Skip to main content

Full text of "A history of England; in which the most remarkable events are illustrated by numerous symbolical engravings"

See other formats 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


■ 


'mm 


^ 


^;:;i*i;;; 


;:v|:!^:ii';^i*'i;!: 


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 

A  2  

V 


/ 


/. 


o^ 


.c^joirorx 


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 


l\ 


w 


% 


S\ 


§ 


y 


115  9     I 


/ 


ll^TJ 


1155    1 


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. 


Page  139.] 


PliATE  XV. 


h 


13 


88  i 


i 


\ 


"f^' 


15.9  8  I 


\ 


15.99  r 


/ 


$ 


/ 


1599  I 


m  ©■ 


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. 


—           — t 

6'.^ 

14i29   1 


l^ijOT 


V 


^ 


^^^^ 


</- 


1-150  I 


1-1611 


114  5Q  I 


@ 


^ 


%j/ 


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] 


PLATE  XIX. 


^S.May  145^ 


asfSejiri-iaa 


3   10?Julyl^6O 


^ITDecr  1160 


1461 


1^6X 


.^*S 


,-il^ 


Jih 


^^ 


^  i 


Page  189.]  PLATE    XIX.     (continued.) 


2  9*Mai-cJi  1461 


^6!'JalylJi68 


,th 


15;M^v7-  14i64 


X4r:ApriL14'ifl 


^ 


14i^± 


^^"Aix^f  1-185 


UJ^^    t^ysS?  ^-^^ 


«t 


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. 


Pa^c  21o.] 


14.86    f 


1485 


0 


WJ 


1488    I 


© 


119^ 


14 


%"kA 


1501  I    I 1505| 


1509 


\AMEMCA,?D 


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. 

— 0 — 
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 

0  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 

0  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 

0  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 


TI65!T 


1G50  \ 


^^- 


Jmnatcir 


.:$, 


'A* 


ie«oT 


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 


^ 


-7' 


y 


1688  i 


1688  I 


No/5^^ 


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. 


LONDON: 

PRINTED    BV    COX    AND    BAYI.IS, 
eRZAT    tJUEEK-STREET,     L1NCOLn"s-INN    FIELDS. 


WORKS 

PUBLISHED 

BY  G.  &  W.  B.  WHITTAKER,  AVE-MARIA  LANE. 

EPITOME  OF  ENGLISH  HISTORY;  or,  British  Chiio- 
NOLOGv:  being  a  Catalogue  of  Monarchs,  from  the  Invasion  of 
Julius  Cajsar  to  the  Conquest  of  William  Duke  of  Normandy.  To 
which  are  added,  Chronological  Tables,  from  the  Conquest  to  the  pre- 
sent Reign.  Fifth  Edition,  with  Alterations  and  Additions.  By  the 
Rev.  Geo.  Whittaker,  A.M.      Price  2s.  bound. 

LETTERS  ON  ANCIENT  HISTORY,  exhibiting  a  sum- 
maiy  View  of  the  Histoiy,  Geography,  Manners,  and  Customs  of  the 
Assyrian,  Babylonian,  Median,  Persian,  Egyptian,  Israelitish,  and 
Grecian  Nations.  By  Anne  Wilson.  Third  Edition,  12mo.  price 
5s.  bound. 

A  SKETCH  OF  MODERN  HISTORY,  from  the  De- 
struction of  tlie  Western  Empire,  A.  D.  476,  to  the  close  of  the  year 
1818.  Together  with  a  concise  View  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the 
Arts  and  Sciences,  and  of  Cultivation,  in  Europe.  To  which  is  added, 
a  compendious  Table  of  Chronology,  from  the  Creation  of  the  World 
to  the  present  time.  By  A.  Picquot,  Author  of  '  Elements  of  Uni- 
versal Geography,'  &c.   &c.   12mo.  price  6^-.  boards. 

CONVERSATIONS  ON  GENERAL  HISTORY,  exhibit- 
ing a  Progressive  View  of  the  State  of  Mankind,  from  the  earliest 
ages  of  which  we  have  any  authentic  records,  to  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1819.  For  the  use  of  Schools  and  private  Instruction.  By 
Alexander  Jajiieson,  Author  and  Editor  of  many  popular  School 
Books.   12mo.  price  6s.  boards. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  FRANCE,  from  the  earliest  Periods  to 
the  Second  Return  of  Louis  XVIII  ;  with  Chronological  and 
Genealogical  Tables,  and  a  List  of  contemporary  Princes  at  the  end 
of  each  King's  Reign  ;  also  the  Political  Arrangements  of  Europe,  as 
settled  at  the  Treaty  of  Paris  ;  with  Notes.  By  Mrs.  Jajheson,  (late 
Miss  Thurtle).  Third  Edition,  corrected  and  enlarged,  12mo.  price 
65.  boards. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  SPAIN,  from  the  earliest  Ages  of 
which  we  have  any  authentic  Records  to  the  Return  of  Ferdinand  VII. 
in  1814  ;  accompanied  with  the  Chronological  and  Genealogical  Ta- 
bles of  the  Visigoth  and  Spanish  Princes  and  Caliphs,  and  a  list  of 
the  contemporary  Sovereigns  at  the  end  of  each  Reign  ;  also,  the  Poli- 
tical Arrangements  of  Europe,  as  settled  at  the  Treaty  of  Paris  ; 
with  Notes.  By  airs.  Jaiiieson,  Author  of  a  '  History  of  France,' 
&c.    12mo.  price  85.  6d.  boards. 

AN  ABRIDGMENT  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  IRE- 
LAND, from  the  earliest  Accounts  to  the  present  Time;  on  the 
plan  of  Dr.  Goldsmith's  History  of  England ;  for  the  use  of  Schools 
and  private  Education  ;  with  Exercises  at  the  end  of  each  chapter ; 
and  Recapitulations  at  the  end  of  each  Book,  and  a  Chronological  Ta- 
ble.    Second  Edition,  price  5s.  bound. 


Works  ptthlished  by  G.  and  W.  B.  Whittalccr,  Ave-Maria  Lane. 

THE  ELEMENTS  OF  MODERN  GEOGRAPHY,  AND 
GENERAL  HISTORY;  containing  an  accurate  and  interesting 
Description  of  all  the  Countries,  States,  &c.  in  the  known  World,  as 
determined  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna  and  Aix-la-Chapelle,  with  the 
Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Inhabitants.  To  which  are  added, 
Historical  Notices,  and  Questions  for  Examination.  The  whole  illus- 
trated by  numerous  Maps  and  Engravings.  By  G.  Roberts.  Price 
6s.  6d.  bound. 

EXERCISES  on  Ditto,  l,s. ;  or,  with  ruled  paper,  2s.  6d. 

A  NEW  AND  EASY  INTRODUCTION  TO  GEOGRA- 
PHY  AND  THE  USE  OF  THE  GLOBES,  in  a  Series  of 
Letters  to  a  Youth  at  School.  By  the  Rev.  R.  Turner,  Jun.  LL.D. 
late  of  Magdalen  Hall,  Oxford.  Fifteenth  Edition,  18mo.  price  3s.  6d. 
bound. 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY;  selected  by  a  Lady  for  the 
use  of  her  own  Children.  Twelfth  Edition,  enlarged  and  illustrated 
with  Maps.      12mo.  price  4s.  6d.  bound. 

"  In  this  new  edition,  the  geographical  part  has  been  carefully  cor- 
rected to  the  present  time,  including  all  the  late  Continental  Arrange- 
ments ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  variety  of  bocks  on  these  subjects, 
there  are  none  which  contain  more  useful  information,  or  convey  in  a 
more  concise  manner  the  leading  feaf.ires  of  Geography  and  History." 

A  COMPANION  TO  THE  GLOBES;  comprising  the  va- 
rious Problems  that  may  be  performed  by  the  Globes,  preceded  by  the 
subjects  to  which  they  refer  ;  and  accompanied  by  more  than  One 
Thousand  Examples,  and  recapitulatory  Exercises,  &c.  Scc.  To  which 
is  added,  a  concise  Astronomical  Introduction ;  and  an  Appendix, 
containing  the  Derivations  of  the  Names  of  the  Constellations,  &c. 
Designed  for  the  use  of  Schools  and  private  Families.  By  T.  Lin- 
NiNGTON.    Second  Edition,  price  4s.  6d.  bound. 

A  KEY  to  the  above,  price  2s.  stitched. 

ELEMENTS  OF  ASTRONOMY;  containing  an  accurate 
and  compendious  Description  of  the  general  Pha^nomena  of  the  Hea- 
vens, of  the  Heavenly  Bodies,  &c.  To  which  is  prefixed,  an  Historical 
Sketch  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  Astronomy,  from  the  earliest 
Period  to  the  present  Day.  By  A.  Picquot,  Author  of  "  Elements 
of  Universal  Geography,  Sketch  of  Modern  History,"  &c.  12mo. 
price  7s.  6d.  bound. 

THE  IMPERIAL  SCHOOL  ATLAS;  containing  distinct 
Maps  of  the  Empires,  Kingdoms,  and  States  of  the  World  ;  with  the 
Boundaries  of  Europe,  as  settled  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris  and  Congress 
of  Vienna.  To  which  are  added,  the  most  useful  Maps  of  Ancient 
Geography,  &c.  Sec.  By  Ja jies  Millar,  M.  D  ,  Editor  of  the 
"  Encyclopaedia  Edinensis,"  the  last  edition  of  the  "  Encyclopaedia 
Britannica,"  Lecturer  on  Natural  History',  &c.  &c.  Engraved  from 
original  Drawings,  made  expressly  for  tlie  Work,  by  W.  and  D.  Lizars, 
Edinburgh.     Royal  4to.  elegantly  coloured,  price  £l.  5s.  half-bound. 


TJ^FAPY 


THE  UBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA 


*   ^-vr^       A  ^*.<-i  W^T   TX-« 


Ui 


lUNAL  LIBHAMT  rALlLII  T 


AA    000  671  924    9 


DA32 
R87h 
1329