their 
 forces. The Regent, upon receiving intelligence of her escape, 
 immediately assembled an army to oppose her. A battle was 
 fought at Langside, near Glasgow : the Queen was defeated, 
 and fled into England. On her arrival at Workington, in Cum- 
 berland, she dispatched a messenger to Elizabeth, notifying 
 her arrival, desiring leave to wait on her, and craving her pro- 
 tection. To this appeal Elizabeth replied, that she could not 
 be admitted to her presence until she had cleared herself of her 
 husband's murder ; and exhorted her to submit her cause to 
 her arbitration. After some delays Mary reluctantly consented. 
 Commissioners were appointed by the English Court for the 
 examination of this important cause, which was to be held at 
 York. The English Commissioners were, the Duke of Norfolk, 
 the Earl of Sussex, and Sir Ralph Sadler. On the part of 
 Mary were, Lesley Bishop of Ross, the Lords Herries, Living- 
 stone, and Boyde, with three persons more. The Earl of 
 Murray, Regent, the Earl of Morton, the Bishop of Orkney, 
 Lord Lindesay, and the Abbot of Dunfermline, were appointed 
 Commissioners from the King and kingdom of Scotland. Se- 
 cretary Lidington, George Buchanan, the famous poet and histo- 
 rian, with some others, were named as assistants. Hitherto
 
 204 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 the conduct of Elizabeth had been so equal, that each side 
 accused her of partiality towards their adversaries. 
 
 Mary's Commissioners, before they gave in their complaints 
 against her enemies in Scotland, entered a protest that their 
 appearance in the cause should nowise affect the independence 
 of her crown, or be construed as a mark of subordination to 
 England. The complaint of that Princess was next read, 
 detailing the injuries she had suffbred since her marriage with 
 Bothwell, The Earl of Murray, in answer, gave a summary 
 of the late transactions, and transmitted the following queries 
 to Elizabeth. First, Whether the English Commissioners had 
 authority from theu- Sovereign to pronounce sentence against 
 Mary, in case her guilt should be fully proved before them ? 
 Secondly, Whether they would promise to exercise that autho- 
 rity, and proceed to an actual sentence. Thirdly, Whether 
 the Queen of Scots, if she were found guilty, should be delivered 
 into the hands of the Regent, or at least be so secured in 
 England, that she should never be able to disturb the tranquil- 
 lity of Scotland? And fourthly. Whether Elizabeth woidd 
 also in that case promise to acknowledge the young King of 
 Scotland, and protect the Regent in his authority ? 
 
 Elizabeth, under pretence that the distance from her person 
 retarded the Commissioners, ordered them to come to London, 
 and there continue their conference. She gave a satisfactory 
 answer to all Murray's demands; and declared, that though she 
 wished and hoped to be convinced of Mary's innocence, yet 
 should that Princess be proved guilty of her husband's murder, 
 she should deem her unworthy of a throne. To the accusa- 
 tion of being an accomplice in the murder of Darnley, Mary's 
 Commissioners refused to reply, saying, they had orders from 
 their mistress, if any thing was advanced that touched her 
 honour, not to make any defence, as she was a sovereign 
 Princess, and could not be subject to any tribunal. The pro- 
 ceedings therefore were stopped; and orders were given for
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 305 
 
 removing the Queen of Scots from Bolton to Tutbury, where 
 she was put under the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury. 
 
 The Duke of Norfolk, a man of the most amiable manners, 
 and, from his rank, wealth, and power, confessedly the first 
 subject in the kingdom, began to conceive hopes of restoring 
 the Queen of Scotland to her throne, and of sharing the regal 
 power with her, so soon as she could be legally divorced from 
 Bothwell. In this project he was supported by all the Catholic 
 party, both in England and Scotland. The Kings of France 
 and Spain promised their concurrence. This scheme did not 
 escape the vigilance and penetration of Elizabeth and her 
 ministers : Norfolk was seized and sent to the Tower ; but was 
 soon after released, upon promise of abandoning the party of 
 Mary. Being, however, again detected in a conspiracy, he 
 was seized, brought to trial, and executed on May the 8th, 
 15/2. The Earl of Northumberland, for a similar offence, 
 was also brought to the scaffold. Several other conspiracies in 
 favour of Mary were subsequently undertaken and detected ; 
 and many persons suffered imprisonment and death, as her 
 emissaries and partisans. The plot of Anthony Babington, 
 which was set on foot by the intrigues of the Pope, the Court 
 of Spain, and the House of Guise, not only brought on the 
 destruction of that accomplished young man, but hastened the 
 end of the unhappy Queen they meant to serve. The plan of 
 this conspiracy was the assassination of Elizabeth, a foreign 
 invasion, and an insiu-rection at home. According to some 
 representations these designs were all made known to Mar}', 
 and received her assent ; she observing, that the death of Eliza- 
 beth was a necessary circumstance. Secretary Walsingliam, 
 who was secretly informed of all their plans, suddenly seized the 
 conspirators, fourteen of whom were condemned and executed. 
 Elizabeth and her ministers, finding that whilst Mary lived 
 machinations in her favour would still be formed, resolved to 
 bring her to trial " as a traitor concerned in the cons]Hracy of
 
 306 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Babington ;" for which purpose a commission, consisting of 
 forty noblemen and privy councillors, were empowered to 
 examine and pass sentence on her. 
 
 The commissioners came to Fotheringay Castle, and sent Sir 
 Walter Mildmay and some others to inform Mary of her ap- 
 proaching trial. At the first she protested against their right 
 to try an independent Princess, but was at length prevailed on 
 to submit. She admitted that she had promised to transfer to 
 Philip of Spain her right to the kingdom of England, if her 
 son should refuse to be converted to the Catholic faith; but 
 denied having any knowledge of, or concern in, Babington's 
 conspiracy against Elizabeth, although Mary's secretaries had 
 made a full confession of all the circumstances, or had fabricated 
 a correspondence to implicate her. Mary was condemned, and 
 the sentence was ratified by both Houses of Parliament. Eliza- 
 beth, though highly pleased to get rid of a formidable rival, 
 affected great reluctance to execute the sentence against her ; 
 hoping by this means to secure herself from the imputation of 
 cruelty and injustice. Great efforts were made by the foreign 
 Powers, and by the young King of Scots, to avert the doom of 
 Mary, but in vain ; the fatal warrant was signed, and on the 
 eighth of February 1587, the temporal sorrows and misfortunes 
 of the Queen of Scots were to receive their termination. 
 
 This unfortunate Queen was executed at Fotheringay Castle, 
 in a room hung with black for the occasion. Her behaviour 
 under this severe trial was dignified and composed. She beheld 
 without dismay the scaffold, the executioner, and all the pre- 
 parations of death. When the executioner offered to assist in 
 disrobing her, she smiled, and said she was not accustomed to 
 undress before so large a company. One of her maids, whom 
 she had appointed for that purpose, covered her eyes with a 
 handkerchief: then laying herself down, without any sign of 
 fear or trepidation, her head was severed from her body at two 
 strokes.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 307 
 
 Thus perished, in the 45th year of her age, and the 1 9th of 
 her captivity, Mary Queen of Scots. 
 
 The beauty of her person was only excelled by the sweetness 
 of her address, and the charms of her conversation. Her 
 mind appears to have been formed for the residence of every 
 virtue : early accustomed to the voice of adulation, of an im- 
 petuous temper but warm affections, the neglect of her husband 
 roused the feeUngs of resentment; contempt and hatred en- 
 sued ; the violence of her enemies, and the flattering arts of a 
 designing villain, hurried her into connection with a party, at 
 whose crimes we recoil with horror ; of being accessary, how- 
 ever, to the conspiracy against her husband, it is a relief to 
 the pained mind to acquit her. In a private station Mary 
 might have been an exemplary wife and mother. When we 
 reflect on the temptations attending her elevated rank, charity 
 would induce us to throw the mantle of pity over those parts of 
 her conduct which justice will not allow us to palliate. Happy 
 are they whom Providence has placed in less dangerous situa- 
 tions. But while we condemn the crimes which are the subjects 
 in dispute between her apologists and her accusers, let us not 
 refuse a tear to the misfortunes of the unhappy and misguided 
 Mary. Stuart. 
 
 DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA. 
 After the death of Mary Queen of England, Philip II. of 
 Spain, who was very desirous of annexing Britain to his already 
 extensive dominions, hoped that her sister Elizabeth would 
 have accepted his proffered vows ; but that Princess, who de- 
 termined never to risk her power, or share it with a husband, 
 declined his offer. Philip soon manifested liis displeasure at 
 this resolution, and returned the collar of the Order of the 
 Garter, which Elizabeth had sent him. The Reformation 
 having spread with rapidity over the Continent, Philip deter- 
 mined to extirpate the Protestants in his dominions. Elizabeth
 
 308 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 was long restrained, by being in a state of peace with Henry 
 III. of France and Philip of Spain, from openly assisting either 
 the Huguenots, as the Protestants were called in France, or 
 the proselytes to the Reformation in the Low Countries ; who 
 had alike been exposed to the most dreadful persecutions.* 
 She, however, connived at the transmission to them of money 
 and arms, and other supplies raised by voluntary contributions 
 among her subjects. 
 
 In 1585 she concluded a league with the United States of 
 Holland; and sent over 5,000 foot and 1,000 horse to assist 
 them in throwing off the Spanish yoke. This produced an im- 
 placable hatred in Philip ; and Elizabeth, finding a war with that 
 monarch inevitable, determined to attack the most defenceless 
 part of his dominions. She sent a fleet of twenty sail, under 
 the command of Sir Francis Drake,f to annoy the Spanish Set- 
 tlements in the West Indies. They took St. Jago, near Cape 
 Verd, by surprise; made themselves masters of St. Domingo 
 
 • Charles IX. of France, his mother Catherine of Medicis, and 
 the family of Guise, planned the massacre of St. Bartholomew ; by 
 which upwards of 10,000 persons, amongst whom was the great and 
 good Admiral de Coligni, were butchered in Paris alone. 
 
 During the reign of Charles V. of Spain, it is computed that 
 100,000 persons perished in defence of their religious principles. 
 Under the reign of Pliilip II. the Duke of Alva boasted, that, in the 
 space of five years, he had delivered 18,000 heretics into the hands of 
 the executioner. 
 
 f Sir Francis Drake was born at Tavistock in Devonshire, in 1545. 
 He was the son of Edmund Drake, a sailor, but was brought up 
 under tlie care of Sir John Hawkins, who was his kinsman. In 
 expeditions to South America in 1570, 1571, 1572, he made a con- 
 siderable fortune by predatory descents on the Spanish settlements in 
 the Isthmus of Darien. By means of Sir Christopher Ilatton, the 
 Vicc-Chancellor, he obtained permission of the Queen to conduct a 
 voyage of discovery into the South Seas. In the prosecution of this
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND, 309 
 
 and Carthagena : and burned St. Augustine and St. Helena, two 
 towns on the coast of Florida. 
 
 In 1587, Elizabeth having been apprized that Philip of Spain 
 was preparing a great armament to invade England, sent the 
 same great commander to destroy his flotilla in the harbour. 
 Sir Francis Drake attacked the Spanish fleet lying at Cadiz, 
 and burned 100 vessels laden with ammunition and naval stores, 
 and destroyed a great ship belonging to the Marquis of Santa 
 Cruz. He next insulted Lisbon ; and on his return was so 
 fortunate as to meet with, and capture, a rich Spanish ship 
 returning from the East Indies. This short expedition greatly 
 encouraged the English seamen, and taught them to despise 
 the unwieldy ships of the enemj-. The intended expecUtion 
 against England was by this means retarded a twelvemonth, 
 which enabled the Queen to mature her arrangements by land 
 and sea for repelling the meditated invasion. 
 
 In 1588 the formidable fleet of Philip, ostentatiously styled 
 the Invincible Armada, was completely equipped. It was com- 
 manded by the Marquis of Santa Cruz, a sea-officer of great 
 reputation and experience. A large armament, consisting of a 
 flotilla, having on board 50,000 land forces, under the com- 
 mand of the Duke of Parma, was destined to sail from various 
 ports in the Netherlands, to co-operate with the principal 
 Spanish fleet. The most renowned princes and nobles of Italy 
 and Spain were ambitious of sharing in the honour of this 
 great enterprize. About 2,000 Spanish volunteers, many of 
 them men of family, had enlisted in the service ; and no doubt 
 was entertained but that such vast preparations, conducted by 
 officers of consummate skill, must be successful. The Queen 
 was not backward in making preparations to repel this for- 
 
 undertaking he passed the Straits of Magellan, and on tlie 25th of 
 Sept. 1578, entered the Pacific Ocean; and after sailing onwards to 
 the East Indies, he returned by the Cape of Good Hope, A. D. 
 1580. He was the first Englishman who sailed round tha globe.
 
 310 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 midable armament : all the commercial towns in England were 
 required to furnish a certain number of ships to reinforce 
 the navy, which did not at this time exceed twenty sail. 
 The only advantage of the English consisted in the bravery 
 and dexterity of the seamen. Lord Howard, of Effingham, 
 was appointed Admiral of the Fleet. Drake, Hawkins, and 
 Frobisher, the most renowned navigators in Europe, served 
 under him. The principal fleet was stationed at Plymouth ; 
 a smaller number, commanded by Lord Seymour, lay off Dun- 
 kirk, in order to intercept the Duke of Parma, the most 
 consummate general of the age. The southern coast of 
 England was defended by an army of 20,000 men, dis- 
 posed in different detachments : a second army, consisting of 
 22,000 foot, and a thousand horse, under the command of the 
 Earl of Leicester, was stationed at Tilbury, to guard and 
 defend the capital. Lord Hunsdon commanded a third army, 
 amounting to 36,000 horse and foot, for the defence of her 
 Majesty's person. The Queen, undismayed by the present 
 dangers, gave all her orders with^ tranquillity : and, morejto 
 animate the martial spirit of the nation, she appeared on horse- 
 back in the camp at Tilbury: exhorting the soldiers to re- 
 member their duty to their country and their religion ; profes- 
 sing her intention, though a woman, to lead them against the 
 enemy, and rather to perish at their head than to survive the 
 ruin and slavery of her people. This spirited behaviour so 
 animated her men, that their attachment to her person became 
 quite enthusiastic. 
 
 The Spanish Armada was ready to sail the beginning of May ; 
 but just as they were putting to sea, the Marquis of Santa Cruz 
 died. The command was then given to the Duke of Medina 
 Sidonia, a nobleman of great family, but totally inexperienced, 
 and ignorant of sea affairs. At length, on the twenty-ninth of 
 May 1588, the Armada set sail from Lisbon ; but a tempest the 
 next day sunk some of the smaller ships, and forced the rest to 
 take shelter in Corunna and other parts of Spain. Having
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 311 
 
 speedily repaired the damage, they again put to sea. The fleet 
 consisted of one hundred and thirty ships; of which 100 were 
 larger than any that had ever before been used in Europe. It 
 carried on board 19,000 soldiers, near 9,000 mariners, and 2,630 
 pieces of brass ordnance. It was victualled for six months, and 
 was attended by twenty smaller ships. After the Armada was 
 under sail, the Spaniards took a fisherman, who informed them 
 that the English Admiral, having heard that the tempest had 
 dispersed the Spanish fleet, had retired to Plymouth, laid up his 
 ships in the harbour, and discharged most of the men. Upon 
 this false intelligence, the Spanish Admiral conceived hopes of 
 destroying the fleet in the hai'bour, and sailed directly for Ply- 
 mouth. A Scotch pii-ate informed the English of the enemy's 
 approach. 
 
 Effingham gave orders not to come to close fight with the 
 Spaniards, but to cannonade them at a distance. A large gal- 
 leon, on board of which was a considerable part of the Spanish 
 money, took fire by accident, and, together with another ship of 
 the same class, was taken by Sir Francis Drake. As the Armada 
 proceeded up the Channel, the English hung upon its rear, and 
 harassed it with vigorous but desultory attacks. The size of the 
 Spanish ships was no advantage to them ; their bulk exposed 
 them to the fire of the enemy, whilst their cannon, placed too 
 high, shot over the heads of the English. Whilst the Spaniards 
 lay before Calais, expecting that the Duke of Parma would put 
 to sea and join his forces to them, the English admiral practised 
 a successful stratagem. He took eight of the smaller vessels, 
 and filling them with combustible materials, sent them, one after 
 another, into the midst of the enemy. The Spaniards, taking 
 them for fire-ships, immediately cut their cables, and took to 
 flight with the greatest disorder and precipitation. The English 
 fell upon them next morning, whilst in confusion ; took, sunk, 
 and drove on shore thirteen of the enemy, besides damaging a 
 great many others. A nolent tempest overtook the Armada,
 
 312 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 after it had passed the Orkneys, and drove many of their ships 
 on the coasts of Ireland and Scotland, where they were wreck- 
 ed. Of the whole Armada, but three and fifty ships returned 
 to Spain; and the seamen as well as soldiers who survived were 
 so overcome with hardships and fatigue, that they filled all Spaia 
 with accounts of the desperate valour of the English, and of the 
 tempestuous violence of the ocean by which they are surrounded. 
 
 Such was the miserable and dishonourable conclusion of an 
 enterprize which had been preparing for three years ; which had 
 exhausted the revenue and force of Spain ; and filled all Europe 
 v^ith anxiety or expectation. 
 
 The spirit and courage of the English were now excited to at- 
 tempt invasions in their turn, which they executed in numerous 
 descents on the coast of Spain, that tended greatly to harass the 
 enemy, but was attended with considerable expense to England. 
 The naval officers of this reign were alike distinguished for 
 spirited enterprizes and for personal braver}-. The names of 
 Howard, Drake, Hawkins, Frobisher, Cavendish, and Raleigh, 
 will ever stand foremost in the list of fame : under these re- 
 nowned warriors the English navy began to take the lead, and 
 has since continued irresistible. 
 
 REBELLION OF TYRONE IN IRELAND. 
 
 Though the English had now been masters of Ireland upwards 
 of four centuries, their authority hitherto had been little more 
 than nominal. The Irish Princes and nobles paid exterior marks 
 of obedience to a power they were unable to resist ; but being 
 treated with cruelty and neglect, they every day became more 
 formidable. Hugh O'Neal, a man noted for perfidy and cruelty, 
 had been raised by the Queen to the dignity of Earl of Tyrone ; 
 but he preferred a life of rapine to opulence and tranquillity, 
 and secretly fomented the discontents of the other chieftains, in 
 the hope of overturning the English Government. At length he
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 313 
 
 openly rebelled, and entered into a correspondence with Spain. 
 Sir John Norris, and Sir Henry Bagnal, m ho were successively 
 sent over to oppose him, were equally unfortunate ; and Tyrone 
 assumed the character of deliverer of his country, and patron 
 of Irish liberty. 
 
 In 1590, the Earl of Essex was made governor of Ireland, with 
 the title of Lord Lieutenant, and invested with greater authority 
 than had ever been conferred on any of his predecessors. He 
 was also furnished with an army of 20,000 foot, and 2,000 
 horse : a force which it was thought would overwhelm the 
 rebels, and in one campaign make an entire conquest of Ireland. 
 Essex, instead of at once attacking Tyrone in the province of 
 Ulster, according to his instructions, fell into the same errors 
 as his predecessors, whom he had so loudl}- condemned : he 
 wasted his time and forces in frivolous enterprizes ; sickness ap- 
 peared amongst his men, and carried off so many, that he was 
 forced to write to the Council for a reinforcement of 2,000 men. 
 His demand was complied with; but the army was so very 
 averse to the undertaking, and so terrified with the character 
 of Tyrone, that many deserted : finding himself therefore in- 
 capable of effecting any thing of moment, he concluded a truce 
 with Tyrone, renewable every six weeks. 
 
 This truce was very ill observed: in less than three months 
 the rebels had overrun almost the whole kingdom. Their chief, 
 pretending to be the champion of the Catholic religion, was not 
 only encouraged by the Pope, but a body of Spaniards came 
 over to his assistance. Lord Mountjoy, who had been appoint- 
 ed to succeed Essex in the government of Ireland, was a man of 
 considerable capacit}' and \agour ; he penetrated into Ulster, 
 and defeated the rebels with considerable loss. He afterwards 
 defeated the Spaniards at Kinsale, and expelled them from the 
 island. Tyrone, dispii'ited by his multiplied losses, at length 
 surrendered ; which event put an end to the Irish war, in the 
 year 1603.
 
 314 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. — A Viceroy, who has all the state and 
 splendour of a King of England, except being served on the knee. 
 Prior to the Union of 1802, he had the power of making war and 
 peace, of bestowing all the offices under the Government, of dubbing 
 knights, and of pardoning all crimes except high treason ; he also called 
 and prorogued the Parliament, though no bill could pass without the 
 Royal assent. He was assisted in his government by a Privy Council ; 
 and on liis leaving the kingdom, he appointed the Lords of the Re- 
 gency, who governed during his absence. 
 
 DExVTH OF THE EARL OF ESSEX. 
 
 Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was one of the most ac- 
 complished men in the court of Elizabeth, and a munificent 
 patron of literature. Elegant in manners, brave, open, sincere, 
 and eloquent, he became a decided favourite with the Queen. 
 He had early distinguished himself for bravery in Holland, where 
 he served under the Earl of Leicester. On his return, he rose 
 rapidly into favour, and was made Master of the Horse. He 
 accompanied Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norris in their ex- 
 pedition to Portugal, and was joint commander with Lortl 
 Howard in the expedition against Cadiz. In 1 597 he was made 
 Earl Marshal of England, and, upon the death of Lord Burleigh, 
 Chancellor of Cambridge. 
 
 The great favour which Essex enjoyed with his royal mistress 
 created him many enemies ; and being of an impetuous temper 
 and high spirit, he would ill brook any controul, oi- even oppo- 
 sition. Being once engaged in a dispute with the Queen, re- 
 specting a person proper for the government of Ireland, he so 
 i^x forgot both his duty and civility, that he turned his back upon 
 her in the most contemptuous manner. Elizabeth was so irri- 
 tated by this insolence, that she gave him a box on the ear. 
 Essex, instead of recollecting hmiself, and suing for pardon,
 
 IIISTOnY OF ENGLAND. 315 
 
 clapped his hand upon his sword, and swore that he would not 
 have borne such an affront from Henry VIII. This misconduct 
 was however forgiven, and he was made Lord Lieutenant of 
 Ireland. His administration there gave his enemies an oppor- 
 tunity of accusing him to the Queen. Informed of their ma- 
 chinations, he quitted Ireland, in defiance of her positive com- 
 mands to the contrary, and suddenly presented himself before 
 her. He was afterwards disgraced, and all his employments 
 taken from him except the office of Master of the Horse. He 
 was committed to the custody of the Lord Keeper, with whom 
 he continued six months ; but being denied some favour that 
 he solicited, his indignation burst all bounds. He refused to 
 attend the Council, when summoned ; and detained in his own 
 house, under the custody of some of his armed followers, the 
 Earl of Worcester, Lord Chief-justice Popham, and some other 
 members of the Council, who were sent by the Queen to inquire 
 tlie meaning of the select meeting, comprehending three hun- 
 dred persons of distinction, which had assembled under his roof, 
 and of the large concourse of people waiting in the street. 
 Essex, then, leaving two hundred men to defend his house, re- 
 paired to the city ; and exclaiming, " For the Queen ! For the 
 Queen! My life is in danger!" endeavoured to engage the 
 citizens to rise in his support. Not being joined there by one 
 single person, and many of his followers stealing away, ob- 
 structed in his return through the heart of the city, and pro- 
 claimed a traitor, he with difficulty escaped in a boat to Essex- 
 house. Being besieged by several regiments, with artilleiy, he 
 surrendered at ten at night, and was conveyed to the Tower. 
 He was tried by his Peers, and condenuied for high-treason ; 
 and on the 25th of Feb. 1601, was beheaded within the Tower, 
 in the thirtv-fourth vear of his as;e. 
 
 Elizabeth had formerly given the Earl a ring, as a pledge of 
 her affection for him; solemnly promising that whatever dis- 
 grace he might fall into, if he sent her that token, she would
 
 316 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 save him from his enemies. This ring he now sent by the 
 Countess of Nottingham : who, being his secret enemy, never 
 delivered it. The Queen from day to day put off signing the 
 fatal wai-rant, expecting he would claim her mercy; but at 
 length, wearied out with the importunities of her ministers, 
 who ardently desired the death of Essex, and angry at his sup- 
 posed obstinacy, she signed the warrant for his execution. 
 
 Elizabeth did not long survive the Earl ; relinquishing the 
 attempt to be cheerful, she sighed and wept insensibly ; but, 
 besides this, she had many other causes of grief and mortifica- 
 tion : she began to perceive the advances of age and infirmity, 
 and that her courtiers were remitting their attentions to her, 
 through an impatient haste to secure the favour of her nephew, 
 the King of Scots. 
 
 The Countess of Nottingham falling ill, desired to see the 
 Queen, having something of importance to communicate. In 
 this interview, she acknowledged the Earl of Essex's commis- 
 sion. Elizabeth in astonishment, overcome by surprise, grief, 
 and vexation, shook the dying Countess in the bed, exclaiming, 
 " God may forgive you, but I never can !" and thenceforth 
 resigned herself to the influence of an inciu-able melancholy. 
 She refused food and sustenance, and lay ten days and nights 
 upon cushions, venting her sorrow in tears and groans. Her 
 end was now visibly approaching; and having declared the 
 King of Scots her successor, she expired in the seventieth year 
 of her age, and forty-fifth of her reign. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Earl Marshal of England is the eighth great officer of state. The 
 title is personal, and the office honorary. It was made hereditary in 
 the family of Howard Earl of Norfolk, by Charles the Second, in 
 1672. 
 
 Chancellor of Cambridge. — The head or chief of the whole uni- 
 versity.
 
 Page 317.] 
 
 PLATE XXVIl.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 317 
 
 PLATE XXVII. 
 
 James the First. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Union op the Crowns of England and Scotland. 
 
 Fig, 2. — The Gunpowder Plot. 
 The crown, coronet, and hat, lying on the barrel, shew tlie 
 intention of the conspirators to destroy the King and Parlia- 
 ment. The figure on the right is Guy Fawkes. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Death of Sir Thomas Overbury, who was Poisoned 
 BY THE Countess of Essex. 
 
 Fi". 4. — Death of Sir Walter Raleigh. 
 
 The block and axe allude to the manner of his execution ; 
 the books to his literary pursuits ; and the ship, inscribed 
 " Guiana," to his last final expedition. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Disgrace of Lord Chancellor Bacon. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Rupture with Spain. 
 
 p 3
 
 318 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 CHx\RACTER OF JAMES THE FIRST. 
 
 The character of James I. is so differently drawn by the con- 
 temporary writers of his time, as they affect either the Court or 
 the popular party, that it seems almost impossible to draw a 
 correct portrait. By his panegyrists, he is represented as wise, 
 learned, generous, and a lover of peace ; by the opposite party 
 he is said to have been weak, pedantic, pusillanimous, profuse, 
 and cunning. Prejudice appears to have blinded both parties : 
 his enemies have exaggerated his faults ; his friends and ad- 
 mirers have overrated his merits. His reign is neither distin- 
 guished by great virtues, nor disgraced by flagrant crimes ; and 
 he is rather to be commended for the absence of vice, than 
 extolled for positive virtue. His predecessors on the throne 
 had maintained an absolute sovereigntj^, and stretched the regal 
 prerogative to its utmost limits. The people were beginning 
 to feel their own strength, and to have more enlarged ideas of 
 liberty : and, sensible that the reins of Government were not 
 held with that firmness which had distinguished their late 
 monarchs, they were emboldened in their proceedings. They 
 watched with jealousy everj' action of the Court, and loudly 
 condemned every thing that favoured arbitrary power. The 
 King, though desirous of peace, was anxious to maintain his 
 prerogatives, and to transmit them to his son undiminished : 
 his intentions were good ; and though the result was sometimes 
 evil in its consequences, it was chiefly owing to the peculiar 
 circumstances and complexion of the times. 
 
 James was awkward in his person, and inelegant in manners; 
 of an affectionate temper ; but not happy in the choice of his 
 favourites, being dazzled with the appearance of exterior graces, 
 rather than attracted by real worth. 
 
 UNION OF THE ENGLISH AND SCOTCH CROWNS. 
 
 James the First, King of England, was the sixth of that 
 
 name King of Scotland. He was the son of Mary Queen of
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 319 
 
 Scots, by Lord Darnley; and great grandson of Margaret, 
 eldest daughter of Henry VII.; and on the failure of the male 
 line, his hereditary right of succession was indisputable. His 
 accession to the English Crown was reviewed with pleasure by 
 all ranks of people ; and they hailed his approach to the capital 
 with loud acclamations. But James, who possessed not that 
 affability of manners which distinguished the late Sovereign, 
 forbad the multitude from assembling, under pretence of a 
 scarcity of provisions; though, to testify his sensibility of their 
 attachment to him, he conferred the honour of knighthood on 
 two hundred and thirty-seven persons. Favours of this kind 
 had been rarely bestowed in the preceding reign, and were 
 therefore prized. But the prodigality of the King in this re- 
 spect, instead of procuring him friends, disgusted the majority 
 of the people: they were displeased at seeing honours and 
 rewai'ds thus lavished on persons who had no pretensions by 
 merit, and considered it only as the mark of an easy temper and 
 indiscriminating good-nature. 
 
 Ambassadors from almost all the Princes and States of Eu- 
 rope came to congratulate him on his accession, and to form 
 with him new treaties of alliance. The King was averse from 
 war ; but finding that the people were earnestly bent on sup- 
 jwrting their Protestant brethren in the Low Countries, he 
 entered into a treaty with Henry IV. of France, to support the 
 United States against the power of Philip ; and it was mutually 
 agreed, that if that Prince attacked either of them, they would 
 assist and defend each other. 
 
 The meeting of the Parliament had been delayed some time, 
 on account of the plague, which this year raged with so much 
 violence as to carry off 30,000 persons. The Parliament at 
 length assembled ; and the speech which the King made on this 
 occasion is said to have been surpassed by few productions of 
 that age. Hitherto the House of Commons had been consi- 
 dered of so little importance in the Government, that scarcelr 
 
 p 4
 
 320 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 any attention had been paid, either by the Crown, the people, 
 or the House itself, to the choice and continuance of the 
 members. When James summoned this Parliament, he issued 
 a proclamation, strictly enjoining the people not to choose any 
 outlaw for their representative, on pain of being fined or im- 
 prisoned for the same. This was making a proclamation equal 
 to a law, and that too on a point so delicate and momentous 
 as the right of elections : the House therefore determined to 
 come to some resolution respecting their privileges in choosing 
 their own members, and no longer to allow the Chancellor 
 the power of issuing new writs, or of vacating seats at pleasure. 
 They also established the power of punishing the person at 
 whose suit any member is arrested, as well as the officers who 
 may arrest or detain him. James, who justly regarded it as 
 the peculiar felicity of his reign, that he had terminated the 
 bloody animosities of the English and Scotch people, and re- 
 duced the whole island under one government, was extremely 
 anxious that they should enjoy a thorough union of laws, par- 
 liament, and privileges; by which he hoped they would gain 
 not only internal tranquillity, but security from foreign inva- 
 sion. The prejudice and ill-will of the people of both countries 
 were at this time much too strong to be overcome by reason or 
 policy. 
 
 During his reign, the prerogatives of the Crown were vio- 
 lently and openly attacked : the chief grounds of discontent 
 being religion and money. The King, from his high notions of 
 the royal prerogative, was led to imagine he might demand 
 whatever sums he pleased from the Parliament ; who seem to 
 have behaved as unreasonablj on one hand, as James himself 
 did, unfortunately, on the other. 
 
 GUY FAWKES' CONSPIRACY. 
 
 It is no unusual thing with men of warm tempers, when they 
 discover an error in their conduct, to fly to the opposite ex-
 
 HISTORY OF EJfGLAND. 321 
 
 treme, in order to prove their entire renunciation of former 
 failings : and as religion is a subject that embraces the dearest 
 and most essential interests of man, it takes the strongest pos- 
 session of his mind. When the errors of Popery once became 
 apparent, and the objects of superstitious veneration unmasked, 
 the Protestants, in their zeal, forgot the great law of Chris- 
 tianity — Charity, which " thinketh no evil ;" and, still smarting 
 with the recollection of the persecutions of the Papists, began, 
 when power was on their side, to make their enemies feel that 
 they had neither forgotten nor forgiven past cruelties. Hence 
 violent animosities were generated, and the nation was split into 
 parties. The Roman Catholics had expected great favour and 
 indulgence from James ; both on account of his descent from 
 Mary, and particularly as he himself had, it is imagined, in his 
 early youth, shewn some partiality towards them. But they 
 soon discovered their mistake, and were at once surprised and 
 enraged to find James, on all occasions, express his intention of 
 persevering in the strict and rigorous measures of Elizabeth. 
 
 Catesby, a Catholic gentleman of good parts, and of an ancient 
 family, first thought of a most extraordinary method of revenue • 
 and opened his intention to Percy, a descendant of the illus- 
 trious House of Northumberiand. He told him it was in vain 
 to think of killing the King only : " To serve any good pur- 
 pose," said he, " we must destroy, at one blow, the King, the 
 Royal Family, the Lords and Commons; and bury all our 
 enemies in one common ruin." Percy readily entered into the 
 project of Catesby. They agreed to communicate the matter 
 to a few more; and, among the rest, to Thomas Winter, whom 
 they sent to Flanders in quest of Fawkes, an officer on whose 
 zeal and courage they could depend, and who was at that time 
 in the Spanish service. 
 
 These transactions took place during the spring and summer 
 of 1604; at which time the conspirators hired a house in 
 Percy's name, adjoining to that in which the Parli^/ient Wjis t9 
 
 p 5
 
 322 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 assemble. They pierced through a wall three yards thick, 
 which led to a vault below the House of Lords. A large 
 quantity of coals had been kept there, which were at this time 
 selling off; and as the vault was to be let, Percy immediately 
 hired it, and secretly conveyed into it thirty-six barrels of gun- 
 powder: the whole was then covered up v.ith faggots and bUlets, 
 the doors of the cellar boldly thrown open, and every body 
 admitted, as if it contained nothing dangerous. The King, the 
 Queen, and Prince Henry, were all to be present at the opening 
 of the Parliament. Percy was to seize or assassinate the Duke, 
 who was not expected to be present, on account of his youth ; 
 and three others of the conspirators were to seize the Princess 
 Elizabeth, and proclaim her Queen. 
 
 The day so long wished for now approached, and every 
 thing seemed to promise success to their plan. The dreadful 
 secret, though communicated to above twenty persons, had 
 been inviolably kept for the space of a year and a half. No 
 remorse, no pity, no fear of punishment, no hope of reward, 
 had as yet induced any one conspii'ator either to abandon the 
 enterprize, or to betray it. Private friendship, however, saved 
 the nation from impending ruin. 
 
 Ten days before the meeting of Parhament, Lord Monteagle 
 received the following letter, which had been delivered to his 
 servant by an unknown hand. " My Lord, — Out of the love I 
 bear to some of your friends, I have a care of your preserva- 
 tion : therefore I would advise you, as you tender your life, 
 to devise some excuse to shift oif your attendance on this 
 Parliament : for God and man have concurred to punish the 
 wickedness of the times. And think not slightly of this ad- 
 vertisement ; but retii-e yourself into the country, where you 
 may expect the event in safety. For though there be no 
 J4)pearance of any stir, yet, I say, they will receive a terrible 
 blow this Parliament, and yet they shall not see who hurts 
 them. This counsel is not to be contemned ; because it may.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 323 
 
 do you good, and can do you no harm; for the danger is 
 })assed as soon as you have burned this letter. And I hope 
 God will give you the grace to make good use of it, unto 
 whose holy protection I commend you." 
 
 Lord Monteagle knew not what to make of this letter, and 
 thought it an attempt to frighten him ; nevertheless, he judged 
 it expedient to shew it to Lord Salisbury, Secretary of State. 
 Salisbury, though also inclined to pay little attention to it, laid 
 it before the King. The King, after some reflection, conjec- 
 tured that it implied some danger from gunpowder ; and it was 
 thought advisable to inspect all the vaults beneath the Houses 
 of Parliament. This search was purposely delayed till the day 
 before the meeting of Parliament ; when the Earl of Suffolk 
 remarked the great piles of wood and faggots which lay in the 
 vaults under the Upper House. Fawkes, who was standing in 
 a dark corner, passed himself off as Percy's servant. His 
 daring and determined countenance did not escape the pene- 
 tration of Suffolk ; the quantity of fuel, too, excited his suspi- 
 cions ; and he determined on making a more thorough search. 
 Accordingly, Sir Thomas Knevit, a Justice of the Peace, with 
 })roper attendants, went about midnight to the place ; and 
 finding Fawkes at the door of the vault, who had just finished 
 his preparations, he immediately seized him ; and turning over 
 the faggots, he discovered the powder. The matches, and every 
 thing ready for firing the train, were found in the pockets of 
 Fawkes, who, on his guilt becoming apparent, sought refuge in 
 boldness and despair. He was immediately sent to the Tower ; 
 and being left to reflect on his guilt and danger, and the rack 
 being shewn him, his courage failed, and he made a full disco- 
 very of all his accomplices. Catesby, Percy, and the other 
 conspirators who were in London, hearing of the arrest of 
 Fawkes, fled to Warwickshire, where Sir Everard Digby, think- 
 ing himself sure of success, was already in arms. The Princess 
 Elizabeth had escaped to Coventry ; the whole country was 
 
 p 6
 
 324 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 raised; and the conspirators were surrounded on all sides. No 
 hope of escape remaining, they confessed themselves and re- 
 ceived absolution, bold]}- prepared for death, and resolved to 
 sell their lives as dearly as possible. Some of their powder, 
 however, took fire, and killed and wounded several of them : 
 the people then rushed in upon them. Percy and Catesby were 
 killed by one shot. Digby, Rookwood, Winter, and others, 
 being taken prisoners, were tried, confessed their guilt, and 
 perished under the hands of the executioner. 
 
 The wisdom, equity, and liberality of James, were never 
 more conspicuous than upon this occasion. In his speech to 
 the Parliament, he observed, that though religion had engaged 
 the conspirators in so criminal an attempt, yet they ought not 
 to involve all the Roman Catholics in the same guilt, or suppose 
 them equally disposed to commit such enormous barbarities. 
 He concluded by saying, that the conspiracy, however atro- 
 cious, should never alter his plan of government; for that 
 while with one hand he punished guilt, with the other he would 
 still support and protect innocence. 
 
 DEATH OF SIR THOMAS OVERBURY. 
 
 After the detection of the gunpowder conspiracy, the King 
 continued his attention towards improving the manners of his 
 Irish subjects ; of reconciling them to laws and industry ; and 
 of rendering them useful to the Crown of England. In this 
 well-planned work James proceeded with such steadiness and 
 regularity, that in the space of nine years he is said to have 
 made greater advances towards the reformation of that coun- 
 try, than had been made during the four hundred and fifty 
 years whicli had elapsed since its first conquest. He planted 
 new colonies in Ulster, divided the property into moderate 
 shares, introduced husbandry and the arts, and punished rob- 
 bery and plunder ; so that Ulster, which wai formerly the most
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 325 
 
 disorderly province in Ireland, soon became the best cultivated 
 and the most civilized. 
 
 In 1612 died Prince Hear}-, deeply regretted by the whole 
 nation. He was a youth of great attainments ; and the people 
 had entertained the fondest hopes that his talents and virtues 
 would one day increase the lustre of the British throne. 
 Violent reports were spread that Henry had been carried off by 
 poison; but the physicians, on opening the bod}-, found no 
 such symptoms. The deiith of Sir Thomas Overbury, in the 
 Ibllowing year, revived these suspicions ; though no proof, nor 
 even probability of such an event, could be traced. 
 
 Sir Thomas Overbury was the tried friend of the favourite. 
 Viscount Rochester, a young Scotchman of good family; of 
 whom the King was so extravagantly fond, that he not only 
 heaped honours and dignities upon him, but had even conde- 
 scended to become in some measure his tutor, and had taken 
 pleasure to instruct him in the mysteries of politics : for Ro- 
 chester was not, at first, so much intoxicated with advancement, 
 as to be insensible of his own ignorance and inexperience. In 
 Sir Thomas Overbury he met with a judicious and sincere 
 counsellor ; and while he was content to be ruled by his coun- 
 cils, he enjoyed, what is very rare, the highest favour of the 
 Prince, mthout being hated by the people. 
 
 The unfortunate families of Howard and Devereux, who had 
 suffered so much in the cause of Marj' and James, had not been 
 forgotten by the King. Young Essex had been restored to his 
 family dignity ; and the titles of Suffolk and Northampton 
 conferred on tv/o brothers of the house of Norfolk. The Earl 
 of Essex had early been betrothed to Lady Frances Howard ; 
 but when the marriage came to be ratified, tlie young Countess 
 testified so great an aversion, that the Earl, after an ineffectual 
 struggle to overcome her dislike, gave up the pursuit, and left 
 her to follow her own discretion. The cause of this aversion 
 to her lord, arose from Lady Essex liaving become violently
 
 326 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 attached to Rochester, whom she ardently desired to marry. 
 Rochester consulted his friend Overbury upon the plan of a 
 divorce. Overbury used every method to dissuade him from 
 so foolish, so dangerous an attempt ; and, in his zeal, v/ent so 
 far as to threaten him, that he would separate from him for 
 ever, if he could so far forget his honour and his interest as to 
 promote the intended marriage. Rochester had the weakness 
 to reveal this conversation to the Countess of Essex, and also 
 to join with her in her vindictive projects against his friend. 
 Their first step was to prejudice the King, from whom they 
 obtained a warrant for committing Overbury to the Tower. 
 The Lieutenant of the Tower was a creature of Rochester's, 
 and debarred the unhappy prisoner the sight even of his nearest 
 relations, during the six months he remained in prison. In the 
 mean time, the guilty pair pursued their purpose : the King, 
 blinded by his partiality for the unworthy favourite, zealously 
 entered into the project of divorce ; and, that the lady might 
 lose no rank by her second marriage, Rochester was created 
 Earl of Somerset. 
 
 The vindictive Countess, not yet satisfied with the revenge 
 she had already exercised upon Sir Thomas Overbury, engaged 
 her husband, as well as her uncle, to take him oiF by poison, 
 which atrocious design was accomplished. The symptoms were 
 so sudden and violent, that the cause was apparent to every 
 one who approached him ; and his interment was hurried on 
 with the greatest precipitation : but the crime was not fully 
 proved till some years afterwards. The upbraiding voice of 
 conscience, even amidst the hurry and flattery of a Court, de- 
 Btroyed the peace of Somerset. The graces of his youth 
 passed away, the gaiety of his manners was obscured, and his 
 politeness changed into sullenness and silence. The King, 
 whose affections had been engaged by those superficial accom- 
 plishments, began to estrange himself from a man who no 
 longer contributed to his amusement ; and the discovery of
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 327 
 
 Somerset's guilt, in the murder of Ovcrbury, brought on the 
 ruin and infamy he so well merited. An apothecary's appren- 
 tice, who had been employed in making up the poison, having 
 retired to Flanders, revealed all the particulars. The King, 
 alarmed at this account of Somerset's guilt, ordered a most 
 rigorous inquiry to be made ; and the whole plot was carefully 
 unravelled. All the lesser criminals received the punishment 
 due to their crime. Somerset and the Countess were pardoned; 
 but they languished out an old age in infamy and obscurity. 
 Love, the cause of their crimes, was converted into a deadly 
 hatred; and they passed many years together, in the same 
 house, without any intercourse or correspondence with each 
 other. 
 
 DEATH OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh had greatly distinguished himself, 
 during the reign of Elizabeth, in various naval expeditions 
 against the Spaniards, and was universally admired for his 
 courage and capacity ; but towards the close of her reign he 
 lost much of his popularity, by his enmity to the Earl of Essex, 
 the darling of the people. 
 
 Not long after the accession of James, he engaged in a con- 
 spiracy to place upon the throne Arabella Stuart,* a neai- 
 relation of the King's. The plot was discovered ; some of the 
 conspirators were put to death, and others pardoned. Sir 
 Walter Raleigh was only reprieved, and sent to the Tower, 
 where he remained a prisoner for thirteen years ; and it was 
 during this long confinement he wrote " The History of the 
 World" At length the sentiments of the nation began to alter 
 
 * Arabella Stuart was the daughter of Charles Earl of Lennox, 
 and cousin to the King ; and during the reign of Elizabeth, had been 
 declared lawful heir to the crown.
 
 328 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 with respect to him : they reflected on the hardships, and even 
 injustice of his sentence; for he had been condemned on the 
 testimony of a single witness. Lord Cobham, a man of no ho- 
 nour or integrity ; and they pitied his active and enterprizing 
 spirit, which languished in the rigour of confinement. They 
 were struck with the extensive genius of the man, who, being 
 educated amidst naval and military achievements, had sur- 
 passed, in the pursuits of literature, the most recluse and 
 sedentarj'. To increase these favourable dispositions, on which 
 he built the hopes of recovering his liberty, Raleigh spread a 
 report of his having discovered a gold mine in Guiana, which, 
 according to his representations, was sufficient to enrich not 
 only the adventurers, but to afford immense treasures to the 
 nation. The King gave little credit to these mighty promises ; 
 but thinking that Raleigh had already undergone sufficient 
 pmnishment, he released him from the Tower; yet refused to 
 pardon him, though strongly solicited to do so. He professed 
 lumself still diffident of Raleigh's intention ; but gave him per- 
 mission to try the adventure of the Guiana mine, when a 
 sufficient number of adventurers could be procured. 
 
 Some years before this time, Raleigh made the first discovery 
 of Guiana, and laid claim to it in behalf of his Sovereign ; yet 
 he made no settlement on the coast, but quitted it almost im- 
 mediately. The Spaniards, not knowing or not acknowledging 
 this claim, had taken possession of a part of Guiana, and had 
 built the little town of St. Thomas, on the river Oroonoko, 
 where they worked some mines of small value. Raleigh well 
 knew that it was very far from the intention of James to attack 
 any of the Spanish settlements, and had positively declared 
 that the mine he was going in (juest of had no connexion with 
 the. Spanish colonics; nevertheless, he bent his course directly 
 to St, Thomas; and remaining himself at the mouth of the 
 river with five of the largest ships, he sent on the rest, under 
 the command of liis son and Captain Keymis, a person entirely
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 329 
 
 devoted to him. The Spaniards, who had expected this inva- 
 sion, were prepared to receive them, and fired upon the English 
 at their landing ; but being repulsed, were driven back into the 
 town. Young Raleigh, to encourage his men, cried out, 
 pointing to the town, that this was the true mine, and that 
 none but fools looked for any other j then boldly advancing 
 against the Spaniards, he received a shot, of which he imme- 
 diately expired. This accident did not intimidate the others : 
 the town was taken and reduced to ashes, nothing of value 
 being found in it, Raleigh had affirmed that Keymis alone 
 knew the exact situation of the mine ; yet the latter, on the 
 most frivolous pretences, now refused to discover where it was; 
 although he declared they were within two hours' march of the 
 spot. He therefore returned to Raleigh; and after detailing 
 to him the melancholy account of his son's death, and the 
 failure of the enterprize, retired to his cabin and put an end to 
 his life. 
 
 The other adventurers now concluded that Raleigh had de- 
 cdved them ; and that he never had known of any such mine 
 as the one he pretended to go in search of; they therefore 
 determined to return immediately to England, and to carry 
 him along with them, to answer for his conduct. The Council, 
 upon inquiry, found no difficulty in pronouncing that he had 
 abused the King's confidence, and acted in an offensive and 
 hostile manner against his Majesty's ally, the King of Spain, 
 who loudly complained of the aggression. James therefore 
 made use of the power which he had purposely reserved in his 
 own hands, and signed the warrant for the execution of 
 Raleigh, upon his former sentence. 
 
 This was an act that gave great dissatisfaction to the public. 
 It was an established principle among lawyers, that as he lay 
 under an actual attainder for high treason, he could not be 
 brought to a new trial for any other crime; though he might
 
 330 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 have been tried, either by common law, for this act of violence 
 and piracy ; or by martial law, for breach of orders. To exe- 
 cute therefore a sentence which was originally so hard, which 
 had been so long suspended, and which seemed to have been 
 tacitly pardoned, by conferring on him a new commission, was 
 deemed an instance of cruelty and injustice. 
 
 Raleigh, when he felt the edge of the axe by which he was 
 to be beheaded, observed, " It is a sharp remedy, but a sure 
 one, for all ills." He is reported to have been one of those 
 modern philosophers, very rare at that time in England, which 
 have since been called Free-thinkers. He suffered decapitation 
 October 29th, 1613. 
 
 DISGRACE OF LORD CHANCELLOR BACON. 
 
 The celebrated Lord Chancellor Bacon, Baron Verulam and 
 Viscount St. Albans, was a man universally admired for the 
 greatness of his genius, and beloved for his courtesy. He was 
 the ornament of his age and nation, and one of the gi-eatest 
 philosophers that any country has produced. Before his six- 
 teenth year, he had made such uncommon progress in his 
 studies, that he was particularly noticed by Queen Elizabeth. 
 He did not, however, obtain much preferment during her reign ; 
 tliough the renowned Earl of Essex, who not only distinguished 
 merit but loved it, was his avowed patron. The ingratitude of 
 Bacon to this nobleman is one of the dark stains in his cha- 
 racter, and for which no apology can be offered. The guilt of 
 bribery, of which he stands accused, appears not to have been 
 80 well grounded : his want of economy, and his indulgence to 
 "Bervants, involved him in necessities ; and, in order to supply 
 their prodigality, he had, it is affirmed, not scrupled to take 
 bribes, under the title of jiresents, from suitors in Chancery. 
 Bribery was not unusual at that time, as the former Chancellors
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 331 
 
 had given precedents for this dangerous proceeding ; but a 
 spirit of reform began to display itself in the Commons, and 
 they now determined to check, if not put a stop to, such 
 glaring injustice. It is said, however, in favour of Bacon, that 
 in the seat of justice he still preserved the integrity of the 
 judge, and had given just decrees even against those very per- 
 sons from whom he had received the wages of iniquity. An 
 impeachment against him was nevertheless sent up to the Peers 
 by the Commons : and the Chancellor, conscious of guilt, en- 
 deavoured to deprecate the vengeance of his judges, and to 
 escape the confusion of a strict inquiry, by a general avowal ; 
 but in vain : he was sentenced to pay a fine of ^40,000 ; to be 
 imprisoned in the Tower during the King's pleasure ; and was 
 declared incapable of ever again sitting in Parliament, or of 
 holding any office, place, or emolument. Yet, in consideration 
 of his great merit, the King remitted the punishment, conferred 
 on him a pension of i' 1,800 a-year, and employed every expe- 
 dient to alleviate the weight of his age and his misfortunes. 
 Bacon survived his disgrace five years ; his faults being iUmost 
 forgotten amidst the greatness of his genius and the splendour 
 of his literary fame. 
 
 BEFINITIOy. 
 
 Lord High Chancellor, or Keeper of the Great Seal. — This is tlic 
 highest honour of the long robe, being created by tlie mere delivery 
 of the King's Great Seal into his custody, by which he becomes, 
 without %vrit or jjatent, an officer of the greatest weight and power of 
 any now subsisting in the kingdom. He is a Privy Councillor by his 
 ofBce ; and to him belongs the appointment of all Justices of tlie 
 Peace throughout the kingdom. He is the general guardian of all 
 infants, idiots, and lunatics ; and has the general superintendence of 
 all charitable uses in tlie kingdom, besides the vast extensive jurisdic- 
 tion which he exercises in his judicial capacity in the Court of Chan- 
 cery.
 
 33iJ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 RUPTURE WITH SPAIN. 
 
 In 1G13, James gave the Princess Elizabeth in marriage to 
 the Elector Palatine. The Elector, trusting to so great an 
 alliance, engaged in enterprizes beyond his strength. He was 
 defeated in the great and decisive battle of Prague ; and fled 
 vrith his family into Holland j whilst Spinola, the Spanish 
 general, made himself master of the whole Palatinate.* 
 
 The English, alarmed at the distresses of their Protestant 
 brethren in Germany, were anxious to rush into a war with 
 Spain J and the temporizing spirit of the King was highly dis- 
 pleasing to the Commons. Their dissatisfaction produced 
 remonstrances; and remonstrances begat recrimination. The 
 project of marrying Prince Charles to the Infanta of Spain at 
 this time occupied much of the King's attention : negociations 
 to this effect had long been carrying on : but the difference of 
 religion had hitherto retarded its conclusion. Prince Charles, 
 instigated by the artful persuasions of Buckingham, who had 
 succeeded Somerset in the King's favour, accompanied by that 
 favourite, set out on a romantic expedition, to visit the Court 
 of Spain. The Prince and Buckingham, in disguise, with their 
 two attendants, and Sir Robert Graham, passed through 
 France, and even ventured into a Court-ball without being 
 discovered. There Prince Charles saw the Princess Henrietta, 
 whom he afterwards espoused, and who was at that time in 
 the bloom of youth and beauty. In eleven days after, they 
 arrived at Madrid. The Spanish Monarch immediately paid 
 Charles a visit, expressed the utmost gratitude for the confidence 
 reposed in him, and by the most studious civilities evinced 
 the respect which he bore towards his royal guest. He gave 
 him a golden key which opened all his apartments, tliat the 
 Prince might, without any introduction, have free access to 
 him at all times. The reserve, modesty, and sobriety of 
 
 * A State lying in the midst of Germany.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAKD. 333 
 
 Charles's character, his generous confidence and romantic 
 gallantry, charmed the Spaniards, and endeared him to the 
 whole Court of Madrid. But in the same proportion that the 
 Prince was beloved, Buckingham was detested : his sallies of 
 passion, his indecent freedom with the Prince, his dissolute 
 pleasures, and his arrogant and impetuous temper, excited the 
 peculiar aversion of the Spaniards ; he had pointedly insulte*l 
 the Conde D'Olivarez, and was determined at all events to 
 break off the match with the Infanta. The Prince, too, was 
 not unwilling to be released from his engagements, having been 
 pai'ticularly struck with the charms of the French Princess 
 Henrietta : and as the match with Spain had ever been 
 opposed by the nation at large, insurmountable obstacles 
 were easily found to put an end to the project, and a war with 
 Spain was eagerly desired. A negociation was then opened 
 with France ; but before it was finally concluded, James died, 
 in the fifty-ninth year of his age, and the twenty-second of his 
 reign over England. He had been King of Scotland almost 
 from his birth. He was only once married (to Anne of Den- 
 mark); and left one son, Charles, then in the twenty-fifth year 
 of his age ; and one daughter, Elizabeth, married to the Elector 
 Palatine.
 
 334 HISTORY or England. 
 
 PLATE XXVIII. 
 
 Charles the First. 
 
 Fig. 1. — The Bill of Rights. ^ 
 
 The Bill of Rights preponderates in the scales of Justice; 
 whilst the oppressive powers formerly exercised by the Monarch 
 are retiring out of sight. 
 
 Fig. 2. — The Scottish Covenant. 
 
 Fig. 3. — The Standard of Rebellion raised in Scotland. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Death of the Earl of Strafford. 
 On the right is the King, holding the letter written by that 
 unfortunate nobleman. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Insurrection and Massacre of the Protestants 
 
 IN Ireland. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Commencement of the Civil War. 
 England divided by faction ; the standard of Rebellion erected 
 in the South ; the Royal standard is waving above. 
 
 Fig. 7' — The Scots selling the King to the English 
 
 Parliament. 
 
 Fig. 8. — The King escaping to the Isle of Wight. 
 
 Fig. 9. — Death of the King. 
 The Constitution effaced. Instead of the Crown, the em- 
 blem of royalty, appears a death's-head, the symbol of murder. 
 The coronet of the Nobles is eclipsed, for their power is no 
 more. The Commons alone retain the symbol of power ; and 
 the use they made of it is shewn by the axe, which points to 
 the place formerly occupied by the Crown.
 
 PLATE XXVIII. 
 
 [Page 334.
 
 HISTORY OF EXGLAND. 33o 
 
 CHARLES THE FIRST. 
 
 Thi3 amiable and unfortunate Prince succeeded his father 
 in 1G25. His countenance was pleasing, though melancholy; 
 and his features handsome and regular. He was of middle 
 stature, but well proportioned ; skilful in all manly exercises ; 
 and possessed of a refined taste in the liberal arts. He was 
 humane, modest, chaste, and temperate ; and in his private mo- 
 rals, unblemished and exemplary. 
 
 Bred up in the principles of absolute monarchy, and taught 
 to consider the prerogatives of his crown as a sacred deposit 
 that he was to transmit uninjured and undiminished to his pos- 
 terity, Charles endeavoiu-ed from principle to maintain them ; 
 though the genius of the people at that time ran in a course 
 diametrically opposite. The emancipation from the shackles of 
 superstition had awakened the love of civil liberty ; and, in the 
 endeavour to attain political freedom, reason became intoxi- 
 cated, and judgment blind. Fanaticism, guided by hypocrisy, 
 threvTcfovvn the crown, and trampled upon the sceptre, and in its 
 stead exalted the iron rod of military despotism. Charles was a 
 man of strict religion ; and his judgment, when left to decide 
 for himself, was excellent ; but his deference to the opinions of 
 others often betrayed him into actions that seemed to contro- 
 vert it. He was a good, rather than a great man. He was not 
 the hero whose name is enrolled in the lists of Fame by the 
 slaughter and destruction of thousands of his fellow -creatures ; 
 but he was the Christian hero, who, having been insulted, be- 
 trayed, robbed, and ignominiously condemned to death by his 
 rebellious and ungrateful subjects, pronounced forgiveness to his 
 foes (in imitation of his Divine Master), in the emphatic word 
 ''Remember.'"* 
 
 * It being remarked tliat tlie King, the moment before he stretched 
 out his neck to the executioner, had said to Juxton, with a very earnest 
 accent, the single word " Remember!" great mysteries were supposed
 
 336 HISTORY or England. 
 
 BILL OF RIGHTS. 
 
 The pure and noble mind of Charles disdained to use any- 
 secret influence to obtain a majority in the Parliament. Con- 
 scious of the integrity of his intentions, he trusted to the 
 liberality, honour, and justice of the Commons, to supply those 
 wants, which were not the result of his own imprudence, but 
 of enterprizes previous to his accession. They knew that 
 James had left the Crown burthened with many debts : and 
 they knew, also, that the revenue of the Crown was totally ina- 
 dequate to the ordinary expense of the Government ; and that 
 they were engaged in a war with Spain and Austria, contrary 
 to the wishes of the late King, and entirely in compliance with 
 their own desires : yet they thought proper to vote him a sub- 
 sidy of only ^113,000. 
 
 The marriage of Charles with Henrietta of France, though at 
 first highly pleasing to the Commons, now excited their appre- 
 hensions of the return of Popery ; and the resolution of the 
 King to abate the rigour of the Penal Laws against the Catho- 
 lics, excited their disgust. The Parliament was therefore dis- 
 solved ; and a new one called the following year. The war 
 with Spain still continuing, the King borrowed money from his 
 subjects on privy seals : this enabled him to equip his fleet, 
 which however performed nothing worthy of notice. The 
 second Parliament voted him a supply of .£108,000, and three 
 fifteenths ; but deferred passing this vote into a law until the 
 
 to be concealed under that word ; and tlie Generals vehemently in- 
 sisted witli the Prelate that he should inform tliem of tlie King's 
 meaning. Juxton told them, tliat the King, having frequently charged 
 him to inculcate on his son the forgiveness of his murderers, liad 
 taken tliis opportunity, in the last moments of his life, when his com- 
 mands he supposed would be regarded as sacred and inviolate, to 
 reiterate that desire ; and tliat his mild spirit tlius terminated its pre- 
 sent course by an act of benevolence to his greatest enemies.
 
 BISTOBY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 337 
 
 end of the sessions. They commenced an attack on Bucking- 
 ham, but wthout success. The King interfered in behalf of hi< 
 favourite, and even committed the two members who managed 
 the impeachment against him to prison; he however was forced 
 to release them from confinement in a few days, and shortly 
 afterwards dissolved the Parliament. Money being still want- 
 ing, Charles was driven to the necessity of raising supplies by 
 authority of the Crown alone. A commission was openly 
 granted, to compound with the Catholics for dispensing with 
 the Penal Laws against them. This measure, though produc- 
 tive, gave great offence to his Protestant subjects. The nobi- 
 lit}-, from whom he required assistan||^ were very tardy with 
 their contributions ; and the citizens of London, of whom he 
 demanded a loan of £100,000, after some delays, gave at last a 
 flat denial. Recourse was next had to ship-money, and after 
 that a general loan. The sum demanded from each individual 
 was not greater than would have been paid had the Parliament 
 passed a vote of four subsidies : but the mode of doing it was 
 unconstitutional, and tended not only to render Parliament* 
 superfluous, but to destroy the liberty of the subject. Many 
 persons therefore refused to pay it, who were in consequence 
 thrown into prison. John Hampden, with four other gentle- 
 men, resolved to stand a trial upon the occasion. This im- 
 portant cause, which was tried in the King's Bench, engaged 
 the attention of the whole kingdom. Personal liberty had 
 been secured by no less than six different statutes, as well as 
 by an article in Magna Charta itself; though there were not 
 wanting many instances in which, during times of turbulence. 
 Princes had, by virtue of their own power, infringed upon those 
 laws. The difficulty lay in determining when such a discre- 
 tionary power was necessary ; though it clearly appeared that 
 the act itself was highly unconstitutional. 
 
 Whilst affairs were in this distracted state, the King was, by 
 the jealousy of Buckingham and Richelieu, forced into a wac
 
 338 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 with France, the conduct of which was committed to the for- 
 mer, who managed so ill, that he lost two-thirds of his armj-. 
 The discontents now rose to a great height ; and Charles being 
 much distressed for money, called a new Parliament. They 
 began the session by voting against arbitrary imprisonments and 
 forced loans ; after which they granted the King a supply of 
 ^6280,000. They then drew up the famous Petition of Rights, 
 by which forced loans, benevolences, taxes without consent of 
 Parliament, arbitrary imprisonments, billeting soldiers, and 
 martial laws, were declared illegal. After some delays, this 
 important bill received the Royal assent. The Commons then 
 renewed their attack upon Buckingham, who shortly afterwards 
 was murdered by Felton, whilst giving some necessary orders 
 for the embarkation of the troops for the Continent. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Ship-vioney. — A tax by which all maritime towns, with the assist- 
 ance of the adjacent counties, was required to arm so many ressels as 
 were appointed them. 
 
 THE SCOTTISH COVENANT. 
 
 The contentions between the King and the Commons con- 
 tinuing with increased animosity. Sir John Elliott framed a 
 remonstrance against tonnage and poundage. The Speaker 
 refused to put the question, alleging that he had a command 
 from the King to adjourn; but upon attempting to leave the 
 chair, he was forcibly held in it till a short remonstrance was 
 framed, which was instantaneously passed with almost universal 
 acclamation. 
 
 The JCing, in disgust, again dissolved the Parliament, with a 
 determination never to call another. Some of the members 
 were imprisoned and fined. This severity only increased the 
 public discontent, and pointed out the suffering members as 
 proper leaders for the popular party. Charles then made
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 339 
 
 peace with France and Spain; and by the advice of Arch- 
 bishop Laud, who had obtained great ascendancy over him, he 
 attempted to revive some of the ancient Church ceremonies, a 
 measure that was extremely impolitic and unpopular at that 
 time. Money for the support of Government was levied either 
 by the revival of obsolete laws, or by the violation of privi- 
 leges. Unusual severities were exercised by the Courts of Star 
 Chamber and High Commission; and tonnage and poundage 
 continued to be levied by Royal authority alone. Compositions 
 were openly made with Recusants ; and the Popish religion 
 became a regular part of the revenue. 
 
 Calvinism was at this time the prevailing religion of the 
 Scots, James had endeavoured to raise the Scotch Bishops, 
 who were held in poverty and contempt, and to introduce the 
 Liturgy of the Church of England, but died in the midst of 
 his attempts. Charles impolitically endeavoured to complete 
 what his father had begun. This roused the prejudices of the 
 whole Scotch nation, and alienated their affections. The fears 
 excited by the prospect of innovation produced the famous 
 Covenant. It consisted of a renunciation of Popery, formerly 
 signed by James in his youth : and a bond of union, by which 
 the subscribers obliged themselves to resist all religious innova- 
 tions, and to defend each other against all opposition whatever. 
 This Covenant was subscribed to by people of all ranks ; and 
 none but rebels to God, and traitors to their countr}', it was 
 thought, could withdraw themselves from 50 salutary and pious 
 a combination. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Tonnage and Poundage. — Tonnage and poundage was originally a 
 temporary grant of Parliament; but it had been conferred on Henry V., 
 and all succeeding Princes, during life, to enable them to maintain a 
 naval force for the defence of the kingdom ; and the necessity for le\'y- 
 ing tliis duty had been so apparent, that each King had even claimed it 
 from the moment of his accession ; and the first Parliament of each
 
 340 HISTOBY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 reign had usually, by vote, conferred on tlie Prince what they found 
 him already possessed of. For more than a century this tax had been 
 levied before it was voted by Parliament. Charles had followed the 
 example of his predecessors, and no fault was found with his conduct 
 on the occasion ; yet when the Parliament met, instead of granting 
 the supplies during the King's life, they voted it only for one year : a 
 plain proof that they had seriously formed a plan for reducing the 
 King to subjection. 
 
 High Commission Court. — The Court of High Commission was an 
 Ecclesiastical court, erected by act of Parliament in the reign of Queen 
 Elizabeth. In this court the whole life and doctrine of the Clergy lay 
 under its inspection ; consequently every breach of tlje Act of Unifor- 
 mity was cognizable in this court, and, during her reign, had been 
 punished by fines, confiscations, and imprisonments. Any word or 
 writing which tended towards heresy or schism, was punishable by 
 the High Commissioners, or any three of them. Liberty of conscience 
 was totally suppressed ; and the free exercise of every religion, ex- 
 cepting that of the Established Church, was forbidden throughout 
 the kingdom. 
 
 Star Chamber. — The Star Chamber possessed the same authority in 
 Civil matters as the High Commission Court did in ecclesiastical ones, 
 and its methods of proceeding were equally arbitrarj' and unlimited. 
 Tlie origin of this court was derived from the remotest antiquity ; 
 and at no time was its authority circumscribed, or its mode of pro- 
 ceeding directed by any law or statute. 
 
 Calvinism, the doctrine of Calvin. This reformer maintained, that 
 none but the elect, or those who are predestined to salvation, can be 
 saved, and that all others are, from eternity, doomed to perpetual suf- 
 fering. — Evans's Sketch. 
 
 Covenant. — The Scottish Covenant was a solemn league, or bond, 
 originally, in 1580, entered into by the King of Scotland and his 
 household. In the following year all ranks of people subscribed to 
 it, as well as in the year 1 590, and it was finally renewed in March 
 
 1638. 
 
 The parties who subscribed to the Covenant, asserted their entire 
 belief and acquiescence in the doctrines of ChrLstianity, as promulgated
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 341 
 
 by the Kirk of Scotland, and expressed their detestation and abhor- 
 rence of all contrary religions and doctrines ; more especially de- 
 nouncing the Romish Church as prophane and blasphemous. In 
 addition to this confession of faith, the subscribers bound themselves 
 to defend the doctrines thus set forth, together with the King and the 
 liberties of their country, to the utmost extent of their respective powers. 
 To this paper was attached a recapitulation of the acts of the 
 Scottish and English Parliaments, which ensured civil and religious 
 liberty to the subject. 
 
 STANDARD OF REBELLION RAISED IN SCOTLAND, 
 
 Charles, alarmed at the formidable combination of the 
 Scots, endeavoured, by concession, to prevent hostility. The 
 Scots, however, determined to support the Covenant by force 
 of arms ; and the Earl of Argyle, after some hesitation, became 
 the leader of their party. A ievi castles belonging to the King, 
 being totally unprovided with means of subsistence or defence 
 were seized by the Covenanters. Leith was strongly fortified, 
 and the whole country placed in a warlike posture. The King 
 was not backward in making preparations to oppose this formi- 
 dable combination. Having, by a wise economy, paid off all the 
 debts contracted during the wars with France and Spain, he 
 found a surplus of ^6200,000, which he had prudently reserved 
 for any emergency. A considerable supply was also procured 
 from the Catholics, by the Queen's interest. By this means he 
 was enabled to equip an army of twenty thousand foot, and 
 three thousand horse, which were embarked on board the fleet, 
 and destined to act against the Scots. But on the first over- 
 tures of peace, Charles, who was anxious to avoid drawing his 
 sword against his subjects, dismissed these forces, and a sudden 
 pacification was concluded. The war, however, was shortly 
 recommenced J and after a lapse of eleven years, the King, 
 being entirely destitute of means to pay his troops, once more 
 called a Parliament, which he had the mortification to find no 
 
 q3
 
 342 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 less refractory than the former. The King wanted money, the 
 Parliament a redress of grievances, and neither party was in- 
 clined to concede. Thus disappointed in his expectations of 
 receiving supplies, Charles had recourse to loans ; he borrowed 
 from his ministers and courtiers ; and so much was he beloved 
 by them, that above £300,000 was subscribed in a few days. 
 With much difficulty the King drew together an army of 
 nineteen thousand foot, and two thousand horse ; the command 
 of which was given to the Earl of Northumberland : the Earl 
 of Strafford commanded under him. The opposing forces first 
 tried their strength at Newburn upon Tyne, which may rather 
 be called a rout than a battle. The English were panic-struck, 
 fled, and were pursued by the victorious Scots to the borders of 
 Yorkshire. The Scots met the King, who was arrived at York, 
 with the most studied expressions of loyalty, duty, and sub- 
 mission ; and even made apologies full of sorrow and contrition 
 for their late victory. Another treaty was therefore concluded 
 at Rippon, contrai-y to the advice of Strafford, who strongly 
 urged Charles to put all to the hazard, rather than submit to such 
 terras as he foresaw would be imposed on him. But such was 
 the King's unhappy situation, that he thought no sacrifice too 
 great to obtain peace. 
 
 DEATH OF THE EARL OF STRAFFORD. 
 The Earl of Strafford, who was considered as the prime- 
 minister of Charles, had the misfortune to incur the hatred of all 
 the three kingdoms. The Scots looked upon him as the princi- 
 pal enemy of their country : the Irish hated him on account of 
 the vigour and vigilance of his government, during the time that 
 he was there and he was an object of destetation to the English, 
 only because he was the friend and favourite of his unhappy 
 master. After the treaty at Rippon, a Parliament was again 
 called ; and, that they might strike a blow at once against the 
 Court, they began with the impeachment of the Earl of Strafford.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 343 
 
 The Earl made a noble and eloquent defence ; but so 
 strongly had party spirit seized upon his judges, that his reason- 
 ing gained no attention, and his pathetic appeal to their feelings 
 produced no eiFect upon their sensibility. They were determined 
 to find him guilty. A paper was produced by Pym, said to have 
 been accidentally discovered by Sir Henry Vane, in which it was 
 supposed that Strafford had advised the King to subdue this 
 kingdom by means of an Irish army. Upon this frivolous and 
 unjust accusation was this nobleman condemned by the Com- 
 mons ; and in order to extort a like sentence from the Lords, 
 the house was surrounded by a frantic populace, who incessantly 
 demanded the condemnation of the obnoxious minister. The 
 King, who was tenderly attached to Strafford, did every thing 
 in his power to soothe and gratify the irritated Commons ; but 
 all his exertions were in vain ; the more strongly he pleaded, the 
 more were the people determined to punish him, through his 
 minister. Strafford himself, hearing of the King's perplexity, 
 wrote, intreating him, for the sake of the public peace, to put 
 an end to his unfortunate but innocent life ; and to quiet the 
 tumultuous people, by granting them the request for which they 
 were so importunate. " To a willing mind," says he, " there 
 " can be no injury : and as, by God's grace, I forgive all the 
 " world, so. Sire, to you I can resign the life of this world, 
 " with all imaginable cheerfulness, in the just acknowledg- 
 " ment of your exceeding favours." 
 
 Harassed and perplexed with a variety of conflicting passions 
 and feelings, Charles, in an unhappy moment, signed the 
 death-warrant of his friend ; and by this fatal act increased the 
 mischiefs he meant to avoid, adding to his former perplexities 
 the bitter reflections of self-reproach.* The unfortunate Earl 
 was beheaded on Tower Hill, a, d. 1641. 
 
 • Charles at the same time gave his assent to a Bill still more fatal 
 to his interests ; viz. That the present Parliament should not be dis- 
 solved without their own consent. 
 
 q4
 
 344 HISTOBY OP ENGLAKD. 
 
 INSURRECTION AND MASSACRE OF THE 
 PROTESTANTS IN IRELAND. 
 
 The animosity of the old Irish, which had, by the prudent 
 conduct of James, in a great measure been subdued, was not 
 extinguished; and a pretext alone was wanting to make it blaze 
 out fiercer than ever. The distractions in the sister kingdom 
 seemed to offer a favourable opportunity j and Roger More, a 
 gentleman descended from an ancient Irish family, but of small 
 fortune, first formed the project of expelling the English, and 
 of asserting the independence of his native country. He was 
 joined by Lord Macguire and Sir Phelim O'Neale ; and the 
 insurgents hoped that the English of the pale, as they were 
 called, the old English planters, being Catholics, would join 
 their party. 
 
 An insurrection throughout all the provinces on one day was 
 agreed upon by the conspirators. Macguire and More were to 
 surprise the castle of Dublin, in which were arms for ten thou- 
 sand men, and thirty-five pieces of cannon, with a proportion- 
 ate quantity of ammunition. The castle was defended by a 
 feeble guard of fifty men only. Succours from France were 
 confidently expected, and every thing seemed to promise them 
 complete success. An Irish Protestant, of the name of Connolly, 
 disclosed the conspiracy the evening before it was to have been 
 put in execution, Roger More escaped, but Macguire and 
 Mahon were taken. The latter made a full discovery of the 
 plot ; but, unhappily, his disclosure was too late to prevent the 
 intended insurrection. O'Neale and his confederates had al- 
 ready taken arms in Ulster ; and a universal massacre com- 
 menced, attended with circumstances of unparalleled barbarity. 
 No age, sex, or condition, was spared; all connexions were 
 dissolved ; and death was dealt by that hand from which 
 protection was implored and expected. All the tortures 
 which wanton cruelty could devise, all the lingering paing of 
 body, the anguish of mind, the agonies of despair, could not
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLANir. 345 
 
 satiate revenge excited witliout injury, and cruelty derived from 
 unrelenting bigotry. The stately buildings of the planters were 
 consumed or laid low ; and where the owners perished in their 
 defence, together with their wives and children, a double 
 triumph was afforded to their insulting foes. Such were the 
 enormities committed by Sir Phelim O'Neale and the Irish in 
 Ulster. More, when he heard of them, fled to repress them ; 
 but he found too late, that though his authority was sufficient to 
 rouze them to rebellion, it was too feeble to restrain their 
 atrocities. By the most moderate computation, forty thousand 
 persons are said to have perished in this scene of horrors. The 
 King, who was in Scotland when he heard of these outrages, in 
 vain solicited assistance from the Scots to oppose the rebels, 
 their detestation of Popery being inferior to their personal 
 animosity to their sovereign. Nor were the English Parliament 
 more vii'tuous or more liberal than their Scottish brethren : they 
 indeed le\ied money under pretrence of an expedition against 
 Ireland, and took arms from the King's magazine, but kept 
 them with a secret intention of employing them against himself. 
 
 COMMENCEMENT OF THE CIVIL WAR& 
 
 The spirit of republicanism had long been growing in the 
 minds of men : and it now manifested itself so strongly in the 
 Commons, that nothing less than the total abolition of monar- 
 chy could serve their turn. At the commencement of the 
 sessions, they had, however, passed some excellent laws ; but 
 the lust of power increased in proportion to its success, and 
 the redressors of wrongs became, in their turn, tyrannical 
 aggressors, overturning those very laws they first undertook to 
 defend. The conduct of the Parliament towards the King 
 now became exceedingly unreasonable, unjust, and cruel. He 
 had lately paid a visit to his Scottish subjects, to whom he had 
 made great concessions. On his return, he was received by the 
 
 Q 5
 
 346 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 people with acclamations; but his joy was soon damped, by 
 the Commons presenting to him a remonstrance they had 
 drawn up, in which, after accusing him of abetting, if not 
 supporting the Irish rebels, they demanded that every office of 
 trust, and every command, should be given to them. Every 
 branch of the prerogative was successively attacked. At 
 length the nobility, who saw their own depression closely con- 
 nected with that of the Crown, attempted to curb the en- 
 croachments of the Commons. But the Commons were not 
 now to be intimidated by so feeble an opposition : they there- 
 fore boldly assumed the sovereignty. The bishops were expo- 
 sed to the most dangerous insults, in their way to and from 
 the House; in consequence of this, drawing up a protest 
 against all business performed during their forced absence, they 
 withdrew from the House. This act of weakness and impru- 
 dence was followed by others : the King gave orders to enter 
 an accusation of high-treason against five of the ruling mem- 
 bers of the popular party; and when the serjeant at arms 
 demanded the accused members in the King's name, he was 
 sent back without any positive answer. The next day the King 
 himself entered the House of Commons alone, to seize the 
 obnoxious members ; but they had escaped. Disappointed and 
 perplexed, not knowing on whom to rely, he next proceeded 
 to the Common Council of the City, amidst the invectives of 
 the populace. The Common Council answered his complaints 
 by a contemptuous silence ; and on his return, one of the 
 populace, more insolent than the rest, cried, " To your tents, 
 O Israel !" — a watch-word among the Jews, when they intend- 
 ed to abandon their princes. 
 
 The Commons were greatly irritated by the imprudence of 
 the King : they pretended to be in the greatest terror, and 
 unanimously voted that he had violated their privileges. 
 Charles wrote to them from Windsor, making every conces- 
 iion, and promising every satisfaction in his power. The
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 347 
 
 Commons demanded that Hull, Portsmouth, and the fleet, 
 should be entrusted to persons of their choosing. After some 
 hesitation, this was granted. Fresh demands were then made ; 
 but Charles, finding that every concession did but increase their 
 avidity, determined to yield no more. Upon their demanding 
 powers to raise a militia, and to nominate the officers, under 
 pretence of securing them against the Irish papists, he deferred 
 giving a decisive answer. Not content with repeating the 
 application, they then desired to have also the command of 
 the army, for a limited time : the King, exasperated at their 
 pertinacity, replied, " No, not for an hour !" This peremp- 
 tory refusal broke off all further treaty, and both sides pre- 
 pared for war. 
 
 Charles, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, retired to 
 York, where he met with loyal support surpassing his expec- 
 tations. He sent negociators to the Parliament, to avert, if 
 possible, the appeal to arms. Had the popular rulers been 
 enlightened patriots, they might have now made a compact 
 securing a free government. But the few whom just principles 
 fitted for legislators, were outvoted by the fanatics, or awed by 
 the republicans in power. Hypocrisy leagued with ambition, 
 to seal ordinances for domestic slaughter in the name of 
 Liberty. The submissions required of the King were a repulse 
 to peace. 
 
 The city of London, and most of the great corporations, 
 misled by the illusions of democracy, took part with the Par- 
 liament. Many new families, whom commerce had raised to 
 opulence, dissatisfied in not ranking with the ancient gentry, 
 aimed at distinction as movers of a new system. The more 
 consistent nobility and gentry joined the King : though, at 
 first, every disadvantage seemed to attend his cause. At Wel- 
 lington, near Shrewsbury, Charles published military orders for 
 repressing insurrection : and to contract reciprocal obligations, 
 he solemnly declared, before his whole army, that he would 
 
 Q 6
 
 348 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 maintain the Protestant religion, as established by the Church 
 of England ; that he would govern according to the known 
 statutes and customs of the kingdom ; and, particularly, that 
 he would observe inviolate the laws to which he had assented 
 during this Parliament. The first blood spilled in this unhappy 
 contest was before the gates of Worcester, where some of the 
 Parliament's cavalry were defeated by Prince Rupert,* and 
 their commander slain. The battle of Edge Hill was fought 
 soon after : Charles gained, in the beginning, decisive advan- 
 tages, which were lost by the impetuosity of his troops. Ban- 
 bury, however, and Reading, fell into his hands. Approaching 
 London, he dislodged two regiments of cavalry from Brentford, 
 and took five hundred prisoners. This terminated the first 
 campaign. 
 
 The Parliament, alarmed by ther losses, sent commissioners 
 to Oxford, to treat for peace ; but unable to impose their own 
 terms, soon recalled them. In the spring of 1643, their main 
 army retook Reading. On the other hand, the Cornish roy- 
 alists gained a brilliant victory at Stratton, To check their 
 progress, Sir William Waller, a general in whom the Par- 
 liament confided, was dispatched with a complete army. The 
 Cornish forces met him at Lansdown, near Bath. After an 
 indecisive battle, they marched for Oxford, so much harassed, 
 that at Devizes their cavalry separated from their infantry. 
 Waller tliought himself on the point of crushing them ; when 
 Lord Wilmot, coming up with a reinforcement sent by the 
 King, totally routed him. Waller escaped with a few horse 
 to Bristol, which was shortly after besieged and taken. It was 
 now proposed, by part of the King's Council, to proceed 
 immediately to London ; when it was hoped, that, either by 
 treaty or by victory, the citizens might be reduced, and the 
 civil war at once terminated : but this advice was overruled, 
 and the siege of Gloucester was undertaken. It was vigo- 
 
 * Son,«f the unfortunate Elector Palatine, and nephew to the King.
 
 HISTORY OF KNGLAND. 349 
 
 rously defended by Massey the governor, until relieved by 
 Essex, who forced the King to raise the siege. Charles 
 intercepted Essex on his return, and a desperate though 
 indecisive battle was fought at Newbury. In the summer. 
 Waller the poet, who sat in the Lower House, had formed a 
 confederacy to resist the taxes illegally imposed by the Par- 
 liament : but this design being detected, he purchased his own 
 safety by betraying his intimate friends, and by paying a fine of 
 ^10,000. Hitherto the war had been in favour of the Royal 
 cause; but we are now to view a different picture. The 
 greater field for aspising men, on the popular side, had elicited 
 able commanders, who might else have remained in obscurity. 
 Among these. Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromweil began 
 to shew great military talents at the close of the last campaign, 
 in the victories of Wakefield and Gainsborough. The year 
 1644 opened with reverses to the Royal cause. The Par- 
 liament had strengthened themselves by an alliance with the 
 Scots. Charles drew from Ireland some reinforcements. Lord 
 Biron, having taken several castles with the Irish army, laid 
 siege to Nantwich in the depth of winter. A sudden thaw 
 separating his forces. Sir Thomas Fairfax made one part pri- 
 soners ; and the other hastily retreated. A counterpoise to 
 this disaster was the relief of Newark ; where Prince Rupert 
 dissipated the numerous besieging corps. This active general 
 also forced the Scottish and Parliamentary army to raise the 
 siege of York ; but giving battle at Marston Moor, was totally 
 defeated. York then capitulated : Newcastle was soon after 
 taken by storm. In 1645, overtures from Charles produced a 
 negociation at Oxford ; but demands amounting to an abolition 
 of monarchy, in return for his concessions, prevented any 
 adjustment.*' In Scotland, a diversion in his favour by the 
 
 • In this session of Parliament, Archbishop Laud, who had been 
 impeached soon after Strafford, was, after a rigorous confinement of 
 four years, brought to the block.
 
 350 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Earl of Montrose wore a promising aspect. With dispro- 
 portionate means, this young nobleman achieved surprising 
 successes : he defeated Lord Elcho near Perth ; Lord Burley 
 at Aberdeen : the Earl of Argyle at Inverlochy ; and Baillie 
 and Urrey near Inverness. Meanwhile Cromwell new modelled 
 the Parliamentary army. Fanatic excitement was the grand 
 engine by which he worked on the superstition of the people. 
 The officers assumed the spiritual office, and united it with 
 their military duties. The private soldier, seized with the 
 same fervour, mistook the eloquence of zeal for Divine illumi- 
 nation : such an enthusiasm pervaded the army, that death in 
 the field was accounted martyrdom. The Royalists, little 
 aware of what it could effect, ridiculed the fanaticism of their 
 antagonists; while, in their own licentious bands, military 
 subordination was lost. Even the friends of monarchy were 
 impatient to chastise their indiscriminate rapine. 
 
 In the fatal battle of Naseby, Charles lost five hundred officers 
 and four thousand men, who were made prisoners, and all his 
 artillery and ammunition. He first retired to Hereford, and 
 then to Abergavenny. His garrisons rapidly fell. Prince 
 Rupert had undertaken to defend Bristol for four months, yet 
 surrendered it in a few days. The brave Montrose, after 
 vanquishing the Covenanters at Kilsyth, was surprised and 
 routed at Philip-haugh, by a Scottish detachment from England, 
 under Leslie. Meanwhile the King compelled the Scots to 
 raise the siege of Hereford ; but, defeated in an attempt to 
 relieve Chester, retired to Oxford, where he shut himself up 
 during the winter. 
 
 THE SCOTS SELLING THE KING TO THE ENGLISH 
 PARLIAMENT. 
 
 Nothing could be more affecting than the situation of 
 Charles after the defeat of his champion, the brave Montrose.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 351 
 
 Fairfax was advancing with a victorious army to lay siege to 
 Oxford. The King, rather than submit to be taken captive, 
 and led in triumph by his insolent subjects, resolved to give 
 himself to the Scots. Accompanied by Dr. Hudson and Mr. 
 Ashburnham, he arrived at the Scottish camp before Newark, 
 and discovered himself to Lord Leven, the general. The 
 reception he met with was of a piece with theii- rebellious 
 principles, equally destitute of honour and humanity. They 
 immediately sent an account of his arrival to the English Par- 
 liament ; and as quickly entered into a treaty for delivering the 
 Royal prisoner into their hands. After various debates, it was 
 agreed, that for the sum of ^£400,000 the Scots should deliver 
 up the King to his enemies ; and this was cheerfully complied 
 with ; — an act of infamy and dishonour, unparalleled in history, 
 ancient or modern. The King was conducted by the English 
 commissioners to Holdenby, in the county of Northampton, 
 where he was rigorously confined; his attendants being dis- 
 missed, himself debarred from visits, and all communication 
 cut off, both with his friends and family. 
 
 THE KING ESCAPING TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 The civil war being over, the King absolved his followers 
 from their allegiance; and the Parliament had now no other 
 enemy to fear than their own troops. It was not long before 
 they found themselves in the same unfortunate situation to 
 which they had reduced the King. The majority of the House 
 were Presbyterians : the majority of the army Independents, at 
 the head of whom was the crafty and politic Cromv/ell, who 
 secretly conducted all theu* measures. The Parliament, fearing 
 the ascendancy of the army, passed a vote for disbanding a 
 part of it,'^and sending another part to Ireland. Cromwell would 
 not suffer this : he called a council of officers, and ordered two 
 men out of every company to be elected by the soldiers.
 
 852 HISTOUY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 These men were called the Agitators; and were appointed to 
 inquire into the grievances of the army, and lay them before 
 the Commons. Mutual recriminations passed between the army 
 and the Parliament, the latter accusing the military of mutiny 
 and sedition ; who retorted the charge, alleging that the King 
 had been deposed only to make way for the usurpations of the 
 Parliament. Cromwell, in the mean time, resolved to seize the 
 King's person ; and accordingly he dispatched a party of five 
 hundred horse, under the command Cornet Joyce, formerly a 
 tailor, who conducted the King to the army at Newmarket. 
 After this, Cromwell was received with acclamations, and 
 immediately invested with the supreme command. His next 
 measure was to march to London, and present laws to his 
 employers. He accused of high-treason eleven members of the 
 House of Commons, all of them leading speakers. The House 
 endeavoured to protect them, but it was now too late. The 
 citizens of London began to open their eyes : they beheld the 
 Constitution effectually destroyed ; their religion abolished ; 
 their King a captive ; and a military despotism beginning to take 
 place, instead of the kingly one of which they were formerly afraid. 
 
 The Common Council assembled the militia of the city, 
 manned the works, and published a manifesto, aggravating the 
 hostile intentions of the army. The Commons were divided 
 in their sentiments ; one party adhering to the citizens, the 
 other to the army. The Speaker, with sixty members, quitted 
 the House, threw himself on the protection of the army, and 
 was received with loud shouts. The citizens seemed at first 
 resolute to hold out; but on the appearance of Cromwell 
 instantly submitted. The mayor, sheriff, and three aldermen 
 were sent to the Tower : many of the citizens and officers of 
 the militia were imprisoned, and the government of the Tower 
 was given to Fairfax. 
 
 At this critical juncture both parties privately treated with 
 the King, who was not without hope that, in the struggle for
 
 HISTOBY OF ENGLAND, 353 
 
 power, he might be chosen mediator, and even restored to his 
 rights. His domestics and chaplains were now allowed to 
 converse with him, and he was permitted to receive his children. 
 The meeting between them was so pathetic, that Cromwell him- 
 self, who was once present on the occasion, declared that he had 
 never witnessed a scene so moving. But these instances of res- 
 pect were of no long continuance. As soon as the army had ac- 
 quired victory over the House of Commons, Charles was kept in 
 continual alarm for his own personal safety. In consequence of 
 this, he resolved to withdraw himself from the kingdom. At- 
 tended only by three of his courtiers. Sir John Berkeley, 
 Ashburnhani, and Leg, he privately left the castle, and tra- 
 velled all night to the sea-coast, leaving behind him a letter to 
 both Houses of Parliament. His usual bad fortune, however, 
 still attended him. When he arrived at Southampton, no ship 
 ■was in readiness to receive him : he resolved, therefore, to throw 
 himself on the protection of the Governor of the Isle of Wight. 
 This man, whose name was Hammond, was devoted to Crom- 
 well : he made no promise of protection, but desired to be 
 conducted to the King. Charles being obliged to follow him 
 to Carisbrook Castle, was once more made prisoner, and treated 
 by Hammond with only the external marks of respect. 
 
 Whilst Charles remained in this forlorn situation, Cromwell 
 was on the point of losing the fruits of his former schemes, by 
 having his own principles turned against him. 
 
 The Independents were for having no subordination in go- 
 vernment. A set of men, called Levellers, declaimed against 
 having any other head than Christ ; and were for abolishing all 
 distinctions of rank, and reducing all orders of the state to one 
 level. Cromwell's usual vigour and promptitude saved him 
 from the danger. Hearing that they were to meet at a certain 
 place, he unexpectedly appeared among them, at the head of 
 his red regiment, which had hitherto been invincible. He 
 demanded, in the name of God, what they meant by their
 
 354 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 murmuring ; and receiving an insolent answer, he laid two of 
 them dead at his feet, others he sent prisoners to the Tower, 
 and some he hanged upon the spot ; the rest were dispersed by 
 the guards. This action greatly increased his authority, both 
 in the City, the Parliament, and his camp. The King, still a 
 prisoner in the Isle of Wight, continued to negociate with the 
 Parliament : frequent propositions passed between the captive 
 monarch and the Commons ; but the great obstacle to their 
 agreeing, namely, the abolishing of episcopacy, was a point the 
 King would not give up, though he consented to alter the 
 Liturgy. For the convenience of communication, the King was 
 removed to Windsor ; to which place the victorious army 
 marched, demanding vengeance against him. He was therefore 
 transferred to Hurst Castle in Hampshire, opposite to the Isle 
 of Wight. Cromwell sent a messenger to the House, saying 
 he intended to pay them a visit the following day ; and in the 
 mean time ordered them to raise for him ie40,000 on the city 
 of London. The Commons, notwithstanding they had little 
 hope of prevailing, had the courage to resist, and to endeavour 
 to finish the treaty they had begun with the King ; and after a 
 violent debate of three days, it was carried in his favour, by a 
 majority of 129 against 83, that his concessions were a foun- 
 dation for the Houses to proceed upon in settling the afFaii-s of 
 the nation. This was the last attempt in favour of the King. 
 The Scots, ashamed of the base part they had acted against 
 their sovereign, had some time before taken up arms in his 
 favoiu"; but they were defeated by Cromwell at Preston, and 
 their general, the Duke of Hamilton, made prisoner. 
 
 The Presbyterian party fell under the power of the Inde- 
 pendent. Colonel Pride, at the head of two regiments, block- 
 aded the Commons ; and seizing, in the passage, one hundred 
 and one members of the Presbyterian party, sent them to a low 
 room belonging to the House, called Hell. Above one hundred 
 and sixty more were excluded ; and none were allowed to enter,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 355 
 
 but the most furious of the Independents. These men voted 
 that the transactions of the House, a few days before, were 
 illegal ; and that their general's conduct was just and necessary. 
 Nothing now was wanting to finish the wickedness of the 
 party but the murder of the King ; and it was not long before 
 they completed the catalogue of their crimes, and left their 
 names to posterity, branded with the infamy of regicides. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Presbyterians. — A religious sect, who maintain that the Church 
 should be governed by Presbyteries (that is, a council of elders), 
 Synods, and General Assemblies.— .7. Evans. 
 
 Independents or Cougregationalists.—X religious sect, who deny 
 not only the subordination of the Clergy, but also all dependency on 
 other assemblies. Tliis mode of church government is adopted by 
 Dissentersin general. — ib. 
 
 DEATH OF THE KING. 
 
 In an assembly composed of the most obscure citizens and 
 officers of the army, arrogating to themselves the title of 
 Commons of England, a committee was appointed to bring in 
 a charge of treason against his Majesty. For form sake, they 
 desired the concurrence of the few remaining Lords in the 
 Upper House : but these had still virtue enough unanimously 
 to reject it. The Commons, however, were not to be deterred 
 from their purpose, and therefore voted, that the concurrence 
 of the House of Lords was unnecessary, as the people were 
 the origin of all just power. 
 
 Colonel Harrison, the son of a butcher, was commanded to 
 conduct the King from Hurst Castle to Windsor, and from 
 thence to London. His affectionate subjects ran to have a 
 sight of their afflicted Sovereign, and were greatly shocked at 
 the change that appeared in his person. He had permitttecj
 
 356 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 his beard to grow, his hair was venerably grey, and his whole 
 apparel bore marks of misfortune and decay. Sir Philip 
 Warwick, an old and decrepit servant, "who had long attended 
 his unhappy master, could only deplore those miseries he was 
 unable to alleviate. All the exterior symbols of authority 
 were withdrawn; and the attendants of Charles had orders 
 to serve him without ceremony. The King could not be per- 
 suaded that his enemies woidd bring him to a public trial, but he 
 expected every moment to be dispatched by private assassination. 
 
 From the 6th to the 30th of January was spent in prepa- 
 ration for this extraordinary trial. The court of justice 
 consisted of one hundred and thirty-three persons, named by 
 the Commons ; but of these, not more than seventy met upon 
 the trial. The Court met in Westminster Hall. Bradshaw, a 
 lawyer, was chosen president ; Coke, solicitor for the people 
 of England. When the King was brought into the Court, 
 he was conducted by the mace-bearer to a chair placed within 
 the bar. Though long detained a prisoner, and now produced 
 as a criminal, he still maintained the dignity of a King. His 
 charge was then read by the Solicitor, by which he was accused 
 of being the cause of all the bloodshed since the commence- 
 ment of the war. 
 
 The King, being told that the Court awaited his reply, began 
 his defence by declining the authority of the Court. He repre- 
 sented, that having been engaged in a treaty with both Houses 
 of Parliament, and having finished almost every article, he 
 expected different treatment to what he now received. He 
 perceived, he said, no appearance of an Upper House, which 
 was necessary to constitute a just tribunal. He alleged, that 
 he was himself the King, and fountain of law, and conse- 
 quently could not be tried by laws to which he never had given 
 his assent ; that having been entrusted with the liberties of 
 the people, he would not now betray them by recognizing a 
 power founded in usurpation ; that he was willing, before a
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 35 ' 
 
 proper tribunal, to enter into the particulars of his defence ; 
 but that he must decline any apology for his innocence, lest 
 he should be considered as the betrayer of, and not a martyr 
 for, the Constitution. The King was three times produced 
 before the Court, and as often persisted in declining its juris- 
 diction. On being brought before this self-created tribunal for 
 the fourth and last time, he was insulted by the soldiers and 
 the mob, as he was proceeding thither, who cried out, " Justice ! 
 justice ! execution ! execution !" but he continued undaunted. 
 The beha\-iour of Charles, under all these instances of low- 
 bred malice, was great, firm, and equal. The soldiers and 
 rabble reviled him with the most bitter reproaches. Among 
 other insults, one miscreant presumed to spit in the face of 
 his Sovereign. He patiently bore their insolence : " Poor 
 souls!" cried he, "they would treat their Generals in the 
 same manner for sixpence." Those of the populace who still 
 retained the feelings of humanity, expressed their sorrow in 
 sighs and tears. A soldier, more compassionate than the rest, 
 could not help imploring a blessing on his royal head. An 
 of&cer overhearing him, struck the honest sentinel to the ground 
 before the King, who could not help observing that the punish- 
 ment exceeded the offence. 
 
 On his return to Whitehall, Charles desired permission of 
 the House to see his children, and to be attended in his private 
 devotions by Dr. Juxton, late Bishop of London. These 
 requests were granted, and also three days to prepare for death. 
 Every night between his sentence and execution the King 
 slept as sound as usual, though the noise of the workmen 
 employed in framing the scaffold actually resounded in his ears. 
 The fatal morning being at last arrived, he rose early ; and 
 calling one of his attendants, bade him employ more than 
 usual care in dressing him, and preparing him for so great a 
 solemnity. The street before Whitehall was the place des- 
 tined for his execution, for it was intended that this should
 
 358 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 increase the severity of his punishment. He was led through 
 the Banqueting House to the scaffold adjoining to that edifice, 
 attended by his friend and servant, Bishop Juxton, a man of 
 the same mild and steady virtues as his master. The scaffold, 
 which was covered with black, was guarded by a regiment of 
 soldiers, under the command of Colonel Tomiinson ; and on 
 it appeared the block, the axe, and two executioners in masks. 
 The people, in crowds, stood at a greater distance. The King 
 surveyed all these solemn preparations with calm composure ; and 
 as he could not expect to be heard by the people at a distance, 
 he addressed himself to the few persons who stood around him. 
 He there justified his innocence in the late fatal wars. He 
 observed, that he had not taken arms till Parliament had 
 shewn him the example; and that he had no other object, in 
 his warlike preparations, than to preserve that authority entire 
 which had been transmitted to him by his ancestors. But 
 though innocent towards his people, he acknowledged the 
 equity of his execution in the eyes of his Maker : he owned 
 that he was justly punished for having consented to the execu- 
 tion of an unjust sentence against the Earl of Strafford. He 
 forgave all his enemies, exhorted the people to return to their 
 obedience, acknowledged his son as his successor, and signified 
 his attachment to the Protestant religion as professed by the 
 Church of England. So strong was the impression made by 
 his dying words on those who could hear him, that Colonel 
 Tomiinson himself, to whose care he had been committed, 
 acknowledged himself a convert. At one blow his head was 
 severed from his body. The other executioner then holding 
 up the head, exclaimed, " This is the head of a traitor." 
 
 It is impossible to describe the grief, indignation, ami asto- 
 nishment which took place, not only among the spectators, 
 who were overwhelmed with a flood of sorrow, but throughout 
 the whole nation, as soon as the report of this fatal execution 
 was conveyed to them. Each blamed himself, either with
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 359 
 
 active disloyalty to the King, or a passive compliance with his 
 destroyers. The very pulpits, that used to resound with inso- 
 lence and sedition, were now bedewed with tears of unfeigned 
 repentance ; and all united in their detestation of those dark 
 hypocrites, who, to satisfy their own enmity, involved a whole 
 nation in the guilt of treason. Charles was executed on the 
 30th of January, 1649, in the forty-ninth year of his age,' 
 and the twenty-fourth of his reign. He left six children : 
 Charles, who succeeded him ; James, Duke of York ; Henry, 
 Duke of Gloucester ; Mary, married to the Prince of Orange ; 
 Elizabeth, who died of grief for the death of her father ; and 
 Henrietta, afterwards Duchess of Orleans.
 
 360 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XXIX. 
 
 The Civil Wars. 
 
 la the centre is the symbol of the Commons, which has 
 usurped the whole authority of the State. It is guarded by 
 three swords, pointing in different directions, intimating that 
 their power is founded on usurpation and tyranny, and only 
 upheld by the sword. The standard of Rebellion issues from 
 the top, and passing over the crown, waves triumphant above 
 it. The labels within the circle record those battles and sieges 
 that were favourable to the Royal cause; those beyond the 
 circle are the victories gained by the Parliamentary Army.
 
 PLATE XXIX. 
 
 [Page 360.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 361 
 
 THE CIVIL WARS. 
 
 Royal Circle. 
 
 1. Gates of Worcester. — Here began the civil war between 
 Charles and his Parliament. Prince Rupert, commanding a 
 body of horse, routed a detachment of cavalry under Colonel 
 Sandys, who was slain. 
 
 2. Edge Hill. — Both wings of the Parliamentary army were 
 routed ; the King's reserve unskilfully joined in the pursuit. 
 The opposite reserve fell upon the uncovered centre, and nearly 
 balanced the advantages of the day. Both parties passed the 
 night under arms. Essex first retired ; and the towns of Ban- 
 bury and Reading soon after fell into the King's hands. 
 
 3. Brentford. — Charles attacked two regiments quartered in 
 this town, and took 500 prisoners. 
 
 4. Stratton. — The Cornish royalists, invaded by the Parlia- 
 mentary army from Devonshire, achieved a victory against very 
 superior numbers, and took prisoner Major-General Chidley. 
 
 5. Chaldegrave Field. — Prince Rupert surprised the dispersed 
 bodies of Essex's army. In an ineifectual attempt to repair 
 this disgrace fell John Hampden, a man of virtue and talent 
 but his opposition to ship-money was one of the leading causes 
 of the Rebellion. 
 
 6. Atherton Moor. — Here Lord Fairfax sustained a signal de- 
 feat from the Royalists. 
 
 7. Bristol taken. — After a sanguinary assault, this citv was 
 surrendered to Prince Rupert by Fiennes the governor; for 
 which he was condemned by a court-martial to lose his head ; 
 but the sentence was afterwards remitted. 
 
 8. Battle of Netvark. — Newark, being besieged by Parliamen- 
 tary troops, was reUeved by Prince Rupert, who with an inferior 
 force broke through the enemy, and totally dispersed their army. 
 
 9. Perth. — Here Montrose, with an inferior and ill-disciplin- 
 ed force, obtained a complete victory over Lord Elcho, who 
 lost two thousand of his men. 
 
 R
 
 362 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 10. Aberdeen. — Montrose defeated Lord Burley. 
 
 11. Inverlocky. — Montrose defeated the Earl of Argyle. 
 
 12. Inverness. — Montrose defeated Baillie and Urrey. 
 
 Parliamentary Circle. 
 
 1. Siege of Ghiccesfer. — Charles undertook this siege imme- 
 diately after reducing Bristol. The city was resolutely defended 
 liy Massey the governor, until the arrival of Essex, who com- 
 pelled the King to raise the siege. 
 
 Had Charles, instead of besieging Gloucester, marched di- 
 rectly to London, it is probable he would have succeeded in 
 crushing the rebellion, and have terminated the civil war. 
 
 2. Wakefield. — In defeating a detachment of Royalists here 
 luider General Goring, Sir Thomas Fairfax, son of Lord Fair- 
 fax, first distinguished himself in a separate command. 
 
 3. Horn Castle. — Here the Royalists were defeated by the 
 Earl of Manchester, who had joined Cromwell and the younger 
 Fairfax ; both of whom greatly increased their military reputation. 
 
 4. Gainsborough. — In this action the celebrated Oliver Crom- 
 well commanded, and defeated the gallant Cavendish, who fell. 
 
 5. First Battle of Newbury. — The King having intercepted 
 Essex on his return from relieving Gloucester, a sanguinary con- 
 flict ensued, to which night put an end before victory was de- 
 cided. Next morning, Essex continued his march to London, 
 the King's horse making incursions on his rear. Charles lost in 
 this action Lucius Cary Viscount Falkland, secretary of state. 
 This great support and ornament of the royal cause was equally 
 distinguished for his genius, and the generosity of his disposition. 
 Though an ardent lover of liberty, he zealously defended the 
 monarchical branch of the Constitution, when he found the 
 democratical faction bent on destroying it. From the com- 
 mencement of the war, his natural cheerfulness and vivacity 
 became clouded ; and among his intimate friends he would 
 often, after a long silence, sigh deeply, and exclaim, "Peace!"
 
 HISTORY OF EKGLAN'D. 363 
 
 6. Marston Moor. — The Marquis of Newcastle, with 20,000 
 men, had forced the Parliamentary generals to raise the siege of 
 York, and had been joined by Prince Rupert with his forces. 
 Having effected two great objects, the Marquis endeavoured to 
 persuade Rupert not to fight the pitched battle which the 
 combined Scottish and Parliamentary armies offered. Rupert 
 rashly disregarded this counsel, fought, and was routed ; on 
 which Newcastle withdrew in disgust from the Royal cause, 
 which he considered desperate : he left the kingdom, and lived 
 on the Continent till the Restoration. 
 
 7. York taken. — B}' Lord Fairfax. 
 
 8. Newcastle taken by Storm. — By the Earl of Manchester 
 and Cromwell. 
 
 9. Nantwich. — The Roj'alists under Lord Biron, consisting 
 chiefly of forces brought from Ireland, were defeated here by 
 the younger Fairfax. 
 
 10. Second Battle of Netvbury. — Charles, with his brave 
 troops, encountered five of the Parliamentary armies, which 
 had formed a junction under the Earl of Manchester. They 
 were overpowered by numbers ; but night saved them from a 
 total overthrow. 
 
 1 1 . Battle of Kaseby. — In this well-disputed and memorable 
 action, the main body was led on by the King in person, who 
 displayed all the conduct of a prudent general, and valour of a 
 soldier. He broke the enemy's centre; at the same time 
 Rupert defeated their right wing, but urged the pursuit too flir, 
 and made an unavailing movement against some artillery. The 
 royal left gave way before Cromwell, who turned upon the 
 King's infantry. Rupert came back too late with his body of 
 horse ; and Charles was obliged to quit the field, leaving all his 
 artillery, ammunition, and 4,500 prisoners, in the hands of the 
 enemy. 
 
 12. Bristol taken. — This important place was surrendered by 
 Prince Rupert as soon as Fairfiix had forced his lines ; an un- 
 
 B 2
 
 364 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 expected event, which was Httle less fatal to the Royal cause 
 than the defeat at Naseby. 
 
 13. Battle of Chester. — Charles, having marched to the relief 
 of Chester, was completely defeated by Colonel Jones. This is 
 the last action in which the unfortunate monarch was engaged. 
 
 14. Battle of Sherboni. — Lord Digby, who had attempted 
 with 1200 horse to penetrate into Scotland, andjoin Montrose, 
 was defeated by Colonel Copley, at Sherborn, in Yorkshire. 
 
 15. Philijyshaugh. — By the negligence of his scouts, Mon- 
 trose's army was surprised, and, after a sharp conflict, defeated. 
 In 1650, he again appeared in arms, to support the pretensions 
 of Charles II. He was again sm'prised and defeated, and es- 
 caped in the disguise of a peasant, but was perfidiously betrayed 
 by a pretended friend ; and after enduring every species of in- 
 sult that lowminded malice could inflict, suffered an ignominious 
 death at Edinburgh, in the thirty-eighth year of his age. 
 
 16. Siege of Colchester. — The garrison of Colchester, after 
 suffering the extremities of famine, surrendered at discretion. 
 Fairfax, at the instigation of Ireton, seized upon Sir Charles 
 Lucas and Sir George Lisle, and put them to death. Lisle, 
 thinking that the soldiers who were to execute him stood too 
 far off, desired them to come nearer. One of the soldiers ex- 
 claimed, " Never feai*, sir ! we shall hit you :" — on which he 
 replied, " My friends, you have been nearer, and yet missed me." 
 
 17. Battle of Dunhar. — The Scots, in some measure ashamed 
 of their conduct to Chai'les I., had recalled his son, and deter- 
 mined to lead an army into England, to oppose Cromwell. At 
 Dunbar, when Lesley, by acting on the defensive, had reduced 
 Cromwell to great difficulties, the superstition of the Scottish 
 clergy forced their general to engage. The Scots suffered 
 a total defeat, 3,000 of them being slain, and 9,000 taken 
 prisoners. 
 
 18. Battle of Worcester. — With the remains of the Scottish 
 army routed at Dunbar, about 14,000 men, Charles advanced
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 365 
 
 into England. Cromwell, with an army of 40,000 men, over- 
 took him at Worcester. Charles was completely defeated, and 
 the whole Scottish army either killed or taken. This was the 
 last of those sanguinary conflicts which deluged the country 
 with blood, and filled the minds of men wth gloom, distrust, 
 or hypocrisy. 
 
 Note. — It is worthy of remark, that during these unhappy 
 contests, when a divided people were supporting the most re- 
 pugnant principles in religion and government by an appeal to 
 the sword, fewer instances of cruelty or treachery are to be 
 met with, than are to be found in any other nation simi- 
 larly situated: — a cu-cumstance that redounds greatly to the 
 honour of our national character. 
 
 r3
 
 366 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XXX. 
 
 The Commonwealth. 
 The symbol of the Commonv/ealth is three swords, in allusion 
 to its military despotism. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Defeat of the Scots. 
 The Scots having set up the Royal banner, are defeated by 
 Cromwell, whose standard is distinguished by the symbol of the 
 Commonwealth. 
 
 Fig. 2, — Battle of Worcester. 
 Charles concealing himself in the oak from the Parliamentarj 
 soldiers, who were in pursuit of him. 
 
 Fig. 3, — Naval War with the Dutch. 
 The anchors connected by the cables, indicates the resolute 
 conduct of the combatants. The larger branch of laurel in- 
 clining above the letter E, shews England to be finally trium- 
 phant. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Cromwell Dissolving the Parliament. 
 The symbol of the Commonwealth is broken by Cromwell. 
 The mace at his feet, shews that the power of the Parliament 
 was annihilated. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Ambition of Cromwell. 
 On the right, Cromwell is holding the sceptre, the emblem 
 of power; the other hand points to the Crown, the object of 
 his wishes. On the left, are Admirals Penn and Venables, 
 bearing a standard, emblematical of the conquest of Jamaica. 
 They are represented in chains, because they were thrown into 
 prison for having failed in the principal object of their expedition. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Death of Cromwell. 
 
 The broken sword and sceptre shew the downfal of his 
 
 power. 
 
 Fig. 7. — The Restoration. 
 
 The symbol of the Constitution resting on a column, indicates 
 
 the stability of the Restoration. On the other side are the 
 
 symbols of peace and victory. On a scroll above is the name 
 
 of " Monk," the restorer of the British Monarchy.
 
 PLATE XXX. 
 
 [Page 366 
 
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 HISTOUY OF ENGLAND. 36? 
 
 THE COMMONWEALTH. 
 Oliver Cromwell. 
 
 Oliver Cromwell, at the commencement of the Civil Wars, 
 vas in possession of an estate which he inherited from his uncle, 
 Sir James Stuart : and was elected a member of the third 
 Parliament, in the reign of Charles iiic First. His consiitiition 
 was robust ; his aspect manly, but vulgar ; his dispositon bold 
 and resolute : — quick in deciding, and contenming all danger in 
 pursuit of his object. It was, perhaps, the continual success 
 which attended all his measures, that first prompted him to aim 
 at sovereign power ; and though the attainment of that power 
 was only to be procured by the destruction of his Prince, he 
 scrupled not at the means, but traitorously threw a stain on his 
 country that can never be effaced. 
 
 He easily penetrated into the minds of others, but was him- 
 self impenetrable. His religion was gloomy and fanatical : with 
 Pharisaical zeal he talked of Godliness, but his works were the 
 works of iniquity. 
 
 By some authors, he is exalted to the highest rank among 
 men : but he cannot be a great man, the foundation of w hose 
 greatness is laid in guilt. 
 
 When invested with sovereign power, Cromwell supported 
 the dignity of the nation by the vigour of his administration : 
 he added to its glory, but not to its strength : he extended its 
 fame by conquest, but involved it in debt. He first took up 
 arms to oppose the arbitrary power of Charles, j'et himself 
 exercised power with greater despotism than the sovereign 
 he had destroyed. He hated monarchy while a subject ; he 
 despised liberty when in power. He was cruel and politic, 
 but a great hypocrite ; and owed the success of his schemes as 
 much to his dissimulation as to his courage and capacity. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Commoniceallh or Republic, — A popular state of government, where 
 the chief power is rested in tl)e hands of the people. 
 
 B 4
 
 368 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 DEFEAT OF THE SCOTS. 
 Immediately upon the death of the late King, the House of 
 Lords was voted useless and dangerous, and was therefore abolish- 
 ed. It was made high-treason to acknowledge Charles Stuart, 
 son of the late King, as successor to the throne:* and so 
 fearful were the Commons of retaining any expressions in any 
 way connected with Royalty, that the form of all public busi- 
 ness was changed from being transacted in the King's name, to 
 that of the Keepers of the Liberties of England : — nay, even 
 the Court of King's Bench was called the Court of Public 
 Bench. The Scots, having always been accustomed to mo- 
 narchical government, were unwilling to annihilate it. The 
 execution of many of their nobles for fidelity to the King, the 
 insolence of the Independents, and, above all, their numerous 
 victories, excited both the anger and the jealousy of the Scots. 
 They determined, therefore, to acknowledge young Charles as 
 their sovereign, and to invite him to Scotland, but, at the same 
 time, to abridge his power as much as possible. 
 
 Commissioners were accordingly sent to treat with Charles : 
 who, finding no likelihood of assistance from the French Court, 
 whither he had fled for refuge, was glad to accept of any con- 
 ditions. On entering the gates of Edinburgh, he had the 
 mortification of beholding the mangled limbs of his faithful 
 servant Montrose, whom the Covenanters had lately executed 
 and quartered. 
 
 The young King soon found that he had only exchanged 
 exile for imprisonment: he was surrounded, and incessantly 
 importuned, by a set of fanatical clergy, who, having trampled 
 upon Royalty, now resolved to keep it in a state of degradation. 
 Charles pretended to listen to their discourses ; but wearied by 
 
 * It is affirmed that the Commons intended to apprentice the Prin- 
 cess Elizabetli to a button-maker : but she died of grief, sJiortly after 
 the death of her unliappy fatlier.
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 369 
 
 their perpetual denunciations, he attempted to escape : he was, 
 however, overtaken, and brought back. 
 
 During these transactions in the North, Cromwell was in 
 Ireland ; from whence, after reducing nearly the whole of that 
 kingdom to obedience, he was recalled by the Parliament, to 
 oppose the Scots, who had raised a considerable army in support 
 of the Royal cause, and put the whole under the command of 
 General Leslie, an officer of great skill and courage. 
 
 Cromwell being declared Commander-in-chief of the Parlia- 
 mentary forces, set out with alacrity to meet the enemy. 
 Leslie had posted himself very advantageously, and, but for 
 the folly and absurdity of the Scots' clergy, must have totally 
 defeated Cromwell. Contrary to his better judgment, Leslie 
 was forced to descend into the plain ; a battle was fought at 
 Dunbar {see Plate 29) ; and though the Scots were double the 
 number of the English, they were soon put to flight, and pur- 
 sued with great slaughter. 
 
 BATTLE OF WORCESTER. 
 
 Afteb the defeat at Dunbar, Charles put himself at the head 
 of the remainder of his army, which he further strengthened 
 with those Royalists who had been excluded from his 
 service by the Covenanters. He however soon found it im- 
 possible to maintain his army, being closely pressed by Cromwell. 
 Resolved to put all to the hazard, and finding the way open to 
 England, he boldly pressed forward, in the hope of being joined 
 by all the Royalists in the kingdom ; but in this he was de- 
 ceived: as the English, terrified at the name of his opponent, 
 dreaded to join him. At Worcester he was overtaken by 
 Cromwell, with an army of 40,000 men, who fell upon the 
 town and took it. Charles's little army was annihilated; al- 
 most all his men were killed or taken prisoners j and Charles 
 himself, having given many signal proofs of valour, was obliged 
 
 Q 5
 
 S70 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to fly. By the Earl of Derby's direction, he went to a lone 
 house on the borders of Staffordshire, inhabited by one Pen- 
 derell, a farmer. To this man Charles entrusted himself: and 
 though death was denounced against all who concealed the 
 King, and a great reward promised to any who should betray 
 him, the farmer and his four brothers maintained an unshaken 
 fidelity. Having clothed the King in a peasant's dress, they 
 led him into a neighbouring wood, put a hatchet into his hand, 
 and pretended to be employed in cutting fagots. The better to 
 conceal himself, Charles took shelter in an oak; from whence 
 he saw several soldiers pass by, and heard some of them express 
 their earnest wish to seize him. When the heat of the pursuit 
 began to abate, he, with imminent danger, after suffering hun- 
 ger, fatigue, and pain, arrived at the house of Colonel Lane, a 
 zealous royalist. Desirous of escaping into France, and Bristol 
 being supposed the fittest port fi-om whence to embark, he rode 
 there with Mr. Lane's sister behind him, who was going, as was 
 supposed, to visit a Mrs. Norton, a lady residing in that neigh- 
 bourhood. In this journey he saw many faces that he knew, 
 and at one time passed through a whole regiment of the enemy's 
 cavalry. On his aiTival at Mrs. Norton's, the King, after he 
 had led his horse to the stable, was shewn into an apartment 
 which Mrs. Lane had provided for him. The butler being sent 
 to him with some refreshments, no sooner beheld his face, than 
 he recollected his King and master ; and falling upon his knees, 
 exclaimed, " lam rejoiced to see your Majesty !" The King 
 was alarmed ; but the butler promised secrecy, and inviolably 
 kept his word. Disappointed in his expectations of procuring 
 a ship at Bristol, Charles went to the house of Colonel Wynd- 
 ham, in Dorsetshire, where he was cordially received. The 
 Colonel's mother, a venerable matron, seemed to think the 
 end of her life nobly rewarded, in being enabled to protect her 
 sovereign, though three of her sons and one grandson had 
 fallen in his cause. Pursuing his journey to the seaside, he
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 371 
 
 had a narrow escape at a little inn where he put up for the 
 night. A fanatical weaver was preaching against him in a little 
 chapel fronting the house : the King, to avoid suspicion, joined 
 the congregation. A smith, of the same principles with 
 the preacher, interrupted him, saying that he knew, by the 
 fashion of the horses' shoes, that one of the strangers came 
 from the north. The preacher immediately affirmed it was 
 Charles Stuart, and instantly went with a constable to search 
 the inn : Charles, however, had time to escajie. 
 
 At length a vessel was found at Shoreham, in Sussex, in 
 which the King embarked. He was known to so many, that 
 had he not set sail in that critical moment, it would have been 
 impossible for him to have escaped. After forty-one days' 
 concealment, he arrived safely at Feschamp in Normandy ; not 
 fewer than forty persons having, at different times, been privy 
 to his escape. 
 
 NAVAL WAR WITH THE DUTCH. 
 The Parliament having reduced all parts of the British 
 dominions to perfect subjection, next resolved to chastise the 
 Dutch, who had given but very slight causes of complaint. 
 When Dr. Dorislaus, one of the late King's judges, was sent 
 by Parliament as their envoy to Holland, he was assassinated 
 by some of the Royalists who had taken refuge there, and his 
 murderers were not pursued with that rigour which the Parlia- 
 ment expected. Not long after, their ambassador, Mr. St. 
 John, was insulted by the friends of the Prince of Orange. 
 These causes were thought of sufficient importance to justify a 
 declai'ation of war against the Dutch. The Parliament placed 
 their chief dependance in the ai^tivity and courage of Admiral 
 Blake ; who though he had not embarked in naval command 
 till late in life, yet surpassed all his predecessors in bravery, 
 and in the promptitude of his measm-es. It was a saying of his, 
 
 R 6
 
 372 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 that into what hands soever the Government might fall, it was still 
 the duty of Englishmen to fight for their country. The Dutch 
 opposed to him their famous Van Tromp, who has never yet 
 been rivalled by any of his countrymen. Many engagements, 
 with alternate success, took place between these justly celebrated 
 commanders. The first battle was fought in the Downs, near 
 Dover, whither the Dutch fleet had been driven by stress of wea- 
 ther. The fight was maintained for five hours with great bravery. 
 Blake took one ship, and sunk another ; but the approach of 
 night parted the combatants, and the Dutch fleet retired to 
 Holland. Another engagement took place on the coast of 
 Kent, when the Dutch, under the command of De Witte and 
 De Ruyter, were defeated : their rear-admiral's ship being 
 boarded and taken, two other vessels sunk, and one was blown 
 up. In a third engagement, near the Goodwin Sands, the Dutch 
 had the advantage ; but Blake again defeated them near the 
 Isle of Rhe. This battle, which was most obstinately contested, 
 lasted three days : the Dutch lost eleven ships of war, 2,000 
 men were slain, and 1,500 taken prisoners. The English had 
 but one ship sunk, though many were very much shattered ; 
 and the number of men slain was not much inferior to that of 
 the enemy. The Dutch suffered still more severely in theii- 
 commerce, having lost above 1,G00 vessels. They were there- 
 fore extremely desirous of peace ; but the English Parliament, 
 elated with their successes, were anxious to keep their navy on 
 foot as long as possible, in order to counterbalance the power 
 of Cromwell by land. 
 
 CROMWELL DISSOLVING THE PARLIAilENT. 
 
 CROMWELL,perceiving the designs of the Parliament, and secure 
 
 of the attachment of the army, persuaded the officers to present 
 
 a petition for payment of arrears and redress of grievances. 
 
 His orders were obeyed. The House was highly offended, and
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 373 
 
 appointed a Committee to prepare an Act, ordaining that alJ 
 persons who presented such petitions in future should be 
 deemed guilty of high-treason. To this the officers made a 
 warm remonstrance, and the Parliament an angry reply. 
 Cromwell, being informed of this altercation, started up in the 
 utmost seeming I'ury, and addressing Major Vernon, " I am 
 " compelled," said he, " to do that which makes the very hair 
 " of my head to stand on end 1" Then hastening to the House, 
 accompanied by three hundred soldiers, he entered with marks 
 of violent indignation in his countenance, took his seat, and 
 for some time listened to the debates in silence. At length, 
 suddenly rising, he poured forth a torrent of reproaches against 
 the Parliament; accusing them of tyranny, ambition, oppres- 
 sion, and robbery of the public. Stamping with his foot, for 
 the soldiers to enter, the place was instantly filled with armed 
 men. Then addressing himself to the Members : " For shame !" 
 said he, " get you gone, and give place to honester men ! You 
 " are no longer a Parliament : I tell you, you ai*e no longer 
 " a Parliament : the Lord has done with you." Sir Harry 
 Vane exclaiming against this conduct: " Sir Harry !" says 
 Cromwell, " Sir Harry Vane ! — the Lord deliver me from Sir 
 " Harry Vane ! It is you," continued he, " that have forced 
 " me upon this : I have besought the Lord, day and night, that 
 " he would rather slay me than put me upon this work." Then 
 pointing to the mace, " Take away that bauble !" said he. 
 After which, clearing the hall, he ordered the doors to be 
 locked, and, putting the keys in his pocket, returned to 
 Whitehall. 
 
 This bold transaction made Cromwell absolute sovereign of 
 Great Britain : however, to amuse the people with the shadow 
 of a Parliament, he selected one hundred and forty-four persons, 
 in whom it was decreed the sovereign power should be vested. 
 The persons pitched upon were the lowest, the meanest, and 
 the most ignorant of the citizens, and the very dregs of the
 
 374 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 fanatics. They took whole sentences of Scripture for sir- 
 names, which they rendered ridiculous by their misapplication. 
 A canting leather-seller, whose name was Praise-God Bare- 
 bones, gave his name to this odd assembly, which was called 
 " Barebones' Parliament." The members were chiefly Anti- 
 nomians, and Fifth-monarchy men. The former, after receiving 
 the Spirit, supposed themselves incapable of error. The latter 
 imagined that the time for Our Saviour's second coming was 
 arrived, and therefore were every hour expecting him. - Eight 
 members were employed to seek the Lord in prayer; while 
 the rest calmly sat down to deliberate upon the suppression of 
 the Clergy, the Universities, and Courts of Justice ; and instead 
 of these, they proposed to substitute the Law of Moses. It 
 was impossible for such a legislation as this to exist for any 
 length of time. The most ignorant considered it as absurd ; 
 and Cromwell himself began to be ashamed of their follies. 
 Some of the members were devoted to his interests, and these 
 he commanded to dismiss the assembly. Accordingly they met, 
 by agreement, at an earlier hour than usual ; and observing to 
 each other that the Parliament had sat long enough, they 
 hastened to Cromwell, with Rose their Speaker at their head, 
 and resigned their authority. Some of the members, however, 
 continuing refractory, Cromwell ordered Colonel White to 
 clear the House of such as remained there. Upon White's 
 asking them what they were doing there, they replied, they 
 were seeking the Lord: — " Then you may go elsewhere," said 
 White ; " for, to my certain knowledge, the Lord has not been 
 here these many years." 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Commitlee. — A certain number of members appointed by tlie House, 
 for the examination of a bill or otlier important matters. 
 
 Universities. — Corporate establishments formed for tlie education of 
 youtli in the liberal arts and sciences, and authorized to admit such as
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 375 
 
 have studied in them to certain degrees, in different faculties, which 
 not only serve ;is certificates in proficiency in science, but also confer 
 on tliose who obtain tliem considerable jjrivileges witliin the Univer- 
 sity, as well as some rank in the State without it. 
 
 AMBITION OF CROMWELL. 
 
 The appearance even of a Parliament being extinct, the 
 Officers, by their own authority, elected Cromwell " Protector 
 of the Commonwealth of England." The Mayor and Aldermen 
 were sent for, to give solemnity to his appointment ; and he 
 was instituted into his office at Whitehall, the palace of the 
 Kings of England. He was to be addressed by the title of 
 Ilighness, and liis power was proclaimed in London and in the 
 other parts of the kingdom. A Council of twenty-one persons 
 was appointed, who were to enjoy their offices for life or during 
 good behaviour. The Protector was the supreme magistrate of 
 the Commonwealth, and was vested with the same powers as 
 the King had been possessed of. He was obliged to summon 
 a Parliament once every three years, which was to continue 
 sitting five months without adjournment ; a standing army wa» 
 appointed, consisting of 20,000 foot and 10,000 horse; and 
 funds were assigned for their support. The Protector was to 
 enjoy his office only for life ; and his successor was to be nomi- 
 nated by the Council. Cromwell chose his Council from 
 among his officers, and assigned to each of them a pension of 
 .€1,000 a year. The standing army was the greatest advantage 
 to Cromwell ; and as his chief dependence was upon the troops, 
 he took care to have them liberally paid. 
 
 It being understood by his dependants, that the Protector 
 was desirous of having the crown offered him, a motion to that 
 effect was made in the House, and carried. Nothing was now 
 wanting but Cromwell's own consent, to have his name en- 
 rolled amongst the Kings of England : but this he never gave;
 
 376 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 he wished to be compelled to receive the name and insignia of 
 King, though already in possession of more than kingly power, 
 and exercising an authority as absolute as the most despotic 
 Prince in Europe. He was feared at home, and respected 
 abroad. The Dutch sued for peace, and were compelled to 
 abandon the interests of the King; to pay .-685,000 as an in- 
 demnification for former expenses ; to restore to the English 
 East-India Company a part of those dominions, of which they 
 had been dispossessed by the Dutch in a former reign ; and to 
 pay respect to the British flag. The French Ministry cultivated 
 the Protector's friendship, and induced him to lend G,000 men 
 for the attack of the Spanish dominions in the Netherlands, 
 where they obtained a signal victory ; and, as a reward for this 
 service, Dunkirk was placed in the hands of the English. The 
 Spaniards were humbled by the brave Admiral Blake, who also 
 chastised the Algerines and Tunisians. Penn and Venables, 
 two other Admirals, made an attempt on Hispaniola, but failing 
 in this, they steered to Jamaica, which surrendered to them 
 without a blow ; yet so little was the Government acquainted 
 with the importance of this conquest, that the two Admirals, 
 on their return, were thrown into prison, for having failed in 
 the principal object of their equipment. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Standing Army. — Regular troops, that are kept in constant pay, to 
 be ready at all times to oppose an enemy, and to serve wherever it 
 may be necessary to send tliem. 
 
 DEATH OF CROMWELL. 
 
 The great expense attending foreign wars and a standing 
 army exhausted the Protector's revenue. To replenish his 
 treasury, he had recourse to severe measures. One or two 
 conspiracies entered into by the Royalists, and which were de- 
 tected and punished, served him with a pretence for laying a
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 377 
 
 heavy tax on the whole of that party. The tenth penny of all their 
 possessions was demanded ; and in order to raise this oppres- 
 sive imposition, ten Major-generals were appointed, who divided 
 the whole kingdom into as many military jurisdictions. The 
 nation had no protection against their exactions : the very mask 
 of liberty was thrown aside, and all property was at the dis- 
 posal of a military tribunal. The people becoming importu- 
 nate for a free Parliament, Cromwell complied with their in- 
 treaties, but speedily dissolved it, when he found it intractable. 
 At length he resolved to have a Parliament of his own choos- 
 ing ; and, lest any besides those of his own party should gain 
 admittance, guards were stationed at the door, and none allowed 
 to enter but such as had a warrant from his Council. 
 
 Cromwell now began to feel all the miseries attendant upon 
 ill-gotten power ; his arts of dissimulation were exhausted ; he 
 had rendered himself odious to all parties, and was suspected 
 by every one ; even those of his own principles disdaining hira 
 for the use to which he had converted his zeal and his profes- 
 sions. But what gave him most concern was the estrangement 
 of his family. His eldest daughter, Mrs. Fleetwood, possessed 
 such determined republican principles, that she could not with- 
 out indignation behold him invested with unlimited power. 
 His other daughters were no less in favour of the Royal party. 
 Mrs. Claypole, his favourite, even on her death-bed, upbraided 
 him with the crimes which had led him to trample on the 
 throne. Various conspiracies were formed against him ; and he 
 was at last taught, upon reasoning principles, that his death 
 was not only desirable, but that his assassination would be 
 meritorious. Colonel Titus had formerly been attached to his 
 cause ; but he now published a book, entitled " Killing no 
 Murder," which is said to have produced such an effect upon 
 Cromwell, that he never smiled after perusing that spirited 
 pamphlet. He was haunted with perpetual fears of assassina- 
 tion ; he wore armour under his clothes, and always kept pistols
 
 378 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 in his pockets ; his aspect was clouded by a settled gloom, and 
 he beheld every stranger with suspicion. He always travelled 
 in a hurry, and never returned from any place by the road he 
 went ; never moving a step without guards, and seldom sleeping 
 three nights together in the same chamber. A tertian ague at 
 length delivered him from this life of horror and anxiety. He 
 died September 3d, 1658, after having usurped the govern- 
 ment nine years. 
 
 As Cromwell, when nearly speechless, had expressed a wish 
 that his son Richard should succeed him in the Protectorship, 
 the Council immediately recognized his succession. Fleetwood, 
 in whose favour it was supposed Cromwell had formerly made 
 a will, renounced all pretensions. Henry, Richard's brother, 
 who, as Lord-lieutenant, governed Ireland with popularity, 
 insured him the obedience of that kingdom. Monk proclaimed 
 him in Scotland. The army and fleet acknowledged his title, 
 Mid foreign ministers paid him the usual compliments. Richard, 
 whose unambitious character would never have led him to con- 
 tend for empire, was hereby tempted to accept of so flattering 
 an invitation ; but, as he wanted resolution, and possessed none 
 of those arts which were proper to gain an enthusiastic army, 
 he soon signed his own abdication. 
 
 Thus suddenly fell the family of the Cromwells ! On the 
 Restoration, Richard retired to Holland, but returned in 1 680, 
 and settled near Cheshunt, in Hertfordshii-e ; where, secluded 
 from public observation, and possessing a moderate estate, he 
 extended his peaceful and quiet life to his eighty-sixth year, 
 leaving several children, whose posterity still reside at the same 
 place ; his social virtues, more valuable than the greatest capa- 
 city, thus meeting with a recompense far preferable to noisy 
 fame.* 
 
 * Henry Cromwell settled, as a farmer, at Soham in Cambridge- 
 shire; where Chailes II. once condescended to become liis guest,
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 379 
 
 THE RESTORATION. 
 
 George Monk was the second son of an ancient and 
 honourable family in Devonshire. In very early youth he em- 
 braced the profession of arms, and studied the military art on 
 the Continent. 
 
 When the trumpet of Discord first sounded in England, he 
 returned, joined the Royal standard, and was taken prisoner by 
 Fairfax at the siege of Nantwich ; after which he was sent to 
 the Tower. During his confinement there, Charles I. sent him 
 a present of one hundred guineas ; and, until the entire subju- 
 gation of the Royal party, Monk remained inflexible to all the 
 blandishments of Cromwell : who, sensible of his merit, did 
 every thing in his power to gain him to his interest. At length 
 he accepted a command against the Irish rebels, who were alike 
 obnoxious to the King and to the Parliament. 
 
 At the time of Cromwell's death. Monk was at the head of 
 a numerous and well-disciplined army in Scotland, whose affec- 
 tions he had gained by his humanity and equal temper. Upon 
 the deposition of Richard Cromwell, he protested against the 
 violence of that army which had expelled the Parliament, and 
 declared his intention to vindicate their annulled privileges. 
 He was, however, suspected to have deeper designs, but whe- 
 ther they related to his personal aggrandizement, or had for 
 their object the restoration of his legitimate Sovereign, was 
 equally a mystery ; the attention of all men was fixed upon 
 him, and every action watched with the keenest solicitude. So 
 secret was he in his plans, that he would not trust his own 
 brother, who came to treat with him from the King, because he 
 had communicated his commission to another ; although that 
 other was a man in whom Monk himself placed the greatest 
 confidence. All his operations were conducted with profound 
 becrecy ; he amused General Lambert, by whose intrigues and 
 
 when that Monarch was returning fatigued from a hunting-party, 
 during his occasional residence at Newmarket.
 
 380 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 violence the late Parliament had been dissolved, with evasive 
 negociations, but still continued his march towards London. 
 In all the counties through which he passed, the principal 
 gentry flocked to him, intreating him to use his influence for 
 the restoration of peace, by calling a free Parliament. To their 
 addresses Monk made no reply, but continued his march, and 
 arrived, with but few interruptions, at St. Alban's, whence he 
 sent a message to the Parliament, desiring them to remove 
 those regiments which had lately offered them violence ; with 
 which requisition they complied, and Monk and his followers 
 took up their quarters in Westminster. 
 
 When the thanks of the House were voted him for his emi- 
 nent services, he replied. That he had done no more than his 
 duty, and merited not such praise as they were pleased to 
 honour him with. He urged the necessity of a free Parlia- 
 ment; and entered into a strict union with the citizens of 
 London, for mutual support, in every enterprize for the happi- 
 ness and settlement of the Commonwealth. The joy of the 
 people on this occasion was unbounded ; the secluded Members 
 of the Rump Parliament were restored to their seats ; and the 
 majority being in their favour, most of the Independents left 
 the House. 
 
 The first legislative Act of the restored Members was to 
 renew this General's commission, and enlarge his power. They 
 pext fixed an assessment for the support of the fleet and the 
 army ; after which they dissolved themselves, issuing writs for 
 the immediate assembling of a new Parliament. 
 
 Every thing seemed to announce the restoration of Monarchy, 
 as the elections were every where in favour of the Ro3al party. 
 Still, however. Monk was silent. A gentleman, named Morrice, 
 was the only person with whom he deliberated concerning the 
 great enterprize he projected. 
 
 Sir John Granville, who had a commission from the King, 
 applied to Morrice for access to the General, but was desired to 
 communicate his business to him. Granville however, though
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 3ftl 
 
 importunately urged, refused to deliver his message to any one 
 but Monk himself. Finding that he might trust him, Monk 
 now admitted him to his presence, and opened to him his 
 whole intentions. At length the Parliament met ; and Monk, 
 having sufficiently sounded their inclinations, informed them 
 that Sir John Granville, a servant of the King's, had been sent 
 over by his Majesty, and was now at the door of the House, 
 with a letter addressed to the Commons. The loudest accla- 
 mations followed this communication : Granville was called in, 
 the letter and the declaration were read, and a committee 
 appointed to frame an answer. In the King's declaration, a 
 general amnesty was offered, with liberty of conscience, and 
 submission to Parliament. 
 
 As a prelude to the return of Monarchy, the Peers were re- 
 instated in their ancient authority. The King was then pro- 
 claimed with great solemnity ; a present of ££50,000 was voted 
 him ; and a committee of Lords and Commons dispatched, to 
 invite his Majesty to return, and take possession of the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The King, on his landing at Dover, was met by Monk, whom 
 he cordially embraced. Few subjects, indeed, ever deserved 
 more from their King and country than he. In the space of a 
 few months, without tumult, without violence, without blood- 
 shed, he restored peace to three kingdoms, that had long been 
 convulsed with civil broils and discord. 
 
 The King made his entry into London on his birth-day. 
 May 29, 16G0. His first measures were calculated to give 
 universal satisfaction ; he seemed anxious to efface the remem- 
 brance of past animosities, by uniting all parties in affection to 
 their Prince and country. The most eminent men among the 
 Presbyterians, as well as among the Royalists, were admitted to 
 his Council ; General Monk was created Duke of Albemarle ; 
 his friend Morrice made Secretary of State ; and Sir Edward 
 Hyde, afterwards Lord Clarendon, was Prime Minister and 
 Chancellor.
 
 383 HISTORY OF ENGtAND. 
 
 PLATE XXXI. 
 
 Charles the Second. 
 
 Fig. 1. — The Plague. 
 
 Tlie city of London is represented by the city arms : a part 
 of which being cut off by Death, indicates the dreadful ravages 
 occasioned by the plague. 
 
 Fig. 2. — War with Holland. 
 
 Grand naval engagement between the English and Dutch 
 fleets. The anchor, tjpical of each country, is determined by 
 the letter E or H ; the equality of prowess by the cable which 
 unites them. The emblem of victory inclines towards the 
 English. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Fire of London. 
 
 A phoenix rising from the flames, and bearing in her beak a 
 plan of the city of London, intimates the renovation of the 
 city, after its destruction by fire. 
 
 Fig. 4. — The Cabal. 
 
 Fig. 5. — The Habeas CoRrus Act. 
 The standard, representing the body of the people, is reclin- 
 ing against a column, inscribed with the Habeas Corpus. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Execution of Russel, Sidney, &c.
 
 PLATE XXXI. 
 
 [Fa^e 382.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 383 
 
 CHARLES THE SECOND. 
 Charles was thirty j'ears of age when restored to the throne 
 of his ancestors. His constitution was vigorous, his figure 
 manly, and his manners uncommonly graceful and pleasing. In 
 a private station, he would have been loved for his urbanity. 
 His penetration was keen; his judgment clear; his conversation 
 lively, entertaining, and witty. He is said to have been a civil 
 husband, an affectionate father, and a good master ; but these 
 good qualities were overbalanced by his vices. A scoffer at 
 religion, he believed all mankind to be false and pei-fidious ; 
 libertine in his morals, he ridiculed decency ; incapable of 
 friendship, and deaf to the calls of gratitude, he forgot the 
 sacrifices his friends had made to serve himself and his familv, 
 and basely left them to end theu- days in poverty and obscurity. 
 Adversity produced no good on a mind so frivolous ; even 
 during his exile, he gave himself up to effeminate pleasures ; 
 and, when on the throne, he neglected the important duties 
 of his station, for the inglorious purposes of riot and dis- 
 sipation. 
 
 THE PLAGUE. 
 
 In the year 1GG5, the most violent plague ever known in 
 Britain made dreadful havoc in the city of London. The 
 whole summer had been remarkably hot and sultry, and was at 
 times suffocating, even to persons in confirmed health. At the 
 close of the year 1664, two or three persons died suddenly in 
 Westminster, with marks of the plague on their bodies. Some 
 of the neighbours, alarmed for their safety, removed into the 
 City ; but their removal was alil<e fatal to themselves, and to 
 those among whom they went to reside. 
 
 A severe winter in some measure checked the progress of the 
 disease ; but, about the middle of February, while a deep snow 
 choked the streets, it again broke out, and increased gradually
 
 384 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 until August, when the number of deaths in one week amounted 
 to 3,817. 
 
 The pestilence continued to spread with such rapidity, that 
 about the middle of September not fewer than 8,000 fell vic- 
 tims to its malignity in the course of a week. The streets were 
 at that time extremely narrow, and as the houses were built 
 with every additional stoi'y projecting some feet beyond the 
 lower, the tops of the houses nearly met ; by which means the 
 fresh air was excluded from the streets below, and the confined 
 air became daily more pestilential. The mortality raged so 
 much, that the houses were shut up, the City was nearly de- 
 serted, and scarcely any thing was to be seen, but innumerable 
 fires for purifying* the air, pest-carts, coffins, and crosses upon 
 the doors, with the inscription of " Lord have mercy upon us !" 
 whilst the melancholy cries of " Pray for us !" and " Bring out 
 your dead!" were nearly the only sounds that interrupted the 
 awful silence that now prevailed, instead of the busy hum of 
 commerce : — 
 
 " When o'er the friendless bier no rites were read, 
 " No dirge slow chaunted, and no pall outspread; 
 " While Death and Night piled up the naked throng, 
 " And Silence drove their ebon cars along.f " 
 
 All means of putting a stop to the infection were ineffectual. 
 Multitudes fled into the country, and, in numerous instances, 
 
 * The excessive heat from so great a number of fires, it is said, 
 contiibuted to increase the mortality. 
 
 f Darwin. — Tlie same writer states, that, " during the plague, one 
 pit, to receive the dead, was dug in the Charter-house, forty feet long, 
 sixteen wide, and twenty deep. Diu-ing this dreadful calamity, there 
 were instances of mothers carrying their own children to those public 
 graves ; and of people, delirious, or in despair from tlie loss of their 
 friends, who threw themselves alive into these pits."
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 385 
 
 carried the infection with them. Many of the merchants re- 
 tired to their ships near Greenwich and Woolwich, and, as the 
 violence of the plague increased, they removed farther off; 
 some even went quite out to sea. It is computed that 100,000 
 persons fell victijns to this awful visitation ! 
 
 WAR WITH HOLLAND. 
 
 The Parliament, which had so vehemently opposed the late 
 Monarch, now testified their contrition, acknowledged the guilt 
 of their rebellion, and gratefully received his Majesty's gracious 
 pai'dou and intleninity. Soon after this a proclamation was 
 issued, declaring, that such of the late King's Judges as did not 
 surrender within fourteen days, should receive no pardon. 
 Nineteen surrendered, but ten only were doomed to destruc- 
 tion ; and they were enthusiasts, who acted upon mistaken 
 principles, and whose fortitude under their sufferings would 
 have done honour to a better cause. 
 
 The next business was to settle the King's revenue. In this 
 work, the Parliament was careful of the liberties of the people. 
 Some oppressive imposts were abolished, and a permanent in- 
 come of £1,200,000 was settled upon the King. 
 
 Charles now gave a loose to pleasure ; the gloomy supersti- 
 tion of the Independents was banished : and, in its stead, riot 
 and dissipation threatened to efface every appearance of religion 
 and morality. The faithful followers of the Royal Family were 
 left, not only unrewarded, but to pine in want and obscurity. 
 In vain they petitioned and remonstrated ; the King fled from 
 their just expostulations, to scenes of folly and revelry; and it 
 was truly remarked, that the Act of Indemnity was an act of 
 forgiveness to his enemies, and of oblivion to his friends. The 
 Scotch and English Parliaments, at this time, seemed to con- 
 tend which should be most obsequious. The former, in the 
 fullest and most positive terms, asserted the King's right to be 
 
 s
 
 385 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 hereditary, divine, and indefeasible, and voted him an additional 
 revenue of ^£40,000. 
 
 At length the intoxication of loyalty began to wear off: 
 Charles's total neglect of business, his indolence and extrava- 
 gance, excited the indignation of the country. To supply his 
 necessities, he sold Dunkirk to the French for ^£40,000 ; and, 
 contrary to the advice of his ministers, he married the Infanta 
 of Portugal for the sake of her portion, which was ££500,000 
 in money, together with the fortress of Tangier in Africa, and 
 of Bombay in the East Indies. 
 
 His next step was to declare war against the Dutch. In this 
 war the English took from the Dutch various settlements in 
 Africa, and New York in America. A dreadful battle was 
 fought between the principal fleets of each country. The 
 English fleet, consisting of one hundred and fourteen sail, was 
 commanded by the Duke of York, who manifested the greatest 
 intrepidity. Victory at length declared for the English : the 
 Dutch Admiral's ship blew up, and thirty of liis ships were 
 sunk or taken. The conquerors lost but one ship. 
 
 A few months after, the Dutch fleet was again at sea, under 
 the command of De Ruyter. The Duke of Albemarle and 
 Prince Rupert commanded the English fleet, which did not 
 exceed seventy-four sail. Four successive days witnessed the 
 skill and courage of the contending parties. The first day the 
 Dutch Admiral Evertzen was killed by a cannon-ball, and one 
 of his ships blown up; the English had three ships taken. The 
 second day, sixteen fresh ships joined the Dutch, and the Eng- 
 lish were so shattered, as to be reduced to twenty-eight fighting 
 ships. Upon retreating to their own coasts, the Dutch followed 
 them, and a fresh engagement began, which was only inter- 
 rupted by the approach of night. The thu'd day, the English 
 continued their retreat, and the Dutch their pursuit ; but, 
 before night, the former were joined by Prince Rupert, with 
 sixteen ships. The engagement was renewed the next morn-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 387 
 
 ing, and continued with great dolence, till the contending fleets 
 were parted by a mist. Both sides claimed the victory, though 
 the advantage seems to have been on the side of the Dutch. 
 Another combat, however, took place between these rival 
 nations, in which the English were once more victorious. The 
 Dutch, however, soon recovered from this defeat ; and, while a 
 treaty of peace was depending, sailed up the river Medway as 
 far as Chatham, made themselves masters of Shcerness, and 
 burnt several men of war, together with a magazine full of 
 stores : thus spreading terror and consternation in the capital ; 
 but, unable to prosecute their projects, they returned to their 
 own coasts. 
 
 ^ FIRE OF LONDON. 
 
 The City had hardly recovered from the desolation occa- 
 sioned by the plague, when it was almost totally demolished by 
 lire. It began on the 2d of September 1666, at a baker's shop 
 in Pudding-lane, and continued to rage, with unabated violence, 
 during the whole of four entire days and nights. The vast 
 clouds of smoke so obscured the sun, that it appeared through 
 it as red as blood. The flames rose to an immense height in 
 the air, and their reflection through the smoke, which at night 
 also seemed like flame, increased the horror of the scene. The 
 atmosphere was illumined to so great an extent, that it is said 
 to have been visible as far as Jedburgh in Scotland. Guildhall 
 exhibited a singular spectacle : the oak with which it was built 
 was so solid, that it would not flame, but burnt like charcoal, 
 so that for several hours the building appeared like an en- 
 i chanted palace of gold. 
 
 At length, on Wednesday morning, the fire began to abate, 
 and on Thursday the flames were extinguished. This destruc- 
 tive fire destroyed 13,200 houses, eighty-seven churches, 
 besides St. Paul's, the Royal Exchange, the Custom-house, 
 
 s 2
 
 388 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 fifty-two Halls of Companies, four stone bridges, Newgate, <S:c. 
 The value of property consumed was estimated at £10,689,000. 
 This calamity, though it reduced thousands to beggary, 
 proved, in the end, both beneficial and ornamental to the City, 
 which rose more beautiful from its ashes; care being taken 
 to widen the streets, and improve the architecture of the 
 houses.* A freer circulation of air was thus admitted, and 
 all impurities carefully removed ; so that the plague has never 
 since appeared in England. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Royal Exchange. — A magnificent edifice in the city of London, the 
 emporium of British commerce, where merchants from all parts 
 of the world meet to transact business. It owed its origin to the 
 munificence of Sir Tliomas Gresham, a merchant, who erected it at 
 his own expense. In 1666 it was consumed by fire, and was rebuilt, 
 in its present form, by the united efforts of the Corporation of 
 London, and the company of Mercers. 
 
 Custom House. — An office established by the King's authority in 
 maritime cities, for the receipt of customs and duties of importation 
 and exportation, imposed on merchandizes, and regulated by books 
 of rates. 
 
 THE CABAL. 
 
 The repeated misfortunes of the last two years excited 
 great murmurs among the people. The Dutch war was com- 
 
 * The original plan for rebuilding the streets of the city in parallel 
 lines, and of mucli greater width tlian at the present, as offered to 
 Parliament by Sir Qiristopher Wren, is said to have been rejected, 
 on account of tlie regard to private property. Tliis is more to be 
 lamented, when we yearly witness the sacrifices made by the City to 
 accomplish in part what might have been so easily and completely 
 effected. Sir Christopher was the architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, 
 and many other magnificent buildings.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 389 
 
 plained of as unnecessary and impolitic ; and indeed Charles 
 himself began to be weary of it, as he found that, instead of 
 enriching himself by the Parliamentary supplies, he had 
 involved himself in debt. A treaty was therefore concluded at 
 Breda, in 16G7. This treaty was little pleasing to the people : 
 the blame of it, however, was thrown upon Lord Clarendon, 
 the marriage of whose daughter with the Duke of York was 
 also imputed to him as criminal. In consequence of this, the 
 seals were taken from him ; and the popular clamour con- 
 tinuing very strongly to pursue him, he retued to France. 
 
 The measures of the King now began to be extremely 
 arbitrary. For the gratification of his pleasures, he resolved 
 to stretch his prerogative to the utmost ; and those ministers 
 who best coalesced in his favourite measures, were the most 
 in his confidence. Cliflbrd, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington^ 
 and Lauderdcde, the initials of whose names form the word 
 " CABAL," an appellation given to this junto, from that circum- 
 stance, were eager to promote all his schemes, how inimical 
 soever to the public good. By their advice, a secret alliance 
 was formed with France, which caused a rupture with Holland. 
 Amongst other arbitrary proclamations, was one full of menaces 
 against those who should speak disrespectfully of his Majesty's 
 proceedings; and even against those who should hear such 
 discourses, unless they informed against the offenders. 
 
 On the 28th of May, 1672, the Duke of York was surprised 
 by the Dutch in Southwold Bay. A severe engagement took 
 place, which lasted from eight in the morning until night. 
 The loss was nearly equal on both sides. The combined powers 
 were more successful by land. Lewis XIV. crossed the Rhine, 
 took all the frontier towns belonging to the Dutch, and 
 threatened the republic with destruction. At length the mur- 
 murs of the English, on seeing this brave and industrious 
 j>€ople, the supporters of the Protestant cause, nearly over- 
 whelmed, were too loud not to reach the King, and he wa« 
 
 s 3
 
 390 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 obliged to call a Parliament. The Parliament began by passing 
 the Test Act, and by repressing some of the King's extraordi- 
 nary stretches of prerogative : they declared their disapprobation 
 of the Dutch war, and resolved to grant no further supplies. 
 The King, indignant at these resolutions, determined to pro- 
 rogue the Parliament. It happened that the Usher of the 
 Black Rod, who was sent from the King, and the Speaker of 
 the House of Commons, met at the door. A tumult ensued ; 
 the Speaker was forced into the chair, and the following 
 resolutions were instantly passed: — That the alliance with 
 France was a grievance ; that the evil Counsellors of the King 
 were a grievance ; and that the Earl of Lauderdale was a griev- 
 ance. The King therefore, finding it impossible to carry on 
 the war, concluded a peace with the Dutch. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Test Act. — An Act passed against the Papists, which obliges all 
 persons who hold oflBces under Government to tfike the Sacrament 
 according to the Church of England. 
 
 Usher of the Mack Rod. — The eldest of the Gentlemen Ushers daily 
 waiters at Court, whose duty it is to bear the rod before the 
 King, at the feast of St George, and other solemnities. 
 
 Speaker of the House of Commons. — A member of the House, 
 elected by a majority of votes, to act as Chairman or President, in 
 putting quesdons, reading briefs or bills, keeping order, reprimand- 
 ing tlie refractory, adjourning the House, &c. 
 
 THE HABEAS-CORPUS ACT. 
 It was in vain the Court tried to pacify the murmurs of the 
 people: the prepossession of Charles for the Court of France, 
 the apprehensions of a Popish succession, an abandoned 
 Court, a Parliament that had continued without a new election 
 for the space of seven years, and an unsuccessful and expensive 
 
 i
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 391 
 
 war with Holland, all united to increase their fears and appre- 
 hensions; which were still further kept up by artful and 
 designing men. In 1678, an account of a plot formed by the 
 Papists, for destroying the King and the Protestant religion, 
 was presented to the House of Commons by Titus Gates, a 
 man of the most abandoned character, who had been dismissed 
 the navy for bad conduct, and who had been once indicted 
 for perjury. He named the Queen aud Duke of York, as 
 being accessaries to the plot ; which, as it was supposed to be 
 carried on by the Jesuits, was called the Jesuits' plot. 
 
 Several Jesuits, among whom was Coleman, the Duke of 
 York's secretary, were executed, upon the information of this 
 unprincipled villain ; and so greatly were the minds of men 
 inflamed against the CathoHcs, that an universal massacre of 
 that unhappy sect was apprehended. During the time of this 
 general uproar, Danby, the prime minister, was impeached, 
 and sent to the Tower. 
 
 The House of Commons, having now sat without interrup- 
 tion for seven years, was dissolved, and a new one called. 
 The new Members resolved to strike at the root of Popery ; 
 and brought in a Bill for excluding the Duke of York from the 
 succession, which passed the Lower House by a majority of 
 seventy-nine. They next voted the King's standing army to be 
 illegal : and to this Parliament we are indebted for that cele- 
 brated statute called The JJabeas-Corpus Act, which confirms 
 the subject in an absolute security from oppressive power. 
 
 During these troubles the Duke of York retired to Brussels ; 
 but an indisposition of the King brought him back again ; and 
 having prevailed on Charles to disgrace his natural son, the 
 Duke of Monmouth, he retired to Scotland. 
 
 The country party, as they were called, resolved to support 
 the Duke of Monmouth against the Duke of York ; and every 
 artifice was employed to keep up the terrors of Popery, and 
 alarm the Court. Party names, by which the spirit of conten- 
 
 s 4
 
 392 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 
 
 tion might be kept alive, began about this time ; and the names 
 of Whigs and Tories were used as terms of reproach. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 IVhigs and Tories. — Two distinguished political parties, each of 
 which is subdivided into State and Moderates. The former, among the 
 Whigs, is the remains of the party of the Long Parliament, who en- 
 deavoured to change monarchy into a commonwealth. Tlie State Tories 
 would have the King to be absolute, and tlierefore plead for passive 
 obedience, non-resistance, and the hereditary right of tlie House of 
 Stuart ; the Moderates of both parties very nearly assimilate to 
 each other. The Whigs watch over the preservation of the liberties and 
 properties of the people ; and the Tories, with equal vigilance, guard the 
 rights and perogatives of the Sovereign ; but without compromising 
 the interests of tlie people. 
 
 EXECUTION OF RUSSEL, SIDNEY, &c. 
 
 Charles in vain endeavoured, by severer methods than his 
 predecessors, to establish episcopacy in Scotland. The Presby- 
 ters, finding all remonstrances ineffectual, had recourse to arms, 
 but were defeated at Pentland Hills by the Duke of Monmouth. 
 The arbitrary measures of the King were violently opposed by 
 the Parliament ; he therefore dissolved it, and called another. 
 The new Parliament was no less refractory than the former : 
 with all the inconsistency of party principle, they every day 
 violated the law for preserving inviolate the liberty of the sub- 
 ject, which they had so recently enacted. The Exclusion Bill 
 passed the House of Commons, but was rejected by the Peers ; 
 which so incensed the former, that they voted, " That till the 
 Exclusion Bill was passed, they could not, consistent with the 
 trust reposed in them, grant the King any further supplies." 
 They were therefore dissolved. The necessities of the King, 
 however, obliged him to call another Parliament at Oxford.
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 393 
 
 He attempted to compromise the Exclusion Bill ; but this also 
 failed, and the Parliament was dissolved. 
 
 From this time the King ruled with despotic sway. Con- 
 trary to the natural inclination of his temper, he became cruel 
 and suspicious. The citizens of London were deprived of their 
 charter ; and were obliged to give up the nomination of their 
 own magistrates, to obtain its restoration. This was so morti- 
 fying a circumstance, that the corporation bodies of England, 
 fearing the same treatment, were induced to surrender their 
 charters to the King, from whom they were again purchased 
 with large sums of money. These unjust and unconstitutional 
 measures of Charles at length produced the Rye-House Plot. 
 The principal conspirators were, Monmouth, Shaftesbury, Rus- 
 sel, Essex, Howard, Algernon Sidney, and John Hampden, 
 grandson of that Hampden who made so conspicuous a figure 
 in the commencement of the Civil Wars. Their proceedings had 
 been planned in 1681. Monmouth, Charles's natural son, 
 aspired to the crown. Russel and Hampden proposed only to 
 exclude the Duke of York from the succession ; but Sidney and 
 Essex were desii-ous of restoring the republic. 
 
 These great men, feeling for the insults offered to the nation 
 by the tyrannical conduct of the King and his ministers, sought 
 to redress their grievances, and re-establish freedom : but the 
 means they adopted were illegal; and if good intentions are to 
 justify the use of unlawful measures, the fences of the law ai'e 
 broken down, and the safety of the nation lies at the mercy of 
 any man, or set of men, who fancy they mean well, when they 
 endeavour to overturm the existing Government. 
 
 A set of men, subordinate to those above-mentioned, pro- 
 jected more violent measures, and the assassination of the King, 
 on his return from Newmarket, was the principal feature in their 
 part of the plot. The caution of Lord Russel, who induced 
 the Duke of Monmouth to put off the enterprize, saved the 
 nation from the horrors of another civil war. The house oc- 
 
 s 5
 
 394 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 cupied by the King at Newmarket accidentally taking fire, 
 obliged him to leave that place sooner than was expected ; and 
 to this circumstance he owed his safety. Soon after this the 
 plot was discovered. Russel and Sidney perished by the hands 
 of the executioner. Essex put an end to his own life. Hamp- 
 den paid a fine of £40,000. The Duke of Monmouth alone, 
 though the most culpable, was pardoned. 
 
 The last transaction of this King was to marry his niece, 
 the lady Anne, to Prince George of Denmark. He was shortly 
 after seized with an apoplexy, and expired on the 6th of 
 February, 1685, having lived fifty-five years, and reigned 
 twenty-five.
 
 Page 395.] 
 
 16 85 i 
 
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 1688 i 
 
 1688 I 
 
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 Dec^23^ |l6 8 8T 
 
 jaier22^|i68"9T
 
 HISTOaY OF INOLAND. 395 
 
 PLATE XXXII. 
 
 James the Second. 
 
 Fis- 1. — Rebellion and Death of the Duke of Monmouth. 
 
 Pig, o — Consequences of Monmouth's Rebellion. 
 
 Cruelties of Judge Jeffreys, who is represented as trampling 
 
 upon the symbol of Justice. The implements of his cruelty are 
 
 represented by the gallows and the whip ; his extortion, by the 
 
 bags of treasure he is grasping. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Acquittal of the Bishops. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Landing of the PniNCE of Orange, whose 
 Standard is supported by the British People. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Flight of James. 
 
 Fig. 6. — The Abdication.
 
 396 HISTORY OF ENGLAN0. 
 
 JAMES THE SECOND. 
 James II., before his accession to the Crown, was noted for 
 his sincerity ; and when, in his first address to his Privy Council, 
 he professed his resolution to maintain the established Govern- 
 ment both in Church and State, his discourse was received 
 w ith universal applause, and unlimited confidence was placed in 
 his honour. " We have now," it was said, " the word of a 
 King, and a word never yet broken." It was a saying of John, 
 King of France, " That though Truth were banished from the 
 earth, she ought still to find an asylum in the breast of Kings." 
 Did James think so ? his very first act of power was a viola- 
 tion of his solemn professions. No King ever mounted the 
 throne of England with greater advantages ; the people seemed 
 disposed, of themselves, to resign their liberties ; and had he 
 not made an attack upon their religion, he might have suc- 
 ceeded in establishing arbitrary power. Bred a Papist, he had 
 all the bigotry of that sect in its most unenlightened periods ; 
 his zeal for making proselytes hurried him into measures that 
 brought on his ruin ; and the events of liis reign prove, that it 
 is highly dangerous for any Catholic Prince to reign over these 
 kingdoms. His diligence in public business was exemplary; he 
 was frugal in the expenditure of the public money ; promoted 
 trade and navigation ; and bestowed particular attention on the 
 navy, which he cherished and extended. In his domestic cha- 
 racter, he was an affectionate husband, a tender parent, a kind 
 master, and a sincere and steady friend ; yet few have ever suf- 
 fered more from the treachery of friends, and the ingratitude of 
 his family, than James. 
 
 The greatest stain upon his character arises from the sanction 
 which he gave to the atrocities of Jeffreys; for by the honours 
 he conferred upon this unworthy Magistrate, this unjust Judge, 
 he shares the obloquy of his crimes, and has branded his own 
 name with cruelty and injustice.
 
 ttlSTORY OF EVGLANO. 397 
 
 REBELLION AND DEATH OF THE DUKE OF 
 MONMOUTH. 
 
 The accession of James seemed to infuse universal pleasure ; 
 addresses from all quarters, expressive not only of duty, but of 
 servile adulation, testified the joy of the nation ; and James, 
 intoxicated by the incense of flattery, conceived his power to 
 be unlimited, and his will uncontrollable. Without deigning to 
 await the generosity of Parliament, or even consulting them, 
 he proceeded to levy all the customs, and the greater part of 
 the excise, which had been awarded to Charles only during his 
 life; but this stretch of prerogative was overlooked, and the 
 Parliament, who were mostly Tories, unanimously voted him, 
 during life, all the revenue enjoyed by the late King. In the 
 midst of this internal tranquillity, a storm was gathering abroad. 
 Monmouth, on being pardoned his last conspiracy, had retired 
 to Holland, where he was received by the Prince of Orange 
 with every mark of distinction. On the death of Charles, the 
 Prince, not to give umbrage to James, dismissed Monmouth, 
 though he still kept up a close correspondence with him, and 
 even encouraged him to attempt to wrest the crown of England 
 from the King. The Duke's resources were very slender ; the 
 sale of his own plate, and the generosity of a rich widow, who 
 gave him .£10,000, was all that he had to carry on the war. 
 He purchased three vessels, loaded them with arms and ammu- 
 nition, and entrusted them to the Earl of Argj'le. The Earl 
 landed in Scotland, published his manifestoes, and put himself 
 at the head of 2,500 men ; but his little army, terrified at the 
 approach of the King's forces, fell off, and he himself, after 
 being wounded, was taken standing up to his neck in water, 
 carried to Edinburgh, treated with great indignity, and pub- 
 licly executed. Monmouth landed in Dorsetshire with scarcely 
 a hundred followers ; yet such was his popularity, that in a 
 short time he found himself at the head of 6,000 men. He 
 affected to deride James's title to the crown ; called him the
 
 398 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Duke of York ; and accused him of being a traitor, a tyrant, a 
 murderer, and a Popish usurper ; affirming that he had occa- 
 sioned the fire of London, and poisoned the late King. James 
 was a little alarmed at this invasion, but dispatched 3,000 men, 
 under the command of the Earl of Feversham and Lord 
 Churchill, who met the rebels at Sedgemoor, near Bridgewater. 
 The valour of Monmouth at first bore down all before him, 
 and victory seemed on the point of declaring in his favour, 
 when the cowardice of Lord Gray, who commanded the horse, 
 threw every thing into confusion, and turned the fortune of the 
 day. Monmouth fled above twenty miles from the field of 
 battle, till his horse sunk under him : he then alighted, and, 
 changing clothes with a shepherd, endeavoured to escape on 
 foot, accompanied by a German Count ; but, exhausted with 
 fatigue and hunger, he lay down in a field, and covered himself 
 with fern, and in this miserable situation, by means of blood- 
 hounds, he was discovered, with only a few raw pease in his 
 pockets. Disappointment, fatigue, and want, so depressed the 
 unhappy Monmouth, that, when seized by his enemies, he 
 burst into tears, and made the most abject intreaties for his 
 life. He wrote to the King, promising to make a full disclosure 
 of all the conspirators. James sent Sheldon, one of the gen- 
 tlemen of his bed-chamber, to converse with him : of whom 
 Monmouth inquired who was chief in the King's confidence ; 
 and being told it was the Earl of Sunderland, " Then, as I 
 hope for salvation," he exclaimed, " he promised to meet me!" 
 Monmouth was soon after brought before the King. Sunder- 
 land artfully prevailed on the credulous Duke to deny all that 
 be had communicated to Sheldon, and thus secured his death. 
 The unfortunate Monmouth in vain pleaded for mercy. James 
 told him " he was much affected by his misfortunes, but that 
 his crime was too dangerous in its example to be left unpu- 
 nished." In his last moments he resumed his former courage ; 
 he spoke little, and made no confession to impeach or betray
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 399 
 
 his friends, but calmly submitted himself to the executioner. 
 The first blow was so feeble and unsteady, that he was only 
 wounded slightly on the shoulder ; upon w hich Monmouth 
 raised his head from the block, and looked the executioner full 
 in the face, as if to reproach him for his mistake, and it was 
 not until after repeated trials that the head was severed from 
 the body. 
 
 Thus perished, in his thirty-sixth year, this ill-fated and mis- 
 guided nobleman, whose courage and insinuating manners made 
 him the darling of the people. His rebellion occasioned the 
 ignominious death of numbers, who, but for his ambition, might 
 have lived in peace. 
 
 CONSEQUENCES OF MONMOUTH'S REBELLION. 
 
 The miserable and deluded followers of Monmouth were 
 punished with the utmost severity. Immediately after the 
 battle of Sedgemoor, the Earl of Feversham hung above 
 twenty prisoners ; and, but for the interference of the Bishop 
 of Bath and Wells, would have proceeded with his military 
 executions. Nineteen were put to death in the same manner 
 at Bridgewater, by Colonel Kirke, a man long practised in the 
 arts of slaughter, and whose savage and bloody disposition took 
 delight in acts of wanton barbarity. He would order a certain 
 number to be hanged, whilst he drank the King's, the Queen's, 
 or Judge Jeffreys' health ; and observing their feet to quiver in 
 the agonies of death, he exclaimed, " that he would give them 
 music to their dancing;" and immediately ordered the drums 
 to beat, and the trumpets to sound. He ravaged the whole 
 country, sparing neither friend nor foe ; and his own regiment, 
 for their pecuUar barbarity, were ironically called Kirke' s Lavibs. 
 The inhuman Judge Jeffreys was sent down to try the delin- 
 quents. Exulting in the prospect of death and destruction, he 
 seized the sword of Justice, but forgot her scales. Terror and 
 consternation preceded him : misery and despair followed his
 
 400 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Steps. Dorchester, Exeter, Taunton, and Wells, felt the full 
 weight of his inhumanity. It is computed that, independent of 
 those butchered by the military commanders, not fewer than 
 two hundred and fifty-one, innocent as well as guilty, perished 
 by the hands of the executioner, whilst many others suffered 
 by fines and imprisonments. The executions of Lady Lisle and 
 of Mrs. Gaunt were attended by circumstances peculiarly ag- 
 gravating. The former was the widow of one of the regicides, 
 and she was now prosecuted for harbouring two rebels the day 
 after the battle of Sedgenioor. In vain the aged prisoner 
 pleaded that she was ignorant of their being rebels ; that though 
 she might be obnoxious on account of her family, it was well 
 known that her heart was loyal ; that she had educated her son 
 in the same principles ; and that, at the very time, she had sent 
 him to fiaht against those rebels she was now accused of har- 
 bouring. The Jury indeed seemed inclined to acquit her, but, 
 terrified by the menaces of Jeffreys, they gave sentence against 
 her, and she was hanged. 
 
 Mrs. Gaunt was a Baptist, noted for her benevolence and 
 kindness. One of the rebels, knowing her humane temper, 
 intreated her protection, and was concealed by her. Hearing 
 of a proclamation which offered a reward to such as discovered 
 criminals, he betrayed his benefactress, and bore evidence 
 against her. He was pardoned, for his treachery and ingrati- 
 tude ; she was burned alive, for her charity. 
 
 Jeffreys, on his return, was created a Peer, and soon after 
 vested with the dignity of Chancellor. In the succeeding reign, 
 however, he was closely confined in the Tower, where he died. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Baptist. — One of tliat sect of religionists, who contend that the 
 ordinance of baptism should be administered by immersion, and that 
 only to adults, or tliose who are of age to make profession of tlieir 
 belief, and to avow their determination to live by its precepts.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 401 
 
 ACQUITTAL OF THE BISHOPS. 
 After the suppression of Monmouth's rebellion, James en- 
 deavoured openly to re-establish Popery and arbitrary power. 
 He told the House of Comm.ons that the militia were useless ; 
 that it was necessary to keep up a standing army ; that he had 
 employed a great many Catholic officers, in whose favour he 
 had thought proper to dispense with the test required to be 
 taken by all who were employed by the Crown. The Parlia- 
 ment shewing some dissatisfaction at these proceedings, James 
 dissolved it. His next step was to introduce four Catholic 
 Lords into the Privy Council; and the Duke of Ormond, who 
 had long supported the Royal cause in Ireland with zeal and 
 ability, was displaced for being a Protestant : and the Lord 
 Tyrconnel, a violent Catholic, was appointed in his stead. The 
 High Commission Court was revived, and a declaration of 
 general indulgence issued, in which it was asserted, that non- 
 conformity to the established religion was no longer penal. 
 In Scotland, James ordered his Parliament to grant toleration 
 only to Catholics. He next sent Lord Castlemaine ambassador 
 to Rome, to reconcile his kingdoms to the Catholic Church. 
 The rashness of this proceeding was apparent even to the Pope, 
 who made no other return to the embassy, than by sending a 
 Nuncio into England. Soon after this, the Catholic worship 
 was exercised in the most public manner, and the Jesuits were 
 permitted to erect colleges in different parts of the kingdom. 
 The presidency of Magdalen College, Oxford, becoming vacant, 
 the King sent a mandate in favour of a person named Farmer, 
 a new convert, and a man of bad character. The Fellows of the 
 College, in respectful terms, refused to admit him, and elected 
 in his stead Dr. Hough, a man of learning, integrity, and reso- 
 lution. The King then sent down a man of a more abandoned 
 character than Farmer, but the Fellows still refused to receive 
 him ; at which James was so irritated, that he ejected them all, 
 except two, from their benefices.
 
 402 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 In 1686, a second declaration for liberty of conscience was 
 published, and an order was given that it should be read by 
 every divine, after the service. This the clergy refused ; and 
 the Bishops of St. Asaph, Bath and Wells, Ely, Chichester, 
 Peterborough and Bristol, and Bancroft the Primate, drew up a 
 remonstrance, in which, after expressing their zeal and dut)', 
 they respectfully declared they could not conscientiously comply 
 with the terms of the proclamation. 
 
 The King, who was surprized and displeased at their address, 
 summoned them before the Council, and on their refusing to 
 give bail, they were committed to the Tower. The people were 
 no sooner informed of the danger of the Bishops, than the 
 whole City was in consternation. They went out in crowds to 
 meet them, craving their blessing, and calling upon Heaven to 
 protect them ; even the soldiers, by whom they were guarded, 
 fell on their knees, imploring their forgiveness. 
 
 The Crown lawyers had received orders to prosecute the 
 Bishops for a seditious libel. The 29th of June, 1686, was 
 fixed on for this extraordinary trial, which lasted a day and a 
 night. When the Jury brought in their verdict of " Not 
 guilty," the whole city resounded with acclamations. The 
 news quickly reached the camp at Hounslow, where the 
 King then was at dinner, in Lord Feversham's tent. Hearing 
 the exultations, James inquired into the cause ; and being 
 informed it was only the soldiers rejoicing for the acquittal of 
 the Bishops, " Do you call that nothing ?" replied he : " so 
 much the worse for them !" 
 
 He immediately after this struck out the names of two of the 
 Judges, and ordered all the clergymen to be prosecuted who 
 had not read his proclamation. But hoping to find more obe- 
 dience in the army, he ordered one of the regiments to be 
 drawn out ; when, desiring all those who were against his late 
 declaration to lay down their arms, he was surprised and morti- 
 fied to see the whole battalion, except two, obey his commands.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 403 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 jS!'u7icio, an ambassador from the Pope. 
 
 Jesuits, a celebrated religious order of tlie Romish Churcli, founded 
 by Ignatius Lozola in 1440. The Jesuits are celebrated for tlieir 
 profound and artful policy. 
 
 Liberty of Conscience, liberty to worship God according to the dic- 
 tates of conscience, without incurring any penalty or prosecution for 
 differing from the Established Church. 
 
 LANDING OF THE PRINCE OF ORANGE. 
 
 A FEW days previous to the acquittal of the Bishops, the 
 Queen was delivered of a son. This circumstance, had James 
 possessed any prudence, might have been fortunate for him ; 
 but so obnoxious was he now become to the people, that he 
 was accused of imposing a suppositious child upon the public. 
 Despising such rash unfounded assertions, he had too much 
 pride to enter into any justification, and scorned to take any 
 precautions to refute the calumny. 
 
 The Prince of Orange * had long been desirous of gaining 
 the English Crown, and had planned his schemes with infinite 
 address. Having all the King's servants in his pay, he was re- 
 gularly informed of all his measures ; he watched every move- 
 ment, and took advantage of every error. He had the art to 
 persuade the Pope, the King of Spain, and the Emperor of 
 Austria, to join his schemes, out of enmity to France, and to 
 assist him, a professed Protestant, in dethroning a Roman Ca- 
 thoUc Prince. Seeing the national discontent was now extreme, 
 he sent over an envoy, named Dykevelt, with orders to insi- 
 nuate himself with every religious sect, and to win over every 
 party in England to his interest. In consequence of these in- 
 trigues, he received invitations from most of the considerable 
 
 * He was nephew as well as son-in-law to James, having married 
 the Princess 3Iarj'.
 
 404 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 men in the kingdom. Admirals Herbert and Russel, and Henry 
 Sydney, uncle to the Earl of Sunderland, went over to him, 
 and assured him of a general combination in his favour. Soon 
 after, the Bishop of London, and many of the chief nobility, 
 joined him ; and the people, though long divided between Whig 
 and Tory, now united against their misguided Sovereign, as 
 against a common enemy. William therefore determined to 
 accede to their wishes, and had a fleet ready to sail, and troops 
 fitted for action, before the beginning of June 1688. 
 
 Lewis XIV., who at this time reigned in France, was the first 
 to inform James of his danger, and to offer his assistance ; but 
 the infatuated Monarch, relying with implicit confidence on his 
 traitorous minister, the Earl of Sunderland, denied the possi- 
 bility of an invasion, and affirmed that the Dutch armament 
 was destined to act against France. 
 
 At length his minister in Holland informed him, that an 
 invasion was not only projected, but avowed. James now saw 
 himself on the brink of destruction, and knew not to whom to 
 apply for protection. He endeavoured, by concession, to con- 
 ciliate the people ; but it was now too late : his sincerity was 
 doubted, his word was no longer relied on. 
 
 In the mean time, William set sail from Helvoetsluys with a 
 fleet of five hundred vessels, and an army of more than 14,000 
 men. At first he was driven back by a storm ; but he soon 
 refitted his fleet, and landed at Torbay on the 5th of November 
 1688. The recollection of the severities consequent upon 
 Monmouth's rebellion for some days prevented any one from 
 joining the Prince's standard, and he was actually deliberating 
 about re-embarking his forces, when Major Burrington went 
 over. In a few days more he was joined by all the principal 
 people in the counties of Devon and Dorset. The army soon 
 after followed, and so general was the defection, that the 
 unhappy Monarch found hunself deserted, not only by his 
 servants and dependants, but even by his own children. His
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 405 
 
 favourite daughter Anne, married to George Prince of Den- 
 mark, cruelly resolved to take part with his enemies. James, 
 when informed of this last stroke, stung with the keenest 
 anguish at the ingratitude and baseness of mankind, exclaimed, 
 in an agony of grief, " God help me ! even my own children 
 have deserted me ! " 
 
 FLIGHT OF JAMES. 
 
 It was the policy of the Prince of Orange to work upon the 
 King's fears and apprehensions, to induce him to quit the king- 
 dom. When, therefore, James sent three of his noblemen to 
 treat with the Prince, he for some time refused them an au- 
 dience : and when he did admit them, he gave them no satis- 
 factory answer. James, not knowing whom to trust, forsaken 
 by his dependants, abandoned by his family, impelled by h}s 
 own fears (which recalled to his memory the fate of his father), 
 and by the alarm of the Queen for the safety of herself and 
 infant son, precipitately resolved on escaping to France. The 
 Queen and Prince were first sent over. In a wet and stormy 
 day they crossed the river at Whitehall, and, protected by the 
 Count de Limousin, proceeded to Gravesend, from whence a 
 yacht conveyed them in safety to Calais. The King prepared 
 to follow them; and, the more effectually to involve every 
 thing in confusion, he threw the great seal into the river, and 
 left no one with any authority to act during his absence, in the 
 vain hope that his affairs might be retrieved by anarchy and 
 confusion. 
 
 Attended only by Sir Edward Hales, he withdrew, about mid- 
 night, on the 6th of December, and made the best of his way 
 to a ship that was waiting for him ; but being obliged to put 
 back, to take in more ballast, he was seized by some fishermen, 
 who, supposing him to be a Papist endeavouring to make his 
 escape, cruelly insulted him. At length a sailor, who had
 
 406 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 formerly seiTed under him, when he commanded the fleet, 
 knew him, and melted into tears. James also wept, which so 
 affected the other fishermen, that they threw themselves on 
 their knees, implored his forgiveness, formed a guard around 
 him, and vowed that not a hair of his head should be touched. 
 In the mean time Sir James Oxendon, under pretence of 
 guarding him from the rabble, came with the militia to prevent 
 his escape. The soldiers, following the example of their ofEcers, 
 treated him with harshness and insult ; and a letter, which he 
 intended to send to London for a change of linen and some 
 money, was stopped by those who pretended to protect his 
 person. At length a poor countryman brought an open letter 
 from the unhappy King: it had no superscription, and was 
 addressed to no one ; it contained only one sentence, making 
 known his deplorable situation. The humble messenger long 
 waited at the door of the Council Chamber, without being able 
 to draw any one's attention. At length the Earl of Musgrave 
 listened to his narrative, and introduced him to the Council. 
 His description of the sufferings of the fallen Monarch awakened 
 their compassion, and they sent the Earl of Feversham with 
 two hundred of the guards to his relief, with orders to conduct 
 him, if he wished it, to the sea-side ; he chose, however, to 
 return to London. The Prince had dispatched a messenger, 
 ordering him not to advance beyond Rochester, but he arrived 
 too late. No sooner was it known that the King was once 
 more in his capital, than the flame of loyalty seemed to re- 
 kindle in every breast ; shouts of joy rent the air, bonfires 
 blazed in every street, and the bells rang to announce his re- 
 turn. Had he possessed any firmness or spirit, he would shortly 
 have been reinstated in his former dignity : but feeble, timorous, 
 and precipitate, he fell into the snares of his enemies ; he 
 trembled at the menaces of his son-in-law, and rejected the 
 spirited counsels of his friends. " Give me your commission," 
 said the brave Dundee, " and 1 will gather 10,000 of your
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 40/ 
 
 troops : I will cany your standard at their liead through Eng- 
 land, and drive before you the Dutch and their Prince." But 
 this had no effect upon James : he privately quitted the king- 
 dom, and landed at Ambleteuse in France, December the 25th, 
 1688, where he was received by Lewis with every mark of 
 sympathy and regard : a conduct which reflects greater lustre 
 on this Monarch than his most signal victories. 
 
 THE ABDICATION. 
 
 Whilst James was intent upon making his escape, the Prince 
 of Orange was endeavouring to secure, by prudence, that which 
 he had acquired from the imbecility of the King, and his own 
 policy. He re-assembled the disbanded army, ordered the 
 Secretary at War to bring him a list of the King's troops, com- 
 manded Lord Churchill to collect the horse-guai-ds, and sent 
 the Duke of Grafton to take possession, in his name, of Tilbury 
 Fort. It was the aim of the Prince to force James to relinquish 
 the throne. His measures were crowned with success : James 
 abandoned his kingdom, and left the Prince of Orange undis- 
 puted master of his dominions. By the advice of the House of 
 Lords, the only branch of the Legislature remaining, William 
 was requested to summon a Parliament by circular letters ; but, 
 unwilling to act upon so imperfect" an authority, he convened 
 all the Members who had sat in the House of Commons during 
 any Parliament of Charles II. To these were added the Mayor, 
 Aldermen, and fifty of the Common Council of London. Thus 
 supported, he summoned a new Parliament. 
 
 The Parliament met on the 22d of February 1 689 ; and the 
 Members being mostly of the Whig party, thanks were given to 
 the Prince of Orange for the deliverance he had brought them. 
 A vote soon after passed both Houses, that King James, having 
 endeavoured to subvert the Constitution of the kingdom, by 
 breaking the original contract between the King and his people ;
 
 408 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 and having, by the advice of Jesuits and other wicked persons, 
 violated the fundamental laws, and withdrawn himself out of 
 the kingdom, he had thereby abdicated the government, and 
 left the throne vacant. 
 
 James being thus formally dethroned, it was at first proposed 
 to appoint a Regent, or to vest the regal power in the Princess 
 of Orange ; but to this William replied, that if they chose to 
 have a Regent, he thought it incumbent upon him to declare 
 that he would not be that Regent ; that he would not accept of 
 the Crown under the Princess his wife, how highly soever he 
 estimated her merits. 
 
 Upon this a long debate ensued in both Houses, and at 
 length a majority of two voices declared in favour of a new 
 Sovereign. It was agreed that the Prince and Princess of 
 Orange should reign jointly as King and Queen of England, 
 while the administration should be placed in the hands of the 
 King only. The Marquis of Halifax, as Speaker of the House 
 of Lords, made a solemn tender of the Crown to their High- 
 nesses, in the name of the Peers and Commons of England. 
 The Prince accepted their offer : and that very day, February 
 13th, 1689, William and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen 
 of England.
 
 Page 409.] 
 
 PLATE XXXIII. 
 
 i
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 40fl 
 
 PLATE XXXIII. 
 
 WiLUAM THE Third. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Death of Dlndee, at the Battle of Killicranky. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Siege of Londonderry. 
 The standard of James displa3s the fleur-de-lis, his cause 
 being supported by a French army. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Battle of the Boyne. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Massacre at Glencoe. 
 
 Fig. 5. — Battle of La Hogue. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Death of King James. 
 Lewis XIV. acknowledging the son of James, Prince of 
 Wales ; and promising, on the death of his father, to assert his 
 pretensions to the Crown.
 
 410 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 WILLIAM THE THIRD. 
 In person, William was of the middle stature, but thin ; hi» 
 countenance, like his manners, was harsh and severe ; his con- 
 versation cold, uninteresting, and inelegant. Delighting in war, 
 he devoted himself to military pursuits, and was esteemed 
 skilful in fortification and mathematics. In battle alone he 
 threw aside his habitual reserve, and became free, animated, 
 and daring : and, it is said, that in courage, fortitude, or equa- 
 nimity, he has never been surpassed. He was temperate, reli- 
 gious, and just, when his justice was not likely to interfere with 
 his ruling passion — ambition, to which he sacrificed the social 
 ties of kindred. He taught his wife to view with apathy the 
 misfortunes of her father, and to ascend his throne with appa- 
 rent indifference. Whatever might have been the errors of 
 James as a King, he undoubtedly merited the affection of his 
 children, nor can state policy exonerate William and Mary 
 from the reproach of ingratitude. 
 
 The education of William had been much neglected, and to 
 that perhaps may be attributed his want of taste for literature 
 and the polite arts. He was ambitious of being the arbiter of 
 Europe, and, without scruple, sacrificed the interests of that 
 people, to whom he was indebted for his Crown, in the vain 
 endeavour to adjust the balance of power on the Continent. 
 He hesitated not to employ corruption, to attain his ends. He 
 first procured a standing army. He began the national debt. 
 In a word, a narrow system of politics seems to have ab- 
 sorbed every liberal and generous feeling of his heart : for he 
 was an vmkind relation, an ungracious Prince, and an unperious 
 Sovereign. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 National Debt. — The sum owing by Government to individuals, 
 who have advanced money for public purposes.
 
 mStORY OF ENGLAND. 411 
 
 DEATH OF DUNDEE, AT THE BATTLE OF 
 KILLICRANKY. 
 
 The first act of the new King was to issue a proclamation, 
 that all Protestants who had been in place on the first of 
 December preceding should continue in office. He then fixed 
 his Privy Council, which consisted of such persons as had been 
 most active in raising him to the throne. His Dutch friends 
 too were not forgotten ; but these instances of gratitude, though 
 necessarv, and even laudable in William, were nevertheless 
 displeasing to the generality of the people. The King had been 
 bred a Calvinist ; and being naturally averse from persecution, 
 he endeavoured to repeal those laws that enjoined uniformity of 
 worship : and though he did not entirely succeed in his design, 
 yet he procured a toleration for such Dissenters as took the oaths 
 of allegiance ; and even the Papists felt the influence of his 
 mild administration. The kingdom of Scotland did not at first 
 recognize the authority of William. The brave Dundee still 
 remained the champion of James. Apprehending a plot to 
 assassinate him, he left Edinburgh, attended only by fifty horse. 
 As he passed the castle walls, he scrambled up the precipice on 
 which it was built, to confer ^ith the Duke of Gordon its 
 governor ; and having informed him of his designs, and urged 
 him to hold out as long as possible, he rode of with all speed. 
 
 In the mean time, the Convention that favoured the cause of 
 William and Mary determined that James had foref aiilfed his 
 right to the crown ; by which was meant, that he had perpetually 
 excluded himself and his immediate posterity from the Crown, 
 which was thereby become vacant. This being approved, 
 another resolution was drawn up for raising William and Mary 
 to the vacant throne; and they were, in consequence, pro- 
 claimed at Edinburgh in 1689. 
 
 The Duke of Gordon long maintained the Castle of Edin- 
 burgh for James ; but being pressed by a siege, and despairing 
 of success, he at length surrendered upon honourable terms. 
 
 T 2
 
 412 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 James's adherents were greatly dispirited by this misfortune ; 
 but Dundee, though strongly urged, refused to acknowledge 
 fealty to William, and was in consequence declared an outlaw 
 and a rebel. General Mackay, with four regiments of foot and 
 one of horse, was sent to oppose him. Dundee induced many 
 of the Highlanders to join his standard, and for some time kept 
 his ground, notwithstanding the exertions of the English gene- 
 ral. At length, on the 17th of July, an engagement took 
 place at Killicranky. The Scots had no more than forty pounds 
 of powder for the supply of the whole army ; but the active 
 spirit of their general, who was enthusiastically beloved, sup- 
 plied all deficiencies. The Highlanders were victorious. Two 
 thousand of Mackay's men were lost, either in the field or in 
 the pursuit. But the victory was dearly purchased : for the 
 Dundee was mortally wounded, and with him perished all the 
 hopes of James in Scotland. The Highlanders soon after, dis- 
 pleased with their new commander, dispersed themselves in dis- 
 gust ; and the war at length terminated favourably for William. 
 
 SIEGE OF LONDONDERRY. 
 Ireland was now the only part of James's former dominions 
 that still acknowledged his authority. The Catholics, who 
 espoused his cause, greatly outnumbered the Protestants who 
 adhered to William. James therefore determined to make one 
 effort more to wrest his dominions from his son-in-law ; and, 
 assisted by Lewis, he landed at Kinsale, where he was received 
 with the utmost demonstrations of joy. James's whole force 
 consisted of fourteen ships of war, six frigates, and three fire- 
 ships, 1,200 of his native subjects in the pay of France, and 
 one hundred French officers. On his way to Dublin, however, 
 he was joined by such numbers, that he was forced to dismiss a 
 great many of them. On his arrival at Dublin, he was received 
 with an appearance of universal joy. On the 8th of July he
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 413 
 
 quitted it, and laid siege to Londonderry. This town was in- 
 vested the 20th of April by the French general Rosenne, who, 
 enraged at the obstinate resistance he met with, threatened to 
 rase the town to its foundation, and destroy all the inhabitants, 
 without distinction of age or sex, unless they would submit 
 themselves to their lawful sovereign. The governor, however, 
 treated these menaces with contemjit ; although the inhabitants 
 had now consumed the last remains of their provision, and 
 were reduced to feed on the flesh of horses, cats, dogs, rats, 
 &c. Rosenne, finding them deaf to all his proposals, stripped 
 all the Protestants for thirty miles round, and, without distinc- 
 tion of age, sex, or condition, drove above 4,000 of them 
 under the walls to perish. The besieged were so exasperated 
 at this act of inhumanity, that they resolved rather to die than 
 submit to such a barbai'ian. They erected a gibbet in sight of 
 the enemy, and threatened to hang all the prisoners they had 
 taken during the siege, unless the unhappy Pi'otestants should 
 be dismissed immediately. In consequence of this menace, they 
 were released, after remaining three days without food. Some 
 hundreds perished with famine and fatigue, and many were 
 murdered by straggling i)arties of the enemy. At length 
 Colonel Kirke made a desperate endeavour to relieve the town, 
 which was now reduced to the last extremity. One of his ships 
 broke the boom that impeded the navigation of the river, and 
 arrived in safety at the town, to the inexpressible joy of the 
 inhabitants. The army of James was so dispirited by the 
 success of this enterprise, that they precipitately abandoned the 
 siege, after having lost 9,000 men before the place. 
 
 BATTLE OF THE BOYNE. 
 James was now surrounded with difficulties j and being in 
 total want of money, he, with the advice of his Council, 
 issued a new copper coinage, which was to be received for silver. 
 
 T 3
 
 414 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 This satisfied the army ; and the people acceded to it in the 
 hope of being repaid when the affairs of the nation were in a 
 more favourable situation. To add to the perplexities of James, 
 an English army of 10,000 men, under the command of the 
 Duke of Schomberg, landed at Donaghadee. Having refreshed 
 his troops at Belfast, he invaded Carrickfergus, which was 
 bravely defended; but the garrison having expended their 
 powder to the last barrel, capitulated, and marched out with 
 all the honours of war. 
 
 Schomberg's soldiers, however, broke the capitulation ; they 
 disarmed and stripped the inhabitants, and treated them with 
 the greatest cruelty and insult, without regard to sex, age, or 
 condition. The English soldiers, being encamped on low and 
 moist ground, became very sickly, and many died of fevers and 
 other disorders. The enemy suffered nearly as much, so that 
 they both retired into winter-quarters. 
 
 Early in the following summer, William went in person to 
 the relief of his Protestant subjects; and a severe engagement 
 took place on the banks of the Boyne, where James occupied 
 a very advantageous post. The day before the battle, whilst 
 William was reconnoitring the enemy, a field-piece was pointed 
 at him ; a soldier and two horses were killed by his side, and 
 he was himself slightly wounded in the shoulder. 
 
 The battle commenced at six o'clock the next morning ; the 
 soldiers of William wearing green boughs in their hats during 
 the action, to distinguish them from their enemies. William 
 passed the river in three places, and the battle began with great 
 vigour. He led on his troops in person. James, whose natural 
 bravery seems to have forsaken him from the time he became 
 a King, surrounded with some squadrons of horse, viewed the 
 action from the Hill of Dunmore ; and when he saw his own 
 troops repelling those of the enemy, he exclaimed, " Oh, spare 
 my English subjects !" His forces behaved with great resolution, 
 but were at last defeated, with the loss of 1,500 men. The
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 415 
 
 Protestants lost about one third that number ; but among them 
 was their brave general, the Duke of Schomberg. Before 
 the battle was decided, James quitted his station, and fled to 
 Dublin ; where advising the magistrates to make the best terms 
 they could with the victor, he set out for Waterford, and 
 thence embarked for France. When it was first perceived that 
 he had deserted his troops, O'Regan, an old Irish Captain, 
 observed, " If the English will exchange generals, we'll fight 
 the battle over again !" The friends of James, however, again 
 rallied, but were defeated at the battle of Aughrim. Limerick, 
 a strong city in the south of Ireland, made a brave defence, 
 but at length capitulated. Fourteen thousand Catholics, who 
 had fought for James, had permission to go over to France, 
 and transports were pro\aded them by Government. Those 
 who remained were allowed the free exercise of their religion, 
 as had been granted during the reign of Charles II. 
 
 MASSACRE AT GLENCOE. 
 The commencement of the year 1692 was disgraced by an 
 act of unexampled barbarity. A pacification having taken 
 place with the Highlanders, a proclamation was issued in 
 August, granting an indemnity to all such insurgents as should, 
 take the oaths of fealty to the King and Queen on or before 
 the last day of December. The chiefs, who had borne arms 
 in favour of King James, complied, all except Macdonald of 
 Glencoe, who, from some accidental circumstances and misfor- 
 tunes, was prevented from tendering his duty so soon as the 
 others ; yet so eager was he to make his submission, and take 
 the oaths before the limited time should expire, that he would 
 not stop to visit his family, though his house lay only half-a- 
 mile from the road. The way to Inverary, whither he was 
 going, lay through almost impassable mountains j the season 
 was rigorous to the extreme ; and the whole country wa» 
 
 T 4
 
 416 HISTORY OF ENGLAXD. 
 
 covered with a deep snow. At length he surmounted the 
 difficulties that opposed him ; he arrived in safety at Inverary, 
 and hastened to make his submission. The sheriff hesitated, 
 for the time was elapsed : at length, however, the tears and 
 importunities of Macdonald prevailed : notwithstanding which. 
 Sir John Dalryniple, afterwards Earl of Stair, procured from 
 the King a warrant of military execution against him and his 
 whole tribe. The warrant was signed, both above and below, 
 with the King's own hand. Campbell of Glenlyon, with two 
 subalterns and one hundred and fifty men, were commanded to 
 repair to Glencoe on the 1st of February. Campbell, who 
 was uncle to young Macdonald*s wife, was received with 
 friendly and affectionate hospitality; and until the 15th of the 
 month, the troops lived in good humour and familiarity with 
 the people. On that fatal night the soldiers' quarters had been 
 changed, lest pity for their hosts should withhold their hands 
 from slaughter. The officers spent the evening at Macdonald's, 
 and played at cards with the unsuspecting family. In the dead 
 of the night, with words of friendly import, Lieutenant 
 Lindsay and a party of soldiers gained admittance : the mask 
 was thrown off, and the ungrateful guests began the work of 
 death. Macdonald was shot through the head, and fell down 
 ilead in the arms of his wife, who expired the next day, dis- 
 tracted by the horror of her husband's fate. The slaughter 
 was general : women, defending their children, fell beneath the 
 stroke of the assassin ; boys, imploring mercy, were shot by 
 the officers, to whose knees they clung for safety. In Camp- 
 bell's own quarters, nine men were first bound by the soldiers, 
 and then shot at intervals, one by one. Thirty-eight persons 
 fell in this massacre, most of whom were murdered in their 
 beds. Those who escaped the sword, perished in the moun- 
 tains by famine and the inclemency of the weather. This 
 barbarous massacre answered the immediate purpose of the 
 Court, by striking terror into the hearts of the Jacobites : but
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 417 
 
 it produced such an aversion from the person and government 
 of William as all the arts of ministry could never effectuallj' 
 surmount. The King, alarmed at the outcry which this out- 
 rage produced, ordered an inquiry to be made; but as he. did 
 not severely punish those who had made his authority subser- 
 vient to their revenge, the imputation of cruelty and treachery 
 will always be attached to his character. 
 
 -0 — 
 
 BATTLE OF LA HOGUE. 
 
 King James, notwithstanding his defeat in Ireland, and the 
 dispersion and extermination of the Highland chieftains who 
 favoured his cause, resolved to make another attempt to 
 regain his crown. He had still many adherents in England ; 
 and the French King resolved to make a \'igorous effort in his 
 favour, and to attempt in invasion of England, whilst William 
 was absent in Holland. 
 
 The army destined for this enterprise consisted of some 
 French troops, some English and Scotch refugees, and some 
 Irish regiments which had been transported into France from 
 Limerick, and were now become excellent soldiers, from long 
 discipline and severe duty. This army was commanded by 
 James in person. Above three hundred vessels were appointed 
 to transport them to the opposite coast ; and Tourville, the 
 French admiral, at the head of sixty-three ships of the line, 
 was to favour the descent. His orders were, at all events to 
 attack the enemy, should they attempt to oppose him. These 
 preparations of the French were soon known at the English 
 court ; and the Queen, in the absence of her husband, took 
 the most prompt and effective means to avert the threatened 
 danger. Admiral Russel was ordered to put to sea with all 
 |X>ssible expedition ; and he soon appeared with ninety-nine 
 ships of the line, besides frigates and fire-ships 
 
 T 5
 
 418 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 At the head of this formidable fleet, he set sail for the coast 
 of France. He discovered the enemy near Cape La Hogue. 
 The engagement began with great fury between the two admi- 
 rals. The rest of the fleet soon followed their example ; and 
 after ten hours' hard fighting, \dctory declared for the English. 
 The French fled for Conquet Road, having lost four ships in 
 the first day's action. Three French ships of the line were 
 taken the next day : and eighteen more, that had taken refuge 
 in the bay of La Hogue, were burnt on the following day by 
 Sir George Rooke. 
 
 Thus perished all the hopes of James. And so decisive was 
 the blow given to the French marine, that France from this time 
 seems to have relinquished the sovereignty of the ocean. 
 
 DEATH OF KING JAMES. 
 
 On the death of John Sobieski, King of Poland, James was 
 offered the vacant crown ; which he declined, saying, that he 
 would accept of no crown which was not actually his due ; for 
 that would, indeed, be to acknowledge an abdication of the 
 one he considered as his right. 
 
 In an interview between Lewis XIV, and William, the latter 
 screed to acknowledge the Prince of Wales, James's son, as 
 his successor : but to this James would not consent, alledging, 
 " That the Prince of Wales, by succeeding to the Prince of 
 Orange, would yield his sole right, which was that of his 
 father." James henceforth relinquished all hope of regaining 
 his kingdom ; and resigned himself entirely to the austerities of 
 religious enthusiasm. At length his constitution gave wayj 
 he fell into a lethargy ; and expired at St. Gcrmains, Septem- 
 ber the 6th, 1701. 
 
 Lewis, during his sickness, frequently visited him : and 
 having determined to acknowledge his son, the Prince of 
 Wales, as King of England after his father's decease, he
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAKD. 419 
 
 entered the chamber of the dying King ; and commanding 
 that no one should leave the room, he thus addressed him : 
 " I come to acquaint you, Sire, that when God shall pleaee 
 to call your Majesty from this world, I shall take your family 
 into my protection ; and shall acknowledge, as he will then 
 certainly be, your son as King of Great Britain and Ireland. 
 
 William did not long survive his father-in-law. The want of 
 a common enemy produced dissentions among the people : 
 and the uneasiness he felt at the refractory disposition of 
 his subjects, was not a little increased by the death of his 
 Queen, who fell a victim to the small-pox. Notwithstanding 
 the coldness and apparent indifference of William's temper, he 
 was tenderly attached to her. He fainted away when first 
 informed of his loss ; and for some weeks was incapable of 
 attending to business. At length, his old habits began to 
 resume their influence; and the adjustment of the balance of 
 power in Eiu'ope again engaged his whole attention. His 
 ruling principle was to humble the power of France ; and his 
 chief motive for accepting the crown of England was to engage 
 this country more deeply in the concerns of Europe. But 
 whilst he devoted his attention to forming alliances abroad, he 
 neglected the internal policy of his government at home, 
 and heard the complaints of his English subjects with phleg- 
 matic indifference. Party spirit increased; the practice of 
 bribing a majority in Parliament became universal; and pa- 
 triotism was ridiculed, or considered as an ideal vii'tue. Morals 
 and decency were gradually banished ; talents lay uncultivated 
 and neglected ; whilst ignorance and profligacy were received 
 into favour. 
 
 The war with France continued during the greater part of 
 this reign ; but was at length terminated by the Peace of Rys- 
 wick : and the only equivalent Britain received for all the blood 
 that had been shed, and the treasure which had been lavished 
 was an acknowledgment of William's title to the crown. It 
 
 T 6
 
 420 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 was not long, however, before he began to make fresh prepa- 
 tions for a war with France; but before his plans were com- 
 pleted, death overtook him. 
 
 His constitution had been always feeble, and he endeavoured 
 to repair it by exercise. Riding one day from Kensington to 
 Hampton Court, his horse fell under him, by which accident 
 he broke his collar-bone. A fever succeeded, and terminated 
 his life, in the fifty-second year of his age, and the thirteenth 
 of his reign.
 
 Page 421.] 
 
 PLATE XXXIV. 
 
 170a | io [l7Q6
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 421 
 
 PLATE XXXIV. 
 
 Anne. 
 
 Fig. 1. — French War. 
 The French standards are reversed, in token of defeat. In 
 the centre is the British Lion, bearing a laurel branch, the 
 emblem of victory. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Victory and Death of Admiral Benbow. 
 The Admiral is reclining on an anchor, on which are entwined 
 the laurel and the oak. Two of his dastardly officers lie dead 
 in the fore-ground, having been shot for cowardice. The 
 enemy's fleet is retiring in the distance. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Victories of Marlborough. 
 In the centre is the Duke, surrounded by standards, inscribed 
 with his principal battles. Above is a crown of laurel, in token 
 of victory. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Gibraltar taken by Sir George Rooke. 
 On the summit of the rock, is the English standard ; beneath, 
 is that cf Spain, which is recumbent, in token of defeat. On 
 the left is the French fleet, with the fleur-de-lis. 
 
 Fig. 5. — The Union of England and Scotland. 
 Within a circle, the emblem of continuity, is the British 
 Lion bearing the thistle. The circle is composed of the oak 
 and thistle entwined. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Victories of Marlborough. 
 
 Fig. 7. — Peace of Utrecht.
 
 422 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 ANNE. 
 
 Anne, the daughter of James the Second by his first wife 
 Anne Stuart, expressively styled " The good Queen Anne," 
 was beloved by her subjects with a warmth of affection that 
 even the prejudice of party could not abate. Her person was 
 of the middle size, and well proportioned ; her hair dark ; 
 her complexion blooming ; and her countenance pleasing. Her 
 voice was so peculiarly melodious, that it was commonly 
 observed, " Her very speech was music." She was married 
 to Prince George of Denmark, and is said to have been a pattern 
 of conjugal love and fidelity. As a parent, she was tender and 
 affectionate ; but had the misfortune to survive all her children. 
 She was a munificent patroness ; and her reign was distin- 
 guished by men of genius and learning. Her disposition was 
 charitable ; her temper mild and merciful. During her life, 
 no one suffered for treason. Like her predecessors of the line 
 of Stuart, she was more amiable than great, — more beloved 
 than admired j better fitted to grace domestic life by the display 
 of social virtues, than to adorn a throne by the energies of a 
 great and powerful mind. She was happy in the choice of her 
 ministers and generals; and the brilliant achievements of 
 Marlborough raised the military reputation of the English to 
 the summit of glory and renown. 
 
 This Queen was in the full vigour of her age when she 
 ascended the throne ; and her accession was hailed with testi- 
 monies of unfeigned joy. She had experienced strange vicissi- 
 tudes of fortune," in consequence of her father's expulsion from 
 the throne ; and sustained a variety of mortifications in the last 
 reign ; but had conducted herself with so much prudence, that 
 little or no pretence was left for censure or resentment.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 423 
 
 FRENCH WAR. 
 
 The warlike preparations of the late King were cohtinued by 
 the new queen, who determined to fulfil those engagements 
 with the allies which had been entered into by her predecessor. 
 She communicated her intentions to the House of Commons, 
 by whom it was approved ; and war with France was accord- 
 ingly proclaimed. This declaration of war on the part of 
 England was seconded by similar declarations by the Dutch and 
 Germans, all on the same day. Lewis XIV. whose power had 
 been greatly circumscribed by William, and whose ruling 
 passion was tlie lust of dominion, had flattered himself that the 
 death of that prince would leave him at liberty to make new 
 conquests. He was therefore not a little surprised at seeing 
 such a combination against him : but his resentment chiefly fell 
 on the Dutch, of whom he one day said, with great emotion : 
 " That as for those gentlemen pedlars, they should repent their 
 insolence and presumption, in declaring war against a prince 
 whose power they had formerly felt and dreaded." 
 
 The Earl of Marlborough, general of the British forces, was 
 chosen, by the Dutch, Generalissimo of the allied army. This 
 nobleman learned the first rudiments of war under the cele- 
 brated Marshal Turenne, in whose army he served as a volun- 
 teer ; and by that general his future greatness was predicted. 
 
 Contrary to the usual practice, Marlborough made a point 
 of advancing merit, in whatever situation he found it: and 
 thus the upper ranks of commanders in his army were rather 
 remarkable for skill and talents, than for age and experience. 
 
 At the opening of the first campaign, July, 1702, he repaired 
 to the camp at Nimeguen ; where he found himself at the head 
 of 60,000 men, well provided with necessaries, and long 
 disciplined by the best officers of the age. His ostensible oppo- 
 nent, on the part of France, was the Duke of Burgundy, a 
 young man of very little experience in war ; but the acting 
 general was Marshal Boufl3ers, an officer of courage and activity.
 
 424 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 The superior genius of Marlborough, however, obliged his 
 enemies to retreat before him. Boufflers retired to Brabant ; 
 and Marlborough finished the campaign, by taking the city of 
 Liege, in which was found an immense sum of money, and a 
 great number of prisoners. 
 
 VICTORY AND DEATH OF ADMIRAL BENBOW. 
 
 The victories of Marlborough on the Continent were for 
 some time counterbalanced by losses at sea. Sir John Munden 
 suffered a squadron of fourteen ships to escape him, for which 
 he was dismissed the service. An attempt upon Cadiz, both 
 by sea and land, also miscarried. Brilliant success, however, 
 attended the expedition to Vigo. The French, having taken 
 refuge in that bay, seeing the English fleet advancing, set fire 
 to their ships, in order to prevent them from falling into the 
 hands of their enemies. Eight ships were thus burned and run 
 ashore : but ten ships of war were taken, besides eleven Spanish 
 galleons, and above a million of money in silver. This expe- 
 dition was conducted by Sir George Rooke. Admiral Benbow, 
 with ten ships, was stationed in the West Indies, to distress 
 the enemy's trade; and hearing that Du Casse, the French 
 Admii-al was in the neighbourhood of Hispaniola, with a force 
 equal to his own, he resolved to follow the same course. On 
 the 19th of August he came up with the enemy's squadron, 
 formed the line of battle, and began the engagement ; but he 
 was very ill supported by some of his captains, who, disgusted 
 with his blunt and boisterous manner, took this dishonourable 
 and traitorous method of testifying their displeasure. They 
 basely left him to sustain, almost alone, the whole force of the 
 enemy : nevertheless, this intrepid seaman, assisted only by one 
 ship, pursued and fought the French for four successive days. 
 The last day, alone and unsupported, he engaged the whole 
 French squadron, and in the action, had his leg shot off. His
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 425 
 
 death, which happened shortly after, was hastened by the grief 
 he felt at the misconduct of his officers; two of whom, on 
 their return home, were shot for cowai-dice. 
 
 VICTORIES OF MARLBOROUGH. 
 
 The eminent services of Marlborough, in his first campaign, 
 procured him, on his return home, the thanks of the House 
 of Commons, and the title of Duke, with a pension of £5,000 
 per annum during his natural life. 
 
 In the beginning of April 1703, he returned to the Continent, 
 and, assembling the allied army, opened the campaign with 
 the siege of Bonn, which he shortly reduced. The garrison 
 of Huy, after a vigorous resistance, surrendered prisoners of 
 war. Limburgh next fell into his hands, which concluded the 
 campaign of 1703. The French King finding Boufflers 
 unequal to contend with Marlborough, appointed the Marshal 
 de Villeroy to command in his place. But Marlborough, like 
 Hannibal of old, was remarkable for studying the character 
 of liis opponent ; and having no fears of Villeroy, he flew to 
 assist the Emperor, who was at this time much pressed by the 
 French forces. Accompanied by about 13,000 British troops, 
 he advanced by hasty marches to the banks of the Danube; 
 defeated a body of French and Bavarian forces, that were sent 
 to oppose him ; crossed the river, and laid the Dukedom of 
 Bavaria under contribution. Villeroy, who attempted to follow 
 him, was not apprized of the route he had taken, till informed 
 of his successes. Marshal Tallard, with an army of 30,000 
 men, which was soon after augmented by 30,000 Bavarians, 
 attempted to obstruct Marlborough's return. The Duke was 
 joined by Prince Eugene, with a considerable force ; and 
 after various marches and counter-marches, the two armies 
 met at Blenheim. The French were 60,000 strong; the allied 
 army 52,000. The battle began about nine in the morning,
 
 426 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 and continued till one in the afternoon. About noon, the 
 English and Hessians attacked the village of Blenheim with 
 great vigour, but were repulsed after three successive attempts. 
 The fire from the French infantry was tremendous, and occa- 
 sioned some slight disorder in the line ; but the confederates 
 returning to the charge with redoubled vigoui", routed the 
 French horse : their battalions being therefore exposed, aban- 
 doned their position, and were cut in pieces. The Duke of 
 Marlborough rode through the hottest of the fire, with the 
 calmest intrepidity, giving his orders with that presence of 
 mind and deliberation, which so particularly marked his 
 character. Tallard was surrounded and taken prisoner, toge- 
 ther with the Marquis of Montpirriez, general of the horse, 
 and many other officers of distinction. The Prince of Hols. 
 Steinbeck was overpowered by numbers, mortally wounded, 
 and taken prisoner; and the troops posted at Blenheim, seeing 
 themselves cut off from any communication with the main 
 body, laid down their arms. By this decisive victory, (the 
 most glorious and complete ever obtained) a country of a 
 hundred leagues in extent fell into the hands of the conque- 
 rors. 10,000 French and Bavarians perished in the field of 
 battle, 13,000 were made prisoners, one hundred pieces of 
 cannon, and twenty-four mortars were taken: one hundred 
 and twenty-nine colours, one hundred and seventy-one stand- 
 ards, besides tents, &c. The allies lost about 4,500 men 
 killed, and 8,000 wounded or taken. The day after the battle, 
 Marlborough visited the Marshal Tallard, who congratulated 
 him on having vanquished the best troops in the world : to 
 which the Duke replied, he hoped the Marshal would except 
 those by whom they were beaten. 
 
 The Duke having finished the campaign, repaired to Berlin, 
 and procuring a reinforcement of 8,000 Prussians, to serve in 
 Italy under Prince Eugene, he proceeded to negotiate for suc- 
 cours for Hanover; after which he returned to England, where 
 he was received with every demonstration of unbounded joy.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 427 
 
 GIBRALTAR TAKEN BY SIR GEORGE ROOKE. 
 
 Whilst the armies of Britain were acquiring laurels on the 
 Continent, her brave sons of the ocean were adding to her 
 dominions and to her strength. Gibraltar, a strong fortification 
 commanding the entrance to the Mediterranean, was taken 
 by the Prince of Hesse, and Sir George Rooke, from the 
 Spaniards : and when the conquerors entered it, they were 
 astonished at the success of their attempt; for so strongly is 
 it defended by nature as well as art, that with fifty men it 
 might be maintained against a numerous army : but so little 
 was the value of the conquest at that time understood in 
 England, that it was thought unworthy of national gratitude. 
 Soon afterwards, the British fleet, amounting to fifty-three 
 ships of the line, engaged the French fleet, consisting of fifty- 
 two ships, commanded by the Count of Thoulouse, near the 
 coast of Malaga. The engagement began at ten in the 
 morning, and continued with great fury for six hours, when 
 the van of the French began to give way ! but, notwith- 
 standing, the fight continued until night, when the enemy bore 
 away to leeward. For two days the British admiral attempted 
 to renew the engagement ; but this was declined by the French, 
 who nevertheless claimed the victory, though the consequences 
 that ensued were entirely in favour of Britain, 
 
 In the midst of these victories, the Archduke Charles, son 
 of the Emperor of Germany, landed in England. This young 
 Prince had been appointed to succeed to the crown of Spain, 
 by the late King's will ; but Philip V. grandson of Lewis XIV. 
 had taken possession of the throne, with the joyful concur- 
 rence of the greater part of the Spanish people. The former, 
 however, determined to assert his rights, and compel his rival 
 to resign his newly-acquired dominions. Charles was received 
 with great kindness by Queen Anne, who furnished him with 
 two hundred transports, thirty ships of war, and 9,000 men. 
 This force was put under the conduct of the Earl of Peter-
 
 428 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 borough, a man of remarkable bravery, whose single service 
 was reckoned equivalent to an army. 
 
 The first campaign was eminently successful. Victory fol- 
 lowed in the train of the British general, who entered Madrid 
 in ti'iumph, and there proclaimed Charles, King of Spain, 
 without opposition. However, in the year 1707, the battle 
 of Almanza again placed Philip on the throne of Spain. 
 
 The Duke of Marlborough in the mean time continued to 
 gain fresh victories in Germany. In 1706 he defeated the 
 French under Marshal Villeroy, near the village of Ramilies. 
 This victory was almost as complete as that of Blenheim ; and 
 the whole country of Brabant was the reward of the victors. 
 
 Lewis, who had long been a favoured child of fortune, was 
 now so much humbled as almost to excite pity in his enemies : 
 he sued for peace, but in vain ; so that even the inhabitants 
 of Paris began to fear the approach of the conquerors. 
 
 THE UNION OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. 
 
 This important event, which had baffled the attempts of pre- 
 ceding Monarchs, forms one of the most interesting occurrences 
 of this active reign. Ever since the time of James I., the two 
 countries had been governed by the same Sovereign, but their 
 Parliaments were independent of each other; hence it not 
 unfrequently happened, that the English and Scotch politics 
 were in opposition, and having a separate interest, the safety of 
 the whole was sometimes endangered. The advocates for this 
 union of strength and interest were not very numerous, and 
 the opposition ran very high in both kingdoms. The English 
 exclaimed, that the union with so poor a nation would involve 
 them in equal necessities : and deemed it unjust, that, while 
 Scotland was granted an eighth part of the Legislature, it 
 should contribute only a fortieth part of the supplies.
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 429 
 
 The Scots objected, that the independence of their country 
 was lost, the dignity of their crown betrayed ; and that the pri- 
 vilege of trading to the English plantations in America, was a 
 trifling compensation for the certain disadvantages of increased 
 taxes upon the necessaries of life, and the vast number of 
 duties, taxes, and restrictions laid upon trade. The most violent 
 disputes took place in their Parliament, almost every arti- 
 cle of the treaty was the subject of a protest ; and addresses 
 against it were presented from trading companies, counties, 
 boroughs, towns, and parishes: all parties uniting in their de- 
 testation* of the treaty. The Duke of Queensberry, who was 
 the chief promoter of the Union in Scotland, though guarded 
 by double lines of horse and foot, was obliged to pass through 
 the streets of Edinburgh at full gallop. The people pursued 
 him with curses and imprecations, pelted his guards, and even 
 wounded some of his friends who were with him in the coach. 
 At length, however, the Ministry triumphed over all opposi- 
 tion, this desirable event was completed, and the island took 
 the name of the " United Kingdom of Great Britain." 
 
 The Queen expressed the highest satisfaction when it re- 
 ceived the ro)al assent : and said, " She did not doubt but that 
 it would be remembered and spoken of, hereafter, to the honour 
 of those who had been instrumental in bringing it to such a 
 happy conclusion." Scotland was henceforward no longer to 
 have a Parliament, but to send sixteen Peers, chosen from the 
 body of their nobility, and fort3'-five Commoners ; and all the 
 subjects of both countries were, from this time, to enjoy a 
 communication of privileges and advantages. 
 
 VICTORIES OF MARLBOROUGH. 
 After the battle of Ramilies, the French King oflfered to 
 give up either Spain and its dominions or the kingdom of Na- 
 ples and Sicily, to Charles of Austria, and to give a barrier to
 
 430 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the Dutch m the Netherlands. But these terms were rejected, 
 and the two armies once more met at Oudenarde. The French 
 forces greatly exceeded those of the allies, but theii' generals 
 were divided, their men ill-disposed, and dispirited by repeated 
 defeats. Victory thei'efore again declared for the allies.* 
 
 Lisle, the strongest town in Flanders, next surrendered, and, 
 shortly after, the whole country fell under the power of the 
 victors. 
 
 In the campaign of 1709, Tournay capitulated, after a terri- 
 ble siege of twenty-one days ; and a memorable battle was 
 fought not long after at Malplaquet, in which the French were 
 again defeated, though their position was so strongly fortified 
 as to appear inaccessible. The campaign of 1611 was the last 
 in which Marlborough commanded, and in this he is said to 
 have excelled all his former exploits. He contrived his mea- 
 sures so well, that, by marching and countermarching, he in- 
 duced the enemy, without strildng a blow, to quit a strong line 
 of entrenchment, which he afterwards took possession of. 
 
 The taking of Bouchain was the last act of this great Gene- 
 ral, who, during the nine years that the war continued, never 
 retreated before his enemies, nor lost an advantage he had 
 obtained over them. He most frequently gained their posts 
 without fighting ; but, where he was obliged to attack, no for- 
 tifications wera able to resist him. He never besieged a city 
 which he did not take, nor engaged in a battle from which he 
 did not return victorious. 
 
 During his absence, a great change took place in the admi- 
 nistration at home. The petulant and haughty conduct of the 
 Duchess of Marlborough, who had hitherto possessed an un- 
 bounded influence over the Queen, at length became so offen- 
 sive to her Majesty, that she withdrew her confidence, and 
 
 * In this battle the Electoral Prince of Hanover, afterwards 
 George II., greatly distinguished himself.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 431 
 
 received into her favour a Mrs. Masham, who was entirely 
 devoted to Lord Oxford. The Tory interest now began to 
 prevail : and the disputes concerning Dr. Sacheverell,* proved 
 the majority of the people to incline to them. The war had 
 been promoted by the Whigs, and the people were for a time 
 intoxicated with the splendour of those victories, which placed 
 the national character so high on the list of Fame ; but at 
 length they grew tired of conquest, and ardently longed for 
 peace. An entire change therefore took place in the adminis- 
 tration. Harley, Earl of Oxford, was made Treasurer, and the 
 Earl of Rochester, President of the Council. The Duke of 
 Marlborough, being an object of their dislike, and an obstacle 
 to their designs, was, on his return home, dismissed from all 
 his employments. He was accused of having taken a bribe of 
 £6,000 from a Jew, who had contracted to supply the army 
 with bread. 
 
 PEACE OF UTRECHT. 
 The Duke of Orraond, who succeeded Marlborough in the 
 command abroad, had orders not to act offensively, conse- 
 
 * Dr. Sacheverell, a man of nairow intellect and heated ima^'ina- 
 tion, had not only preached, but published a violent philippic against 
 toleration and the Dissenters, and warmly defended the doctrine of 
 non-resistance. For this he was impeached by the Commons. Tlie 
 Tories took up his cause, and declared tliat the Church was in danger. 
 Tlie people being alarmed, destroyed the Meeting-houses, and plun- 
 dered the dwellings of the Dissenters. After much dispute, Sache- 
 verell was found guilty, he was prohibited from preaching for two 
 years, and the obnoxious sermons were condemned to be burned by 
 the common hangman. The Tories considered the mildness of this 
 sentence in a favourable point of view.
 
 432 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 quently the war languished, and, in 1713, a peace was concluded 
 at Utrecht. In this treatj^ it was stipulated, that Philip, now 
 King of Spain, should renounce all rights to the Crown of 
 France ; and that the Duke of Berry, the presumptive heir to 
 the French Crown after the death of the Dauphin, should 
 renounce all claim to the throne of Spain : it being deemed 
 incompatible with the general liberties of Europe, that two 
 such powerful kingdoms should be governed by the same Mo- 
 narch. The Duke of Savoy had the island of Sicily, with the 
 title of King ; and the Dutch had that barrier granted them, 
 which they had so long desired, together with some of the 
 strongest towns in Flanders, Spain gave up Gibraltar and 
 Minorca to Britain ; and France resigned Hudson's Bay, Nova 
 Scotia, and Newfoundland. The Emperor was to possess the 
 kingdom of Naples, the duchy of Milan, and the Spanish 
 Netherlands; and the King of Prussia was to have Upper 
 Gueldres. But, amongst all the articles of this famous treaty, 
 none was more truly honourable to Britain than that which 
 stipulated, that all the French Protestants who had been con- 
 fined in the galleys and prisons for their religious principles, 
 should be set at liberty ! 
 
 The year following, July the 28th, the Queen fell into a 
 lethargic insensibility. On the 30th, she seemed to be some- 
 what relieved by medicines ; but was shortly after seized with 
 an apoplexy, and expired the following morning, having lived 
 forty-nine years, and reigned upwards of twelve. 
 
 In her ended the line of Stuart : a family, whose misfor- 
 tunes and misconduct afford a striking lesson to succeeding 
 Sovereigns.
 
 Page 433.] 
 
 PLATE XXXV.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 433 
 
 PLATE XXXV. 
 
 George the First. 
 
 Fig. 1. — The Riot Act passed. 
 
 Fig. 2. — The Pretender's Standard erected in Scotland. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Defeat of the Pretender at Preston. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Cruel Treatment of the Rebels. 
 The fetters and chains refer to imprisonments. The axe to 
 decapitation. The ship is a transport, bound to Nova Scotia, 
 with condemned rebels. 
 
 Fig. 5. — The Quadruple Alliance between England, 
 France, Germany, and Holland. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Thb South Sea Bubble. 
 
 u
 
 434 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 GEORGE THE FIRST. 
 George I. was the son of Ernestus, Elector of Hanover, the 
 representative of the House of Brunswick, Hanover, &c., and 
 of Sophia, grand-daughter of James I. He ascended the throne 
 of Great Britain in the fiftieth year of his age, with the reputa- 
 tion of.a.circuiBspect general, a wise politician, and a just and 
 merciful prince. Unfortunately he was a stranger to the lan- 
 guage of the people he came to govern, so that he was misled 
 by a venal ministry, who prejudiced him against all those who 
 were not of their own party. He had declared, that he would 
 govern his new subjects as their common father ; and was heard 
 to say, " My maxim is, never to abandon my friends, to do 
 justice to all the world, and to fear no man." But, on his 
 arrival in this kingdom, the Whigs only were considered as his 
 children : the others were beheld with mistrust and dislike, as 
 aliens and disaffected. 
 
 In his person, George was handsome, but below the middle 
 size. His disposition was merciful : he loved peace, was tem- 
 perate, just, and liberal. He was beloved by his Hanoverian 
 subjects, and respected by the English : who looked forward 
 with hope to that happy period, when the illustrious House of 
 Brunswick, proud of swaying the sceptre of a free people, should 
 feel they were natives of a land of freedom, and glory in the 
 
 name of Britons ! 
 
 _o- 
 
 THE RIOT ACT PASSED. 
 Immediately after the death of the late Queen, the Privy 
 Council met. Orders were immediately issued for proclaiming 
 George, Elector of Hanover, King of England, Scotland, and 
 Ireland; and the Earl of Dorset was appointed to carry him 
 the intimation of his accession, and to attend him in his journey 
 to England. The King first landed at Greenwich, where he 
 was received by the Duke of Northumberland, Captain of the 
 Life-Guards, and by the Lords of the Treasury. On retiring
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 435 
 
 to his bedchamber, he sent for such of the nobility as had 
 distinguished themselves by their zeal for his succession ; but the 
 Tories found themselves excluded from the royal favour. The 
 Whigs used all their arts to confirm their interest with the new 
 King; and an instantaneous change was made in all places of 
 trust, honour, and advantage. The appellation of Whigs and 
 Tories was changed for that of Hanoverians and Jacobites. The 
 former were desirous of being governed by a Protestant King, 
 even though he were a foreigner : the latter were for having a 
 monarch of their own country, though a Papist. The Preten- 
 der meanwhile continued a calm spectator on the Continent ; 
 and contented himself with dispersing useless manifestoes, 
 which only tended to mislead the unwary. In March 1714, a new 
 Parliament was called ; which being chiefly composed of Whigs, 
 the most violent measures were resolved upon, against the late 
 ministry. Henry Lord Viscount Bolingbroke was impeached of 
 high-treason by Mr. Walpole : upon which Lord Conyngsby 
 standing up, " The worthy Chairman," said he, " has impeached 
 the hand ; but I impeach the head : — he has impeached the 
 scholar, and I the master. I impeach Robert earl of Oxford, 
 and the Earl Mortimer, of high-treason, and of other crimes 
 and misdemeanours." — Mr. Auditor Harley, the earl's brother, 
 replied, " that Lord Oxford had done nothing but by the imme- 
 diate command of his sovereign ; — that the peace was a good 
 peace, and approved of as such by the two Houses of Parlia- 
 ment ; and that if the sanction of Parliament was not sufficient 
 to protect a Minister from the vengeance of his enemies, he 
 could have no security." Notwithstanding this spirited defence, 
 the earl was sent to the Tower. The people loudly expressing 
 their disapprobation of such vindictive proceedings, an act was 
 therefore passed, declaring, that if any persons to the number 
 of twelve, unlawfully assembled, should continue together one 
 hour after hearing the Act against Riots read in public, they 
 should be deemed guilty of felony without benefit of clergy. 
 
 u 2
 
 436 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Manifestoes.— Fuhlic declarations made by a prince in writing, 
 •hewing his intentions to begin a war, or other enterprize, with the 
 motives that induce him to it, and the reasons on which he founds his 
 rights and pretensions. 
 
 THE PRETENDER'S STANDARD ERECTED IN 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 The impolitic partiality of the new King for the Whigs was 
 deeply felt by the Tory party, many of whom joined the 
 Jacobite* faction, whose hopes in favour of the Pretender 
 were not a little stimulated by the dissentions amongst the 
 people. The Scots, in general, were attached to the Preten- 
 der's cause. The Earl of Mar assembled three hundred of his 
 vassals in the Highlands, and proclaimed the Pretender at 
 Castleton. Two vessels from France arrived with arms, ammu- 
 nition, and a number of officers, with assurances to the earl 
 that the Pretender would shortly come over to head his own 
 forces. The earl therefore soon found himself at the head of 
 10,000 men, well armed and provided. He quickly made him- 
 self master of the whole province of Fife, and all the sea coas^ 
 on that side the Frith of Forth ; and was soon after joined by 
 General Gordon, an officer of great experience, who had 
 signalized himself in the Russian service. 
 
 Tht Duke of Ai-gyle, who on this occasion was appointed 
 Commander-in-chief of all the royal forces in North Britain, 
 was sent to oppose the earl; and resolved to give him battle 
 in the neighbourhood of Dumblaine, though his forces did not 
 amount to half the number of the enemy. The Duke of 
 
 * The Jacobites were chiefly Roman- Catholics, who considered 
 the Pretender as the lav.ful inheritor of the British throne.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 437 
 
 Argyle, who in person commanded the right wing of the royal 
 army, attacked the left of the enemy, routed them, and drove 
 them over the River Allan. Heturning to the field of battle, 
 he was not a little mortified to find that the left wing of his 
 own army, commanded by General Witham, was entirely 
 defeated by the rebels, v.ho were patiently awaiting a renewal 
 of the combat. Both armie:, however, continued to gaze at 
 each other in silence. In the evening they withdrew, and both 
 sides claimed the victory. The Earl of Mar, however, soon 
 after had the mortification to discover that delay to him was 
 equivalent to a defeat : his losses and disappointments daily in- 
 creased ; and many of the clans, seeing no probability of a 
 second engagement, returned to their homes. 
 
 DEFEAT OF THE PRETENDER AT PRESTON. 
 
 In October, 1715, the Earl of Derwentwater and Mr. 
 Foster took the field with a body of horse, and, being joined 
 by a few gentlemen from Scotland, proclaimed the Pretender. 
 In the hope of avoiding an engagement with General Carpenter, 
 who, with nine hundred men, was sent to oppose them, they 
 took the route to Jedburgh, and continued their march to 
 Penrith : from whence they proceeded, by way of Kendal and 
 Lancaster, to Preston ; which they took, without any resistance. 
 Here they were attacked by General Wills ; who being reinfor- 
 ced by General Carpenter, the town was invested on all sides. 
 In this deplorable situation, to which their own rashness had 
 reduced them, Foster hoped to capitulate : but in this he was 
 disappointed, and forced to sui*render at discretion. All the 
 noblemen and leaders were secured. A few of the officers 
 were tried for deserting from the royal army, and shot, by order 
 of a court-martial. The common men were imprisoned at 
 Chester and Liverpool. The noblemen and principal officers 
 were sent to London ; and, in order to strike terror into their 
 
 u 3
 
 438 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 party, were led through the streets, pinioned and bound toge- 
 ther, like common malefactors. 
 
 Notwithstanding the ill success which had hitherto attended 
 the Pretender's party, he now resolved to go over into Scot- 
 land. Passing through France in disguise, he embarked in a 
 small vessel at Dunkirk, and in six days arrived in Scotland 
 with only six gentlemen in his train. At Aberdeen he was met 
 by the Earl of Mar, and about thirty noblemen and gentlemen 
 of distinction. There he was soleninly proclaimed; made a 
 public entry at Dundee, intending to have the ceremony of his 
 coronation performed at Scone ; and, without the smallest share 
 of power, went through all the ceremonies of royalty. At 
 length, after some time spent in useless parade, he assembled 
 his grand council, and deplored that he was obliged to leave 
 them, having neithing money, arms, nor ammunition, to 
 undertake a campaign. He therefore once more embarked on 
 board a small French ship, accompanied by several lords, his 
 adherents ; and in five days arrived at Gravelines. 
 
 CRUEL TREATMENT OF THE REBELS. 
 The rebellion being ended, the law was put in force with 
 all its terrors ; and the prisons of London were crowded with 
 those deluded persons, whom the Ministry seemed resolved not 
 to pardon. The Earls of Derwentwater, Nithsdale, Carnwath, 
 and Wintown, the Lords Widrington, Kenmuir, and Nairne, 
 were impeached; and upon pleading guilty, all, but Lord 
 Wintown, received sentence of death. No entreaties could 
 prevail on the mmistry to spare these unhappy men. The 
 Countess of Nithsdale and Lady Naii-ne threw themselves at the 
 King's feet, as he passed through the apartments of the palace, 
 and implored his clemency in behalf of their husbands : but their 
 tears and entreaties were in vain. The House of Lords even 
 presented an address to the throne for mercy, but without
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 439 
 
 effect : the King only answered, that on this, as on all other 
 occasions, he would act as he thought most consistent, with 
 the dignity of the crown, and the safety of the people. Ordfers 
 were therefore despatched for executing, immediately^ the 
 Lords Derwentwater, Nithsdale, and Kenmuir. Nithsdak 
 escaped the night before the execution, in woman's apparel 
 furnished him by his mother. Derwentwater and Kenmuir 
 were executed on Tower Hill. The former was a young man 
 of the most amiable manners, — brave, open, generous, and 
 humane: his fate drew tears from the spectators; whilst, 
 among his poor tenants in Scotland, the widow and the orphan 
 who had been sustained by his bounty deplored with heartfelt 
 anguish the loss of their benefactor, Kenmuir, also, was a 
 nobleman of distinguished virtue ; calm, sensible, resolute, and 
 resigned. An act of Parliament was next made for trjing the 
 private persons in London, and not in Lancashire, where they 
 were taken in arms. This was considered by some of the best 
 lawyers as an infringement of the Constitution.* In the begin- 
 ning of April, bills were found against Mr. Macintosh, Mr. Fos- 
 ter, and about twenty of their confederates. Foster, Macintosh 
 and some others, escaped: four or five were hanged, drawn, 
 and quartered, at Tyburn : at Liverpool, a considerable number 
 were found guilty of high-treason : twenty-two were executed 
 at Preston; and about 1,000 were transported to North 
 America. 
 
 THE QUADRUPLE ALLIANCE BETWEEN ENGLAND. 
 FRANCE, GERMANY, AND HOLLAND. 
 
 Among the many treaties for which this reign was remark- 
 able, was that called the Quadruple Alliance. This was a treaty 
 
 • It is a fundamental law, tliat all persons taken in arms shall be 
 tried in the country where the offence was committed. 
 
 u 4
 
 440 HlaTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 between the Emperor of Germany, France, Holland, and Bri- 
 tain ; in which it was agreed, that the Emperor should renounce 
 all pretensions to the crown of Spain, and exchange Sardinia 
 for Sicily with the Duke of Savoy ; and that the succession to 
 the duchies of Tuscany, Parma, and Placentia, should be 
 settled on the Queen of Spain's eldest son, in case the present 
 possessors should die without male issue. This treaty, however, 
 was by no means agreeable to the King of Spain : a war ensued 
 between that monarch and the Emperor, in which England also 
 was obliged to take part. A squadron of twenty-two ships was 
 therefore equipped with all expedition, and the command given 
 to Sir George Byng; who coming unexpectedly upon the 
 Spanish fleet, near Cape Faro, took all their ships, except 
 three. Sir George Byng shewed such prudence and resolution 
 on this occasion, that the Kng wrote him a letter with his own 
 hand, testifying his approbation of his conduct. 
 
 The rupture with Spain being thought favourable to the 
 interests of the Pretender, a fleet of ten ships of war, and 
 transports, having on board 6,000 regular troops, and arms for 
 12,000 more, were furnished by the court of Spain : and the 
 Duke of Ormond was fixed upon to conduct the expedition. 
 But fortune was still unpropitious : at Cape Finisterre they 
 encountered a violent storm, which disabled the fleet, and 
 frustrated the expedition. This misfortune, and the bad success 
 of his arms in other parts, induced Philip to wish for peace. 
 He at last consented to sign the Quadruple Alliance, by which 
 peace was again restored to Europe. 
 
 THE SOUTH-SEA BUBBLE. 
 
 Ever since the Revolution under King William, the Govern- 
 ment, not having sufficient supplies granted by Parliament, 
 were obliged to borrow money from several different companies 
 of merchants, and, among the rest, from that company which
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 441 
 
 traded to the South Sea. In the year 1716, Government was 
 indebted to this company about £9,500,000 ; for which they 
 granted at the rate of 6 per cent, interest. As this company 
 was not the only one to which Government was indebted, 
 Sir Robert Walpole formed a design of lessening the national 
 debt ; gi\'ing the several companies an alternative, either of 
 accepting a lower interest, or of be'ng paid the principal. 
 The different companies chose rather to accept of the dimi- 
 nished interest, than to be paid the principal. The South-Sea 
 Company in particular, having augmented their loan to 
 £10,000,000, were contented to receive £500,000 annually, 
 instead of £600,000. In the same manner, all the other 
 companies were contented to receive a diminished annual 
 interest for their respective loans, all of which greatly lessened 
 the national debt. 
 
 In this situation of things, Su- J. Blount proposed to the 
 ministry, in the name of the South-Sea Company, to buy up 
 all the debts of the different companies, and thus become the 
 sole credito. ■ of the state. The terms he offered to Govern- 
 ment were extremely advantageous : they were content to be 
 allowed by Government 5 per cent, for six years ; after which 
 the interest was to be reduced to 4 per cent ; and might at any 
 time be redeemable by Parliament. As the Directors of the 
 South-Sea Company could not of themselves be supposed to 
 possess money sufficient to buy up all the debts of the nation, 
 they were empowered to raise it by opening a subscription to 
 an imaginary scheme for trading to the South Seas. All the 
 creditors therefore were invited to come in, and exchange their 
 securities, namely, the security of Government, for that of 
 the South-Sea Company, The Directors' books were no sooner 
 opened, than thousands came to make the exchange of Go- 
 vernment stock for South-Sea stock ! The delusion was art- 
 fully spread ; and in a few days, subscriptions sold for double 
 the price at which they had been bought. The whole nation 
 
 u 5
 
 442 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 seemed infected with a spirit of avaricious enterprise, so that 
 the scheme succeeded beyond the projector's most sanguine 
 expectations. In a few months, however, the delusion passed 
 away; and the people awoke from the dreams of imaginary 
 riches, to feel all the horrors of real poverty and distress. 
 Thousands of families were involved in one common ruin; 
 whilst a few of the unprincipled Directors amassed immense 
 fortunes by the credulity of the people. Parliament, indignant 
 at such nefarious conduct, resolved to strip those unjust plun- 
 derers of their spoil. All who possessed any places under 
 Government were dismissed ; the estates of the principal delin- 
 quents were seized ; and a bOl was prepared in Parliament for 
 repairing the late suiFerings as far as the inspection of the 
 Legislature could extend. In the mean time, petitions from 
 all parts of the kingdom were presented to the House, de- 
 manding justice; and the nation seemed exasperated to the 
 highest degree. The bank was drawn upon faster than it could 
 supply : and nothing was heard but the ravings of disappoint- 
 ment, and the cries of despair. 
 
 By degrees, however, the effect of this terrible calamity 
 wore off. A new war with Spain commenced. Admiral 
 Hosier was sent to South America, to intercept the Spanish 
 galleons; but the expedition failed entirely. The Spaniards, 
 having intimation of the design, re-landed their treasure. The 
 British seamen, from the malignity of the climate, were cut 
 off in great numbers ; and the admiral himself died, it is said, 
 of a broken heart. The Spaniards in the mean time under- 
 took the siege of Gibraltar, but with as little success on their 
 side. Through the mediation of France, a temporary peace 
 ensued, both sides only wanting an opportunity to renew 
 hostilities with advantage. 
 
 In the year 1727, the King resolved to visit his Electoral 
 dominions of Hanover. Having appointed a regency in his 
 .>»>eon^p he embarked for Holland, and in a few days arrived
 
 HlSTOny OF EKGtAND. 443 
 
 at Delden, to all appearance in good health. The next morn- 
 ing early he continued his journey, but soon after ordered 
 his coach to stop. His attendant Fabrice, perceiving that one 
 of the King's hands lay motionless, attempted to quicken the 
 circulation by rubbing it ; but finding this ineffectual, he called 
 the surgeon to his assistance. The King's tongue, however, 
 began to swell ; and he had just strength enough to bid them 
 hasten to Osnaburgh, where he expired the next morning, in 
 the 68th year of his age, and the thirteenth of his reign. 
 
 George I. married Sophia Dorothy, only child of his uncle 
 George William, Duke of Zell, by whom he had one son, 
 George Augustus, who succeeded him on the throne ; and one 
 daughter, Sophia Dorothy, who in 1706 married Frederic 
 William, afterwards King of Prussia. 
 
 V 6
 
 444 InSTORY OF ENGtANC. 
 
 PLATE XXXVI. 
 
 George the' Second. 
 
 Fig. 1. — The Twelve Years' Peace. 
 
 Fig, 2. — War with Spain and France. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Final efforts of the House of Stuart to regain 
 
 THE Throne. 
 The Defeat of the Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart, both 
 in England and Scotland, is shewn by the Standards under 
 each Crown being reversed. The broken sword, Thistle, and 
 Oak, shew the utter abolition of his party. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Victories at Sea. » 
 
 Fig. 5. — Death of Admiral Byng. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Victories in India. 
 India is represented by a Hindoo Temple or Pagoda. On 
 either side is an Elephant ; the head of that animal being to be 
 found in every Indian temple. On the right is the Standard of 
 the East-India Company, on which is hung the Wreath of 
 Conquest ; Lord Clive being in the immediate service of the 
 Company. On the opposite side is the Standard of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 Fig. 7. — Quebec taken. — Death of General Wolfe.
 
 PLATE XXXVI. 
 
 [Page 444.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 445 
 
 GEORGE THE SECOND. 
 George II. succeeded his father in ] 727. His person was 
 of the middle size, and well shaped ; his eyes remarkably 
 prominent, and his complexion fair. In his temper he was 
 hasty, but forgiving; humane, temperate, and remarkably 
 methodical. Fond of military pomp and parade, he loved 
 war as a soldier, studied it as a science, and corresponded on 
 this subject with some of the greatest officers of the German 
 school. Like his predecessor, he was strongly attached to his 
 native country ; and too frequently manifested his predilection 
 in favour of Hanover, to the prejudice of his British subjects, 
 whose blood and treasure were lavished in the support of 
 Continental wars, in which they had no personal interest. 
 
 THE TWELVE YEARS' PEACE. 
 
 A LONO cessation from foreign war was succeeded by a v.-ar 
 of words. The national debt, which at this time amounted 
 to £30,000,000, and a standing army, were the objects of 
 perpetual controversy. The two great parties, into which the 
 nation had so long been divided, again changed their names, 
 and were now called the Court and Country Parties. In vain 
 the Country party resisted the demands of the new supplies, 
 which were made every Session : the Court party was constantly 
 victorious : and every demand was granted, not only with 
 cheerfulness, but profusion. 
 
 The demon of avarice seems at this time to have taken 
 strong possession of the minds of some of the leading men of 
 the day. Not fewer than six members of Parliament were 
 expelled the House of Commons for the most sordid acts of 
 knavery. A society of men, under the name of " The Chari- 
 table Corporation," had formed themselves into a company, 
 to lend money at legal interest to the poor, upon small pledges, 
 and to persons of higher rank upon proper securities. This
 
 446 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 company had continued for more than twenty years ; when the 
 cashier, John Robinson, the member for Marlow, and John 
 Thompson the warehouse-keeper, disappeared in one day ; and 
 £500,000 of the capital was found to be sunk or embezzled, 
 by means which the proprietors could not discover, A secret 
 committee was appointed to examine into this grievance ; when 
 a most iniquitous scene of fraud was discovered, in the guilt 
 and infamy of which many persons of rank and quality were 
 concerned. 
 
 In 1731, the minister. Sir Robert Walpole, proposed an 
 excise upon tobacco ; but the measure was so extremely unpo- 
 pular, that it was dropped. The miscarriage of the bill was 
 celebrated with public rejoicings in London, and the minister 
 burned in efBgy. 
 
 An unsuccessful attempt was made about this time to repeal 
 the Septennial Act,* as it was called, and to bring back trien- 
 nial Parliaments, A new Parliament was however summoned, 
 and fresh subjects of controversy were every day presented. 
 A convention entered into by the ministry with Spain became 
 an object of warm altercation. The ministry were, as usual, 
 victorious; and the Country party, finding themselves out- 
 numbered and out-voted in every debate, resolved to withdraw. 
 Walpole, being thus left without opposition, took the oppor- 
 tunity of their absence to pass several useful laws, in order 
 to render the opposite party contemptible. 
 
 WAR WITH SPAIN AND FRANCE. 
 In 1739, war was begun with Spain, on the following 
 occasion. The English claimed a right of cutting logwood 
 
 * The Septennial Act was an act made by Parliament in the year 
 1716, repealing that by which they were to be dissolved every third 
 year, and extending tlie term of their duration to seven years.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 447 
 
 in the Bay of Campeachy, which gave them frequent opportunities 
 of introducing contraband goods upon the Spanish continent. 
 To remedy this inconvenience, the Spaniards not only refused 
 to allow them to continue cutting logwood, but sent many 
 British subjects to dig in the mines of Potosi. Repeated 
 remonstrances were made to the Court of Madrid; to which 
 only illusory promises of redress were returned. War was 
 therefore declared in form ; and an expedition was undertaken 
 against the Spanish settlements in America. The command 
 of this expedition was given to Admiral Vernon, who, with 
 six ships only, attacked and took Porto Bello, and destroyed 
 all its fortifications, without losing a man. 
 
 Another squadron, under the command of Commodore 
 Anson, was ordered to act against the enemy on the coasts of 
 Chili and Peru, and occasionally to co-operate with Admiral 
 Vernon across the Isthmus of Darien ; but it was so late in the 
 season before the expedition sailed, that the squadron was 
 exposed to the most terrible storms in the South Seas. After 
 encountering innumerable difficulties. Commodore Anson, with 
 only a few soldiers, attacked the City of Paita by night, 
 which he took, plundered, and burned. His fleet was soon 
 after reduced to only two ships ; the remainder having either 
 put back to England, or been wrecked by the tempest. The 
 Commodore, unable to follow up the original plan, placed all 
 his hopes on taking one of those rich Spanish galleons, only 
 one or two of which pass annually from one continent to the 
 other. On the 9th of June, the object he so ardently longed 
 for appeared: it was of immense size, and adapted for war 
 as well as merchandize, mounting forty guns, and having on 
 board six hundred men. The Commodore's ship, the Cen- 
 turion, was the only one which remained of his fleet, and his 
 men did not exceed three hundred ; nevertheless, the Spanish 
 »hip became the prize of the English, and the brave Com- 
 modore returned home laden with riches. He was greeted
 
 448 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 with all the honour which his prudence and perseverance 
 deserved; he soon became the oracle consulted in all naval 
 deliberations ; was made first Lord of the Admiralty ; and 
 raised by the King to the dignity of the Peerage. 
 
 The other expedition, under Admiral Vernon, proved very 
 unfortunate. The armament consisted of twenty-nine ships 
 of the line, and almost as many frigates, furnished with all 
 kinds of warlike stores, about 15,000 seamen, and as many 
 land forces. The most sanguine hopes of success were enter- 
 tained ; but the unaccountable delays of the ministry frustrated 
 the whole plan. The season fcr action in America was almost 
 over before the expedition arrived at Carthagena : nevertheless, 
 the forts which defended the harbour were speedily taken ; but, 
 on attempting to scale those which more immediately defended 
 the City, a series of misfortunes palsied the efforts of the 
 soldiers. Their guides had been shiin; the troops mistook 
 their way ; and instead of attacking the weakest parts of the 
 enemy's fortifications, they assailed the strongest. To increase 
 their distress, the scaling ladders were found to be too short. 
 For some hours they supported a dreadful fire with undaunted 
 resolution ; but at length retreated, leaving six hundred men 
 dead under the walls. To these calamities were added disease 
 and discord : the sea and land commanders mutually blamed 
 each other ; in one point only they agreed, viz. to embark 
 the troops, and withdraw with all speed. 
 
 The people at home had long been indignant at the inacti- 
 vity of the navy. The Spanish privateers had plundered the 
 British merchants with unpunity ; and loud remonstrances had 
 been made to the Minister on the subject, but without effect. 
 This, together with the failure of the expedition against Ame- 
 rica, produced a universal outcry against him ; the opposition 
 increased daily, and Walpole had the mortification of finding 
 the majority against him in every measure. The Parliament
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 449 
 
 was therefore adjourned; and, in the interim, Sir Robert being 
 created Earl of Orford, resigned all his employments. 
 
 The new Ministry, notwithstanding their clamour against 
 their predecessors, continued to pursue the same plans. The 
 people, weary of the disgraceful failures by sea, ardently longed 
 for a renew al of their victories on the Continent : they dwelt 
 with delight on the brilliant achievements of a Marlborough, 
 and fondly anticipated a renewal of their former fame. The 
 King, joining in the same wish, an army of 16,000 foot, from 
 which brilliant triumphs were expected, was despatched into 
 Flanders to assist the Queen of Hungary. 
 
 This Queen, on her accession to the throne, found herself 
 attacked by France, Saxony, Bavaria, and Prussia. Britain 
 was the only ally that seemed willing to assist her. Sixteen 
 thousand Hanoverians joined the British, in order to make a 
 diversion in her favour in the Netherlands. This object was 
 happily effected, the Queen was relieved, and the scale of 
 victory began to turn in her favour. The British and Hano- 
 verian army, under the Earl of Staii-, in their endeavour to 
 effect a junction with Prince Charles cf Lorraine,* encountered 
 the French near the village of Dettingen, svhom they defeated 
 with the loss of 5,000 men. 
 
 The French now imagined, from the violence of Parlia- 
 mentary disputes in England, that the country was ripe for a 
 revolution : an invasion was therefore actually projected. The 
 Duke de Rotjuefeuille, with twenty ships, having on board 
 15,000 troops, commanded by the famous Count Saxe, actually 
 put to sea ; but the appearance of Sir John Norris, with a supe- 
 rior fleet, disconcerted the project : the French fleet put back, 
 and a hard gale of wind damaged their transports beyond the 
 
 * Prince Charles of Lorraine was General of the Queen of Hun- 
 gary's troops.
 
 450 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 power of redress. The rejoicings for this success were consi- 
 derably damped by the failure of Admirals Matthews and 
 Lestock, who, through a personal misunderstanding, suffered 
 another French fleet of thirty-four sail to escape them. In the 
 Netherlands, Count Saxe defeated the allies at the battle of 
 Fontenoy ; the latter lost nearly 25,000 men, and the former 
 almost as many. In America, however, the English were more 
 successful. The fortress of Louisbourg, in the island of Cape 
 Breton, surrendered to General Pepperell ; and two days after- 
 wards, two French East-India ships, and a Spanish ship from 
 Peru, laden with treasure, put into the harbour, supposing it 
 still belonged to the French, and were taken. 
 
 FINAL EFFORTS OF THE HOUSE OF STUART TO 
 REGAIN THE THRONE. 
 
 The son of the Chevalier St. George (the courteous appella- 
 tion of James II. after his abdication), animated with the hope 
 of ascending the throne of his ancestors, resolved to make one 
 grand effort for that piu-pose. 
 
 Being furnished with a sum of money, and a supply of arms, 
 on his own credit, he embarked on board a small frigate, accom- 
 panied by the Marquis of TuUibardine, Sir Thomas Sheridan, 
 and a few others ; and in eighteen days landed in Scotland, at 
 Borodale, on the confines of Lochmannock. At Perth and at 
 Dundee he was proclaimed King of Great Britain, and soon 
 after made himself master of Edinburgh. During these trans- 
 tions, Sir John Cope, with 3,000 men, began his march to 
 Edinburgh, in order to give battle to the enemy. At Preston- 
 Pans he was met by the Pretender, at the head of 2,500 High- 
 landers, half armed, where, in less than ten minutes after the 
 action began, the King's troops were broken, and totally routed. 
 All the infantry were killed or taken, and the colours, artil- 
 lery, tents, baggage, and military chests, fell into the hands of
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 451 
 
 the victor, who returned in triumph to Edinburgh. Prince 
 Charles bore his good fortune with moderation, and treated 
 the wounded officers and soldiers with tenderness and huma- 
 nity. By this victory he reaped great and important advantages. 
 Possessed of arms, ammunition, artillery, and money, he saw 
 himself master of the whole of Scotland, except the fortresses. 
 The number of his partisans daily increased. The Earl of 
 Kilmarnock, and the Lords Elcho, Balmerino, Ogilvy, and 
 Pitsligo, went over to him. Preparations were made to invade 
 England, where he expected to be joined by all the Catholics, 
 and the secret adherents of his family. The Ministry of Eng- 
 land, in the mean time, took every possible measure to retard 
 his progress. Several powerful Scottish chiefs armed their vas- 
 sals in defence of the Royal cause ; amongst whom, Duncan 
 Forbes, President of the College of Justice at Edinburgh, 
 stands foremost. By his industry and address he prevented the 
 insurrection of 10,000 Highlanders, who would otherwise have 
 joined the Pretender. Admiral Vernon was appointed to ob- 
 serve the motions of the enemy by sea ; and his cruizers took 
 several ships, with soldiers, officers, and ammunition, destined 
 for the service of the Pretender in Scotland. 
 
 On the 6th of November Prince Charles invested Carlisle, 
 which surrendered in less than three days. Leaving a small 
 garrison there, he advanced to Penrith, marching on foot, in 
 the Highland garb, at the head of his forces, and continued 
 his route, through Lancaster and Preston, to Manchester, where 
 he established his head-quarters : the inhabitants receiving him 
 with marks of affection, and celebrating his arrival by public 
 rejoicings. From thence, proceeding through Macclesfield and 
 Congleton, he entered the town of Derby on the 4th of De- 
 cember. He was now within a hundred miles of the capital, 
 which was filled with terror and confusion. General Wade, 
 who had been dispatched to arrest his progress, still lingered in 
 Yorkshire ; and the Duke of Cumberland, who had been re-
 
 452 HISTORY OF ENXLAND, 
 
 called from Flanders, was at the head of another army in the 
 neighbourhood of Litchfield. Both these armies the Pretender 
 had dexterously avoided : and had he proceeded with the same 
 expedition which he had hitherto used, the consequences might 
 have been decidedly in his favour. But the dissentions in his 
 army, and the disappointment which he met with, in not being 
 joined by the Jacobite faction as he expected, induced him to 
 return again into Scotland; accordingly, he left Derby on the 
 6th, and in fifteen days reached Carlisle. Having reinforced 
 the garrison of this place, Charles crossed the rivers Eden and 
 Solway into Scotland : thus successfully accomnlishing one of 
 the most surprising retreats on record. 
 
 The Duke of Cumberland pursued Iiim v.itn Angour, and 
 invested Carlisle with his whole army on the 21st, which shortly 
 after surrendered. Charles meanwhile advanced with his army 
 to Glasgow, upon which he leaded a severe contribution, and 
 then laid siege to Stirling. At Falkuk he was met by General 
 Hawley, whom he entirely defeated, taking from him his tents 
 and artillery. 
 
 The Duke of Cumberland, with 14,000 men, advanced to 
 Aberdeen, where he was joined by several of the nobility who 
 were attached to the House of Hanover. The Spey, a deep 
 and rapid river, offered to the rebels a favourable opportunity 
 for encountering the Royal troops; but, distracted by dissen- 
 tions,- they neglected to dispute this important passage, and 
 suffered the Duke to pass it unmolested. At length the two 
 armies met on the plains of Culloden, near Inverness. This 
 memorable engagement decided the fate of the House of Stuart ; 
 the Pretender's army was completely defeated; 1,200 of his 
 men were slain, or wounded on the field; and he owed his 
 own safety to flight. To the torturing reflections arising from 
 blasted ambition, were superadded the pains of hunger, thirst, 
 and fatigue. Surrounded on all sides by armed troops, dread- 
 ing to find a foe at every turn, Charles sometimes lurked in
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 453 
 
 caves and cottages, without attendants, or any other support 
 but such as the poorest peasant could supply ; sometimes he 
 appeared in a woman's dress, and at other times assumed the 
 appearance of a travelling mountaineer. He was known to 
 above fifty persons of the lowest order ; and though .£30,000 
 was oflered to whomsoever should discover him, they nobly 
 scorned to betray an afflicted Prince for the sake of gain. 
 Worn down with fatigue and want, he at length escaped in a 
 privateer from St. Maloes, procured for him by young Sheridan. 
 His appearance at once told the severity of his sufferings : his 
 eyes were hollow, his visage pale and wan, his figure emaciated, 
 and his constitution greatly impaired by the fatigues he had 
 undergone. A thick fog concealed his vessel from the English 
 fleet, and he luckily arrived in safety at Morlaix in Bretagne, 
 after having been, for the space of five months, a wretched and 
 solitarv fn<ntive. ^ 
 
 His unhappy adherents were, in the mean while, given up 
 to all the rigours of the law. Several of the officers suffered by 
 military execution, and numbers of the common men were im- 
 prisoned in the holds of ships, where many perished for want 
 of necessaries, air, and exercise. In the month of May, the 
 Duke of Cumberland encamped with his army near Fort Au- 
 gustus, in the Highlands, whence he sent off detachments to 
 hunt down the fugitives, and lay all waste with fire and sword ; 
 and so alert were the ministers of vengeance in the execution 
 of their office, that in a few days all around was ruin, silence, 
 and desolation. 
 
 Why are the hero's laurels stained with blood ? When 
 Justice draws the sword, let Mercy plead for the vanquished ; 
 let the tears of pity and compassion efface the crimson dve of 
 conquest, and sheath the warrior's steel, unstained by crueltv.
 
 454 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 VICTORIES AT SEA. 
 Soon after the battle of Culloden the Duke of Cumberland 
 returned to Flanders, where he resumed the command of the 
 allied army. The French, however, carried every thing before 
 them ; and the taking of Bergen-op-Zoom, the strongest forti- 
 fication in Brabant, reduced the Dutch to a state of despera- 
 tion. Meanwhile the British flag again waved triumphantly on 
 the ocean ; nine French ships, destined to attack our posses- 
 sions in the East, were taken by Anson and Warren ; shortly 
 after. Commodore Fox, with six ships of war, took above forty 
 French merchant-ships, richly laden, from St. Domingo ; and 
 Admiral Hawke defeated the French fleet, taking from them 
 seven ships of the line, and several frigates. At length the 
 contending Powers became anxious for peace; and, in 1748, a 
 Congress was held at Aix la Chapelle, the conditions of which 
 were by no means honourable to Britain. It was stipulated, 
 that the King should send two noblemen as hostages to France, 
 until the restitution of Cape Breton, and of all other British 
 conquests made during the war. No mention was made of the 
 searching British vessels, the original cause of the war ; nor was 
 any thing determined upon relative to their respective posses- 
 sions in North America. 
 
 In 1756, war was renewed, and soon after spread with terri- 
 ble devastation over eveiy part of the globe. The possession 
 of Nova Scotia, a cold and barren country, was deemed neces- 
 sary to defend the English colonists in the north. The French 
 had long been settled in the back parts of the country, when 
 fresh colonies from Britain established themselves on the 
 coast ; they therefore determined to dispossess the new comers, 
 and spirited up the Indians to begin hostilities. All endeavours 
 to procure an amicable settlement between the principals failed 
 of success : mutual accusations and recriminations served but 
 to increase their animosity. In 1756, four operations were 
 undertaken by the British in America at one time; Colonel
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 455 
 
 Monckton was successful in driving the French from their en- 
 croachments in Nova Scotia ; and General Johnson, though he 
 failed in the expedition against Crown Point, defeated the 
 enemy, who attacked his camp ; but General Shirley's expedi- 
 tion against Fort du Quesne entirely failed, and General Brad- 
 dock fell into an ambuscade. Braddock's rashness and pre- 
 sumption occasioned this disaster, from which his personal 
 bravery could not extricate him : his army was defeated, and 
 himself killed. 
 
 DEFINITIOK. 
 
 Congrfiss, — Anassembly of commissioners, envoys, deputies, &c. from 
 several courts, meeting to concert measures for their common good, 
 
 DEATH OF ADMIRAL BYNG. 
 
 Fresh successes at sea compensated, in some measure, for 
 the misfortunes of our land forces in America. The French 
 navy was so much reduced, as to be unable to recover its vigour 
 during the remainder of the war. Britain was indeed threatened 
 with an invasion, but it was never put in execution. A French 
 army landed in Minorca, and invested the citadel of St. Philip, 
 which, though reckoned one of the strongest in Europe, was 
 unprovaded with the means of sustaining a vigorous siege. 
 Admiral Byng was dispatched with a squadron of eighteen ships 
 of war, with orders to relieve Minorca, and at any rate to 
 throw a body of troops into the garrison. Thinking this too 
 hazardous an undertaking, he did not even attempt it. A 
 French fleet, nearly of equal force with his own, soon after- 
 wards appeared, and a slight engagement ensued with part of 
 the English fleet; after which, the French slowly sailed away, 
 and no other opportunity offered of bringing them to a fresh 
 engagement. For this conduct Admiral Byng was brought 
 home under an arrest, tried, and sentenced to death, for not 
 having done his utmost to defeat the enemy. This harsh sen-
 
 456 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 tence was put in execution on board Le Monarque, on the 
 14th of March, He suffered with the greatest resolution and 
 intrepidity, after delivering a paper, filled with protestations of 
 his innocence as to any treacherous intention. 
 
 VICTORIES IN INDIA. 
 
 After the conquest of Minorca, the French declared that 
 they would revenge all injuries which they might sustain in 
 their colonies, on the King of Britain's dominions in Hanover. 
 The Court of London, alarmed at this threat, entered into an 
 alliance with Russia; and engaged a body of Russians in their 
 service, to assist in the defence of Hanover, should it be at- 
 tacked by the French. This treaty was opposed by the King of 
 Prussia, with whom a new one was formed ; and this celebrated 
 warrior, whose only ally was Great Britain, was at this time 
 opposed by the most potent States of Europe. For a time his 
 affairs wore so unpromising an aspect, that the British Ministry 
 began to entertain some thoughts of abandoning him to his 
 fate. From this, however, they were diverted by his Prussian 
 Majesty's spirited remonstrances, whose exploits astonished 
 and claimed the admiration of all Europe. The British arms 
 were still unsuccessful on the Continent. The Duke of Cum- 
 berland, who commanded 3,800 men, '\\as obliged, by superior 
 French force, to retreat from place to place ; till at length he 
 was driven into a situation whence he could neither retire nor 
 advance, and was, with his whole army, obliged to capitulate at 
 Closter Severn. 
 
 It was in Asia that success once more began to dawn upon 
 us. On the coasts of Hindostan, the English, French, and 
 several other Powers of Europe, had built forts with the ori- 
 ginal consent of the Mogul, who claimed the sovereignty of 
 the whole empire. The native Governors and Nabobs, who 
 were originally of his appointment, rendered themselves inde-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 457 
 
 pendent. These Princes therefore, in their contests with each 
 other, instead of having recourse to the Mogul for redress, 
 applied to the European Powers for assistance. The war be- 
 tween England and France, in these remote regions, began by 
 each Power taking a part with two contending Nabobs ; and, 
 by degrees, from auxiliaries they became principals in the dis- 
 pute. For some time the success of either party seemed doubt- 
 ful, till at length the courage and conduct of Mr. Clive gave 
 the English the ascendancy. This gentleman first entered the 
 Company's service as a clerk, but very soon evinced the supe- 
 riority of his talents for war. By his vigilance and activity, 
 the Nabob of Ai-cot was restored to his government; soon after 
 which, the French, sensible of their inferiority, concluded a 
 convention, by which it was agreed that, for the future, neither 
 party should interfere in the ditTerences between the native 
 Princes. In the short space of a few months, however, hosti- 
 lities were renewed j the Viceroy of Bengal declared against the 
 English, and laid siege to Calcutta, which, being unprovided 
 with means of resistance, was taken by assault, and the gar- 
 rison, to the number of one hundred and forty-six persons, 
 were crammed into a narrow prison, called the Black Hole, 
 only eighteen feet square. The want of fresh air, the heat of 
 the climate, which was made intolerable by the exhalations 
 arising from the numbers confined in so small a space, soon 
 rendered the little air that did circulate pestilential and fatal. 
 Cries, groans, and shrieks, for some time announced the anguish 
 and despair of the sufferers : and to this succeeded the horrid 
 silence of desolation. In the space of a few hours twenty-three 
 persons only were found alive; and, of these, many died of 
 pntiid fevers soon after their release. 
 
 In December 1756, Mr. Clive and Admiral Watson retook 
 Calcutta, possessed themselves of the principal parts on the 
 banks of the Ganges, and shortly after took Hoogly, a city of 
 great trade. The Viceroy of Bengal, incensed at these losses, 
 
 X
 
 458 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 assembled a numerous army, with the fixed determination of 
 expelling the English from the Peninsula ; but he was defeated, 
 and soon after deposed and put to death, by Ali Cawn, his 
 prime-minister. This Prince being indebted to the English for 
 his success, liberally granted all their demands, satisfied their 
 avarice, and took every opportunity to demonstrate his pride 
 in their alliance. 
 
 Colonel Clive, assisted by Admirals Watson and Pococke, 
 continued to gain victory after victory ; and, in one campaign, 
 the English became possessed of an immense tract of country-, 
 superior in wealth, fertility, extent, and number of inhabitants, 
 to many of the kingdoms of Europe. Above two millions 
 sterling were paid to the Compau}- and sufferers at Calcutta ; 
 the soldiers and seamen shared ^£600,000 ; and the Enghsh 
 forces became so formidable, that there was no probability of 
 further resistance from the native Powers. 
 
 These successes against the French settlements in India 
 alarmed the French Ministry, who immediately sent out a con- 
 siderable reinforcement, under the command of General Lally, 
 an Irishman by birth, but bred up in the French service. Under 
 him the French arms for a time revived ; and he even prepared 
 to lay siege to Madras, the principal settlement of the East- 
 India Company on the Coromandel coast ; but in this enter- 
 prize he entirely failed : which so dispirited his army, that from 
 that time the French interest declined both by land and sea. 
 Colonel Coote, a man of great prudence and bravery, took 
 from the French Wandewash, Carangoly, Arcot, and Pon- 
 dicherry. Tliis last city was the capital of the French Indian 
 power, and the strongest, largest, and most beautiful of their 
 settlements ; and, in the days of its prosperity, it exceeded all 
 other European colonies, in trade, opulence, and splendour. 
 Bv this conquest the whole trade of Ilindostan, from the Indus 
 to the Ganges, acknowledged the power of Biitain; and the 
 native Princes feared to oppose a force, the strength of which
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 459 
 
 they had been taught to feel. In reviewing our Indian con- 
 quests, the heart of the historian will glow with ardour, whilst 
 recording the brilliant achievements of his countrymen; but 
 the philanthropist must weep at the recollection of those crimes 
 which have swelled the wreath of British fame ; — he fancies he 
 discerns the angry rod of retribution arising, and trembles for 
 the event. 
 
 QUEBEC TAKEN.— DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE. 
 
 The want of success against the French in America, and 
 the imbecility of the plans hitherto pursued, roused the indig- 
 nation of the people ; and addresses to the King, praying for 
 a change of ministry, were presented from all parts of the 
 kingdom. A coalition was therefore formed, and some of the 
 opposition members admitted into the administration ; of whom 
 the principal were Mr. Pitt and Mr. Legge. The former was 
 appointed Secretary of State; the latter Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer: but in a few months the old ministry reo-aiuecl 
 their influence with the lung ; in consequence of which Mr. 
 Pitt was obliged to resign the seals, and Mr. Legge was 
 dismissed. But their disgrace was of short duration ; they pos- 
 sessed the confidence of the nation; and, in compliance with 
 the general solicitations, they were restored. The most vigo- 
 rous measures were pursued by the new ministry; and the 
 success which attended their plans was the best comment on 
 the wisdom of their designs. Cape Breton, an island of great 
 importance to our trade, was taken by Lord Amherst, and 
 Fort du Quesne surrendered to General Forbes. In the suc- 
 ceeding campaign, Ticonderago and Crown Point, which had 
 hitherto held out against the most determined attacks of our 
 troops, were deserted by the French, and fell into the hands 
 of the English, without resistance. The fort of Niagara, a 
 place of great importance, as it commanded all the comnni- 
 
 X 2
 
 460 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 nications between the Northern and French Settlements, was 
 taken by General Johnson. Nothing was now wanting to put 
 the English in possession of all North America, but the taking 
 of Quebec : a handsome, flourishing, and populous city. 
 
 General Wolfe, a young and gallant officer, whose merit 
 alone had advanced him thus high in his profession, was 
 appointed to command the land forces destined to act against 
 Quebec. The naval part of the expedition was commanded 
 by Admiral Saunders. 
 
 So many and so great were the obstacles to be overcome, 
 that but faint hopes of success were entertained. The city of 
 Quebec was well fortified, secured with a numerous garrison, 
 and plentifully supplied with provision and ammunition. 
 General Wolfe having succeeded in taking Point Levi, erected 
 a mortar battery, which in a little time considerably damaged 
 the upper town, and reduced the lower town to a heap of 
 rubbish. On the 12th of September, at one in the morning, 
 the English resolved to attempt ascending the Heights of 
 Abraham, in which they happily succeeded. Montcalm, the 
 French general, perceiving that the English now commanded 
 the weakest part of the town, resolved to hazard a battle. 
 General. Wolfe early in the action received a wound in the 
 wrist ; but he wrapped his handkerchief round it, to stop the 
 eifusion of blood, and advanced with unconcern. A second 
 shot proved fatal : it entered his breast, and he fell on the 
 shoulder of a soldier who was near him. When in the 
 agonies of death, hearing some one exclaim, " They run .'" he 
 anxiously inquired who ran? Being informed it was the 
 French, he faintly exclaimed, "Then I die happy!" and 
 expired. 
 
 The death of General Wolfe was a national loss : he was 
 universdly lamented. Brave, generous, gentle, and compla- 
 cent, he was an example to the officers, and the darling of the 
 soldier. In consequence of this victory, Quebec surrendered.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 461 
 
 Place after place was taken : and in a short time, not only 
 Canada, but all North America, fell under the power of Britain. 
 
 After the capitulation of Closter Seven, between the Duke 
 of Cumberland and the Duke of Richelieu, both sides began to 
 complain of infractions. The French oppressed the Hanove- 
 rians, whom they accused of insurrection : they resolved there- 
 fore once more to take up arms. Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick 
 placed himself at their head : and the British Ministry, hoping 
 to put an end to the Continental war by vigorous measures, 
 sent over several detachments of troops to second his efforts. 
 Victory succeeded victory ; but empty fame was all the English 
 acquired. 
 
 In the midst of these successes, the King unexpectedly ex- 
 pired. He had risen at his usual hour, and walked in the 
 gardens of Kensington Palace, where he then resided ; and on 
 his return, being left alone, he was shortly after heard to fall- 
 On his attendants entering the room, an attempt was made to 
 bleed him, but without effect : he expired in the seventy-seventh 
 year of his age, and the thirty-third of his reign. 
 
 His Majesty had married Caroline, daughter of the Marquis 
 of Brandenburgh Anspach. His eldest son, Frederic, Prince of 
 Wales, died of a pleurisy in 1751, greatly regretted by the 
 people, whose affections he had won by his urbanity and 
 amiable disposition. A misunderstanding had long subsisted be- 
 tween him and his royal father, whose animosity was kept alive 
 by those whose interest it was to keep the Prince from Court. 
 
 X 3
 
 462 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XXXVII. 
 
 George the Third. 
 
 Fig. 1, — England victorious by Land and Sea. 
 Expressed by the letter E, formed of naval and military 
 symbols, entwined with laurels. 
 
 Fig 2. — Affaius concerning Mr. Wilkes. 
 
 Fig 3. — Primitive State of the Colonies in America. 
 The letter A, signifying America, within the letter E, formed 
 of oak, shews the protection afforded to the Colonies. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Causes of the War with America. 
 The American symbol, withdrawn from the protection of the 
 Parent State, is formed of warlike weapons. The taxes, the 
 original causes of the war, have pointed the swords against the 
 standard of England. 
 
 Fig. 5. — War with Ajierica. 
 Thirteen colonies having become united under one head, 
 they are represented by a standard with thirteen stars. The 
 French and Spanish standards, on either side, shew the sup- 
 port which those countries afforded to America. 
 
 Fig. 6. — The French defeated in India, and the Spaniards 
 
 AT Gibraltar. 
 
 Fig. 7- — Result of the American War. 
 Represented by the band which united England with Ame- 
 rica being separated by the sword. 
 
 Fig. 8. — England at Peace with all the World. 
 In the centre is the British Lion, holding out the olive to 
 Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. 
 
 Fig. 9. — Abolition of the Slave Trade.
 
 PLATE XXXVII. 
 
 [Page 462. 
 
 1765 I 
 
 176 5 I 
 
 North Briton 
 
 
 1775 I 
 
 1783 I 
 
 iz^EMi 
 
 ABOLITION 
 of the 
 SLAVE TBAIIE
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 463 
 
 GEORGE THE THIRD. 
 
 George the Third, the eldest son of Frederick Prince of 
 Wales, succeeded his grandfather George the Second, in 1 7G0. 
 In person he was rather above the middle size; of an open, 
 manly, and benevolent countenance ; he was remarkably tem- 
 perate, just, charitable, chaste and pious; beloved enthusiastically 
 by those around him, and setting a pattern to his people of 
 every virtue that could adorn humanity.* He possessed in 
 an eminent degree that noble presence of mind, which is the 
 result of innate rectitude. Steady in his friendship, tender 
 and affectionate in his family, kind and condescending to the 
 meanest of his subjects, he was at once the liberal benefactor, 
 the friend and the father of his people. 
 
 The prejudices of party may have called in question the 
 propriety of some of his political measures : but it would be 
 difficult even for the most perfect ruler, completely to satisfy 
 the discordant views of opposing interest. The enemies which 
 George III. may have had were entirely political: he could 
 have no personal ones ; for, whatever may have been his 
 failings, they were those of the head alone; whilst his vu'tues, 
 emanating from the heart, entitled him to the praise of good 
 men, and were calculated to elevate their possessor from an 
 earthly to a heavenly throne. 
 
 From the year 1810, a dispensation of the most awful and 
 afflicting nature, compelled this excellent monarch to withdraw 
 from his public avocations. Too great abstemiousness, and too 
 much devotedness to the discharge of the important duties 
 
 ♦ Tlie elegant autlior of Lacon, speaking of the influence which 
 the conduct of a sovereign has upon his subjects, tlius characterizes 
 George III. He was a gentlemanly prince in public, and a princely 
 gentleman in private ; he set an example of liberality in sentiment, 
 of integrity in principle, and of purity in life, which may have been 
 imitated by some of his subjects, but which has been surpassed by none. 
 
 x4
 
 464 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 which he had to perform, together with the exquisite anguish 
 he is represented to have felt, for the loss of a beloved and 
 most amiable daughter, are conjectured to have been the 
 leading causes of a calamity, deeply felt and sincerely deplored 
 by the whole nation. The respect which attended his virtues, 
 and the delicate nature of his situation, infused into the hearts 
 of his people a veneration almost sacred, and it is perhaps in a 
 considerable degree owing to this feeling, that, amidst the 
 dreadful shock of nations, by which Europe was nearly desolated, 
 England alone was enabled to maintain her integrity. 
 
 ENGLAND VICTORIOUS BY LAND AND SEA. 
 
 At the commencement of the present reign, the efforts of 
 Britain in every quarter of the globe were truly astonishing. 
 The extensive peninsula of India was controlled by an English 
 force ; another army, of 20,000 men, secured our possessions 
 in North America ,• 30,000 British soldiers in Germany added 
 fresh lustre to her fam^ ; whilst the achievements of the navy 
 surpassed every thing that had hitherto preceded. Neither 
 superior force, number, nor even the terrors of a tempest, 
 could appal the hearts of our seamen : for amidst storms and 
 darkness, and in the neighbourhood of a rocky shore. Admiral 
 Hawke 'gained a complete victory over an equal number of 
 French ships in Quiberon Bay. At length victory itself began 
 to tire; and the people, fatigued with conquest, once more 
 desired to taste the blessings of peace. In 1761, proposals of 
 peace were offered ; but the want of sincerity in the French 
 Court prevented its conclusion. Mr. Pitt, the then Prime 
 Minister, a man of quick penetration and sound judgment, 
 convinced of the sinister designs of Spain, proposed to declare 
 war against that kingdom; but his proposals being rejected, 
 he resigned his employment of Secretary of State. The title 
 of Earl of Chatham, together with a pension of £3,000 a year
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 465 
 
 for three lives, was given him, as a testimony of respect for the 
 eminent services his country had derived from the wisdom and 
 vigour of his administration. 
 
 It was, however, soon discovered that Mr. Pitt was in the 
 right, and war was declared between Britain and Spain. The 
 Spaniards endeavoured to draw Portugal into the design against 
 Britain ; but in vain : she remained faithful to her ally. The 
 Spaniards, in consequence, invaded Portugal with a numerous 
 army, in three difierent quarters ; and the Portuguese, being 
 unprovided with means of defence, saw their towns fall, one 
 after the other, into the hands of the enemy. At length, how- 
 ever, the Spaniards met with such a repulse from Brigadier- 
 general Burgoyne and Colonel Lee, that they were entirely 
 driven out of Portugal. 
 
 In America, tne British arms were no less successful ; the 
 islands of Martinico, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Grenada, were 
 taken from the French ; and the strong fortress of Havannah, 
 in the island of Cuba, was wrested from the Spaniards. The 
 acquisition of this place united in itself all the advantages that 
 can be acquired in war; many of their ships were taken and 
 destroyed, and the plunder, in money and merchandize, did not 
 fall short of ^63,000,000 sterling, a sum equal to the produce of 
 a national subsidy. In the East Indies, the Philippine Islands 
 were reduced ; and a rich Manilla galleon, valued at half a 
 million, was taken by two English frigates. At this time the 
 glory of Britain was thought to have been in its zenith. The 
 French and Spaniards, alarmed at her conquests, now became 
 anxious for peace ; and at length a definitive treaty was signed 
 at Paris, by the Duke of Bedford, as plenipotentiary for Britain, 
 and by the Duke of Praslin and the Marquis of Grimaldi, on 
 the part of France and Spain. By this treaty the French gave 
 up all Canada, the neutral islands, and the fort of Senegal ; 
 but were allowed the privilege of fishing on the coast of New- 
 foundland, and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, at a certain dis- 
 
 X 5
 
 466 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 tance from the shore. Spain also gave up the extensive country 
 of Florida. . 
 
 Thus ended a war, in which England added much to her 
 glory, but little to her real strength. 
 
 AFFAIRS CONCERNING MR. WILKES. 
 
 The spirit of discord did not cease with the war, A long 
 and expensive contest had drained the national treasure, and 
 greatly increased the public debt. A tax upon cider excited a 
 general cry of dissatisfaction ; and virulent libels, far exceeding 
 in audacity any thing known in former times, daily issued from 
 the press. About this time the Earl of Bute, who had been 
 preceptor to the King, unexpectedly resigned his situation of 
 First Lord of the Treasury, and was succeeded by Lord Gren- 
 ville, a man of approved integrity, understanding, and expe- 
 rience ; but as the Earl was supposed, notwithstanding his 
 resignation, still to influence the cabinet, he continued no less 
 obnoxious to the Opposition than when in power. Mr. John 
 Wilkes, member for Aylesbury, and editor of a periodical paper 
 called " The North Briton," having asserted, in his forty-fifth 
 number, that the King's speech contained a falsehood, a general 
 warrant was issued for his apprehension, and he was committed 
 to the Tower : from whence, in a few days, he was brought to 
 Westminster Hall, by habeas corpus, and released bj' Lord 
 Chief-Justice Pratt, as being a member of Parliament. An 
 information was then filed against him in the Court of King's 
 Bench, for being the author of No. xi.v of " The North 
 Briton :" and the Parliament condenmed the obnoxious paper 
 to be burned by the common hangman. Various tumults 
 took place in consequence ; the half-burnt paper was rescued 
 from the flames by the mob, whose displeasure was kept alive 
 by the machinations of the Opposition. In consequence of 
 these outrages, Mr. Wilkes was expelled the House of Com-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 4C7 
 
 mons : after which he retired to the Continent. One advan- 
 tage, iiowever, resulted from this contention : general warrants 
 were pronounced to be Illegal, and the seizure of papers iu 
 consequence of such v.arrants is no longer practised. In 1768, 
 though he had incurred a sentence of outlawry, Mr. Wilkes 
 returned to England just before the general election, and 
 offered himself to represent the city of London. Failing in 
 this, he declared himself a candidate for Middlesex. The tu- 
 mults and riots which now took place were innumerable ; the 
 military were called in, and many persons were killed and 
 wounded in different frays. Mr. Wilkes had not yet taken his 
 seat in the House, when he published a letter that fell into his 
 hands, from Lord Weymouth to the Chairman of the Surrey 
 Quarter Sessions. This he affected to consider as the imme- 
 diate cause of the casualties in St. George's Fields. He was 
 once more expelled the House of Commons, and again returned 
 by the Middlesex electors. The House nevertheless refused 
 him his seat. A new writ was issued, and Mr. Luttrell, his 
 opponent, declared to be duly elected in his stead. Mr. Wilkes 
 was some time afterwards made Alderman of the city of 
 London, and having again incurred the displeasure of the 
 House, was ordered to attend the bar; which he refused, 
 alleging, that he was a member of Parliament, and would obey 
 no orders that were not given him in that capacity. The 
 Commons, at a loss what means to pursue, ordered him to 
 attend on the 8th of April, and adjourned the House to the 
 9th. This weak and impolitic conduct betrayed the fears of 
 the Ministry, and was a prelude to their downfall. 
 
 DEFIXITION. 
 
 General Warrants are warrants to apprehend all persons suspected 
 of crimes, without particularly describing or naming any person 
 specially. 
 
 X 6
 
 468 HISTOEY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 PRIMITIVE STATE OF THE COLONIES IN AMERICA. 
 
 Since the time that America was first discovered, various 
 colonies from England had settled on the western coast of the 
 Northern continent, and, during their infancy, had been sup- 
 ported and protected by the parent state. At the close of the 
 war of 1763, the colonies were in a most flourishing condition, 
 and in arts, arms, and commerce, were little inferior to the 
 most civilized kingdoms of Europe. Sensible of their growing 
 strength, they began to entertain very high notions of their 
 value and importance to Britain; they indeed acknowledged 
 her supremacy, but, jealous of her authority, they determined to 
 limit it, whenever any favourable opportunity should oiFer. 
 
 The French, the ever-active enemies of Britain, viewed with 
 envy and apprehension the flourishing state of her colonies, 
 and secretly encouraged those jealousies which they perceived 
 rankling in the hearts of the Americans. Their short-sighted 
 policy saw not the distant danger arising to themselves. In 
 America, the French imbibed those republican sentiments, 
 which, at a future period, overturned their government, and 
 levelled to the ground one of the most ancient and despotic 
 monarchies in Europe. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Colonies.-— A colony is a company of persons transplanted into a 
 remote country or province, in order to cultivate and inhabit it. 
 
 CAUSES OF THE WAR WITH AMERICA. 
 
 It being judged expedient, by the Ministry at home, that the 
 Americans should contribute their quota towards defraying the 
 expenses of Government, a bill was passed, imposing heavy 
 duties on goods imported into the colonies from such islands as 
 did not belong to Great Britain, which duties were to be paid 
 into the Exchequer in specie. This excited great discontent
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 469 
 
 amongst the colonists ; but the passing of the Stamp Act en- 
 raged them beyond all forbearance. They denied the right of 
 Great Britain to tax them at all, without their own consent ; 
 and the celebrated Dr. Franklin was sent over to England, to 
 remonstrate with the Ministry upon the impolicy and injustice 
 of their proceedings. After a long debate, the Stamp Act was 
 repealed, under the administration of the Marquis of Rocking- 
 ham. Upon Lord North's coming into power, the plan of 
 taxing the colonies was revived, and a bill passed, for imposing 
 a duty on tea, paper, painters' colours, and glass. This excited 
 a greater ferment than even the Stamp Act had done : and the 
 people of Massachusetts Bay, having discovered that a scheme 
 of coercion was in agitation against them, were fired with in- 
 dignation ; and when the cargoes of tea, &c. arrived, and were 
 about to be landed in Boston harbour, the mob arose, boarded 
 the ships, and threw their cargoes into the sea. It was pro- 
 posed that the town of Boston should be compelled to make 
 compensation for the tea destroyed by the populace. This was 
 opposed at home, by a petition from the Lord Mayor of Lon- 
 don, in the name of the natives and inhabitants of North 
 America at that time resident in London; and the petition 
 concluded with this emphatic observation, " that American 
 loyalty could not survive the justice of Britain." The Ameri- 
 cans ceased not to remonstrate, whilst any hope remained that 
 their remonstrances might be attended to: and, at the same 
 time, they were not backward in making preparations to resist 
 any attempt to reduce them by force. The principal members 
 of the Legislative Assembly issued proposals for a general Con- 
 gress to meet at Philadelphia. Hitherto the discontented party 
 had confined themselves to the publication of resolutions, and 
 the assertion of their claims on the justice of Great Britain ; 
 but the arrival of troops from Ireland and other places, and the 
 report that a regiment had been posted at Boston-neck, in
 
 470 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 order to compel the inhabitants into submission, determined 
 them to oppose force to force. 
 
 The first blood shed in this unhappy quarrel was at Lexing- 
 ton, where an engagement took place, in which sixty-five of the 
 King's troops were killed, and above two hundred wounded 
 and taken prisoners. Whilst these transactions were going on 
 in America, Lord Chatham, who from severe illness had long 
 been unable to attend the House, appeared in his place, to re- 
 probate the measures against America, and to propose a plan 
 for conciliation before it should be too late. But the Ministry 
 were determined not to relax ; and a second effort of his Lord- 
 ship was equally unsuccessful, though supported by all that 
 strength of argument, justness of comprehension, and powerful 
 eloquence, for which he was so justly celebrated.* 
 
 WAR WITH AMERICA. 
 
 War being now inevitable between the mother country and 
 her colonies, both parties made vigorous preparations to obtain 
 their ends. The one determined not only to chastise, but to 
 subdue her rebellious children ; the other, to justify their dis- 
 obedience, by the accomplishment of their designs. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1775, a small body of the Americans 
 
 * "This venerable and able statesman, Lord Chatham, closed his 
 valuable life in tlie active discharge of his duty. Whilst in (he act of 
 replying to a motion, made by the Duke of Richmond, for withdraw- 
 ing our troops from America, he was seized with a fainting fit, wliich, 
 in a few days, terminated fatally. His loss was severely felt by all 
 ranks of men. He loved his country witli all the ardour of a noble 
 mind, and served it with fidelity. In him we behold, what is so rarely 
 to be met with in the political world, incorruptible integrity, united 
 to tlie most brilliant talents ! — in a word, a Patriot Minister. 
 
 I
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ^'^ 
 
 surprized and took, without bloodshed, Ticonderago, Crown 
 Point, and some other fortresses, which commanded the passes 
 between the British colonies and Canada. In May, General 
 Gage, the British Governor, received considerable reinforce- 
 ments, commanded by Generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton; 
 upon which the Congress resolved, that no bills or drafts should 
 be negotiated with the officers of the British army, nor any 
 necessaries disposed of to them. In the hope of counteracting 
 this harsh resolution. General Gage offered the King's pardon 
 to all who would lay down their arms, excepting Messrs. Han- 
 cock and Adams, who were considered as ringleaders of a rebel- 
 lion. This being construed by the colonists as a declaration of 
 war, they immediately elected Hancock President of the Con- 
 gress ; and, shortly after, an engagement took place on Bunker's 
 Hill, in which the King's troops, though they succeeded in 
 their object, namely, the destruction of some forts erected by 
 the Americans, lost above 1,000 men, of whom more than 
 two hundred were officers. 
 
 In July, the Congress drew up another declaration ; in which 
 they observed, that their internal resources were great; and 
 that, if necessary, foreign assistance was undoubtedly attainable. 
 This observation was unheeded at the time, but subsequent 
 events proved that it was not an unfounded assertion. 
 
 The Congress appointed George Washington General and 
 Commander-in-chief of all the American forces. This gen- 
 tleman was not only inviolably attached to the cause of the 
 colonists, but possessed considerable military skill, and an 
 unblemished character. The colonists, determined no longer 
 to act upon the defensive, formed the bold design of reducing 
 Canada ; but in this they were unsuccessful, and lost one of 
 their Generals. In Virginia, several skirmishes took place ; and 
 the town of Norfolk was reduced to ashes, by the fleet under 
 the command of Lord Dunmore. An Act of Confederation 
 and perpetual Union was passed by the associated colonies, for
 
 472 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 their common defence, for the security of then* liberty and 
 property, and their mutual and general safety and welfare. 
 The campaign of 1776 was little favourable to the colonists, 
 yet their spirit was unsubdued. At a time when the British 
 army was double that of the Americans, and at a moment the 
 most pregnant with danger, the Congress published their famous 
 Declaration of Independence. New York was, from its ad- 
 vantageous situation, of the utmost importance to the con- 
 tending Powers. Admiral Lord Howe, and his brother, were 
 appointed to conduct the expedition against this place : their 
 army amounted to 30,000 men ; the Americans did not exceed 
 18,000. Proclamations were issued by the English Comman- 
 ders, intimating that they were empowered to grant pardon to 
 all those who, though they had deviated from their allegiance, 
 were willing to return to their duty. To this the Americans 
 replied, that those who had committed no fault requii-ed no 
 pardon. General Washington, sensible he could not maintain 
 his post against such numerous forces, made a most masterly 
 retreat, and New York fell into the hands of the British. 
 
 Emboldened by this success, they determined to follow up 
 their late victories, and Lord Cornwallis was sent to attack 
 Fort Lee, the garrison of which precipitately retired, leaving 
 their artillery and stores. Lord Cornwallis pursued General 
 Washington across the Delaware River, took Rhode Island, 
 blocked up a squadron under the command of Commodore 
 Hopkins, and took General Lee prisoner at Broken-bridge. 
 The situation of the colonists now seemed desperate, but their 
 courage was invincible. General Washington was reinforced, 
 crossed the Delaware, attacked the British by surprise, nine 
 hundred of whom, after a sanguinary engagement, were taken 
 prisoners ; and shortly after he defeated three British regiments 
 at Prince Town. 
 
 In the campaign of 1777, the Americans received a supply 
 of ammunition from France ; and the Marquis de la Fayette,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 473 
 
 a volunteer in the American cause, distinguished himself in the 
 action of Chad's Fort. The British were successful in almost 
 every engagement; but the great purpose of the war was still 
 frustrated by the spuited resistance of the Americans, and by 
 the system of protraction which General Washington had 
 adopted. In Canada, the army under General Burgoyne met 
 with various success. It was deemed an object of considerable 
 importance to form a line of communication between New 
 York and Canada. On his approach to Albany, General Bur- 
 goyne sent a detachment of six hundred men to seize a maga- 
 zine of stores and provisions : but they were nearly all cut off 
 by the New-Hampshu-e militia. This success inspired the 
 Americans with confidence, and depressed the King's troops : 
 who were shortly after surrounded, and the whole army obliged 
 to capitulate. The troops were allowed to march off with the 
 honours of war, lea\"ing their arms and artillery ; and a free 
 passage was granted them to England, on condition of not 
 serving again in North America. The hostile disposition of 
 the Courts of France and Spain now became so apparent, that 
 it was resolved to declare war against both these powers. The 
 French fleet, consisting of twelve ships of the line and four 
 frigates, under the command of the Count D'Estaing, appeared 
 on the coast of America in the beginning of the summer of 
 1 778 ; but, though much superior to the Enghsh force, he did 
 not venture to attack them. D'Estaing made an unsuccessfid 
 attack upon Rhode Island ; soon after which. Sir Henry Clinton 
 sent a detachment to Bedford, which destroyed seventy sail of 
 shipping, together with magazines and stores to a great amount. 
 This, and some other losses of a similar kind, and particularly 
 the taking of Savannah, the capital of Georgia, greatly de- 
 pressed the Americans. Their hopes and expectations had 
 been raised very high on the arrival of the French fleet, but 
 nothing had been performed to fulfil those expectations. 
 In 1779, the Enghsh lost Stony Point, on North River; and
 
 474 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the garrison of Powles Hook, near New York, was taken by 
 surprise. In Georgia the British were eminently successful; 
 they also took the island of St. Lucia ; but, towards the end of 
 the year, the French made themselves masters of the islands of 
 St. Vincent, Grenada, and Dominica. 
 
 THE FRENCH DEFEATED IN INDIA, AND THE 
 SPANIARDS AT GIBRALTAR. 
 
 The first engagement that took place between the English 
 and French fleets, during this war, occurred on the 27th of 
 July 1778, off' Brest. The French fleet consisted of thirty-two 
 sail of the line : the British of thirty. The battle lasted for 
 three hours ; the French were defeated with considerable loss ; 
 and, had it not been for a misunderstanding between the Eng- 
 lish Admirals, the result would have been still more glorious to 
 the British arms. In the East Indies, Pondicherry, \^hich had 
 been restored to the French in 1763, was again taken from 
 than, by the united efforts of Major-general Munro, commander 
 of the East-India Company's forces, and Sir Edward Vernon, 
 who commanded the English fleet. At the commencement of 
 the year 17B0, Sir George Rodney was sent with a fleet to re- 
 lieve Gibraltar, at that time besieged by the Spaniards. In his 
 voyage he fell in with twenty-two sail of Spanish merchant- 
 men, protected by seven ships of war, and in three hours made 
 himself master of the whole. A few days after, he engaged 
 another fleet, consisting of eleven ships, of which he took six ; 
 two of these were driven on shore, one of which was lost, but 
 the other was recovered ; one ship blew up, four only escaped, 
 and those were very much shattered. In April he again en- 
 gaged a French fleet near the Leeward Islands ; but the battle 
 was undecided, and both parties claimed the victor}'. 
 
 The fortress of Gibraltar had remained in possession of the 
 English, from the period of its first conquest by Admiral Rooke 
 
 4
 
 HIiTORY OF ENGLAND. 4/5 
 
 to the present time. The Spaniards had made two unsuccessful 
 attempts to re-take it, previous to the grand siege, which began 
 in July 1779, and lasted three years. On the 1.3th of Septem- 
 ber 1782, a grand attack was made by the Spaniards with float- 
 ing batteries. The battle began about ten in the morning. 
 The fire was heavy on both sides ; but the red-hot shot from 
 the garrison was directed with such precision, that early in the 
 afternoon the Spanish Admiral's ship was on fire, and, by one 
 in the morning, the whole was a scene of confusion, hoiTor, and 
 despair ! The sea itself appeared to be on fire, and numbers 
 of men were seen amidst the flames, some on pieces of wood, 
 and some in the burning ships, imploring assistance. The 
 English, at the hazard of their lives, made every exertion to 
 relieve them, and by their intrepidity succeeded in saving 
 thirteen Spanish officers, and three hundred and forty-four men ! 
 From this time the Spaniards seem to have relinquished all 
 hope of again possessing this important fortress. 
 
 RESULT OF THE AMERICAN WAR. 
 
 The year 1 780 was rendered remarkable by several striking 
 incidents. Charlestown, the capital of South Carolina, was 
 taken by Sir Henry Clinton ; after which he proceeded to York 
 Town, leaving 4,000 men for the southern service, under the 
 command of Lord Cornwallis. The Americans, when repeat- 
 edly defeated, were not subdued, although in the north every 
 thing seemed to conspire their ruin. General Arnold, who 
 had so often fought and bled in the cause of American inde- 
 pendence, stipulated, for a certain sum, to betray into the hands 
 of the British an important fortress, the keeping of which he 
 had solicited. Major Andre, an English officer of great spirit 
 and bravery, was appointed to negotiate the business ; but, 
 being surprised by some of the American scouts, he was taken.
 
 476 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 his papers seized, and the treachery of Arnold discovered. The 
 General was lucky enough to escape, but the unfortunate Andre 
 was hanged by the Americans as a spy. 
 
 The last campaign of this memorable but fatal war seemed 
 to begin auspiciously for the mother country ; but it was only 
 an illusive gleam of success. A very great part of the Ameri- 
 can army in the Pennsylvanian line revolted, marched out of 
 their camp, posted themselves advantageously, and elected 
 ofiicers from among themselves. Sir Henry Clinton, hearing of 
 this, hoped to induce them to return to their allegiance ; but 
 they rejected all his offers with disdain, delivering up the mes- 
 sengers, who were sent to treat with them, to Congress, by 
 whom they were tried, condemned, and executed. Soon after- 
 wards, a detachment under General Tarleton was defeated by 
 the Americans, with the loss of three hundred killed or 
 wounded, and five hundred prisoners. Lord CornwaUis, anxious 
 to form a junction with Lord Leslie, marched through North 
 Carolina with great speed, and set up the King's standard at 
 Hillsborough. The American General Greene, having levied 
 a body of troops in Virginia, resolved to attack his Lordship. 
 A sharp encounter took place at Guildford, where the King's 
 troops with some difficulty gained the victory. Greene, how- 
 ever, received a severer check from Lord Rawdon, at Cambden. 
 Towards the end of August, Sir Samuel Hood and Admiral 
 Graves arrived in the Chesapeake bay, where they met the 
 French Admu-al De Grasse, with twenty-four ships of the line. 
 The British squadron consisted of nineteen ships only. An 
 engagement ensued, but victory was undecided. The British 
 then retired to New York. The combined armies of France 
 and America, amounting together to 20,000 men, now resolved 
 to attack Lord CornwaUis, who was then in York Town, Vir- 
 ginia, which he had fortified as well as he was able : the French 
 fleet, at the same time, taking such a position, as to prevent bis
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 477 
 
 Lordship from escaping by water. The French troops were 
 commanded by the Count de Rochambeau, but General Wash- 
 ington was commander-in-chief. In six days after the operations 
 began, the English fortifications were so much damaged, that 
 they could hardly shew a gun ; all hopes of escape, as well as 
 of successful resistance, had vanished ; and, on the 19th of 
 October 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered himself, and his 
 whole army, prisoners to the combined armies of France and 
 America. The number of men who surrendered prisoners of 
 M-ar exceeded 7,000; but the sick were so numerous, that not 
 above half that number were able to bear arms. Thus ended 
 the war in North America, by which the United Colonies were 
 for ever separated from the mother country. 
 
 The joy of the Americans on this occasion was extreme; 
 the independence they had so hardly contended for seemed 
 now assured ; and, in proportion as their hopes became ele- 
 vated, those of the English were depressed. 
 
 Hostilities however still continued with France and Spain ; 
 and in this year also, 1781, war was declared against the Dutch, 
 from whom we took the island of St. Eustatius ; it was, how- 
 ever, retaken by the French before the close of the year. The 
 Dutch and English fleets had a severe action off the Dogger- 
 bank ; and, after four hours' hard fighting, the Dutch bore away 
 for the Texel, and the English were too much disabled to 
 follow them. At the commencement of the year the French 
 had made an attempt to take the island of Jersej- ; but they 
 were defeated by Major Pierson, who fell in the moment of 
 victory. They then made themselves masters of several of the 
 West-India islands, though their fleet, under the Count de 
 Grasse, sustained a defeat from Sir Samuel Hood; shortly 
 afterwards, they were again defeated by Admiral Rodney. This 
 memorable battle lasted from seven in the morning till half-past 
 six in the evening. On their return home, the gallant Admi-
 
 478 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 rals, Rodney and Hood, received the thanks of both Houses of 
 Parliament, and were advanced to the Peerage. 
 
 In America, the Spaniards reduced all our settlements on 
 the Mississippi, entirelj' conquered the province of West Florida, 
 and took the city of Pensacola. In Europe they successfully 
 attacked Minorca, which surrendered after a siege of one hun- 
 dred and seventj'-one days. 
 
 In India, General Coote defeated Hyder Ally in two or three 
 engagements. Negapatam and Trincomalee were taken from 
 the Dutch. The English were, however, M'orsted in their turn, 
 by Tippoo Saib, who cut off a detachment of the enemy's 
 troops, under Colonel Brathwuite. Shortly after, peace was 
 concluded with the Mahrattas ; and the death of Hyder Ally, 
 which happened this year, relieved the English from one of the 
 most intrepid and inveterate enemies they had ever encoun- 
 tered in India. 
 
 ENGLAND AT PEACE WITH ALL THE WORLD. 
 
 Towards the conclusion of the American war, the adminis- 
 tration of Lord North met with great opposition. The leading 
 members of that party were, Mr. Edmund Burke, a gentleman 
 of great talents and eloquence ; Mr. Fox ; and Mr. William 
 Pitt, second son of the late Earl Chatham, whose virtues and 
 abilities seemed to revive in his son. 
 
 The misfortunes in Virginia had made a deep impression 
 throughout the kingdom, and a change of ministry was anxi- 
 ously and earnestly desired. About the middle of March 1782, 
 an entire change in the administration took place, and the 
 principal members of the Opposition were chosen to fill their 
 places. The Marquis of Rockingham was appointed First 
 Lord of the Treasury ; but his death, which happened shortly 
 after, occasioned another change, and, after some fluctuation of
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 479 
 
 parties, the Duke of Portland was made First Lord of the 
 Treasury; Lord North and Mr. Fox, Principal Secretaries of 
 State ; Lord George Cavendish, Chancellor of the Exchequer ; 
 Lord Keppel, First Lord of the Admiralty ; Lord Stormont, 
 President of the Council ; and the Earl of Carlisle, Keeper of 
 the Privy Seal. 
 
 Peace was the great object that first engaged the attention 
 of the new Ministry. No hope of conquering the Americans 
 now remained ; and though the navy had been victorious, the 
 expenses exceeded the fruits of conquest. The national debt was 
 increased to an immense amount, trade languished, and taxes 
 accumulated. In fact, all parties seemed weary of unprofitab'e 
 conquests ; and peace was, at length, concluded with all the 
 contending Powers, oa the following terms : 
 
 All conquests on either side, not mentioned nor alluded to 
 in this present treaty, were to be restored without difRculty, 
 and without compensation. In the treaty with France, Great 
 Britain was to renounce every claim with respect to Dunkirk ; 
 to relinquish all connection with St. Lucia, in the West Indie«, 
 and Goree, in Africa. The towns and factories taken from the 
 French in the East Indies, together with Pondicherry, Karical, 
 and other dependencies, were to be restored. The English 
 were to be put in possession of the islands of Grenada and the 
 Grenadines, St. Christopher, Nevis, St. Vincent, Dominica, and 
 Montserrat ; and France was to restore all the towns and dis- 
 tricts which she had taken from the English in that quarter of 
 the globe ; and all the prisoners on each side were to be reci- 
 procally surrendered without ransom, each country paying the 
 expenses contracted for theii- maintenance. Between Great 
 Britain and Spain it was agreed, that his Catholic Majesty 
 should retain the island of Minorca, and the province of West 
 Florida in North America. East Florida was to be ceded to 
 his Britannic Majesty ; to whom also was granted the privilege
 
 480 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 of cutting logwood in a certain district. Providence and the 
 Bahama Islands were also to be restored to Great Britain, in 
 the condition they were when conquered. 
 
 In the treaty with America, his Majesty acknowledged the 
 independence of the United States ; and relinquished, for him- 
 self, his heirs, and his successors, all claim to the government 
 of them, to their property, and ten-itorial rights. The people 
 of the United States were also allowed to fish on the coast of 
 Newfoundland, and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Hostilities 
 by sea and land were immediately to cease, and a firm and per- 
 petual peace to be cemented between them. 
 
 With the Dutch it was stipulated, that a sincere and steady 
 friendship should be established between Great Britain and the 
 United Provinces. Hostilities were to cease on both sides ; all 
 the prisoners and hostages on either side were to be restored 
 without ransom, each power defraying the expence incurred for 
 their subsistence. The King of Great Britain was to receive an 
 equivalent for Negapatam in the East Indies ; and to restore to 
 the Dutch Trincomalee, with all other forts, &c. which had 
 been conquered or taken in any part of the world, during the 
 war. The Dutch bound themselves not to molest the naviga^ 
 tion of the subjects of Great Britain in the Eastern seas; and 
 certain differences, which existed between the English African 
 Company and the Dutch East-India Company, were to be 
 determined hereafter by Commissioners named on each side. 
 These Articles were ratified by the different Powers, in Ja- 
 nuary 1803, and Britain was once more at peace with all the 
 world. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 First Lord of the Treasury. — One of the several persons appointed 
 by the King to take charge of and govern the Royal revenue, which 
 is kept in the Exchequer.
 
 [To face Pffg<?4Sl. 
 
 WEliMNftTOIV. I 
 
 The Naval and Military Columns arc intended to commemorate 
 the names of some of the most distinguished heroes in the late war.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 481 
 
 The principal Domestic Occurrences that engaged the atten- 
 tion of the people, from this time to the commencement of a 
 new war in 1793, were the following : 
 
 1. Mr. Fox's Bill relative to the Affairs of the East-India Com- 
 pany. 
 
 2. A Change of Ministers. 
 
 3. Tlie Restoration of the Scottish Estates forfeited in the Rebellion 
 of 1745. 
 
 4. Tlie Establishment of the Sinking Fund. 
 
 5. A Commercial Treaty with France. 
 
 6. Attempt of RIargaret Nicholson to assassinate the King. 
 
 7. Debts of the Prince of Wales, 
 
 8. Commencement of his IMajesty's Illness. 
 
 9. Abolition of the Sla%e Trade. 
 
 10. Compensation for the American Loyalists. 
 
 1 1 . Trial of Warren Hastings, Esq. 
 
 1. In 1783, a Bill was brought into Parliament by Mr. Fox, 
 to withdraw the management of Indian affairs from the East- 
 India Company, and to vest it in the hands of seven Commis- 
 sioners. This was warmly opposed by Mr. W. Pitt, with his 
 accustomed powerful and commanding eloquence, and his sen- 
 timents were cordially adopted by the nation. It was allowed 
 that India wanted a reform, but not a tyrannical one. The 
 Bill, nevertheless, passed the Lower House, but was finall\- 
 rejected by the House of Peers. 
 
 2. The wishes of the nation were now gratified with respect 
 to the peace ; but the Coalition, as the present Administration 
 was called, was composed of men of such opposite principles, 
 that a more consistent Ministry was earnestly desired. A 
 change was therefore determined upon : Mr. Pitt was made 
 first Lord of the Treasury, and Chancellor of the Exchequer ; 
 Lord Thurlow was appointed to the Chancellorship; Lord 
 Howe, First Lord of the Admiralty; and the Duke of Richmond
 
 48? HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Master of the Ordnance. Mr. Pitt now introduced a Bill for 
 the better regulation of the Government in India; this was 
 warmly contested by the adherents of the late Administration, 
 liut being divested of the exceptionable parts of Mr. Fox's Bill, 
 it was acceded to by the Company, and finally passed. By this 
 law, a high tribunal was established for the trial of Indian de- 
 linquents, which was authorized to judge without appeal ; and, 
 in case of conviction, to award fines, imprisonments, or dis- 
 missal from the Company's service. 
 
 3. In 1 785, the Sinking Fund was established by Mr. Pitt, 
 for gradually liquidating the Public Debt, &c. 
 
 4. Mr. Dundas, President of the Boai'd of Control, procured 
 a law for the restitution of the estates forfeited in Scotland in 
 consequence of the Rebellion of 1745. 
 
 5. In 1780, a Commercial Treaty was entered into between 
 England and France; by which it was agreed, that there should 
 be perfect liberty of navigation and commerce between the 
 su)iijects of the two kings, in all their European dominions, in 
 order to encourage the produce and manufactures of both 
 countries, by a discontinuance of prohibitory duties, and by 
 putting an end to illicit trade. 
 
 G. On the 2d of August 1786, an attempt was made on 
 the King's life, by a woman named Margaret Nicholson. As 
 his Majesty was alighting from his carriage, she presented a 
 petition ; but whilst the Monarch was employed in reading it, 
 she struck at him with a knife which she had concealed under 
 her cloak. Providentially she missed her aim, and was imme- 
 diately taken into custody. Upon examination she was found 
 to be insane, and was therefore sent to a place of safety and 
 security. 
 
 7. In 1787, the Prince of Wales, finding his pecuniary affairs 
 greatly embarrassed, resolved to appropriate four-fifths of his 
 income for the purpose of liquidating his debts, and in the 
 mean time to live like a private gentleman. The people, how-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 483 
 
 ever, did not like to see the Heir Apparent in such circum- 
 stances. An application was made to Parliament for relief; 
 and the sum of ^£161,000 was voted for the payment of his 
 debts, besides ^£20,000 for the repairs of Carlton House. 
 
 8. In the year 1788, the whole nation was thrown into the 
 deepest affiiction, on account of a peculiarly distressing illness 
 with which the Sovereign was afflicted. No case exactly 
 parallel with this had ever before occurred in our history ; the 
 proceedings of Parliament, therefore, were unusually solemn 
 and affecting. The Opposition were for investing the Heir 
 Apparent with the sovereign power, which the Ministry reso- 
 lutely opposed. This dispute was carried on with considerable 
 warmth on both sides ; but was happily interrupted, at the 
 beginning of the following year, by the grateful intelligence of 
 his Majesty's recovery. The joy of the nation at this happy 
 event was unbounded, and the people \ied with each other in 
 demonstrating their loyalty and affection, A general and 
 solemn Thanksgiving was appointed; when the whole Royal 
 Family, accompanied by both Houses of Parliament, went in 
 procession to St. Paul's Cathedral, to return thanks to Heaven 
 for the restoration of a Monarch so beloved ; and, in the even- 
 ing, not only the metropolis, but every town and village in the 
 kingdom was illuminated. Never was joy more unfeigned, or 
 so generally expressed. 
 
 9. Abolilion of the Slave Trade. (See Plate 37, Fig. 9.) Ever 
 since the year 1562, the English, notwithstanding their love cf 
 personal freedom, had been in the habit of purchasing African 
 Negroes, to labour in their plantations in the West-Indies. Ft r 
 this purpose, ships were fitted out to convey them from their 
 native country to the estates of their imperious masters. The 
 native Princes of Africa sold the prisoners they made in war ; 
 but, as that was an uncertain sujiply, artifice and cruelty were 
 employed, to seduce the unfortunate Negroes to their ruin. As 
 civilization advanced, the feelings of humanitj', and the sense 
 
 Y 2
 
 484 HISTORY OF ENGI.AVD. 
 
 of justice, rose superior to interest. The first public attempt 
 to ameliorate the suiFerings of the Negroes, was made by the 
 Quakers in America; and, in 1787, the same sect presented a 
 similar petition to the Parliament of this kingdom. The cause 
 became extremely popular, and was taken up with great zeal 
 and earnestness by various debcriptions of people. Mr. Pitt, 
 Mr. Fox, Mr. Burke, Mr. Wilberforce, &c. enforced the neces- 
 sity of abrogating a law, so hostile to humanity, with all the 
 eloquence and strength of argument which the importance of 
 the subject demanded. The West-India planters, however, 
 made a formidable opposition : and, though the condition of 
 the slaves was much ameliorated, by some regulations enacted 
 in their favour, their cause languished till the year 1 792, when 
 humanity triumphed, and a law was passed for the gradual 
 abolition of slavery. 
 
 10. In 1795, Mr. Pitt brought in a Bill to make compen- 
 sation to the American Loyalists for the losses sustained by 
 them during the American war. This motion was unanimously 
 agreed to, and the sum of ^61,342,191 was granted for that 
 purpose. 
 
 11. On the 14th of April 1786, Mr. Burke brought forward 
 articles of impeachment against Warren Hastings, Esq. late 
 Governor-general of Bengal, for crimes alleged to have been 
 committed by him in that country. 
 
 It is a circumstance not a little new in the history of nations, 
 tliat a Company of Merchants should have contrived to sub- 
 jugate one of the fairest portions of the habitable world, con- 
 taining a population many times greater than that of their 
 native country. But, it cannot be denied, that to obtain that 
 empire justice has too often been sacrificed to interest ; and 
 that, from a strange perversion of principles, actions, which 
 would have been thought of with detestation at home, were 
 committed in Hindostan without remorse, under the pica of 
 necessity.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 485 
 
 The charges against Mr. Hastings went to prove, that he had 
 been guilty of cruelty, treachery, and extortion. If the conduct 
 of Mr. Hastings is to be estimated by the actual services ren- 
 dered to his employers, by the magnitude of his designs, and 
 the ultimate success of his plans for the aggrandizement of his 
 country, he must be ranked with the most celebrated con- 
 querors. If he is to be judged by the great laws of humanity 
 and justice, he must be condemned. But with whom, then, 
 does the original guilt rest ? 
 
 After a trial of seven years, Mr. Hastings was acquitted ; 
 but-, at the same time, the immense expense which he incurred, 
 and the uneasiness which he suffered, from the high degree of 
 odium excited against him in the minds of many persons, must 
 undoubtedly have been equivalent to a very severe punishment. 
 The East-India Company, as a testimony of esteem and gra- 
 titude for his eminent services, settled on him a pension of 
 .i'5,000 per annum. 
 
 T 3
 
 486 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 PLATE XXXVIII. 
 
 Fig. 1. — War with France. 
 England, Germany, Prussia, Holland, and Sardinia, uniting 
 theii' arms against France. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Mutiny in the Fleet. 
 Represented by a ship of war, bearing the standard of Insur- 
 rection, hoisted at her mizen-mast, to shew that the defection 
 was not general. At the head is the figure of Justice, holding 
 in one hand the scales in equilibrio, and the sword in the 
 other. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Resources of England against Invasion. 
 The stability of the kingdom of England is represented by 
 the initial E resting on a rock. The standards and ships that 
 guard the rock, denote the determination of the people to 
 protect the Monarchy from the attack of enemies. 
 
 Fig. 4. — Rebellion in Ireland. 
 On one side is the standard of Rebellion ; and on the other 
 the standard of Invasion. 
 
 Fig. 5. — War in India. Fall of Seringapatam. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Union of Ireland with England. 
 
 Fig. 7. — P^ace of Amiens. 
 The transient nature of the treaty of Amiens is shewn by the 
 swords, which are piercing the olive.
 
 PLATE XXXVin. 
 
 [Page 486.
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 487 
 
 V/AR WITH FRANCE. 
 
 In the year 1790 began the great Revolution in France : a 
 revolution which has been followed by events so extraordi- 
 nary, as will convey to posterity the idea rather of romance 
 than of a sober relation of facts. Lewis XVI., the then reign- 
 ing Monarch, was one of the best and most amiable Sovereigns 
 that had ever reigned in that country. It was his misfortune 
 to ascend the throne at a time when the nation was on the very 
 verge of bankruptcy. A set of men, calling themselves Philo- 
 sophers, had secretly excited among the people a spirit of dis- 
 affection. Various other causes contributed to increase the 
 popular displeasure, till at length it broke out into actual rebel- 
 lion. The populace were in arms ; the military refused to act 
 against them ; ecclesiastical property and tithes were seized by 
 the National Assembly ; monastic institutions were abolished ; 
 the whole order of nobility was overthrown ; and the power of 
 the crown reduced almost to nothing. Most of the French 
 nobilitj', instead of rallying round the King, forsook him and 
 fled. Lewis himself endeavoured to quit the kingdom; but 
 was discovered, brought back, and reluctantly placed at the 
 head of a Government which he could not approve. 
 
 These proceedmgs roused the attention of all Europe. The 
 dissemination of republican principles excited alarm in e\'ery 
 Court, and induced the Monarchs of Europe to enter into a 
 confederation against France. Leopold II. Emperor of Ger- 
 many, and the Kings of Prussia and Sardinia, were the first to 
 take up arms against that kingdom. Their ostensible motive 
 was to restore the despotic power of Lewis ; but, it may be 
 questioned, whether an inordinate ambition, and the hope of 
 aggrandizing their dominions by conquest over a disunited 
 people, were not the real incentives to the war. A proclama- 
 tion, issued by the Duke of Brunswick, threatening vengeance 
 on the French people if any injury were done to their King, so 
 exasperated them, that, unwilling to trust the defence of the 
 
 Y 4
 
 488 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 kingdom to a Prince whose friends were enemies of the State, 
 they dethroned him on the 10th of August. They then pro- 
 claimed a republican constitution. The capital streamed with 
 blood, for all who were suspected of loyalty were butchered 
 without mercy. The Austrians entered France in July 1791, 
 but were soon obliged to retreat. The French commenced 
 active operations, and, under General Dumourier, defeated the 
 Austrians at the celebrated battle of Jemappe; soon after which 
 they subdued almost all the Netherlands. On the 21st of 
 .January 1793, Lewis XVI. was publicly beheaded, after a mock 
 trial, in which every principle of equity, justice, and humanity, 
 
 .1. 
 
 was violated. The beautiful but imprudent Marie Antoinette 
 underwent a like fate, in October following. It may naturally 
 be inferred, that these transactions in France were not viewed 
 with indiiference in Britain. The first efforts of the French to 
 shake off the yoke of despotism, and to establish a free govern- 
 ment, met with considerable applause; but when cruelty, 
 rapine, and democratic fury, threatened destruction to religion, 
 morals, and lawful government, every true lover of liberty and 
 his country rallied round the throne, expressing his detestation 
 of the French regicides, and his determination to unite heart 
 and hand for the defence of his King and the British Con- 
 stitution. 
 
 Immediately after the death of Lewis XVI. Chauvelin, the 
 French Ambassador at the British Court, was ordered to with- 
 draw from the kingdom in eight days. In consequence of this 
 dismissal, the French Government unanimously passed a de- 
 cree, declaring the Republic at war with the King of Great 
 Britain and the Republic of Holland. A message from the 
 Kinf was sent to both Houses of Parliament, informing them 
 of this event, and of his determination to oppose the progress 
 of a system, which struck at the security and peace of every 
 independent nation. The Opposition declaimed in very warm 
 terms against the war, affirming it to be both unjust in its prin-
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 489 
 
 fiples and unnecessary. Mr, Fox, in the House of Commons^ 
 proposed a set of resolutions to this effect ; but they were 
 rejected by a majority of two hundred and seventy against 
 forty-four. 
 
 Though the bulk of the British nation were warmly and 
 zealously attached to the present Sovereign and the Govern- 
 ment, there were, nevertheless, some discontented spirits : men 
 of daring minds, of heated imagination, and generally of lax 
 principles, who were desirous of levelling all distinctions of 
 rank and wealth. These men, alike enemies to lawful govern- 
 ment and to mankind, afiected to consider the Revolution of 
 France as " a stupendous monument of human wisdom ;" and 
 presented to the bar of the National Convention a panegyric 
 on the public virtue of its members ! To check, therefore, this 
 seditious spirit, an Act was passed, declaring it to be high 
 treason to have any communication with the existing Govern- 
 ment of France. 
 
 Vigorous prepai'ations were made for carrying on the war ; 
 and a lai'ge body of troops, commanded by his Royal Highness 
 the Duke of York, defeated the French army, under General 
 Dumourier, on the plains of Neerwinden, 
 
 Alternate success and defeat for some time attended the 
 hostile armies ; at length Dumomier formed a plan to re- 
 establish the constitutional monarchy in France, but finding 
 himself disappointed in his opinion of the loyalty of his army, 
 he was compelled to make his escape, and was succeeded in 
 his command by General Dampierre. Valenciennes and Mentz 
 submitted; and the strong fort of Lincelles, which had been 
 previously lost by the Dutch, was retaken by the Duke of York. 
 The allies then made an unsuccessful attack upon Dunkirk, the 
 garrison of which being strongly reinforced, the besiegers were 
 compelled to retire with such precipitation, as to abandon a 
 complete train of artillery. 
 
 The campaign of 1794 was highly favourable to the French. 
 
 Y O
 
 ^^0 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Symptoms of disunion appeared among the Confederates : the 
 Duke of Brunswick resigned his command, and the King of 
 Prussia announced his intention of seceding from the confe- 
 deracy. Town after town was taken by the French, tiie people 
 making little or no resistance, A fatal delusion blinded them 
 to their true interest ; deceived by false assurances of liberty 
 and freedom, they surrendered almost without a blow, and 
 only, when too late, found that they had yielded themselves 
 slaves to despotism. The Prussians, Spaniards, and Sarcfinians, 
 unable to maintain the field, were repeatedly worsted ; and the 
 whole of the United Provinces of Holland were this year added 
 to the dominions of France. The Stadtholder and his family 
 retired to England. 
 
 Victory, however, still attended the arms of Britr.in on the 
 ocean, and at no time has British valour and conduct been 
 more conspicuous. Martinique, St, Lucia, and some other 
 islands in the West Indies, were taken by Sir Charles Crey and 
 Sir John Jen'is. Corsica, which had for some time been in a 
 state of revolt against the French, united itself to the British 
 Crown. But the most important action in which the navy was 
 concerned, occurred on the 1st of June 1794, when the French 
 fleet was defeated, ofl" Brest, by Lord Howe. 
 
 The following year Lord Bridport, with an inferior force, 
 defeated a French Heet near Port L'Orient. The French, 
 however, notwithstanding the vigilance of our navy, captured 
 thirty sail of a valuable convoy returning from the Mediter- 
 ranean, and part of the Jamaica fleet. 
 
 MUTINY IN THE FLEET. 
 
 The debates in Parliament at this time were unusually warm 
 and interesting. A motion for a Parliamentaj-y Reform was 
 made by Mr. Grey, and opposed by Mr. Pitt, on the ground 
 that the present was not a time when changes could be made
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 491 
 
 with safety. The horrors that had occurred m France were, 
 he thought, sufficient to deter every reflecting mind from rash 
 proceedings, in a matter of such high importance. The motion 
 was therefore lost. 
 
 In France, a revoUuionary tribunal had been established, and 
 its records consist of a series of wanton cruelties and detestable 
 outrages. That the measure of their iniquities might be com- 
 plete, impiety and blasphemy were made a part of their legis- 
 lation. Religion was publicly abolished ; the churches were 
 shut up, as useless, or applied to profane purposes; Sunday 
 was no longer to be considered as a sacred day ; the worship of 
 God was forbidden, and, in its stead, a woman of infamous 
 character, denominated the Goddess of Reason, was enthroned 
 in the Cathedral Church of Notre Dame. At this time Robes- 
 pierre, a man of low birth and manners, was at the head of the 
 French Government, if such it might be called : and, during 
 his power, the prisons, as well as the guillotine, were drenched 
 in blood. Notwithstanding, the opera, the plays, and other 
 amusements of Paris, went on the same ; the people were dead 
 to every thing but present gratification. 
 
 In England, the French incendiaries, aided by some of the 
 disaffected of our own people, were earnestly endeavouring to 
 raise similar commotions : and their conduct at length became 
 so alarming, that several persons were apprehended as ring- 
 leaders of unconstitutional societies, and committed to prison. 
 Various acts of outrage took place at this time : the King was 
 not only grossly insulted by the mob, but an attempt was made 
 upon his Majesty's life, by firing into the Royal carriage as he 
 was going to open the sessions of Pariiament. 
 
 Thomas Hardy, John Thelwall, and John Home Tooke, were 
 indicted for high-treason, but acquitted, though a general opi- 
 nion was entertained of the seditious tendency of their pro- 
 ceedings. 
 In the campaign of 1796, the fortune of the Allies revived. 
 
 Y G
 
 49^ HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 The Austrian armies were commanded by the Archduke Charles, 
 brother to the Emperor ; a young man of great military skill 
 and bravery. He defeated General Jourdan near Munich; 
 obliged Moreau to retreat to Fribourg ; laid siege to the fortress 
 of Kehl, which surrendered ; and in the course of a few weeks 
 he compelled the French to fall back beyond the Rhine. 
 
 The French were more successful in Italy. The plan of the 
 campaign was formed by Carnot, who had been formerly 
 Minister of War ; and was executed by Napoleon Buonaparte, 
 a young Corsican, whose progress was attended with unparalleled 
 success, and who speedily obtained the highest military rank in 
 the French service. He defeated the Austrians, and compelled 
 the King of Sardinia to sue for a peace, by which his Sardinian 
 Majesty renounced all title to Savoy, Nice, and the adjacent 
 country, which was immediately annexed to the French Repub- 
 lic, under the name of the Maritime Alps. 
 
 The Dukes of Parma and Modena obtained peace on con- 
 dition of paying ten millions of livres. The Austrians sustained 
 a severe defeat at Lodi, the bridge of which was thought to be 
 impregnable, even by most of the French generals themselves ; 
 but the usual good fortune of Buonaparte prevailed ; he suc- 
 ceeded beyond his expectations ; after which he compelled the 
 King of Naples to withdraw from the allies ; and obliged the 
 Pope to give up all his jiossessions in France, to pay the sum 
 of one million of francs, and to deliver one hundred pictures, 
 statues, &c. to be conveyed to the French National Museum. 
 
 Treaties were now signed with Genoa, Naples, Parma, and 
 the states of Bologna and Reggio. Modena and Ferrara were 
 united, by the title of the Cispadine Republic. The crown of 
 Spain also made an alliance offensive and defensive with 
 France ; the consequence of which was a declaration of war by 
 the Spanish Court against Great Britain. 
 
 An attempt was this year made to negociate a peace, on the 
 principle of restitution : but the French were intoxicated with
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 493 
 
 success ; and having conceived the gigantic project of subju- 
 gating all Europe, they refused to give up any of their conquests, 
 and ordered Lord Malmesbur}', the British ambassador, to 
 leave Paris within forty-eight hours. An opinion was now very 
 generally entertained, that the French would at length put in 
 execution their long-threatened invasion of Britain : the 
 greatest acti\dty, therefore, prevailed in every part of the king- 
 dom, to provide for its defence. The gentlemen and yeomanry 
 in various counties formed themselves into bodies of volunteer 
 cavalry and infantry. A temporary suspension of payment in 
 specie at the Bank for a time threw a gloom over the nation ; 
 but the people were roused from this by a most brilliant victory 
 obtained over the Spanish fleet by Sir John Jervis, off Cape 
 St. Vincent. The Spanish fleet consisted of twenty-seven sail 
 of the line, — the British of onlv fifteen. The engagement lasted 
 five hours; wherein the enemy lost four ships; tv,'o of one 
 hundred and twelve guns, one of eighty-four, and one of 
 seventy-four ; and for this the admiral was deservedly raised to 
 the peerage, by the title of Lord St. Vincent. 
 
 The attention of Parliament, however, was soon dii'ected to 
 a less pleasing object. A dangerous mutiny broke out on 
 board the Channel fleet ; but the fair claims of the sailors being 
 admitted, their grievances were redressed, and the disturbance 
 quelled. A more serious insurrection soon afterwards began 
 among the crews of the ships lying at the Nore, which for some 
 time wore an alarming appearance ; but the sailors returning to 
 their duty, the ringleaders of this rebellion were tried and 
 executed; and the seamen soon after effaced the remembrance 
 of their defection, in the memorable fight off Camperdown, 
 under the brave Admiral Duncan, whei*e the Dutch, under De 
 Winter, were defeated with the loss of nine ships of the line 
 and two frigates. The gallant admiral was created a Viscount ; 
 universal rejoicings were made in every part of the kingdom ; 
 and a day of public thanksgiving was appointed to be held
 
 494 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 December the 19th, when the Royal Family, and the Houses 
 of Lords and Commons, went to St. Paul's in grand possession, 
 preceded by the flags and colours taken from the French, 
 Spaniards, and Dutch, which were deposited in that cathedral 
 as trophies. 
 
 RESOURCES OF ENGLAN.D AGAINST INVASION. 
 
 Notwithstanding the great losses which the Austrians had 
 lately sustained in Italy, their ai'mies were speedily recruited, 
 and were at first successful; but on the 14th of January 1797 
 they v/ere again defeated by Buonaparte, with considerable loss, 
 at Rivoli. The Pope in the mean while had made great pre- 
 parations to resist Buonaparte : but he was compelled to sue 
 for peace, which was granted on the following terms. He was 
 to withdraw from the alliance against France; to renounce 
 all right to Avignon and the Venaissin; to pay thirty-two 
 millions of livres, as the price of peace, within two months ; 
 to give up immediately all the pictures, statues, and manuscripts, 
 formerly stipulated for ; and to suffer no ships hostile to France 
 to enter any of his ports. The Austrians again took the field 
 in the north of Italy, having a considerable force under the 
 command of the Archduke Charles. He was however obliged 
 to retreat before Buonaparte and Massena, and the whole 
 province of Istria was added to the republican conquests. The 
 enemy continued to advance till they were within a hundred 
 miles of Vienna, when Buonaparte, with affected moderation, 
 proposed peace to the Archduke, which was at length agreed 
 to ; and a definitive treaty was signed at Campo Formio, on 
 the 17th of October 1797. 
 
 Buonaparte now returned to Paris, and published a deck- 
 ration to the armies ; in which he said, that though so nmch 
 had already been done by them, one effort more must be made, 
 to crush the power of England, — as the republic of France
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 495 
 
 coulJ never be considered safe while the Government of Eng- 
 land subsisted. An army was therefore formed, called the 
 " Army of England," the command of which was given to 
 Buonaparte; and the most sanguine expectations of success 
 were entertained by the French, who deemed themselves irre- 
 sistible. The grand alliance against France was no more : 
 Prussia, Germany, Spain, Holland, the lesser German States, 
 and the Italian, had, either from fear or force, withdrawn 
 themselves ; and England was left to encounter, single-handed, 
 the united powers of the French Republic, flushed with con- 
 (juest, and led on by a General whose genius and good fortune 
 had struck the world with astonishment. But Britain was not 
 to be intimidated by danger, nor deceived by the Machia- 
 velian politics of the French rulers. Great in her resources, 
 guided by consummate skill, and governed by a monarch whose 
 virtues were a shield of defence to his people, England shrunk 
 not from the unequal contest ; — and to her energies, wisdom, 
 and strength, Europe was finally indebted for the blessings 
 of peace. 
 
 REBELLION IN IRELAND. 
 
 Ireland has at all times been in a state of uneasiness and 
 disquietude. Religious differences have given birth to different 
 parties, whose interest appeared to be as much in opposition as 
 their faith. James I., sensible that a disunited and separate 
 government must naturally be more weakened by division, was 
 anxious to consolidate its energies under one supreme and 
 deciding power ; but the politics of his subjects at that time 
 were not so liberal, and his schemes failed. Cromwell, during 
 his usurpation, attempted it, but was equally unsuccessful. 
 The succeeding monarchs were either too much distracted 
 by domestic quarrels in Britain, or so deeply engaged with 
 foreign conquests, that the state of Ireland met with little
 
 496 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 consideration. It was governed by a Viceroy, under the title 
 pf Lord-Lieutenant : the Vice-regal Court was splendid and 
 imposing, but the generality of the people were in a state of 
 poverty and wretchedness. Two-thirds of the population of 
 Ireland were of the Catholic persuasion, and, on that account, 
 disqualified from all military employments, and all incor- 
 porations. The Protestants were divided into Presbyterians 
 and Episcopalians. Several of the Presbyterians, who were 
 rather inclined to republican principles, animated to enthu- 
 siasm by the glowing representation of the French Revolution, 
 conceived it practicable to cast oft" the dominion of Great Bri- 
 tain, and to erect Ireland into an independent republic. 
 
 In the year 1793 a society was formed, by the name of 
 " United Irishmen," who invited the French to assist them in 
 emancipating themselves from the trammels of the English 
 Government. In consequence. General Hoche, with a fleet of 
 eighteen sail of the line, thirteen frigates, and twelve sloops, 
 with transports, and 2,500 men, sailed from Brebt in December 
 1796, but were dispersed by a storm. The spirit of disaffec- 
 tion in the mean time increased, and the bitterness of parties 
 caused dreadful outrages. Early in the spring of 1798 martial 
 law was proclaimed. Various engagements took place between 
 the rebels and the King's troops, in which the former were 
 generally defeated ; but so sanguinaiy were the contests, that, 
 in the few months the rebellion lasted, upwards of 30,000 
 rebels lost their lives, and above 5,000 of the King's troops. 
 Marquis Cornwallis, who in 1798 was appointed Lord-Lieu- 
 tenant, induced many of the misguided people to return to 
 their allegiance. Many of the principal conspirators were 
 tried and executed. Lord Fitzgerald received a mortal wound, 
 whilst resisting the officers sent to apprehend him. The peo- 
 ple were just congratulating themselves on the suppression of 
 rebellion, when they were thrown into alarm by the landing of 
 a body of French troops, under General Humbert, at Killala
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 497 
 
 Bay. These were however defeated, by Lord Cornwallis, at 
 Castlebar. Soon afterwards, a French ship, called La Hoche, 
 was taken, after a gallant defence; and in her, Theobald 
 Wolfe Tone, one of the principal conspirators, and founder gf 
 the society of United Irishmen, who, to avoid the disgraceful 
 icntence of the law, terminated his life in prison by suicide. 
 
 WAR IN INDIA— FALL OF SERINGAPATAM. 
 Tippoo Saib, the son and successor of Hyder Ally, was a 
 no Ipss fonnidable opponent and inveterate enemy of the 
 English than his father had been ; he was confessedly attached 
 to the French, at whose instigation, it was supposed, he had 
 occasioned some disturbances in the English settlements. A 
 war began between Tippoo Saib and the Rajah of Travancore ; 
 and the Rajah being in alliance with the British, the English 
 Company were bound to assist him. A general war was there- 
 fore the consequence : which was conducted, on the part of 
 the English, by Lord Cornwallis, with much expedition and 
 success. Tippoo, fearing for his capital, sued for peace ; which 
 was granted, on condition of surrendering one-half of his 
 dominions ; his two sons being given as hostages for the due 
 performance of the treaty. This was in 1792. It was gene- 
 rally expected that, sooner or later, Tippoo would make an 
 attempt to recover what he had lost. The rapid success of 
 the French armies in Egypt suggested to him the advantage of 
 their co-operation; and with this view he sent envoys to the 
 Isle of France, to form a connection with tliem. The British 
 Governor, in the mean time, aware of the hostile preparations 
 of Tippoo, and suspicious of his intentions, demanded an 
 explanation of his viziers; which not proving satisfactory, 
 a British army, under General Harris, invaded the Mysore 
 territory, and on the 6th of April encamped before Seringa- 
 patam, which was taken by them on the 4th of May 1799.
 
 498 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Tippoo himself perished, fighting gallantly at one of the gates 
 of his fort. His dominions were seized by the British, who 
 bestowed a part of them on the Mahrattas and the Nizam 
 their ally. A part was reserved under the direct sovereignty 
 of the East-India Company ; and the remainder were nomi- 
 nally bestowed upon a prince of that family, which had lost 
 its power by Hyder's usurpation. 
 
 DEFINITION, 
 
 East- India Company. — A company of merchants trading to the 
 East-Indies, who are masters of a territory far exceeding that of the 
 British empire, both in extent and population; and from which 
 they derive a great revenue. 
 
 UNION OF IRELAND WITH ENGLAND. 
 The rebellion in Ireland, though short, had been sanguinary ; 
 and many persons began seriously to desire a Union with 
 England, as such a measure appeared to be the only one which 
 would insure the safety and tranquillity of the Protestant 
 inhabitants : and the dread that, by the assistance of the French, 
 Ireland might be dismembered from the British empire, as the 
 American colonies had been, induced Mr. Pitt to use his utmost 
 influence to accomplish so desirable an object. The measure, 
 however, met with considerable opposition in both countries : 
 but at length the Minister triumphed, and the Act of Union 
 took place on the 16th of January 1801. By this Union the 
 Commons of Ireland are represented by a hundred Mem- 
 bers in the imperial Parliament; the spiritual and temporal 
 Peerage of that country, by four Bishops and twenty-eight lay 
 Lords, who are elected by the Bishops and Peers of Ireland, 
 and hold their seats for life. The former laws and courts of 
 justice in Ireland are still retained, as also the Court of Chan- 
 cery ; and the King of Great Britain is still represented by a 
 Lord-Lieutenant. No part of the debt contracted by Great
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 499 
 
 Britain prior to the Union is to be paid by Ireland, which only 
 contributes to the expences of the Empire in the proportion 
 of one to seven and a half. 
 
 PEACE OF AMIENS. 
 
 The prospect of aifairs at the commencement of the year 
 1798 was such as to require extraordinary supplies to meet 
 them : and a Bill for tripling the Assessed Taxes was passed, 
 though it encountered much opposition. A voluntary sub- 
 scription was then opened : and in a short time above a 
 million and a half sterling was raised for the defence of the 
 nation. The greatest danger which at this time threatened 
 Britain was in Ireland, which country was in a state of actual 
 rebellion. On the Continent the Pope was forced to quit 
 Rome; his country was revolutionized; and a provisional 
 government imposed, consisting of six members, who pillaged 
 the city in the most wanton manner, whilst the people looked 
 on with stupid indifference. The Swiss Cantons, and Geneva, 
 were also subdued, and incorporated with the French dominions. 
 The invasion with which Britain had been threatened was still 
 unattempted. Buonaparte, however, set sail from Toulon on 
 the 20th of May, with fifteen sail of the line, besides frigates, 
 commanded by Admiral Brueys ; and accompanied by more 
 than two hundred transports, with troops on board. He pro- 
 ceeded along the Mediterranean, and took the island of Malta; 
 and having been joined by 40,000 more veteran troops, be 
 continued his voyage, and arrived on the coast of Egypt, July 
 the 1st, 1798. Alexandria was taken by assault on the 8th ; 
 and from thence Buonaparte proceeded to Rosetta, which he 
 garrisoned; and having defeated the Mamaluke army with 
 immense slaughter, at the battle of the Pyramids, he entered 
 Grand Cairo in triumph. It was his intention to penetrate 
 into India, and, by uniting his forces with those of Tippoo
 
 ')00 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. " 
 
 Saib, to fall upon the British possessions in the East. But 
 this plan was happily defeated by Admiral Nelson ; who having 
 ascertained the enemy's intention, immediately pursued him. 
 On the 1st of August the English fleet discovered the French 
 fleet, consisting of one ship of one hundred and twenty guns, 
 three of eighty, and nine of seventy-four, at anchor in the 
 Bay of Aboukir. The action began at sun-set, and continued 
 at intervals till daj'-break. Admiral Brueys was killed early in 
 the action, and his ship, L'Orient, blew up. Nine sail of the 
 line were taken by Admiral Nelson ; and only two ships of the 
 line and two frigates escaped. When the news of this important 
 victory arrived in England, it was received with the enthusiasm 
 it deserved ; and the glorious title of " Baron Nelson of the 
 Nile" was bestowed on the gallant commander. 
 
 The French Government was greatly disappointed at a result 
 so fatal to their ambitious projects: and Buonaparte affected to 
 conceal his vexation by undervaluing an exploit that blasted 
 his presumptuous hopes. The Grand Signior, too, highly 
 offended at his invading Egypt, thought proper to declare war 
 against France, at the same time that he sent costly presents to 
 the victorious Nelson. 
 
 Buonaparte next invaded the Holy Land, and, proceeding 
 through Syria, laid siege to Acre. Sir Sidney Smith, a gallant 
 Eno-lish officer who had been left with a small flotilla to 
 guard the coast, advised the Governor to make a vigorous 
 resistance. Assisted by some English seamen. Sir Sidney 
 .Smith undertook the defence of the fort; and though his 
 whole force did not exceed 2,000 men, yet he baffled all the 
 attempts of Buonaparte to take it by assault. The twelfth and 
 last attempt to gain it, was made by Buonaparte over the putrid 
 bodies of his soldiers ; but he was again repulsed, and ultimately 
 obliged to retreat, after losing eight generals, eighty-five 
 officers, and above half of his army. On the 11th of July, 
 however, he defeated the Turks at Aboukir; and a few days
 
 HISTOnV OF ENGLAND. 501 
 
 after the intelligence of that victory was received by the French 
 Directory, he himself appeared at Paris, where he was received 
 with the greatest marks of distinction : of which he made 
 such good use, that in 1799 he was created First Consul. A 
 republican name was all that France had now left of liberty ; 
 for from henceforward that country was governed with the most 
 absolute despotism. 
 
 Buonaparte now became desirous of peace, and for this 
 purpose made overtures to Great Britain and her allies ; but 
 the French Government not being yet considered sufficiently 
 organized to render it probable that a peace would be binding, 
 it was unanimously rejected. It must be observed, that the 
 peace of Campo Formio was made with the Emperor as King 
 of Hungary and Bohemia, — the pacification of the whole 
 Empire with the Republic being transferred to a Congress at 
 Radstadt : but the time allowed for them to make their 
 arrangements having expired before they came to any con- 
 clusion, hostilities had been resumed. 
 
 The battle of Marengo in Italy was fatal to the Austrians : 
 they were defeated with so great a loss, than an armistice 
 was demanded and acceded to, on condition that the Emperor 
 should restore Genoa, which had lately been taken, with the 
 assistance of a British squadron. Another defeat at Hohenlin- 
 den induced the Emperor to conclude a peace with France : 
 by which were ceded to France, the Belgic provinces, the 
 country of Falkenstein and Frichtel, and all the Austrian ter- 
 ritory on the left bank of the Rhine, between Zurzach and Basle. 
 
 Paul, Emperor of Russia, about this time commenced a 
 dispute with Great Britain, and also persuaded Denmark and 
 Sweden to enter into a convention against this country. In 
 so critical a situation of affairs, the first Parliament of the 
 United Kingdom assembled on the 22d of January ; but the 
 most important event of this period was the resignation of
 
 502 HiSToav OF England. 
 
 the Ministry. A new administration was speedily formed, of 
 which Mr. Addington was made First Lord of the Treasury 
 and Chancellor of the Exchequer ; Lord Hawkesbury and Lord 
 Pelham, Secretaries of State ; and Earl St. Vincent, First Lord 
 of the Admiralty, The Northern Confederacy was the first 
 subject that engaged the attention of the new Ministry, and 
 they determined upon the most vigorous measures to oppose 
 it. A grand fleet was sent to attack Copenhagen, the capital 
 of the Danish dominions, under the command of Lord Nelson; 
 who, with twelve sail of the line, four frigates, besides sloops, 
 fire-ships, and bomb-vessels, commenced a very spirited attack 
 on the 2d of August. The Danish Prince, to save his capital, 
 agreed to an armistice proposed by Lord Nelson. On the 19th, 
 the fleet appeared off Carlscrone ; and the Admiral, Sir Hyde 
 Parker, after some communications with the Governor, was in- 
 formed, that his Swedish Majesty would not refuse to listen to 
 equitable proposals to regidate the matters in dispute. The 
 sudden death of Paul, Emperor of Russia, tended greatly to 
 promote the return of peace ; for his successor, Alexander, 
 immediately renewed the relations of amity with Britain, and 
 reversed the violent decrees of his predecessor. 
 
 The conquest of Egj-pt was an object of great importance, 
 as it was, in fact, one of the safeguards of our Indian posses- 
 sions. A considerable army was therefore sent, under the 
 command of Sir Ralph Abercrombie, to drive the French from 
 that quarter. The English ai-my disembarked at Aboukir on 
 the 8th of May 1801, amidst the greatest dangers, from the 
 firm opposition of the French, who used every effort to oppose 
 their landing. A general engagement immediately ensued, the 
 result of which was favourable to the British arms, but attended 
 with considerable loss. The French were again defeated on 
 the 21st ; but the English had to lament the loss of their gallant 
 commander, who received a mortal wound in the thigh. The
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 503 
 
 enemy had three generals killed, and lost above 3,500 men, in 
 killed, wounded, and prisoners. The chief command now de- 
 volved on General Hutchinson ; who, on the 25th, laid siege 
 to Cairo, which surrendered on honourable terms on the 27th. 
 The reduction of Alexandria followed ; and the French, who 
 yet exceeded 30,000 men, were obliged to relinquish all their 
 conquests in Egypt, to an enemy they affected to despise. The 
 valour of our army kept pace with that of the navy ; and it is 
 now well known, that the possession of Egypt was an object of 
 peculiar interest to Buonaparte. 
 
 On the 2d of October, whilst the people of England were 
 dwelling with delight on the brilliant achievements of the 
 army in Egypt, they received the gratifying intelligence that 
 preliminaries of peace between Great Britain and France were 
 actually signed. The negociations had been going on for some 
 months, between Lord Hawkesbury the Secretary of State, 
 and M. Otto, but had hitherto been kept a profound secret. 
 According to these preliminaries. Great Britain agreed to 
 restore all her conquests, with the exception of the island of 
 Trinidad, and the Dutch possessions in Ceylon. The Cape of 
 Good Hope was to remain a free port to all the contracting 
 parties, who were to enjoy the same advantages. The island 
 of Malta was to be restored to the Order of St. John of Jeru- 
 salem. Egypt was to remain under the dominion of the Otto- 
 man Porte. Portugal was to be maintained in its integrity ; 
 the French troops were to evacuate the territory of Rome and 
 Naples J and, lastly, plenipotentiaries were to be named by the 
 contracting parties, to repair to Amiens, and form a definitive 
 treaty. Accordingly, on March the 27th, a treaty was signed 
 at Amiens between Great Britain and the French Republic. 
 
 In the course of the preceding year, the French had con- 
 cluded a treaty of peace with Portugal, at Badajos ; with 
 Russia, at Paris ; and also with the Ottoman Porte, the Em-
 
 504 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 peror of Germany, and the King of the Two Sicilies, Tlie 
 Prince of Orange was to receive a compensation for the loss of 
 his property and power. 
 
 Thus terminated a war, in which Great Britain, though she 
 added nothing to her dominions by way of indemnity, yet 
 maintained inviolable the integrity of her empire ; and, above 
 all, had succeeded in suppressing, if she had not entirel) 
 crushed, the spirit of disaifection and disloyalty, which. at one 
 time threatened her with destruction. 
 
 *) 

 
 Page 505,] 
 
 PLATE XXXIX.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 505 
 
 PLATE XXXIX, 
 
 Fi". 1. — War with France renewed. 
 
 "o" 
 
 England, Austria, and Sweden, point their swords against 
 France. The bee, which forms the centre of the letter F, shewi 
 it to be under the Buonapartean government. 
 
 Fig. 2. 
 A serpent, indicative of treachery, is destroying the Spanish 
 standard ; whilst a bee, the emblem of Buonaparte, has taken 
 possession of it. The clasped hands, directed towards the 
 British standard, represent the Spaniards imploring the assist- 
 ance of Britain. 
 
 Fig. 3. 
 The Russian Eagle, with fire and sword, grasping the French 
 standard, shews the destruction of the French army in Russia. 
 
 Fig. 4. 
 
 The standard of the combined armies, over each of which is 
 a fleur-de-lis, shews that the object of their invasion was the 
 restoration of the Bourbon family to the throne of France. 
 The bee, on the rock, denotes the banishment of Buonaparte to 
 Elba. 
 
 Fig. 5. 
 
 On a shield, quartered, are the standards of England, Russia 
 Prussia, and Austria. The crest is a globe, inscribed Europe ; 
 on the top of which is a dove, bearing an olive, intimating that 
 peace is restored to Europe. The shield is emblazoned with 
 the standards of the Bourbons and Buonaparte: the former one 
 elevated, the latter depressed. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Marriage and Death of the Princess Charlottb 
 
 OF Wales 
 The rose and bud, representing the Princess and her infant, 
 separated from the stem just above the ring, shews the short 
 duration of her wedded life. The cypress designates the grief 
 occasioned by her loss. 
 
 z
 
 506 HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 
 
 WAR WITH FRANCE RENEWED. 
 1803. — Whilst the negociations for the peace of Amiens 
 were proceeding, Buonaparte was made President of the Cis- 
 alpine Republic, which, together with the isle of Elba, and the 
 duchy of Parma, he annexed to France ; whilst in Germany, 
 by new and arbitrary arrangements, he also obtained a great 
 accession of power. These encroachments of the French, 
 during the peace, provoked a renewal of hostilities. 
 
 The Concordat between the See of Rome and the French 
 Republic, restored to France her ancient religion, and was pub- 
 lished at Paris. Shortly after a general amnesty, but with 
 considerable exceptions, was granted to the emigrants. 
 
 Buonaparte was now declared Consul for life, and no form, 
 but the title, was wanting to render him a monarch. Yet this 
 was insufficient to satisfy his lust for absolute dominion ; and, 
 in order to effect this darling object of his ambition, he gave 
 out, that through the influence of Great Britain, plots were 
 continually forming against the Government, and that a con- 
 densation of power was requisite to repel them. 
 
 George Cadoudal the Chouan Chief, Moreau, Pichegru, and 
 others, were arrested, for plotting to overthrow the Consular 
 Government, The Duke D'Enghien, son of the Duke de 
 Bourbon, was treacherously seized upon the neutral territory of 
 Baden, hurried to Vincennes, and there shot by military com- 
 mission. Pichegru was murdered in the Temple, George Ca- 
 doudal publicly executed, and General Moreau banished. 
 
 Captain Wright, who had landed Pichegru and Moreau on 
 the French coast, being taken, was confined in the Temple, and 
 is supposed to have been first tortured and then put to death. 
 
 It was not long before Buonaparte prevailed with the de- 
 graded Senate of France to proclaim him Emperor of the 
 French : by which title he was immediately acknowledged by 
 all the European Powers, Great Britain and Sweden only 
 excepted.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 607 
 
 During these transactions General Le Clerc, at the head of a 
 nnmerous army, was sent to reduce the island of St. Domingo, 
 which was vigorously, but ineffectually, defended by Toussaint 
 L'Overture, and his colleagues, Christophe and Dessalines. 
 The unfortunate Toussaint was kidnapped to France, and pri- 
 vately put to death ; but the death of Le Clerc, and the de- 
 struction of the greater part of his army by disease, eventually 
 enabled the Negroes to recover a considerable portion of their 
 island. Dessalines, who succeeded Toussaint as Chief of the 
 Independent Blacks, assisted by a British squadron, compelled 
 General Rochambeau, who had been sent against them, to sur- 
 render ; and the General, with 8,000 men, three frigates, and 
 several smaller vessels, fell into the hands of the English. The 
 Negroes declared themselves a free and independent people, 
 and invested Dessalines with the supreme authority, under the 
 title of " President of the Republic of Hayti." 
 
 The British Cabinet, irritated by the unjust proceedings of 
 the Court of France, and the unheard of violence offered to 
 British property, refused to abandon Malta. The French 
 affected to consider this as an act of aggression ; and, after 
 some ineffectual attempts at a reconciliation, war was declared. 
 Immediately upon this, Buonaparte, in open violation of the 
 law of Nations, commanded all the English, whom either bu- 
 siness or pleasure had called into France, to be arrested. 
 
 Hanover was invaded and plundered by Marshal Mortier ; 
 and an immense force was collected on the northern coast of 
 France, for the avowed purpose of destroying the power of 
 Britain. This insult roused the indignation of the people, and 
 nearly the whole male population of England voluntarily rose 
 up in arms, to defend the country from invasion. 
 
 1 804. — Holland, at this time under the controul of France, 
 was forced into the war against England, and speedily lost 
 Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice. The Fi-ench lost St. Lucie 
 and Tobago. 
 
 1 <!>
 
 508 
 
 HlSTOnV OF ENGLAND. 
 
 In India, Holkar and Scindeah, two powerful Mahratta 
 Chiefs, who were assisted by the Rajah of Berar, were defeated 
 by Sir Arthur Wellesley at the battle of Assye. The cities of 
 Delhi, Agra, and some other important places, were captured ; 
 and the Rajah of Berar lost the province of Cuttack, which 
 was added to the dominions of the East-India Company. 
 
 Admiral Linois, having escaped from the roads of Pondi- 
 cherry, attacked a fleet of merchantmen, under the command 
 of Captain Dance, and was repulsed with so much skill and 
 bravery, that he was obliged to sail off, without having made a 
 single prize. 
 
 Surinam was taken from the Dutch ; but the attempt to 
 destroy the flotilla of gun-boats assembled at Ostend and Bou- 
 logne, for the threatened invasion of England, failed. 
 
 1805. — Hostilities were begun this year with Spain ; and, by 
 the exertions of the British Ministry, a new coalition was 
 formed against France, with the Emperors of Austria and 
 Russia : the indignation of the former having been roused by 
 Buonaparte's seizure of Genoa and Lombardy, and by his 
 assumption of the title of King of Italy. 
 
 Admiral Villeneuve, with a French fleet, escaped from 
 Toulon, and joining the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, they proceeded 
 to the West-Indies ; but were quickly driven back to the port 
 they had quitted, in consequence of having lost two ships of the 
 line in an engagement with Sir Robert Calder, who commanded 
 a very inferior force. 
 
 Shortly after, October the 21st, the naval power of France 
 and Spain was completely annihilated by the battle of Trafalgar, 
 in which the undaunted Nelson gained the greatest naval vic- 
 tory on record: but, unhappily, perished in the moment of 
 triumph. Four only of the prizes were taken at this time, 
 owing to the \'iolence of the wind ; but the remainder were 
 destroyed by Lord Collingwood, except four sail of the line, 
 which, in attempting to gain a French port, were met by .
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 509 
 
 Sir Richard Strachan, with an equal number of ships, and 
 taken. 
 
 Buonaparte, with his usual promptitude, crossed the Rhine, 
 in the hope of destroying the Austrian army in Germany before 
 the arrival of the Russian forces, and thus efface the disgrace 
 which the late naval defeat had brought upon the arms of 
 France. He suddenly appeared before Ulm, where the Aus- 
 trian General Mack was posted; who, after a slight shew of 
 resistance, either from treachery or imbecility, surrendered his 
 whole army, amounting to upwards of 20,000 men. The con- 
 queror entered Vienna in triumph, and the discomfited Em- 
 peror of Austria retreated to Brunn. Misfortune continued to 
 pursue the Austrian arms ; the Archduke Charles was forced, 
 by Massena, to retire from Italy ; and the Archduke John was 
 expelled the Tyrol, by General Ney. The Russians were 
 equally unsuccessful in Moravia : the French rapidly advanced 
 into the heart of Austria ; and the fatal battle of AusterHtz, 
 fought on the 22d of December, compelled the Austrian Em- 
 peror to sue for peace. He was obliged to cede the States of 
 Venice to France ; to recognize the new-made Kings of Bavaria 
 and Wurtemberg (who had only very lately been made Kings 
 by Buonaparte) ; and to resign to the former the Tyrol, and a 
 part of the Brisgau. 
 
 1806. — The Mahratta war was brought to a fortunate ter- 
 mination, and Lord Cornwallis was appointed Governor-General 
 of India, instead of Marquess Wellesley, who was recalled. 
 
 The Cape of Good Hope was taken from the Dutch by Sir 
 Home Popham and General Beresford. At the beginning of 
 this year, and in June following, they took possession of Buenos 
 Ayres ; but were, shortly after, compelled by the natives to 
 resign their conquest. 
 
 On the Continent, the Prussians having seized the electorate 
 of Hanover, and expelled the Swedes from Mecklenburgh, the 
 Kings of England and Sweden declared war against them, 
 
 z 3
 
 510 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 At the same time the French, under Joseph Buonaparte and 
 Massena, conquered the kingdom of Naples, which Napoleon 
 bestowed on his brother Joseph. Ferdinand, the lawful Sove- 
 reign, withdrew to Calabria. A British force, under Sir John 
 Stuart, routed the French at Maida; but, being soon after- 
 wards obliged to withdraw, the Calabrians were forced to 
 submit. 
 
 Shortly after this, Buonaparte erected Holland into a king- 
 dom, which he bestowed on his brother Louis; whose mild 
 administration, whilst it gained him the good- will and affection 
 of his subjects, highl}^ incensed his despotic brother. During 
 these transactions. Napoleon made overtures of peace to Eng- 
 land, which were rejected, as it was found that no dependance 
 could be placed upon his most solemn engagements. He next 
 subverted the Germanic Constitution, and placed himself at the 
 head of the Confederation of the Rhine. 
 
 The King of Prussia was at length induced to resist the 
 common enemy; but his rashness proved his ruin: he staked his 
 fortune upon the chance of one contest, and was completely 
 defeated at Jena. Blucher was compelled to capitulate at 
 Lubec; Berlin fell into the hands of the French; and there 
 Napoleon issued the famous decree, declaring England to be in 
 a state of blockade ; prohibiting every species of commercial 
 intercourse with her; and commanding the confiscation of every 
 article of British manufacture. This was called the " Conti- 
 nental System." 
 
 The French next penetrated into Poland, and called upon 
 the Poles to assert their independence. 
 
 ly07. — Cura^oawas taken from the Dutch at the commence- 
 ment of this year ; Buenos Ayres and Monte Video were also 
 taken from the Spaniards, but soon afterwards retaken ; in 
 consequence of which, General Whitelock, the British conmian- 
 dei', was dismissed the service for cowardice. 
 
 1 808. — This year the combined armies of England, Prussia,
 
 HiSTonv or England. 611 
 
 and Russia, determined to prosecute the war in Poland, with 
 great vigour ; a sanguinary conflict, between the Allies and tiie 
 French ensued at Eylau, after which both armies withdrew 
 from the field of battle : Dantzick was compelled to surrender 
 to the French, and the peace of Tilsit put an end to 
 hostilities. 
 
 By this treaty, Alexander recognized Joseph and Louis Buo- 
 naparte, as Kings of Spain and Holland : and agreed to 
 acknowledge James the youngest brother of Napoleon as King 
 of Westphalia. Prussia lost more than one-third of her do- 
 minions, and agreed to shut her ports against British vessels. 
 The King of Sweden, however, still refused to treat with Buo- 
 naparte, or to acknowledge his imperial dignity. 
 
 But the Court of Denmark having submitted to the guidance 
 of French politics, an expedition was sent, under the command 
 of Lords Gambler and Cathcart, to seize the Danish Fleet, 
 that it might not fall into the hands of the French ; and upon 
 the refusal of that Court to surrender their ships, Copenhagen 
 was bombarded, and in a few days obliged to jield, and 
 eighteen sail of the line and fifteen frigates were surrendered 
 to the British. 
 
 This act of aggression produced a declaration of war 
 against England from the Russian Emperor, and the desire of 
 Alexander to add Finland to his dominions, involved him in a 
 war with Sweeden, and shortly after with Denmark. 
 
 An army of 10,000 men had been sent, under the command 
 of Sir John Moore, to the assistance of Gustavus King of 
 Sweden : but a misunderstanding arising, the armament re- 
 turned to England. The Swedes lost nearly the whole pro- 
 vince of Finland, and in the course of the following year 
 Gustavus was deposed, and his uncle the Duke of Sudermania 
 succeeded, under the title of Charles XIIL He obtained a 
 peace from Russia. 
 
 1809. — Whilst Buonaparte was engaged in the subjugation of 
 
 z4
 
 512 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Spain, the Emperor Francis determined to support his indepen- 
 dence, and declared war against France. Napoleon imme- 
 diately commenced active operations : defeated the Austrians at 
 Echmuhl, and took possession of Vienna : but he was soon 
 after driven from the field of battle near Essling, by the 
 Archduke Charles, who however did not improve the advan- 
 tage he had gained. In the meanwhile the Papal government 
 in Italy was subverted, and by a decree of the French Empe- 
 ror, Rome was declared a free and, imperial city, and the title 
 of King of Rome given to the heir apparent of the French 
 Empire. 
 
 The Austrians were still unsuccessful ; the French crossed the 
 Danube and defeated them at Wagram ; when they obtained an 
 armistice, at the expense of important concessions. 
 
 In the spring of this year an expedition, under the Earl of 
 Chatham, was sent against Antwerp, in order to create a 
 diversion in favour of Austria. Flushing was taken after an 
 obstinate resistance, but the ultimate object of the expedition 
 failed. A dreadful mortality broke out amongst the troops, 
 owing to the unhealthy climate of Walcheren ; they were sent 
 home, and the island was finally evacuated, after destroying 
 the dock-heads and basins of Flushing. 
 
 1810. — Buonaparte, in order to establish his power upon a 
 firm basis, divorced the Empress Josephine, and obtained from 
 the Emperor of Austria the hand of his daughter the Arch- 
 duchess Maria Louisa. About this time, being displeased with 
 the liberal policy of his brother Louis, King of Holland, he 
 obliged him to resign the crown, and annexed Holland to the 
 French Empire. 
 
 Lord Minto, Governor-General of Bengal, fitted out an 
 expedition against the Isles of Bourbon and France, which 
 were reduced with Httle loss, and the following year, 1811, 
 the important city of Batavia, belonging to the Dutch, waj 
 also taken.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 3'*' 
 
 1812. — Hostilities with America commenced. Canada was 
 instantly invaded, and the Americans compelled to surrender 
 to a very interior force : but they obtained a decided superiority 
 at sea, which excited a strong sensation at home. 
 
 Buonaparte was now nearly at the summit of power : almost 
 the whole of Europe was under his controul, and his dynasty 
 was firmly seated on the throne of France. But this was insuf- 
 ficient, and he was still dissatisfied whilst Britain was unsub- 
 dued : his hatred to this country led him into Russia, where 
 he blasted his laurels, and in a few months destroyed that 
 enormous power, which he had so long earnestly laboured to 
 acquire. 
 
 (See the chapter of the Russian Campaign.) 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Concordat An agreement. 
 
 Amnesl!/, in matters of policy, denotes a pardon granted by a 
 prince to his rebellious subjects ; usually with some exceptions. 
 
 Temple. — A state prison. 
 
 Armistice. — A temporary truce or cessation of arms, for a very 
 short space of time. 
 
 Confederation of the Rhine. — An appellation given to the union of 
 Princes who renounced the ancient laws of the German Empire. 
 
 SPAIN IMPLORING THE ASSISTANCE OF BRITAIN. 
 1808. — The reigning King of Spain, Charles the Fourth, 
 distingiushed alone for imbecility, was completely governed by 
 a corrupt minister styled the Prince of Peace, who was become 
 hateful to the Spaniards for his cruelty and oppression : this 
 man, fearing the downfal of his power, sought to maintain it by 
 exciting the fears of the King, against his son the Prince of 
 Asturias ; at the same time treacherously placing some of the 
 most important fortresses in the kingdom in the hands of the 
 French. A report was artfully spread, that the King intended 
 
 z 5
 
 514 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to abandon his country ; the people became alarmed, and 
 attacked the palace of Godoy (the Prince of Peace), who made 
 a timely escape. Charles, incapable of acting either with 
 vigour or niagnanimitj', published a decree, announcing that he 
 abdicated the crown in favour of his son, but at the same time, 
 with the usual duplicity of weakness, he addressed a letter to 
 Napoleon, full of the most abject submission and flattery, 
 declaring his abdication to be forced and null. 
 
 In the mean time the uew King, Ferninand the Seventh, 
 confiscated the effects of Godoy, and endeavoured to restore 
 order. Murat, who had previously marched into Spain at the 
 head of a French army, entered Madrid, and was cordially 
 received by the unsuspecting Spaniards. Napoleon advanced 
 to Bayonne, and despatched General Savary as his envoy to 
 Ferdinand, when mutual assurances of friendship were ex- 
 changed. Ferdinand was now strongly urged to visit the 
 French Emperor at Burgos ; where Buonaparte not meeting 
 him, he was artfully led on to Bayonne; there also, the de- 
 posed monarch, his queen, and their younger son, with a 
 number of the Spanish nobility, were arrived. 
 
 Ferdinand, when too late, found he had been betrayed ; he 
 was compelled to sign his abdication, whilst the Ex-King 
 voluntarily relinquished his right in favour of the Buonapartean 
 dynasty. Nothing could exceed the rage and indignation of 
 the Spaniards when they received intelligence of this infamous 
 transaction ; in a short time the populace of Madrid were in 
 arms, and engaged against 10,000 French troops, with Murat 
 at their head ; the insurgents were defeated, and the whole 
 city disarmed. An address was published by Napoleon to 
 prepare the people for a change in their government ; a new 
 constitution was proposed and accepted ; Joseph Buonaparte 
 was transferred from the throne of Naples to that of Spain, 
 whilst the late Royal Family were, for greater security, carried 
 eaji'tJve into the interior of France.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 615 
 
 The bulk of the Spanish nation, however, disdaining the pusil- 
 lanimity of the Court, determined to resist the fetters imposed 
 upon them. The Supreme Junta of Seville taking the lead, pro- 
 claimed Ferdinand the Seventh and war with France! De- 
 puties were sent to London, to implore the assistance of Great 
 Britain, the very nation with whom they ^vere in actual hostility. 
 France was not only at peace with Spain, but in strict alliance 
 with her, when she treacherously trepanned the sovereign and 
 his family, overthrew the Government, and cruelly massacred 
 thousands of the unoffending inhabitants. 
 
 England, on the contrary, had long cherished a hostile feeling 
 towards Spain, and a Spanish wai" was always grateful to her 
 people; at this moment, too, their minds were in a state of 
 increased irritation, against them as being the declared enemies 
 of tlieir country: yet no sooner did the cry of distress reach 
 the ears of the Britons, than their enmity ceased ; the imploring 
 Spaniards were received with open arms; their cause was 
 embraced with enthusiasm, and peace with Spain was proclaimed. 
 
 The Spanish prisoners were liberated, clothed, and sent to 
 join their countrymen ; who were liberally supplied with arms, 
 ammunition and money, to enable them to rescue their country 
 from the general oppressor. 
 
 General Castanos headed the Spanish patriots, who, though 
 at first unsuccessful, finally defeated Dupont at the battle of 
 Baylen. 
 
 Moncey was driven out of Valencia by General Gero, whilst 
 Don John Palafox acquired immortal glory by his gallant 
 defence of Saragossa. King Joseph, alarmed at these successes, 
 evacuated Madrid, carrying with him all the crown jewels and 
 valuables in the royal palaces. 
 
 It was then determined by the Spaniards to concentrate the 
 Juntas of the several Provinces into one supreme Court, 
 which was solemnly installed at Aranjuez, and Count Florida 
 Blanca, was made first president. A new council of war was 
 
 z 6
 
 516 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 appointed, of which Castanos was president ; and aware that 
 on the return of Buonaparte from the North of Europe, he 
 would pour his whole force upon their devoted country, it was 
 resolved to draw out the entire strength of the nation to oppose 
 him. Their forces were divided into three bodies. Palafox 
 commanded that destined to act in the east, Blake had the 
 north-western division, and the centre was intrusted to Gene- 
 ral Castanos. Sir Ai-thur Wellesley with 10,000 men co- 
 operated with the Spaniards, and defeated the French at 
 Vimeira. The convention of Cintra, entered into by Sir Hugh 
 Dalrymple, which followed that defeat, was formally disapproved 
 of by the Government at home. The gallant, but undisciplined 
 armies of the Patriots were not at first able to cope with troops 
 inured to hardship, and confident from past success. They sus- 
 tained many defeats, but their spirit remained unsubdued ; and 
 by continually harassing their enemies with unexpected attacks 
 where weakest, and sheltering themselves in the impenetrable 
 recesses of their mountains, when threatened by numbers too 
 great to contend with, they insensibly gained such strength 
 and experience, as enabled them in the end to meet their 
 enemies on terms of greater equality. 
 
 General Blake was driven by Marshal Ney into Asturias. 
 Castanos was defeated at Tudela, and Madrid once more 
 opened her gates to the French. An ineffectual attempt had 
 been made for its defence, bj Sir John Moore (1809), who 
 finding his forces insufficient to attack the French with any 
 probability of success, commenced his disastrous retreat to 
 Corunna, where, whilst embarking his men, he was attacked 
 by Marsaal Soult, and was unfortunately killed at the beginning 
 of the action. The French were nevertheless defeated with 
 considerable loss, and the embarkation effected the following 
 night. The defect of Cuesta in Estremadura, recalled Sii- 
 Arthur Wellesley from the pursuit of Soult, and joining his 
 forces to those of Cuesta, he defeated the French at Talavera.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 517 
 
 At Belchute, the army of Blake was attacked by Suchet, when 
 the Spaniards, panic-struck, fled without firing a sliot, throw- 
 ing down their arms and baggage. Success continued to follow 
 the French, and at the close of the year, Spain had scarcely 
 an invested fortress untaken, or an army remaining in the field. 
 
 The nation being discouraged by their losses, and discon- 
 tented with the conduct of the Junta, measures were taken to 
 call a National Cortes. The cause of Spanish independence 
 was now ap[)arenlly desperate, when the resistance of Cadiz, 
 which was besieged by Soult, rekindled the hopes and the 
 ardour of the Patriots. Portugal had early joined the Spaniards 
 in their declaration of independence, and the French were 
 now determined to subdue it. Lord Wellington was sent to 
 oppose them : he defeated them upon the hills of Busaco, and 
 then fell back upon Torres Vedras, near Lisbon ; whither he 
 was pursued by Massena, who, finding he could not accomplish 
 the taking of Lisbon, of which he had boasted with so much 
 ostentation, commenced a retreat towards Spain, and was closely 
 pursued by Lord Wellington, who took 01iven9a. Soon after, 
 Almeida fell into the hands of the Allies, and the French were 
 again defeated by Marshal Beresford and General Blake, at 
 Albuera; in which engagement the English suffered severely. 
 The French under Suchet took Tarragona by storm ; and by 
 this conquest became masters of the whole coast of Catalonia. 
 Suchet then entered the province of Valencia, took Murviedro, 
 and invested the city of Valencia. 
 
 1812. — Lord Wellington commenced the campaign on the 
 frontiers of Portugal, by the capture of Ciudad Roderigo and 
 Badajoz : which, securing the entrance into Portugal, he ad- 
 vanced without opposition to Salamanca, where he defeated 
 the French under Marniont, and soon after took possession 
 successively of Segovia, St. Hildefonso and Madrid, where 
 he was received with the most enthusiastic acclamations by 
 the inhabitants. In the meantime the Patriots took several
 
 518 HISTOBY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Strong towns, and expelled the enemy from the whole line of 
 the Douro, from Biscay and Asturias, with the exception of 
 St. Sebastian, which was taken by the Allies in the following year. 
 
 1813. — The Russian campaign, and the war in Germany, 
 proved highly beneficial to the Spanish Patriots, as it compelled 
 Buonaparte to withdraw all his veterans, and many of his most 
 experienced Chiefs, to assist him. in that quarter. Joseph Buo- 
 naparte being forced to evacuate the south and centre of Spain, 
 collected his forces in front of Vittoria. In the meanwhile 
 the Earl, now Marquess of Wellington, dislodged the enemy 
 from Salamanca, Palencia, and Burgos; and on the 21st of 
 June completely defeated them at the memorable battle of 
 Vittoria. Among the spoils, were the carriages of Joseph Bou- 
 naparte's, and the Marshal staiF of Jourdan, which he had thrown 
 away in the conflict. 
 
 In East Spain, the skill and activity of Marshal Suchet 
 maintained the honour of France ; and Marshal Soult, after a 
 series of well contested actions, among the passes of the Pyre- 
 nees, was eventually forced to retire to the frontiers of France, 
 On the 7th of October, Marquess Wellington crossed the 
 Bidassoa, and stormed the entrenchments at Andaye. Marshal 
 Soult repeatedly assailed the British army, but had the mortifi- 
 cation to be foiled in all his attempts, while to add to his 
 vexation, a German and a Dutch regiment deserted to the 
 allies. 
 
 Tlie abdication of Napoleon, which took place in 1814, 
 secured the independence of Spain. Ferdinand the Seventh was 
 recalled to the throne, and it was fondly believed that he would 
 govern his people with a wisdom and benevolence, equal to 
 their bravery and fidelity ; but, unhappily for them and for 
 himself, a spirit of bigotry directed all his actions, and 
 destroyed the enthusiastic attachment of the people to his per- 
 foa, which liis pre\'ious misfortunes had excited.
 
 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND. 619 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Junta signifies the same as assembly, convention, or board, to 
 take cognizance of state affairs cf importance. 
 
 Cortes — The States, or assembly of the States at Madrid. 
 
 THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN. 
 
 The subject of this chapter, though it does not relate imme- 
 diately to the history of England, is yet so intimately blended 
 with it, that it is necessary to take a rapid sketch of the events 
 that occurred, as they were the commencement of those dis- 
 asters Mhich led to the final overthrow of the gigantic power of 
 Buonaparte. 
 
 The destruction of the British empire was the darling object 
 of Napoleon ; and to effect this, he endeavoured to exclude 
 British commodities from every country over which he had 
 any controul. 
 
 Alexander of Russia refusing to co-operate with him in this 
 vindictive measure, which would have severely affected the 
 prosperity of his own subjects, drew upon himself the hatred 
 and vengeance of the despot ; aud never, since the days of 
 Alexander the Great, had the world witnessed so vast an army 
 as that which was collected to overwhelm the Russian Empire. 
 
 The Emperor immediately made peace with England and 
 Sweden, and prepared with an undaunted mind to meet the 
 coming storm. 
 
 In this resolution he was well supported by his subjects, who 
 seemed actuated by one soul, and to have but one object in 
 view, the defence of their country. 
 
 On the 23d of June 1812 the grand army of Napoleon, con- 
 Msting of more than 475,000 combatants, began to cross the 
 river Niemen, and on the 28th entered the city of Wilna ; the 
 Russians every where retreating, without offering to oppose 
 their invaders.
 
 520 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Prince Bagration being unfortunately separated from the 
 main body of the Russian army, retired to the Dwina, whither 
 he was pursued by the enemy under the Duke of Reggio, who 
 had succeeded in driving the Russians out of Lithuania. The 
 French, with an ahnost overwhehning force, pressed on with 
 great rapidity, but not without some checks ; Count Ostroman 
 gained a trifling advantage over them at Ostrowna; and Count 
 Witgenstein arrested their progress towards Riga and Peters- 
 burgh, by compelling Marshals Macdonald and Oudinot to 
 retire. Prince Bagration, after a series of bold and decisive 
 operations, at length formed a junction with the main body; 
 but his forces were much reduced by the desertion of 10,000 
 Poles. The Russian grand army withdrew from Drissa to 
 Witepsk, on the road to Smolensko, whither Napoleon, who 
 now avowed his determination to march to Moscow, was 
 hastening. The retiring system which the Russians adopted, 
 and the care they took to destroy all the magazines upon the 
 route of the enemy, whilst they at the same time continued to 
 harass them in every possible way, v/as highly embarrassing 
 to the invaders ; who were drawn from their resources into the 
 heart of a country, laid waste by its hostile proprietors. 
 
 A tremendous battle was fought under the walls of Smo- 
 lensko, the town was occupied by 30,000 men, and the remainder 
 of the army under Barclay de Tolly, were posted on the heights 
 along the right bank of the Dnieper. Aware that the place 
 could not be defended with any hope of succces, the Russian 
 general retreated towards Moscow, commanding the Governor 
 of Smolensko to destroy every thing that could be useful to the 
 enemy, and then to fire the city ! These orders were punc- 
 tually obeyed, and the French took possession of the ruins, 
 which, deserted by its inhabitants, was made more hideous to the 
 eye by the horrid remains ©f the dead, which lying scattered in all 
 directions, presented a spectacle so appalling, that even those who 
 were accustomed to scenes of slaughter shrunk with dismay.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 521 
 
 The Russians, though vigorously pursued, continued theii- 
 retreat to Moscow ; and the enemy, whose ranks were daily 
 thinned by the harassing of the Cossacks under Count Platoff, 
 took possession of Viasma, which had been set on fire by 
 their determined opponents. 
 
 Prince KutusofF, who now succeeded to the command of the 
 Russian army, took an advantageous position between Mojaisk 
 and Borodino, and determined to await the attack of the 
 enemy. On the 7th of September was fought one of the most 
 obstinate aud sanguinary conflicts recorded in history. The 
 French army consisted of 130,000 men, the Russian of 120,000 ; 
 the battle lasted from seven in the morning until night ; the 
 Russians remained masters of the field, but withdrew from it 
 the following eveninir : having lost .30,000 men, among whom 
 was the gallant Prince Bagration. The enemy succeeded in 
 gaining possession of Moicow, but lost 40,000 of their soldiers 
 in the preceding battle. 
 
 Buonaparte on the 15th took possession of the Kremlin, 
 the ancient palace of the Czars ; but he had scarcely done so, 
 when it was discovered, that the inhabitants of Moscow, 
 inspired by the patriotic zeal of theu* governor Rostopchin had 
 set fire to the city ; the greater part of which, notwithstanding 
 the utmost efforts of the French, was soon reduced to a heap 
 of ruins. This unforeseen event was truly disastrous to the 
 enemy, who, worn out with fatigue and hardship, had entered 
 the place with joy; fondly anticipating not only a cessation 
 from toil, but an abundant harvest. 
 
 Winter was now fast advancing ; the abodes in which they 
 had hoped to be sheltered from the inclemency of the weather 
 were destroyed; there seemed to be no end to their sufferings 
 and privations. Exasperated by disappointment, they vented 
 their rage on the inhabitants, four hundred of whom were shot 
 by order of Napoleon, upon a charge of being the authors of 
 the conflagration.
 
 522 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 The situation of Buonaparte at this time was truly critical ; 
 his army was weakened by its immense losses ; that of the 
 Russians daily increased, and pressed around him on every 
 side, whilst the want of provisions and of fuel, and the 
 inci'easing intensity of the cold, at last convinced him that 
 to return was indispensable ; thus, after a month of inaction, 
 he evacuated the cityj and began one of the most disastrous 
 retreats ever recorded by the pen of the historian. He was 
 forced, by the able dispositions of Prince KutusofF, to return by 
 the way he came, and not only to witness, but to suffer, from 
 the devastation he had caused. His ill clothed soldiers, fainting 
 for want of food, and shrinking from the inclemency of the 
 weather, which was even more than usually severe, fell in 
 immense numbers, and perished in the snow. The Cossacks 
 continued to harass and destroy them on all sides ; so that the 
 whole route was strewed with the dead or dying bodies of men 
 and horses, together with baggage and artillery. Every precaution 
 was taken by the Russians to cut off the retreat of the French, 
 whilst the grand army followed closely on the rear. General 
 Witgenstein, after having routed Marshal St. Cyr, advanced 
 from the North towards Smolensko, and Admiral Tchitchagoff 
 having compelled the Austrians to retreat, directed his course 
 to the same point. 
 
 Buonaparte now made a desperate attempt at Malo-JarisloiF, 
 to open the road to Kalouga, but was repulsed with conside- 
 rable loss. At Viasma the French awaited their pursuers ; they 
 fought with desperation, but were defeated by Milarodovich ; 
 whilst another body, under Eugene Beauharnois, was vanquished 
 by PlatofF, and pursued as far as Smolensko. A still more 
 sanguinary conflict took place between the Russians under Mila- 
 rodovich and the French under Marshal Davoust at Krasnoi ; 
 the former were routed with the loss of 4,000 killed and 9,000 
 taken prisoners. On the following day, the division under 
 Marshal Ney experienced a more serious calan)ity near the same
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 523 
 
 «pot : destitute of horses, he was unable to reconnoitre the 
 situation of his enemies, and an intense fog prevented his seeing 
 a formidable range of batteries that had been erected to obstruct 
 his passage ; whole ranks of his troops were mowed down by 
 the artillery; and not fewer than 11,000 men remained in the 
 hands of the Russians, the rest escaping with great difficulty to 
 the woods near the Dnieper. 
 
 Napoleon, after having narrowly escaped falling into the 
 hands of the enemy at Orcha, hastened towards the Beresina, 
 whither Witgenstein and PlatofF had repaired to cut off his 
 retreat; and it is probable that had Tchitchagoff reached this 
 point in time to co-operate with them, the whole of the French 
 army might have been captured. They now attempted to cross 
 the river, bat a sanguinary contest of three days ensued, during 
 which above 20,000 of Buonaparte's troops perished by the 
 sword ; many were drowned in the river, and many were taken 
 prisoners, through the selfishness of their leader ; who basely 
 ordered the bridges over the Beresina to be destroyed ; whilst 
 a large portion of his army was still on the opposite bank. And, 
 shortly after, the Russians being further strengthened by the 
 army of Tchitchagoif, Napoleon forsook the men, whom his 
 folly and insatiate ambition had led to destruction, and with 
 Caulincourt fled in disguise to Warsaw. Travelling with amaz- 
 ing rapidity, he unexpectedly reached his capital, whilst of the 
 immense army that he carried with him into Russia not 30,000 
 returned to their native country to relate the miserable fate of 
 their companions ! 
 
 FIRST INVASION OF FRANCE BY THE ALLIES, AND 
 BANISHMENT OF BUONAPARTE TO ELBA. 
 
 1813. — The total discomfiture of Buonaparte in Russia 
 awakened in other countries a hope of emancipation from the 
 iron hand of the oppressor. Prussia gave the example. The
 
 524 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 whole population simultaneously rose to assert their indepen- 
 dence, joyfully received the Russians, who entered Berlin on the 
 11th of March, and united with them against the common 
 enemy. Shortly after they were joined by Bernadotte, Crown 
 Prince of Sweden; who, from a French Marshal, had been 
 chosen by the unanimous voice of the people heir to the 
 Swedish monarchy. He landed at Stralsund, to join the con- 
 federacy against France ; having first obtained from England 
 the promise of a subsidy, and the cession of the Island of 
 Guadaloupe. 
 
 Buonaparte concentrated his forces on the banks of the Saale, 
 and notwithstanding his late losses, they still amounted to 
 110,000 men; whilst the Allies were only 75,000 strong. A 
 desperate battle was fought. May 2d, at Gross-Groschen, near 
 Lutzen; and both sides claimed the victory. On the 20th of 
 the same month, another severe but indecisive conflict took 
 place at Bautzen, which eventually led to an armistice. 
 
 During the truce, negociations were opened for a permanent 
 pacification ; but the ambitious demands of the French Emperor 
 effectually precluded an acconnnodation, and hostilities were 
 resumed. The Austrians were now roused to exertion, and 
 joined the Allies, whilst England as usual gave vigour to their 
 proceedings by an ample supply of money. 
 
 The allied troops were now nearly equal in point of numbers 
 and discipline with those of the enemy; the most perfect una- 
 nimity prevailed among them, and they derived no small 
 advantage from the advice and skill of the celebrated General 
 Moreau, who had left his retreat in America, to visit his 
 comrade in arms the Crown Prince of Sweden, and now joined 
 that party whose cause he considered to be that of liberty. 
 This gallant veteran was mortally wounded in the battle of the 
 27th of August, which took place the day after an unsucessful 
 attack upon Dresden by the Allies.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 525 
 
 Blucher who commanded the Prussians attacked the army of 
 Macdonald on the banks of the Katzback, which he totally 
 defeated, and by this vactory delivered Silesia from the yoke of 
 France. In the meanwhile General Bulow with a very inferior 
 force, repulsed Marshal Ney at Jutterbock, and took 10,000 
 prisoners. It was then resolved, that the three armies of the 
 Allies, under Schwartzenburgh, Blucher, and the Crown Prince, 
 should combine to crush the army of Napoleon, which had 
 retreated towards Leipsic. 
 
 This memorable battle, on the fate of which that of Europe 
 depended, was fought on the 16th, 17th and 18th of October. 
 
 The combatants were the finest troops in the world ; they 
 were cofiimanded by the most able generals of the day, and 
 were animated by the presence of their respective sovereigns. 
 The struggle was long and arduous, and whilst victory seemed 
 to hover undecidedly, the opportune defection of a corps of 
 Saxon troops, who abandoned the French, decided the contest. 
 The loss was immense on both sides. The King of Saxony was 
 taken prisoner ; 30,000 men, with sixty-five pieces of cannon 
 and all the baggage of the fl\'ing enemy, fell into the hands of 
 the victors. Buonaparte escaped, and with the same detestable 
 selfishness that marked his conduct at the Beresina, he secured 
 his personal safety by blowing up the bridge of Lindenau, and 
 sacrificing a large portion of his followers. 
 
 The Allied Sovereigns entered Leipsic in triumph, and were 
 met by the inhabitants in the great square of the city with 
 joyful acclamations. 
 
 The Kings of Bavaria and Wirtemburgh now joined the Allies, 
 A general insurrection also broke out in Holland ; the French 
 were expelled, and the Prince of Orange, who, during his mis- 
 fortunes had found a refuge in England, returned to his native 
 country. 
 
 Napoleon with his discomfited legions retreated to the 
 banks of the Rhine, where he again sustained a loss of
 
 526 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 20,000 men. On his return to Paris he assembled the Legislative 
 Bodies, and obtained from them a decree for 300,000 men to 
 oppose the threatened invasion of the Allies, whose grand army 
 approached the frontiers of France on the East, whilst the 
 English and Spaniards were rapidly advancing on the South- 
 West. The Allies crossed the Rhine, and Napoleon having 
 conferred the regency upon Maria Louisa, joined his army. He 
 obtained a trifling advantage at St. Dizier, but was defeated at 
 Brienne, and at La Rothiere ; finding however that several of 
 the Prussian corps were placed at a considerable distance from 
 one another, he attacked them separately with some success. 
 The advance of Blucher to Meaux obliged him to hasten in that 
 direction ; the Allies became masters of Soissons ; Buonaparte 
 made a desperate effort to retake it, but, after a sanguinary 
 conflict, was forced to abandon the enterprize. The French 
 were defeated at Laon after an obstinate conflict of two days. 
 
 The Marquess of Wellington meanwhile pcosecuted his suc- 
 cesses. Sir Rovv!and Hill defeated the French at Orthes, after 
 which the English and Spanish Allied Army, crossed the Adour 
 and invested Bayonne, whilst Marshal Beresford entered Bour- 
 deaux, which had declared for the Bourbons. 
 
 Negociations had for some time been going on at Chatillon, 
 but the mad ambition of Buonaparte prevented their being 
 signed. He now adopted the singular resolution of getting to 
 the rear of his enemies, and by this ill-judged movement left 
 open the road to Paris. The Prussian and Austrian com- 
 manders formed a junction, and at the head of 200,000 men, 
 and with little opposition, marched to Paris, which immediately 
 capitulated, the Allies were received with shouts and acclama- 
 tions, and cries of " Five Louis XVI JI.! vivent les Bourbons ! 
 a has le TyranP' 
 
 A declaration was issued that it was not the intention of the 
 Allies to treat with Buonaparte or any of the family, but that
 
 HISTOBY or ENGLAND. 
 
 527 
 
 the integrity of France, such as she had been under the legiti- 
 mate monarchs, would be scrupulously respected. 
 
 Marshal Marmont having obtained a promise that the life of 
 the Ex-Emperor should be spared, and that his troops might 
 pass into Normandy, joined the allies, at the head of 12,000 
 men. 
 
 Napoleon was formally deposed by the Senate, a new con- 
 stitution was given to France, and Louis XVIII. recalled to 
 the throne of his ancestors. Louis, who had for several years 
 resided at Hartwell in Buckinghamshire ha^^ng accepted the 
 basis of the constitution, made his public entry into Paris on the 
 .3d of May. 
 
 On the 30th a general pacification was signed at Paris. By 
 this treaty it was agreed that the limits of France should be the 
 same as in 1792. England restored all the French colonies 
 except Tobago, St. Lucia and the Isle of France. Sweden 
 surrendered Guadaloupe, and Portugal French Guiana. 
 
 The restoration of peace was proclaimed at Paris on the 
 31st of May, and in London on the 20th of June, amidst the 
 joyful acclamations of the people of both capitals. 
 
 The island of Elba, in full sovereignty, was left to Buona- 
 parte, with the title of Emperor ; it was also agreed that he 
 should receive from France an annual pension of 2,000,000 
 francs ; and with singular, but imprudent generosity, a further 
 allowance of 2,500,000 francs was to be paid to the different 
 branches of his family, who were permitted to retain their 
 usurped titles. His private property was also secured to him, 
 and four hundred of his followers were permitted to accompany 
 him to Elba. 
 
 Among the minor transactions of this period, we must not 
 omit, that at the close of the preceding year Hanover was re- 
 covered by the Crown -Prince of Sweden ; who also reduced 
 Holstein and Westphalia. 
 
 The King of Denmark joined the grand alliance, and Dantzick
 
 528 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 surrendered after a long siege ; but the British were repulsed, 
 with considerable loss, in the attempt to take the strong fortres* 
 of Bergen-op-Zoom. 
 
 DEFINITION. 
 
 Alliance. — A treaty entered into by Sovereign Princes and States, 
 for their mutual safety and defence. 
 
 BATTLE OF WATERLOO. 
 
 Before we resume the narrative of the French war, it will 
 be proper to turn our attention to the contest with America, 
 which ever since the year 1812 had been carried on with little 
 vigour, though with great animosity. Many indecisive conflicts 
 took place between the rival flotillas on the lakes, and the 
 honour of the British flag seemed for a while to droop ; but it 
 rose again triumphant under Captain Broke, who, in the short 
 space of fifteen minutes captured the Chesapeake, ofl^ the port 
 of Boston, and in sight of the people who lined its shores to 
 witness the action. The city of Washington was taken by 
 Rear-Adrairal Cockburn and Major-General Ross : who was 
 afterwards mortally wounded in an unsuccessful attack upon 
 Baltimore. 
 
 At length, however, after the disgraceful retreat of Sir 
 George Prevost from before Plattsburgh, hostilities terminated ; 
 but, before intelligence of the peace could be received in Ame- 
 rica, Major-General Pakenham fell in an attempt to take New 
 Orleans. 
 
 In France, Louis devoted his attention to the re-establish- 
 ment of order in the Government, and endeavoured, by gentle- 
 ness and kindness, to soothe the animosities that still rankled 
 in the bosoms of the Royalists and Buonapartists. The new 
 constitution, which was modelled upon that of England, was 
 readily accepted by the Senate and Legislative Body; liberty 
 of conscience was allowed ; but the liberty of the press was
 
 HISTORT OF ENGLAND. 529 
 
 festricted within proper limits. The conscription was abolished ; 
 the unsold property of the emigrants was restored to them ; 
 and the shops, which, during the Republic, and the reign of 
 Buonaparte, had alwa3s remained open on Sundays, were now 
 ordered to be closed. 
 
 But this state of tranquillity did not last long ; Buonaparte, 
 whom no treaties could bind, suddenly appeared with a small 
 force in the South of France. Louis was surrounded by trai- 
 tors ; the army regretted the Chief, who had so frequently led 
 them to victory and glory ; they forgot his base desertion of 
 their comrades in the moment of peril ; and doubted not that 
 his return would efface their late disgrace, and restore them to 
 that proud pre-eminence from which they had fallen. At his 
 approach, the armies that had been sent to oppose him openl} 
 declared in his favour : and he pursued his journey to Paris, as 
 if travelling merely for his amusement. By the fickle Parisians 
 he was received with the same demonstrations of joy, that thev 
 had so short a time preiiously manifested for the return of 
 Louis. Such is the instability of popular favour ! The unfor- 
 tunate Louis retired first to Lisle, and then to Ghent. 
 
 Buonaparte, however, was soon taught to feel, that thougli 
 he had recovered the throne, he had not regained the absolute 
 power he once possessed ; but he concealed his disgust, and, 
 confident of the devoted attachment of the army, he persuaded 
 himself that when he had crushed his foreign foes, he should 
 have little difficulty in recovering his former authority. 
 
 When the Allied Sovereigns were informed that Napoleon had 
 broken his engagements, and invaded France, they published a 
 declaration at Vienna to this effect : that Buonaparte having 
 violated the convention, he had forfeited every claim to public 
 favour, and would henceforth be considered only as an outlaw. 
 
 Napoleon published a counter-declaration, in exculpation of 
 his conduct : asserting, that he was recalled to the throne by 
 the unanimous voice of the nation. He also wrote letters 
 
 A A
 
 530 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 to the Allies, to signify his anxious desire for peace ; and his 
 firm resolve to devote the remainder of his life in cultivating 
 the arts of peace, and regulating the internal policy of his 
 kingdom. 
 
 To these letters no reply was made; but preparations for war 
 were continued with increased activity. Napoleon, to ingra- 
 tiate himself with his people, promulgated the Additional Act, 
 which made some important and useful alterations in the former 
 Constitution of the French Empire. A solemn spectacle was 
 got up in the Champ de Mars, near Paris. The Emperor ap- 
 peared, seated on a splendid throne ; but when the Act was 
 presented for the acceptance of the people, the acclamations 
 were neither so loud nor so numerous as he expected. This 
 visible alteration of the public opinion filled his agitated mind 
 with gloomy apprehensions ; dissembling, however, his disap- 
 pointment, and confiding in the devotedness of the army, he 
 prepared for the contest that was to decide his fate. 
 
 On the 15th of June, the memorable campaign of 1815 was 
 begun, by Napoleon driving in the advanced posts of the Prus- 
 sians on the river Sambre; whilst Marshal Ney crossed the 
 river at Marchiennes, repulsed the Prussians, and drove back a 
 Belgian brigade to Quatre Bras. 
 
 Blucher, fearing an attack, concentrated his forces near 
 Ligni, to the number of 83,000 men ; here they were attacked 
 by the superior army of Napoleon, on the morning of the 16th ; 
 the battle raged with dreadful fury until night, when the Prus- 
 sians were forced to abandon the field, having lost 15,000 
 men. 
 
 In the mean time the English, under Sir Thomas Picton, and 
 the Belgians, under the Duke of Brunswick, had to sustain the 
 impetuous attacks of the French, under Marshal Ney : who was 
 eventually repulsed, though with considerable loss. In this 
 action fell the gallant Duke of Brunswick, who was universally 
 and deservedly lamented.
 
 HISTOBY OF ENGLAND. 531 
 
 During these transactions, the Duke of Wellington and his 
 staff were enjoying the festivities of Brussels, unconscious of 
 the danger of their allies ; but no sooner did intelligence reach 
 them of the events of the 16th, than the tone of mirth and 
 hilarity ceased: they quitted the ball-room for the field of 
 battle, from whence many of them never returned. 
 
 The whole of the I7th was employed in preparations for the 
 eventful battle that ensued. 
 
 The army of the Duke of Wellington occupied a position in 
 front of Waterloo ; it was divided into six bodies, of which the 
 left communicated vdth the army of Marshal Blucher, who, 
 after the action of the 16th, had retired to Wavre. On the 
 morning of the 18th the French army began the action, by a 
 furious attack of the post at Houguemont, which, notwith- 
 standing repeated attacks, was effectually maintained j at the 
 same time a heavy cannonade was carried on against the whole 
 line, whilst the French infantry and cavalry made repeated 
 charges ; which, excepting in one instance, when the farm of 
 La Haye Sainte was forced, were uniformly repulsed. Late in 
 the evening a desperate effort was made against the left of the 
 British centre, when a very severe contest ensued, and it ap- 
 peared almost doubtful whether the troops, who had been 
 fatigued with the labours of the whole day, could much longer 
 sustain so unequal a conflict; but, at this critical moment, the 
 Prussians appeared, the Duke of Wellington seized the favour- 
 able opportunity, and advanced his whole line of infantry, sup- 
 ported by the cavalry and artillery. The French were now 
 driven from every post, and fled in the utmost confusion, leav- 
 ing on the field above one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon. 
 They were pursued by the victors till long after dark, when the 
 British, exhausted by fatigue, halted ; the Prussians therefore 
 continued the pursuit, and nothing could be more complete 
 than the discomfiture of the routed army; not more than 
 40,000 men, partly without arms, and carrying with them only 
 
 A a2
 
 532 HisTOEV or England. 
 
 twenty-seven pieces out of their numerous artillery, made their 
 retreat through Charleroi. 
 
 Such is the general outline of the memorable battle of 
 Waterloo : evincing one of the noblest proofs upon record of 
 British valour, and of the talents of a great national Com- 
 mander; as well as being, in its consequences, decisive of a 
 momentous contest, in which the peace of all Europe was at 
 stake. 
 
 Buonaparte, finding all was lost, hastened back to Paris in 
 the gloominess of despair, and admitted that his army was no 
 more. The partizans of Louis looked forward to the restora- 
 tion of the Bourbons ; another party hoped to re-establish 
 republicanism; while the Buonapartists were desirous to bestow 
 the crown upon the son of Buonaparte, and the Regency upon 
 Maria Louisa. 
 
 Meanwhile the Representatives of the Nation declared their 
 sittings permanent; and some of the members having boldly 
 asserted, that the abdication of Buonaparte could alone serve 
 the State, the declaration was received with applause, and the 
 fallen Emperor was persuaded once more to descend from his 
 usurped throne. 
 
 A commission was appointed to repair to the Allied Armies 
 with proposals of peace, but the victors had formed a resolu- 
 tion not to treat but under the walls of Paris, and they entered 
 the French territories on the 21st. The Duke of Wellington 
 addressed a proclamation to the French people, saying, that he 
 had entered their country not as an enemy, except to the 
 Usurper, the foe of the human race, with whom there could be 
 neither peace nor truce ; but to enable them to throw off the 
 yoke by which they were oppressed. 
 
 Wellington and Blucher continued their march to Paris with 
 little opposition, and on the 30th it was invested. The heights 
 about the city were strongly fortified, and^ it was defended by 
 50,000 troops of the line, besides national guards and Parisian
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 
 
 533 
 
 volunteers. A convention, referring merely to military ques- 
 tions, was conclutled on the 3d of July ; by which the French 
 army was on the following day to commence its march for the 
 Loire, and was completely to evacuate Paris in three days ; all 
 the fortified posts and barriers were to be given up ; and no 
 individual was to be prosecuted for his political opinion or 
 conduct. Soon after the concluding of this convention the 
 Provisional Government resigned, and Louis once more entered 
 the palace of his ancestors, amidst the acclamations of his fickle 
 and faithless subjects. The army of the Loire, under Marshal 
 Davoust, and many of the garrisons, refused to acknowledge 
 the sovereignty of the Boui'bons : but they were ultimately re- 
 duced to submission. 
 
 Buonaparte in the mean time reached the port of Rochfort 
 in safety, from whence he anxiously hoped to escape to Ame- 
 rica ; but finding it impossible to elude the British cruizers, he 
 determined to surrender to Captain Maitland, of the Bellero- 
 plion. He had flattered himself that he should find an asylum 
 in England ; but all the Cabinets in Europe, aware of his rest- 
 less ambition and intriguing disposition, had fixed upon the 
 island of St. Helena for his future residence, and that there he 
 should be kept under the strictest guard. The Bellerophon 
 proceeded to Torbay : Napoleon was transferred to the North- 
 umberland, with a few of his most attached friends, and the 
 ship soon after proceeded on her voyage. 
 
 Murat, the brother-in-law of Napoleon, having joined the 
 Allies when he found the career of Napoleon hastening to its 
 dose, rejoined him again on his escape from Elba. Being, 
 however, driven from the throne cf Naples, he joined a band 
 of desperadoes, and landed in Calabria ; where, being speedily 
 overcome and taken, he was instantly shot. Marshal Ney and 
 Colonel Labedoyere suffered for their treacherous conduct lo 
 Louis. Lavalette, who was sentenced to the same fate, 
 
 A A 3
 
 534 HISTOBY OP ENGLAND. 
 
 escaped, disguised in the dress of his wife; and, through the 
 exertions of Sir Robert Wilson, Mr. Bruce, and Mr. Hutchinson, 
 he quitted the kingdom undiscovered. 
 
 A Congress was held at Vienna, and, on the 20th of Novem- 
 ber, several treaties between France and the Allies were at 
 length finally adjusted and signed. 
 
 The additions made to the kingdom of France in the treaty 
 of 1814, were now rescinded; sixteen of the frontier fortresses 
 of France were to be garrisoned by the Allies for five years ; 
 150,000 allied troops, under the Duke of Wellington, were to 
 be maintained for the same space of time ; and a sum of 
 700,000,000 of francs (about 29,000,000 sterling) was to be paid, 
 as an indemnity to the Allies. It was further agreed, that all 
 the works of art which had been plundered by the French from 
 other countries, should be restored. This act of justice excited 
 the utmost indignation amongst the Pai'isians. 
 
 Holland and the Netherlands were incorporated, and erected 
 into a monarchy. Surinam, Cura^oa, St. Eustatius, and the 
 Dutch settlements in Java, were restored to the Dutch; but 
 England retained the Cape of Good Hope, Demarara, Esse- 
 quibo, Berbice, and Ceylon. The Emperor of Austria obtained 
 the whole of Lombardy. Prussia received a part of the King 
 of Saxony's dominions ; and the territory of Genoa was added 
 to the kingdom of Sardinia. The electorate of Hanover was 
 erected into a kingdom. Cracow was declared a free and inde- 
 pendent city ; but the greater part of the country of Poland 
 fell under the dominion of Russia, and the Emperor assumed 
 the title of King of Poland. The Ionian islands were relieved 
 from the Russian yoke, and declared to be a free and inde- 
 pendent state, under the protection of Great Britain. 
 
 In order to secure the peace of Germany, an Act of Confe- 
 deration was concluded amongst its Princes : every member of 
 which was free to form what alliances he pleased, provided
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 535 
 
 they were such as could not prove injurious to the general 
 safety ; and, in case of one Prince being attacked, all the rest 
 were bound to arm in his defence. Thus ended this long and 
 sanguinary warfare, in which numerous instances of exalted 
 \-irtues, and the most flagrant crunes, have been alternately 
 displayed. Events the most extraordinary, which neither fore^ 
 sight could prevent, nor wisdom counteract, have succeeded 
 each other with a rapidity nearly inconceivable ; and future 
 ages will be tempted almost to doubt the evidence of facts, 
 which seem to partake more of the splendour of fiction, than 
 the sobrietj' of historic relation. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1816, Lord Exmouth was sent with a 
 fleet to the States of Barbary, to conclude a treaty of peace 
 between them and the Kings of Naples and Sardinia ; to abo- 
 lish Christian slavery ; and to obtain from them a promise to 
 respect the flag of the Ionian islands, which had lately become 
 an independent country. The Beys of Tripoli and Tunis ac- 
 ceded to all these demands ; but the Bey of Algiers demurred, 
 with respect to the abolition of slavery. Shortly after a consi- 
 derable number of unarmed Christians, who had landed at 
 Bona, having been massaCfed by the Mahometans, notwith- 
 standing the late treaty. Lord Exmouth, with a strong force, 
 returned to Algiers, and on the 27th of August commenced a 
 fiirious cannonade upon the city, which lasted six hours ; the 
 contest was severe, and the British ships sufitred considerably ; 
 but the Algerines lost four large frigates, five corvettes, and 
 several smaller vessels, together with the storehouse, arsenal, 
 &c., which were totally destroyed. The Bey now thought 
 proper to accede to the terms proposed by the British Admiral, 
 namely, to abolish Christian slavery ; to surrender every slave ; 
 to return the money received from Christian Powers, for the 
 redemption of slaves, since the beginning of the present year ; 
 and to make a public apology to the British Consul for the 
 
 A A 4
 
 536 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 insults that had been offered to him, as well as to remunerate 
 him for the losses he had sustained. 
 
 This attack upon Algiers may be considered as one of the 
 most brilliant exploits ever achieved by our navy. 
 
 DOMESTIC OCCURRENCES. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1803, a conspiracy entered 
 i nto by Colonel Despard was discovered ; when he, and five of 
 his accomplices, being found guilty of high-treason, were con- 
 demned and executed. An insurrection also broke out in 
 Ireland : Lord Chief-Justice Kilwarden, and two other gentle- 
 men, were assassinated by the mob ; but the rebels were finally 
 overpowered, though not till after considerable effusion of 
 blood J the ringleaders were taken, and suffered the sentence 
 of the law, 
 
 1804. — Mr. Addington, who had succeeded Mr. Pitt as First 
 Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, now 
 resigned, and was created Viscount Sidmouth. Mr. Pitt re- 
 sumed his former post of Prime Minister ; and, though strongly 
 opposed, finally prevailed over hL political enemies, and his 
 plans for the defence of the kingdom received the sanction of 
 the Legislature, 
 
 1805.— Lord Melville was, impeached by the House of Peers, 
 for connivuig at the misapplication of certain sums of the 
 public money by Mr. Trotter, his Lordship's agent and pay, 
 master; but the trial was postponed to the ensuing session, 
 when his Lordship was acquitted upon every charge. 
 
 At this time the claims of the Irish Catholics, for a complete 
 emancipation, were powerfully advocated by Lord Grenville in 
 the House of Peers, and by Mr. Fox in tlie Commons ; but 
 their efforts proved unavailing. 
 
 l8Q6._The beginning of this year was clouded by the death.
 
 HISTORY OP ENGLAND. 537 
 
 of that eminent statesman Mr. Pitt, whose dissohition seems to 
 h ave been hastened by the grief and disappointment he felt at 
 the failure of his plans in the last campaign. He expired on 
 the 23d of January, in the forty-seventh year of his age, and 
 was interred at the public expense. The sum of ^40,000 was 
 voted for the payment of his debts : the welfare of the nation, 
 and not personal emolument, having been the great object of 
 his solicitude. 
 
 A new Cabinet was now formed, which, from the known 
 talents of the members, excited the greatest expectations. 
 Lord Erskine was made Lord High Chancellor ; Earl Fitz- 
 williaxn. Lord President of the Council ; Viscount Sidmouth, 
 Lord Privy Seal ; Lord Grenville, First Lord of the Treasury ; 
 Lord Howick, First Lord of the Admiralty; Earl Moira, Master- 
 General of the Ordnance; Earl Spencer, Mr. Fox, and Mr. 
 Windham, Secretaries of State ; Lord Henry Petty, Chancellor 
 of the Exchequer; and Lord Ellenborough, Lord Chief-Justice. 
 But nothing was done to fulfil the hopes of the nation ; and 
 the Propert3-Tax was increased from six and a half to ten per 
 cent, upon all property above ^£50 a year. 
 
 Buonaparte made overtures for peace, wliich were eagerly 
 listraied to by Mr. Fox ; but he also found that no treaty could 
 bind the perfidious Usurper, and soon after the failure of these 
 negociations Mr. Fox expired, in the fifty-eighth year of his age; 
 upon which Lord Howick, formerly Mr, Grey, became Secretary 
 of State for the Foreign Department. 
 
 1807- — The sessions this year opened with a formal Abolition 
 of the Slave Trade ; an attempt was also made by the Minis- 
 ters to obtain for the Catholics a just participation in the rights 
 and privileges of their Protestant fellow-subjects ; but the King 
 not only opposed this measure, as being in opposition to his 
 coroaiation oath, but also demanded a written promise that it 
 should never again be proposed. In consequence of this all 
 the Ministers retired from office : and were succeeded by the 
 
 A A 5
 
 538 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 Duke of Portland, as First Lord of the Treasurj' ; Mr. Canning, 
 Lords Hawkesbury and Castlereagh, as Secretaries of State; 
 Mr. Perceval, as Chancellor of the Exchequer; Lord Mulgrave, 
 as First Lord of the Admiralty ; and Lord Eldon, as Lord 
 Chancellor. 
 
 1808. — In the month of August, the titular King and Queen 
 of France, with the late King's daughter, the Duchess of 
 Angouleme, took refuge in England. Louis was not recog- 
 nized here as King, but passed under the title of the Count de 
 Lille. 
 
 1809. — Colonel Wardle,at the commencement of the present 
 session, brought forward several charges of corruption against 
 the Duke of York, principally founded on the testimonies of 
 a woman named Mary Ann Clarke, with whom the Duke had 
 been improperly connected. The charges fell to the ground ; 
 but his Royal Highness resigned his post of Commander-in 
 Chief, and was succeeded by Sir David Dundas. 
 
 The ill-judged and unfortunate expedition to the Scheldt, 
 which had been planned by Lord Castlereagh, led to a schism 
 in the British Cabinet ; which occasioned the resignation of his 
 Lordship, and was followed by a duel with Mr. Canning, in 
 which the latter was wounded. 
 
 At the close of this year a grand national Jubilee was cele- 
 brated throughout the country, in honour of the fiftieth anni- 
 versary of his Majesty's reign. 
 
 1810. — A violent attack was made by the Opposition, at the 
 opening of the Parliament, upon the expedition to Walcheren ; 
 and a vote of censure was passed on the Earl of Chatham, for 
 having presented to the King an unofficial account of that 
 transaction. 
 
 A motion which was made by Mr. Yorke, for excluding stran- 
 gers from the House during the debates upon the Walcheren 
 Expedition, occasioned some severe remarks from a popular 
 orator in a debating society, named Gale Jones ; who was, -for
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAXD. 539 
 
 this conduct, brought to the bar of the House of Commons, 
 and committed to Newgate. Sir Francis Burdett warmly es- 
 poused his cause; and having published his speech, with an 
 insulting address to the House, it was voted that he should be 
 sent to the Tower. Sir Francis refused to admit the legality of 
 the Speaker's warrant ; his house was then surrounded by mili- 
 tary, and a considerable ferment excited ; but a posse of con- 
 stables ha\ang penetrated into the house, he was taken, and 
 safely lodged in the Tower, whence he was released at the close 
 of the sessions. 
 
 The death of the Princess Amelia, which occurred near the 
 close of this year, produced a fatal effect on the mind of his 
 Majesty, and caused a relapse, from which he never again re- 
 covered. The Prince of Wales was at length appointed Regent 
 of the realm, but with some important restrictions on his au- 
 thority during the first j'ear ; whilst the person of the venerable 
 Monarch was placed under the immediate care of the Queen. 
 
 1811. — Nothing very material passed during this session of 
 the Parliament, excepting an Act for permitting the Militias of 
 England and Ireland to do duty out of their respective coun- 
 tries ; and an Act to prevent the Gold Coin of the Realm to 
 pass for more, and the Paper Currency for less, than its nominal 
 value. 
 
 1813. — It was confidently anticipated by the leading Mem- 
 bers of the Opposition, that when the restrictions imposed 
 upon the Regent should expu'c, the then Ministers would be 
 removed, and they should come into power ; but, instead of 
 that, the Regent only requu-ed Earl Grey and Lord Grenville 
 should unite with the Ministry : and, on their refusing to join 
 them, no change whatever was effected in the Cabinet. 
 
 Violent discontents were manifested in the counties of Not- 
 tingham, Derby, Leicester, Lancaster, York, and Cheshire, in 
 consequence of the use of machinery being introduced in va- 
 rious manufactories, by which numbers of the labouring classes 
 
 A A 6
 
 340 HISTORY OP ENGLANO. 
 
 were deprived of work, and consequently of the means of sub- 
 sistence. This (at the instigation of some secret societies, the 
 members of which were assiduously endeavouring to spread the 
 flames of disaffection) led to various acts of outrage; nor was 
 it till after some bloodshed, and the enacting of a law, punish- 
 ing with death the destruction of the cotton-frames, tliat tran- 
 quillity was restored. 
 
 The unexpected death of Mr. Perceval, the Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer, who was shot in the lobby of the House of Com- 
 mons by a man of the name of Bellingham, caused a great 
 sensation throughout the countr}'. The assassin made no at- 
 tempt to escape, but boldly avowed the deed. He was tried, 
 convicted, and executed : undergoing the just sentence of tke 
 law with a firmness and composure worthy of a better cause. 
 
 The death of the Chancellor made little change in the Ca- 
 binet, for Lords Grey and Grenville still refused to accept the 
 fair and honourable proposals of their political opponents. 
 
 ]S13._,The first act of the new Parliament this year, was to 
 vote the sum of £200,000 for the relief of the suffering Rus- 
 sians ; and a subscription, to a very large amount, was also 
 raised for the same benevolent purpose. 
 
 Another fruitless attempt was made for the total emancipa- 
 tion of the Catholics ; it was, however, lost by a very small 
 majority. 
 
 A new charter was this year granted to the East-India Com- 
 pany, by which their privilege of exclusive trade to China was 
 confirmed ; but the India trade, which had hitherto been ex- 
 clusively carried on by the Company, was now, with certain 
 modifications, thrown open to individual speculation. 
 
 1814. — The restoration of peace, which was proclaimed in 
 London on the 21st of June, was received with the loudest 
 acclamations, and all Europe rejoiced at the termination of 
 one of the longest and most sanguinary wars recorded in 
 history.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 541 
 
 On the 7th of July, the Emperor Alexander of Russia, the 
 King of Prussia, the gallant Blucher, Count Platoft", and many 
 other characters who distinguished themselves in the late war, 
 arrived in London, and were hailed with the most lively demon- 
 strations of joy and affection ; and after having visited many of 
 the principal places in the kingdom, and having been spectators 
 of a splendid naval review at Spithead, they repaired to Dover. 
 The Prince Regent, who had accompanied them in their tour, 
 there bade adieu to his august visitors, who then returned to 
 their respective dominions. 
 
 To commemorate the accession of the House of Hanover, 
 ■which had now been in possession of the British throne during 
 one hundred years, and as a public rejoicing for the return of 
 peace, a national Jubilee was celebrated throughout the 
 kingdom. 
 
 1815. — The public this year were much agitated respecting 
 the enactment of Laws, relative to the Importation of Corn, 
 which was not permitted unless the price of wheat exceeded 
 eighty shillings a quarter. The intention of this law was to 
 protect the agricultural interests of the country; but being 
 either misunderstood, or wilfully misrepresented, it caused 
 sei'ious disturbances in various parts of the country, and riots 
 prevailed during several days in the metropolis. The manufac- 
 turing towns, during the greater part 9f this year, were in a 
 state of agitation and alarm ; partial outrages occurred, but 
 they were speedily and effectually quelled. Some slight dis- 
 turbances also broke out in Ireland. 
 
 This year the Legislature passed an Act for continuing the 
 Bank Restriction; the Property Tax was also renewed; and 
 the Bread Assize Act was rcpeale<!. 
 
 181G. — An inefiectual attempt was made by the Chancellor 
 of the Exchequer, at the connnencement of this session, to 
 continue the Property Tax for one year longer, and also the 
 War Duty upon Malt.
 
 542 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 The distressed state of the agriculture of the kingdom, which 
 was heightened by the failure of the harvest, induced the House, 
 upon the motion of Mr. Western, to resolve itself into a Com- 
 mittee, to take the State of the Country into consideration ; 
 but this important subject was postponed, on account of the 
 continued illness of Mr. Western. 
 
 The House was now informed, by a message from the Prince 
 Regent, that a matrimonial alliance was about to take place 
 between his daughter, the Princess Charlotte, and his Serene 
 Highness the Prince of Saxe Cobourg Saalfiekl. The sum of 
 iE60,000 was voted for their annual expenses j and £50,000 
 per annum was secured to the Prince of Cobourg, should he 
 survive his Royal consort. The nuptials were solemnized with 
 becoming splendour on the 2d of May ; and, in July following, 
 the Princess Mary bestowed her hand on her cousin, the Duke 
 of Gloucester. 
 
 The Bank Restriction Bill was this sessions extended for two 
 years longer. Another ineffectual attempt was made in favour 
 of the Roman Catholic Claims j and an Act was passed for 
 issuing a new Silver Coinage. 
 
 The distresses of the labourers and manufacturers, and the 
 high price of provisions, at length produced serious disturb- 
 ances in various parts of England. The malcontents in the 
 eastern counties broke out into open violence, and were not 
 suppressed without much difficulty. In London similar attempts 
 wei"e made. Mr. Hunt, a violent and popular demagogue, had 
 convened a public meeting in Spa-fields, to draw up a petition 
 to the Regent. On the 2d of December another meeting was 
 called, to receive the answer to their petition. A vast mob 
 being collected. Dr. Watson, his son, and other persons, accom- 
 panied by tri-coloured flags, proceeded into the City, followed 
 by a large body of the populace. They plundered the shop of 
 Mr. Beckwith, a gunsmith; and a man of the name of Piatt 
 was there shot at and severely wounded by young Watson.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 643 
 
 Several other shops were also plundered of arms. At length 
 the rioters were dispersed, and several of the ringleaders taken. 
 
 181 7. — The Prince Regent, on his way to the House of 
 Lords to open the sessions of Parliament, was wantonly shot 
 at. The perpetrators of this outrage escaped undetected ; and 
 loyal addresses were voted to his Royal Highness upon his 
 providential escape. 
 
 In consequence of a dangerous spirit of revolt and disaffec- 
 tion, which it was said prevailed in the country, bills were 
 passed for suspending the habeas corpus act, and for preventing 
 seditious meetings. 
 
 On a motion by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was 
 agreed that Exchequer Bills to the amount of £1,. 500,000 
 should be issued, to complete some Public Works, to encourage 
 the Fisheries, and to furnish Employment for the Poor. 
 
 Again, the Roman Catholic Emancipation Bill was brought 
 forward, but lost by small majorities. 
 
 Mr. Abbot, the Speaker, having resigned his office, was 
 created Baron Colchester, with a pension of ^£4,000 per annum; 
 and Mr. Manners Sutton, son to the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 was elected in his stead. 
 
 The country still continued in a state of ferment, and affairs 
 assuming a formidable aspect, it was judged necessary to make 
 an example of some of the insurgents, who were brought to 
 trial at Derby; when three of the ringleaders being found 
 guilty, suffered the sentence of the law. Dr. Watson, Thistle- 
 wood, and others, who had previously been tried in London, 
 wei*e acquitted. 
 
 A new Gold Coinage, called sovereigns and half sovereigns, 
 of the value of twenty shillings and ten shillings respectively, 
 was this year issued. 
 
 November 6. — The country at large was plunged into the 
 deepest affliction by the sudden and unexpected death of her 
 Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte of Wales, who died in
 
 544 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 giving Birth to a still-born son. Her unostentatious manners, 
 her domestic virtues, her liberal and benevolent disposition, 
 had inspired the people at large with a high idea of her worth ; 
 and they fondly anticipated, that the glory and prosperity of 
 England would again become resplendent, under the guidance 
 of female virtues. But Providence ordained it otherwise, and 
 two generations were at once cut off from the British throne, 
 leaving a fearful apprehension of a future disputed succession. 
 
 1818. — The session this year was opened by commission. 
 Ministers themselves proposed the repeal of the Habeas Corpus 
 Suspension Act, which was immediately carried. Much discus- 
 sion took place relative to the imprisonment of individuals 
 during the suspension of the habeas corpus, but the proceed- 
 ings of the Ministry were approved by a large majority of the 
 House. At the same time meetings were held in nearly every 
 populous town throughout the country, for the purpose of peti- 
 tioning Parliament for parliamentary reform. 
 
 The sessions closed on the 10th of June, the Parliament was 
 dissolved, and writs issued for new elections. Many of the 
 returns were favourable to the Opposition ; all the ministerial 
 candidates in the city of London were thrown out; and Sir 
 Samuel Romilly and Sir Francis Burdett were returned for 
 Westminster. 
 
 Towards the close of this year, the expedition which had 
 been sent out to explore the Arctic regions returned to Eng- 
 land. It did not wholly succeed, for the progress of the vessels 
 was so impeded by insurmountable barriers of ice, that they 
 were obliged for a time to abandon the enterprize. 
 
 This year was particularly distinguished for Royal marriages : 
 the Princess Elizabeth was married to the Prince of Hesse 
 Hmulierg ; the Duke of Clarence to the Princess of Meinengen ; 
 the Duke of Kent to the Princess Dowager of Leinengen, sister 
 to Prince Leopold ; and the Duke of Cambridge to the Princess 
 of Hesse Cassel.
 
 HISTORY or ENGLAND. 545 
 
 The Queen, who had been for some time indisposeil, expired 
 at Kew in the seventy-fifth year of her age, having been fifty- 
 seven years united to the King. It is no trifling praise to say, 
 that owing to her exemplary conduct, and the strict decorum 
 she maintained, the Court of England was pre-eminent for 
 purity and morality. 
 
 1819. — The session this year was opened by commission; 
 and the first object that engaged the attention of the House, 
 was to provide for the care of the King's person : which was 
 committed to the Duke of York, with a pension of £10,000 
 per annum. 
 
 Sir J. Mackintosh brought forward a motion for the appoint- 
 mcjit of a Committee, to inquire into and investigate such 
 pai'ts of the Penal Code as relate to capital punishments. 
 
 A Petition was also presented by Mr. Lambton, praying for 
 a Repeal of the Copy-right Act. 
 
 The country still continued to be much agitated, and large 
 assemblies were held at Stockport, Birmingham, Manchester, 
 &c, under the specious pretence of petitioning for reform : 
 whilst the most seditious and blasphemous publications were 
 eagerly disseminated amongst the people. 
 
 A large meeting was convened in Smithfield, in which Hunt, 
 Thistlewood, Watson, and Preston took the lead. It is said 
 that not fewer than 70,000 persons were assembled j and it 
 was, perhaps, more owing to the wise measures adopted to 
 intimidate these reformers, than to any forbearance of their 
 own, that the peace of the metropolis remained undisturbed. 
 
 A serious disturbance occurred at Manchester, where a 
 meeting was convened by Mr. Hunt and his associates. It had 
 beeii fixed to take place on the 9th of August ; but, in conse- 
 quence of a spirited notice put forth by the Magistrates, de- 
 claring that the intended meeting was illegal, it was postponed, 
 and hopes were entertained that it would ultimately have been 
 {\bandoned ; but, unhappily, above 50,000 persons assembled on
 
 546 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 the 16th, and, whilst Hunt was pronouncing an oration, a body 
 of the Manchester cavalry galloped up to the hustings and 
 seized him, together with his companions, and their banners. 
 A dreadful scene of confusion and distress now ensued, nor was 
 tranquillity restored without bloodshed : six persons were 
 killed, and about seventy were more or less injured. Hunt, 
 Moorhouse, and Johnson, were committed, to take their trial 
 for a conspiracy, but at the same time admitted to bail. 
 
 When information of the transactions at Manchester reached 
 London, it caused a great sensation. There was at that time a 
 contested election for the city of Westminster. Sir Francis 
 Burdett, one of the candidates, wrote a letter, couched in very 
 strong language, to his committee : in consequence of which a 
 meeting was called, and the conduct of the Manchester Magis- 
 trates and Yeomanry severely censured. 
 
 An Address from the Common Council of London, praying 
 for an Enquiry into the Transactions at Manchester, was pre- 
 sented to the Prince Regent, at Carlton-house, by the Lord 
 Mayor, Sheriffs, &c. ; and various meetings were also held in 
 diiferent parts of the kingdom for the same purpose : particularly 
 one at York, which was attended by Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord 
 Lieutenant of the West Riding, and who, in consequence, was 
 deprived of his office. 
 
 Serious disturbances also broke out at Paisley, where a meet- 
 ing was called to take into consideration the proceedings at 
 Manchester; the hustings were hung with black cloth, the 
 speakers were dressed in mourning, and all the flags were edged 
 with black. An address to Mr. Hunt, containing a strong pane- 
 gyric on his conduct at Manchester, was carried with a fervent 
 shout of approbation. The Magistrates had previously issued 
 a proclamation, declaring the proposed meeting illegal ; and 
 their determination to prevent, as far as in their power, the 
 tranquillity of the well-disposed inhabitants from being wan- 
 tonly disturbed. The people, notwithstanding, assembled with
 
 HISTOEY or ENGLAND. 
 
 547 
 
 banners, and a scuffle ensued; the riot act was read to no 
 purpose; the mob continued to increase until the arrival of 
 the military, when they dispersed. The next day, Sunday, 
 the Magistrates were insulted as they went to church ; and, on 
 the following day, the disposition to tumult appearing to in- 
 crease, the riot act was again read; but the mob did not dis- 
 perse until driven out of the streets by the military : whose 
 skilful manoeuvring succeeded in dispersing this infuriated mul- 
 titude, without inflicting a single wound, or committing the 
 slightest injury. 
 
 Similar outrages took place at Glasgow, and many of the 
 most active of the insurgents were made prisoners. The 
 alarming state of the country occasioned Parliament to meet 
 at a much earlier season than usual, and the session was opened 
 by the Regent in person. The usual address to the Throne 
 was opposed by Lord Grey in the House of Lords : the main 
 object of which was to pledge the House to an inquu-y into 
 the transactions at Manchester. This led to a long and inte- 
 resting debate, in which Lord Sidmouth endeavoured to justify 
 the conduct of the Magistrates. Marquess Buckingham sup- 
 ported Ministers ; and, upon a division taking place, the majo- 
 rity in favour of the original address, and against the amend- 
 ment, was 125. 
 
 A similar discussion took place in the House of Commons ; 
 but here, also, Ministers obtained a majority of two hundred 
 and thirty-one; the numbers being, for the amendment, one 
 hundred and fifty : against it, three hundred and eighty-one. 
 
 Thus ended this eventful year, and a few short weeks after 
 closed the memorable reign of George the Third. The sun of 
 prosperity shone upon its commencement with unusual splen- 
 dour ; its meridian was clouded with storms, that required all 
 the wisdom of a skilful pilot to weather : it set in darkness, 
 and the hollow murmur of discontent growled fearfully in the 
 distance.
 
 548 HISTORY or ekgland. 
 
 Happily for himself, the venerable Monarch was alike insen- 
 sible to the threatening appearance of the political horizon, 
 and to the havoc which death, in a fev/ months, had made in 
 his family circle. In addition to that of his Queen, his grand- 
 daughter and her infant, a few days only previous to his own 
 decease, died the Duke of Kent, sincerely lamented not only 
 by those immediately about his person, but by the whole 
 nation. 
 
 The firm yet mild administration of George the Third, se- 
 cured his people in prosperity and peace; and whilst the 
 thrones of most of his contemporaries were shaken to their 
 foundations, by foreign or domestic foes, the efforts of our 
 potent enemies to overthrow this happy country, by open 
 violence or secret treachery, were equally impotent. 
 
 " England never did, nor never sliall 
 
 •' Lie at the proud feet of a conqueror, 
 
 " But when it first did hdp to wound itself. 
 
 « « * * « 
 
 " Come the three corners of tlie world in arms 
 
 " And we shall shock tliem ! nought shall make us rue, 
 
 " Jf England to itself do rest but true." 
 
 Shakespeare. A'ing John. 
 
 DEFINITIONS. 
 
 Bread Assii£ Act. — An act, which empowered a court, called the 
 Assize Court, to fix the price at which bread should be sold ; and 
 which was regulated according to the neat weight of the price of corn 
 in tlie market. 
 
 Batik Restriction Bill. — A Legislative act, adopted to prevent the 
 Bank of England from paying in specie or cash for a limited 
 period. 
 
 Copy-light Act.— An act for regulating die property of authors, 
 with raspect to their works. 
 
 In 1556 a charter was granted to tlie Stationers' Company (which 
 at that dme did not mean, as in tlie present day, venders of paper 
 
 i
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 549 
 
 only, hut booksellers and printers), to keep nt their hall a register, in 
 which should be entered tlic name of e\-ery new book, the name of 
 the proprietors, and the successive transfers of the copy-right. Anotlier 
 Bill was passed in 1 709, compelling publishers to deliver nine copies 
 of every work to as many public lihraiies. This was considered as a 
 serious grievance : for, on some valuable works, the loss was very con- 
 siderable ; in consequence, in 1813, the booksellers applied for re- 
 dress, but were unsuccessful: as, in tlie spring of 1814, an Act was 
 passed, confirming in the most explicit terms the claim of the public 
 libraries, to which two more were added : making, in the whole, 
 eleven copies of every work published, and for which they are not 
 to pay any proportion of the jjrice. At the same time, copy-right 
 property was extended from fourteen to twenty-eight years.
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY 
 
 OF 
 
 ALL THE PLACES 
 
 MENTIONED IN THE PRECEDING HISTORY. 
 
 Abbeville. A town of France, in the department of the Somme. 
 
 Aberdeen. A city of Scotland, at the mouth of the river Dee. 
 
 Aboukir.. An island and bay on the coast of Egypt, at the mouth of 
 the Nile. 
 
 Acre. A seaport of Syria. 
 
 Adour. a river of France, wich falls into the Bay of Biscay below 
 Bayonne. 
 
 Africa. One of the four grand divisions of the earth : it is a penin- 
 sula of prodigious extent, having no connexion with the Eastern 
 continent but by the Isthmus of Suez, which unites it to Asia. 
 
 Agenois. An ancient province of France. 
 
 AeiNcouRT. A village of France, in the department of Pas de Calais. 
 
 Agra. A city and capital of a province of the same name in Hin- 
 doostan Proper. 
 
 Aix-la-Chapelle. a city of Germany. 
 
 Albans, St. A borough in Hertfordshire, seated on the river Colne. 
 
 Albany. A city of New York, capital of a county of the same name, 
 situated on the east side of Hudson's river. 
 
 Albuera. a village of Spain, near Badajoz, in Spanish Estre- 
 madura. 
 
 Alexandria. A town of Egypt, near the moutli of the Nile. 
 
 Algiers. A strong city of Barbary, capital of the state of Algiers. 
 
 Alkmaer. a city of North Holland. 
 
 Almanza. a town of Spain, in Murcia. 
 
 Almeida. A fortified town of Portugal, in Tra-los-Montes.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY, 551 
 
 Amblbeteuse. a seaport of France, in the department of Pas de 
 Calais. 
 
 Amboyna. An island in the Indian Ocean, chief of the ^Moluccas. 
 
 America. Tlie largest of the four divisions of the world, consisting 
 of two immense peninsulas, joined together by the Isthmus of 
 Darien. 
 
 Amiens. A city of France, capital of the department of the Somme. 
 
 Andaye. a fortified town of France, situated at the mouth of the 
 Bidassoa. . 
 
 Anglesey (Isle or\ The most northern county of Wales. 
 
 Angoumois. a late province of France, now included in the depart- 
 ment of Charente. 
 
 Anjou. Formerly a province of France, west of Bretagne, now the 
 department of Mayenne. 
 
 Antwerp. A city of Brabant, on the Scheldt. 
 
 AauiLEiA. A town of Italy, in Priuli, near the Gulf of Venice. 
 
 Aquitaine. The ancient appellation of Guienne and Gascony. 
 
 Aranjuez. a town of Spain, in Old Castile. 
 
 Arcot. a city of Ilindoostan, capital of the Carnatic, and seated on 
 the river Pariar. 
 
 Ardres. a town of France, in tlie department of Pas de Calais. 
 
 Arragon. a large province of Spain. 
 
 Arroya-del-Molina. a town of Spain, in New Castile. 
 
 AscALON. A city of Syria. 
 
 Asia. One of the four grand divisions of the earth. 
 
 AssYE. A small town of Nizam, in the province of Berar, in India. 
 
 AsTuaiAS. A maritime province of Spain. 
 
 Atherstone. a town in Warwickshire. 
 
 Aosterlitz. a town of Moravia. 
 
 Austria. A circle of the German Empire, containinjr the Arch- 
 duchy of Austria : the duchies of Istria, Carinthia, and Carniola, 
 the county of Tyrol, and the principalities of Brixen and Trent. 
 
 AuvERGNE. A late province of France : it now forms the depart- 
 ment of Cantal and Puy de Dome. 
 
 Avignon. A city of France, capital of Vaucluse. 
 
 Aylesbury. A borough in Buckinghamshire. 
 
 B. 
 Badajoz. a town of Spain, capital of Spanish Estremadura. 
 Baden. A Margravate of Suabia, in Germany. 
 Bahamas. A cluster of islands east of Florida, in America. 
 Baltimore. The largest town of Maryland, in America, and capital 
 
 of a county of the same name. 
 Banbury. A borough in Oxfordshire. 
 
 Banda. Chief of the Nutmeg Islands, in the Indian Ocean. 
 Bannockburn. a village near Stirling, in Scotland. 
 Barnet. a towTi which stands partly in IMiddlesex and partly in 
 
 Hertfordshire. 
 Barossa. a town of Spain, in Andalusia, seated near the river San 
 
 Petri.
 
 552 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABrLARY. 
 
 Basle. A canton of Switzerland. 
 
 Basque. A territory of France, which with Bearne forms the depart- 
 ment of Lower Pyrenees. 
 
 Batavia. a city and seaport of the Island of Java. 
 
 Bath. A city of Somersetshire, seated on the Avon. 
 
 Bautzen. The capital of Upper Lusatia, seated on the Spree. 
 
 Bavaria. A circle of Germany, having Suabia on the west and 
 Austria on the east. 
 
 Bafonne. a city and seaport of France, at the conflux of the rivers 
 Nive and Adour. 
 
 Bearne. Part of the department of Lower Pyrenees. 
 
 Belchute. a town of Spain in the province of Arragon. , 
 
 Bedford. In North America, a town of Massachusets in Middle- 
 sex county. 
 
 Bellair. In Maryland, capital of Harford county. North America. 
 
 Belfast. A borough and seaport of Ireland, in tlie county of An^ 
 trim, seated at the mouth of the Logan. 
 
 Bengal. A large province of Hindoostan. 
 
 Berbice. A Dutch settlement in Guiana. 
 
 Beresina. a river of Russia in the province of Minsk. 
 
 Bergen-op-zooim. a town of Dutcli Brabant, situated partly on a 
 hill and partly on the river Zoom, which communicates with tlie 
 Scheldt by a canal. 
 
 Berar. a large province in the Dcccan of Hindoostan. 
 
 Berlin. The capital of Brandenburg, and the residence of the Court 
 of Prussia. 
 
 Berkeley. In Gloucestershire, on the river Avon, near its conflus 
 with the Severn. 
 
 Berwick. On the borders of England and Scotland; it was for- 
 merly a fortress of great importance, when the countries were inde- 
 pendent of each other. It is now a borough and coimty of itself, 
 included in the Bishopric of Durham 
 
 Berke. The largest of the cantons of Switzerland. 
 
 Bidassoa. a river of Spain which rises in the Pyrenees, and enters 
 the Bay of Biscay, near Fontarabia. 
 
 Biscay. An independent province of Spain, north of Old Castile. 
 
 Blenheim. A village of Suabia, seated on the Danube. 
 
 Blois. a city of France, capital of tlie department of Cher and 
 Loire. 
 
 Bodmin. A borough in Cornwall. 
 
 Bohemia. A kingdom of the German empire, divided into circles, 
 and subject to Austria. 
 
 Bolton. A town in Lancashire. 
 
 Bologna. Capital of the Bolognese, a province of Italy. 
 
 Bombay. An island on the west coast of Hindoostan, one of the three 
 Presidencies of the East- India Company. 
 
 Borodino. A small town near Mojaisk, in the government of Mos- 
 cow. 
 
 Bona. A seaport of Algiers. 
 
 Bonn. A city seated on tlie Rhine, sixteen miles south of Cologne.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 553 
 
 Boston. Capital of Massachussets and of Suffolk county in 
 
 America. 
 BoswoBTH. A town of Leicestershire, situated on a high hill near 
 
 Leicester. 
 BoucHAiv. A fortified town of Fiance, in the department of Nord ; 
 
 it is divided into two parts by the river Scheldt. 
 Boulogne. A French seaport, in the department of Pas de Calais. 
 Bourbon. An island of Africa, in the Indian Ocean. 
 BouRDEAUX. A city and seaport of France, capital of llie depart- 
 
 Inent of Gironde. 
 BovNE. A river of Ireland, which rises in Kildare, and enters the 
 
 Irish Channel below Drogheda. 
 Bracklev. a borough in Northamptonshire, seated on the Ouse. 
 Brabant. A territory of the Netlierlands. 
 Bretigni. An ancient province of France. 
 Breda. A fortified town of Dutch Brabant. 
 Brentford. A town of Middlesex seated on the Tliames. 
 Breton, Cape. An island of North America, separated from Nova 
 
 Scotia by a narrow strait. 
 Brest. A seaport of France, in the department of Finisterre. 
 Bkidgewater. a borough in Somersetsliire, seated on the river 
 
 Parret. 
 Brienne. a village of France, in the department of Upper Marnc. 
 Bristol. A large city and seaport on the river Severn ; it is situ- 
 ated pai'tly in Gloucestershire and partly in Somersetshire, and is a 
 
 county of itself. 
 Brisgau. a territory of Suabia, on the East side of the Rhine. 
 Brittany. A late province of France, now forming the depart- 
 ments of Finisterre, Cotes du Nord, Isle et Vilaine, Lower Loire, 
 
 and INIorbihan. 
 British Channel. The sea between England and France. 
 Bruges. A city of the Netherlands. 
 Brunn, or Bkinn, a town of Moravia, seated at the confluence of the 
 
 rivers Zwittau and Schwartz. 
 Brunswick. A duchy of Germany, in Lower Saxony. 
 Brussels. A strong city of the Netherlands, seated on the river 
 
 Senne. 
 Buenos Ayres. A city and seaport of South America, capital of 
 
 Paraguay. 
 Bunker's Hill. An eminence on the North side of Charlestown, 
 
 in Massachussets. 
 Burgos. A city of Spain, capital of Old Castile, 
 Busaco (Sierre de). a lofty range of mountains in Portugal neai- 
 
 the river Mondego. 
 
 C. 
 
 Cadiz. A fortified city of Spain, seated on the Northern extremity 
 of a peninsula. This part is tlie centre of the Spanish commerce 
 to the West Indies and to America. 
 
 Caen. A city of France, capital of the department of Calvados ^ 
 
 B B
 
 554 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCAEULAUY. 
 
 the river Orno runs through tliis city, and is navigable for laro-e 
 vessels. *" 
 
 Caermarthen. a Welch borough, capital of a county of the same 
 
 name, seated on the river Tovvey. 
 Caernarvon, A borough and seaport of Wales, on tlie Straits of 
 
 Menai, near Caernarvon Bay. 
 Cairo. ITie capital of Egypt, seated on the Nile. 
 Calabria. A country of Naples. 
 
 Calcutta. The capital of Bengal ; is the metropolis of British In- 
 dia, and the seat of government. It is situated on tlie river Hoog- 
 ley, or western arm of the Ganges. 
 Calais. A seaport of France, in the department of Pas de Calais. 
 Cambden. a district of South Carolina, having a capital of the same 
 
 name. 
 Cambray. a fortified town of France, in the department of Nord. 
 Cambridge. Capital of a county of the same name, and the seat of 
 
 a celebrated University. It is seated on the river Cam. 
 CoMPiEGNE. A town of France in tlie department of Oise, seated on 
 
 a river of the same name. 
 Campeachy (Bay). The southern extremity of the Gulf of Mexico. 
 Camperdown. On the coast of Holland, south of the Helder. 
 Campo Formio. a town of Italy, in Venetian Friuli. 
 Canada. A large country of North America, lying west of the Gulf 
 
 of St. Lawrence. 
 Canterbury. The capital of Kent. 
 Carangoly. a village in the Carnatic (India), famous for its fine 
 
 mangoes. 
 Cardiff. A town in Glamorganshire. 
 Carlisle. The capital of Cumberland, situated at the conflux of the 
 
 rivers Eden, Petezell, and Caude. 
 Carlscrone. a seaport of Sweden, in Blekengen. 
 Carnatic. A country of the peninsula of India, extending along 
 
 the coast of Coromandel, to Cape Comorin. 
 Caroline, N. One of the United States of America, lying between 
 
 Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina. 
 Carrickfekgus. a seaport of Ireland ; it is a county of itself, and 
 
 the chief town of the county Antrim. 
 Carron. a river in the Stirlingshire (Scotland), which rises on the 
 south side of the Camprey hills, and flows into the Frith of Forth, 
 below Falkirk. 
 Carthagena. a province of Terra Firma, in the north-west part 
 
 of South America. 
 Catalonia. A province of Spain, having the Pyrennees on the 
 
 north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the south and east. 
 Castle Risings. A borough in Norfolk. 
 
 Castile. The most opulent of the kingdoms into which Spain was 
 formerly divided, before its subjugation to the Moors ; it is now di- 
 vided into two provinces, Old and New Castile. 
 Cateau. a town of France in tlie department of Nord, seated on 
 the river Seine.
 
 A GEOGaAPIIICAL VOCABULARY. 555 
 
 Celebes, or Macassar. An island in the Indian Ocean. 
 
 Ceti.ox. a large island of the East-Indies, separated from the East 
 part of Hindoostan by Pulk's Straits. 
 
 Chalons. A town of France in the department of Upper Vienne. 
 
 Chartres. a city and capital of the department of Eure and 
 Loire. 
 
 Chatham. A town of Kent, seated on the river Medway. It is one 
 of the principal stations of the royal navy : its dock-yard is sup- 
 plied with all sorts of naval stores, and it is esteemed the first 
 arsenal in the world. 
 
 Charleroy. a town of the Netherlands, seated on the Sombre. 
 
 Charlestowx, a city and seaport of South Carolina (America). 
 
 Charmouth. a village in Dorsetshire, near Lyme. 
 
 Champagne. A late province of France, south of Burgundy, con- 
 taining the present departments of Ardennes, Aube, Marne, and 
 Upper Marne. 
 
 Chatillon sur Seine. A town of France, in the department of 
 Cote d'Or. 
 
 Chesapeake Bay. One of the largest and safest bays in the United 
 States of America ; its entrance is between Cape Chartres in Mary- 
 land, and Cape Henry in Virginia. 
 
 Chester. A city, capital of Cheshire, seated on the river Dee. 
 
 Cheviot Hills. A ridge of hills which run from north to soutli 
 through Northumberland and Cumberland. 
 
 Chili. A large country of South America, washed by the Pacific 
 Ocean, 
 
 Chinon. a town in the department of Indre and Loire, seated on 
 the river Vienne. 
 
 St. Christopher or St. Kitt's. One of tlie Leeward Caribbee 
 Islands. 
 
 Cintra. a town of Portugal, in Estremadura, near the rock of 
 Lisbon. 
 
 Cirencester. A borough in Gloucestershire, seated on the river 
 Churm. 
 
 CxuDAD RoDERiGO. A Strong town of Spain ill the province of Lcon. 
 
 Clarendon. A village in Wiltshire, near Salisbury. 
 
 Closter Seven. A town of Lower Saxony, in the duchy of Bremen. 
 
 CoA. A river of Portugal, in the province of Beira. 
 
 Coimbra. Capital of the province of Beira, in Portugal. 
 
 CoNGLETON. A towu in Cheshire, on the river Dane. 
 
 CoNNAUGHT. A large province in the west of Ireland, containing 
 five counties • the capital is Galway. 
 
 CoNQUET Road. Off the coast of France, in the department of 
 Finisterre. 
 
 Constantinople. The capital of Turkey, in Europe j seated be- 
 tween the Black Sea and the Archipelago. 
 
 Copenhagen. ITie capital of Denmark, situated in the Island of 
 Zealand. 
 
 Cornwall. Tlie south-western extremity of England ; it is very 
 rich in tin and copper mines.
 
 556 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 Corsica. An island in the Mediterranean Sea, lying south of Sar- 
 dinia, from which it is separated by the Straights of Boniface. 
 
 CoRUNNA. A Spanish seaport in Gallicia, near the mouth of the 
 Groyne. 
 
 Coventry. A city in Warwickshire. 
 
 Cracow. A city and late "capital of Poland, seated on the river 
 Vistula. 
 
 Crecy. A village of France, in the department of the Somme. 
 
 Crotoy. a town of France, in the department of the Somme. 
 
 Crown Point. A town and fort of New York, in America. 
 
 CuLLODEN Heath. A plain near Inverness (Scotland). 
 
 CURA90A. An island of Terra Firma, subject to the Dutch. 
 
 Cuttack. Capital of Orissa, a province of Hindoostan ; it is a port 
 of some consequence, being on tlie only road between Bengal and 
 the Northern Circars. 
 
 Cydnus. a river of Cilicia, near Tarsus. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dantzic. a maritime city of Prussia, seated at the mouth of the 
 VLstula. 
 
 Danube. The largest river in Europe ; it rises in Suabia, and, pas- 
 sing through Austria, Hungary, and Turkey, it falls into the Black 
 Sea. 
 
 Darien. The Isthmus that unites North and South America. 
 
 Dartmouth. A borough and seaport in Devonshire, on the river 
 Dart, near its entrance into the sea. 
 
 Deal. A seaport in Kent, between the North and South Foreland. 
 
 Delaware. A river of the United States, which rises in New York, 
 and divides it from Pensylvania, whence it flows through the pro- 
 vince of Delaware into the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 Delhi. A city in Hindoostan ; capital of a province of the same 
 name, and formerly of the Patna and Mogul Empires. 
 
 Demerara. a Dutch settlement in Guiana, near Essequibo. 
 
 Denmark. A kingdom of Europe lying to the north of Ge;-- 
 many ; it includes Jutland, and the Isles of Zealand and Funen : 
 also Norway, tlie Duchy of Holstein, Iceland, and the Ferro 
 
 Islands. 
 Derby. The chief town of Derbyshire; a borough seated on the 
 
 north side of the Derwent. 
 Dettingen. a village of Germany, in the territorj- of Hanover. 
 Devizes. A borough in Wiltshire. 
 Devoitshire. One of the western counties of England ; it is ex- 
 
 tremelv rich in marble. 
 DiziER, St. a town of France, in the department of Upper Marne. 
 Dnf.iper. a large river of Russia, which falls into the Black Sea 
 
 near Cherson. ,t , , 
 
 Dominica. The most southerly of the Canbbec Leeward Islands. 
 Do>iiNGO, St., or IIispaniola. An island in the West- Indies, north 
 
 of thc> Caribbean Sea, called by the natives, Hayti. 
 Don. a hu-ge river that separates Europe from Asia.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULAttY. 
 
 537 
 
 DoNAGHAiJEE. A seaport of Ireland, in the county of Down. 
 
 Dorchester. A borough and capital of Dorsetshire, seated on the 
 Froome. 
 
 Dorsetshire. One of the southern counties of England, washed 
 by tlie English Channel. 
 
 DoRT. An opulent town of South Holland, on an island formed by 
 the Meuse. 
 
 DouRo. A river of Spain, which rises in Old Castile,- crosses Portu- 
 gal, and enters the Atlantic Ocean near Oporto. 
 
 Dover. A seaport of Kent, one of the Cinque Ports. 
 
 Downs. That part of the sea which is between the Nortli and South 
 Foreland. 
 
 Dresden. A city of Germany, capital of the Electorate of Saxony, 
 sealed on the river Elbe. 
 
 Drissa. a small town in the government of Polotsk, in Russia. 
 
 DuMBLAiNE. A town of Perthshire, in Scotland, on the Allan. 
 
 Dunkirk. A seaport of France, in the department of Nord. 
 
 DwiNA. A river of Russia that falls into tlie Bidtic Sea at Riga. 
 
 E. 
 
 Edek. a river that rises in Westmoreland, on the confines of York- 
 shire, and, passing by Appleby and Kenrith, falls into the Sol way 
 Firth at Carlisle. 
 
 Edge Hill. A village in Warwicksliire. 
 
 Eddington. a village in Wiltshire. 
 
 Edinborough. The metropolis of Scotland. 
 
 Edmondsbury, St. A town of Suffolk ; King Edmond was born, 
 murdered, and buried here ; hence the town derives its name. 
 
 Egypt. A celebrated country of Africa, having the Mediterranean 
 Sea on the north, and the Red Sea on the East. 
 
 Elba. A small island in the Mediterranean, near the coast of Tus- 
 cany. 
 
 Essequibo. a Dutch settlement in Guiana, on a river of the same 
 name. 
 
 Essex. A maritime county of England, washed by the German 
 Ocean. 
 
 Estremadura. There are two provinces so named, one in Portugal 
 and one in Spain. 
 
 Europe. The smallest, but most civilized quarter of the globe. 
 
 Eustatius, St. One of the Leev.'ard Cai'ibbee Islands. 
 
 Evesham. A borough in Worcestershire, on tlie river Avon, 
 
 Evreux. Capital of the department of Eure. 
 
 Exeter. A city and capital of Devonshii-e ; it was formerly the seat 
 of the West Saxon Kings ; it is seated on the river Ex. 
 
 F. 
 
 Falaise. a town in the department of Calvados, on the river Ante* 
 Falkenstein. a country of Germany, in the circle of Upper Rhine- 
 Falkirk. A town in Stirlingshire (Scotland). 
 Faro, Cape. On the Gulf of Cadiz, in Portugal. 
 
 BBS
 
 558 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABUI.ARY. 
 
 Ferraua. a city of Italy ; capital of a duchy of the same name, 
 lying between Mantua, Bologna, and Romagna. 
 
 Fife. A maritime county of Scotland, lying between the Frith of 
 Tay and the Frith of Forth. 
 
 Finland. A province of Sweden. 
 
 FiNisTERRE, Cape. The most westerly cape of Spain and of Eu- 
 rope : the appellation of Finisterre, or Land's End, was given to 
 it by tlie ancients, because they considered it as the boundary of the 
 earth. 
 
 Flanders. A country of the Netherlands, formerly divided into 
 Austrian, French, and Dutch Flanders. 
 
 Flint Castle. In Flintshire ; it stands on a rock, and is governed 
 by a constsble, who is also mayor of the town ; which is seated on 
 the river Dee. 
 
 Flodden. a village in Northumberland. 
 
 Florida. A country in the north part of South America; it is 
 washed by the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 Florence. A city of Italy, capital of Tuscany ; seated on the 
 Arno. 
 
 Flushing. A strong seaport of Dutch Zealand, in the Island of 
 Walcheren. 
 
 FoNTENOT. A village of the Netherlands, in Hainault. 
 
 France. A large kingdom of Europe, having the British Channel 
 on the north, the Bay of Biscay on the west, Spain and the Pyre- 
 nees on the south, and Germany on the east. 
 
 France, Isle of. A late province of France, so called from being 
 bounded by the rivers Seine, Marne, Oise, Aisne, and Ourque. 
 
 France, Isle of, or Mauritius. An island in the Indian Ocean, 
 east of Madagascar. 
 
 Friburg. a town of Suabia, capital of the Brisgaw. 
 
 Frichtel. In the circle of Upper Rhine, 
 
 FuENTES DE Onora. A towii of Spain. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gainsborough. A town in Lincolnshire, seated on the river Trent. 
 
 Galloway. A district of Scotland, now divided into East and West 
 Galloway, or Kircudbrightshire and Wigtownshire. 
 
 Ganges. A celebrated river of Asia, rising in the mountains of Thi- 
 bet, which, flowing through the provinces of Oude, Allahabad, Ba- 
 har, and Bengal, falls into the sea a little below Calcutta. 
 
 Garonne. A river of France, which rises in the Pyrenees, flows by 
 Boulogne and Bourdeaux, below which it is joined by the Dor- 
 dogne, and their united streams form the Gironde. 
 
 Gascony. a late province of France, which with Armagnac now 
 forms the department of Gcro. 
 
 Geneva. A fortified city, capital of a territory of the same name, 
 surrounded by the duchy of Savoy, of w hich it was formerly a 
 part. 
 
 Genoa. A small country of Europe, in the north-east part of Italy. 
 
 Georgia, llie most southern of the United States of America.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 55U 
 
 Germains, St. A town of France, in tlie department of Seine and 
 Oise, situated on the river Seine, and adjoining a line forest. 
 
 Germany. A large empire in the centre of Europe. 
 
 Ghknt. a city of the Netherlands, seated on the Scheldt. 
 
 Gibraltar. A town of Spjiin in Andalusia, near a mountain of the 
 same name, formerly called Calpc, which, with Mount Abyla, on 
 tlie opposite coast of Africa, were by the ancients called die pillars 
 of Hercules. The fortress of Gibraltar is built on the rock, and 
 tlie garrison are confined within very circumscribed limits. 
 
 GiRONDE. See Garonne. 
 
 GisoRs. A town in the department of Eure. 
 
 Glasgow. A city of Scotland, in Lanarkshire, celebrated for its Uni- 
 versity. 
 
 Glastonbury. An ancient town of Somersetshire. 
 
 Glencoe. a valley in Argylshire (Scotland). 
 
 Gloucester. A city and the capital of Gloucestershire, seated on 
 the east side of the river Severn. 
 
 Goodwin Sands. A large sand-bank on the coast of Kent, opposite 
 Deal ; it was formerly part of the main land. 
 
 GoREE. A small island of Africa, near Cape de Verd ; it is of great 
 importance on account of its trade. 
 
 Granada. One of the windward Caribbee Islands. 
 
 Grenadines. A duster of small islands north of Grenada. 
 
 Gravesend. a town in Kent, on the river Tliames. 
 
 Gravelines. a strong seaport of France, at the mouth of the river 
 Aa. 
 
 Greenwich. A town of Kent, near the mouth of the Thames. 
 
 Gross Groschen. A village of Thuringia. 
 
 Guadaloupe. One of the Leeward Caribbee Islands. 
 
 GuELDREs (Upper). A territory of the Netherlands, situated on both 
 sides the river Meuse. 
 
 Guiana. A country of Soutli America, lying north of Ama- 
 zonia. 
 
 GuiENNE. Formerly a province of France, now the department of 
 Gironde, and Lot et Gironde. 
 
 Guildford. A town of Connecticut, in New Haven, county North 
 America. 
 
 H. 
 
 Hampshire. A county of England, lying between Somersetshire 
 and Sussex, and washed by the English Channel. 
 
 Hampshire (New). One of the United States of America, sepa- 
 rated from Vermont by the river Connecticut. 
 
 Hampton. A village in Middlesex, on the river Thames. The palace 
 of Hampton Court was originally built by Cardinal Wolsey. 
 
 Hamilton. A town in Lanarkshire, seated on Uie river Avon, near 
 to its confluence with the Clyde. 
 
 Hanover. An electorate of Germany, in the circle of Lower Sax- 
 ony, containing the duchies of Zell, Saxe-Lunenburgh, and the 
 principalities of Verdun, Grubberhazen, and Overwald ; which are 
 
 B « -t
 
 560 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 the patrimonial dominions of cur Sovereigns of the House of Ha- 
 nover. 
 Harfleur. a town of France, in the department of Lower Seine, 
 Hastings. A seaport town of Sussex. 
 Helder. a town of the United Provinces of N. Holland, with a 
 
 strong fort, which defends the entrance of the Texel. 
 Helena (St.) An island in the Atlantic Ocean, on the western side 
 
 of Africa. 
 Hertfordshire. One of the middle counties of England. 
 Helvoetsluys. a strong seaport of South Holland, in die island of 
 
 Voorm. 
 Hexham. A town in Northumberland, on the river Tyne. , 
 Highlands. The northern part of Scotland. 
 Hillsborough. A town of N.Carolina, in America; capital of s 
 
 district of the same name. 
 HiNDoosTAN. An extensive region of Asia, comprehending all the 
 
 countries between Tartary and Tibet, on the North of the river Bur- 
 
 rampooter, and the Bay of Bengal on the east ; the Indian Ocean 
 
 on the south, and Persia on the west ; it is divided into three parts, 
 
 Hindoostan Proper, the Deccan, and the Peninsula. 
 HoDDESDON. A village in Hertfordshire. 
 HoGUE, (Cape La). On the coast of France, in the department of 
 
 Marche. 
 Hohenlinden. a town in Bavaria. 
 Holland. A country in the west of Europe, lying between th^ 
 
 rivers Rhine and Embden, and washed on the north and west by 
 
 tlie German Ocean. 
 HoLSTEiN. A duchy of Lower Saxony. 
 Homelden. a village in Northumberland. 
 Hope, (Cape of Good). The southern extremity of Africa. 
 Horncastle. a town in Lincolnshire, on the river Berne, formeriy 
 
 a Roman station. 
 Hudson's Bay. A large bay of N. America, so named because it 
 
 was discovered by Cajjt. Henry Hudson, in IGIO. 
 Hull. A seaport in Yorkshire. 
 Hungary. A kingdom of Europe, lying between Poland, Turkey, 
 
 and Germany. 
 HuY. A town of the Netherlands, in the territory of Liege, seated 
 
 on the river Maese. 
 
 Ildifenso, (St.) A village of S])ain, in New Castile. 
 
 Inverness. A borough of Scotland, and capital of the county ; it is 
 
 situated on both sides of the river Niss, near its entrance into the 
 
 Frith of Murray. 
 Tnverlochy. a village of Scotland. 
 Inverary. a borougli of Scotland, and the county-town of Argyle- 
 
 shire, situated on the north-west of Loch Fync, at the influx of the 
 
 Array. 
 Ionian Islands, or Republic of the Seven Islands, consisting of
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 561 
 
 a group of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea, namely, Corfu, 
 Paxo, St. IMaura, Tlieaki, Cephalonia, Zante, and Cerigo ; Corfu 
 is tlie seat of government. 
 
 Ireland. A considerable island, forming part of the British Em- 
 pire, and separated from Great Britain by the Irish Channel. 
 
 Irvine. A borough in Argyleshirc, on the river Irvine. 
 
 IsTRiA. A district of Italy, forming a peninsula on tJie north-east of 
 the Gulph of Venice. 
 
 Italy. A large country on the soutli of Europte. 
 
 J. 
 Jago, St. Tlie largest of the Cape de Verd Islands, which lie a few 
 
 degrees north-west of Africa. 
 Jamaica. An island of the West-Indies, discovered by Columbus in 
 
 1494. 
 Java. An island of the East- Indies, lying south of Borneo, and 
 
 separated from Sumatra by the Straits of Siinda. 
 Jedburgh. A borough-town in Scotland, capital of Roxborough- 
 
 shire. 
 Jena. A strong town of Upper Saxony, in Tliuringia. 
 Jemappe. a village of Hainault, in the Netherlands. 
 Jerusalem. A celebrated city of Palestine. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kalonga. a city of Russia, capital of a province of the same name. 
 
 Karical. a town on tlie sea-coast of the province of Tanjore, in 
 the East-Indies. 
 
 Katzbach. a river of Germany, in the duchy of Silesia. 
 
 Kehl. a strong fortress of Suabia, seated on the Rliine ; it is an 
 important pass between France and Germany. 
 
 Kendal. A town of Westmoreland, seated on the river Ken. 
 
 Ken'ilworth Castle. In Warwickshire; the remains of this mag- 
 nificent structure is said to be one of the most picturesque objects in 
 the kingdom. 
 
 Kent. A maritime county on the east part of England. 
 
 KiLLALA. A seaport of Ireland, in the county of Clare: it is a 
 bishop's see, and is seated «n the river Shannon. 
 
 KiLLicRANKY. A village in Scotland. 
 
 Kilsyth. A town of Scotland, in Stirlingshire. 
 
 Kingston-upon-Thames. A corjjorate town of Surrey. 
 
 KiNSALE, A seaport and borough of Ireland, in the county of Cork, 
 seated at the mouth of the river Bandon. 
 
 Krasnoi. a small town of Russia, near Smolensko. 
 
 L. 
 
 Lancashire. A county palatine, under the title of the DucJiy of 
 
 Lancaster. 
 Landrecy. a strong town of France, in the department of I^ Nord, 
 Languedoc. a late province of France, now the departments of 
 
 Upper Garonne, Aude, Herauld, Garde, Logere, and Ardeclie. 
 
 B B 5
 
 562 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 Lansdown. a range of hills in Somersetshire, forming the northern 
 
 boundary of Bath. 
 Laswaree. a small village in the province of Delhi. 
 Lawrence, (Gulph of St.) That part of the Atlantic which flows 
 
 between Newfoundland and the river St. Lawrence. 
 Leeward Islands. That range of the Caribbee Islands which ex- 
 tend from Dominica to Porto Rico. 
 Leicester. A borough and capital of a county of the same 
 
 name. 
 Lkinster. One of the four provinces of Ireland, comprehending 
 
 twelve counties. 
 Leipsic. a city of Upper Saxony. 
 Lewes. A borough on the river Ouse, in Sussex. 
 Lexington. A town of Massachussets, in Middlesex county (Ame- 
 rica) ; there are two other towns of this name, one in Kentucky and 
 
 one in Virginia. 
 Leige. A strong city of Germany, capital of the bishopric of that name. 
 LiGNi. A town of France, in the department of Meuse. 
 I^iMBERG. A town of the Netherlands, capital of a country of the 
 
 same name. 
 Limerick. A city of Ireland, and capital of a county of the same 
 
 name : it is generally considered as the capital of the province of 
 
 Munster, and is situated on the river Shannon. 
 Limousin. A province of France, west of Perigord and Angoumois, 
 
 now the department of Upper Vienne. 
 Lincoln. A city and capital of Lincolnshire. 
 Lincolnshire. A large county in the cast of England, separated 
 
 from Yorkshire by the Humber ; the coast is flat : and at low water 
 
 exhibits the submarine relics of a forest, which is a great natural 
 
 curiosity. 
 Lisbon. The capital of Portugal, seated on the river Tagus. 
 Lisle. A strong town in Flanders. 
 Litchfield. A city in Staffordshire, seated on both sides of a small 
 
 river, which unites with the Trent ; it is a county of itself. 
 Lithuania. Formerly an independent kingdom, governed by its 
 
 Grand Dukes, but is now incorporated with the Russian Empire. 
 
 It has Prussia on the north, and Russia on the east. 
 Liverpool. A borough and seaport of Lancashire, seated on the 
 
 river Mersey. 
 Lochlevin a lake near Kinross, in Scotland. 
 LoMBARDY. A part of Italy, comprehending all the north part of 
 
 Italy from the river Var, wliich falls into tlie Gulf of Genoa near 
 
 Nice, to the shores of the Adriatic Sea, or Gulf of Venice. 
 London. The metropolis of Great Britain, seated on the Tliames. 
 Londonderry. A city and seaport in the North of Ireland, capital 
 
 of a county of the same name : it is seated on the river Foyle. 
 LoDi. A town of Italy, in the Vaucluse. 
 Loire. The principal river of France. It rises in the mountains of 
 
 the Cevennes in Languedoc, becomes navigable at Rouen, and falls 
 
 into the Bay of Biscay at Paimbotuf.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 563 
 
 Low Countries, oa Netherlands, now called Belgium. A coun- 
 try of Europe, west of Germany, and north of France. 
 
 Louisiana. A country of N. America, lying between the river Mis- 
 sissippi and New Mexico. 
 
 LuBEC. A towni of Westphalia, in the principality of Minden. 
 
 Lucia, St. One of the Caribbee Islands. 
 
 Ludlow, A borough in Shropshire, seated on the river Tende. 
 
 LuTEEN. A town of Thuringia, in Upper Saxony, seated on the 
 Elster. 
 
 Lymington. a borough of Hampshire, tiear Soutliampton. 
 
 LrNN, OR Lynn Regis. A seaport in Norfolk. 
 
 M. 
 
 Macclesfield. A town in Cheshire, situated on the borders of a 
 forest near the river Bolin. 
 
 Madras. The second presidency in India, belonging to the East- 
 India Company ; it is situated on the east side of the peninsula, on 
 the coast of Coromandel ; and is a fortress of great strength, in- 
 cluding within it a regular and well-built city. 
 
 Madrid. The capital of Spain, in New Castile, seated on the Man- 
 zanares. 
 
 Mahrattas. a country of India, including Kandeish, Balana, and 
 part of Berar. 
 
 Maida. a town of Naples, in Calabria. 
 
 Maine. A province of France, and now divided into the depart- 
 ments of Sarthe and Mayenne. 
 
 Maidstone. A borough and county-town of Kent, seated on the 
 Med way. 
 
 Malaga. A city of Spain, in the province of Granada. 
 
 JIalo Jaristoff. a town of Russia, in the government of Kalouga. 
 
 Maloes, St. a French seaport in the department of Morbihan ; it 
 is seated on an island, which joins the mainland by a causeway. 
 
 Malta. A small island of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between 
 Sicily and Africa. 
 
 Malplaquet. a village of the Netherlands, in Hainault. 
 
 Manchester. A large manufacturing town in Lancashire, seated 
 on tlie river Irwel, and has a communication with the Mefsey. 
 
 Mans. Capital of the department of Sarthe ; situated on tlie river 
 Sartlie, near its confluence with tlie Huisne. 
 
 Marchiennes. a town of the Netherlands, in the territory of Liege, 
 seated on the river Sambre. 
 
 Marengo. A village in the Milanese. 
 
 Marignon. a town of the Milanese. 
 
 Marlow. a borough in Buckinghamshire, seated on the Thames. 
 
 Martinico. One of the Caribbee Islands. 
 
 Massachussets Bay. In North America, east of Boston. 
 
 Meath. a county of Ireland, in the province of Leinster: it is 
 one of the most populous and fertile coimties of Ireland. 
 
 Meaux. a town in the department of Seine and Marne, seated on 
 the river Marne. 
 
 B B 6
 
 564 
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 Mecklenburgh. a duchy of Germany, in the circle of Lower Saxony. 
 
 Mediterranean. The sea that lies between Europe and Africa. 
 
 Medway. a river which rises in Sussex, flows through Kent, and 
 runs by Tunbridge, Maidstone, Rochester, and Chatham ; it then 
 divides into two branches : the one to the west enters the Thames, 
 and the eastern branch, under the name of the East Sv.ale, falls into 
 Hie German Ocean below Feversham. 
 
 Melun._ a city and capital of tlie departments of Seine and Marne ; 
 it is situated on the river Seine. 
 
 Mentz. An archbishopric and electorate of Germany, in the circle of 
 Lower Rhine. 
 
 Merida. a strong town of Spain, in Estremadura. 
 
 Messina. A city and seaport of Sicily, seated on the strait that 
 separates Sicily from Calabria, in Italy. 
 
 Middlesex. One of the smallest but the richest county in England, 
 bounded by Hertfordsliire, Essex, Surry, Kent, and Bucking- 
 hamshire. 
 
 Milan, or Milanese. A duchy of Italy, lying between Switzer- 
 land, Mantua, Parma, Genoa, and Piedmont. It stan^ in a de- 
 lightful plain between the rivers Adda and Tesin. 
 
 Mile End. Part of the suburbs of London, on the eastern side. 
 
 MiLFORD. A seaport town of Pembrokeshire, in Wales. Its har- 
 bour is esteemed the safest and most commodious of Great Britain. 
 
 Minorca. An island in the Mediterranean, lying off the eastern 
 coast of Spain ; its chief towns are Cittadella and Port Mahon. 
 
 Mirabeau. a town of France, in thj department of Vienne. 
 
 Mississippi. The largest i-iver in N. America: its source is unknown. 
 Tlie tributary streams that fall into it are numerous : and it enters 
 the Gulf of Mexico at Florida. 
 
 MoDENA. A duchy of Italy, lying between Parm.a, Mantua, and 
 Tuscany. 
 
 MoJAisx. A city of Russia, in the government of Moscow. 
 
 Montereau. a town in the department of Seine and Marne, seated 
 on the Seine, at the influx of the Somme. 
 
 MoNTsERRAT. One of the Leeward Caribbee Islands. 
 
 Monte Video. A seaport of S. America, in Paj-aguay, seated on 
 the rivfe^* La Plata. 
 
 Moravia. A marquiaate of Germany, lying between Bohemia, 
 Silesia, Hungary, and Austria. 
 
 Morlaix. a town of France, in the department of Finisterre, seated 
 on a river of the same name. 
 
 Moscow. A city of Russia, capital of the government of Moscow, 
 formerly the capital of the empire 
 
 Munich. A fortified city, capital of Bavaria, and the finest town in 
 Germany. 
 
 MuNSTER. A large province of Ireland, containing six counties. 
 
 MuvsTER. A principality of Germany, in the circle of Westphalia. 
 
 aiuRviEDRO. A town of Spain, north of Valencia. 
 
 Mysore. A large province in the south of Hindoostan, surrounded 
 by the British territories, under the Madras Presidency.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABCLAUY. 565 
 
 N. 
 
 Nageua. a town of Spain, in Old Castile. 
 
 Nasiptwich. a town in Cheshire. 
 
 Nantes. A city of France, capiUil of the department of Lower 
 Loire. 
 
 Naples. A kingdom of Europe, compreliending the southern part 
 of Italy. 
 
 Narbonne. a city of France, in the department of Aude. 
 
 Naseby. a village in Northampton. 
 
 Navarre. A country of Europe, lying between France and Spain, 
 to which it jointly belongs. Upper Navarre is attached to Spain ; 
 the Lower to France ; it now forms tlie department of tlie Lower 
 Pyrenees. 
 
 Neerwinden, a village of the Netlierlands, in Brabant. 
 
 Negapatam. a seaport town in tlie province of Tanjore, or. the 
 Coromandel coast. 
 
 Netherlands (Spanish). Tlie provinces of Brabant, Namur, Lira- 
 berg, Lusemburgh, Hainault, Flanders, Artois, and Carabresis, 
 which returned under the dominion of Spain, after the insurrection 
 in tlie Low Countries, consequent upon the cruelties of the Duke of 
 Alva. 
 
 Nevis. One of the Leeward Caribbee Islands. 
 
 Neville's Cross. Near Durham. 
 
 Newark. A borough in Nottinghamsliire, seated on the Trent. 
 
 Newcastle. A borough and seaport in Northumberland, seated on 
 the Tyne. 
 
 Newberv. a town in Berkshire, seated on the river Kennet. 
 
 New Forest. In Hampshire, lying between Southampton Water 
 and the river Avon. It is 20 m'ilesin length, and 15 in breadth. 
 
 Newfoundland. An island on the coast of N. America, separated 
 from Labrador by tlie Straits of Belleisle. 
 
 New:market. a town in Suffolk, and the most celebrated in Eng- 
 land for horse-racing. 
 
 Niagara. A town and fort of New York, situated on the east side of 
 a river of the same name, near Lake Ontaiio. 
 
 Nice. A province on tlie borders of lUily, separated from France by 
 the river Var, and tlie maritime Alps. 
 
 Niemen. Ariverof Russia, that falls into the Baltic Sea near Tilsit. 
 
 NiMEGUEN. A city of Holland, capital of Guelderland. 
 
 NivELLA. A town of the Netherlands, in Brabant. 
 
 Norfolk. In America, a seaport of Virginia, and capital of a county 
 of the same name ; it stands on tlie east side of the river Massa- 
 cliusets. 
 
 Norfolk. A maritim.e county of England. 
 
 NoRE. The mouth of the Thames, where it falls into the sea. 
 
 Normandy. Formerly a province of France, remarkable for its fer- 
 tility : it is now divided into the deparUiients of Calvador, Eure, 
 Manche, Orne, and Lower Seine. 
 
 NoaxHALLERTON. A town in tlie North PJding of Yorkshire.
 
 566 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 NoRTHAMPToy. A borough, and capital of the county, seated on the 
 
 Nore. 
 Northumberland. The most northern county of England. 
 Norway. A kingdom on the N. W. of Europe, celebrated for its 
 
 extensive forests of oak and pine. 
 Norwich. A city and capital of Norfolk, seated on the rivef Yare. 
 Nottingham. A borough and capital of the county, seated on the 
 
 Trent, celebrated for its stocking manufacture. 
 Nova Scotia. A province of North America, belonging to Great 
 
 Britain. It is a peninsula, lying south-east of New Brunswick, to 
 
 which it is joined by a narrow isthmus. 
 
 O. 
 
 Oliven^a. a town and fortress of Portugal. 
 
 Omer (St.) a fortified town of France, in the department of Pas 
 de Calais. 
 
 Oporto. A city and seaport of Portugal, in Entre Douro e 
 Minho. 
 
 Orient, or Port L' Orient. A seaport of France, in the depart- 
 ment of Morbihan. 
 
 Orleans. A city of France, in the department of Loiret, seated on 
 the river Loire. 
 
 Orleans (New). A city of America, the capital of Louisiana, 
 seated on the river Mississippi. 
 
 Orkney Islands. A cluster of islands to the north of Scotland, 
 from which they are separated by the Pentland Firth. 
 
 Orscha. a city of Russia, in the government of INIoghilov. 
 
 OsTEND, A fortified city of the Netherlands, nearly surrounded by 
 two large canals, into which ships of great burthen may enter with 
 the tide. 
 
 OsTROwNA. A small town in Russia. 
 
 OuDENARu. A town of the Netherlands in Flanders, seated on both 
 sides of the Scheldt. 
 
 Oxford. A city and university, in the county of the same name. 
 
 OzNA BURGH. A fortification of Westphalia, capital of tlie principa- 
 lity of the same name. 
 
 P. 
 
 Paita. A seaport of Peru, in South America. 
 
 Palentia. a town of Spain, in Leon. 
 
 Palestine, or Holy Land. A country of Asia, having Syria on 
 
 the north, the mountains of Scire on the east, Arabia Petria on the 
 
 soutlj, and tiie Mediterranean Sea on the west. 
 I'ampei.una. A city of Spain, capital of Upper Navarre : it is 
 
 seated on the river iVrga. 
 Parma. A duchy of Italy, including the duchies of Parma Proper, 
 
 I*iacenza, and Guastella. 
 Paris. Tiie metropolis of France, seated on the Seine. 
 Penrith. A town of Cumberland, near the river Eamont. 
 Pentland Hills. A range of hills in Caithness shire, Scotland.
 
 A CEOGIIAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 567 
 
 Pensacola. a city of West Florida, seated on a bay of the Gulf of 
 Mexico. 
 
 Pensylvania. One of the United States of North America. 
 
 Perigord. In France, now the department of Dordogne. 
 
 Perth. A borough of Scotland, capital of Perthsliire. 
 
 Peru. A large country of South America, having the Andes on tlie 
 east, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. 
 
 PicARDY. Formerly a province of France, west of Normandy, now 
 tlie department of the Somme. 
 
 PiVKEY. In Scotland, near Edinburgh. 
 
 Philadelphia. The capital of Pensylvania, and formerly the me- 
 tropolis of the United States of America. It is seated on the river 
 Delaware. 
 
 Pi.ACENTiA. See Parma. 
 
 Plattsburg. a town of New York, chief of Clinton county, seated 
 on Lake Champlain. 
 
 Plymouth. A borough and seaport in Devonshire, seated on the 
 river Plym. Next to Portsmouth, it is the most considerable har- 
 bour in England for ships of war. 
 
 PoicTiERs. Capital of the department of Vienne, in France. 
 
 I'oiTou. A province of France, north of Angoumois, now the de- 
 partment of La Vendee. 
 
 Poland. A large country of Europe, lying between Russia, Prussia, 
 and Germany. 
 
 PojiFRET, OR PoNTEFRACT. A borough in the West Riding of 
 Yorkshire. 
 
 Pondicherry. a city on the sea-coast of the Carnatic, once tlie 
 most splendid European settlement in India, but now greatly re- 
 duced. 
 
 PoNToisE. A town in the department of Seine and Oise. 
 
 Porto Bkllo. A seaport of Terra Firma, on the north coast of 
 the isthmus of Darien. 
 
 PoRTSJiouTH. A seaport in Hampshire ; it is the principal haven 
 for ships of war, and the most strongly fortified town in 
 England. 
 
 Portugal. The most western country of Europe, bounded on the 
 west and south by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the east by Spain. 
 
 Potosi. a town of Peru, in South America. Near the town are the 
 richest silver mines in the world. 
 
 Prague. A fortified city and capital of Bohemia, seated on the 
 river Muldau. 
 
 Preston. A borough in Lancashire, seated on the river Ribble. 
 
 Preston Pans. A town of Scotland, in Hadingtonshire. 
 
 Providence Isle. One of the least of the Bahama Isles. 
 
 Prussia. A country of Europe, having the Baltic Sea on tiie north, 
 Poland on the south, ajpjd Germany on the west. ^ 
 
 Putney. A village in Surrey, seated on the Thames. 
 
 Pyrenees. A chain of mountains which divide France from Spain ; 
 they extend from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and yield great 
 quantities of timber, pitch, and tar.
 
 568 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 Q. 
 
 Quebec. In America, tlie capital of Lower Canada, situated on the 
 
 north-west shore of the river St. Lawrence. 
 QuEENSTOWN, In Upper Canada. 
 QuERCi. In France, now the department of Lot. 
 QuiBERON Bay. In the department of Morhihan, north of Belleisle. 
 QuiNTiN (St.) a town of France, in the department of Cotes du 
 
 Nord. 
 
 R. 
 
 Radstadt. a town of Bavaria, in the duchy of Salzburgh, near the 
 source of the river Ens. 
 
 Ragusa. a city and seaport of Dalmatia, on the western coast of 
 Turkey in Europe. 
 
 Ramilies. a town of the Netherlands, in Brabant, 
 
 Ravenspur. a town in Yorkshire. 
 
 Reading. A borough and the capital of Berkshire, seated on the 
 Kennet, near its confluence with the Thames. 
 
 Reggio. A fortified city of Italy ; capital of a duchy of the same 
 name. 
 
 Rhe (Isle of). An island on tlie west coast of France, in the de- 
 partment of Lower Charente. 
 
 Rheijis. A city in tlie department of Maine, seated on the river 
 Vesse. 
 
 Rhine. A large river of Europe, which rises in Switzerland, and 
 passes through the Lake Constance ; it forms the boundary between 
 Svv'itzerland and Suabia, and also between Fi-ance and Germany. 
 In its progress it divides into many branches ; and is at last lost 
 among the mountains of sand, near tlie village of Catburjck, in 
 Holland, 
 
 Rhode Island. A small island of North America, celebrated for its 
 fertility. 
 
 Rhyswick. a town of Soutli Holland, lying between the Hague 
 and Delft. 
 
 Richmond. A village in Surrey, anciently called Sheene. It re- 
 ceived the appellation of Richmond from Henry the Seventh, in 
 allusion to his own title of Richmond, previous to his accession, 
 
 RivpoN. A town in Yorkshire, seated on tlie river Ure. 
 
 RivoLi. A town of Piedmont, in Italy. 
 
 RocHFORD. A town in Essex. 
 
 Rome. A city of Italy, in Campagna di Roma ; it is the tlie capital 
 of the Ecclesiastical State, and is seated on the river Tiber. 
 
 RosETTA. A town of Egypt, situated on an island formed by the 
 west branch of die Nile. 
 
 Rouen. Formerly the capital of Norman(Jfc now of the department 
 of the Lower Seine. 
 
 RovERGUE. Now tlie department of Aveiron. 
 
 RoxBOROUGH, OR TivioTDAL. A county of Scotland, lying north of 
 Northumberland and Cumberland.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 569 
 
 Rue. a town of France, in the department of Somme. 
 RuNYMEDE. A village on the borders of Middlesex. 
 Russia. An immense empire, comprehending all the eastern part of 
 Europe, and the greater part of tlie north of Asia. 
 
 S. 
 Saale. A branch of the river Elbe. 
 Saintonge. a province south of Poitou ; it now forms, with tlie 
 
 late province of Aumis, the department of Lov\er Cliarente. 
 Salamanca. A city of Spain, in Leon, on the river Tormes. 
 Saldanha Bay. On the soutli-west coast of Africa, between Table- 
 bay and St. Helen's-bay. 
 Sambre. a river of the Netherlands, which rises in Hcardy, and 
 
 joins the Maese at Namur. 
 Santanda. a town of Spain, in Old Castile. 
 Saragossa. a city of Spain, in Arragon. 
 Sardinia. An island of the ^Mediterranean, west of Italy ; it has 
 
 forty-four small islands belonging to it. 
 Savannah. A town of the State of Georgia, in America; chief of 
 
 Chatham county, formerly capital of the State, 
 Savoy. A duchy of Italy, between France and Spain. 
 Saxony. A large district of Germany, divided into Upper and Lower 
 
 Saxony, each constituting a circle of the Empire. 
 Scarborough. A seaport and borough in the North Riding of 
 
 Yorkshire, famous for its mineral waters. 
 Scone. A village in Scotland, on the river Tay, a little to the north 
 
 of Perth. 
 Scotland. Tliat part of Great Britain which lies north of the Tweed ; 
 
 it was formerly an independent kingdom. 
 Sebastian, (St.). A seaport of Spain, in Biscay. 
 Segovia. A city of Spain, in Old Castile. 
 Seine. A river of France, wliich rises in tlie department of Cote 
 
 d'Or ; it flows by Troyes, Mclun, Paris, and Rouen, and falls into 
 
 the English Cliannol at Havre de Grace. 
 Sens. A town in the department of Yonne, standing at the coaflux 
 
 of the rivers Varnie and Yonne. 
 Serisgapatam. a city in the province of IMysore, of which it is 
 
 the capital ; it is seated on tlie upper end of an island formed by 
 
 the river Cavery. 
 Seven Oaks. A town in Kent. 
 
 Seville. A city of Spain, seated on the Guadalquivir. 
 Sheerness. a town in Kent, on the north point of the Isle of 
 
 Slieppev, at tlie mouth of tlie Medway. 
 Sheppey (Isle of). An island in Kent, at the mouth of the Thames, 
 
 separated from tlie main land by a branch of die Medway, caUed 
 
 the East Swale. 
 Sherborne. A town in Yorkshire, seated on the river Wark. 
 Shrewsbury, llie capital of Shropshire, situated on a peninsula 
 
 formed l)v the Severn. 
 Sicily. An island of tlie Mediterranean, lying south-west of
 
 570 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 Naples, from which it is separated by a narrow strait, called the 
 
 Faro. 
 Smithfield. Foi-merly called Smethefield, or Sraoothfield, a large 
 
 open space in the vicinity of London, where the tournaments used 
 
 to be held. It is now the cattle-market. 
 Smolensko. a city of Russia, seated on the Dnieper. 
 SoissoNs. A city of France, in the department of Aisne. 
 SoLWAY. In Scotland, on the borders of Cumberland, near the river 
 
 Ark. 
 SoLWAT Firth. An arm of the sea, between Cumberland, Dum- 
 friesshire, and Kirkcudbright. 
 SoiiKRSETSHiRE. A county of England, north-east of Devonshire. 
 SoMME. A river of France, which rises in the department of Aisne, 
 
 flows by St. Quintin, Peronne, Amiens, Abbeville, and St. Vallery, 
 
 into the English Channel. 
 Southampton. A borough and county town of Hampshire; it is 
 
 also a county of itself, and stands between the rivers Itchen and 
 
 Zest, which flow into an inlet of the sea, called Southampton Water. 
 South Sea. 'ITiat part of the ocean which surrounds the South Pole. 
 SouTHwoLD. A seaport in Suffolk, which stands on a cliff, near a 
 
 fine bay. 
 Spain. A kingdom on the south-west of Europe, separated from 
 
 France by the Pyrenean mountains. 
 Spey. a large and rapid liver of Scotland, which rises in Inverness- 
 shire, and flowing between Murrayshire and Bamfshire, enters the 
 
 British Ocean at Yarmouth. 
 Staines. A town in Middlesex. 
 
 Stamford. A borough in Lincolnshire, seated on the Welland. 
 Stirling. A borough of Scotland, seated on the river Forth. 
 Stralsund. A strong seaport of Swedish Pomerania. 
 Stratton. a town in Cornwall. 
 SuFEOLK. A county of England, south of Norfolk. 
 Supjnam. A county of Guiana, in South America. 
 Surrey. One of the southern counties of England. 
 Sussex. A maritime county of England. 
 Sweden. A large country in the north of Europe, lying between 
 
 Norway and Russia. 
 Switzerland. A country of Europe, lying between Germany, Italy, 
 
 and France ; it is divided into twelve cantons. 
 
 T. 
 
 Tadcaster. a town in Yorkshire. 
 
 Talaveka. a town of Spain, in New Castile. 
 
 Tarragona. A seaport town in Catalonia. 
 
 Tau"nton. a borough in Somersetshire, seated in an extensive and 
 
 fertile valley on the river Tone. 
 Tewkesbury. A borough in Gloucestershire, seated on the Avon, 
 
 near its confluence with the Severn. 
 Thanet (Isle of). A part of Kent, separated from the main land 
 
 by two branches of the river Stour.
 
 A GEOGBAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 571 
 
 TifonDERAGo. A Strong fort of New York, on the narrow passage 
 between the lakes Charaplain and George ; it possessed every ad- 
 vantage that nature and art could bestow, but it is now a heap of 
 ruins. 
 
 Tilbury. A fort in Essex, situated on the Thames, opposite to 
 Gravesend. 
 
 TiLsrr. A city of Russia, on the river Nicmen. 
 
 Tobago. The most southerly of the West-India Islands. 
 
 ToRBAY. A bay on the coast of Devonshire, fonned by the Capes of 
 Berry-head and Bobnose. 
 
 ToRDEsiLLAs. A fortlfied town of Leon, in Spain, seated on the 
 river Douro. 
 
 Torres Vedras. A town of Portugal, in Estremadura. 
 
 Toulon. A city and seaport in the south of France, and capital of 
 the department of Var ; it is seated on a bay of the JMediterranean. 
 
 Toulouse. A city of France, capital of the department of Upper 
 Garonne. 
 
 TouRAiNE. A province of France, west of Anjou, now the depart- 
 ment of Indre and Loire. 
 
 TouRNAT. A city of Flanders, in the Netherlands, seated on tlie 
 Scheldt. 
 
 TouTON. A village in Yorkshire, near Tadcaster. 
 
 Trafalgar. A promontorj' of Spain, in Andalusia, at the entrance 
 of the Straits of Gibraltar. 
 
 Travancore. A province at the soutli-west extremity of Hin- 
 doostan. 
 
 Trincomalee. A town, fortress, and excellent harbour, in the island 
 of Ceylon. 
 
 Trinidad. An island on the north-east coast of Terra Firma. 
 
 Tripoli. A country of Barbary (Africa). 
 
 Troyes. a city of France, capital of the department of Aube, seated 
 on the river Seine. 
 
 Tudela. a town of Spain, in Navarre. 
 
 Tuscany. A grand duchy of Italy, of which Rorence is the 
 
 capital. 
 TuTbURY. A village in Staffordshire, near the river Dove. 
 Tweed. A river of Scotland, which rises in Peebleshire, and forms 
 the boundary between Berwick and England; it falls into the 
 German Ocean at Berwick. 
 Tyrol. A principality of Germany, in the circle of Austria. 
 
 U. 
 
 Ulm. a free imperial city of Germany, in Suabia. 
 Ulster. A province of Ireland, containing nine counties. 
 Utrecht. A fortified city of the United Provinces, seated on the 
 river Lek, which joins the Rhine. 
 
 V. 
 
 Valenciennes. A strong city of France, in tlie department of Nord, 
 seated on the Scheldt.
 
 573 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 
 
 Valentia. a city of Spain, capital of a province of tlie same name. 
 
 Vallery (St.). a town of France, at the mouth of the Somme. 
 
 Vaucouleurs. a town in the department of Meuse, on the river of 
 the same name. 
 
 Venaisson. a small but fertile country of France, included in the 
 department of Vaucluse. 
 
 Venice. A country of Italy, washed by the Adriatic Sea, or Gulf 
 of Venice. 
 
 Verd (Cape). A promontory on the west coast of Africa. 
 
 ViASMA. A city of Russia, in the government of Smolensk. 
 
 Vienna. Capital of the Austrian dominions, seated en the Danube. 
 
 Vigo. A seaport of Spain, in Galicia, seated on a bay of the At- 
 lantic. 
 
 Vimeira. a village m Portugal, near Lisbon. 
 
 Vincent (St.) One of the Caribbee Islands. 
 
 Vincent (Cape St.) The most southern promontory of Portugal. 
 
 Virginia. One of the United Provinces of America, lying between 
 the river Ohio and the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 ViTTORiA. A town of Spain, capital of the province of Alaba, in 
 Biscay. 
 
 W. 
 
 Wakefield. A town in the West Riding of Yorkshire, seated on 
 
 the Calder. 
 Walcheron. a Dutch Island, in the province of Zealand. 
 Wales. A principality in the west of England : once an independent 
 
 kingdom, but now an integral part of the British dominions. 
 Wallingford Castle. In Berkshire j no vestige of this castle now 
 
 remains. 
 Wandewash. a town of the Carnatic, in Hindoostan. 
 Warwickshire. One of the middle counties of England. 
 Washington. A city of America, and the metropolis of the United 
 
 States, in the temtory of Columbia : it is seated on the river Po- 
 
 tomask. 
 Waterford. a city and seaport of Ireland. 
 
 Waterloo. A village of the Netherlands, nine miles from Brussels. 
 Wavre. a town of die Netherlands, in I3rabant, situate on the Dyle. 
 Wellington. A town of Somersetshire, seated on the river Tone. 
 Were. A river that rises in Durham, and falls into the German 
 
 Ocean at Sunderland, 
 Western Isles. A cluster of islands on the west of Scotland, the 
 
 chief of which is Lewis. 
 Westminster. A city in Middlesex, which with London and South- 
 
 wark forms the metropolis of tlie British Empire. 
 Westphalia. One of tlie circles of Germany. 
 Wexford. A seaport town of the county of Wexford, in Ireland. 
 Weymouth. A seaport and borough of Dorsetshire, seated on a bay 
 
 of tlie same name. 
 Wight (Isle or). An island off Hampshire, to which county it be- 
 longs ; it is remarkable for its beauty and fertility.
 
 A GEOGRAPHICAL VOCABULARY. 573 
 
 Winchester. A city in Hampshire, seated on the river Itchen. 
 
 M^iNnsoR. A borough in IJerksliire : its magnificent castle was 
 originally built by William the Conqueror : it was rebuilt by. Ed- 
 ward the Tliird ; and from tliat time it has been a favourite residence 
 of the English Monarchs. 
 
 WiRTEMBuRG. Formerly a sovereign duchy of Germany, in the circle 
 of Suabia, but erected into a kingdom by Buonaparte. 
 
 WiTEPSK. A city of Russia, in the government of Polotsk. 
 
 ■Woodstock. A liorough in Oxfordshire. The poet Chaucer was born 
 and died there. 
 
 Worcester. A city and capital of the county, seated on the Severn. 
 
 Workington. A seaport of Cumberland, at the mouth of the Der- 
 went. 
 
 Worms. A city of France, in the Department of Mont Tonnerre, 
 seated on the Rhine. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Y'ORKsHiRr. The largest county of England ; it is divided into three 
 parts, called the East, West, and Nortli Ridings. 
 
 York. The capital of Yorkshire, and an archbishop's see ; it is also 
 a county of itself. The Mayor has the prefix of Lord, which was 
 given by Richard II. York stands on tlie river Ouse, which, 
 though 60 miles distant from the sea, is navigable to the city. 
 
 York (New). One of the United States of America, lying south 
 of Canada. 
 
 Z. 
 
 Zeli.. a town of Lower Saxony, and capital of a duchy of the 
 
 same name. 
 ZuRZACH. A town of Switzerland, in the country of Baden, situated 
 
 on the Rhine. 
 
 FINIS.
 
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