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THE ROYAL COAT-OF-ARMS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 
 
 THE ROYAL STANDARD 
 of Great Britain. 
 
 ^r^ 
 
 !^^ 
 
 The old English 
 MAN-OF-WAR FLAG. 
 
 MERCHANT FLAG. 
 
ENGLISH HISTORY 
 
 IN 
 
 SHORT STORIES. 
 
 oJ*iO 
 
 BOSTON: 
 LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. 
 
 1876. 
 
.pi 
 
 Copyrighted, 1876. 
 
 THE LIBRARY I 
 OFCOKGRESS 
 
 WASHINGTOHJ 
 
 x) 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This little book is not designed to be a History 
 of England. It is, first, a compendium of facts 
 about England, its history, government, and an- 
 tiquities, — facts which all English-speaking people 
 ought to know, and which are not readily acces- 
 sible to those Americans who do not have good 
 libraries at hand. It contains, secondly, a series 
 of sketches of each of the English monarchs ; not 
 histories of their reigns or complete biographies, 
 but estimates of the historical importance of each. 
 The English kings previous to the Hanoverians 
 are the central figures of English history. The 
 dates and other facts here given have been collated 
 with the greatest care. The intelligent reader 
 need not be informed that Freeman, J. R. Green, 
 Pearson, and others are entirely reconstructing 
 English history, and fresh estimates of men and 
 events are resulting. 
 
iv PEEFACE. 
 
 Our sketch of the British goyernment and its 
 principal officers is of course a popular one, but it 
 contains information which to the great body of 
 our people is not readily accessible. Most of the 
 points we have noticed in this department are of 
 essential importance to a good understanding of 
 English history ; others are introduced merely as 
 illustrations of the spirit of established English 
 customs. 
 
 As an Appendix to our work, we present brief 
 descriptive sketches of the counties of Great Britain 
 and Ireland, the names of which recur continually 
 in history. Much of the information we there give 
 can be found in any good gazetteer ; but thousands 
 of readers have no access to gazetteers, and of 
 American school geographies we know of none 
 which gives any thing but the most meagre out- 
 line of British geography. 
 
 Keith Johnston's Half-crown Atlas of British 
 History gives the divisions of England, Ireland, 
 Scotland, Wales, and France under the different 
 dynasties. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 The Royal Coat-of-Arms of Great Britain and 
 
 Ireland 3 
 
 The Britons 8 
 
 The E.OMANS in Britain 11 
 
 Lines of Descent from Egbert, and from Wil- 
 liam THE Conqueror, to Victoria .... 35 
 
 The Anglo-Saxon Kings 37 
 
 Four Danish Kings 55 
 
 Saxon Line Restored 60 
 
 Norman Line 64 
 
 Plantagenets 73 
 
 House of Lancaster, or Red Rose 89 
 
 House of York, or White Rose 95 
 
 House of Tudor 99 
 
 House of Brunswick, Hanover, or Guelph . . 125 
 
 The Sovereigns ^of England 135 
 
 The Royal Family 136 
 
 England ; 
 
 Counties 141 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 Wales : 
 
 Counties 152 
 
 Scotland : 
 
 Counties 158 
 
 Ireland : 
 
 Provinces 168 
 
 Counties 170 
 
 The Channel Islands 176 
 
 The Isle of Man 176 
 
 Index 177 
 
(See Frontispiece.) 
 
 THE EOYAL COAT-OF-ARMS OF GREAT 
 BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 
 
 The first and fourth quarters of the shield, gules 
 (in red), have three lions passant gardant (walk- 
 ing, looking full-faced), in pale (one above the 
 other) ; the second quarter, containing the arms of 
 Scotland, has, OR (yellow), a lion rampakt (erect, 
 standing on one of his hind legs), within a double 
 
 TRESSURE, FLORY, COUNTERFLORY (double trellis 
 
 with flowers opposite to each other), gules (red) ; 
 the third quarter has, azure (blue), an Irish harp, 
 OR (yellow), stringed, ARGENT (white) ; all within 
 the garter, azure (blue), the chief ensign of that 
 most noble Order. Upon the garter is inscribed 
 the motto of that Order, — '' Honi soit qui mal 
 
4 THE ROYAL COAT-OF-ARMS. 
 
 y pense : " Evil to him who evil thinks^ — while 
 above it is a helmet mantled, and bearing for a 
 crest a rich wreath of cloth, double ermined (a 
 white field dotted with black spots), adorned with 
 an imperial crown, surmounted with a lion PAS- 
 SAKT GARDANT (walking, looking full-faced). 
 For supporters, the whole has on the right side 
 a lion RAMPANT GARDANT (erect, standing on one 
 of his hind legs, looking full-faced), OR (yel- 
 low), crowned; on the left side a unicorn, ar- 
 gent (white), CRINED (bearded), and UNGULED 
 (hoofed) ; GORGED (encircled) wdth a collar of 
 CROSSES-PATTEE (crosscs that are small in the 
 middle and widen at, the ends), and fleurs-de-lts 
 (lilies), and a chain thereto affixed, passing be- 
 tween his forelegs and reflexed over his back, all 
 OR (yellow) ; both the lion and unicorn standing 
 on a compartment from whence issue royal badges 
 of her Majesty's chief dominions, — a Red and 
 White Rose for England, a Thistle for Scotland, 
 and a Shamrock for Ireland, — and on the com- 
 partment an escroU with this motto, — " Dieu et 
 mon Droit : " God and my Rights — words first 
 used by Richard I. on gaining a great victory over 
 the French. 
 
 By omitting the parenthetical expressions, the 
 above may be read in heraldic language only ; or, 
 by omitting the heraldic technicalities, it may be 
 read in common English. 
 
THE KOYAL COAT-OF-ARMS. 5 
 
 Under James I., 1623, the Arms of Scotland 
 were impaled in the first quarter of the shield, and 
 the Harp of Erin incorporated in the third quar- 
 ter ; the Arms of France already occupjdng the 
 second quarter. In 1801, the Arms of France be- 
 ing entirely removed, the Arms of Scotland were 
 changed to the second quarter. The same year, 
 the Arms of Hanover were taken from the fourth 
 quarter, and less prominently emblazoned by im- 
 paling them on the centre, and the Arms of Eng- 
 land duplicated in their place. On the accession 
 of Queen Victoria, the Arms of Hanover were re- 
 moved entirely, leaving the Arms of Great Britain 
 and Ireland as represented in the engraving. The 
 term, " Great Britain," includes only England, Scot- 
 land, and Wales ; hence the designation, '' Great 
 Britain and Ireland," as including the entire King- 
 dom apart from its colonies ; which latter, now that 
 the Queen has assumed the title of Empress of 
 India, may be hereafter designated in the fourth 
 quarter, instead of the duplicated English. 
 
 The Harp has been the national symbol of Ire- 
 land from time immemorial. But the Harp of 
 Tara, owned by Brien Boroimhe, monarch of Ire- 
 land from A.D. 1001 to 1014, and still preserved in 
 the Museum of Dublin University, has been im- 
 mortalized by the beautiful melody of Thomas 
 Moore, the celebrated Irish poet. See full descrip- 
 tion on page 168. 
 
ENGLISH HISTORY 
 IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Great Britain, in its most restricted sense, is the 
 name of the largest of the British Islands, and the 
 principal seat of the British Empire. The name 
 Britain (Latin, Britannia) is probably from the 
 Celtic hrith^ ''painted," because its ancient inhab- 
 itants were accustomed to stain their bodies with 
 woad Qlsatis tinctorial ^ a plant which yields a fine 
 blue dye. The whole is called Crreat Britain 
 (^Magna Britannia)^ probably to distinguish it from 
 the Lesser Britannia, now called Brittany, or Bre- 
 tagne, a part of France. The name Great Britain 
 became an official designation in 1604, when 
 James I. took the title of King of Great Britain ; 
 but the kingdoms of England and Scotland re- 
 mained separate until 1707, when they were united 
 as Great Britain. In 1800, the kingdom of Ireland 
 was joined with it, and the realm became The 
 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 
 In Puttenham, and perhaps other authors of Eliz- 
 abeth's time, the name of Great Britain occurs ; 
 but the ancient writers commonly named it simply 
 Britannia, Britain ; while its people were Britones, 
 or Britons. 
 
THE BRITONS. 
 
 A BRAVE and warlike race the Britons were, 
 Men bold and hardy, women chaste and fair ; 
 They, stained, unclothed, unarmed from head to heel, 
 Fought Caesar, with his army clad in steel. 
 
 The Britons were principally of the Celtic, or 
 Keltic race ; and at least as far north as the river 
 Clyde they were of the Cymric branch of that 
 race, — a branch whose languages now known are 
 the Welsh (now spoken in Wales), the Armorican, 
 or Bas Breton (extant in the north-west of 
 France), and the Cornish, which once prevailed in 
 Cornwall and Western Devonshire. The people 
 of the far north seem to have employed dialects 
 of the Erse, or West-Celtic speech, — now called 
 Gaelic in Scotland; Erse, or Gaedhelic, in Ireland; 
 and Manx, in the Isle of Man. The true Scots 
 were of Irish stock ; the people of Strathclyde 
 were Cymric ; while as to the nationality of the 
 Picts opinions diiffer, but their Cymric origin is 
 very probable. All were of exceedingly rude and 
 warlike nature, and their religious system was 
 that of the Druids. 
 
THE BRITONS. 9 
 
 Some twenty names of South-British tribes 
 (some of them probably Germanic), and twenty- 
 two names of ancient North- British peoples, have 
 been preserved for us by the Roman writers. 
 These were (at least in the north) possibly the 
 names of great clans, or septs ; and, in a few cases, 
 it seems possible to find traces of extant names. 
 The Welsh and Scottish historians give long lists 
 of pretended kings of Britain, commencing hun- 
 dreds of years before Christ. King Lear, for 
 example, dates about 800 B.C. Most of the later 
 and really historic monarchs of Britain seem to 
 have been properly rulers of some minor tribe. 
 Such were Cassivelaunus, Boadicea (queen of the 
 Iceni, in what was afterwards East Anglia), Carac- 
 tacus, and others, distinguished as enemies of the 
 invading Romkns. The people of Wales and the 
 West of JEngland are largely descendants of the 
 ancient Britons. 
 
 Prominent among the British kings of the his- 
 toric period were Cymbeline ; the legendary St. 
 Lucius, " the first Christian king in the world," 
 concerning whom authentic history is silent ; 
 Carausius, who ruled over Britain as one of the Ro- 
 man Caesars, but was really independent ; the half- 
 legendary Vortigern, who summoned the Saxons 
 (449) to the defence of the Romanized Britons 
 against the Picts and Scots ; the renowned Arthur, 
 whose very existence has been denied by many ; 
 
10 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 and Cadwallader, the last British king, whose 
 descendants and successors ruled as princes in 
 Wales for many centuries. 
 
 Cymbeline, or Cunabeline, who gives name to 
 one of Shakspeare's plays, was perhaps a grandson 
 of Cassivelaunus. He was a monarch of great 
 power, and reigned for many years at Camelo- 
 dunum, a town which stood near Colchester. Many 
 interesting coins of his reign have been collected. 
 He was the father of the famous Caractacus, who 
 fought the Romans with much valor, but was 
 treacherously given up to his enemies and carried 
 to Rome, a.d. 60. 
 
 A^^^nr, '' the Flower of Kings " and the hero of 
 many romances and ballads 01 the TJiddle \ges, is 
 by not a few critics regarded as a purely mythical 
 character ; but of late the tendency is towards a 
 recognition of his historical reality, although nearly 
 all that is recorded of him is entirely fabulous. 
 Carlisle in Cumberland, Carleon upon Usk in 
 Wales, and the half-fabulous Camelot in Somerset- 
 shire, were his capital cities ; and the exploits of 
 the blameless king and his Knights of the Round 
 Table in the wars with the Saxons have long been 
 and still are a favorite topic with the poets. 
 
THE EOMANS IN BRITAIN. 
 
 B.C. 55 — A.D. 418 (Freeman). 
 
 The Conquest of Britain undertaken by Caesar 
 was carried on by the generals of Claudius and 
 his successors ; and in A.D. 85 the work was com- 
 pleted by Agricola, after years of obstinate resist- 
 ance. The Roman occupation lasted nearly five 
 hundred years, and exercised a most profound 
 influence upon the people ; an influence not alto- 
 gether salutary. Its worst result was the destruc- 
 ' tion of national feeling, and the rendering of South 
 Britain the easy prey of the hordes of invaders, — 
 the Picts and Scots at first overrunning the country, 
 to be followed by the all-devastating Anglo-Sax- 
 ons. Prominent events of the Roman period — 
 which is essentially the same in time as the historic 
 British period, alreadj'' noticed — were the intro- 
 duction of Christianity during the first or second 
 century of the Christian era ; the (legendary) 
 conversion of St. Lucius, " the first Christian 
 king in the world ; " his death, and the gift of his 
 kingdom to the Roman emperor; the establish- 
 ment of the imperial court at York (207) ; the 
 reigns of Carausius and Alectus sTs Caesars and 
 
12 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 rulers of Britain (286-296) ; the death of Constan- 
 tius (306) at York. Numerous and highly inter- 
 esting remains of the Roman period have been 
 collected. The stovj of the Scoto-Pictish ravages, 
 and the call of the Jutish brothers Hengest and 
 Horsa by king Vortigern for the rescue of the land, 
 have been called fables ; but the best authorities 
 concede to them a substantial correctness. 
 
 Hengest and Horsa landed at Ebbsfleet in the 
 Isle of Thanet, Kent, in 449 ; and the Teutonic 
 invaders never lost their foothold in the land. 
 But the war of conquest lasted two centuries. 
 
 The Roman WaUs which extended across Brit- 
 ain, and served as lines of defence against the 
 Northern Tribes, are commonly said to have been 
 three in number : (1) That of Antoninus, which 
 ran from Carriden, or Kinniel, on the Forth, to Old 
 Kirkpatrick or to Douglas Castle on the Clyde, 
 twenty-seven miles long, and built of stone and 
 earth, with a deep trench on the north, and a 
 paved road on the south. Its remains are known 
 as Graham's Dyke. It was built in 140 A.D. 
 (2) That of Hadrian (120 A.D.), running from Bow- 
 ness, on the Solway Frith, to Wallsend, near the 
 mouth of the Tyne, in an almost straight line, sixty- 
 eight and one-half miles long ; made of earth, faced 
 with solid masonry, with a ditch on the north. There 
 
THE KOMANS IN BRITAIN. 13 
 
 were twent3^-three military stations on or near it, 
 besides towers at the end of every Roman mile, 
 with two turrets in each interval. Its remains are 
 spoken of as the Roman Wall, the Picts' Wall, or 
 the Thirl Wall. (3) That of Agricola, which had 
 very nearly the course occupied subsequently by 
 Hadrian's Wall. It was of earth, seventy-four miles 
 long ; began three and one-half miles east of New- 
 castle, and ended twelve miles west of Carlisle. 
 
 England takes its name from the Angles (Latin 
 Angli; Anglo-Saxon jE^^^Z^), a Low-German people, 
 great numbers of whom invaded (a.d. 449-597) 
 the Island of Britain, and, in conjunction with the 
 Saxons and Jutes, subjugated a very large part of 
 what is now called England, together with the 
 eastern portion of the Lowlands of Scotland ; dis- 
 placing the former Romanized British population, 
 and planting, in place of the ancient Celtic lan- 
 guage, the Anglo-Saxon tongue, the parent of our 
 own English speech. The reason why the name 
 of the Angles gave name to the country was 
 chiefly because the Angles acquired a speedy and 
 long-enduring political superiority over their fel- 
 lows. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were all of 
 the Teutonic race. Some Angles remained on the 
 continent, and gave name to the district now called 
 Angeln in Sleswick ; while the extensive German 
 provinces, together called Saxony, testify to the 
 
14 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 importance of the Saxon tribes on the main-land. 
 The Jutes gave name to what is now Jutland 
 (Jiitland, Jylland) in Denmark, whence they were 
 mainly displaced by the Danes, — a Teutonic peo- 
 ple of the northern or Norse stock, who, unlike the 
 tribes above spoken of, were not strictly Germanic. 
 These Danes afterwards (a.d. 855-1037) followed 
 the Low-German tribes — Anglo-Saxons, as they 
 are collectively called — to the shores of England, 
 where they settled in great numbers. Many Fris- 
 ians also went with the Anglo-Saxons to England ; 
 and to-day the Frisian language, spoken to some 
 extent in Northern Germany and the Netherlands, 
 is more like the English than is any other spoken 
 language. The Angles occupied that part of Eng- 
 land lying east of the Watling Street, — the Ro- 
 man road which led from London to Chester, York, 
 and Bowness. West of this road were the Sax- 
 ons proper ; while the Jutes settled chiefly in Kent 
 and the Isle of Wight. The kingdoms of Cumber- 
 land and Cornwall were not conquered for a long 
 time ; and the ancient British population kept a 
 foothold in those regions. The Teutonic invaders 
 are more fully noticed in this «work under the 
 heading Heptarchy (p. 32). The name England 
 Engla-land^ "•' Angle-land," is said to have been . 
 employed as early as 688, and Egbert is said to 
 have declared it the official name ; but Freeman 
 asserts that the name Engla-land does not appear 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 15 
 
 before 1014, — the name AngeUcyn, "English- 
 kin," being the usual name for both land and 
 people before that time. 
 
 The King and Queen. In England, the king (or 
 queen-regnant) is a monarch whose power is sub- 
 ject to constitutional limitations. The succession 
 is by statute secured to the Protestant heirs of 
 the body of the electress Sophia, granddaughter of 
 James I. The royal power and dignity has been 
 subject to great changes. The Saxon kingship 
 was at first simple military rank, and was always a 
 very different thing from the feudal kingship ; and 
 the king under the feudal system had powers very 
 different from the almost absolute authority of the 
 Tudor monarchs, while the king or queen ctf the 
 present day possesses an authority derived indeed 
 from, or based upon, that of the ancient sovereigns, 
 but variously modified by statute and by prece- 
 dent. On the failure of direct heirs male, a female 
 may succeed, and takes the title of queen-regnant. 
 A queen-consort is the wife of the reigning king ; 
 and it is customary for her to be crowned and to 
 have certain special privileges, but to exercise no 
 authority. The widow of a king is called the 
 queen-dowager ; or, if she be the mother of the 
 reigning monarch, she is called the queen-mother. 
 It is a great but very common error to suppose 
 that the British sovereign has no power. He still 
 
16 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 has great, though very strictly limited, authority. 
 That '' the king can do no wrong," that '' the king 
 never dies," and that " the king is a body politic," 
 are famous maxims of English law. 
 
 The Crown is the highest emblem of the ro5^aI au- 
 thority, which, however, is legally complete after the 
 accession, even before the act of coronation. The 
 crown differs from the coronet of a nobleman in 
 being closed above. The British Crown is a golden 
 circle adorned with gold and precious stones. Upon 
 it are four fleurs-de-lis and four crosses-pattee, 
 from which arise four arch-diadems with pearls, clos- 
 ing under a mound, ensigned with a cross-pattee. 
 The above is also called St. Edward's Crown, and 
 the Crown Imperial, and was first made for Charles 
 II. It has been subject to frequent and great 
 changes. Several other crowns are preserved among 
 the crown jewels, or regalia, which are kept in 
 the Tower of London. Among these jewels are the 
 Orb, a globe surmounted by a cross, held in the 
 king's hand at the coronation ; the Ampulla, a 
 golden eagle filled with the anointing oil ; the 
 Anointing Spoon, of gold and pearls; the Curtana, 
 or sword of Mercy ; the two swords of Justice, 
 temporal and spiritual ; St. Edward's Staff ; the 
 Verge ; the sceptres, bracelets, and spurs ; the 
 State saltcellar, — and many other costly and curi- 
 ous articles of interest. • The world-renowned 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 17 
 
 Koh-i-noor, or " Mountain of Light," a splendid 
 diamond valued at about six hundred thousand 
 dollars, is set in one of the royal jewels. The 
 crown jewels of Scotland are a crown, made for 
 Robert Bruce, and altered for James V. ; a sceptre, 
 made for James V. ; a sword of State, given by 
 Pope Julius II. to James IV, in 1507 ; a silver rod ; 
 the'ring of Charles I., &c. These are kept in the 
 Crown Room of the Castle at Edinburgh, and 
 are most jealously guarded hy the Scotch, as ex- 
 emplifying their former independence. 
 
 Parliament; the legislative branch of the British 
 government, consists of two houses, — a House of 
 Lords, or of Peers, and a House of Commons. 
 Under the Anglo-Saxon kings, there was a kind of 
 parliament called witan, or witenagemote ('' meeting 
 of the wise "), where nobles, prelates, and other 
 prominent men, assembled to counsel and assist 
 the king. After the Norman Conquest, it was still 
 maintained, but was called a Great Council, or Par- 
 liament, — barons spiritual and temporal being 
 summoned to it by the king's writ. In 1265, 
 Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, summoned 
 in the name of Henry III., then a prisoner, a parlia- 
 ment at London, to which knights of the shire and 
 burgesses from the principal towns were sent ; but 
 at first they had very little share in the public 
 business. From this germ sprang the House of 
 
 2 
 
18 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Commons. Scotland had a separate parliament 
 Q' the Estates of the Realm ") until the union of 
 1702, in which parliament lords, bishops, and other 
 mitred clergy, and the representatives of burghs 
 and stewartries, sat together as one house. 
 
 The Irish Parliament, modelled after that of Eng- 
 land, was dissolved at the union of 1800. The Isle of 
 Man has a separate parliament (Tyndwald Court 
 and House of Keys). The Channel Islands have 
 three little legislatures, and many British colonies 
 have parliaments of their own. In the British 
 parliament, the upper House (the House of Lords 
 or Peers) consists of hereditary and titled nobles 
 (see Nobility, below), with the English arch- 
 bishops and bishops. The other branch, the House 
 of Commons, is elective. Usually at every change of 
 the Cabinet (see p. 24) a new parliament is sum- 
 moned, and new representatives are elected from 
 the various counties and boroughs. All money- 
 measures must originate in this House. The 
 H6use of Lords is also a high court of appeals, with 
 original jurisdiction in some cases ; but in 1874 
 its judicial functions were modified and greatly 
 abridged. 
 
 The Nobility consists of the lords (called also 
 barons in the larger sense of that term), who are 
 of the following grades : (1) Dukes, of whom those 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 19 
 
 who are princes of the blood are called royal 
 dukes ; (2) Marquises, or Marquesses ; (3) Earls , 
 (4) Viscounts ; (5) Barons, or simply lords. Bar- 
 ons are created by writ, or of late more often by 
 patent. All nobles are barons by virtue of their 
 rank. Of barons, in this large sense, there are the 
 following classes : (1) Barons of England, (2) of 
 Great Britain, (3) of the United Kingdom, to 
 which last class belong all newly-created barons 
 (the above all have seats in the House of Lords) ; 
 (4) Barons of Scotland, and (5) Barons of Ireland,' 
 of which two last-named classes only certain repre- 
 sentative peers sit in the House of Lords. Life 
 peerages do not entitle to a seat, and are seldom 
 conferred. The peerage is hereditary by the laws 
 of primogeniture. New peerages are made for emi- 
 nent civil, military, or naval service, and are often 
 conferred upon distinguished jurists and members 
 of the Bench. These become what are called " law 
 lords," and have certain special duties. At present, 
 the only " lords spiritual " are the archbishops and 
 bishops of England proper, exclusive of the junior 
 bishops and all bishops suffragan, — the Irish bish- 
 ops being unseated. Nobles have a title generally 
 derived from some place or region ; as " Duke of 
 Wellington," " Earl of Caithness." Or sometimes 
 they bear a mere family name, — their own or 
 some other, — as '' Earl Howe," or " Lord Macau- 
 lay." Anciently all barons were feudal lords and 
 
20 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 rulers, and took the name of the principal region 
 under them. Thus the early Norman English 
 kings were Dukes of Normandy, Anjou, &c., and 
 actually ruled those regions, — just as certain 
 ^German dukes to-day are sovereigns. But at 
 \ very early period this part of the honors of 
 many became a merely verbal distinction. Thus 
 Lionel, Edward III.'s son, was made Duke of 
 Clarence because his first wife was heiress to the 
 honor of Clare (^Olarentia), a village of Suffolk; 
 or as others say in commemoration of the dukedom 
 of Clarenza in Greece, where an English or Norman 
 crusader was, it is said, the feudal lord. So the 
 town of Wellington, Somersetshire, gave the title 
 of duke to a very distinguished and successful Irish 
 general, because his maternal ancestors, the Anglo- 
 Irish Wellesleys, or Wesleys, were supposed to 
 have removed to Ireland from Somersetshire. But 
 the duchy of Cornwall (held by the Prince of 
 Wales) and that of Lancaster (held by the crown) 
 still pay large revenues to their possessors, and 
 have to some extent separate judicial and fiscal 
 administrations, — both relics of the ancient feudal 
 times. There are (1876) five royal dukes, twenty- 
 one dukes belonging to the British and English 
 peerages, seven to the Scottish, and two to the 
 Irish peerage. 
 
 Baronets rank above all knights (except knights 
 of the garter and bannerets), and below all the 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 21 
 
 nobles. The degree of baronet is hereditary, while 
 knighthood is not. Baronets are of these classes : 
 (1) Baronets of the United Kingdom, to which 
 class all the newer baronetcies belong ; (2) baronets 
 of Great Britain ; (3) of Ireland or of Ulster ; (4) 
 of Scotland ; (5) of Nova Scotia (now all extinct 
 or dormant) ; and (6) of England. James I. of 
 Great Britain was the first sovereign to create 
 baronets ; and he sold the title for money. But 
 it is an interesting fact, overlooked by most au- 
 thorities, that the ancient Anglo-Irish records 
 preserve the names of many baronets, and the 
 title would appear to have been hereditary. All 
 baronets and knights prefix the title '' Sir^^ to their 
 names. 
 
 Knighthood, or Chivalry, one of the most character- 
 istic of the institutions of the Middle Ages, still 
 exists in Great Britain ; but, except in name, it 
 has been subject to great changes. It was once 
 a profession, but is now a mark of honor only. 
 Knights are created by the sovereign or his regent, 
 and in Ireland by the lord-lieutenant also. Knight- 
 hood is of various grades. (1) The noblest order 
 of knighthood in Great Britain, if not in Europe, is 
 The most noble Order of St. Greorge and the Grarter^ 
 — more often called the Order of the Oarter^ — 
 instituted, according to the account more generally 
 received, by Edward III., at Dover, in 1344, on 
 
22 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 the occasion of a dance at court, during which the 
 Countess of Salisbury let fall her garter, which the 
 king took up ; but seeing that the act excited 
 much attention, he restored the article to the fair 
 owner, with the words, Honi soit qui mal y pense^ — 
 "Evil be to him that evil thinks;" adding that 
 he would shortly raise the garter to such a pitch 
 of dignity that any man present would be proud 
 to wear it. Now the king had long admired the 
 countess, who with great courtesy and firmness 
 rejected his attentions. Soon after, the Order of 
 the Garter was instituted ; and the words, Honi 
 soit qui mal y pense^ became its motto. This order 
 now contains many foreign kings and princes, none 
 of its present members being of a rank below that 
 of earl. (2) The Order of St. Andrew and the 
 Thistle^ an ancient institution, consists of princes 
 of the blood and of the highest in rank among the 
 nobles of Scotland. (3) The Knights of St. Patrick 
 have a similar rank among the nobility of Ireland. 
 (4) The most noble Order of the JBath^ in its present 
 form, was instituted at the coronation of George I. ; 
 but numerous previous instances of the creation of 
 Knights of the Bath are recorded, it having been 
 the ancient custom to bathe the newly-made knight 
 at one stage of the ceremony of knighting him. 
 Members of this order are either military or civil 
 knights. They are of two grades, — Grand Crosses 
 (G. C. B.) and Knights Commanders (K. G. B.), 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 23 
 
 — for Companions of the Bath (C. B.) are not 
 reckoned as knights. (5) Knights of St. Michael 
 and St, Gieorge (K. M. G.) are usually so created 
 in reward for distinguished services in the col- 
 onies. (6) Knights of the Star of India (K. S. I.), 
 a degree chiefly conferred on native and British 
 gentlemen distinguished for eminent services in 
 the East ; and (7) Knights Bachelor^ whose rank 
 is that of the ordinary knighthood. Besides these 
 there are a very few (8) Military and Naval 
 Knights of Windsor,, who are of high rank and 
 consequence. A Banneret,^ or Knight Banneret^ 
 is a knight of superior rank, who receives this 
 distinction on the field of battle from the sov- 
 ereign in person, with impressive ceremonies ; 
 the king pronouncing the Anglo-French words, 
 "Advances toy Banneret," and tearing off the 
 point of the new knight's pennon. Charles I. 
 was the last who conferred this distinction on the 
 actual field ; but more recent kings have bestowed 
 the honor, though not on the field. The com- 
 manding general has in some cases also made 
 bannerets. Kings' bannerets, if made so on the 
 field and under the royal standard, rank above 
 baronets, and next below Knights of the Garter, 
 the same not being of noble rank. There are, it 
 is believed, now no British bannerets. France and 
 other continental nations had, anciently, knights 
 bannerets also. 
 
24 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 The Church of England is the parent of the Epis- 
 copal Churches of Scotland, Ireland, the colonies, 
 and the United States. It is the established 
 church in England, the Channel Islands, and the 
 Isle of Man. In Scotland, the established church 
 is Presbyterian ; while the rest of the Queen's 
 dominions have no church establishment. The 
 sovereign is the lawful head of the church. There 
 are two archbishops in England, besides twenty- 
 five bishops and several suffragans. The Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury is '^ Primate of all England," 
 and the first peer of the realm ; the Archbishop 
 of York is " Primate of England." There are two 
 convocations, — that of Canterbury and that of 
 York. The former had once great political im- 
 portance, quite comparable with that of parliament 
 itself; but at present its work is chiefly advisory, 
 and its importance is historical only. 
 
 The Ministry, or Cabinet, is a committee of the 
 Privy Council, having as its chairman the Premier, 
 or Prime Minister of the Sovereign. The Premier 
 is, very generally, also the First Lord of the Treas- 
 ury; and he always names the other cabinet 
 officers, while he himself is appointed by the 
 crown. The Lord Chancellor, Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer, Secretaries of State, Secretary at War, 
 President of the Council, and some other heads of 
 important departments, belong to the cabinet; 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 25 
 
 but there are many other government ministers who 
 do not usually meet with the cabinet. Whenever 
 parliament fails to support a cabinet measure, it is 
 customary for the ministry to resign, with all their 
 followers who hold very responsible civil offices. 
 The sovereign then names a new premier, usually 
 from the opposition, and a new cabinet is formed. 
 
 The Privy CouncU, or " Her Majesty's most Hon- 
 orable Privy Council," comprises, besides nearly 
 all the high functionaries of the realm, a large 
 number of gentlemen appointed b}^ the Queen, 
 who bear the title of Right Honorable, and take 
 rank next below knights of the garter. The Lord 
 President of the Privy Council is the fourth great 
 officer of state. Six privy councillors constitute a 
 quorum for business. No councillor attends with- 
 out a special summons ; so that, although the coun- 
 cil has important and varied public duties, the rank 
 of privy councillor is now, in most cases, to be re- 
 garded as a title of honor rather than an important 
 public trust. There are important educational and 
 judicial functions performed by committees of the 
 Privy Council.^ There is another Privy Council 
 for Ireland. 
 
 The Royal Household consists of the following 
 state officers : The Lord Grreat Chamberlain^ whose 
 place is held in each alternate reign by Lord Wil- 
 
26 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 loughby d'Eresby and the Marquis of Cholmondeley. 
 He has the marshalling of the principal state pro- 
 cessions, &c. The Lord Chamberlain is a noble- 
 man who loses his place at every change of the 
 administration. He has control of the theatres, 
 state levees, &c. The Earl Marshal is the chief of 
 the college of heralds. The Duke of Norfolk holds 
 this situation. The Vice- Charfiherlain^ usually a no- 
 bleman, assists the Lord Chamberlain. Under him 
 are Lords in Waiting^ Grrooms in Waiting^ Pages of 
 Honor^ Master of Ceremonies^ Poet Laureate^ &c. 
 
 The Master of the Buckhounds is an officer of the 
 royal household who has control of affairs pertain- 
 ing to the Royal Hunt. The office is looked upon 
 as one of importance, and is held by some noble- 
 man of the dominant political party. The Grand 
 Falconer, one of the Royal Hunt, has an office 
 hereditary with the Duke of St. Albans ; and the 
 Marquis of Exeter is Grand Almoner, to be dis- 
 tinguished from the Lord High Almoner, who is a 
 prelate of the Anghcan Church. The Master of 
 the Horse holds office by letters-patent, and ranks 
 as the third great officer of the Court. He has 
 charge of the mews and all the Queen's stables, 
 horses, carriages, equerries, pages, &c. 
 
 The Lord Steward holds his office during pleasure 
 only, and appoints to various minor offices about 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 27 
 
 tlie Court. He is not to be confounded with the 
 Lord High Steiuard of England^ once the most im- 
 portant oflEicer in the realm. At present, the latter 
 officer is appointed only to take charge of corona- 
 tions, trials of peers, &c. ; and at the close of his 
 special duty he breaks his white wand of office, 
 and resigns his place. Grreat Steward of Scotland 
 is one of the titles of the Prince of Wales. The 
 Mistress of the Rohes is appointed over the Ladies 
 of the Bedchamber, Maids of Honor, Bedchamber 
 Women, &c. There is an officer called Crold Stick 
 in Waiting, besides other Gold Sticks, Silver Sticks, 
 Black Rods, Daily Waiters, &c. 
 
 The Lord Privy Seal, the fifth great officer of 
 
 state, is often one of the Royal Cabinet. Docu- 
 ments not requiring the Great Seal of the Realm 
 are often sealed with the Privy Seal alone, and 
 those which require the Great Seal must in all 
 cases first receive the Privy Seal. 
 
 The Queen's Body Guard consists of the Honorable 
 the Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms, and the Yeomen 
 of the Guard or Beef-eaters, besides the Royal 
 Archers for Scotland. The actual guard, how- 
 ever, is a detail from some of the regiments of 
 household troops. 
 
 The Keeper of the Privy Purse is an officer who 
 attends to the personal or private expenditures of 
 
28 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 the Sovereign. He is quite independent of the 
 superior household officers. 
 
 The King's Champion is an official whose duty it is 
 to appear mounted and armed to the teeth at the 
 coronation, and to challenge to mortal combat any 
 who shall deny the King to be the lawful Sover- 
 eign. At the coronations of William IV. and Vic- 
 toria this part of the ceremony was omitted ; but 
 the title, " the Honorable the Queen's Champion," 
 is held (1876) by Sir Henry Dymoke, Bart., of 
 Scrivelsbaye, or Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire, — the 
 seventeenth Dymoke who has held the office, 
 which has been in this family since the time of 
 Sir John Dymok, Champion to Richard II. The 
 family motto is Pro rege Dimico, It is stated that 
 the Barons of Marmion were Champions to all the 
 previous English Kings subsequent to the Con- 
 quest, and even to the Dukes of Normandy before 
 the Conquest. The title passed by descent with 
 the estate of Scrivelsbaye, to which it was attached, 
 to the family of Dymoke, although claimed in the 
 time of Richard II. by Lord Fr^ville. 
 
 Heraldry, in the ordinary use of the term, is the 
 knowledge of coat-armor^ and the system of rules 
 which has been devised for the decoration and 
 blazonry of such armor. In mediaeval times the 
 Herald's duties were important. He announced 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 29 
 
 war and peace at the Courts of the King's enemies. 
 He marshalled the combatants for the lists, whether 
 the contest was to be friendly, as in the tourna- 
 ment, or mortal, as in the duel or the trial by 
 wager of battle. But at present the Herald has 
 simpler duties. He marshals the attendants at the 
 coronation, and on the occasion of other public 
 festivities ; he conducts the funerals of those who 
 wear coat-armor; he has charge of the granting 
 of new arms, which grant requires a large fee ; 
 and keeps the records of all coats-of-arms, old or 
 new ; and has other similar duties. Of old, his 
 person was held sacred. He wears on official oc- 
 casions an antiquated and very rich and peculiar 
 garb. 
 
 The Chief of the Harald's College of England is 
 the Earl Marshal, whose office is hereditary, being 
 held by the Duke of Norfolk. Next in rank is 
 Garter Principal King-of-Arms, the first Herald 
 of England and King-of-Arms for the Order of the 
 Garter. Next below him in rank is Clarenceux 
 King-of-Arms, who grants arms in his province, 
 which includes all England south of the Trent. 
 Next below Clarenceux comes Norroy King-of- 
 Arms, whose jurisdiction is north of the Trent. 
 Below Norroy in rank are the six proper heralds ; 
 namely, Windsor, Richmond, Chester, York, Lan- 
 caster, Somerset. Among extinct heraldships are 
 
30 ENGLISH HISTOKY IN SHOET STORIES. 
 
 Carlisle, Montorgueil, Faucon, Blanc-Sanglier. 
 Besides the above, there are the following pursui- 
 vayits or candidates for the heraldship : Rouge- 
 Croix, Blue Mantle, Portcullis, and Rouge-Dragon. 
 Pursuivants Extraordinary are Blanch Croix, Mow- 
 bray, Blanch Lyon, and Rouge-Rose. Guisnes and 
 Harrington were former pursuivants. Esperance 
 Pursuivant was the private herald of the Percys. 
 
 Besides the members of the Herald's College 
 proper, there may be other heralds. Bath King- 
 of-Arms is the Chief Herald for Wales and the 
 Order of the Bath. He may have two subordinate 
 heralds, — Blanc-Coursier and Brunswick. There 
 is also a King-of-Arms for the Order of Sts. Michael 
 and George. The Scottish heralds are Lyon, or 
 Lord Lyon, King-at-Arms ; the Lyon Depute ; Is- 
 lay, Rothesay, Snowdoun, Marchmont, Albany, and 
 Ross, heralds; and Kintyre, Unicorn, Dingwall, 
 Carrick, Bute, and Ormond, pursuivants, — the 
 whole constituting the Lyon office of Scotland. 
 The Chief Herald for Ireland is Ulster King-of- 
 Arms. He has two heralds, Cork and Dublin ; and 
 two pursuivants, Athlone and St. Patrick, and 
 sometimes others. Heralds were kept anciently 
 by many feudal nobles ; and occasional attempts 
 have been made by and in prominent families to 
 revive the custom. 
 
 To give even an outline of what heraldry means 
 is impossible here ; whole libraries have been writ- 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 31 
 
 ten upon it. It is the " science " of processions, 
 precedence, family descent ; and " coats-of-arms," 
 its chief symbols, have been borne by nobles and 
 gentlemen at least as far back as the time of the 
 Crusades. The shield — or, for ladies other than 
 the Queen, the lozenge — is the most conspicuous 
 object in an armorial coat. Its tinctures are dis- 
 tinguished as, first, colors^ which are gules or red, 
 sahle or black, vert or green, azure or blue, &c. ; 
 second, metals^ which are (?r, gold or yellow, and 
 argent^ silver or white ; and, third, furs^ which 
 are ermine^ white spotted with black, vair^ white 
 and blue, combined in a peculiar way. Some wri- 
 ters attach great significance to these colors, &c. ; 
 but the interpretations given will not stand a criti- 
 cal examination. Ordinaries are divisions of the 
 shield formed by lines, straight or otherwise. 
 Charges are figures of natural, artificial, or imagi- 
 nary objects borne on a shield. Blazon is the dif- 
 ficult art of describing arms by words. Supporters 
 are figures standing on either side the shield, such 
 as the Lion and Unicorn on the royal arms. Above 
 the shield is the helmet^ barred with six bars for 
 the Sovereign, five for high dignitaries, four for 
 Earls and Barons, and without bars for Knights and 
 Gentlemen; fall-faced for Kings; turned partly 
 to one side for Dukes, Marquises, Earls, &c. ; 
 quite to one side for Knights and Baronets ; and 
 the beaver closed for Esquires. There are many 
 
32 
 
 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 other complicated distinctions, — cadences^ &c., — 
 which indicate the descent, condition, &c., of the 
 person to whom the armor belongs. The mantling 
 represents the lambrequin or cover for a knight's 
 helmet, and it is slashed or cut in imitation of 
 cuts received in battle. The crest appears above 
 the helmet; while below the whole coat, as a rule, 
 is seen the motto. 
 
 (^See Frontispiece.) 
 
 The Royal Standard of Great Britain is said to 
 have acquired its present rectangular form from 
 the Saracens in Spain, in the eighth century, it hav- 
 ing previously been much smaller and square. The 
 devices upon it were changed from time to time, in 
 correspondence with the changes of the coat-of- 
 arms, till it became established, as shown by the 
 colored diagram. 
 
 The Heptarchy (Greek for ''seven kingdoms") 
 is the name of the very loose confederation of 
 seven (more or less) little kingdoms founded by 
 
THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. 33 
 
 the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. There were at times 
 more than seven, at other times less than that 
 number, of States ; but of these States the seven 
 noticed below are the more prominent. These 
 kingdoms were (1) Kent^ founded in 457 ; con- 
 quered by Egbert in 827, and at that time merged 
 into the general English realm, — although it con- 
 tinued, like other of its sister States, for a time to 
 have its own king, — under Egbert and his suc- 
 cessors, its lords paramount. We read, too, of 
 kings of East and of West Kent ; and there seem 
 at times to have been several rival lines of Kentish 
 kings. It was the oldest kingdom in the Hep- 
 tarchy ; was founded by Hengest and Horsa, who 
 were Jutes ; had nearly the limits of the modern 
 county of Kent,* and was the Cantium of the 
 Romans, named from the ancient British tribe 
 called Cantii, (2) Wessex Q' West-Saxons " ) was 
 founded in 619 by the great Cerdic, the ancestor 
 of the first dynasty of English kings, and a pro- 
 genitor of the present royal house of England. 
 Wessex proper embraced Berks, Hants, Wilts, 
 Dorset, and parts of Devon and Somerset. The 
 victorious career of Egbert at last made the West- 
 Saxon monarchs the kings of all England. (8) 
 Sussex Q' South-Saxons ") founded in 490 ; became, 
 with Middlesex (one of its provinces), a depend- 
 ency of Wessex, in 681 : it embraced the present 
 
 * See Appendix for location of Counties. 
 3 
 
84 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 shires of Sussex and Surrey. (4) Essex (" East 
 Saxons ") was founded in 527 ; embraced the 
 present Essex, with parts of Middlesex and Herts, 
 and appears to have had, at times, rival lines of 
 kings. (5) ^as^ JL/z^Ka, founded in 576 ; included 
 Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, the Isle of Ely, 
 &c. (6) Northumhria ('' the land north of the 
 Humber "), founded in 547, included the minor 
 kingdoms of Deira and Bernicia ; comprising York- 
 shire, with parts of Lancashire and Derby, and a 
 large region in the South-east of Scotland. It had 
 also some authority, at times, in Westmoreland and 
 Cumberland. (7) Mercia^ founded in 584, in- 
 cluded some seventeen of the present midland 
 counties of England. The limits of all these 
 realms were subject to continual variations. In 
 the North-west, the extensive Celtic kingdom of 
 Cumberland was, for the most part, either inde- 
 pendent, or nearly so ; and a very similar inde- 
 pendence was maintained in Cornwall and Wales. 
 From time to time, there were prominent Anglo- 
 Saxon princes whose abilities won for them the 
 leadership or supremacy over all the Anglo- 
 Saxons ; these took the title of Bretwalda ('' Brit- 
 ain-wielder "). Freeman reckons eight of these 
 Bretwaldas. After the accession of Egbert, several 
 of the ancient kingdoms of the Heptarchy still 
 maintained their own kings for a time, reigning in 
 a kind of vassalage under the proper kings of 
 England. 
 
LINES OF DESCENT FROM EGBERT, AND 
 
 FROM WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, 
 
 TO VICTORIA. 
 
 1. Egbert. 
 
 2. Ethelwulf. 
 
 3. Alfred. 
 
 4. Edward the Elder. 
 
 5. Edmund I. ♦ 
 
 6. Edgar the Peaceable. 
 
 7. Ethelred the Unready. 
 
 8. Edmund Ironside. 
 
 9. Edward the Atheling. 
 
 10. St. Margaret of Scotland. 
 
 11. Matilda, Queen of Henry I 
 12-3. The Empress Matilda, or Maud. 
 
 13- 4. Henry II. 
 
 14- 5. John. 
 
 15- 6. Henry IIL 
 
 16- 7. Edward L 
 
 17- 8. Edward IL 
 
 18- 9. Edward IIL 
 
 19-10. Lionel, Duke of Clarence. 
 20-11. Philippa, Countess of March. 
 21-12. Roger, Earl of March. 
 22-13. Ann, Countess of Cambridge. 
 23-14. Richard, Duke of York. 
 24-15. Edward IV. 
 
 1. William the Conqueror. 
 
 2. Henry I. 
 
36 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 25-16. Elizabeth, Queen of Henry YIL 
 
 26-17. Margaret, Queen of James IV. of Scotland. 
 
 27-18. James V. of Scotland. 
 
 28-19. Mary, Queen of Scots. 
 
 29-20. James I. 
 
 30-21. Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia. 
 
 31-22. Sophia of Hanover. 
 
 32-23. George L 
 
 33-24. George 11. 
 
 34-25. Frederick, Prince of Wales. 
 
 35-26. George III. 
 
 36-27. Edward, Duke of Kent. 
 
 37-28. Victoria. 
 
 Queen Victoria is therefore of the thirty-seventh 
 generation from Egbert, and of the twenty-eighth 
 from William ; the two lines blending in the per- 
 son of the Empress Maud (12-8). Numerous 
 other lines of descent from Egbert to Victoria can 
 be easily traced, but this is the most direct. 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 
 
 (827-1013.) 
 
 EGBERT. 
 
 Reigned from 827 to 836. 
 
 Victorious Egbert, with his warlike thanes, 
 Subdued the angry Welsh, repelled the Danes, 
 Founded the realm, and left to weaker hands 
 A sceptre and a State which still unconquered stands. 
 
 Egbert (Ecgberht), the first king of all England, 
 was a son of Alcmund, a prince of the royal house 
 of Wessex, and a descendant of Cerdic, founder of 
 the West-Saxon kingdom. Egbert's talents won 
 him the hatred of Brihtric, the king, his kinsman ; 
 for in those times any atheling^ or prince of the 
 blood, might be called to the succession ; and the 
 young man was obliged to flee to Mercia, and 
 thence to France and Germany; whence, in 800, 
 he was recalled, and made king of Wessex, — being, 
 it is said, at that time the only living descendant 
 of the great Cerdic. His abilities in war won him 
 the Bretwalda-ship ; and, in 827, the submission 
 of the kings of Mercia and Northumberland made 
 him monarch of all England. The ravages of the 
 Danes much disturbed the latter years of his reign. 
 He died in 836. 
 
38 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ETHELWULF. 
 
 Reigned from 836 to 858. 
 
 The saintly Ethelwulf, of monkish mien, 
 Chose out the good Osberga for his queen : 
 To warlike deeds the king did not aspire, 
 And won his greatest fame as Alfred's sire. 
 
 Ethelwulf, the second king, was the only surviv- 
 ing son of Egbert. In 823, his father appointed 
 him king of Kent ; but he was of a mild and pious 
 character, unfitted for those warlike times. Al- 
 though a king in name, he became, in youth, a 
 monk and sub-deacon. In 836, by papal dispen- 
 sation, he left the monastery for the throne of 
 Egbert. He soon after married Osberga, a Jutish 
 noble's daughter, the mother of Alfred the Great. 
 She bore him five sons. After her death, the king 
 married Judith, the young daughter of Charles the 
 Bald, king of France (856). Alstan, bishop of 
 Sherborne, an able officer, was virtually the ruler 
 under this reign. Ethelwulf made a famous pil- 
 grimage to Rome, accompanied by his young son 
 Alfred ; gave splendid presents to the Pope, and 
 made important concessions to the church ; granted 
 Wessex to Ethelbald, his eldest surviving son; 
 and died in 868. The king, though of unwarlike 
 tastes, distinguished himself in the contests with 
 Welsh and Danes. 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 39 
 
 ETHELBALD. 
 
 Eeigned from 858 to 860. 
 
 Of Ethelbald's short reign is little known 
 
 Save that he was unworthy of a throne ; 
 
 For most unfilial acts disgraced his name, 
 
 And an unhallowed marriage covered him with shame. 
 
 Ethelbald, the third king, was the second son of 
 Ethelwulf and Osberga. In 856, the people of 
 Wessex, led by the Earl of Somerset and by Als- 
 tan, made a revolution in favor of the young 
 Ethelbald, and forced King Ethelwulf to resign 
 to his son the sovereignty of Wessex, then by far 
 the most important portion of his realm. In 858, 
 Ethelbald became > monarch of England on his 
 father's death, and soon after he married Judith 
 his step-mother, who was indeed younger than he ; 
 but the act excited much horror, and the clergy 
 prevailed upon the king to separate from her. He 
 died very soon after this (860). Judith afterwards 
 married the Count of Flanders. 
 
40 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ETHELBERT. 
 
 Reigned from 860 to 866. 
 
 The fair-haired sea-kings come, with bow and brand, 
 Harry the shores, and sweep th' affrighted land : 
 Ho, Saxon ! leave awhile to chase the deer, 
 Withstand the foeman with your axe and spear. 
 
 Ethelbert, the fourth king, was also a son of 
 Ethelwulf by Osberga ; became ruler of Kent in 
 862 ; succeeded to the throne in 860 ; reigned 
 honorably for six years, and died in 866. His 
 children were passed over, and the crown went to 
 his brother Ethelred, who was better fitted than 
 they to contend with the Danes who were vexing 
 the realm. 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 41 
 
 ETHELRED I. 
 
 Reigned from 866 to 871. 
 
 Heroic Etlielred, the Norseman's foe, 
 On Merton's field receives the fatal blow. 
 Just and devout, his country's steadfast friend, — 
 England bewails her King's untimely end. 
 
 Eihelred I., " the first of a long line of hero- 
 kings," was also a son of Ethelwulf by Osberga. 
 He became king in 866. He fought the Danes 
 heroically in many battles, with various success; 
 and in 870 his brother, the great Alfred, won the 
 famous battle of Assendun ; but the king was 
 defeated and mortally wounded at Merton, and 
 died at Wittingham, April 25, 871, no less re- 
 nowned for piety than for valor. His son was 
 passed by out of respect to the distinguished valor 
 and wisdom of his uncle Alfred, who was elected 
 king by the Witenagemote^ the Parliament of that 
 time. 
 
42 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ALFRED THE GREAT. 
 
 Reigned from 871 to 901. 
 
 Wise, just, and pure, — great Alfred's glories shine, 
 The noblest honor of his lengthening line : 
 Law-giver, soldier, schoolman, statesman, sage, 
 The glory of his country and his age. 
 
 Alfred the Great, " the most perfect character in 
 history," was born at Wantage, in Berkshire, in 
 849 ; the youngest son of Ethelwulf and of his 
 noble wife, Osberga, daughter of Oslac the Jute. 
 When four years of age he was sent to Rome, 
 where the Pope named him King of Cornwall, and 
 proclaimed him his own adopted son. Two years 
 later, he went again to Rome with his father, who 
 loved him very tenderly. He was educated with 
 some care by his step-mother, Judith, who was 
 hardly five years older than himself. It is related 
 that by acts of imprudence and excess, committed 
 in early life, his health was seriously and perma- 
 nently injured. In 868, he married Ealswitha, 
 daughter of the Earl of Gainsborough. In 871, 
 he defeated the Danes in a great battle at Assen 
 dun; bat soon afterwards Ethelred, the king, was 
 mortally wounded, and Alfred came to the succes- 
 sion, the direct heirs of his brother being passed 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 43 
 
 by, — a course which was perfectly legal at that 
 time. He at once reorganized the army ; rebuilt 
 the forts and castles ; constructed a navy, and be- 
 gan to enforce with great strictness the adminis- 
 tration of justice. But the Danes were more than 
 a match for him and for his discontented and dis- 
 organized people ; and in 878 he had to hide him- 
 self in the Somersetshire marshes, where we are 
 told that he lived in the hut of a neat-herd, whose 
 wife once scolded him for allowing the cakes to 
 burn before the fire. We also read of his sharing 
 his last loaf with a beggar, and of his visit to the 
 Danish camp in the garb of a minstrel. Ere long, 
 we find him gaining a battle at Bratton Edge 
 (878). He soon after took Chippenham, and the 
 treaty of Wednor (878) gave him the sovereignty 
 of a great part of England. Finally, in 897, after 
 bloody wars, he repelled the piratical invaders and 
 won peace for his country. He died Oct. 26, 901. 
 Alfred was not, indeed, as has been claimed, the 
 founder of jury -trials, the father of Oxford Univer- 
 sit}^ and the originator of the English counties and 
 hundreds; but he was the greatest of English 
 law-givers, the judicious patron of schools and of 
 the church, a valiant and able soldier, a paternal 
 and wise ruler, a devout and zealous Christian. 
 His many translations and other writings, in Latin 
 and in Anglo-Saxon, exercised a most profound and 
 salutary influence, both upon his own and later 
 
44 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ages. His learning is the more remarkable, when 
 we remember that few laymen, even few kings and 
 not very many priests, could read with facility in 
 those days. Alfred's greatness was moral rather 
 than intellectual. In his reign some would place 
 the real beginning of English history. He was 
 called '' the truth-teller " by his people, who, in 
 spite of their early dislike, came to love and re- 
 vere him. His roll of Winton was the model of 
 the Domesday Book of WilHam the Conqueror. 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 45 
 
 EDWARD THE ELDER, 
 
 Reigned from 901 to 925. 
 
 " Happy the land whose annals are not long." 
 Then Edward's realms were blest ; his rule was strong : 
 Scots, Welsh, and Danes own his superior sway ; 
 Cornwall and Cumbria his commands obey. 
 
 Edward the Elder, second son of Alfred, and his 
 successor, was not only King of all England, but 
 was Lord Paramount of Britain, all the peoples of 
 the island recognizing his supremacy. He was 
 confirmed in the succession, in 901, by the Witan or 
 Parliament. His reign, though a strong and victo- 
 rious one, presents comparatively few events for 
 record, excepting a succession of successful wars ; 
 but it was a very important period, and led ulti- 
 mately to a long epoch of prosperity and peace. 
 His power was far more extensive and secure than 
 that of any previous English king. Died in 925. 
 He was thrice married. His first wife was a shep- 
 herdess ; his third a lady named Elgiva (Aelfgifu), 
 a name which was very common among the Eng- 
 lish before the Norman Conquest. He was styled 
 '' The Elder," because he was the first of that 
 name who sat on the English throne. 
 
46 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ATHELSTAN. 
 
 Reigned from 925 to 940. 
 
 This hardy monarcli claims no humble place 
 Among the kings of Cerdic's royal race. 
 Wise were his laws and just, tho' oft severe ; 
 His falchion taught th' invading Dane to fear. 
 
 Athelstan, son of Edward the Elder by his first 
 "wife, the peasant woman, succeeded to the throne 
 in 925. In his youth, he was the favorite of his 
 father and his grandfather, Alfred. Soon after his 
 succession, his half-brother, Alfred, made an unsuc- 
 cessful plot to put out the king's eyes. Athelstan's 
 reign was a successful one. The 'Danes were re- 
 pelled in bloody wars ; the royal power over the 
 Celtic parts of the island was confirmed ; the laws 
 and the coinage were reformed ; and justice was 
 administered with an unsparing hand. The king 
 died childless in 940. Of his half-sisters, one was 
 married to Charles the Simple, King of France ; 
 one to Hugh Capet ; one to the Emperor Otho ; 
 one to the King of Aries ; and one to the Count 
 of Montmorenci. 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 47 
 
 EDMUND I. 
 
 Eeigned from 940 to 946. 
 
 See ! in the North the flames of war arise, 
 And blazing town and temple light the skies ; 
 Dark lower the clouds of wrath athwart the land ; 
 Good Edmund falls beneath a felon's hand. 
 
 Edmund I., son of Edward the Elder and Elgiya, 
 came to the throne in 940, and was soon engaged 
 in a severe war with his northern subjects, whom 
 he compelled to submit; but on May 26, 946, he 
 was killed in his own house at Puckle -Church by 
 Liofa, a noted outlaw. By Elgiva, his wife, Ed- 
 mund left two infant sons. He was a man of 
 unusual ability and self-control. 
 
48 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 EDRED. 
 
 Eeigned from 946 to 955. 
 
 Great Dunstan comes ! ruler of Church and State ; 
 Strict in his creed and life, in all things great : 
 Armies and kings the haughty monk obey, 
 And Rome o'er Britain once again bears sway. 
 
 Edred, brother of Edmund I., was chosen his 
 successor, and came to the royal dignity in 946. 
 He was, like most of his predecessors, a ruler of 
 excellent character and abilities. Wars with the 
 Danes and Northumbrians marked his reign, which 
 was farther distinguished by the rise to power of 
 that remarkable man, St. Dunstan, henceforth for 
 years the central figure of English history. Edred 
 died Nov. 23, 955. 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 49 
 
 EDWY. 
 
 Eeigned from 955 to 958. 
 
 Unhappy prince ! and more unhappy State ! 
 Profuse he was and kind ; in nothing great : 
 Proud Duns tan lifts his hand against the crown, 
 And breaks his sovereign's power and grandeur down. 
 
 Edwy, son of Edmund I., born in 937, received 
 the crown in 955, as successor to his uncle, Edred. 
 He was profuse, amiable, and weak. His uncanon- 
 ical marriage with the beautiful Elgiva, his cousin, 
 involved him in an unfortunate contest with Dun- 
 stan and the monks ; and it is believed that he was 
 obliged to divorce his wife, and to receive his brother 
 Edgar as joint-king. Edwy died in 958, probably 
 by violence ; but the real history of his reign is 
 a matter of serious doubt. . . . During all these 
 years, after Alfred's time, as the kings and their 
 thanes were advancing in power, the people were 
 losing in freedom. Dunstan restored learning ; 
 did much to unite and consolidate England ; and 
 established the influence of the monasteries, at 
 the expense of the secular clergy and the canons 
 regular. 
 
60 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 EDGAR THE PEACEABLE. 
 
 Reigned from 943 to 975. 
 
 Proud Edgar reigns in splendid state and pride ; 
 
 Secure his realm from foes on every side ; 
 
 Yet was his heart impure, evil his days, 
 
 Though church and monks and priesthood sound his praise. 
 
 Edgar the Peaceable was SO called, not from his 
 disposition, but because his government was so 
 strong that his sway was secure from successful 
 assault. He was the son of Edmund I., was born 
 in 943, and was made joint-king with Edwy, whom 
 he succeeded in 959. Shrewdly attaching Dunstan 
 to his interest, he reigned with great power, secu- 
 rity, and splendor ; but his private character was 
 evil. His first wife was named Elfleda ; his sec- 
 ond, Elfrida. St. Edith the Younger was his 
 natural daughter. The king died in 975. 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 61 
 
 EDWARD THE MARTYR. 
 
 Reigned from 975 to 979. 
 
 Now, luckless factions churcH and realm divide, — ■ 
 Ambition vies with party zeal and pride ; 
 The ill-starred Edward's murder leads the way 
 To fresh disaster and a foreign sway. 
 
 Edward the Martyr, born about 962, was the eldest 
 son of Edgar and Elfleda, or ^thelflaed. Supported 
 by Dunstan and the church-reforming or Romaniz- 
 ing party, he came to the succession in 975 ; but 
 was opposed by a faction which advocated the 
 claims of Ethelred, son of the late king by his 
 second wife, Elfrida. The married clergy sup- 
 ported the latter party ; which, however, was over- 
 borne by the energy and address of Dunstan. 
 Soon after, probably by Elfrida's orders, the young 
 king, her guest, was murdered as he was drinking 
 the stirrup-cup (979). The unfortunate young 
 man was mourned as a martyr, and miracles were 
 reported to have been observed in the presence of 
 his relics. 
 
62 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ETHELRED 11. 
 
 Reigned from 979 to 1016. 
 
 The star-crossed, ill-advised, unready king 
 
 Did on the realm untold disaster bring ; 
 
 The home-bred traitor and the plundering Dane 
 
 Distress the land, throughout this lengthened reign. 
 
 Ethelred n. the Unready, a SOn of Edgar by El- 
 frida, was born in 965, and succeeded his half- 
 brotber in 979. " Vigorous only at the wrong 
 place," without moral purpose or practical wisdom, 
 bis reign wa^ a long series of disasters. The death 
 of Dunstan (988) deprived England of her wisest 
 public man. In 982, London was destroyed by 
 fire. The renewed and iitterly horrible devasta- 
 tions of the Danes and Norwegians were restrained 
 only by the payment of large and frequent tribute. 
 There were unlucky wars in Normandy and in 
 Cumberland ; and on Nov. 13, 1002 (St. Brice's 
 day), the king caused all the Danes in the land to 
 be put to death. This event aroused the vengeful 
 ire of Sweyn, King of the Danes. Then followed 
 the war of the Danish conquest, with famine, 
 pestilence, and a murrain upon the flocks ; the 
 Scottish borderers made bloody forays in the North ; 
 treason and cowardice sj)read among the English 
 
THE ANGLO-SAXON KINGS. 63 
 
 people.; Sweyn was acknowledged King of Eng- 
 land in 1013 ; Ethelred fled to Normandy in 1014 ; 
 and in the same year Sweyn died and was suc- 
 ceeded by his son Canute (Knut). But Ethelred 
 returned (1014) ; renewed the war, and with un- 
 wonted success ; for he expelled Canute and 
 reigned again as king. Ethelred died April 23, 
 1016. He was twice married ; first to a lady of 
 English birth, and next to Emma of Normandy. 
 Canute did not long remain in Denmark ; but 
 returned with a powerful force and made himself 
 master of all England, about the time of Ethel- 
 red's death. 
 
64 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 EDMUND 11. 
 
 Reigned in 1016. 
 
 The valiant Edmund reigns with powerful sway, 
 Saxons and Danes a double rule obey ; 
 Till Treachery, with her false decipitf ul hand, 
 Leaves great Canute alone to rule the land. 
 
 Edmund II., Ironside, born in 989, was a son of 
 Ethelred II. by his first queen ; was distinguished 
 in early youth for valor and energy, and on his 
 father's death in 1016 was chosen by a party of the 
 English to be their king, -although Canute had 
 been elected by the Witan. Attacking the vic- 
 torious Canute with uncommon skill and vigor, in 
 a series of battles, he soon compelled the Dane to 
 consent to a division of the kingdom ; and, but for 
 treason among his followers, he would probably 
 have expelled Canute. Edmund died in London 
 Nov. 3(J, 1016, probably by violence. All the acts 
 of his short reign were glorious ; and he left a 
 high reputation as a warrior and a king, — his 
 hardy constitution, combined with his valor, ob- 
 taining him the surname of '^ Ironside." 
 
FOUR DANISH KINGS. 
 
 SWEYN. 
 
 Reigned from 1013 to 1014. 
 
 England, to arms, to arms ! Behold the Dane ! 
 Behold the godless Norse, the Forkbeard Sweyn ! 
 They come with axe and brand, a living tide, 
 To burn your towns and ravage far and wide. 
 
 Sweyn, Sweno, Swegen, or Swend, surnamed 
 Forkbeard, was a son of Harald Blaatand, King of 
 Denmark, whom the son overthrew and banished. 
 Sweyn was for many years the terror of the north- 
 ern coasts. As a pirate-king his exploits on sea 
 and land were alike renowned. Bred a Christian, 
 he apostatized to the old heathen faith, and restored 
 the worship of idols in Denmark. He from time 
 to time ravaged England in person ; and in 1003 
 he determined upon its conquest, being exasperated 
 by the massacre of St. Brice, on which occasion it 
 is believed that his sister, Gunhild, was murdered. 
 This conquest was completed in 1013, when he 
 was declared King of all England, although Ethel- 
 red was still living in Normandy. Late in life, he 
 returned to the Christian faith. He died in Feb. 
 1014, at Gainsborough, and was buried at Roskild, 
 in Denmark. He was an able soldier, and a man 
 of cruel character and most persistent energy. 
 
56 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 CANUTE. 
 
 Reigned from 1013 to 1035. 
 
 Lord of tkree realms, the great Canute bore sway, 
 O'er England, Denmark, and vast Norroway ; 
 But England was his choice above the rest, 
 For England and her sons he loved the best. 
 
 Canute, or Knut, was the son of Svreyn, whom he 
 succeeded in England (1013) by the choice of the 
 Danish fleet, his brother Harold succeeding in 
 Denmark, of which country, however, Canute be- 
 came king soon after. Defeated and driven to his 
 ships by Ethelred, he came back with a great fleet 
 and army in 1015, and in 1016 compelled the Witan 
 to choose him king ; but the skill and vigor of Ed- 
 mund Ironside forced Canute, after a short and 
 bloody campaign, to give up a large portion of the 
 realm. But Edmund's untimely death soon restored 
 the whole kingdom to the Dane, and in 1017 his suc- 
 cession was confirmed by election ; soon after which 
 he married Emma, widow of Ethelred, having first 
 repudiated Elgiva, who is mentioned sometimes as 
 his wife and sometimes as a concubine. Canute 
 became thoroughly English in spirit, and his reign 
 in Britain was one of justice, honor, and security. 
 
rOUR DANISH KINGS. 67 
 
 He was however very ambitious, and occasionally 
 guilty of violence. In 1028, he reconquered Nor- 
 way, which had revolted under St. Olaf Haraldsson. 
 Canute died at Shaftesbury, Nov. 12, 1035, much 
 lamented by the people ; and was canonized by 
 the Church, of which he had been a liberal patron. 
 The long wars between Dane and Enghshman 
 had ended. The Anglo-Saxon people had lost 
 much of their ancient spirit of freedom ; and the 
 infusion of a fresh and unslaved Norse element did 
 much for England, as it also did for Normandy and 
 the Sicilies, 
 
68 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 HAROLD I. 
 
 Reigned from 1035 to 1040. 
 
 Of half-Dane Harold little good is known. 
 London, then Wessex, called him to the throne. 
 His deeds were few, and slender was his fame, — 
 Nothing to praise, and little more to blame. 
 
 Harold I., Harefoot, the reputed son of Canute 
 by the repudiated Elgiva of Northampton, was 
 chosen king for the region north of the Thames, 
 by the Witan of 1035 ; while to his half-brother, 
 Hardicanute, or Harthacnut, Wessex was assigned. 
 In 1036, the Saxon prince, Alfred, headed a rising 
 against the king ; but was taken, and put to a cruel 
 death. In 1037, Wessex formally deposed her 
 king, Hardicanute, and chose Harold in his stead. 
 Harold died at Oxford, March 17, 1040. He was 
 chiefly famous for fleetness of foot. 
 
rOUR DA'NISH KINGS. 59 
 
 HARDICANUTE. 
 
 Reigned from 1040 to 1042. 
 
 Unworthy of his kingdom and his crown, 
 Without a thought for honor or renown, 
 The worthless king disgraced his country's name. 
 And covered his own memory with shame. 
 
 Hardicanute (Harthacnut), a son of Canute and 
 the Norman Emma, born about 1020, was chosen 
 King of Wessex in 1035, on Canute's death ; but 
 in 1037 was formally deposed, because he tarried 
 so long in Denmark. He was on his way to 
 England with a strong force, prepared to enforce 
 his claim to the throne, — for he had been the 
 choice of the old English, while his brother, Har- 
 old, had been preferred in the Anglo-Danish party, 
 — but on his arrival he learned that his brother 
 was already dead. The crown was at once be- 
 stowed upon him. He died childless at Lambeth, 
 June 8, 1042. Thus ended the Danish line. Cru- 
 elty and gluttony were Hardicanute's prominent 
 qualities. 
 
SAXON LINE RESTORED. 
 
 EDWARD THE CONFESSOR. 
 
 Reigned from 1042 to 1066. 
 
 Edward more honored was as saint than king ; 
 Small fame could such a lord to England bring. 
 See Norman priests and bishops mutter prayer. 
 And Edward's realm for Norman rule prepare ! 
 
 Edward the Confessor, son of Ethelred IT., and 
 half-brother of Hardicanute, was chosen in 1042 
 to succeed the latter ; and, having returned from 
 his long exile in France, was crowned at Win- 
 chester, in 1043. Like his father, he was a man of 
 small energy, but, unlike him, he possessed a char- 
 acter of remarkable piety, which was, however, of 
 a monastic type. He was more commonly gentle 
 in manner, though occasionally cruel ; and he was 
 inordinately fond of the chase. The king was 
 devoted to the French adventurers in England, 
 and more especially to the priests. In 1045, he 
 married Eadgyth, daughter of Earl Godwine, the 
 most illustrious public man of his time and country. 
 Edward's reign, though much disturbed by the dis- 
 
SAXON LINE RESTORED. 61 
 
 sensions of the two parties, — the English and the 
 Norman factions, — was, on the whole, not an in- 
 glorious one, thanks to the energy and good sense 
 of Godwine and of Harold, his son, in succession 
 the virtual rulers of the realm. But the king's 
 fondness for things Norman prepared the way for 
 the Conquest of William. Edward died, Jan. 5, 
 1066 ; and was canonized, and styled '' The Con- 
 fessor," about a century later. 
 
62 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 HAROLD II. 
 
 Reigned in 1066. 
 
 England in vain, with goodly bill and bow, 
 Withstands on Senlac's crest the mail-clad foe ; 
 Stout Harold falls beneath a Norman hand, 
 And the proud William ravages the land. 
 
 Harold II., the last of the Saxon Kings of Eng- 
 land, was not of the royal race of Cerdic. He 
 was the son of the great Earl of Wessex, God wine, 
 who from a very humble station had become by far 
 the most powerful public man in England. Harold 
 shared his father's varying fortunes, and succeeded 
 to his great influence, becoming, during the latter 
 part of Edward's reign, the virtual ruler of the 
 land, and showing himself a man of great ability, 
 valor, and practical wisdom. He was crowned king 
 on the day after Edward's death, notwithstanding 
 an oath which he had made under compulsion while 
 in Normandy, to support the claim of the Duke 
 William to the succession. At the outset of his 
 reign, the Norman offered peace on terms which 
 Harold would not accept. Soon afterwards, Tos- 
 tig, Harold's malcontent brother, with Harald 
 Hardraade, King of Norway, sailed three hundred 
 ships into the Tyne, and began to harry the coun- 
 
SAXON LINE RESTORED. 63 
 
 try; but Harold met the invaders at Stamford 
 Bridge, where Tostig and the King of Norway 
 were slain, and their army totally overthrown. 
 Meanwhile, the Norman forces were landing at 
 various points, and centring upon Hastings in 
 Sussex. Harold took up a strong position at 
 Senlac, now Battle, nine miles away. Here, on 
 Oct. 14, 1066, the English and Norman hosts met ; 
 and, after a terrific struggle, which lasted all day, 
 — one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles in 
 mediaeval history, — Harold and most of his nobles 
 being slain, victory remained with the Norman in- 
 vader. Harold was a man of noble presence, — 
 recklessly brave, and very generous ; but he was 
 not possessed of the highest moral qualities : sel- 
 fishness and impiety were marked traits in his 
 character. 
 
NORMAN LINE. 
 
 WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 
 
 Reigned from 1066 to 1087. 
 
 William, a spurious branch of Rollo's race, 
 From Norman's Duke to England's King we trace. 
 He conquered Saxon Harold, seized the throne ; 
 Was brave, yet proud, and partial to his own. 
 
 "William the Conqueror was a natural SOn of 
 Robert, Duke of Normandy, by Arietta of Falaise, 
 a tanner's daughter. Born in 1027 or 1028, he 
 succeeded his father in the duchy in 1035, when 
 seven years old ; won the battle of Val-es-Dunes 
 in 1047, over his rebellious subjects ; visited Eng- 
 land in 1051, and married Matilda, of Flanders, in 
 1053, she being a descendant of Alfred the Great ; 
 and openly laid claim to the English throne during 
 Edward's life, ostensibly on the ground of a 
 promise of the succession from Edward. He was, 
 probably, prompted to this course by various con- 
 siderations. Though not of English blood-royal, 
 he was a near kinsman of the king's mother ; there 
 was a failure of direct heirs to the throne, the only 
 available candidate of royal descent being Edgar 
 the Atheling, a man of unambitious character ; and, 
 
NORMAN LINE. 65 
 
 more than all, the Pope had confirmed William 
 in his pretensions. The Norman army was much 
 better equipped and disciplined than the English, 
 yet William's victory at Senlac was dearly bought. 
 Even after victory, William was not yet king. 
 We find him winning over Kent by acts of clem- 
 ency ; then marching towards and around the 
 obstinate Londoners, harrying and burning as he 
 went, with a view of cutting off supplies ; but 
 when he reached Berkhampstead, the southern 
 English abandoned all resistance and submitted ; 
 and on Christmas (1066) he was crowned. On 
 the same day, his followers, terrified by the shout 
 within the cathedral as the people declared their 
 determination to support the new king, set fire 
 to Westminster, and the king and clergy were 
 left alone in the church. 
 
 England was not yet conquered. William was 
 stubbornly resisted; but the resistance had no 
 leadership and no organization. Nevertheless, 
 it lasted for some years, and was a prime cause 
 of the severe nature of William's rule. The 
 great landholders were mostly displaced by Nor- 
 man and French adventurers. The forms of 
 English law were in name preserved, but the 
 spirit was entirely changed. Those parts of Eng- 
 land which resisted the king were systematically 
 laid waste ; and for many years Saxon England 
 groaned under a heavy yoke. One great event 
 of this reign was the general survey of England, 
 
66 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 and the recording of its results in the Domesday 
 Book. William died at Rouen, in France, Sept. 9, 
 1087. He was tall, and late in life became very 
 corpulent. His abilities as a general and ruler 
 were of the first order. To commemorate his great 
 victory, he founded at Senlac (now Battle, in 
 Sussex) a famous Benedictine abbey, which is 
 now in ruins. One of the greatest crimes of 
 William's reign was the depopulation and afforest- 
 ing of the great tract called the New Forest, in 
 Hampshire, which is still a portion of the crown- 
 lands of Great Britain. He also wasted Northum- 
 berland so utterly, that it remained a wilderness 
 for more than a century. 
 
 The Normans (Norsemen, iVbr^^-men), at the 
 time of the conquest (1066), were the principal 
 people of Normandy, a large and semi-independent 
 duchy which existed in the north of France. Its 
 people were, to a great extent, the descendants of 
 a colony of Danes and Norwegians, who colonized 
 the country under Rollo, or Rolf, a piratical chief, 
 in 876. In a short time, the Northmen became 
 thoroughly Gallicized, — more French than the 
 French themselves. From Normandy expeditions 
 were sent out which conquered England, Naples, 
 Sicily, and large regions in the East. The Nor- 
 mans were a gallant race, preeminent in chival- 
 rous exercises and in the spreading of the feudal 
 system throughout a large portion of Europe. 
 
NORMAN LINE. 67 
 
 WILLIAM RUFUS- 
 
 Reigned from 1087 to 1160. 
 
 William the Second won but little fame ; 
 He built the Hall which Westminster we name ; 
 Was valiant, rash, intemperate, and vain, 
 And was by Tyrrell in New Forest slain. 
 
 "William II. (Rufus, the Red, so called from the 
 color of his hair), the second surviving son of the 
 Conqueror, was born in Normandy, in 1056, and in 
 accordance with the dying wish of his father was 
 crowned King of England, in 1087 ; his elder 
 brother, Robert Curthose, who had been engaged 
 in persistent rebellion during the late reign, receiv- 
 ing Normandy as his portion. But many barons 
 embraced Robert's cause ; and from time to time 
 war broke out between the two brothers, until at 
 last the departure of the impulsive Robert for the 
 Crusades left William in undisturbed possession of 
 both countries. But on Aug. 2, 1100, the king 
 was found dead in the New Forest in Hampshire, 
 with an arrow in his heart ; and the story went 
 abroad that he had been accidentally slain by the 
 hand of one Walter Tyrrell. Some historians would 
 have us disbelieve the almost uniform accounts of 
 
68 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 this king's tyranny, brutality, and injustice ; but 
 his displacement of the wise and good Lanfranc 
 from his counsels, his constant oppression of the 
 Church, which was in those days the strongest stay 
 of justice and right, and in short the general 
 consent of contemporary writers, compel us to re- 
 gard him as one of the least worthy of the English 
 kings. 
 
NORMAN LINE. 69 
 
 HENRY L, BEAUCLERC. 
 
 Reigned from 1100 to 1135. 
 
 Learned and polite, the Conqueror's youngest son 
 By wisdom kept the crown his wiles had won ; 
 Brave, handsome, sober, to his subjects kind, 
 Yet to base passions virtue oft resigned. 
 
 Henry I. (Beauclerc, SO called from his love of 
 learning), was the fourth son of the Conqueror, 
 born at Selby, in Yorkshire, in 1068. Being pres- 
 ent in the New Forest at the time of his brother's 
 death, some historians have suspected him of com- 
 plicity in the supposed murder. He at once made 
 his way to Winchester, and drawing his sword took 
 from the King's treasurer the crown-funds. His 
 reign was marked at first by many acts of clemency 
 and justice. The king took from her convent the 
 Scottish Edith, or Matilda, a descendant of the old 
 English kings, and made her his queen, — thus 
 conciliating the Scots and the English alike. He 
 also won the favor of the Church, and reigned with 
 power and dignit3^ but without great security ; for 
 Robert returned from the East, and bloody wars 
 followed, chiefly in Normandy. Finally, after long 
 years of confinement, the unlucky Robert ended 
 
70 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. * 
 
 his days in prison. In 1120, William, the* king's 
 only legitimate son, was drowned by the sinking of 
 the " White Ship " in which he was crossing the 
 channel, two of the king's daughters perishing at 
 the same time. Henry, it is said, never smiled 
 again. Adelais, his second wife, was- childless. 
 In 1127, Henry's daughter Maud, or Matilda, the 
 widow of the Emperor Henry V., was married to 
 Geoffrey Plantagenet, of Anjou ; and from this mar- 
 riage sprang the royal race of the Plantagenets. 
 Henry died, Dec. 1, 1135, from eating lampreys, 
 of which fish he was inordinately fond. The great 
 Anselm was the chief ornament of this reign, which 
 was on the whole an enlightened and just one. Dur- 
 ing this period occurred a great religious revival 
 or reformation (1071-1127), under the lead of the 
 Cistercian monks. 
 
NORMAN LINE. 71 
 
 STEPHEN. 
 
 Reigned from 1135 to 1154. 
 
 Valiant and prudent, but of dubious right, 
 Which oft with various chance was tried in fight ; 
 At length, his own son dead, this prince agreed 
 That Henrj, son of Maud, should him succeed. 
 
 Stephen of Blois, a son of Adela, daughter of 
 William the Conqueror, was born in 1106. A few 
 days after Henry's death, he was crowned king, 
 being the favorite of the Londoners, — although 
 Theobald, his elder brother was the first choice of 
 the barons, and Henry Plantagenet, Maud's young 
 son, was the only lineal male descendant of the 
 late king ; while Maud herself had been named by 
 her father for the succession. The laws of succes- 
 sion were at that time not defined ; and, though 
 many legal historians have pronounced Stephen's 
 title a valid one, it is evident that it was regarded 
 at that time as a matter of question. Stephen had 
 been a great favorite with the king, his uncle, and 
 had sworn to maintain the claims of Maud. He 
 was a man of popular and courteous manners, and 
 brave though mild disposition, although he had 
 been a pirate. His fondness for display soon in- 
 
72 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 volved him in wasteful expenses ; and the barons 
 (at that time far too powerful) fell away and 
 joined Matilda's party. In 1141, Matilda was 
 crowned, while the unhappy Stephen was thrust 
 into irons ; but the new queen's arrogance and 
 severity speedily alienated her friends, so that 
 Stephen was set at liberty, the bloody wars were 
 renewed, and Matilda was obliged to retire to Nor- 
 mandy, where her son Henry became Duke. The 
 latter invaded England in 1153, and brought Ste- 
 phen to a compromise, — Stephen remaining king, 
 and consenting that Henry should succeed him; 
 since his own son Eustace was now dead. Stephen 
 died, Oct. 25, 1154. Valor and knightly courtesy 
 were Stephen's best characteristics ; but he was 
 quite unfit to rule in the stormy times in which 
 he lived. 
 
PLANTAGENETS. 
 
 HENRY 11. 
 
 Reigned from 1154 to 1189. 
 
 First of Plantagenets now Henry reigns, 
 Famed for his power and his large domains ; 
 A priest imperious vexed him all his life, 
 His sons proved rebels, and a shrew his wife. 
 
 Henry II. (Fitz-Empress), son of Geoffre)^ Plan- 
 tagenet, Duke of Anjou, by Matilda, Empress 
 Dowager of Germany, was the sole surviving lawful 
 offspring of Henry T. Henry II. was born at Le 
 Mans, in France, in 1133. Through his mother, he 
 was descended from Ethelred the Unready, just as 
 his grandfather, Henrj^ I., had inherited the blood 
 of the great Alfred, through Matilda of Flanders. 
 On Stephen's death, Henry came to the English 
 throne. He is reckoned the first of the Plantag- 
 enets, although that name was not assumed by the 
 family until some three hundred years later. The 
 father of Henry wore, as a badge, a sprig of broom 
 or weld QG-enista tinctoria)^ called in French genet 
 Qplanta genista^ in late Latin) ; whence the name. 
 
74 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Henry by inheritance became Duke of Normandy ; 
 had seized by violence the territories of Anjou, 
 Touraine, and Maine, and by marriage with Eleanor, 
 the divorced and dishonored Queen of France, he 
 became lord of Gascony, Poitou, and A^uitaine, — 
 the whole including not less than half the present 
 area of France, — for all of which regions he did 
 feudal homage to the French monarch. Henry 
 was an able ruler, and " the great legislator of 
 English feudalism ; but he was always Angevin, 
 never English," in his sympathies. Prominent 
 events of his reign were the enactment of the Con- 
 stitutions of Clarendon (1164), the struggle with 
 A Becket, and the murder of that prelate (1170) ; 
 the conquest of Ireland (1169-72), and the wars 
 with Wales, Scotland, and France, and with his own 
 wife and sons. He was a man of loose and irregu- 
 lar life, without moral scruples, but of great ability. 
 Died at Chinon, in France, in July, 1189. More 
 than one thousand feudal castles, " dens of thieves " 
 he called them, were destroyed by this king. 
 
PLANTAGENETS. 75 
 
 RICHARD I., COEUR DE LION. 
 
 Reigned from 1189 to 1199. 
 
 Richard, for boist'rous courage chiefly known, 
 Wasted his years in countries not his own. 
 A pris'ner long, at length untimely slain ; 
 England had small advantage from his reign. 
 
 Richard I. (Lion-Heart, or Coeur de Liori)^ son 
 of Henry II., was born at Oxford, Sept. 13, 1157, 
 and was made titular Duke of Guienne. In 1173, 
 we find him engaged in a revolt with Henry, his 
 elder brother ; and, in 1189, he joined the French 
 King in another war against his father. On the 
 death of Henry, he assumed the crown, and in the 
 following year went with the King of France to 
 the wars in the Holy Land, where he won a splen- 
 did fame by his valor ; but his reputation was 
 deeply stained by acts of extreme cruelty. In 
 1192, he concluded with his great enemy, Saladin, 
 a truce for three years, three months, three weeks, 
 and three days ; and, while passing homeward 
 through Germany, he was arrested and imprisoned 
 by Leopold of Austria (whose banners he had in- 
 sulted in the Holy Land), and was sold to the 
 Emperor Henry VI. for fifty thousand marks. In 
 
76 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 1194, Richard's subjects ransomed him for twice or 
 thrice that sum. Eichard was confined in the castle 
 of Durrenstein, on the Danube ; and, in the old 
 (but probably fictitious) story, the discovery of the 
 ^ place of his imprisonment is said to have been 
 made by Blondel, a favorite minstrel of the king, 
 who was playing on the harp and singing beneath 
 the castle window, when he heard the king's voice 
 as he joined in the well-remembered refrain. 
 
 The rest of his life was mainly spent in war with 
 France, in which he won brilliant but transient 
 successes, till, while besieging the Castle of Cha- 
 ins to compel the Viscount of Limoges, one of his 
 own vassals, to surrender a treasure he had found 
 in one of his fields, and of which Richard claimed 
 the whole as sovereign lord of the territory, he 
 was struck in the shoulder by an arrow sent from 
 a cross-bow ; and the wound being unskilfully 
 dressed, the king died of gangrene, April 8, 1199. 
 This monarch left but little mark on English his- 
 tory. His valor was equalled by his arrogance, 
 prodigality, and cruelty ; but the splendor of his 
 military fame concealed, to a great extent, his less 
 admirable qualities. He had much reputation as 
 a troubadour and a linguist. In his reign, but 
 through no merit of his own, England made con- 
 siderable progress in social and legal reform. The 
 famous outlaw, Robin Hood, is said to have lived ^ 
 during this period. 
 
PLANTAGENETS. 77 
 
 JOHN, LACKLAND. 
 
 Eeigned from 1199 to 1216. 
 
 John's reign was full of trouble and turmoils, 
 From his bad conduct and from priestly wiles ; 
 England's great Charter by the Barons won 
 He gave, but to the Pope resigned his crown. 
 
 John, surnamed Lackland (either as a younger 
 and portionless son, or on account of the loss of 
 his ancestral domains in France, and of his sur- 
 render of his English sovereignty to the pope), 
 v^as born at Oxford, in 1166, — the youngest son 
 of Henry II. During the captivity of Richard, 
 who had conferred much power and favor upon 
 him, he basely attempted to secure for himself 
 the crown. Seven weeks after Richard's death, 
 John began to reign (1199), to the exclusion of 
 Prince Arthur, son of Geoffrey, Henry II.'s eld- 
 est son, who died in his father's lifetime. John's 
 reign was probably agreed upon by the barons, on 
 account of the tender years and inexperience of 
 Arthur, — whose mother Constance, by the aid of 
 the King of France, made war upon John, and 
 speedily stripped him of the greater part of his 
 French possessions. Meanwhile, the unhappy 
 Arthur was made a prisoner, and put to death. 
 
78 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Interesting and important events of this reign 
 are the king's worse than vain struggle with the 
 Church regarding investitures ; the excommuni- 
 cation of John, and the interdict laid upon all 
 England (1208) ; the deposal of the king by the 
 pope ; his submission, and resignation of the crown 
 into the hands of the papal legate (1213) ; the 
 struggle of the barons against roj^al aggrandize- 
 ment ; the granting of Magna Charta at Runny- 
 mede (1215) ; and the invasion of England by the 
 Dauphin of France (1216), who was the barons' 
 candidate for the royal dignity. The king died at 
 Newark, Oct. 19, 1216. Even this worst of kings 
 has found his modern defenders ; but his cruel 
 oppression of his English as well as Jewish sub- 
 jects, his rapacity, his treachery, and his fondness 
 for excessively severe punishments, are well estab- 
 lished facts. It must, however, be remembered that 
 the cause of the barons at Runnymede was the 
 cause of feudalism, and not primarily that of pop- 
 ular rights. In England, as in Spain and France, 
 the downfall of feudalism led first to the establish- 
 ment of despotism ; yet popular rights were nowhere 
 in Europe made secure, except where feudal rights 
 were first either destroyed or greatly modified: 
 nevertheless, the Great Charter was the foundation 
 of English and American liberty. In spite of his 
 enormous crimes, John had many warm friends. 
 His abilities were of the first order. 
 
PLANTAGENETS. 79 
 
 HENRY III. 
 
 Reigned from 1216 to 1272. 
 
 This king chief note in history doth gain 
 From civil discord and protracted reign ; 
 Fickle and weak, he saw his crown just gone ; 
 Yet dying, left it to his warlike son. 
 
 Henry III., son of Joliii by Queen Isabella of 
 Angouleme, was born at Winchester, in 1206, and 
 in 1216 succeeded his father as king. His youth 
 and minority, and the troubled times in which his 
 reign began, led to serious political difficulties and 
 civil wars, which lasted throughout a large part of 
 his long reign. The king himself was a man of 
 mild temper, fair natural endowments, good inten- 
 tions, and generally correct life ; but there was a 
 threefold struggle going on between the feudal 
 lords, the crown, and the Church, — crown and 
 barons opposing the Church's encroachments ; 
 Church and people opposing the tyranny of king 
 and feudal lords ; and the barons opposing the 
 growing power of the royal ministers. To control 
 such a struggle would have taxed severely the 
 abilities of a ruler of the strongest will and the 
 sharpest intellect ; and Henry had neither strong 
 will nor acute intellect. The great Simon de 
 
80 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Montfort, Earl of Leicester and brother-in-law of 
 the king, was the leader of the baronial party, and 
 was long the virtual ruler of England. In 1265, 
 De Montfort summoned a Parliament at London, 
 in which popular representatives sat for the first 
 time ; and this is regarded as the origin of the 
 British House of Commons, and the real germ of 
 future English liberty. This was done in the 
 name of the king, who was then a prisoner. In 
 that year, the victory of Evesham, gained by Ed- 
 ward, the king's son, gave Henry his liberty, and 
 restored the royal authority. The king died, Nov. 
 16, 1272. He is chiefly noted as a builder ; and 
 many fine Gothic buildings now standing, — mostly 
 in what is called the First Pointed, Early English, 
 or Primitive Ogival style, — attest his excellent 
 taste, and that of his brother, the King of the 
 Romans. England grew wealthy and prosperous, 
 in spite of political evils. Roger Bacon, Matthew 
 Paris, and Henry Bracton are among the illustrious 
 names which adorn this period. 
 
PLANTAGENETS. 81 
 
 EDWARD I., LONGSHANKS. 
 
 Eeigned from 1272 to 1307. 
 
 Far distant, when acknowledged, Edward came, 
 Assumed the crown, and ruled with matchless fame ; 
 Welsh, Scots, he conquered ; made and unmade kings ; 
 Reformed the laws, and clipped the clergy's wings. 
 
 Edward I. (Longshanks), son of Henry III. by 
 Eleanor of Provence, was born at Westminster, 
 June 18, 1239. His great victory at Evesham, in 
 1265, restored peace to England and established the 
 royal supremacy. In 1271, he took an important 
 part in a crusade in the Holy Land ; and upon his 
 return, his father having died during his absence, 
 Edward came to the throne. Important events 
 of this reign were the final conquest of Wales 
 (1277-82); bloody wars with France and with 
 Scotland, over which country he claimed to be Lord 
 Paramount ; the gallant resistance of Wallace and 
 of Bruce (1294-1307) ; the expulsion of the Jews 
 from the realm (1290) ; the thorough reform of the 
 coinage, and the great improvement of the laws ; 
 the confirmation of Magna Charta, and the great 
 abridgment of the powers of the clergy, who had 
 usurped many of the judicial and legal functions 
 of the government. The king died at Burgh-upon- 
 
 6 
 
82 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Sands, May 6, 1307. He was a severe, but in the 
 main a just, ruler at home ; yet in Scotland we 
 find him, according to most historians, exceedingly 
 cruel and vindictive. Nevertheless, he was in many 
 respects the best and ablest statesman that ever sat 
 on the English throne, and constitutional law may 
 be almost said to date from his reign. His personal 
 character presents " a strange union of justice and 
 wrong-doing, of nobleness and of meanness." 
 
PLANTAGENETS. 83 
 
 EDWARD II., OF CAERNARVON. 
 
 Reigned from 1307 to 1327. 
 
 Poor Edward's morn the brightest prospect hails ; 
 The Welsh proclaimed him, — he was born in Wales ; 
 But by his queen and Mortimer dethroned, 
 Oppressed by murd'rers, poor Caernarvon groaned. 
 
 Edward II. (of Caernarvon), son of Edward I. and 
 Isabella, his queen, was born at Caernarvon, in 
 Wales, April 25, 1284, not long after the conquest 
 of that country ; to the people of which, we are 
 told, Edward I. had promised a prince, born in 
 their own land, and who could not speak a word 
 of English. From this time on, the eldest son 
 of the English monarch has borne the title of 
 Prince of Wales, — a title which had for some 
 centuries before belonged to certain native chiefs. 
 Edward was a handsome youth, of feeble will, 
 spoiled by the over-indulgence of his father ; and 
 throughout his public life he was the tool of infa- 
 mous favorites. In 1314, the Scots defeated him 
 with great loss in the decisive battle of Bannock- 
 burn, where the feudal military system received its 
 first severe blow. This king, if we may believe 
 all that is recorded of him, was perhaps the most 
 utterly dissolute of all the bad kings England ever 
 
84 ENGLISH HISTOEY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 had. He was finally imprisoned by his wife and 
 most cruelly murdered, in Berkley Castle, Sept. 27, 
 1327. In this reign, the English branch of the 
 Knights Templars was abolished (1311), the good 
 laws of the late king were largely repealed, and 
 the Church regained much of its former excessive 
 power. Yet, with all his follies, Edward seems 
 to have been a man of intellectual power ; and his 
 fixed purpose was the humiliation of the great 
 feudal lords, who finally overthrew him. 
 
PLANTAGENETS. 85 
 
 ED WAED III. 
 
 Eeigned from 1327 to 1377. 
 
 Triumphant Edward, the Black Prince's sire. 
 
 In peace and war, we honor and admire ; 
 
 France conquered, Scots subdued, preserved his name ; 
 
 But his last days eclips'd his former fame. 
 
 Edward III., one of the most renowned of Eng- 
 lish kings, was the son of Edward II. and of his 
 queen, Isabella ; was born at Windsor, Nov. 13, 
 1312, and in 1327 was proclaimed king, before his 
 father's death. In 1328, he married Philippa of 
 Hainault; and, in 1333, defeated the Scots at 
 Halidon Hill. After the death of Charles the 
 Fair, in 1328, had left the French crown without 
 any direct male heir, Edward made claim to it on 
 the ground that, although by the Salic law his 
 mother, — a daughter of Philip the Fair, — was ex- 
 cluded from the succession, that exclusion did not 
 apply to himself as her heir ; but the crown law- 
 yers of Paris decided that Philip of Valois, her ^ 
 cousin, was the lawful claimant ; and, in 1340, 
 after much delay, Edward, impelled primarily by 
 French interference in the affairs of Guienne and 
 Scotland, began the first of a long series of wars 
 which deluged France in blood, and involved Eng- 
 
86 ENGLISH niSTOEY IN SHOKT STORIES. 
 
 land in great losses of men and treasure. The first 
 hero of these wars, on the English side, was Edward, 
 Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), who gained 
 the great victories of Crecy (1346), and of Poitiers 
 (1366), which latter gave Edward full sovereignty 
 over the south-west of France. Queen Philippa 
 also won the victory of Neville's Cross (1346) over 
 the Scots ; and in the same year the pirate-town 
 of Calais surrendered to the king, who, infuriated 
 by the long delay, spared its burgesses from exe- 
 cution onl}^ at the earnest request of the queen. 
 Soon after, a great fleet of Spanish pirates was 
 destroyed. The Black Prince also won great dis- 
 tinction in Spain (1367). Prominent features of 
 tliis period were the full development of the powers 
 of Parliament ; the separate organization of the 
 House of Commons ; the growth of trade and 
 manufactures ; the ascendancy of the English navy; 
 the introduction of fire-arms into general warfare ; 
 the decline of popular liberty ; the great increase 
 of knowledge and literary taste ; the rise of Wick- 
 liffe, and the spread of social refinement and of 
 morality. Edward's personal character was neither 
 pure nor noble. He died at Shene, June 21, 1377. 
 In 1348, the Black Death, the greatest pestilence 
 on record, swept over the. known world, and half 
 the people of England died. 
 
plantagSnets. 87 
 
 EICHARD II. 
 
 Eeigned from 1377 to 1399. 
 
 RiCHAKD from valiant sire and grandsire sprung, 
 Proved weak, perverse, and rash, — for he was young, 
 Yet brave ; from rebels did defend his throne, 
 And, when deposed, lost not his life alone. 
 
 Richard II., son of the Black Prince and of the 
 fair Jane of Kent, his cousin and wife, was born at 
 Bordeaux in 1366, and in 1877 was crowned with 
 great splendor. The j^oung king was at first very 
 popular ; but his extravagance and lack of judg- 
 ment, joined to the great war-burdens inherited 
 from the previous reign, increased the distresses of 
 the common people, — largely serfs and slaves, - — 
 thousands of whom came up in armed mobs from 
 Essex and Kent to London, having as their prin- 
 cipal leader one Wat, or Walter the Tyler, whom 
 the king boldly met in person with a few followers. 
 Tyler was killed by Walworth, the Lord Mayor, 
 after which the rabble was easily dispersed ; but 
 similar tumults were long continued. Prominent 
 events of this period were the English wars in the 
 Spanish peninsula; the battle of Otterburn, or 
 Chevy-Chace, Aug. 15, 1388 ; the banishment of 
 Henry of Lancaster; of the Duke of Norfolk; 
 
88 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 of the Earl of Northumberland and Harry Hot- 
 spur, his son ; and the mvasion of Ireland by the 
 king, — during whose absence Henry, Duke of Lan- 
 caster, returned from the continent with a strong 
 force, made Richard a prisoner upon his return 
 from Ireland, and usurped the throne (1399). 
 Richard died, Feb. 14, 1400, while in prison, where, 
 it has been said, he was attacked by eight hired 
 murderers, four of whom he slew before his fall ; 
 but the various stories of the manner of his death 
 are all doubtful. In this reign flourished Chaucer 
 and Gower, the poets ; Wickliffe, the reformer, the 
 scholar, and the philosopher. The side-saddle was 
 at this time introduced into England by Anne of 
 Bohemia, Richard's first wife. Throughout a great 
 part of the king's reign, his public acts were wise 
 and popular ; but his later course of tyranny drove 
 the great nobles into a revolt, which cost him his 
 crown. 
 
HOUSE OF LANCASTER, OR RED 
 ROSE. 
 
 HENRY IV., BOLINGBROKE. 
 
 Reigned from 1399 to 1413. 
 
 Lancastrian Henry now the throne possessed, 
 A prince of no mean politics confessed ; 
 A crown usurped, or else but bravely won, 
 He left regretful to his warlike son. 
 
 Henry IV. (Bolingbroke), son of John of Gaunt 
 (Ghent), Duke of Lancaster, and his wife, 
 Blanche, was born at Bolingbroke, in 1366 ; 
 and in 1397 married Mary de Bohun, and took 
 the title of Duke of Hereford. In 1398, he was 
 banished for ten years hj Richard II., who, in 
 1399, refused him the inheritance of his father's 
 estates ; whereupon Henry invaded England, and 
 usurped the throne, as has been already related, — 
 parliament having deposed Richard, and settled 
 the crown upon Henry, to the exclusion of the 
 heirs of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, fourth son 
 of Edward III. : for John of Gaunt, Henry's 
 father, was younger than Lionel. Henry, how- 
 ever, claimed a more direct (but very doubtful) 
 
90 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHOET STOKIES. 
 
 descent from Henry III., of whom he professed to 
 be the nearest heir-of-line. The doubt as to his 
 right brought on many insurrections, and led 
 finally to the famous Wars of the Eoses. The 
 Scots on the north, Owen Glendower in Wales, 
 and the powerful Percy family in the north of 
 England (the forces of the latter led by the gal- 
 lant Hotspur), all took arms against the king, and 
 made his reign a troubled one. Overwhelmed by 
 State cares, and worn out by chronic disease, 
 Henry died, March 20, 1413. Sensible of his de- 
 fective title, Henry bent all his energies to the 
 work of securing the support of the clergy. Hence 
 the Lollards, or Wicklififites, "reformers before 
 the reformation," were cruelly persecuted by his 
 officers. 
 
HOUSE OF LANCASTER. 91 
 
 HENRY V. 
 
 Reigned from 1413 to 1422. 
 
 All-conqueking Henry's parts and prowess rare, 
 The glorious fields of Agincourt declare ; 
 The vicious Prince a virtuous King became ; 
 But priests indulged kept England in a flame. 
 
 Henry V. (''Harry of Monmouth"), son of 
 Henry IV., was born at Monmouth, Aug. 9, 1388, 
 and was educated at Queen's college, Oxford. 
 According to some accounts, his early life was 
 dissolute; and it is narrated that he once struck, 
 in open court, the Justice Gascoyne, who had 
 sentenced one of the prince's rude companions for 
 some act of disorder. In very early life, he saw 
 service in the wars ; and, when barely fifteen years 
 old, he commanded with great success in Wales 
 against Glendower, and afterwards in the north 
 against the Percys. He was crowned upon the 
 death of his father, and from that time his life 
 became one of regularity and virtue. In 1415, he 
 invaded France, with a view of enforcing the old 
 claim of Edward III. to the French crown ; took 
 Harfleur by siege ; won the great battle of Agin- 
 court (Oct. 25, 1415) ; captured Rouen ; won 
 Pontoise, the key to Paris ; was declared Regent 
 
92 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 of France and heir to the king, Charles VI. ; in 
 1420, married Catharine, daughter of the king* 
 But the health of Henry was declining, and he 
 died, Aug. 31, 1422. His generalship, valor, gen- 
 erosity^, and justice made him popular ; but his 
 ambition loaded England with heavy burdens ; the 
 Lollards suffered a severe persecution, and the 
 king's conduct towards the people of France was 
 often exceedingly cruel. It is believed that 
 Henry's real motive in invading France was a 
 desire to gratify the demand of the great nobles 
 for booty; since the spoils of France in Edward 
 III.'s time had greatly enriched a few families, 
 although the burdens of the people were immensely 
 increased. 
 
HOUSE OF LANCASTEK. 93 
 
 HENRY VI. 
 
 Reigned from 1422 to 1461. 
 
 Meek, mild, and merciful, but weak his sway ; 
 A King of France the French would not obey ; 
 Tho' brave his Queen, the Yorkists seized his throne, 
 And his son's murder ushered in his own. 
 
 Henry VI. , only son of Henry V. and Catharine, 
 was born at Windsor, Dec, 6, 1421, and when 
 eight months old succeeded to the crowns of Eng- 
 land and France. During his long minority, the 
 French domains were freed from the incredibly 
 horrible English rule by the valor of Joan of Arc ; 
 while England was rent by contending factions. 
 In 1446, the king was married to that most able 
 and persistent woman, Margaret of Anjou, whose 
 masculine spirit compensated, to some extent, for 
 the mental and physical inactivity of her husband. 
 Chagrined by the loss of their French conquests 
 and of Guienne, and burdened by the expense of 
 long wars, a large portion of the English people 
 began to remember the superior claim of Richard, 
 Duke of York, to the throne. Richard was heir- 
 male to Lionel, Duke of Clarence, Edward III.'s 
 son ; while the king was descended from John of 
 Gaunt, a younger brother of Lionel. Hence orig- 
 
94 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 inated the Wars of the Roses (1456-85), — the 
 Red Rose being the badge of the Lancastrians, 
 (Henry VI. 's party), and the White Rose that of 
 the Yorkists. In these bloody wars more than 
 one hundred thousand people perished; English 
 feudalism was for ever destroj^ed ; the old Norman- 
 English nobility was almost annihilated, and some 
 eighty princes of the blood were slain ; and, worse 
 than all, the constitutional liberty which had 
 grown up under the Lancastrians, was exchanged 
 for the despotism of the Yorks and the Tudors. 
 Queen Margaret led the Lancastrians for years, 
 with great resolution, — the king being almost 
 passive, now in the hands of his friends, and 
 now in those of his enemies. In 1461, after York's 
 death, his son Edward became king ; but, in 1470, 
 Henry was for a short time restored, again to be 
 imprisoned in the Tower, where he died. May 22, 
 1471. He was a man of mild and kind disposition, 
 and the founder of several institutions of learning. 
 
HOUSE OF YOEK, OR WHITE EOSE. 
 
 EDWARD IV. 
 
 Reigned from 1461 to 1483. 
 
 Edward of York not unmolested reigned, 
 Yet, when victorious, he the throne maintained; 
 Revengeful, jealous, politic, and shrewd, 
 His virtues were but luxuries subdued. 
 
 Edward IV., son of Richard, Duke of York, was 
 bom at Rouen, France, April 39, 1442 ; and, on 
 his father's death in battle, became the Yorkist 
 candidate for the crotvn, — which he received in 
 1461, while Henry VL was yet alive. Queen 
 Margaret's severity had alienated the sympathies 
 of a large majority of even the Lancastrians, and 
 at last the Church, the main support of her faction, 
 went over to the Yorkist side. But the old queen 
 had a powerful army, and the battle of Towton, 
 with its forty thousand English dead, showed 
 Edward that even victory could be dearly bought. 
 Henry and Margaret were driven from the realm ; 
 but after a few years the Earl of Warwick, "the 
 king-maker," displeased at the king's marriage 
 
96 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 with Elizabeth Woodville, revolted and banished 
 Edward ; who, returning (1471) soon after with a 
 few men, advanced, and with wonderful resolution 
 and generalship regained his kingdom. He died, 
 April 9, 1483. Handsome in person, of most re- 
 markable courage and skill in warfare, his charac- 
 ter was ruined, and his life made a failure, by 
 inordinate self-indulgence and luxury. As a ruler 
 he was severe, but, in the main, prudent. He was 
 an exceedingly shrewd politician, and the founder 
 of the absolutism which came to its perfection 
 under the Tudors. His courtesy won him many 
 friends. Printing was introduced into England 
 during this j-eign, and Edward was the patron of 
 Caxton, the first English printer. 
 
HOUSE OF YORK. 97 
 
 EDWARD V. « 
 
 Reigned Two Months and Twelve Days, 1483. 
 
 Poor child, how short his reign ! domestic strife 
 Untimely closed his own and brother's life ; 
 He saw each faithful friend by friend expire . 
 By Richard's fraud, who did to rule aspire. 
 
 Edward V., sori of Edward IV. and Elizabeth 
 Woodville, was born at Westminster, Nov. 4, 
 1470 ; and, in 1483, succeeded his father ; was 
 deposed through the arts of his Uncle Richard, 
 Earl of Gloucester, the Regent, on the ground of 
 alleged illegitimacy ; and, after a reign of two 
 months and twelve days, was imprisoned in the 
 Tower, where he was murdered together with his 
 young brother, by command of Richard, some nine 
 weeks later. 
 
98 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 RICHARD III., HUNCH-BACK, 
 
 Reigned from 1483 to 1485. 
 
 Richard, with deep hypocrisy endued 
 Ambitious, cruel, destitute of good, 
 Did public praise obtain by wholesome laws, 
 And bravely fell, had virtue been the cause. 
 
 Richard III. (Hunch-back), son of Richard, 
 Duke of York, and brother of Edward IV., was 
 born at Fotheringay, Oct. 2, 1452. Distinguished 
 during his brother's reign for crimes as well as for 
 abilities, he was named as Regent during the 
 minority of Edward V.,- — whose death was doubt- 
 less compassed by his uncle, who had already had 
 him deposed and imprisoned, and who was crowned, 
 July 22, 1483. The murder of the young king 
 was only one of many crimes which have been 
 charged upon Richard, doubtless, in most cases, 
 with justice. Yet the general tenor of the polit- 
 ical measures which this king took was to the 
 benefit of the realm, and to the restoration of the 
 parliamentary authority ; this being also, probably, 
 a result of the deep craft of Richard. Being 
 attacked hy the Earl of Richmond, who claimed 
 the crown, the king fell at the battle of Bosworth 
 Field, Aug. 22, 1485, the victim of the perfidy of 
 his pretended friends. Richard was small, and 
 somewhat deformed ; but of handsome face and 
 commanding intellect. 
 
HOUSE OP TUDOE. 
 
 HENRY Vn. 
 
 Reigned from 1485 to 1509. 
 
 The first of Tudor 's race of high renown, 
 Spite of pretenders, held the English crown ; 
 Subtle, profound, his projects tended still 
 To fix his empire, and his coffers fill. 
 
 Henry VII., born at Pembroke Castle, Jan. 21, 
 1456, was the only child of Edmond Tiidor, Earl 
 of Richmond and half-brother of Henry VI., by 
 Margaret of Somerset, who was a great-grand- 
 daughter of John of Gaunt, by Catharine Swyn- 
 ford, his third wife. Richard III.'s violent seizure 
 of the crown, and his bloody disposition, naturally 
 led to the plan of restoring the Lancastrian line ; 
 and the result of that plan was the invasion of 
 England by Henry, then Earl of Richmond, and 
 the speedy death and defeat of the king at Bos- 
 worth Field (1485), through the treachery of 
 Richard's most trusted friends. Henry was crowned 
 on the field ; but his triumph was the prelude to 
 a season of great peril. The heirs of York had, 
 
100 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 undoubtedly, many friends, and were the lawful 
 heritors of the crown. Henry's legitimate descent 
 was not without question, and it was only by his 
 marriage (1486) with EHzabeth, daughter and 
 heir of Edward IV., that Henry was able to satisfy 
 the popular demand for a legitimate ruler. This 
 marriage united the interests of the Yorkists and 
 Lancastrians ; but several insurrections were made 
 against the king, so questionable did his title 
 appear. Henry was one of the shrewdest rulers 
 that England ever had. His policy was essentially 
 that of Edward IV. He reestabhshed the kingly 
 authority ; broke for ever the lingering remains of 
 English feudalism ; extended the operation of the 
 laws to all ranks of society, and greatly promoted 
 trade : but he may be fairly accused of injustice, 
 avarice, rapacity, and unscrupulousness. He died, 
 April 22, 1509. His daughter, Margaret, Queen 
 of James IV. of Scotland, was the ancestress of 
 the English Stuart monarchs. 
 
HOUSE OF TUDOR. 101 
 
 HENRY VIII. 
 
 Reigned from 1509 to 1547. 
 
 Henry, of haughty mind and sturdy mien, 
 With fury reign'd, and often changed his Queen ; 
 Disowned the Pope, yet kept us Papists still, 
 And burned both sides that dared dispute his will. 
 
 Henry VIII., second son of Henry VII. by Eliz- 
 abeth of York, was born at Greenwich, June 29, 
 1491; and, after his elder brother Arthur's death 
 (1502), was married (1509) to the widow, Cath- 
 arine of Aragon, although such marriage was 
 uncanonical, and a special dispensation had to be 
 obtained from the pope. Born at the commence- 
 ment of the great revival of learning, Henry 
 caught the spirit of the time, and affected to be 
 a scholar. The first twenty years of his reign 
 were comparatively uneventful ; the king, though 
 courtly, magnificent, and popular, was better versed 
 in theology than in statecraft ; and his book (" The 
 Assertion of the Seven Sacraments " ) against the 
 teachings of Luther, won him from the pope (1521) 
 the title of Defender of the Faith, — a title still 
 borne by the British sovereigns. Henry, like Fran- 
 cis I., of France, was an unsuccessful competitor 
 for the imperial crown of Germany, against Charles 
 I., of Spain (V., of Germany) ; and the (at that time 
 
102 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 friendly) rivalry of the two first named princes, 
 with their jealousy of Charles, led to that splendid 
 chivalric display within the Pale of Calais (1520),' 
 known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The 
 early death of all Catharine's offspring, excepting 
 the sickly Mary, and the king's professed scruples 
 as to the legality of his marriage, led him to apply 
 to the pope for a divorce (1627) ; but for state 
 reasons the pope could not be brought to give his 
 consent, although the king's scruples were seconded 
 by the arts of Wolsey, the prime minister, who 
 wished to detach the king from the Spanish al- 
 liance, which he regarded as an obstacle to his 
 own wished-for advancement to the papacy. Ac- 
 cordingly, since the pope persistently evaded the 
 question, in 1530 the king broke away from the 
 papal authority, and declared himself supreme 
 head of the English Church, — for Wolsey's long 
 legateship had already made England, virtually, 
 almost independent of Rome in ecclesiastical mat- 
 ters; and, in 1583, the first marriage was pro- 
 nounced null and void by Archbishop Cranmer, — 
 the king having already announced his previous 
 private marriage with Anne Bolejm, a lady of his 
 court, who became the mother of Elizabeth, and 
 in 1536 was executed as an adulteress. On the 
 very next day, Henry married Jane Seymour, who 
 died in 1537, soon after the birth of the prince, 
 afterwards Edward VI. In 1540, Anne of Cleves, 
 the king's fourth wife, was divorced because 
 
HOUSE OF TUDOR. 103 
 
 Henry disliked her ; the fifth, Catharine Howard, 
 was beheaded for adultery, and Catharine Parr, 
 the sixth, survived him. The king died, Jan. 28, 
 1547. He was a man of great reading, and was 
 not destitute of statesmanlike qualities. He was 
 the steady enemy of the power of the titled aris- 
 tocracy, and had a certain desire for the prosperity 
 of England ; but his temper was imperious, his 
 whole system a base and grinding tyranny, and the 
 manner in which he sacrificed the lives of his best 
 friends, when they seemed to stand at all in his 
 way, cannot be justified b}^ any amount of special 
 pleading. A steady enemy of heresy and schism, 
 his unbending will involved him in a series of 
 acts which made him the head of a schism, and 
 under Providence contributed essentiallj^ to the 
 progress of the Reformation in England. Yet he 
 was at heart no friend to the Reformation, and 
 burned alike Romanists and Protestants on account 
 of their failure to conform to his will. Among the 
 great English names of this period we may men- 
 tion Wolsey, More, Thomas Cromwell, the king's 
 ablest minister and the great dictator of his policy, 
 Cranmer, Latimer, and the Cardinal Pole. Prom- 
 inent public events were the suppression of the 
 monasteries (1535-37) and the passage of the Six 
 Articles, which punished with death all who did 
 not conform to Henry's theological opinions, which 
 were, for the most part, in harmony with the dog- 
 mas of the papacy. 
 
104 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 EDWARD VL 
 
 Eeigned from 1547 to 1553. 
 
 Edward was learned, meek, pious, just, and sage ; 
 A man in council tho' a child in age : 
 He laid the basis of the Church we boast, 
 But by his uncles' quarrels oft was crossed. 
 
 Edward VI., only child of Henry VIII. and Jane 
 Seymour, was born at Hampton Court, Oct. 12, 
 1537, and was most carefully trained in the learn- 
 ing of that time of learned men; came to the 
 throne on his father's death ; was a pious, intelli- 
 gent, and well-beloved prince ; but of less strength 
 of body and of will than was any other of the 
 Tudor sovereigns. The cabals of Lord Seymour 
 against his brother, the Lord Protector and 
 Duke of Somerset (both being the king's uncles), 
 the execution of both of those ambitious noble- 
 men, and the settlement of the succession uf)on 
 the Lady Jane Grey, were important events of 
 this reign. The last matter was effected through 
 the machinations of Dudley, Duke of Northumber- 
 land, father-in-law of the Lady Jane. Far more 
 important was the settlement of the ecclesiastical 
 polity of the Anglican Church Establishment, under 
 the guidance of Cranmer and Ridley. The king 
 
HOUSE OF TUDOR. 105 
 
 died of consumption, July 6, 1553. The Lady 
 Jane Grey, noticed above, was born atBroadgate, 
 Leicestershire, in 1537, daughter of Henry Grey, 
 Marquis of Dorset, by Frances Brandon, daughter 
 of the Duke of Suffolk, by Mary, Queen-dowager 
 of France, youngest daughter of Henry VII. Jane 
 was distinguished for extraordinary beauty, great 
 learning, and high accomplishments, and was no 
 less celebrated for piety and nobility of character. 
 In 1553, she was married to Lord Guildford Dud- 
 ley, son of the Duke of Northumberland ; and in 
 the same year she reluctantly accepted the offer 
 of the crown, and was proclaimed Queen, in ac- 
 cordance with Edward's will. She reigned ten 
 days ; but the loyalty of the English people to 
 Mary, the lawful heir, deposed Jane ; and, on Feb. 
 12, 1554, she was beheaded at the Tower, together 
 with her husband. 
 
106 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 MARY I. 
 
 Reigned from 1553 to 1558. 
 
 Next Mary Tudor wore the English crown, 
 The consort of a prince of high renown. 
 Throughout her short, eventful reign was seen 
 The sickly wife and disappointed queen. 
 
 Mary I., daughter of Henry VIII., by Catharine 
 of Arragon, and grand- daughter of the famous 
 Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, was born at 
 Greenwich, Feb. 18, 1517 ; was carefully trained in 
 the masculine fashion which so pleased her father; 
 and, though sought for in marriage by various 
 eminent princes, was not permitted to marry. On 
 Edward's death (1553), the English gentry rallied 
 around Mary as their lawful sovereign, and '' Queen 
 Jane" was soon deposed (July 16); but her life 
 was spared until the February following, when she 
 was beheaded in consequence of insurrectionary dis- 
 turbances caused by the unpopularity of Mary's 
 intended marriage with prince Philip (afterwards 
 Philip II.) of Spain. Elizabeth, the queen's sister, 
 was sent to the Tower. In 1554, the Spanish 
 marriage came off. In 1558, Calais was taken by the 
 French ; and Mary, chagrined by its loss, and 
 greatly depressed by her husband's neglect (being 
 
HOUSE OF TUDOR. 107 
 
 at the same time ill of a chronic and incurable 
 malady), died, Nov. 17, 1558. On the same day 
 died Cardinal Pole, one of Mary's leading coun- 
 sellors. The queen was, like her mother, a zealous 
 Roman Catholic. She is known in literature and 
 tradition as " bloody Mary," from the persecutions 
 which her ministers instituted ; but it must be 
 remembered that Henry VIII., her father, Edward 
 VI., her devout brother, Elizabeth, her renowned 
 sister, and James I., the Protestant theologian-king 
 from whom our English Bible is named, were all 
 persecutors and burners of Roman Catholics and 
 of Protestant sectaries. Mary's grandmother, Isa- 
 bella, of Spain, now everywhere honored for her 
 liberal spirit, was a worse persecutor than any one 
 of them. The fault was characteristic of their 
 times. 
 
108 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ELIZABETH. 
 
 Reigned from 1558 to 1603. 
 
 Elizabeth's renowned and prosperous reign 
 Quelled Ireland's insurrection, humbled Spain. 
 Invasions, plots, her genius soared above. 
 Blest in her servants, and in England's love. 
 
 Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII. and Anne 
 Boleyn, was born, Sept. 7, 1533, and shortly after 
 Mary's accession was imprisoned, at first in the 
 Tower, and afterwards at Woodstock ; but the 
 fear of a popular outbreak won liberty for her at 
 last. Elizabeth's life was saved by outward con- 
 formity to the papal church ; but that conformity 
 ceased upon her advent to the throne (1558) ; and 
 the first parliament of her reign completely re- 
 established the English church. The Queen stoutly 
 succored the Protestants of other countries, yet 
 had the tact, for the most part, to avoid open war. 
 Prominent events of her reign were the long im- 
 prisonment and the execution (1587) of Mary, 
 Queen of Scots, the queen's kinswoman and most 
 dangerous rival ; the reform of the Poor Laws ; 
 the bloody fifteen years' war in Ireland ; and the 
 sailing and destruction of the Spanish Armada, 
 consisting of one hundred and twenty-seven ves- 
 
HOUSE OF TUDOR. 109 
 
 sels, with two thousand four hundred and thirty 
 cannon, and more than twenty thousand men 
 (1588), designed to chastise and overwhelm the 
 English. The queen never married ; but for a 
 long time greatly favored Dudley, Earl of Leices- 
 ter ; after whose death, Robert Devereux, Earl of 
 Essex, was her special favorite. But Essex, a pas- 
 sionate and injudiciouLS man, was soon in disgrace ; 
 and, in 1601, was executed for treason. It was 
 noticed that the queen was inconsolable after his 
 death; and the story has long been current that 
 Essex possessed a ring, which the queen had given 
 him in the hour of his prosperity, with the remark 
 that, if sent to her when he was in distress, it 
 would entitle him to her protection. Essex after 
 his conviction sent the ring, it is said, by the hand 
 of the Countess of Nottingham to the queen ; but 
 the Earl of Nottingham would not permit the ring 
 to be sent to Elizabeth. After the execution, 
 it is said, the countess revealed the matter to 
 Elizabeth, who, seizing and shaking her, exclaimed : 
 *' May God forgive you ! for I never will ; " not long 
 after which, both the queen and the countess died. 
 The story has but a slender foundation, and some 
 of its particulars are certainly untrue. A ring, 
 believed to be the real Essex ring (described in 
 Knight's Hist. Vol. III., p. 296), is stilUn the posses- 
 sion of descendants of Sir Thomas Warner, Bart., 
 to whom it was given by James I. Another very 
 
110 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 different ring, long held in the Thynne family, and 
 believed to be now in the possession of the Mar- 
 quis of Bath, is claimed to be the Essex ring. It 
 is imperfectly described in '' Harper's Magazine," 
 Nov. 1866, p. 767. — Elizabeth died, March 24, 
 1603. Though often unwomanly, and always 
 heartless, inconsistent, and deceitful, Elizabeth is 
 still one of the striking figures of English history. 
 With few qualities calculated to inspire love, she 
 was in many respects an exceedingly strong, pru- 
 dent, able, and courageous ruler. She was the 
 most popular sovereign England ever had. A true 
 estimate of her character would be as remote, it 
 may be believed, from the harsh judgments of cer- 
 tain recent historians, as from the excessive adula- 
 tions of contemporary admirers. Her reign was 
 one of immense literary activity. Shakspeare, 
 Spenser, Hooker, Bacon, Sidney, and a host of les- 
 ser lights make the Elizabethan period the most 
 glorious in English literary history. 
 
GEEAT BRITAIN: HOUSE OF STUAET. 
 
 Stewart, or Stuart, was the family name of the 
 Scottish kings from Robert II. (1371) to James VII., 
 and of the English sovereigns from James I. to 
 Anne, inclusive (with the exception of William 
 III., whose mother was a Stuart). The Anglo-Nor- 
 man family of Fitz Alan, Earls of Arundel in Eng- 
 land, sent one of their cadets, Walter byname, into 
 Scotland, where under David I. he became Steward 
 of the realm ; and, the office becoming hereditary in 
 his family, the title came to be employed as a fam- 
 ily surname. Walter, sixth steward of this family, 
 married Marjorie Bruce, daughter of King Robert 
 Bruce ; and her son, Robert Stewart (Robert II.), 
 was the first king (1371-90) of this name. This is 
 the origin of the title '' Great Steward of Scotland," 
 borne by the Prince of Wales. 
 
112 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 JAMES I. 
 
 Reigned from 1603 to 1625. 
 
 England's first Stuart from the Scotian clime : 
 Learned, but pedantic ; peaceful to a crime ; 
 His weak, but arbitrary acts prepare 
 A scene of ills for his succeeding heir. 
 
 James I. of Great Britain, and VI. of Scotland, 
 was the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots, by her 
 cousin, Henry Stuart, — Lord Darnley, Duke of Al- 
 bany, and titular King of Scotland. James was a 
 great-grandson of Henry VII., on the side of both 
 father and mother. He was born at Edinburgh, 
 June 19, 1566, and was crowned King of Scotland 
 in 1567, his mother having abdicated. In 1587, 
 the execution of his mother led him to make some 
 threats of attacking England ; but James was ever 
 mindful of his own interests, and was readily paci- 
 fied. He married Anne of Denmark (1589) ; 
 nearly lost his life by the Gowrie conspiracy 
 (1600) ; became King of England (1603), and in 
 1604 assumed the title of King of Great Britain ; 
 escaped the machinations of the authors of the 
 gunpowder plot (1605), and executed Raleigh to 
 please the Spanish court (1618). 
 
 Important events in James's reign were the colo- 
 
HOUSE OF STUART. 113 
 
 nization of Virginia and New England, the im- 
 peachment and disgrace of Bacon, the preparation 
 of the authorized English version of the Bible, and 
 the continued persecution of Puritans and Papists. 
 Though a pedant. King James possessed real learn- 
 ing and considerable shrewdness ; but he was cow- 
 ardly, selfish, tyrannical, mean, and entirely with- 
 out moral purpose. His tyranny was worse than 
 that of the Tudors, for he claimed exemption 
 from all law except that of his own will. His 
 court was very corrupt, and the darkest rumors 
 as to the king's private character were, and still 
 are, current ; but of their truth there is no proof. 
 In person and manner he was ludicrously awk- 
 ward. He published various works, among which 
 are Basilicon Doron ; A Counterhlaste to Tobacco ; 
 Essays of a Prentice in the Divine Arte of Poesie ; 
 Dcemonology^ &c. The literary and political his- 
 tory of this reign is important. The literary 
 glory of it was a kind of twilight following the 
 brighter day of Elizabeth ; for though Bacon, 
 Shakspeare, Jonson, and Raleigh wrote their no- 
 blest works in this time, their spirit was of the 
 Elizabethan epoch ; and the political follies of the 
 king prepared the way for the troubles in his son's 
 reign. James died, March 27, 1625. 
 
114 ENGLISH mSTOKY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 CHARLES I. 
 Reigned from 1625 to 1649. 
 
 Unhappy prince! his fate atones his fault: 
 Not weak, but obstinate, and badly taught ; 
 The Constitution hurt by lawless deeds 
 Is quite suspended when the monarch bleeds. 
 
 Charles I., third son of James I. by Anne of Den- 
 mark, was born at Dunfermline, Nov. 19, 1600, and, 
 by the death of his elder brothers, became Prince 
 of Wales in 1612. In 1625, he was crowned and 
 married the Princess Henrietta Maria, of France. 
 The king's character was much superior to that of 
 his father ; but he retained his father's unfortunate 
 political theory of the absolute divine right of 
 kings ; in consequence, he persecuted the dissen- 
 ters, imposed illegal taxes, abused his prerogative, 
 and violated the rights of parliament in many ways, 
 the commons stoutly resisting. His attempt to es- 
 tablish Episcopacy in Scotland led to the " Cove- 
 nant," and to open war (1638) ; and in 1642 the 
 rashness of Charles and his advisers — Buckingham, 
 Weston, Strafford, and Laud — had involved Eng- 
 land also in civil broils, which lasted, with much 
 bloodshed (such men as Eliot, Hampden, Pym, Mil- 
 ton the poet, Fairfax, and Cromwell leading the 
 
HOUSE OF STUART. 115 
 
 opposition), until 1646, when Charles gave himself 
 up to the Scottish army. In 1647 he was delivered 
 over to his English enemies ; and, after a formal 
 trial, was condemned and beheaded, Jan. 30, 1649. 
 Charles was a man of much personal dignity, 
 though he was not great. Early in his reign he 
 persecuted Protestant sectaries, while tolerating 
 the Catholics, — Laud being his principal coun- 
 sellor in ecclesiastical affairs. 
 
116 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 OLIVER CROMWELL. 
 
 Lord Protector from 1649 to 1660. 
 
 Cromwell, Protector made when King Charles died. 
 He spread the fame of England far and wide ; 
 Bold and intrepid, politic, profound, 
 In war and peace alike he was renowned. 
 
 Oliver Cromwell, born at Huntingdon, April 25, 
 1599, of a good family, was educated at Sidney 
 Sussex College, Cambridge ; read law and became 
 an agriculturist ; entered parliament in 1628, and 
 took a prominent part in the public affairs of the 
 time. He was noteworthy in parliament for his 
 uncouth dress and manners, and the awkwardness 
 of his speech, although few men equalled him in 
 influence. He entered the army of the parliament 
 in 1642, as captain of horse, and rapidly rose to 
 distinction and to high command, and his military 
 genius was the prime cause of the king's fall. His 
 abilities as a soldier were of the first order. In 
 politics, he became the recognized head of the new 
 Independent party, which soon became dominant. 
 He was one of the court which condemned the 
 king, for which action he was mainly responsible, 
 although Charles's obstinacy seems to have left him 
 no other course. In 1649, he subdued the royalists 
 
HOUSE OF STUART. 117 
 
 of Ireland, whose inhabitants he treated with great 
 severity, in retaliation for the horrible excesses of 
 the insurgents. In 1650, he defeated the Scotch 
 troops of Charles II., at Dunbar, and in 1651 com- 
 pletel)^ defeated the young king at Worcester, after 
 which time he was the virtual ruler of England. In 
 1654, he was declared Lord Protector of the Com- 
 monwealth. In 1656, he was offered the Crown, 
 which he steadily refused. He died, Sept. 3, 1658. 
 Cromwell's talents as a scholar, talker, and writer 
 were very small ; but he was a great general, and 
 a far greater ruler. His home policy made England 
 prosperous and wealthy ; his foreign policy, in spite 
 of its errors, left her far more respected abroad 
 than she had ever been before. His personal char- 
 acter, though often most bitterly assailed, was in 
 truth pure, if not exalted ; and his government, 
 though republican onl}^ in name, was strong, incor- 
 ruptible, successful. His son Richard (1628-1712) 
 was proclaimed Protector in 1658, but resigned his 
 office six months later. The great Cromwell was 
 an able ruler indeed, but not a far-seeing statesman. 
 His rule degenerated into a well-regulated tyranny, 
 however much he may have wished to establish a 
 just and wise government. 
 
118 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 CHARLES IL 
 
 Reigned from 1660 to 1685. 
 
 Heedless and dissipated, courteous, gay, 
 In Charles's court few cares did find their way ; 
 But foreign influence stained his latter day 
 With plots and fines and arbitrary sway. 
 
 Charles II., son of Charles I., was born, May 29, 
 1630 ; went into exile in 1646 ; was made King of 
 Scotland, " on condition of good behavior," 1649 ; 
 was defeated at Dunbar and Worcester ; made his 
 escape, hiding for a time in " the Royal Oak," at 
 Boscobel, and after many adventures reached 
 France ; was " restored " as King of Great Britain 
 in 1660, and died in London, Feb., 1685. The 
 twenty-five years of his reign plunged England into 
 a state of moral degradation, from which it took 
 the country many years to recover, and for a long 
 time the fallen Puritanism was the salt of the 
 English earth. An unblushing libertine, shame- 
 lessly servile in his political course (a real ruler 
 he never was), his courtesy and good humor made 
 him always popular with those who knew him best. 
 Buckingham, one of his boon companions, charac- 
 terized him as a 
 
 ''King 
 
 Whose word no man relies on ; 
 
 Who never said a foolish thing, 
 
 And never did a wise one.'* 
 
HOUSE OF STUAKT. 119 
 
 Charles always was secretly a friend of the Ro- 
 man Church, and died in its communion. He lived 
 for years a pensioner of Louis XIV., of France, 
 adroitly concealing the fact from the parliament 
 and people. Important events of his time were 
 the granting of liberty of the press ; the passage 
 of the habeas corpus act ; the execution of the 
 Whig leaders for alleged complicity in the Rye 
 House Plot, — a scheme which followed hard after 
 the failure of the pretended '' Popish Plots " (the 
 latter having led to the unjust execution of many 
 Catholics), which were employed by Shaftesbury 
 as a means for the exclusion of James, the king's 
 brother, an avowed Catholic, from the succession. 
 
120 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 JAMES II. 
 
 Reigned from 1685 to 1688. 
 
 Blinded with zeal, this weak, misguided king 
 Rome's yoke on England sought again to bring ; 
 And, while he reigned, usurped a lawless sway, 
 Till William came, and opened freedom's day. 
 
 James II. of Great Britain, and VII. of Scotland, 
 a brother of Charles II., was born in London, Oct. 
 15, 1633 ; was made Duke of York ; served in the 
 French army, in Cromwell's time ; took important 
 public offices under Charles II. ; married Anne 
 Hyde, daughter of Lord Clarendon ; distinguished 
 himself as a naval commander ; became a Roman 
 Catholic (1671) ; married Mary of Modena (1673) ; 
 became king, 1685 ; aroused the popular indigna- 
 tion by his many arbitrary acts ; and in 1688, after 
 England had been invaded by his son-in-law, the 
 Prince of Orange (afterwards William III.), James 
 was compelled to abdicate. From his abdication, 
 or desertion rather, of the throne in December to 
 the following February, when Parliament settled 
 the Crown upon William and Mary, the adminis- 
 tration to be vested in William alone, the throne 
 was really vacant, contrary to the accepted 
 maxim, that the '^ King never dies." James found 
 
HOUSE OF STUART. 121 
 
 an asylum in France ; but in 1689, he invaded 
 Ireland with some French troops ; failed to capture 
 Londonderry; was defeated by William III., at 
 Oldbridge on the Boyne (July 1, 1690), and died 
 at St. Germain's, in France, Sept. 16, 1701. 
 
 After the death of James II., his son, James 
 Francis Edward, the banished Prince of Wales 
 (1688-1766) — known also as the Pretender, and 
 as the Chevalier St. George — claimed the succes- 
 sion, and in later times his claims were favored by 
 Queen Anne ; and the unhappy rebellion of the 
 Earls of Mar and of Derwentwater (1715) followed. 
 The prince, by his wdfe Clementina Sobieski, left 
 two sons, the elder of whom, Charles Edward 
 Lewis Casimir, " the young Pretender" (1720-88), 
 was the leader in that brilliant but unfortunate 
 campaign which ended at Culloden (1746) ; after 
 which he retired to Rome, took the title of Duke of 
 Albany, and concluded a most unfortunate marriage. 
 His brother, the Cardinal of York (1725-1807), 
 after Albany's death, took the title of Henry IX. 
 He was the last direct descendant of James II. 
 There are still many living descendants of the roj'-al 
 house of Stuart ; and the Archduke Francis Ferdi- 
 nand Geminien, Ex-duke of Modena, is (1876) 
 next heir-of-line from Charles I. 
 
122 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 WILLIAM III. AND MARY II. 
 
 Eeigned from 1689 to 1702. 
 
 William the hero, and Maria mild, — 
 He James's nephew, she his eldest child, — 
 Fixed freedom to the Church, reformed the coin, 
 Opposed the French, and settled Brunswick's line. 
 
 William III. and Mary II. reigned conjointly after 
 the abdication of James II. 
 
 Mary was the eldest daughter of James, by Anne 
 Hyde ; was born at St. James's Palace, April 80, 
 1662 ; was bred a Protestant, and in 1677 was 
 married to her cousin, William IIL, Prince of 
 Orange and Nassau, and Stadtholder of Holland ; 
 and became queen in 1689, on the abdication of her 
 father, notwithstanding the prior claim of her half- 
 brother, the j^oung Prince of Wales. She was a 
 woman of pure life, and of much personal beauty ; 
 and her devotion to her husband's happiness won 
 his constant affection, although at first he had 
 treated her with coldness and neglect. Mary was 
 far more popular in England than her husband. 
 She died at Kensington, of small-pox, Dec. 28, 1694. 
 This reign, so salutary to England and Scotland, 
 was characterized by outrageously oppressive enact- 
 ments for Ireland, and William's policy in the 
 American colonies was not a liberal one. 
 
 I 
 
HOUSE OF STUAKT. 123 
 
 William III., son of William IT., Prince of 
 Orange, by Maiy Stuart, a daughter of Charles I., 
 of England, was born at the Hague, Nov. 14, 1650, 
 and early attained renown as a diplomatist and 
 statesman of the first order of ability. Profoundly 
 convinced of the truth of Protestantism, he was 
 the leader of the European combination against 
 the dangerous ambition of Louis XIV. of France, 
 and soon became the real head of the liberal party 
 in England, which country he invaded in 1688, and 
 by the aid of the Whigs was made king in 1689, in 
 the right of his wife, who reigned conjointly with 
 him. But he had many enemies, and even with 
 his political friends he was never popular in Eng- 
 land. Yet he ruled with consummate skill, and 
 after the victory at the Boyne (1690) his govern- 
 ment was a strong one, in spite of the ceaseless 
 machinations of Jacobites and Tories. Mary's 
 death was a severe blow to him. His health was 
 always feeble, and in consequence of a fall from 
 his horse he died in London, March 8, 1702, with- 
 out offspring, and was succeeded by Anne. 
 
124 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ANNE. 
 Reigned from 1702 to 1714. 
 
 Ten years of glory brightened Anne's reign. 
 While Marlborough's arms did victory maintain. 
 Nor should hard censure shade her closing scene, 
 For tho' misled, well-minded was the Queen. 
 
 Anne, the last of the Stuart monarchs, second 
 daughter of James IT. and Anne Hyde, was born at 
 Twickenham, Feb. 6, 1664 ; was bred a Protestant, 
 and in 1683 married George, Prince of Denmark, 
 who, like herself, was of deficient mental abilities. 
 They had many children, all of whom died yery 
 young. Anne succeeded William III. in 1702. 
 She was for a time the tool of the Duchess of 
 Marlboro', and afterwards of Mrs. Masham, who 
 brought the Tories into power. The queen endeav- 
 ored in her latter days to have her half-brother, 
 '' the Pretender," recognized as her successor, but 
 in vain. She died, Aug. 1, 1714. Prominent events 
 of her time were the act of union between England 
 and Scotland (1702), the wars of Marlborough, 
 and the peace of Utrecht (1713). Newton, Pope, 
 Swift, Addison, and other men of genius, adorned 
 this period. Anne's character was pure, but not 
 generous or exalted. 
 
HOUSE OP BEUNSWICK, HANOVEK, OR 
 GUELPH. 
 
 GEORGE I. 
 Reigned from 1714 to 1727. 
 
 Inured alike to council and the field, 
 Before his sway saw opposition yield. 
 In wisdom and the laws he put his trust ; 
 Was prudent, cautious, fortunate, and just. 
 
 George I., King of Great Britain and Elector of 
 Hanover, was a son of the Elector Ernst August, 
 and Sophia, a daughter of Elizabeth, the unfor- 
 tunate Queen of Bohemia, who was a daughter 
 of James I. of Great Britain, and mother of the 
 famous Prince Rupert. George (Georg Ludwig 
 Guelph, or Welf) was born at Osnaburg, May 28, 
 1660. His family was derived from a line of Bava- 
 rian princes (Guelpho, or Welf), whose origin may 
 be traced back to the time of Charlemagne. By 
 the act of settlement of 1701, George came to the 
 British throne as the successor of Anne, and very 
 prudently avoided taking part in British affairs. 
 
126 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 He was ignorant of the English language, and a 
 friend of Hanoverian rather than English interests. 
 His personal character was not pure ; but he was 
 in the main just, — and, for a king, was a man of 
 fair abilities. He died at Osnaburg, June 11, 1727. 
 Prominent events of his time were the Jacobite 
 Insurrection (1715-16), and the South Sea Bubble, 
 a commercial speculation which involved many 
 thousands in financial ruin. The celebrated Wal- 
 pole was the leading statesman of this and the 
 succeeding reign. 
 
HOUSE OE BRUNSWICK 127 
 
 GEORGE 11. 
 
 Reigned from 1727 to 1760. 
 
 In fortune happiest of the kingly strain ; 
 Triumphant o'er rebellion and its train, 
 He silenced faction, humbled France's pride, 
 He lived beloved, and crowned with honor died. 
 
 George II., son of George I. by the unhappy 
 Sophia of Zell (Celle), was born at Hanover, Oct. 
 30, 1683 ; married Caroline of Brandenburg, 1705 ; 
 became Prince of Wales, 1714 ; was treated with 
 coldness and jealousy by his father, and in 1727 
 became king. The war of the Austrian succession 
 involved England and indeed nearly all Europe, 
 and in 1743 George at the head of his army won 
 the battle of Dettingen, mainly by good luck ; for 
 the king, though a man of courage, was no general. 
 In 1746-46, " the Young Pretender " gained for- 
 midable power in Great Britain, and won some 
 brilliant victories ; and England was saved to the 
 Protestant succession chiefly by the quarrels of the 
 Highland chiefs in Stuart's army. Owing to these 
 quarrels, the Pretender lost the decisive battle of 
 Culloden, which for ever dispelled all the reasona- 
 ble hopes of the Jacobites. George died, Oct. 25, 
 1760. His private character was far from being 
 good. Education he despised ; yet he was a man 
 of justice, and England flourished greatly under 
 his sway, though involved in almost constant wars. 
 
128 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 GEORGE III. 
 Reigned from 1760 to 1820. 
 
 Just, true, and pure, yet often how unwise ! 
 
 Freedom appeared a monster in his eyes ; 
 
 But not too harshly should the critic blame 
 
 A kuig, whose life was pure and free from shame. 
 
 George m., eldest son of Frederick, Prince of 
 Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, was born 
 June 4, 1738, and on the death of his dissolute 
 father (1751) was declared Prince of Wales ; 
 ascended the throne in 1760, and married Char- 
 lotte, of Mecklenburg, in 1761, George was, 
 unlike most of his family, a man of pure life and 
 sincere piety ; but he was the victim of physical 
 and mental disease, and his early education had 
 been strangely neglected. Worse than all, he pos- 
 sessed a cold and unforgiving heart, and a bitter 
 spirit of resentment towards his political opponents. 
 His ministers were, however, fairly answerable for 
 not a few of the worst faults of his government, 
 — faults which lost him the greater part of his 
 North American colonies (1775-1783), and led to 
 the Independence of the United States. Soon 
 after followed the French Revolution, the great 
 wars with Napoleon Bonaparte, the king's insanity 
 
HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK. 
 
 129 
 
 and blindness, and the regency of the Prince of 
 Wales. The king died, Jan. 29, 1820, after the 
 longest reign in British annals. This period was 
 one of general prosperity, and the latter portion 
 of it is marked by very remarkable scientific and 
 literary progress, as well as by great industrial and 
 commercial advancement. 
 
 7^ ^ 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 {See Frontispiece.^ 
 
 The old English Man-of-War Flag consisted of the 
 red cross of St. George on a white field. At what 
 date it was officially adopted does not appear, " but 
 in 1606 King James I. combined with it the white 
 diagonal cross of St. Andrew on a blue field, 
 because England and Scotland had then become 
 united in one kingdom." One hundred and one 
 years later, '' in 1707, the color of this flag was 
 changed to crimson for a merchant flag, and the 
 crosses, which had before filled the whole banner, 
 were now confined" on the original blue field, to 
 the upper corner. In 1801, the diagonal red cross 
 
130 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 of St. Patrick was amalgamated with the other 
 two, and forms the present union flag of England, 
 Scotland, and Ireland. 
 
 A small flag containing only the Union, without 
 the fly, hung at the bowsprit, constitutes the famous 
 " Union Jack " of Great Britain, — a corruption 
 of " Jacques," or " James." 
 
HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK 131 
 
 GEORGE IV. 
 
 Reigned from January 29, 1820, to June 26, 1830. 
 
 Proud, inconsid'rate, lavish, sensual, vain, 
 Britain had little glory from his reign ; 
 But the great arts of industry and peace 
 Flourished, and progress bade oppression cease. 
 
 George IV., eldest son of George III. and Queen 
 Charlotte, vras born, Aug. 12, 1742, and early be- 
 came notorious for loose morals and extravagant 
 habits. In 1795, he married Caroline Amelia, of 
 Brunswick, — his previous marriage with Mrs. 
 Fitzherbert having been disavowed by him ; but 
 the prince soon separated from his wife, and many- 
 years later (1820) attempted in vain to obtain a 
 divorce. In 1811, he became Regent, on account 
 of his father's disability. In public affairs, he was 
 for the most part opposed to reforms ; and through- 
 out life he retained his early habits of dissipation 
 and extravagance. His time was one of great 
 political, social, and literary advancement ; but 
 to that advancement the king's acts did not in the 
 least contribute. He died, June 26, 1830. 
 
132 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 WILLIAM IV. 
 
 Reigned from 1830 to June 20, 1837. 
 
 The sailor-king, by England well-beloved, 
 
 A monarch of inferior mind he proved ; 
 
 Yet grand reforms progressed throughout the land, 
 
 Which he could not approve nor understand. 
 
 "William IV., third son of George III., was born 
 in London, Aug. 21,, 1765 ; entered the roj^al 
 navy in 1779 ; became Duke of Clarence, 1789 ; 
 admiral of the fleet, 1801 ; and in 1818 married 
 Adelaide, of Saxe-Meiningen, — his previous mar- 
 riage with Mrs. Jordan, an Irish actress, having 
 been unlawful for a prince of the blood. None of 
 the children of Adelaide survived him, and Mrs. 
 Jordan and his ten children by her were soon 
 forgotten by the duke, who, in 1830, became king. 
 This reign was characterized bj^ the passage of the 
 great Reform Bill, of 1832. The king was per- 
 sonally popular, but was blindly conservative, for 
 his views were very narrow. He died, June 20, 
 1837, and was succeeded by the Princess Victoria, 
 his niece. 
 
HOUSE OF BRUNSWICK. 133 
 
 VICTORIA. 
 
 Began to Eeign June 20, 1837. 
 
 ViGTOKiA, last and happiest of the line, 
 Long will her name in proudest lustre shine ; 
 Domestic virtue, public honor, crown 
 Her fame with veneration and renown. 
 
 Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria Augusta), only 
 child of Edward, Duke of Kent (who was fourth 
 son of George III.)^ ^'^^ of Maria Louisa Victoria 
 - of Saxe-Coburg, was born at Kensington Palace, 
 May 24, 1819 ; was educated with great care, and 
 in 1837 became Queen ; was crowned in 1838, and 
 in 1840 married her cousin-german, Albert, of 
 Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, with whom she lived very 
 happily until his death in 1861. The prince-con- 
 sort was a man of excellent sense, and proved a 
 wise counsellor ; but he never took part directly in 
 public affairs. The queen has erected to his memory 
 a very costly mausoleum at Frogmore. Important 
 events of this reign have been the Chartist move- 
 ment ; the repeal of the corn-laws ; the Chinese, 
 . Crimean, East Indian, Abyssinian, Maori, Burmese, 
 \ Kaffir, and Ashantee wars ; insurrections in Ire- 
 land; the Anglo-Catholic movement; the organiza- 
 tion of the Dominion of Canada ; the assumption 
 
134 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 by the queen of the title Empress of India ; &c. 
 The queen is a lady of exalted virtue and sincere 
 piety ; and her example has done much to check 
 vicious tendencies among what are known as the 
 better classes. Very extensive and radical reforms 
 and administrative changes have been made dur- 
 ing the recent years of her reign. 
 
THE SOVEEEIGNS OF ENGLAND. 
 
 First, William the Norman, 
 Then William his son ; 
 Henry, Stephen, and Henry, 
 Then Richard and John. 
 Next, Henry the third, 
 Edwards one, two, and three ; 
 And again, after Richard, 
 Three Henrys we see ; 
 Two Edwards, third Richard, 
 If rightly I guess ; 
 Two Henrys, sixth Edward, 
 Queen Mary, Queen Bess ; 
 James Stuart the Scotsman, 
 Then Charles whom they slew, 
 Yet received, after Cromwell, 
 Another Charles too. 
 And now James the second 
 Ascended the throne ; 
 Then William and Mary 
 Together came on ; 
 Then Anne, Georges four. 
 And fourth William all passed, 
 And Victoria came, — 
 May she long be the last ! 
 
THE ROYAL FAMILY. 
 
 Her Majesty Alexandrina Victoria, Queen of the 
 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Em- 
 press of India, Duchess of Lancaster, Defender of 
 the Faith, &c. ; born. May 24, 1819; crowned, 
 June 28, 1838 ; married, Feb. 10, 1840, to H. R. H. 
 Francis Albert August Charles Emmanuel, Prince 
 Consort, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg- 
 Gotha (born, Aug. 26, 1819 ; died, Dec. 14, 1861). 
 
 Her children are, — 
 
 (1) H. R. H. Victoria Adelaide Maria Louisa, 
 Princess Royal and Duchess of Saxony ; born, 
 Nov. 21, 1840; married, Jan. 25, 1858, to H. R. 
 H. Frederick William Nicholas Charles, Crown- 
 prince of Prussia, and now Prince-Imperial of 
 Germany. She has (1875) seven children. 
 
 (2) H. R. H. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, 
 Duke of Saxony, of Cornwall, of Rothesay, 
 Earl of Chester, of Carrick, and of Dublin, Baron 
 Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, Great Steward of Scot- 
 land, Field Marshal, General, and Colonel, &c. ; 
 was born, Nov. 9, 1841; married, March 10, 1863, 
 to the Princess Alexandra Caroline Maria Char- 
 lotte Louisa Julia, daugliter of the King of Den- 
 
THE ROYAL FAMILY. 137 
 
 mark, who was born, Dec. 1, 1844 ; her living 
 children (1876) are (1) Albert Victor Christian 
 Edward, born at Frogmore, Jan. 8, 1864 ; (2) 
 George Frederick Ernest Albert, born, June 3, 
 1865 ; (3) Louisa Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, 
 born, Feb. 20, 1867 ; (4) Victoria Alexandra Olga 
 Maria, born, July 6, 1868 ; (5) Maud Charlotte 
 Mary Victoria, born, Nov. 26, 1869. 
 
 (3) H. R. H. Alice Maud Mary, Duchess of Sax- 
 ony, born, April 25, 1843 ; married, July 1, 1862, 
 to Louis Frederick William, Prince of Hesse Darm- 
 stadt ; has (1875) six living children. 
 
 (4) H. R. H. Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edin- 
 burgh, Earl of Ulster and of Kent, born, Aug. 6, 
 1844 ; married, Jan. 23, 1874, to the Grand Duch- 
 ess Marie Alexandrovna, only daughter of the 
 Czar of Russia. Tlieir children are (1) Alfred 
 Alexander William Ernest Albert, born, Oct. 15, 
 1874; and (2) a princess, born Oct. 29, 1875. 
 
 (5) H. R. H. Helena Augusta Victoria, born, May 25, 
 1846 ; married, July 6, 1866, to Frederick Christian 
 Charles Augustus, Prince of Sleswick-Holstein- 
 Sonderburg-Augustenburg ; has in 1875 four chil- 
 dren ; (1) Christian Victor Albert Louis Ernest 
 Antony, born, April 14, 1867 ; (2) Albert John 
 Charles Frederick Alfred George, born, Feb. 26, 
 1869 ; (3) Victoria Louisa Sophia Augusta Amelia 
 Helena, born. May 3, 1870 ; (4) Frances Josephine 
 Louisa Augusta Mary Christina Helena, born, 
 Aug. 12, 1872. 
 
138 ENGLISH HISTOKY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 (6) H. R. H. Louisa Caroline Alberta, bom, March 18, 
 1848 ; married, March 21, 1871, to John Douglas 
 Sutherland Campbell, (by courtesy) Marquis of 
 Lome, eldest son of the Duke of Argyll. 
 
 (7) H. R. H. Arthur "WiUiam Patrick Albert, Duke 
 of Connaught and Strathearn, Earl of Sussex, 
 Captain 7th Hussars, &c., born. May 1, 1850. 
 
 (8) H. R. H. Leopold George Duncan Albert, born, 
 April 7, 1853. 
 
 (9) H. R. H. Beatrice Maria Victoria Feodore, bom, 
 April 14, 1857. 
 
 Other members of the royal family are George 
 Frederic Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus, Duke of 
 Cumberland and of Strathclyde, Ex-king of Han- 
 over, son of King Ernest Augustus, who was a 
 son of George III. ; he has three children ; Ernest 
 Augustus William Adolphus George Frederick, 
 born, Sept. 21, 1845; Frederica Sophia Mary 
 Henrietta Amelia Theresa, born, Jan. 9, 1848 ; 
 and Mary Ernestine Josephine Adolphine Hen- 
 rietta Theresa Elizabeth Alexandra, born, Dec. 3, 
 1849. 
 
 The Duke of Cambridge, Field Marshal command- 
 ing the British army, is a son of the Duke of 
 Cambridge, who was a son of George III. His 
 name and full title is George Frederick William 
 Charles, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Tipperary, 
 and Baron Culloden. 
 
 The princess Augusta Caroline, Grand Duchess of 
 
THE EOYAL FAMILY. 139 
 
 MecHenburg-Strelitz, is a sister of the Duke of 
 Cambridge ; and so is the Duchess of Teck, Mary- 
 Adelaide 'Wilhelmina Elizabeth, born, Nov. 27, 1833 ; 
 married, 1866, to the Duke (formerlj?- Prince) of 
 Teck (Wiirtemberg) ; she has four children ; (1) 
 Victoria Mary Augusta Louisa Olga Pauline Clau- 
 dine Agnes ; (2) Adolphus Charles Alexander 
 Edward Albert George Louis Philip Ladislas ; (3) 
 Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick ; and (4) Alex- 
 ander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George. 
 We have enumerated of the grandchildren and 
 remoter kindred of the queen only those who are 
 residents of England, and may fairly be called 
 members of the royal family. 
 
ENGLAND. 
 
 England is one of the fairest and most fertile and 
 healthful regions in the world. As our mother- 
 country, its name, its abundant antiquities, and its 
 history possess a deep interest to most Americans. 
 The greater part of it has a softlj^ undulating land- 
 scape, but much of the east is a flat, fenny level, 
 exceedingly fertile ; while in the north-west are 
 mountains ; and in parts of the west and south- 
 west there are rough hills, and high unfertile 
 moors. Parts of the south consist of chalk-downs, 
 more fit for sheep-walks than for other uses. In 
 manufacturing cotton, woollen, fictile, and metallic 
 goods, in the mining of coal, iron, tin, and copper, 
 and in maritime commerce, and naval strength, 
 England leads the world. Since the fall of Napo- 
 leon I., she has taken a secondary place as a 
 military power ; while in matters of art and taste 
 she has never held the first rank. Her literature 
 is, perhaps, the noblest in existence ; and English 
 scholarship, so long inferior to that of Germany, 
 is now once more beginning to be recognized as 
 worthy of comparison with that of any countr3^ 
 In pure and applied science, British names are 
 found among the most eminent. 
 
ENGLAND. 141 
 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 There are forty counties in England, and twelve 
 in Wales. King Alfred is said to have first divided 
 England into counties, or shires ; but they were of 
 later and somewhat gradual development. Several 
 of them were called kingdoms under Egbert and 
 some of his successors. 
 
 Bedfordsliire, Bedford, or Beds, is an inland shire 
 bounded by North Hants, Hunts, Cambridgeshire, 
 Herts, and Bucks. It is thirty-five miles long and 
 twenty-three broad ; area, 462 square miles ; is 
 level and generally fertile, with a great variety of 
 soils ; and is a favorite region for market-gardeners 
 and dairymen. It has some manufactures, and its 
 chief town is the borough of Bedford, where 
 John Bunyan was imprisoned. 
 
 Berkshire, or Berks, is an inland county lying 
 south of Oxfordshire and Bucks, west of Surrey, 
 north of Hants, and east of Wilts. The Thames 
 flows on the northern boundary. Windsor Forest 
 lies in this county, which is a very beautiful region, 
 for the most part quite fertile, though having some 
 waste lands and chalk-downs fit only for sheep- 
 walks. Area, 705 square miles. Capital, Reading. 
 
 Buckinghamshire, Buckingham, or Bucks, lies SOUth 
 of Northamptonshire, west of Beds, Herts, and 
 Middlesex, north of Berks, and east of Oxford- 
 
142 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 shire. Its surface is finely varied, and the county 
 supplies great amount of market-produce for the 
 supply of London. Shire town, Aylesbury. 
 Area, 738 square miles. 
 
 Cambridgeshire, in the east of England, is gener- 
 ally level, and consists (in part) of a portion of 
 the fen-country which has been reclaimed from its 
 original marshy condition. The famous Isle of 
 Ely was included in these fens. The whole region 
 is exceedingly fertile. Chief towns, Cambridge 
 and Ely. Area, 818 square miles. 
 
 Cheshire, or Chester, a count3% formerly a county- 
 palatine of England, bounded by the Mersey, the 
 Irish Sea, Lancashire, York, Derby, Stafi'ord, 
 Salop, Flint, Denbighshire, &c. It is mostly level, 
 with small lakes ; is a fine grazing and dairy 
 country ; has mines of rock-salt, coal, lead, cop- 
 per, &c. Shire town, Chester, a venerable city. 
 Area, 1105 square miles. 
 
 Cornwall, a county and duchy forming the extreme 
 southwest of England. The area is 1365 square 
 miles, but the duchy is much larger, and in some 
 respects is under a distinct administration from the 
 rest of England. This region abounds in tin, cop- 
 per, fine potter's clay, and many other valuable 
 minerals, which are extensively wrought. Chief 
 town, BoDMiK. The surface is broken. Agri- 
 culture is profitable, and the fisheries are very 
 extensive. 
 
ENGLAND. 143 
 
 Cumberland is the extreme northwest county of 
 England. Area, 1560 square miles. It is a very 
 picturesque mountain region, famed for its fine 
 lakes. It has mines of coal, iron, and plumbago, 
 and its valleys are to a great extent cultivated with 
 profit. Chief town, Carlisle. 
 
 Derbyshire, or Derby, a county near the central 
 portion of England, south of Yorkshire, west of 
 Notts, north of Leicester and Staffordshire, and 
 east of Stafford and Cheshire. It contains much 
 fine mountain scenery, particularly in the part 
 known as the Peak. Lead, coal, iron, marble, and 
 spar abound. Chief town, Derby. Area, 1029 
 square miles. 
 
 Devonshire, or Devon, in the southwest, extends 
 from Bristol Channel south to the English Channel, 
 having Cornwall on the west, and Dorset and 
 Somerset on the east. A portion belongs to the 
 duchy, but not to the county, of Cornwall. There 
 is much high cold moorland (Dartmoor and Ex- 
 moor), but the surface, though hilly, is beautiful 
 and fertile. Copper, tin, cider, cattle, and ponies, 
 are largely exported. There is a fine region in the 
 south, called the South Hams. Chief town, Exe- 
 ter. Area, 2589 square miles. This county has 
 a fine breed of neat cattle. It is said to have " the 
 best soil and climate, and the worst agriculture in 
 England." 
 
 Dorsetshire, or Dorset, has the English Channel 
 
144 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 on the south, Devonshire on the west, Somerset on 
 the northwest, Wilts on the north, Hants on the 
 east. Area, 987 square miles. It has much chalk-, 
 down and heath pasture-lands, and grazes many 
 sheep. Building stone and potter's clay are impor- 
 tant products. Portions of the county are very 
 beautiful. Chief town, Dorchester. 
 
 Durham, a county-palatine in the north, having 
 the North Sea on the east boundary ; lies south of 
 Northu^mberlaud, and north of Yorkshire. Away 
 from the coast, its surface is broken. Lead, coal, 
 iron, building-stone, and neat cattle are exported 
 largely. Chief city, Durham. Its soil is for the 
 most part excellent. Area, 973 square miles. The 
 so-called Durham cattle, now generally called short- 
 horns^ are among the finest and largest in the 
 world. 
 
 Essex, a county on the east coast, south of Cam- 
 bridge and Suffolk, north of the Thames, and east 
 of Herts and Middlesex. It is a very fertile and 
 beautiful county, flat and somewhat unhealthy, 
 near the sea. It ranks as the best farming region 
 in England, but its climate is considered the worst ; 
 while Devon is said to have the best climate and 
 the poorest farms in the kingdom. The ancient 
 kingdom of Essex was much more extensive than 
 the Essex of to-day. Chief town, Chelmsford. 
 Area, 1657 square miles. 
 
 Gloucestershire, in the west and south, consists 
 
ENGLAND. 145 
 
 of the Cotswold Hills in the east, the beautiful 
 Severn valley in the centre, and the Forest of 
 Dean in the west. Coal and iron are wrought 
 in the west. Farm products are extensively ex- 
 ported, wool being an important crop in the east. , 
 Area, 1258 square miles. Chief city, Glotjcester. 
 
 Herefordshire, .or Hereford, a very beautiful and 
 fertile county, bordering on Wales, having the 
 Malvern Hills in the east, and the Hatterel Hills 
 in the west. Fruit, cider, hops, tanner's bark, and 
 grain are leading products. Chief town, Here- 
 ford. Area, 836 square miles. 
 
 Hertfordshire, or Herts, a county lying north of 
 Middlesex, having a diversified surface, and a very 
 fertile soil. Chief town, Hertford. Area, 611 
 square miles. 
 
 Huntingdonshire, Huntingdon, or Hunts, a small 
 inland and very level and fertile county, partljr 
 in the fen-country. Chief town, Huntingdon. 
 Area, 361 square miles. 
 
 Kent, the southeasternmost county of England, 
 is nearly conterminous with the old Jutish king- 
 dom of Kent. Area, 1627 square miles. It is 
 exceedingly fertile, and includes the tracts known 
 as the Weald of Kent and Romney Marsh. It 
 was named from the British tribe called Cantii, 
 Its estates descend by what is called gavel-kind^ 
 and its inhabitants have certain privileges dating 
 back as far as William the Conqueror. There are 
 
 10 
 
146 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 extensive manufactures. Shire town, Maidstone. 
 Other towns are Canterbury, Rochester, Woolwich, 
 Dover, Chatham, &c. 
 
 Lancashire, or Lancaster, formerly a county-palatine 
 lying east of the Irish Sea, south of Westmoreland 
 and Cumberland, west of Yorkshire, and north of 
 Cheshire. It is rough and rugged in the north, 
 but is elsewhere quite smooth and very fertile. 
 Coal and copper are mined ; but the cotton and 
 woollen manufactures are the leading industries. 
 There are also other industries in great variety. 
 Shire town, Lancaster. The county contains 
 many large cities, among them Manchester and 
 Liverpool. Area, 1905 square miles. 
 
 Leicestershire, near the centre of England, is a 
 very fertile, agricultural, grazing, and manufactur- 
 ing region, where coal, iron, and lead are mined to 
 some extent. Shire town, Leicester. Area, 
 803 square miles. 
 
 Lincolnshire, a large county on the east coast, 
 divided into the wolds in the north-east ; the fens 
 in the south and east, much of them protected by 
 dykes from the sea ; and the moors. Nearly all 
 the county is very fertile, and it ranks with the 
 best farming counties. Shire town, Lincoln. 
 Area, 2776 square miles. 
 
 Middlesex, the smallest but one of English coun- 
 ties, is important as containing London, the largest 
 city of the world, and likewise most of its suburban 
 
ENGLAND. 147 
 
 towns. Market-gardening is a leading industry. 
 The surface is generally flat. Area, 281 square 
 miles. 
 
 Monmouthshire, formerly in South Wales, lies 
 north of the Bristol Channel and east of Wales. 
 Its surface is picturesque, very beautiful, and ex- 
 ceedingly varied. Iron and coal are largely mined. 
 It was joined to England by Henry VIII. Area, 
 576 square miles. Shire town, Monmouth. 
 
 Norfolk (" North people " ), a county of England, 
 was once a part of the East-Anglian realm. Area, 
 2116 square miles. It has the sea on the north 
 and east, and the Wash on the west. It is gener- 
 ally level, or nearly so, and a portion is exceed- 
 ingly fertile ; but a large part requires high, 
 culture to be very productive. Shire town, 
 Norwich. 
 
 Northamptonshire, in the south-central region. 
 Area, 985 square miles. It is a very fertile and 
 beautiful county, and there are important manu- 
 factures. Capital, Northampton. 
 
 Northumberland ('' land north of the Humber " ) 
 is a portion of the ancient realm of Northumbria, 
 and is the northernmost county of England. In 
 the west it is broken, with high, wild moorlands ; 
 but in the east it is quite level. Coal, iron, and 
 lead are mined. At Chillingham Castle Park, the 
 Earl of Tankerville has preserved, without inter- 
 mixture with other breeds, the celebrated White 
 Forest Breed of Cattle, though never able to domes- 
 
148 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 ticate them. Chief town, Newcastle. Area, 1952 
 square miles. 
 
 Nottinghamshire, or Notts, lies in the centre of 
 England, south of Yorkshire. Area, 822 square 
 , miles. It is finely varied and is mostly fertile. 
 Coal is an important product, and the manufact- 
 ures are extensive. Here was the ancient forest 
 of Sherwood, where dwelt Robin Hood and his 
 merry outlaws. Shire town, Nottingham. 
 
 Oxfordshire is north of Berks, from which the 
 Thames separates it. It is not especially fertile 
 except in the north. Grain, dairy products, and 
 wool are the great staples of agricultural industry. 
 Area, 739 square miles. Chief town, Oxford. 
 
 Rutlandshire, the smallest of the English coun- 
 ties, has an area of 150 square miles, and is a very 
 beautiful and fertile farming region. Shire town, 
 Oakham. 
 
 Shropshire, or Salop, in the west, has Wales on 
 the north and west. It is in part quite broken, but 
 is generally fertile. Coal, iron, salt, and potter's 
 clay are mined ; and iron is manufactured largely. 
 Area, 1342 square miles. Shire town, Shrews- 
 bury. 
 
 Somersetshire has the Bristol Channel on the 
 north, and is shut in by Devon, Dorset, Wilts, and 
 Gloucestershire. It is hilly, with fertile vales, 
 and contains*a part of Exmoor. Agriculture, sheep- 
 husbandry, dairy-farming, manufacturing, and the 
 mining of coal, zinc, &c., are carried on. It con- 
 
ENGLAND. 149 
 
 tains several large cities. Area, 1636 square 
 miles. 
 
 Southamptonshire, Hampshire, or Hants, lies north 
 of the Channel, and includes the beautiful Isle of 
 Wight. The whole county is very charming in its 
 aspect. Grazing, agriculture, and maritime pur- 
 suits are the important industrial interests. Capi- 
 tal, Winchester. Area, 1625 square miles. 
 
 Staffordshire, lies west of Derbyshire, south of 
 Cheshire, east of Salop, and north of Worcester 
 and Warwick. Its surface is varied. Coal, iron, 
 and excellent potter's clay are mined, and the 
 manufactures are various and exceedingly impor- 
 tant ; most of the commercial supply of table-ware 
 and fine pottery originates here. The agricultural 
 interests, too, are not neglected. Area, 1138 
 square miles. Shire town, Stafford. 
 
 Suffolk (" South folk " ) was once a part of the 
 realm of East Anglia. It is generally level and 
 well tilled, but portions have a poor soil. Shire 
 town, Ipswich. Area, 1481 square miles. 
 
 Surrey lies south of the Thames, north of Sussex, 
 west of Kent, and east of Berks and Hants. This 
 county contains Southwark and Lambeth, suburbs 
 of London. Its soil is naturally poor, to a great 
 extent, but it is well tilled. Shire town, Guild- 
 FOUD. Area, 748 square miles. 
 
 Sussex C South Saxons " ) was the name of one 
 of the kingdoms of the Heptarchy, which included 
 both this county and Surrey. Portions of this 
 
150 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 county are not naturally very fertile ; but it is well 
 cultivated and productive. Area, 1461 square 
 miles. Shire town, Chichester. 
 
 Warwickshire lies between Worcestershire, Glou- 
 cestershire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leices- 
 tershire, and Staffordshire, and has an area of 881 
 square miles. It is fertile and well cultivated ; 
 has very important agricultural and manufacturing 
 interests. Shire town, Warwick. 
 
 Westmoreland, in the north, borders on Yorkshire 
 and Cumberland. Area, 758 square miles. It is 
 a wild and picturesque lake and mountain region, 
 where coal, lead, slate, copper, &c., are mined, and 
 where there are important manufacturing and agri- 
 cultural interests. Shire town, Appleby. 
 
 Wiltshire, or Wilts, a southern county, between 
 Berks, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, and 
 Hants. Area, 1352 square miles. It is generally 
 a fine agricultural region. Salisbury Plain, in this 
 county, contains the ruins of Avebury and Stone- 
 henge, and many other remains of prehistoric an- 
 tiquity. It has important manufactures. Shire 
 town, Salisbury. 
 
 Worcestershire consists of several detached parts, 
 of which the largest lies between Stafford, Salop, 
 Hereford, Gloucester, and Warwick shires. Area, 
 738 square miles. It is a very beautiful and fertile 
 tract, and has large and varied industrial interests. 
 Shire town, Worcester. 
 
 Yorkshire, the largest county of England, lies 
 
ENGLAND. 151 
 
 between the counties of Notts, Derby, Chester, 
 Lancaster, Westmoreland, and Durham on the 
 landward side, the German Ocean on its eastward 
 border, and the Humber separating it from Lin- 
 colnshire on the southeastern. 
 
 The East Riding of Yorkshire (area 1201 square 
 miles) contains large moors and wolds, and has 
 important industrial and commercial*interests, with 
 several large towns and cities. 
 
 The North Riding is a fine grazing and farming 
 district, with some mineral wealth. Area, 2109 
 square miles. 
 
 The West Riding has an area of 2583 square 
 miles. It is a rich agricultural region, with fine 
 scenery, and very important manufactures of every 
 kind. 
 
 The Ainsty of York (area 86 square miles) is a 
 region lying near the city of York, and properly 
 a part of the West Riding. 
 
 The City of York is spoken of as a county in 
 itself, and is a place of great antiquity and of much 
 historical interest. York Minster, the great Cathe- 
 dral-charch, is one of the finest examples of eccle- 
 siastical architecture in existence. 
 
 London, in Middlesex, on the Thames, the larg- 
 est, and in many respects the most interesting, 
 city in the world, is the capital of England, Wales, 
 and the British empire. Scotland and Ireland have 
 separate systems of government administration ; 
 and Scotland has even a separate system of law. 
 
WALES. 
 
 "Wales, a principality, or dominion, comprising 
 twelve counties, lying west of the central portion 
 of England, and inhabited by people of Celtic 
 (Cymric) descent, who to this day speak the 
 Welsh, a language derived from that of the ancient 
 Britons. Wales is a picturesque mountain region, 
 and its ancient people, though often overrun by 
 the English, were not finally conquered until the 
 time of Edward I., whose son, Edward II., was 
 born at Caernarvon, and took the title of Prince 
 of Wales, — a title still borne by the eldest son of 
 the monarch. Wales is 135 miles long, and has 
 an area of 7398 square miles. It is not especially 
 fertile, though of late years it is generally well 
 cultivated. The people are. Protestants and have 
 very strong religious feelings. Many ancient cus- 
 toms and curious superstitions still subsist. Min- 
 ing, manufacturing, and pasturage are the leading 
 pursuits. 
 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 Anglesea, a county of north Wales, consisting of 
 the island of the same name, with some smaller 
 islets. Area, 302 square miles. It is far less pict- 
 
WALES. 153 
 
 nresque than the mainland of Wales, bnt is gener- 
 ally well cultivated and productive. It was one 
 of the islands anciently called Mona^ a name also 
 given to the Isle of Man. It is remarkable for its 
 cromlechs (stone altars), and other curious monu- 
 ments of the Druidic, or of the Ante-druidic, period. 
 Its copper mines have great celebrity. The Straits 
 of Menai separate it from the mainland, and are 
 crossed by two famous bridges, — one tubular, of 
 wrought iron, for a railway, and the other a chain 
 suspension-bridge. Shire town, Beaumaris. 
 
 Brecknockshire, or Brecon, a county in the in- 
 terior of South Wales. Area, 719 square miles. 
 It is a mountain region, producing coal, iron, 
 copper, lead, &c., and is distinguished for its 
 sheep-husbandry. The Welsh language is not 
 much employed here. Shire town, Brecon". 
 
 Cardiganshire, in South Wales, on the shores of 
 Cardigan Bay, is mainly a wild mountain region, 
 with some mining interests ; but grazing is one of 
 its leading industrial pursuits. Shire town, Car- 
 digan. Area, 693 square miles. 
 
 Carmarthenshire, or Caermarthenshire, South Wales, 
 lies on the Bristol Channel ; is hilly, but fertile 
 and well cultivated ; has an important production 
 of iron, coal, lime, &c. Shire town, Carmarthen. 
 Area, 947 square miles. 
 
 Carnarvonshire, or Caernarvonshire, North Wales, 
 a maritime county, very mountainous, and much 
 
154 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 resorted to for its picturesque scenery. It has 
 varied mineral wealth, and grazing is a leading 
 pursuit. Shire town, Caernavon, which con- 
 tains the ruins of Caernavon Castle, where Ed- 
 ward II. was born. Area, 579 square miles. 
 
 Denbighshire, North Wales, is bounded on the 
 north by the Irish sea. It has a broken and 
 mountainous surface, with fertile valleys ; has 
 rich and well-developed mines, and considerable 
 manufacturing industry. Shire town, Denbigh. 
 Area, 603 square miles. 
 
 Flintshire, on the Irish Sea, in North Wales, just 
 east of Denbighshire, is a fertile county ; English 
 rather than Welsh in its appearance. Lead, cop- 
 per, coal, cattle, and farm and dairy-products are 
 largely exported. Shire town, Flint. Area, 289 
 square miles. 
 
 Glamorganshire, the most southern shire in Wales, 
 is famous for its coal and iron interest, and con- 
 tains Merthyr-Tydvil, the largest city, and Cardiff, 
 the principal seaport of the principality. The 
 Vale of Glamorgan is very fertile, and there is much 
 mountain scenery in the county. Shire town, 
 Cardiff. Area, 856 square miles. 
 
 Merionethshire, in North Wales ; a picturesque, 
 maritime, mountain region, generally devoted to 
 grazing, but having some mining interests. It con- 
 tains the lake of Bala, the largest in Wales. Shire 
 town, Harlech. Area, 663 square miles. 
 
WALi:s. 155 
 
 Montgomeryshire, in the interior of North Wales, 
 is very mountainous ; has important grazing inter- 
 ests, and extensive slate-quarries, besides a large 
 and profitable flannel-manufacture. Shire town, 
 Montgomery. Area, 755 square miles. 
 
 Pembrokeshire, the south-western county of 
 Wales, has an extensive sea-coast (with fine 
 harbors and valuable fisheries), a broken surface, a 
 fertile soil, and large mineral wealth. Shire town, 
 Haverfordwest. Area, 628 square miles. 
 
 Radnorshire, in South Wales ; a bleak, hilly region, 
 with much bog and moorland. Grazing is the 
 chief industrial pursuit. Area, 425 square miles. 
 Capital, New Radnor. 
 
SCOTLAND. 
 
 Scotland, known also to the poets as Scotia, Al- 
 byn, and Caledonia, is the northern portion of the 
 Island of Great Britain, with many smaller islands, 
 mostly lying off the west and north coasts. Scot- 
 land takes its name from the Scoti^ a race of Irish 
 origin, long dominant in the west. The south of 
 Scotland was, in the Anglo-Saxon period, princi- 
 pally under the control of the kings of Strath- 
 clyde (whose people were Cymric Celts), while the 
 kings of Lothian, in the southeast, ruled a people 
 mostly of Anglian and Danish stock. The people 
 of the north to this day very largely speak the 
 Gaelic, a dialect of the Irish. Many Northmen 
 (Norwegians) settled on the Scottish coasts and 
 islands, but for the most part they adopted the 
 language and habits of the Celts, whom they con- 
 quered. As to the race and language of the an- 
 cient Picts, very little is positively known, but 
 they were probably Cymric Celts, like the Welsh. 
 The north of Scotland is a wild and very pictur- 
 esque mountain region, with some fertile valleys, 
 now mostly given up to sheep-walks and the breed- 
 
SCOTLAND. 157 
 
 ing of neat cattle. This Highland region is the 
 truly Celtic part of the country. The Lowlands 
 of Scotland (in the south) are only low in com- 
 parison with the northern mountains ; but the great 
 central valley of Scotland, called Strathmore, is 
 indeed a level region. In area about one sixth of 
 the country, its fertile soil and mineral treasure 
 give it much more than half the wealth and popu- 
 lation of the country. Coal and iron are very ex- 
 tensivelj^ wrought in Scotland ; and a great variety 
 of manufactures flourish there, but not in the 
 Highlands proper. Important fisheries exist on 
 the coasts, as well as in the lakes, which are numer- 
 ous and often very beautiful. 
 
 About one-third of the soil of Scotland is arable, 
 but the cultivation of the soil is conducted with 
 great skill and success ; and much land not cultiva- 
 ble affords pasturage. 
 
 History. Early Scottish history is strongly tinc- 
 tured with the mythical. The subjugation and 
 colonization of the west by the Irish (Scots) ; 
 the conquest of a large part of the coasts and 
 islands by the Norwegians ; the peopling of Lothian 
 by Anglo-Saxons (who gave their language to the 
 Lowland Scots) ; the ascent of Malcolm 11. to the 
 throne of Scotland, in 1004 ; the usurpation of Mac- 
 beth (1040) ; the wars of Edward I., of England, 
 against the Scots under Wallace and Bruce (1290- 
 1314) ; the ascent of the unhappy Stuarts to the 
 
158 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 throne (1371), in the person of Robert I., the 
 Blear-Eyed ; the reign of the accomplished James 
 I. (1394-1424-1437) ; the death of James IV., at 
 Flodden (1513) ; and the tragical life and death 
 of Queen Mary, — are among the memorable events 
 of Scotland's annals. The mediaeval Scots were a 
 turbulent and bloody people. The inhabitants of 
 the Highlands were arranged and governed in clans, 
 or great families, after the old Celtic plan, down to 
 the times of WiUiam III. ; but a strong and fac- 
 tious feudal nobility bore sway in the Lowlands ; 
 and the long course of Scottish history is a tale of 
 feuds and insurrections, of treasons and murders, 
 innumerable. The papal legates exercised a strong 
 power in Scotland. The Roman law was brought 
 in from France (Scotland's ancient ally), and to 
 this day Scottish jurisprudence rests upon that old 
 foundation. Edinburgh is the capital. 
 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 Aberdeenshire, bounded east and north by the 
 German Ocean. Area, 1960 square miles. Its 
 interior is mountainous, Ben Macdhui reaching 
 4305 feet in height. But about one third, chiefly 
 near the coast, is arable land. Aberdeenshire breeds 
 many neat cattle, which are mostly fattened in 
 English pastures. The capital is the flourishing 
 city of Aberdeen. 
 
SCOTLAND. 159 
 
 Argyllshire, on the west coast, includes many 
 islands. Area, 3180 square miles, chiefly Highland 
 moors and mountains. Great numbers of neat cat- 
 tle are here bred for the English market. Capital. 
 Inverary. 
 
 Ayrshire, a maritime county of the southwest, 
 contains much good soil, and much waste and 
 mountain land, and is famous for its breed of cows, 
 of unsurpassed excellence as milkers. Coal, min- 
 ing, and the manufacture of iron and textile fabrics 
 are important pursuits. Area, 1039 square miles. 
 Capital, Ayr. 
 
 Banffshire lies on the southwest of Moray Frith. 
 Its interior is a Highland region, but the coast is 
 productive. Cattle-breeding, grain-raising, and 
 the fisheries are leading industries. Area, 645 
 square miles. Capital, Banff. 
 
 Berwickshire, the southeasternmost county of 
 Scotland. Area, 446 square miles. There is con- 
 siderable waste land, but some portions are exceed- 
 ingly fertile. Capital, Greenlaw. 
 
 Buteshire. consists entirely of islands off the west 
 coast, of which Arran and Bute are the largest. 
 Area, 257 square miles. Portions have a good soil, 
 but it is mainly better for pasture-land than for 
 tillage. Capital, Rothesay. 
 
 Caithness is the northernmost county of the main- 
 land of Scotland. Area, 616 square miles, less 
 than one-third of which is cultivated. It is largely 
 
160 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 waste moorland. Some coal has been found. The 
 extensive fisheries afford the chief wealth of the 
 people. Capital, Wick. 
 
 Clackmannanshire, the smallest county of Scot- 
 land. Area, 48 square miles. The soil is very- 
 fertile, and coal is found in large quantities. Capi- 
 tal, Clackmannan. 
 
 Cromartyshire is attached to Ross-shire. Its area 
 is 344 square miles. It consists of some ten de- 
 tached portions. Capital, Cromarty, on Cromarty 
 Frith. 
 
 Dumbartonshire, or Lennox, is in two parts, chiefly 
 between the Frith of Clyde, and Loch Lomond. 
 The lowland part is fertile, the rest barren. Coal, 
 iron, and lime are found. Area, 228 square miles. 
 Capital, Dumbarton. 
 
 Dumfriesshire has on the east and south Cum- 
 berland, a county of England. Area, 1007 square 
 miles, — one fourth arable. Sheep, cattle, and 
 swine are bred upon the high grounds. There 
 are important manufactures, and the mineral 
 springs are much visited in their season. Capital, 
 Dumfries. 
 
 Edinburghshire, or Mid-Lothian, lies SOUth of the 
 Frith of Forth. Area, 354 square miles. It is a 
 fine agricultural region, — abounds in coal, iron, and 
 building stone, and has extensive manufactures. 
 Capital, Edinburgh, the metropolis of Scotland. 
 
 Elginshire, or Moray, lies south of Moray Frith, 
 
SCOTLAND. 161 
 
 Area, 473 square miles, of which about one-fourth 
 is arable, the rest mainly mountainous. The ara- 
 ble part is called " the garden of Scotland," and 
 is exceedingly productive. Capital, Elgin. 
 
 Fifeshire, on the east coast, lies between the 
 Friths of Forth and Tay. It is uneven, but popu- 
 lous and fertile, producing also much coal, iron, and 
 building stone. Area, 451 square miles. Capital, 
 Cupar. 
 
 Forfarshire, or Angus, on the east coast, lies north 
 of the Frith of TaJ^ It contains much exceed- 
 ingly fertile land, and many prosperous towns ; and 
 its manufactures are varied and extensive. Area, 
 272 square miles. Capital, Forfar. 
 
 Haddingtonshire, or East Lothian, is on the east 
 coast, south of the Frith of Forth. Area, 272 
 square miles. It is remarkably fertile and well 
 cultivated, and its coal mines are important. Capi- 
 tal, Haddington. 
 
 Inverness-shire extends across the Highlands, 
 from sea to sea, and includes several islands. It 
 has much waste mountain and heath-land, but 
 pastures many sheep, and has fertile tracts, and 
 some manufactures. Area, 4054 square miles. 
 Capital, Inverness. 
 
 Kincardineshire, or The Mearns, is on the east COast. 
 Area, 380 square miles. The mountain portion 
 breeds many cattle and sheep ; and there is a very 
 fertile strip Q' the How of the Mearns ") which is 
 finely cultivated. Capital, Stonehaven. 
 
 11 
 
162 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Kinross-shire, a small county, with a fertile, un- 
 even surface, generally well cultivated. Area, 72 
 square miles. It contains Loch Leven, so famous 
 in Scottish history. Capital, Kinross. 
 
 Kirkcudbright, or East GaUoway, a stewartry or 
 county in the southwest, on the Sol way Frith. 
 Area, 821 square miles. It is a part of the penin- 
 sula of Galloway ; has considerable excellent soil ; 
 rears many sheep, and cattle of the hornless Gallo- 
 way breed. Capital, Kirkcudbright. 
 
 Lanarkshire, or Clydesdale, consists chiefly of the 
 upper part of the valley of the river Clyde. Area, 
 887 square miles. Its lower portion is verj^ fertile, 
 and the countj^ is famous for its fine draught-horses. 
 Mines of iron, coal, and lead are wrought largely ; 
 and the manufactures are exceedingly varied and 
 important. Capital, Lanark; chief town, Glas- 
 gow. 
 
 Linlithgowshire, or "West Lothian, lies south of the 
 Frith of Forth. Area, 120 square miles, mostly 
 very productive. It has important coal mines. 
 Capital, Linlithgow. 
 
 Nairnshire lies south of the Moray Frith, with 
 detached portions included in Ross and other coun- 
 ties. Whole area, 195 square miles. It is gener- 
 ally mountainous. Grazing and the fisheries are 
 carried on. Capital, Nairn. 
 
 Orkney, consists of the Orkney islands, 67 in 
 number, lying north of Scotland proper. Only 27 
 
SCOTLAND. 163 
 
 islands are inhabited. The islands are not gener- 
 ally elevated. Cattle and sheep are bred, but 
 fishing is the principal pursuit. Area, 600 square 
 miles. Capital, Kirkwall. The Orkneys are 
 joined to Shetland for county purposes. 
 
 Peeblesshire (Tweeddale) lies south of Edinburgh- 
 shire, in the Tweed valley. It is a wooded, ele- 
 vated region, with some manufactures, and some 
 mines of coal ; but cattle and sheep husbandry are 
 leading pursuits. Area, 319 square miles. Capi- 
 tal, Peebles. 
 
 Perthshire lies near the centre of Scotland. 
 Area, 2588 square miles. The lowland por- 
 tions are probably as productive as any lands in 
 the world; and the highland region affords much 
 pasturage. Coal and other mineral wealth exists. 
 The capital, Perth, is a wealthy city. 
 
 Renfrewshire, on the Frith of Clyde, is mostly 
 level and fertile land, and produces much coal. It 
 has very important manufactures. Chief towns, 
 Paisley, Port Glasgow, and Greenock. Capital, 
 Renfrew. 
 
 Ross-shire, a sheriffdom or county extending 
 across the Highlands, from sea to sea, and includ- 
 ing several of the Hebrides. Cromartyshire is now 
 attached to it, and the whole is known as Ross and 
 Cromarty. Total area, 2885 square miles, of which 
 660 belong to the islands, and 344 to Cromarty. 
 Cattle and sheep-raising are the principal pur- 
 
164 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 suits, and the fisheries are of some importance. 
 Capital of Ross, Dingayall ; of Cromartyshire, 
 Cromarty. 
 
 Roxburghshire is a border county, having England 
 on the southeast. Area, 715 square miles. It is 
 fertile, and affords much* grazing. Coal abounds. 
 The ruins of Melrose Abbey are in this county. 
 Capital, Jedburgh. 
 
 Selkirkshire, to the south of Edinburghshire, io a 
 hilly region, largely identical with the ancient 
 Ettrick Forest. Area, 263 square miles. It has 
 important grazing interests, and quite extensive 
 manufactures. Abbotsford, the late residence of 
 Sir Walter Scott, is in this county. Capital, Sel- 
 kirk. 
 
 Shetland, or Zetland, a group of some thirty isl- 
 ands, lying farther north than any other British 
 islands. The}^ are not generally very much ele- 
 vated. The collecting of birds' eggs and feathers, 
 the fisheries, and the rearing of diminutive ponies 
 and of a breed of sheep with 'remarkably fine wool, 
 are leading pursuits. Capital, Lerwick. The 
 islands are joined, for county purposes, to the 
 Orkneys. 
 
 Steriingshire is a generally very fertile region, 
 with some mountains, among which is Ben Lomond. 
 Coal, iron, &c., are extensively wrought, and the 
 extent and variety of the manufactures is very 
 great. Area, 487 square miles. Capital, Stirling. 
 
SCOTLAND. 165 
 
 Sutherland, a maritime Highland county of the 
 extreme north. Area, 1764 square miles. Cattle, 
 and especially sheep, are reared extensively. On 
 the coast there are some very fertile tracts, and 
 the fisheries are important. Capital, Dornoch. 
 . Wigtownshire, or West GaUoway, is the SOUth- 
 westernmost county of Scotland, and a portion 
 of the peninsula of Galloway. Area, 451 square 
 miles. It contains much fertile land, has fine cat- 
 tle, and is well tilled. Capital, Wigtown. 
 
IRELAND. 
 
 Ireland, often spoken of as " Erin," " the Emerald 
 Isle " (from the perpetual green of its sod), is the 
 second in size of the British islands. Its extreme 
 length is 300 miles, its greatest breadth is 212 miles, 
 and its total area, 32,513 square miles. It has a 
 bold coast line, with many bays and headlands, 
 forming numerous excellent harbors, especially 
 towards the west. Its surface is quite varied, and 
 in general its soil is excellently adapted to grazing 
 and tillage, with the exception of the bogs, — ex- 
 tensive morasses which afford some hay, and much 
 peat and turf for fuel; and from whose depths 
 excellent fossil timber is sometimes extracted. 
 
 Ireland is inhabited mainly by a Celtic race of 
 the Gaedhelic branch, speaking partly English and 
 partly their own ancestral tongue. The ancient 
 history of Ireland is lost in antiquity. In the 
 early ages of Christianity, its people embraced that 
 faith, St. Patrick being the principal apostle of the 
 new religion. Previously, Druidical heathen- 
 ism had prevailed there. The light of Irish 
 Christianity shed a glorious radiance over the Dark 
 
IRELAND. 167 
 
 Ages, and for a considerable time this country was 
 the refuge of European learning, the abode of 
 exiled piety, and the great school of the faith. In 
 1174, the Anglo-Norman barons of Henry II. 
 undertook the conquest of Ireland ; but only a 
 small part of the country was really conquered for 
 many centuries, and the intrusive colonists gener- 
 ally became more Irish than the Irish themselves. 
 John, Richard II., Henry VIL, Henry VIII., 
 EHzabeth, James I., Cromwell, and other English 
 monarchs, strove with varjdng success, and too 
 often with great cruelty, to extend their sway in 
 Ireland. William III. was indeed the real con- 
 queror of that unhappy country. In 1800, the 
 union of Ireland and Great Britain took place, in 
 consequence of the growing jealousy awakened by 
 the spread of revolutionary principles in Ireland. 
 In 1829, the Catholic-Emancipation Bill was passed 
 in Parliament, and for the first time since the real 
 conquest of the country was there any thing like 
 true religious and social liberty permitted to the 
 majority of the people of the land. The potato- 
 rot of 1845-48 caused a terrible famine in Ireland, 
 and led to great emigration ; since which time the 
 population of Ireland has been quite steadily de- 
 clining. Great legal reforms have recently taken 
 effect in Ireland. 
 
 The Harp of Ireland, that " which rang through 
 Tara's halls " (Tara was the old Celtic capital of 
 
168 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 • 
 Ireland), is said to have been owned and played 
 
 upon by Brien Boroimhe, King of Ireland, who 
 perished in the glorious victory of Clontarf, where 
 the invading Danes were overthrown. His succes- 
 , sor, Donagh, retired to Rome, taking the harp with 
 him. It was given to Pope Alexander II., and re- 
 mained in the Vatican until Leo X. gave it to 
 Henry VIII., of England. The Earls of Clanricard, 
 and families of the names of M'Mahon, M'Namara, 
 and Conyngham possessed it; and finally it was 
 given, by the Marquis of Conyngham, near the 
 close of the last century, to the museum of Trinity 
 College, Dublin, where it still remains. It is of 
 oak and willow, with ornaments of brass and sil- 
 ver, and is adorned with carvings of Irish wolf- 
 dogs and with escutcheons. It had twenty-eight 
 strings, one of which remains. 
 
 The government of Ireland is administered by 
 a Lord Lieutenant, with vice-regal powers. The 
 capital is Dublin, on the river Liffey. 
 
 PROVINCES. 
 
 Ireland is divided into four provinces, — Ulster, 
 Leinster, Munster, and Connaught. 
 
 Ulster, the northern province, is rocky and ele- 
 vated in the west, and is comparatively free from 
 bog. Its people are more than half Protestant, be- 
 
IRELAND. 169 
 
 ing very largely of Scottish descent, — for James 
 I., Cromwell, and William III. made colonies 
 of Protestants here, displacing largely the original 
 people. It contains nine counties, and has large 
 linen manufactures. 
 
 Leinster, on the eastern coast, includes Dublin, 
 the capital of Ireland, and is a beautiful and fertile 
 province, with much diversity of surface. This 
 province includes that portion of Ireland which 
 has been longest under English rule. It now con- 
 tains eleven counties. 
 
 Munster, the southern province, is the largest and 
 most varied in character of the four main divisions 
 of Ireland. Its western part is the most mountain- 
 ous region of Ireland. The people of Munster are 
 principally Roman Catholics. The province con- 
 tains six counties. 
 
 Connaught, on the west, is the smallest, and the 
 most backward in development, of the Irish prov- 
 inces. Its coast region is generally rocky and wild, 
 and in the east are extensive bogs. A very consid- 
 erable number of its people speak the Irish lan- 
 guage only ; and the latter prevails quite extensively 
 in Munster also. 
 
170 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 COUNTIES. 
 
 Antrim, in Ulster, is the northeasternmost county 
 of Ireland. Area, 1164 square miles. It contains 
 much bog and wild mountain scenery. The Giants' 
 Causeway, a famous mass of columnar basalt, is in 
 this county. Capital, Antrim. 
 
 Armagh, a county of Ulster (area 512 square 
 miles), is generally fertile, with hills in the south- 
 west. It is noted as containing the city of Ar- 
 magh, the seat of Roman Catholic and Anglican 
 archbishops, each with the now empty title of 
 " Primate of all Ireland." 
 
 Carlow, in Leinster, is a very fertile and pleasant 
 county, nearly all arable. Grazing and agriculture 
 are its .leading industrial interests. Area, 346 
 square miles. Capital, Carlow. 
 
 Cavan, in Ulster, has much poor soil; but its 
 mineral wealth, though not well developed, is be- 
 lieved to be considerable. Area, 746 square miles. 
 Capital, Cayan. 
 
 Clare, a county of Munster, on the west coast, is 
 a hilly, picturesque region, with many ruined cas- 
 tles, and good, but not well developed, resources 
 of soil. It has some manufactures of linen, flan- 
 nels, &c. Area, 1294 square miles. Capital, 
 Ennis. 
 
 Cork, in Munster, is the largest and southern- 
 
IRELAND. 171 
 
 most county of Ireland. Area, 2885 square miles. 
 Three-fourths of its surface is arable. Some parts 
 are covered with picturesque but not lofty, moun- 
 tains. It contains the important city of Cokk, 
 the second city of Ireland in point of size. 
 
 Derry, or Londonderry, a county of Ulster, on the 
 northern coast. Area, 810 square miles, land 
 somewhat level and very productive. This county 
 contains the city of Londonderry, a very prosper- 
 ous place. 
 
 Donegal is a maritime county of Ulster, in the 
 northwest. Area, 1865 square miles. The greater 
 part of its mountainous surface is waste land. 
 It has fisheries of some importance. Capital, 
 Donegal. 
 
 Down, a county of Ulster, on the eastern coast. 
 Its surface is uneven, but generally fertile. Area, 
 950 square miles. Capital, Downpatrick. 
 
 Dublin, in Leinster, contains the city of Dublin, 
 the capital of Ireland. It is generally fertile and 
 very picturesque, and contains many handsome 
 residences and fine estates. Area, 354 square 
 miles. 
 
 Fermanagh, in Ulster, has a diversified surface, 
 with a soil generally excellent. Much of its 
 scenerj^ is very beautiful. Area, 714 square miles. 
 Its capital, Enniskillen, is a thriving town. 
 
 Galway, a county of Connaught, on the west 
 coast, is broken and rough near the sea, but level 
 
172 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 in the east. The wild district of Connemara is a 
 portion of this county. Grazing and the fisheries 
 prosper in this county of Galway, but agriculture 
 is too much neglected. Its capital is the important 
 city of Galway. Area, 2447 square miles. 
 
 Kerry, in Munster, on the western coast, is a 
 mountainous region, with many tracts of very poor 
 soil ; famous for the beauty and virtue of its women. 
 Area, 1850 square miles. It has a noted breed of 
 very small cows, excellent milkers, and kept 
 mostly by the poor tenants. The beautiful lakes 
 of Killarney are in Kerry. Capital, Tralee. 
 
 Kiidare, in Leinster, is one of the most fertile 
 counties of Ireland, very level and well cultivated ; 
 but its people are not prosperous as a whole. 
 Area, 653 square miles. Capital, Athy. 
 
 Kilkenny, in Leinster, is one of the most health- 
 ful and pleasant regions in Ireland, or in the whole 
 world, containing the good city of Kilkenny. Its 
 charms are told in the well-known lines, — 
 
 Air without fog, land without bog, 
 Water without mud, fire without smoke, 
 And the streets paved with marble. 
 
 Its smokeless anthracite coal is famous. Area, 
 796 square miles. Capital, Kilkenny. 
 
 King's County, a county of Leinster, on the Shan- 
 non, is generally level and fertile, but is, unhap- 
 pily, not very prosperous. Area, 772 square miles. 
 
 Capital, TULLAMORE. 
 
IRELAND. 173 
 
 Leitrim is a picturesque maritime county of Con- 
 naught. Area, 613 square miles. More than a 
 fourth of the county is uncultivated mountain, or 
 bog land; but portions are very fertile, and the 
 pasturage is profitable. Capital, Carrick-on- 
 Shaknon. 
 
 Limerick, a county of Munster, is bounded north 
 by the navigable Shannon, the largest stream in 
 the island. Area, 1064 square miles, principally a 
 level and well cultivated plain. This countj^ con- 
 tains a famous city of the same name, one very 
 memorable in the history of Ireland. 
 
 Longford is a county of Leinster. Area, 421 
 square miles, mostly level and of fertile soil, with 
 some bog. Capital, Longford. 
 
 Louth, a county of Leinster, on the eastern 
 coast. Area, 315 square miles. It is generally a 
 good agricultural region. Capital, Dundalk. 
 
 Mayo, a county of Connaught, is on the western 
 coast. Area, 2131 square miles, not one-half of 
 which is cultivated, although portions are very 
 fertile. There are many mountains. Pasturage 
 and fishing are leading pursuits, and the mineral 
 wealth is supposed to be very considerable. Capi- 
 tal, Castlebar. 
 
 Meath, a county of Leinster, is on the eastern 
 coast. Area, 906 square miles. It has a level 
 surface and a good soil, but is not prosperous. 
 Capital, Trim. 
 
174 ENGLISH HISTORY IN SHORT STORIES. 
 
 Monaghan, in Ulster, is a generally fertile and 
 somewhat hilly county, with thriving dairy and 
 farming interests. Area, 500 square miles. Capi- 
 tal, MONAGHAN. 
 
 Queen's County, in Leinster, is a level and fertile 
 region. Area, 664 square miles. It has some 
 mineral wealth, but grazing and agriculture are 
 leading pursuits. Capital, Maryborough. 
 
 Roscommon, in Connaught, is a very fertile 
 county on the Shannon. Area, 950 square miles. 
 It contains a portion of the tow^n of Athlone, 
 which is very near the centre of Ireland. Capital, 
 Roscommon. 
 
 Sligo, in Connaught, on the western coast, is a 
 good grazing county, with an exceedingly varied 
 surface. Area, 722 square miles. Its capital, 
 Sligo, is a busy seaport town, with a good trade 
 in butter, provisions, and the like. 
 
 Tyrone, in Ulster, is a hilly county, with fertile 
 valleys. Area, 1260 square miles. Agriculture 
 does not greatly prosper ; but good coal is mined, 
 and the manufactures are very considerable. Cap- 
 ital, Omagh. 
 
 "Waterford, in Munster, on the southeast coast. 
 Area, 721 square miles, three-fourths arable land. 
 It is a splendid dairy region, for the most part 
 mountainous and very pleasant, with plenty of un- 
 wrought mineral wealth, and some manufactures. 
 Capital, Waterford, which has the best harbor 
 and quay in all Ireland. 
 
IRELAND. 175 
 
 "Westmeath, in the west of Leinster, on the 
 Shannon, has many bogs, with much fine soil and 
 pleasant scenery. Its beautiful lakes and rivers 
 are quite noteworthy. It is one of the best agri- 
 cultural counties of Ireland. Area, 709 square 
 miles. Capital, Mullingar. 
 
 Wexford, in Leinster, on the southeast coast, is 
 a fertile county. Area, 901 square miles. It is 
 pleasant and healthful, but has lost more than half 
 its people by emigration. Capital, Wexford. 
 
 Wicklow is a mountainous and picturesque county 
 of Leinster, on the eastern coast. Area, 781 square 
 miles. It has mineral wealth of importance, and 
 many fine ruins of ancient castles and churches. 
 Grazing and agriculture are generally profitable. 
 Capital, Wicklow. 
 
THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 
 
 The Channel Islands are very near the French 
 coast, and the people generally speak a French 
 patois; but they are British dependencies, and 
 have three little legislatures of their own. These 
 islands are Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark ; 
 with Herm, Jethou, and some other small islets. 
 The islands have a delightful climate and fertile 
 soil; and from them come the famous Jersey cows, 
 so excellent for the butter dairy. 
 
 o><8t^o 
 
 THE ISLE OF MAN. 
 
 The Isle of Man is a pleasant, fertile island lying 
 in the Irish Sea. Its ancient language, the Manx, 
 much resembles the Irish ; but the English is fast 
 taking its place. The Manx people are Prot- 
 estants, and have their own legislature (Tyn- 
 wald Court and the House of Keys), with many 
 strange and ancient customs. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Alfred, 42. 
 Angles, 13. 
 
 Anglo-Saxon kings, 37. 
 Anglo-Saxons, 13. 
 Anne, 124. 
 Anselm, 70. 
 
 Arms of Great Britain, 3. 
 Arthur, 9, 10. 
 Athelstan, 46. 
 
 Banneret, 23. 
 Bannockburn, 83. 
 Baron, 18, 19. 
 Baronet, 20, 21. 
 Bath, Knights of, 22. 
 Beef-eaters, 27. 
 Black Death, 86. 
 Black Prince, 86. 
 Blondel, 76. 
 Body Guard, 27. 
 Bretwalda, 34. 
 Brien Boroimhe, 5, 168. 
 Britain, origin of name, 7. 
 
 ,, prominent kings of, 9, 10. 
 Britons, 7, 8, 9, 10. 
 Brunswick kings, 125. 
 Buckhounds, Master of, 26. 
 
 Cabinet, 24. 
 Caesar, 11. 
 Canute, 56. 
 Celtic languages, 8. 
 Chamberlain, &c., 25. 
 Champion, 28. 
 Channel Islands, 176. 
 Charles I., 114. 
 „ II., 118. 
 Chivalry, 21. 
 Church'^of England, 24. 
 
 Clarenceux, 29. 
 Coat-armor, 28. 
 Coat-of-Arms, 3. 
 Commons, 17, 18, 80, 86. 
 Counties, English, 141. 
 
 „ Scottish, 158. 
 
 „ Welsh, 153. 
 
 „ Irish, 170. 
 Cromwell, Oliver, 116. 
 
 „ Richard, 117. 
 
 „ Thomas, 103. 
 
 Crown, the, 16. 
 Crown jewels, 16. 
 
 ,, ,, Scottish, 17. 
 
 Cumberland, Kingdom of, 14. 
 Cunabeline, 10. 
 Cvmbeline, 10. 
 Cymric languages, 8. 
 
 Danish kings, 55-59. 
 Descent of Victoria, 35. 
 Duke, 18. 
 Dunstan, 48-52. 
 
 Earl, 19. 
 
 Earl Marshal, 26, 29. 
 Edgar the Peaceable, 50. 
 Edlnund I., 47. 
 
 ,, II., Ironside, 54. 
 Edred, 48. 
 Edward the Elder, 45. 
 
 ,, the Martyr, 51. 
 
 „ the Confessor, 60. 
 
 „ I., 81. 
 
 „ II., 83. 
 
 „ III., 85. 
 
 „ IV., 95. 
 
 „ v., 97. 
 
 „ VI., 104. 
 
178 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Edwv, 49. 
 Egbert, 37. 
 Elizabeth, 108. 
 England, 140. 
 
 ,, origin of name, 13, 14. 
 English counties, 141. 
 Erse languages, 8. 
 Essex ring, 109. 
 Estates of the realm, 18. 
 Ethelbald, 39. 
 Ethelbert, 40. 
 Ethelred I., 41. 
 
 „ II., 52. 
 Ethelwulf, 38. 
 
 Flag, man-of-war, 129. 
 ,, royal standard, 32. 
 
 Garter King-of-Arms, 29. 
 Garter, Order of the, 21. 
 Gentlemen-at-Arms, 27. 
 George I., 125. 
 
 „ II., 127. 
 
 ,, III., 128. 
 
 „ IV., 131. 
 Great Britain, kings of, 111. 
 
 ,, ,, origin of name, 7. 
 
 Grey, the Lady Jane, 104, 105. 
 Guelph family, 125. 
 
 Hanoverian Line, 125. 
 Harald Blaatand, 55. 
 
 ,, Hardraade, 62. 
 Hardicanute, 59. 
 Harold I., 58. 
 „ II., 62. 
 Harp, Irish, 5, 167, 168. 
 Harry Hotspur, 88. 
 Hengest and Horsa, 12, 33. 
 Henrv I., 69. 
 
 „ " n., 73. 
 
 „ IIL, 79. 
 
 „ IV., 89. 
 
 „ v., 91. 
 
 „ VL, 93. 
 
 „ VIL, 99. 
 
 „ VHL, 101. 
 Household, Royal, 25. 
 
 Ireland, 166. 
 
 „ Harp of, 167. 
 
 James I., 112. 
 „ IL, 120. 
 Jane Grey, 104, 105. 
 John, 77/ 
 Jutes, 13, 14. 
 
 King, the, 15. 
 King's Champion, 28. 
 Knighthood, 21. 
 Koh-i-noor, 17. 
 
 Lion and Unicorn, 3-5. 
 
 Lord, 19. 
 
 Lords, House of, 17. 
 
 Magna Charta, 78. 
 Man, Isle of, 176. 
 Mary L, 106. 
 „ IL,122. 
 Marquis, 19. 
 Ministry, 24. 
 Montfort, Simon de, 80. 
 
 New England colonized, 113. 
 Nobility, 18. 
 Norman kings, 64. 
 Normans, 66. 
 
 Parliament, 17, 18. 
 
 „ Irish, 18. 
 
 ,, Scottish, 18. 
 
 Plantagenets, 73. 
 Provinces, Irish, 168. 
 Premier, 24. 
 Primate, 24, 170. 
 Privy Council, 24. 
 Privy Purse, 27. 
 Privy Seal, 27. 
 
 Queen, 15. 
 
 Richard I., 75. 
 „ IL, 87. 
 „ IIL, 98. 
 Robin Hood, 76. 
 Roman Walls, 12. 
 Romans in Britain, 11. 
 Roses, Wars of, 94. 
 Royal Archers, 27. 
 „ Family, 136. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 179 
 
 St. Andrew, Knights of, 22. 
 
 St. Michael and St. George, Knights 
 
 of, 23. 
 St. Patrick in Ireland, 166. 
 „ „ Knights of, 22. 
 Saladin, 75. 
 
 Saxon Line restored, 60. 
 Saxons, 13. 
 Scotland, 156. 
 
 Sovereigns of England, 135. 
 Standard, Roval, 32. 
 Star of India,' 23. 
 Stephen, 71. 
 Steward, Lord, 26. 
 
 „ High, 27. 
 
 „ Great, 27. 
 Stuart family, 111. 
 Sweyn, 55. 
 
 Thistle, Knights of the, 22. 
 Tudor Line, 99. 
 
 Union Jack, 130. 
 
 Victoria, 133. 
 
 ,, descent of, 35. 
 Virginia, colonization of, 113. 
 Viscount, 19. 
 
 Wales, 8-10, 152-155. 
 
 Prince of, 83, 136. 
 William the Conqueror, 64. 
 
 „ II., Rufus, 67. 
 
 „ IIL, 122. 
 
 „ IV., 132. 
 Witenagemote, 17. 
 
 Yeoman of the Guard, 27. 
 
 Cambridge : Press of John Wilson & Son. 
 
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