THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY-BOOK ALBERT F. BLAISDELL AND FRANCIS K.BALL Class Book. — Copyrights?.. COPWUGHT DEPOSm THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY-BOOK THE CHARGE OF THE. LIGHT BRIGADE. Frontispiece. Page 190. The English History Story - Book Br ALBERT F. BLAISDELL AND FRANCIS K. BALL Authors of " The American History Story-Book," etc. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY FRANK T. MERRILL Boston Little, Brown, and Company 1912 V s>J& >v fb ip Copyright, 1912, By Little, Brown, and Company. All rights reserved Published, September, 1912 ElectrotypedandPrintedby THE COLONIAL PRESS C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U. S. A. 0, 7-T 6CI.A319662 1 . To C-G-B FOR REMEMBRANCE PREFACE This book is intended to be used as a sup- plementary reading book for the fourth and fifth grades of our public schools, and for any other young people from ten to fifteen years of age. It is also designed as a collateral reading book in connection with the formal study of the numerous elementary textbooks on English history. The authors have attempted to set forth in some detail a series of dramatic and pic- turesque events in English history from the earliest times to the present day. These events have been carefully compiled and re- written from standard books and authors. The story form has been freely used, because experience in the schoolroom shows that such an arrangement usually serves to arouse a lively interest in historical reading and to vii PREFACE stimulate a laudable ambition to read more advanced books written for young people on similar subjects. It is suggested that teachers and others supplement the text of this book with such other historical material as may be readily obtained from school, home, or the public libraries. Albert F. Blaisdell. Francis K. Ball. July, 1912. Vlll CONTENTS I. The Britons and Their Brave Chief . 1 II. A Brave Briton Queen and the Romans . 5 III. The Coming of the Saxons and Angles . 9 IV. The Good King Arthur 14 V. How Prince Alfred Learned to Read . 19 VI. King Alfred and the Danes .... 23 VII. King Alfred and the Cakes .... 27 VIII. King Alfred in the Camp of the Danes . 31 IX. King Canute, the Dane 36 X. King Canute on the Seashore . . . 41 XI. The Coming of the Normans ... 44 XII. The Battle of Hastings 48 XIII. William the Conqueror 52 XIV. The Red King 57 XV. Henry the First and the White Ship . 61 XVI. Henry the Second, Who Died Broken- hearted 66 XVII. Richard the Lion Heart and His Minstrel 69 XVIII. How King Richard Met His Death . . 73 XIX. Robin Hood 76 XX. Robin Hood's Last Shot 79 ix CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE XXI. King John and the Magna Charta . 82 XXII. Prince Arthur 86 XXIII. King Edward the First .... 91 XXIV. The First Prince of Wales ... 94 XXV. Robert Bruce 98 XXVI. Edward the Black Prince .... 104 XXVII. The Brave Men of Calais . . .109 XXVIII. Prince Hal 114 XXIX. How Henry the Sixth Lost His Crown 119 XXX. The Two Princes in the Tower . . 124 XXXI. A Queen for Ten Days .... 129 XXXII. Sir Walter Raleigh 133 XXXIII. Mary Queen of Scots 139 XXXIV. Sir Philip Sidney 147 XXXV. The Defeat of the Spanish Armada . 150 XXXVI. The Gunpowder Plot 156 XXXVII. The Royal Oak 160 XXXVIII. The Great Plague 165 XXXIX. The Great Fire 168 XL. " Bonnie Prince Charlie " . . . . 171 XLI. England's Greatest Naval Hero . . 175 XLII. James Watt and the Steam Engine . 181 XLIII. George Stephenson and the Locomotive 184 XLIV. The Charge of the Light Brigade . . 189 XLV. Queen Victoria 193 ILLUSTRATIONS The Charge of the Light Brigade . . Frontispiece The Romans Battle with the Britons . . Page 3 King Alfred and the Woodsman's Wife " 29 Bertrand and the Dying King ..." 75 Edward the Third and the Black Prince . . " 106 Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh . . " 135 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY-BOOK THE BRITONS AND THEIR BRAVE CHIEF MANY, many years ago the people in England were called Britons. They lived in rude huts of wood and turf. Their clothes were not like ours, but were made of the skins of sheep and deer, and were coarse and rough. But in spite of all this, the Britons loved their island home. They loved the great forests, and often spent the whole day hunting. They used bows and arrows, and taught their sons to shoot the deer, the wild boar, and the wolf. They killed the wild beasts with their spears, too, which were short poles pointed with a sharp stone or a piece of bronze. 1 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The Britons were also daring fishermen. Their boats were nothing but twigs woven together into a kind of basket. The outside was covered with skins to keep the water out. These basket boats were sometimes so light that a boy could put one on his back and carry it home. The Britons caught their fish by spearing them, or by using hooks made of bone. At this time there lived far away to the south, in Italy, a people who called themselves Romans, after the name of their great city Rome. These Romans were the best soldiers in the world, and were not often beaten in battle. They went from one country to an- other fighting and conquering the people. Then they ruled over the land and called it their own. About two thousand years ago, Julius Caesar, who was Rome's greatest general, started across the sea to take the land away from the poor Britons. On the eastern side of England are high, 2 THE ROMANS BATTLE WITH THE BRITONS. Page 3. THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK white cliffs. Here the Britons often stood and looked out over the sea. It must have been lonely. There was no sound but the wind in the dark forests, and the waves breaking on the rocks far below. One bright July morning, just as they were ready to start fishing, they caught sight of hundreds of strange boats coming straight across the water. The Britons had never seen anything like them. Some of the boats were large and some were small, but all were filled with Roman soldiers. The Britons were fierce and brave. They fought more than a hundred years to drive the Romans out. One Briton chief, Caradoc, fought so many battles with the Romans and fought them so well that they wanted to catch him. At last, after nine years of fight- ing, they made him prisoner. They put his hands and feet in chains, and took him with his wife and children to Rome. The people in Rome soon heard of the famous chief that had been brought from 3 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK over the sea. And when he was to be led in chains through the streets, they came together in crowds to see the strange sight. When the Briton chief was led before his captors, he showed no signs of fear. He lifted his head proudly and looked upon the beau- tiful marble buildings. " Why did you come and rob us of our poor huts when you have such great houses and temples of your own? " he asked. " Now that I have lost my country, I do not fear to die." " How kingly he is! " the Romans cried; and they were so pleased with his noble looks that they took off his chains and set him free. II A BRAVE BRITON QUEEN AND THE ROMANS OUEEN BOADICEA ruled in a part of England where there were many Romans. The Romans were cruel to her and her children. They robbed her of her money. They beat her. They nearly killed her daughters. Now the queen knew that the Britons loved her, and she told them her wrongs. " My people," she said, " we had all better die than be slaves of the Romans. We are larger and stronger and braver than they. Help me to drive them out of our land." The Britons set up a great shout. " We are ready to fight for you, brave queen. Lead us against the Romans, and we will follow." 5 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Just then most of the Romans were miles away, fighting in another part of the coun- try. There was nobody to stop the queen and her men. They marched to the places where the Romans lived, and burned their houses and killed the people. They drove the Romans out of London, which at that time was only a poor little town. Every day more Britons came to help the queen. She had more soldiers than the Ro- mans. At last there was a great battle. Before the fighting began, the queen stepped into her chariot and drove before her army. Queen Boadicea was taller and larger than most women. She wore a long, dark cloak, and carried a spear in her hand. Around her neck was a gold collar. Her yellow hair hung below her waist and streamed in the wind. Her voice was strong and clear. Once more she told her soldiers the story of the great wrong done her by the Ro- mans. 6 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " I will win this battle, or die. You may live and be the slaves of the Romans." The Britons rushed at the Romans many times, and with great force. But it was of no use. The Romans knew much better how to fight, and won the day. Many of the Britons were killed. The rest hid themselves in the great forest, where the sun never shone. The poor friendless queen fled after her people, and took her own life, that she might not fall into the hands of her enemies. And so the Romans became masters of the land. They ruled it more than three hundred years. At first they were hated. But finally the Britons became friendly to them. The Roman soldiers made great changes in the island. They built roads through the gloomy forests. They made bridges over the rivers. They taught the Britons to build good houses. They also made two long stone walls across the country from sea to sea. These walls were three times as high as a man. They were to keep out the wild Picts 7 ' THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK and Scots of the north, who had often robbed and killed the Britons of the south. All this was long ago. But even now, when men dig in the ground, they sometimes find money that the Romans used, or bits of plates from which they ate, or pieces of gob- lets from which they drank. Wells that the Romans made are still in use. And the Roman roads are now streets or highways. In many parts of England you can still see grassy mounds beneath which heaps of Brit- ons lie buried. The great walls have fallen, and moss and weeds have grown over and hidden them. They say that in the warm summer afternoons shepherds and their dogs sleep in the tall grass where the Britons and the Romans once fought so fiercely. 8 Ill THE COMING OF THE SAXONS AND ANGLES WHEN the Roman soldiers were fi- nally called back to Italy, the Britons had a hard time. The great walls were broken down, and the rob- bers of the north climbed over them. They stripped the fields and the houses; they drove away the horses, cows, and sheep; and they killed the people. The Britons could not stop them. At this time some pirates attacked them by sea. These new people came from the land along the river Rhine. They called themselves Saxons. They had many vine- yards and made the best wine in Europe. These strangers loved the sea, and fought as well on water as on land. They fought 9 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK with axes, spears, and iron clubs. They sailed about from place to place, and called themselves sea rovers. At last the Britons sent the Romans a letter, which they called the Groans of the Britons, and asked the Romans to come and help them. " The barbarians chase us into the sea, and the pirates drive us back on the bar- barians," they wrote. " Between the two we must die by the sword or perish in the waves." But the Romans did not come; they were needed at home. The Britons did not know what to do. But one day their king, who was called Vor- tigern, saw some of the Saxon pirates sailing close to the shore. They were tall, fine-look- ing men, with blue eyes and yellow hair. " Perhaps we can make peace with these men and get them to help us," he said to himself; and he went down to the beach to talk with them. 10 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Can you fight well? " he asked. The sea rovers smiled, and let him see their sharp axes and heavy clubs. " Are you afraid of those wild men who are robbing my land and killing my people? " " We are afraid of nobody," one of the chiefs replied. " What will you do for us if we drive out your robbers? " asked another chief. " You shall have some of my best land." Thus it came about that King Vortigern made a treaty of friendship with these two Saxon chiefs, Hengist and Horsa. The Sax- ons drove back the Picts and Scots, and were given a small island, called the Isle of Thanet, in which they were to make their home. And they were allowed to invite more of their people to come across the sea and live with them. Not long after this, the Saxon chiefs made a feast, and invited King Vortigern and the Britons. Now Hengist had a fair daughter^ named Rowena. While the king and his 11 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK men were eating, the lovely girl came in. She carried a golden cup filled with purple wine. " Health to thee, dear king! " she cried with a sweet voice, kneeling before Vortigern and giving him the goblet. The king fell in love with the beautiful girl, and chose her to be his queen. Afterwards more Saxons came and settled on the island. Pretty soon they began to occupy the mainland. Then from across the North Sea came other strangers, called Angles. They were related to the Saxons. They also settled in many parts of the country belong- ing to the Britons. Now many battles were fought between the Saxons and the Britons. King Vortigern was angry and jealous because the strangers took so much of his land. But whenever this happened, Queen Rowena would put her arms round his neck and say, " They are my people, dear king; be kind to them, as you loved the Saxon girl who gave you the golden cup of wine at the feast." 12 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Thus the Saxons and the Angles spread over the land. It seems there were more Angles than Saxons, and they were more powerful. They ruled so much of the country that at last it was no longer called Briton, but England, that is, Angle-land, or the land of the Angles. And it has been called by that name ever since. 13 IV THE GOOD KING ARTHUR THE old Britons were great eaters. One night, as often happened, some of them were having a feast. A big fire blazed in the middle of the room, and the smoke went out of a hole in the roof. The low hall was full of noisy men. They were pouring wine into their silver cups when the door slowly opened and an old Briton came in with a harp slung on his back. His long gray beard covered his breast. This man was a bard. The bards were old minstrels, who went about from place to place and sang the glorious deeds of the heroes of the past. 14 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Thou art welcome, stranger/' said the chief. " Friends, heap more logs on the fire. Bring in fresh torches." The old Briton came forward and stood in silence. " Unbind thy harp, old man, and sing to us of thy Arthur." The singer began. Hour after hour he told stories of his great king, who had been as gentle as he was brave. The red logs turned to ashes; the flaring torches burned out; the room grew silent; for these rough English soldiers loved to hear of King Arthur. Many were the stories of this good king; but this was all so long ago that we cannot tell how much is true. No other king was ever so just and so kind as good King Arthur. The bravest men in the land were always with him. They sat at a round table with him, and were called the Knights of the Round Table. The table would seat a hundred and fifty. These knights were brave and good. They 15 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK always said, " The king follows Christ, and we follow the king." Now Arthur and his twelve bravest knights won twelve battles. At last, however, after fighting the whole day, all the knights were killed but one, and King Arthur himself was wounded. The king gave the knight his sword. Its handle was set with lovely gems, and flashed in the bright moonlight. " Fling it far out into the lake." But the knight tried to hide the sword, that he might keep it. Again he was bidden, and again he did not obey. For the third time the king cried, " Cast the sword into the lake. If thou dost not, I will slay thee." The knight closed his eyes that he might not see the shining gems. With both hands he swung the mighty sword and flung it far out into the water. The sword turned and gleamed before their 16 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK eyes. A white hand and arm rose from the lake, caught the blade, waved the weapon three times, and drew it under the water. " Ah," said the king, " my end is near. Carry me down to the water's edge." Then as in a dream a boat like a shadow came to the shore. In it stood three queens, weeping, in robes and hoods of black. Arthur was laid in this strange boat; and the boat moved slowly away till it faded from sight in the morning sky. And thus, as the story goes, King Arthur passed away from this earth. At this time the Britons were living in the wild country in the west of England; for the rest of their beautiful island had been taken from them by the English. In winter the sea fogs rolled over the bleak rocks, and at night the howl of the wolf came down from the mountains. But in summer the little valleys grew green. Then the Britons came out of their huts. They looked longingly at the golden clouds, which seemed to touch the mountains. 17 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Our Arthur sleeps long," they said to one another, as they watched and waited; " but he will surely come again to rule over his people and fight for them." 18 HOW PRINCE ALFRED LEARNED TO READ MORE than a thousand years ago there lived an English prince named Alfred. He was the king's youngest and favorite son. Twice he had been on the long journey to Rome. But at the age of twelve he had not yet learned to read. This may seem strange. At that time, however, nobody knew how to print books, and it took a long time to make one; for every word was made with pen and ink. And so there were few books, and few people who could read them. Now Alfred's mother had learned to read. She had one book that she liked best of all. When she read, she sat at the lattice window, 19 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK which almost always stood open, because in those days there were no glass windows, and the rooms were dark. One day when the queen was reading, Alfred and his three brothers came in. She called them to her. " See, my sons; here is a book for you to look at." The boys took the book and opened it. They liked the bright pictures, which were in blue, red, and gold. But they could not tell what they meant. " Should you like to have this book for your own? " she asked. The boys were sure they should. " Well, I will give it to the one who first learns to read it." The oldest prince put the book down, say- ing, " I had rather hunt than sit still every day, hour after hour." " And I had rather shoot with my bow and arrows," said his brother, kicking up the rushes that lay on the floor. 20 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Alfred sat down on a stool, and turned over the leaves of the book, one by one. " Let me take it with me, mother; " and he went quietly out of the room. In the palace lived a kind old man whom Alfred knew well and loved. He now went and found him. " Will you not show me how to read this book? " the little prince asked. " I will try my best to learn." Alfred did try his very best. He not only learned to read the book, but he learned many verses by heart. Before long he went to his mother and read page after page. The queen was much pleased, and gave him the book to keep. " I hope you will not only read the words of this book, but do what they tell you; they are all taken from the word of God." This is the story of how a king's son learned to read. Perhaps it is not all true. But we know that he dearly loved books, and read all he could get. He also learned to write. 21 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Afterwards, when he grew to be a man, and became king, he himself wrote a good many books. We still read some of the works written many hundred years ago by Alfred, King of England. 22 VI KING ALFRED AND THE DANES NOW Alfred was twenty-two years old when he became king. For some years after he came to the throne his life was full of sorrow. New foes were swarm- ing into England; and they treated the English just as the English had treated the Britons. The English had called themselves the sea rovers. These new enemies called them- selves the sea kings. They were the Danes. They came in black ships from Denmark, across the North Sea. How the Danes loved the wind and the waves! They had ships that were beautiful and strong, and they spent most of their 23 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK time on the water. They were indeed kings of the sea. They were so fond of the water that when one of their chiefs died they laid his body in a ship, hoisted the sail, set fire to the ves- sel, and sent it forth on its last voyage. It burned far out from the land, and their chief found a grave in the sea he loved so well. At first the Danes only came to the coast, and carried off food and money. But at last they showed that they meant to drive out the English and have the land for their own. These daring men came up the rivers in their light skiffs. Their flag was blood red, and on it was the figure of a raven. When the flag waved, the bird seemed to move. Then the Danes cried: "We shall win. We shall win. The raven claps his wings." At night the sky was red with flames. In the morning smoking ashes showed what the Danes had done. They sometimes even car- ried children away, and made them their slaves. 24 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " God keep us from the fury of the Danes," the good mothers prayed when they put their little ones to bed. King Alfred and his men did their best to drive the enemy out. But every year more black ships came, till at last Alfred had to flee and hide in the woods. The king now lived in a poor little house. He was all alone except for one servant, who would not leave him. One day there was a loud knock. The old servant did not open the door, but called out, " Who is there? " " I am poor, and very hungry. Will you not help me? " The servant went to the king and said, " My lord, there is a beggar at the door. Shall I send him away? " Alfred's heart was full of pity. " What food have we in the house? " he asked. " Only a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine." " Then give the poor man half." The ragged fellow reached out his hand for 25 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK the food, muttering, " God will bless your master for this kindness." The beggar's words came true. The fight- ing went on for some years; but finally peace was made, and Alfred came again to his throne. The Danes and the English now lived to- gether like honest men. In the morning they led out their oxen and plowed their fields. At night the shepherds and their dogs drove away the wolves, and watched the sheep. Vines and orchards were planted. Towns grew up. And everywhere was peace. 26 VII KING ALFRED AND THE CAKES NOW let me go back and tell you a story or two about King Alfred when he was at war with the Danes. One day the English were beaten in a great battle. It looked as if the Danes would be masters of England. After the battle the king was sad and troubled. He sent his soldiers away. When the last man had gone, he turned and went into the dark woods. He was very poor. He often wandered through the forests without a servant, and found food and shelter where he could. He wanted to be alone, that he might think how to save his land from the Danes. If the Danes 27 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK had met him, they would not have known him; for he wore the clothes of a poor wood- man. But he had his arrows on his back, and kept his bow in his hand. One evening he came to a hut in the midst of the forest. Here lived a poor man who herded cattle and cut wood. The king looked in at the open door. There was nobody in- side but the woodman's wife. She was get- ting supper. Now the woman did not know the king. She thought he was somebody hiding from the Danes. She was sure he was English because of his face and his dress and his long bow. " My good woman," said Alfred, " I am very tired. May I come in and rest by your fire? " At first she was afraid. " These are hard times for us poor people; it may be harder still for me if I let you in." Then she looked at his noble face. She saw how tired he was, and she could not turn him away. 28 ***'**■ ^k?>*' KING ALFRED AND THE WOODSMAN'S WIFE. Page 29. THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The king came in and sat down on a stool in the corner. He began to mend his bow. Some cakes were baking before the fire. The woman looked at Alfred and said, " I have much to do; you may as well see that these cakes do not burn. When they are done on one side, turn them round. If you do this, you will earn your supper." Alfred watched the cakes for a time, and turned them, but his thoughts were all on his people. " How many little children are without homes to-night! How many of my bravest men are killed! " Although he was looking at the fire, he did not see it. Nor did he know that the hut was full of the smell of burning cakes. The woman came running in and cried in anger, " There is our supper all spoiled. You cannot watch the cakes, you idle dog, but you would be glad enough to eat them." The king did not say a word. While the woman was still scolding fast and loud, her 29 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK husband, who had been one of Alfred's serv- ants, came home. " What is the matter, wife, and who is this? " he asked; for the room was dark and he did not at first see Alfred's face. " You may well ask. It is an idle fellow who does not know when cakes are burning." But the woodman fell on his knees before the stranger. " Hush, wife; it is our noble lord, the king." The poor woman was frightened. All she could do was to throw herself at his feet and cry, " Forgive, forgive! " " Peace, good woman; you were kind to me, and gave me shelter when I had nowhere to go." The king did not forget the woodman and his wife. When he came again to his throne, he did what he could to make them happy. 30 VIII KING ALFRED IN THE CAMP OF THE DANES THERE were many dark days for King Alfred before the English and the Danes lived at peace with each other. At one time the Danes agreed to leave England and not come back again. But they broke their word. Others kept coming until they overran the land. The English had to flee to the woods and swamps. When things seemed to be at their worst, a new trouble arose. The king was missing. Nobody could find him. Nobody knew what had happened. The people mourned and wept. " We shall never see him again/' cried the women to their husbands. " No; the Danes have caught him." 31 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK A few of the men did not seem so sad, but they said nothing. They knew that Alfred was hiding on a little island in the middle of a great bog. This little island was a strange and lonely spot. The marsh lay around it for miles. The reeds and rushes grew tall. The wild fowl flew over the pools, and the beavers built their dams. The boars and wild oxen came close to the king's hut. I suppose the skylarks sang just as sweetly then as now. I am sure they sometimes made the king forget his sorrow, for he was fond of music. Long before this his mother had taught him to play on the harp and sing. Alfred had taken his harp with him, and he often played it, but he was" thinking of his poor people and the fierce and bloody Danes. " Before I fight any more," he said to himself, " I must know how large the Danish army is, and if the men are well trained. But how can I find out? " His eyes fell on his harp. 32 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " I will go into the Danes' camp myself. They like music. If they know me, of course they will kill me; but I shall take care not to be found out." Alfred dressed himself like a gleeman, as the harpers were then called, and made his way to the enemy's camp. The Danish leader was told that a gleeman was waiting outside. " Let him be brought in at once." Alfred came in with his harp. He was tall and strong. His eyes were keen and blue, but his hair and his skin were dark. He played on his harp, and pleased the Danes greatly with his songs and jokes. The prince and his men had never heard anything of the kind, and they made merry with him. How should they know that the dark hair and the brown skin hid the yellow locks and the fair face of the king of England? Alfred found out what he wanted to know. He seemed to be thinking of nothing but his music; but he was watching everything. 33 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK As soon as he could get away, he hurried back into the forest. He now sent word to his soldiers to come to him. How they shouted when they found him! The joy of seeing him again alive and full of hope put new courage into their hearts. Very soon the English fell on the Danes and beat them badly. The Danes were now ready to promise anything. They agreed that the western half of the land should be kept by the English. The eastern half was to be their own if they lived like honest men. This time they kept their word. They stopped burning and robbing. They learned English, and became Alfred's subjects. In the last years of Alfred's reign men were so honest, it is said, that if chains of gold had been hung in the streets, nobody would have touched them. At last the great and good king was once more master of his own land. Alfred was just as great and good in peace 34 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK as he had been in war. He rebuilt the ruined towns. He trained his soldiers. He built a fleet. He made good laws. He studied Latin and translated some Latin books for the use of his people. He founded schools. He asked wise men to come from others lands, and what he learned from them he taught his people. Indeed, he did far more for his subjects than any of the kings before him. He was one of the best kings that Eng- land has ever had. He was well named Alfred the Great, but perhaps it would be better to call him Alfred the Good. 35 IX KING CANUTE, THE DANE THE good Alfred died, and his son Edward was made king. Then Athel- stan, Edward's son, came to the throne. After him came six young kings, called the boy kings. The last of these boy kings, King Ethelred, was so weak that he was called the Unready. Again the country was invaded by the Danes, who spread havoc and ruin. Ethelred paid money to the invaders, to keep them away; but the more he gave, the more they wanted. Years of war and blood- shed followed. Finally Sweyn, who had now become king of Denmark, took the whole country, and 36 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK King Ethelred fled to France. In a few weeks Sweyn died, leaving his son Canute to be king of England. " We will never let a Dane rule over us," said the English. For a while there was hard fighting again. Ethelred now died, and the country was divided between Canute and Ethelred's son Edmund. " Edmund, son of the Unready, is brave," said the English, " and we like him. Let him have the south country and the city of London. And Canute, if he will do what is just, may have the north country." But in a month Edmund was dead, and Canute was king of all England. He swore to be just and kind; yet in spite of this he was very cruel. " He that brings me the head of any enemy," he used to say, " shall be dearer to me than a brother." After a time, when there was nobody to be feared, Canute tried to please his English 37 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK subjects. He sent away many of his Danish soldiers. He took an English woman to be his queen, and was as good to the English as he was to the Danes. As time went on, he grew more and more sorry for the suffering he had caused. He went all the way to Rome to ask to be for- given for the blood he had shed. When he came home, he built churches. The king went often to church, and had his friends go. The church he liked best was on a little island in the middle of a lake. It was called the church of Ely. One morning, when Canute looked out of his palace window, he saw the ground covered with snow. But he did not mind. He and his friends got into their sledges, and away they went to church over the frozen roads. When they came to the lake, they were told that the ice was not safe for sledges. Canute's only answer was, " I shall cross on foot." 38 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The king's friends got out of their sledges and tried to keep him back. Just then a poor man who lived near, and who had the odd name of Pudding, came up and addressed the king. " Sire, may I lead the way? I am so heavy that if the ice will bear me, it will bear anybody." " Well done, Pudding/' said the king's friends. The king too was much pleased and said, " Thank you, my good fellow. I shall be glad if you will run on in front and find a safe track." Off they started, the heavy young fellow running on ahead with a stout pole in his hand. He kept striking the ice with his pole to find where it was thick and strong. Soon they were all safe across. Before the king left the church, he called Pudding to him and gave him some money. He also gave him land on which to build a house for himself and his wife. I suppose ever afterwards, when the snow 39 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK was deep, and the icicles hung from the roof of his cottage, Pudding thought of the frosty morning when he took the king of England to church across the ice. 40 X KING CANUTE ON THE SEASHORE WHEN Canute became a better man, he became a better king. Perhaps he was as just as any other king that ruled at that time. But Canute's nobles were afraid of him. They praised all that he said and did; and they tried to say things that pleased him, even if they were not true. One day they were walking with him on the seashore. The tide was coming in. " You are so great a king," said one of the nobles, " that even the waves of the sea would do as you told them." When Canute heard this, he thought it was time to teach the men how silly they were. 41 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Bring me a chair/' he commanded, " and place it close to the sea." One of the men placed a chair not far from the water, and Canute sat down. The waves kept getting closer. Pretty soon they were almost at the king's feet. " Waves," cried Canute, " go back. Come no nearer. Do not dare to wet my robe or even my feet. My friends say I am king of the sea as well as of the land." Then Canute waited as if he thought the sea would obey him. The tide crept higher and higher. The waves did not hear him. The next big wave came all round the king's chair and washed over his feet. The king smiled. He left the chair in the water, and came back to the nobles on the sand. They hung their heads and looked foolish. " What! " cried the king, " will the waves not do as I bid them? My friends, call me a great king no longer. Only God is Lord of 42 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK the land and seas. He alone can say to the waves, ' Thus far shall ye come.' " Not long after this, Canute took off his crown and hung it up in the church. " I shall never wear it again," he quietly said to his friends. " When I am dead and gone, do not forget the lesson I taught you by the sea. God is king of all kings." 43 XI THE COMING OF THE NORMANS THERE was once a time, about nine hundred years ago, when neither a Dane nor an Englishman sat on the English throne. Instead, a Norman came from over the sea and was crowned king. Long before this time, the Northmen, or Normans, as they were later called, had crossed from Norway to France. At first they were much like the Danes in England. But they soon spoke the French language and learned French ways. They did not obey the French king, however, but had rulers of their own. They named their new home Normandy, that is, the land of the Northmen. Their rulers they called dukes. 44 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK At the time of this story their duke was a stern, restless man by the name of William. Now William of Normandy, or William the Conqueror, as he was afterwards called, was a great fighter, and liked to have his own way. He made up his mind to be king of England. Edward, the English king, of whom you have already heard, loved the French much better than he loved the English. He was now getting to be an old man, and he had no child to succeed him. It is said he told William of Normandy, who was his cousin, that he might be the next king. Edward had no right to make this promise. The English people had always chosen their own king; and no sooner had Edward died than they crowned Harold, son of Godwin, just as they said they should do. When the great Norman duke heard this, he began to raise an army. All the spring and summer his men were busy with their arms and ships. 45 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK William's wife made him a present of a fine new ship. At its prow was the golden figure of a boy with his finger pointing for- ward. The sails were of many colors. At the sides of the ship were bright flags that had been made by the ladies of the court. When all was ready, William went on board with his soldiers. A light was hung at the masthead of his ship, which was to lead the way for the others. Upon reaching England, Duke William hurried to land. In doing so his foot slipped, and he fell to the ground. " That is a bad sign," somebody said. " Not so," William answered. " It means that I take this land with both my hands and hold it for my own." When Harold received word that the Nor- mans had come, he was in the north of Eng- land. He got together as many men as he could, and hurried to London to meet the enemy. Harold's army was not so large as William's, 46 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK and many of his men were not soldiers at all. They had left their farms or their fishing to fight for their country. They were armed only with pitchforks or sharp poles. One of Harold's brothers, Gurth, was much troubled and begged him to delay the battle. " Harold, your men have had a long march, and are in no condition to fight." But Harold would not listen; the Normans were already robbing and killing, and winter was coming. " I have made up my mind to give battle at once," was his reply. " I feel sure we shall win." The English and the Normans drew nearer and nearer together, until one October eve- ning they lay facing each other. They all knew that on the morrow they were to fight the great battle for the throne of England. 47 XII THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS THE battle for the crown of England was fought at Hastings, about nine miles from the spot where William of Normandy landed. The night before the battle the English sat about their fires drinking and singing; the Normans spent the time in fasting and prayer. The fighting began early the next morning, before the east had begun to redden. On a hill in front of some deep woods the English were gathered with their shields and battle-axes round the golden banner of Eng- land. Across a little valley, on another hill, stood the Normans in three rows, archers, foot soldiers, and horsemen. 48 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK In front of William's army rode a proud knight, waving his sword and singing a war song. He struck the first blow and was the first Norman to fall. The archers then rushed forward and tried to break the English lines. But the English were behind their tall shields, and cared nothing for the arrows of the Normans. Then came the horsemen. But the English cut them down with their heavy axes. William's horse fell dead, and the duke sank to the ground. " The duke is killed! " cried one of the soldiers; and the word ran quickly from man to man. But William sprang to his feet and tore off his helmet, that all might see his face. " I am not dead! " he shouted. " And by God's help, I shall yet win the day." With that he struck down the king's brother Gurth at a single blow, and stretched another brother beside him. From that time on all went well with the 49 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Normans. The great duke's voice rang out like a trumpet. " See those English, thousands of them, round their king firm as rocks. Shoot high, my men, that your arrows may fall into their faces." All the long day the battle raged. There were hoarse cries and groans. Everywhere were heaps of dead and dying. Brave King Harold was almost blind, pierced through the eye by an arrow. There was a red sunset, they say, like the terrible field so red with men's blood. Then the moon rose in all its glory, and in its sil- very light twenty Norman knights dashed to- ward the royal banner of England . The English crowded round their blinded king, covering him with their shields, and still fought fiercely. But in the thick of the conflict Harold fell, wounded to death. Then the English fled, and the battle was lost. William now pitched his tent among the dead and dying, and fell to feasting and 50 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK drinking. The English soldiers went slowly to and fro over the field looking for their king. They found him at last, lying close to the golden banner of England. On the ground where the brave Harold and the golden banner lay William of Normandy afterwards founded an abbey, called Battle Abbey. You may still find the spot, al- though for many a long year it has been nothing but a gray ruin, overgrown with ivy. 51 XIII WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR YOU have just learned about the Battle of Hastings, and how the rule of England passed into the hands of the Normans. On Christmas Day in 1066 the great duke of Normandy was crowned king of England. He was called William the First. It was not a joyful day. Indeed, both king and people had an unhappy time of it. The nobles of Normandy and England had gone into that beautiful church in London called Westminster Abbey, where William was to be crowned. One of the bishops of the church now asked the Normans in French if they would have 52 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK William to be their king. They at once answered, " Yes." Then another bishop, who spoke English, asked the same question of the English. They also said yes, but they shouted so loud that the soldiers outside thought there was a quarrel, and set fire to some houses near by. Those in the church rushed out. William and the two bishops were left almost alone. The bishops put the crown on the king's head in a great hurry. William had sworn to rule justly; but like other kings before him he broke his word. Many Normans came over to live in England, and received land taken from the English. The more they received, the more they wanted. In a little while they became rich and powerful, while the English were poor and unhappy. Now William was fond of hunting. He was more at home in the lonely forest than in the palace. He loved to hunt the deer better than anything else in the world; but if an 53 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Englishman killed a deer, William had his eyes put out, that he might never be able to hunt again. The king had already sixty-eight forests, and yet these were not enough. To make a new hunting ground, he drove hundreds of poor English out of their homes. Nor would he let any of them live here. This hunting ground was called the New Forest. These things filled the English with hatred for their Norman king. Although he was master of the land, he did not have the love of one true heart. He spoke to nobody, and nobody spoke to him. At last the English rose against him. By night they set fires blazing on the hill- tops, to call the people together, or to give warning that the king and his Norman army were near. They even got their old enemies the Danes to come over and help them. But the king had a clear, cool head as well as a strong arm. He bribed the Danes not to fight, and then punished the English without 54 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK mercy. For sixty miles to the north he swept the land of its people. A hundred years later the English were still telling stories of those mournful days when you could walk all the way from the river Humber to the Tyne without hearing the sound of man or beast. Finally, when nobody dared disobey him, the king brought in Norman dress and Norman customs. He made the English cover their fires and put out their lights every night when the curfew rang. The English were treated almost like slaves. Round their necks they wore collars with their Norman masters' names on them. One September morning, twenty-one years after he had been crowned king, William lay dying. His heart was heavy with the thought of the suffering he had caused. He died as he had lived, feared and unloved. When he was dead, they robbed him and fled from him. And his body was left lying on the floor. The Norman Conquest, as it is called, was 55 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK the most important single event in all the history of England. King William's rule was stern, but it brought peace and order. The Normans and the English at first bitterly hated each other, just as the Saxons and the Danes had done before them. But at last they became friends. After many years they spoke one language, and became one people. They were still called the English. 56 XIV THE RED KING WHEN William the Conqueror lay dy- ing, he made his will. To Robert, his oldest son, he gave his lands in France. Henry, his fourth son, called the Scholar, received five thousand pounds in silver money. William, the third son, was to have England. Richard, his second son, had been killed while hunting in the New Forest. Before his father was buried, or even his death was known in England, William Rufus, or the Red, as he was named from the color of his hair, hurried to London to sieze the money and jewels and be crowned king. There is not much good to be said about the Red King. Like his father, he had a bad 57 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK temper. He was very proud. And he was mean and selfish. He once made war on Robert, and tried to take Normandy from him, but soon made up with him. The two then turned against their brother Henry and took from him all that he had. Now the Red King liked to hunt in the New Forest. It had beautiful meadows and wood- lands, they say, where the birds sang, and the deer stopped to drink at the mossy pools. To the people it was always lonely. They believed it was cursed for the crimes done in it; and some thought that on dark nights evil spirits went about under the gloomy trees. You have just been told that William the Conqueror's son Richard lost his life in the New Forest. And now Robert's son, who was also named Richard, was found dead there. The people shook their heads. "Ah," they muttered, " another is to die in the Forest; this time it will be the Red King himself." 58 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK One August morning, William the Red and his court went hunting. Henry was with William, for they had made up their quarrel. They were in high spirits and went along shouting and cursing and riding fast. Pretty soon they broke up into parties. Some went one way, some another. The king took only one friend with him. Toward evening they came together again, but the king was not among them. " Where is the king? " " Has anybody seen the king? " " Do you suppose he has lost his way? " But nobody knew what had become of him. They turned back to look for their mas- ter. They rode this way and that, calling the name of the king. No answer came. It was now dark; and they did not know what to do. " Hark! Hear that dog howling; " and they hurried toward the sound. On the ground, with an arrow through his heart, lay the Red King. He was quite dead. 59 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK When they saw that he was really dead, they fled out of the Forest. The body of the king lay on the ground till it was found by some foresters. They took it in a cart to a church near by, and buried it. Nobody ever knew who shot the arrow. But William had been such a bad ruler that the people were not sorry when he was laid in his grave. Some parts of the Forest still remain, and it is still called the New Forest. Under one of the trees a stone cross marks the spot where the Red King fell. 60 XV HENRY THE FIRST AND THE WHITE SHIP WHAT do you think Henry the Scholar was doing while William Rufus was lying dead in the Forest? He was riding to London as fast as he could go, to seize the money and jewels, just as his brother William had done. His older brother, Robert, who had a better right to the crown, was on his way back from the Holy Land. Three days later, on Sunday, standing in Westminster Abbey, Henry swore to do right, and was crowned Henry the First. The people liked Henry very much better than they had liked his brothers, and were glad to see him made king. " He is not a Norman, but an Englishman," 61 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK they said hopefully; for Henry was born in England. After a time Robert got back to England and claimed the crown. He was taken by his brother and thrown into prison, where he died after twenty-eight years of captivity. Henry reigned for thirty-five years. He was fond of books and generous to men of learning. As a ruler he was stern but just. He is sometimes called the Lion of Justice. Now Henry had one son, of whom he was very proud. He was named William, after his grandfather, the Conqueror. Henry took Prince William to Normandy, and showed him the fine churches and castles which the Normans had built. He also had him meet the Norman nobles. " This is my son William," he would say to them. " When I am gone, he will be your duke." The Normans bowed low and said, " Long live Prince William." When Henry was about to sail for England, 62 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK a sea captain came up and begged to speak with him. " Sire," he began, " your father, Duke William, when he went to fight for the crown of England, sailed in my father's ship. Will you not let me take you across? I am cap- tain of the White Ship, and at the oars are fifty good sailors." "lam sorry, my good man; I have already chosen my ship; but my son and his friends shall go with you." Henry soon set sail, but the White Ship did not leave for several hours. There was a merry party of young nobles and beautiful young women on board the White Ship. Before they sailed, they sang and danced in the moonlight till late in the night; and they gave wine to the sailors, that they also might make merry. At last, when the moon was high, the White Ship started for England. There was hardly a sober man on board; but they must go, for the king's ship was already far out at sea. 63 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Pull hard, my men/' Prince William said to the rowers, " and you shall have both money and wine when we get to the other side." The sailors pulled harder. The White Ship flew through the water. All at once there was a crash, and the water came rushing in. The laughing and singing stopped, and a fearful cry went up that November night. The White Ship had struck a rock, and was going down. " Put off the little boat! " cried the cap- tain to Prince William. " The sea is smooth. You will get across. The rest of us must take our chances." When the prince had gone some distance, he heard his sister call for help. He went back for her, but so many leaped into the little boat that it was upset. At the same time the White Ship itself went down. Three days later, when the king was sitting with his nobles about him, a fair-haired boy, dressed in black, came in and knelt before him. 64 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Why do you weep, my child? " " Oh, sire, I weep because the White Ship is lost with all on board." The king fell to the floor as if dead. It is said he never smiled again. But the people did not mourn for the prince; they did not like him. " When I am king," he had said to his friends, " I will yoke the people to the plow, like oxen." 65 XVI HENRY SECOND, WHO DIED BROKEN-HEARTED HENRY the First, having lost his son in the White Ship, had no male heir to succeed him. He made the nobles swear that when he was gone they would crown Matilda, his daughter. But no sooner was he dead than Stephen, a grandson of William the Conqueror, claimed the throne, and had but little difficulty in obtaining it. He brought soldiers over from Europe to help him keep the crown, and he thought he should have no trouble. But many people helped Matilda. On one occasion Stephen was taken prisoner, and Matilda was made queen. For nineteen years they were quarrelling 66 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK and fighting. At last it was agreed that Stephen should keep the throne, but that after him it should go to Matilda's oldest son, Henry. Stephen died the very next year, and Matilda's son, who was then but twenty-one years old, was crowned Henry the Second. Henry the Second had a great deal of trouble with three of his sons, Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey. Time after time they tried to take his crown from him; time after time he forgave them. John, the youngest son, was his father's favorite. When the king was on his dying bed, he heard that this son also had been false to him. " Oh, John, child of my heart! Oh, John, whom I have loved the best, have you been untrue to me too? " And then he lay down with a groan, and said, " Now let the world go as it may, I care for nothing more." In a few days, the poor old man was dead. He died cursing the hour when he was born, 67 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK and cursing the children he was leaving be- hind him. When Richard heard that his father was dead, he recalled all that he had done to grieve him. He went to the church where the king's body was lying, and as he looked upon the white hair and the sad face, the tears ran down his cheeks. " Oh, father," he cried in his sorrow, " are you really dead? Can you not hear me? Can you not say that you forgive me? " King Henry the Second had ruled for thirty-five years. He was one of the richest and most powerful kings of his time. He was noted for his wisdom and his ability. He was fond of learning and of art ; and he had many fine churches built. He did much to make good laws, and to right the wrongs of the poor, who had been treated so cruelly by the nobles. But we are apt to forget all this and only think of him as the king who died of a broken heart. 68 XVII RICHARD THE LION HEART AND HIS MINSTREL WHEN King Henry the Second died, Richard came to the throne, for his two older brothers were dead. He was crowned Richard the First. Now Richard was very tall and very strong. He became the greatest fighter of all the kings of his time. He had a battle-ax that only he could use. The people were proud of him and called him Richard the Lion Heart. On one occasion he went with a great army to the Holy Land, to recover the country from the Turks. This was called a holy war, or crusade; that is, a war of the cross; and those who took part in it were called cru- saders. They wore a red cross on their arm. They also had a cross on their banners. 69 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK It was a long way to the Holy Land. King Richard was gone a year and a half. He had frequent battles with the Turks, and many of his soldiers were killed or wounded. The sun was hot too, and many of his men died of the fever. Richard himself fell ill. He had been so brave and so generous that the Turks admired him; and when he lay sick they sent him fruit and snow from the mountains to cool his fever and restore him to life. At last, when Richard and his soldiers came in sight of Jerusalem, they were so worn out that they could not take the city. But they were permitted to pass through the gates and visit the Holy Sepulcher. They then marched back to the sea, and sailed away for England. On the way back King Richard's ship was wrecked near Venice. He himself was taken prisoner while traveling through the country. For a long time he was shut up in a castle. 70 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK None of his people knew where he was. There he lay, far from home and friends. " I shall die here," he thought, " and never see England again." The king was fond of music. When he went on his long march to the Holy Land, he took with him his favorite minstrel, Blondel, to sing and play for him. Now that he was a prisoner, Blondel did not forget him. He took his harp and wandered in disguise from one place to another, hoping to find his master. One day he came to a castle in Austria where he had heard a famous captive was. He thought it must be the king. He tried to see him, but could not. He then stood be- neath the tower in which the prisoner was kept, and began a song that the king himself had composed. He had hardly sung the first stanza, when a low voice from the tower began the second stanza and sang it through. Blondel knew the voice well, for it was his 71 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK master's. He went quickly back to England to tell the people where the king was. This is a pretty story, although it may not be true. It is quite certain, however, that a large sum of money had to be paid to set the king free, and that he got back safe to England. 72 XVIII HOW KING RICHARD MET HIS DEATH YOU have been told that Richard the Lion Heart was fond of fighting. In one of his wars he took some land in France and built a strong castle on it. The king of France was angry, and sent a threat to Richard: " I will take that castle if its wall are of iron." Richard's answer was equally short and firm: " I will hold this castle if its walls are of butter." And he did hold it. Pretty soon Richard wished to get posses- sion of another castle; for he had been told that there was a great deal of gold in it. He tried hard to take it, but it held out against him. 73 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK One day he rode about the castle walls, and looked up at its great gate, which was shut and bolted fast. " I will take this place and hang everybody in it," he declared. Now an old song said that near this castle an arrow would be made by which the great King Richard was to die. On the very day that Richard went round the castle walls, a youth named Bertrand stood looking down from one of the windows. "Ah, there is the king," he muttered; and he repeated the words of the familiar song. He seized his bow and took steady aim, saying, " God speed thee well, arrow." The arrow struck Richard in the shoulder. At first they thought he was not badly hurt; but they soon knew that he could not recover. The castle was finally taken. All its in- mates were hanged except Bertrand. Rich- ard now sent for the youth, that he might question him. 74 BERTRAND AND THE DYING KING. Page 75. THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Knave! why didst thou try to kill me? What harm have I done thee? " " Thou hast killed my father and my two brothers. Myself thou wouldst have hanged. I wished to kill thee to rid the world of a wicked king." " Dost thou know that thou must die for this? " " I care not. Do as thou wilt with me; for thou too must die." Richard was a brave man himself, and liked to see others brave. " I forgive thee, youth," said the dying king; and turning to his friends he bade them take off his chains, give him some money, and set him free. Richard's men did not do as he had told them. They put Bertrand to death with much cruelty. But the last act of the king's life was generous and noble. 75 XIX ROBIN HOOD NOW in the days of King Richard the Lion Heart, or somewhat later, there lived in Sherwood Forest, in the mid- dle of England, a bold young outlaw named Robin Hood. He was the captain of a large band of robbers, who were known and feared far and wide. Robin Hood's men are said to have worn green coats. They had bows and arrows, and could shoot the swiftest deer, or bring down a bird on the wing. Not one of them, however, could shoot so far or so well as Robin Hood himself. His aim was so true, we are told, he could hit a mark no thicker than his finger two hundred yards away. 76 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK When Robin Hood and his Merry Men, as they were called, met a rich man in the forest, they stopped him and took his money. They did not think it was wrong to do so, for they said the rich had no right to have all the land. Sometimes the outlaws acted kindly by giving money to the poor. On one occasion a nobleman by the name of Sir Richard was out riding in the woods. Suddenly three men in green coats fell upon him. They took him to their leader. Robin Hood asked Sir Richard to sit down and take dinner with them. During the dinner Sir Richard said he was in trouble and did not know what to do. All his land had been taken from him. Unless he could pay four hundred pounds he could not get it back. And he did not have the money. Robin Hood gave him the money and let him go free. Another time a rich noble came riding through the woods. He had with him a large number of servants and horses. 77 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The outlaw saw him passing, and told some of his band to shoot at the deer near by. " What are you doing? " cried the noble, in anger, when he saw them killing the deer; and he told his servants to fall upon them. Then Robin Hood blew three times on his horn. Out of every part of the wood ran the men in the green coats. "It is Robin Hood's band! " cried the servants, in great fear; and they fled and left their master alone. The noble thought at first that he was in luck, for they made a feast for him. When the dinner was over, however, Robin called on him to pay the bill. They took his money and all his fine dress, and made him dance. They then tied him to a tree and left him for his friends to find. 78 XX ROBIN HOOD'S LAST SHOT WHEN Robin Hood was growing old, and his strength began to fail, the English king sent a hundred of his best men against him. " Go to Robin Hood," said the king, " and tell him to give himself up, or else he and all his band shall be killed." The king's men reached the wood one lovely summer day. When they came near the place where the robbers were, their leader told them to stop, while he went to demand the surrender of Robin Hood. " So long as I have seven score brave arch- ers to do my bidding," answered the chief, " I shall never be ruled by a king. Tell your master this from me." 79 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Of course there was a fight; but the king's men were driven out of the wood, and their leader was killed. Not long after, Robin Hood became ill. He went to the house of a woman whom he thought to be his friend. But she was false to him. She opened a vein in his arm, and left him in his room to bleed to death. The door of the room was locked, and the window was so high that he could not jump out. He was so weak that when he tried to blow a blast on his horn he could make only a faint sound. " But Little John heard him where he lay, Under the greenwood tree. ' I fear my master is nigh to death, He bloweth so wearily.' " Now Little John was anything but little; he was one of the tallest and strongest of Robin Hood's men. He rushed to the house and broke the locks and dashed the doors open till he found the room where his master lay dying. 80 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " String my bow/' said Robin Hood, " and I will shoot from the window. Let my grave be dug where the arrow falls. Lay a green sod under my head, and another at my feet; and at my side lay my bent bow." " And heap my grave with grass and green, As is most right and good, That men may say when I am dead, ' There lies bold Robin Hood.' " The arrow that he shot from the window fell under a tree. And there, in the south of England, the chief of the Merry Men was laid to rest. The grave may still be seen. It is marked by a flat stone, carved with a flowery cross. 81 XXI KING JOHN AND THE MAGNA CHARTA UPON the death of Richard the Lion Heart, his brother John was made king. He made the worst ruler that ever sat on the English throne. After he had ruled some years, and done one bad thing after another, the barons of the country rose up against him, and said they must have their old laws again. They wrote the laws out, and added a good many more to them. Then they went to the king and asked him to sign his name to the paper. John would not sign, for he intended to keep all the power in his own hands. He 82 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK did not wish the lords or the poor people to have any freedom at all. He got angry, and made the barons leave him. This was at Christmas time. The barons went away. But at Easter they came again. This time they brought an army, and told the king he must sign the paper. John was again very angry, and exclaimed, " Why do they not ask for my kingdom? " He would not yield until he learned that out of all the horsemen in England only seven were on his side. Then he told the barons to meet him at a place near Windsor Castle. This was in June, 1215. The king came to one bank of the river Thames, and the barons came to the other bank. Then crossing to a little island in the middle of the river, they read the laws and talked them over. John was made to sign the Magna Charta, or Great Charter, as it was called. He wrote his name smiling, but in his heart he was mad 83 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK with rage. When he got back to Windsor, he was in such a passion that he threw himself on the floor. As for the laws, he broke them the first chance he got. But King John was not to live long. One day he and his army were crossing the quick- sands of a great bay on the east side of England. The tide came up suddenly and carried away his baggage and treasures, and almost drowned him and his soldiers. The king took this so much to heart that he ate and drank like a beast. He fell into a fever, and soon after died. The people were glad to know that their cruel king could no longer do them harm. We should all remember, however, that during the reign of the wicked King John the English people obtained the Great Charter, which not only this king was to obey, but all the kings of England after him. The Magna Charta was the foundation of English liberties. It gave rights to the church, to the barons, and to the people. It 84 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK promised to give liberty to the cities; to grant rights to foreign merchants; to put no man into prison without fair trial; to protect life and property; to grant justice to all. 85 XXII PRINCE ARTHUR THERE were people in the reign of King John who said that young Prince Arthur, then sixteen years old, ought to be king of England. Arthur was the son of John's elder brother, who was dead. Arthur's mother wished him to be king; and the king of France helped her to get an army to fight against John. It was of no use. Not only did she lose the battle, but Arthur himself fell into John's hands. The poor mother was thrown into great grief when she heard of it. " Ah, me! I fear I shall never see my Arthur again." She was quite right. King John shut the 86 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK young prince up in a castle in France, and Arthur never saw England again. The poor boy was sad enough, far away from his home and his friends. He found a friend, however, in his keeper, who was kind to him. This man's name was Hubert. One morning Hubert entered pale and sad. " Good morrow, Hubert." " Good morrow, little prince." " You are sad, Hubert." " Indeed, I have been merrier." " Mercy on me! Methinks nobody should be sad but I. And yet were I but out of prison and kept sheep, I should be as merry as the day is long. I should be happy even here, did I not fear that my uncle means more harm to me." Now Hubert had come with the order of King John to put out the eyes of the young prince. He knew that if he did not obey he should lose his own life. " Are you sick, Hubert? You look pale to-day. In sooth, I would you were a little 87 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK sick, that I might sit all night and watch with you ; I warrant I love you more than you do me." " Read here, young Arthur." " Must you with hot irons burn out both mine eyes? " " Young boy, I must." " And will you? " " And I will." " Have you the heart? Will you put out mine eyes? These eyes that never did nor ever shall so much as frown on you." " I have sworn to do it; and with hot irons must I burn them out." Hubert stamped ; the door opened, and two men came in. " ' 0, save me, Hubert, save me! my eyes are out Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men.' ' Give me the iron, I say, and bind him here.' ' Alas, what need you be so boisterous-rough? I will not struggle, I will stand stone-still. For heaven sake, Hubert, let me not be bound! Nay, hear me, Hubert, drive these men away, And I will sit as quiet as a lamb; 88 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word, Nor look upon the iron angerly: Thrust but these men away, and I'll forgive you, Whatever torment you do put me to.' " Hubert felt such sorrow for the little prince that he sent the men away. When they were gone, Arthur begged to have his tongue cut out rather than to lose his eyes. " Sleep safe, little prince; I will not touch your eyes for all the treasure of your uncle." " Oh ; now you look like Hubert! All this while you were not yourself." Hubert's own life was now in danger. He went over to England in great fear. But he found that the people were rising against King John; for they thought he had caused young Arthur to be put to death. We know very little of the young prince after this. He did not live long, but nobody knows how he died. Some say that King 89 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK John went to the castle and killed him with his own hand. Others say that Arthur tried to escape, and in doing so fell from a high window and was killed. 90 XXIII KING EDWARD THE FIRST WHEN King John died, his little son Henry was crowned as Henry the Third. He turned out to be rash and weak. But his son, Edward the First, who succeeded him, was one of the greatest of English kings. He was a famous soldier and a wise ruler. He was wise in making over the old laws; he was also wise in making new laws. While Edward was still a prince, he went to the Holy Land to fight against the Turks. His wife, the gentle but brave Eleanor, went with him. Here he nearly lost his life. A Turk was sent into the English camp to give a letter 91 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK to the prince and stab him while he was reading it. It was a hot day, and Prince Edward was on his couch in his tent. The Turk came in and knelt before him with the letter. When Edward reached out his hand to take it, the man sprang at him. But the prince was too quick for him. He threw him to the ground and killed him with his own dagger. The danger, however, was not yet over; for there was poison on the dagger, and it had grazed the king's arm. It is said that Edward's noble wife put her lips to the cut and sucked the poison out. Prince Edward soon started back for Eng- land. When he reached Sicily, he received the news that his father, Henry the Third, was dead, and that he himself was king. He was in no hurry to reach England, however, for the country was at peace. When he returned, after about a year, he and 92 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Eleanor were crowned at London, in West- minster Abbey, with much splendor. A great feast was made. Such eating and drinking and singing and ringing of bells the city had never witnessed before. We shall soon hear more about King Edward. The good and faithful Eleanor he loved dearly. When she died, her body was taken to London. At every spot where her body had rested on the way, he set up a stone cross, that her name might never be forgotten. 93 XXIV THE FIRST PRINCE OF WALES THE heir to the English crown is generally called the Prince of Wales. Wales is a hilly country in the western part of England. The people of Wales once spoke their own tongue, had their own prince, and made their own laws. Their life was wild and free. They did not like the English, and would have nothing to do with them. From time to time bands of Welshmen went and made war on the English who lived near. They burned their houses, stole their goods and their cattle, and often killed the people. Now Edward the First wanted to subdue the Welsh, and led an army against them. 94 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK When the Welsh heard of the coming of Longshanks, as Edward was sometimes called, they hid themselves among their hills. " Well," they said one to another, " Edward Longshanks cannot catch us here." But they were quite mistaken. The Eng- lish found them and defeated them. Five years later King Edward had to lead another army against them. This time he took their castles and lands. The Welsh prince was killed, and his brother David had to flee for his life. It is said that he had his horse's shoes put on backwards, to keep the English from finding out which way he fled; but the black- smith who shod the horse told the secret. David was taken prisoner and put to death. When the people knew that the two broth- ers were dead, they lost hope and received Edward as their king. But they were not content; they would much rather have had a ruler who could speak Welsh. They came to King Edward at a castle 95 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK in Wales to lay down their arms, and to say that they would obey him. " Only let us have a Welsh prince/' they added, " and we will be quiet and not fight the English any more." " You shall have your wish," said Edward. " I will let you have a prince who was born in your land. You will be content with him; he cannot speak a word of English." He bade them come to his castle on a certain day, promising to present their new Welsh prince to them. At last the day came, and the people were there. " Who will it be? Who will it be? " they were saying among themselves. Well, it was Edward's own little baby son Edward, who had been born in that castle a month before. The king held the tiny prince up for all the Welsh nobles to see, and said, " Look! here is your prince. He has been born among you, and he cannot speak a word of English." 96 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The Welsh did not like the trick Edward had played on them; but they could not help them- selves, and took this baby as their future king. This baby boy was called Edward, Prince of Wales. The title has been in use ever since. 97 XXV ROBERT BRUCE MANY stories are told about Robert Bruce, the brave Scottish king, and how he fought against England to to keep his country free. At one time, when he was hiding from Edward the First, he bade his friends meet him at a certain farmhouse. When the Scottish chief, sad and lonely, reached the house, he found nobody there but an old woman, who sprang up and asked him who he was. " I am a man without a home; I am making my way through the country." " All travelers are welcome here for the sake of one," said the good dame. 98 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " And who may he be? " the king asked, seating himself on a low stool at her side. " Robert Bruce, our rightful lord; and I hope to live to see him king over all Scot- land." " Since }^ou love him so well, good dame, you will be glad to see him. I am Robert Bruce." " You! Where are your men, then? Why are you alone? " " I have none with me just now, and so I must go on alone." " Nay, but that shall not be; I have two stout sons, brave and trusty men, and they shall be your servants for life and death." She called her sons and made them swear to be true to their king. Just then they heard shouts and the stamp- ing of horses. They feared the English were upon them. " Fight to the last, lads, for your brave king," said the good woman to her sons. But now a well-known sound struck Bruce's 99 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK ear. It was the voice of his friend, the good Lord James Douglas. The king hastened to the door and flung it open. There, in the court, was Douglas with Bruce's brother Edward and a hundred and fifty other Scots. At another time Bruce again lost his cour- age, and thought it impossible to keep Scot- land free. He had already fought six battles with the English, and lost them all. One day he went into a wretched hut to hide himself, and lay down on some straw to rest. While he lay there, he saw a spider hanging from one of the rafters. The little thing was trying to swing to another rafter. Six times it tried, but could not succeed. Then it stopped. Bruce thought it was not going to try any more. " That little spider is just like me. It has tried six times, and so have I. We have both lost heart." Just then the spider gave one more swing. This time it reached the other rafter. 100 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The king sprang up and said, " My brave little friend, you have taught me a good lesson. I also will try again." At this time Edward the First was dead, and his son Edward, the first Prince of Wales, was king. He was called Edward the Second. Now this second Edward was a weak fellow. His father, when on his dying bed, had told him to keep on with the war. But he took all his army out of Scotland. The Scots soon got back most of their land, and even in- vaded England. At last came the greatest battle of all, the Battle of Bannockburn. Bruce's army was small, having only about one third as many men as Edward's. But his men did not lose heart. They dug pits in the field, and put sharp stakes in them. Then they covered the holes with turf. Before the battle began, Bruce went up and down in front of his army. He was mounted on a pony, and had no arms except a battle-ax. 101 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK One of the English lords was riding a great war horse. As soon as he saw Bruce, he made a dash at him. When the English lord was almost upon him, Bruce turned his pony sharply to one side. Then rising in his saddle, he dealt his enemy a blow with his battle-ax that cut through his helmet and split his head in two. " Look! " cried the English king, seeing the Scots kneel in prayer, " they ask for mercy." "Yes," replied one of his lords, " they ask for mercy, but not from you. Those men will win or die." The battle began. The English tried to break the Scottish ranks, but in vain. Thou- sands of men and horses soon lay dying on the field, but the fight went on. At sunset the English saw, on a little hill facing them, another body of men, with flags flying. They thought this was a second army. They lost hope, turned, and fled. It was not an army at all. It was only 102 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK a band of old men, women, and children with spears and flags in their hands. But it brought the great Battle of Bannockburn to an end. Bruce had won the day, and Scotland was forever free. 103 XXVI EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE THE two Edwards who fought against Robert Bruce were followed by an- other king named Edward. This was Edward the Third, son of Edward the Second. Edward the Third also had a son Edward, called the Black Prince. He wore black armor; that is perhaps how he got his name. When the Black Prince was sixteen years old, a war arose between the English and the French. A great battle was fought in France, near the village of Crecy. The English army was not half so large as that of the French. It was divided into three parts. The main division was com- manded by the young prince and several other brave knights. 104 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK King Edward himself did not go into the battle. He kept his men as a reserve on a little hill, where he could watch the field, and see what kind of leader his son would be. The fighting began. The French advanced rapidly. The English shot their arrows so fast and so thick that they fell like snowflakes. Many of the French were killed or wounded. The rest retreated a little, but soon came on again with great force against that part of the army led by the Black Prince. The English were now hard pressed. A knight went to the king and asked for aid. " Is my son dead, or hurt, or thrown to the ground? " asked Edward. " No, sire." " Say, then, to them that sent you, that they suffer the child to win his spurs, and let the day be his." The long summer evening deepened into twilight, and still the battle raged. The French were at last driven back. It was dark when the young prince and his army 105 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK returned from the pursuit. Fires were lighted to tell the king where they were. In the red glare of the light, and before the whole army, the king embraced his son. " Sweet boy," he said, " God give you good perseverance. You are my true son. Right loyally have you acquitted yourself this day, and worthy are you of a crown." But the young prince bowed to the ground, and gave all the honor to the king, his father. The next day, when father and son went over the field of battle, they found among the slain the blind king of Bohemia. On his helmet was a crest of three white ostrich feathers with the words " I serve." Edward told the boy to take the crest and keep it as a remembrance. The prince took it, saying it would help him to serve his king and his country. Ever since that time the Prince of Wales has worn as a badge three ostrich feathers with the motto " I serve." This was the famous Battle of Crecy. 10G EDWARD THE TJIIKD AND THE BLACK PRINCE. Page 100. THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Eight years later, the Black Prince won another battle in France. This time the French king himself was taken prisoner. The prince went forth to meet him, and showed him great kindness. He invited him to supper in his tent, and waited on him at table. The king begged the prince to sit down with him, but he refused, saying it was not right to seat himself at the table of one so great and so brave. When the prince and his army went back to England, King Edward and the people of London gathered to see them enter the city. At the head of the army was a man mounted on a tall white horse. He looked more stately than any of the others. By his side, on a pony, rode a man in black armor. The first was King John of France. The second was the Black Prince. It seems a pity that the Black Prince did not live to become king. He died at the age of forty-six. He was buried in Canterbury 107 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Cathedral, which was believed at that time to be the most sacred spot in England. There he rests in all his glory. He lies in full armor, with his head reclining on his hel- met. His feet bear the likeness of the spurs he won at Crecy. His hands are joined in prayer, even as he died. Near his tomb may be seen the ostrich feathers from Crecy, with that famous motto " I serve," while high above hangs the black armor in which he won so many battles. The English people mourned him deeply; for he was one of the greatest and one of the most loved princes they had ever had. 108 XXVII THE BRAVE MEN OF CALAIS SOON after the famous Battle of Crecy, Edward the Third marched against Calais, a walled city in the north of France. He did not try to take the town by storm. He simply put his army about it, and kept watch night and day to prevent anybody from going in or coming out. He meant to starve the people into submission. Now the city was full of men, women, and children, and there was not much to eat. Day after day their supply of food became less and less. The brave people would not give up, for they hoped that help would come. Thus nearly a year went by. By this time 109 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK they were in great want. But rather than surrender, they ate horses, and then dogs, cats, and rats. At last there was nothing left. They sent word to the English king that they would give up the city, and begged him for mercy. " If the people are to be spared," was Edward's reply, " let six men come out to me with their feet bare, and with ropes round their necks; and let them bring with them the keys of the city." The news was carried back into the city; and the great church bell was rung to call the people together. When they heard the king's demands, they were in great distress, and did not know what to do. Finally one of the most worthy men in all the city arose and said: " My friends, it would be a great pity to let the people die, either by hunger or by the sword. The men who save them will do a good deed. I will be one of the six." Five others sprang to their feet and said 110 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK they would go with him; and the six brave men went out to the English king. Edward stood waiting. Gathered round him were his nobles and the good Queen Philippa. The men were led before him, with their feet bare and with ropes round their necks. " Hang them! " " Hang them! " some cried out; but others pitied them. The men knelt before the king, and their leader said: " Great king, we bring you the keys of the city. We give ourselves up to you, and pray for mercy. We wish to save the people, who have had much to bear." But Edward was angry and would not hear what they had to say. He turned from them and ordered that they be taken away at once and their heads cut off. His nobles now began to beg him to have pity. " Gentle sire, you have far and wide a name for goodness. Do not act in this cruel way." The king turned in anger. " Hold your 111 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK peace; it must be so. They have killed so many of my men that they themselves shall die." All hope seemed lost. The six men made ready to die. But the good queen had been listening with tears in her eyes. She now threw herself at King Edward's feet. " Gentle king," she began, " I have never asked you for any gift. Now I have one thing to beg of you. Grant me the lives of these men." When Edward saw his queen before him in tears, his heart was touched. " Gentle lady, I wish you had not been here. You ask so sweetly, I cannot say nay. I act against my will. But take them. They are yours." He then gave into her hands the ropes that were round the men's necks. The queen took the men with her, gave then clothing and food, and sent them back to their people. And thus, for Queen Philippa's sake, the six brave men of Calais and all in the city were saved. 112 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK It was not long after this, however, that King Edward took this city of Calais. It remained in the power of England for more than two hundred years. 113 XXVIII PRINCE HAL WHEN Edward the Third died, the Black Prince's son Richard became king, with the title of Richard the Second. He was very unlike his noble father, and made a weak ruler. Finally he gave up the crown to his cousin Henry, who was crowned Henry the Fourth. This was about five hundred years ago. Now Henry the Fourth had a son, the Prince of Wales. The people called him Prince Hal, and sometimes Madcap Harry. We read all sorts of stories about this prince. He was brave in battle. But when he was not fighting, he gave himself up to all the vices and follies of the day. He spent most of his time with his friends, who were as wild and idle as himself. 114 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Prince Hal and his friends liked to play being robbers. They would stop coaches on the road to London and rob the travelers. But the prince took care that the money was given back, for he did not really wish to be an outlaw. One day one of his friends was caught doing wrong, and taken to be tried. The judge said he must go to prison. The prince became angry, and is said to have struck the judge in the face. He drew his sword, also, and told him to set the man free. But the judge cared more for doing his duty than for what the Prince of Wales said. He ordered Prince Hal also to be sent to jail. The prince did not refuse, nor did he say a word against the judge. When King Henry was told of it, he said, " I am happy in having a judge who knows how to lay down the law, and a son who knows how to obey it." As you may well fancy, it made King Henry 115 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK sad to have such a son. He tried in vain to get him away from his wild friends, and to make him lead a better life. At last the king fell ill. They thought he was going to die, and sent in great haste for the Prince of Wales. When the prince came and saw his father lying there so still, with his eyes closed, he was sorry that he had not been a better son. " Perhaps my father will never speak to me again; and he will not know how I regret the past." He sat down by the bed, and for a while his heart was heavy. After a time his eyes caught sight of the crown, which was lying on a cushion by the bed. " That crown may soon be mine," he said to himself; " if my father does not wake, I shall be king of England." Without further thought he carried the crown from the room to try it on his own head. But the king was not dead. When he awoke, he asked who had taken the crown 116 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK away; and he was made very unhappy by what his son had done. " Harry, Harry! " he cried, when the prince returned the crown. " Can you not wait till I am gone? " The prince fell on his knees and begged his father to forgive him, saying that he thought him dead. " Ah, Harry, thy wish was father to that thought. Thou art indeed in great haste to wear the crown." In a short time his father died, and Prince Hal became King Henry the Fifth. The good old judge who had sent the prince to jail thought it would now be his own turn to be put in prison. He was not surprised when the new king sent for him. " My country has need of a judge like you," said the young king. " I have only to tell you to act as justly to others as you did to me." Henry sent for his friends, also, and told them he was going to lead a different life. He begged them to do as he hoped to do. 117 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK He gave up his wild ways. He called to his court the wisest and best men in the land. And he became a brave, wise, and generous ruler. He died when he was only thirty-four years old. His death was a great loss to his people. 118 XXIX HOW HENRY THE SIXTH LOST HIS CROWN WHAT a sweet flower the rose is! It is the flower the English love best. There was once a time when some of the English loved the white rose best, and others the red rose. About five hundred years ago, two English noblemen became very angry at each other and quarreled. According to Shakespeare, the quarrel took place in the Temple Garden, in London. One of the men, the Duke of York, picked a white rose from a bush and cried, " Let him that is a true-born gentleman, And stands upon the honour of his birth, If he suppose that I have pleaded truth, From off this brier pluck a white rose with me." 119 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Then the other nobleman, the Duke of Somerset, of the House of Lancaster, tore a red rose from a bush, and answered, " Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer, But dare maintain the party of the truth, Pluck a red rose from off this thorn with me." The other nobles took sides, and one of them said, " And here I prophesy, — this brawl to-day, Grown to this faction in the Temple garden, Shall send, between the red rose and the white, A thousand souls to death and deadly night." The king of England at this time was Henry the Sixth, son of Henry the Fifth. The new ruler was only a year old when his father died. By the time he reached manhood his nobles had become lawless, greedy, and cruel. They quarreled with each other for power, and the young king was not wise enough or strong enough to stop them. From the quarrel in the Temple Garden arose between the house of York and the 120 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK house of Lancaster a terrible struggle for the crown. This strife was called the Wars of the Roses. It was a sad and bitter time. The Wars lasted about thirty years, and many brave soldiers and noblemen lost their lives. King Henry and Queen Margaret fought on the side of the Red Rose. Henry was finally taken prisoner and thrown into the Tower of London. But Margaret, who was as brave as she was noble, continued the struggle; for she wanted to save the crown for their young son Edward. One of the battles was fought at the village of Hexham, in the north of England. In this battle the Red Rose was defeated, and the queen had to flee for her life. Taking Edward with her, she went into a forest near by, and tried to hide. Here she fell into the hands of robbers. They took her rings and other jewelry, and treated her badly. While they were quarreling over the booty, the queen and the young prince escaped and went deeper into the forest. 121 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK At last Margaret sank to the earth, worn out by hunger, weariness, and fright. Pretty soon she saw a robber coming toward her with a drawn sword. She rose, and starting to meet him, said, " Here, my friend, I put in your care the safety of the king's son." The robber was touched with pity. He took the little prince in his arms and carried him through the thick wood to his cave. Here he gave them food and shelter. And he kept them until they were able to escape to France. Several years later Margaret came back to England to fight for her son, Prince Edward, but she did not succeed. Her army was beaten, and she herself was taken prisoner and shut up in the Tower. Thus the White Rose defeated the Red Rose, and poor Henry the Sixth lost his crown. He died in the Tower. Most likely he was put to death. The White Rose put a new king on the throne, Edward the Fourth. 122 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Margaret's son Edward was killed by the brothers of the new king. Queen Margaret finally returned to France, where she died. The king of France paid a large sum of money to have her set free from the Tower of London, where she had been a prisoner for five years. Some day you may go to England. If you do, you will wish to go to Hexham to see the robber's cave. The people still call it Queen Margaret's Cave. 123 XXX THE TWO PRINCES IN THE TOWER NOW in my last story I told you that the White Rose won the victory over the Red Rose, and put Edward the Fourth on the throne. Edward the Fourth had two sons, Edward and Richard. When the king died, Prince Edward was only twelve years old; and his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was made protector until the boy should be of age. This Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was a daring and wicked man. He wanted to get rid of the two young princes, and secure the crown for himself. The boys feared him, and with good reason, as we shall see. " Tell me, Uncle Richard, where shall I 124 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK live until the day I am made king? " asked Edward. " Oh, where you please; but if you do as I wish, you will stay in the Tower." " I do not like the Tower." But it made little difference to the uncle whether Edward liked the Tower or not. He took the young prince and shut him up there. And not long after this he took little Richard and shut him up with him. He did this, he said, because the princes were too young to take care of themselves, and would be safer in the Tower than any- where else. After a while this wicked man won some of the people to his side. They said they did not want a boy for a ruler, and asked the duke to be king. Thus Richard of Gloucester took the throne, and was crowned Richard the Third. The two little princes were kept in the Tower. They passed many unhappy days. They could not leave their room, for the door 125 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK was locked and bolted; and the one little window was so narrow and so high from the floor that it was impossible to see out. If the younger boy cried, his brother would say, " Do not cry. Perhaps Uncle Richard will send and take us out to-morrow." And when night came, they lay down to- gether in their bed, saying to each other, " We shall get out to-morrow. We shall get out to-morrow." Of course the new king did not feel very safe. He knew that Edward and Richard had many friends; and he decided to have the princes put to death. Not long after, in the middle of the night, two men with evil faces crept up the stairs to the room where the princes were sleeping. They softly opened the door, and slipped in without being observed. The two boys were fast asleep, with their arms round each other's neck. Perhaps they were dreaming of the happy to-morrow. The men had no pity. With the pillows 126 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK and bedclothes they smothered the brothers in their bed. Then they took their bodies and buried them in the Tower. Many years later some bones were found under one of the staircases. These bones are believed to be those of the two young princes. There are a good many smaller towers which form the great Tower of London. Each has its own name. The tower in which Edward and Richard were murdered is called the Bloody Tower. When the people heard what the king had done, they were aroused to action, and took up arms against him. A battle was fought at Bosworth Field. Many whom Richard thought to be his friends deserted him, and he was slain in the thick of the fight. This battle ended the Wars of the Roses. It was the Red Rose this time that was vic- torious over the White Rose. Before they left the battlefield, they crowned Henry Tudor as Henry the Seventh. This new king was 127 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK of the house of Lancaster. He united the Roses by marrying Elizabeth of the house of York, who was the sister of the two princes murdered in the Tower. 128 XXXI A QUEEN FOR TEN DAYS INHERE is a later story of the old Lon- don Tower which is quite as sad as that of the two young princes. It is about a girl who was queen of England for only ten days. This girl was the fair and gentle Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of Henry the Seventh, who was crowned king at Bosworth Field. She loved music, and could sing and play well. She did needlework that was al- most perfect. And she was fonder of study than most ladies of her time; for she could speak and write not only French and Italian, but also Latin and Greek. Her tutor in the classical languages was 129 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Roger Ascham, a fine Greek scholar. One day when he was going to see her, and was walking through the park to the castle, he he saw a party of lords and ladies out hunt- ing. Lady Jane was not among them. He found her in her room reading Plato. She told him that she was far happier at home with her books and her music than she should be with the hounds in the woods. But Lady Jane Grey was called away from this quiet, happy life. Edward the Sixth, who was king at this time, had just died, without leaving any children. In his will he gave the crown to Lady Jane, his cousin, instead of to his sister Mary. Poor Lady Jane begged to be left in peace. She said she did not want to be queen. She wished to lead a quiet life, with her friends and her books. And she knew that Mary, daughter of Henry the Eighth, had a better right to be crowned than she. Lord Dudley, however, to whom Lady Jane had been recently married, wished her 130 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK to accept the crown; for he knew that he should then have greater power. Her father and her mother, too, said she had no right to refuse. At last she gave in to her friends and was made queen. She was taken to the Tower, where for a few days she was treated with royal honors. Poor Lady Jane never saw another happy hour. The people knew how good she was, but they said it was not right to take the crown from Mary. Besides, they did not want to be ruled by Lady Jane's friends, for Lady Jane was not old enough to rule without help. They took Mary to London and crowned her, and Lady Jane Grey's reign of ten days was over. A few months after Mary became queen, a plot was formed to take the crown from her and give it to her younger sister Elizabeth. As a result, more than a hundred people were tried and put to death. The innocent Lady Jane and her husband were also con- 131 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK demned to die, and Mary signed the death warrant. And so Lady Jane Grey went again to the Tower of London, this time as a prisoner. She never left it again. One sad day this sweet, attractive girl, not yet seventeen years old, was led out to the green within the Tower walls to meet her fate. She went to the scaffold with quiet courage and dignity. Many people had died there by the ax, but none more lovable, more gentle, or more harmless than Lady Jane Grey. She was greatly to be pitied; she was so pure and so good, and she died so young. If you ever visit the Tower of London, you will find in one of the rooms the name Jane cut into the stone wall. It remains there a sad reminder of the young girl who was queen of England for only ten days. 132 XXXII SIR WALTER RALEIGH OUEEN MARY, the cousin of Lady Jane Grey, reigned for only five years. She was succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth, who was the younger daughter of Henry the Eighth, and granddaughter of Henry the Seventh, of whom you have already heard. Elizabeth wore the crown for almost forty- five years. Her reign was made famous by the great sailors, and statesmen, and scholars who lived in it. It was also an age of great literary splendor. Spenser and Bacon lived at this time, and Shakespeare wrote his immortal plays. One day Queen Elizabeth was leaving the 133 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK palace at Greenwich to take passage in her boat on the Thames. The royal barge was lying at the foot of the great stairway that led down to the river. The boat was gaily decked out, and at the oars were boatmen clad in rich dress. The path from the palace to the river was guarded by the tallest, finest soldiers that England could boast. And now, amid a company of lords and ladies, the queen appeared, leaning on the arm of one of her nobles. Among the eager crowd that pressed for- ward to see her was a youth of handsome and noble face. He was richly dressed, and from his shoulder hung a costly red-velvet cloak. This young cavalier stepped so far out from the others that the queen's eyes fell full upon him. She was surprised, but she showed no displeasure at his gaze of admiration. It had rained the night before. The place where the youth stood was muddy, and stopped the queen's progress. 134 QUEEN ELIZABETH AND SIR WALTER RALEIGH. Page 135. THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The young Walter Raleigh, for you will guess it was he, at once drew his cloak from his shoulder and spread it out for her to walk on. At the same time he bowed reverently before her, while a deep blush covered his face. The queen also blushed. She rewarded him with a smile, and passed on. Now Elizabeth was much pleased at what Raleigh did. She inquired after him, and had him brought to court. Afterwards she made him captain of the guard, and gave him a large tract of land in Ireland. She also gave him a title. He was no longer merely Walter Raleigh, but Sir Walter Raleigh. After leaving Oxford, where he had been a student for a short time, Raleigh had gone to France as a soldier, and proved himself a brave man. Still later he fought in Ireland and in Holland. Not long after this he sailed for America, to plant an English colony; but he had to return without reaching land. He after- 135 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK wards sent other expeditions to America. One of these expeditions began a colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. His ships are said to have been the first to carry potatoes and tobacco to England. But although Sir Walter did so well in early life, he was not so fortunate later. On one occasion he offended the queen, and was shut up in the Tower. For this offence, however, he was soon set free. When James the First was king, Raleigh was accused of plotting against him, and was again sent to the Tower. This time he was kept in prison thirteen long years. But he did not idle his time away. He had become famous as a soldier and a sailor, and he now won fame for himself with his pen, by writing his " History of the World." At last King James set him free long enough to go to South America to point out a gold mine which he claimed he had found. The expedition was a failure. On his return to 136 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK England the old charge was again brought against him, and he was condemned to die. When the appointed time came, many people gathered to see him. Some could remember the famous deeds he had done in the days of Queen Elizabeth. Others shed tears when they saw the brave old soldier led forth. One bald-headed old man asked him for a keepsake. Raleigh took off his rich velvet cap and threw it to the man. " There, my friend," he added, " take that, and wear it for my sake; for thou hast more need of it than I." When he came to the spot where he was to die, his courage did not leave him. He looked at the man with the ax, and asked him why he was trembling. He then took the ax and laid his ringer on its keen edge. " My friends," he said, turning to the people with a smile, " this is a sharp medicine, but it will cure all diseases." 137 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK He bent over and laid his head on the block, but the man with the ax hesitated. " What dost thou fear? " he cried. " Strike, man! " The ax came down, and Walter Raleigh was no more. 138 XXXIII MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS THERE was another Queen Mary of whom I wish to tell you. She was Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, the most beautiful and charming princess of her time. She was a great-granddaughter of Henry the Seventh, as was Lady Jane Grey, and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth of England. When Mary was six years old, she was sent to France to be educated. She spent ten years at court, and received her training in the king's household. At the age of sixteen she was married with great splendor to the son of the French king. A year later the king died, and her young husband was called to the throne. She thus became queen of France. 139 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK In less than three years after her marriage her husband also died, and Mary went back to Scotland, her native land. It is not strange that the girl queen wept when the ship left France, for she was leaving her happy life behind her. She sat on the deck all night, thinking that in the early morning she might see once more the land she loved. At the end of her voyage her tears flowed again, for she saw how rude and poor Scotland was, and how different from the land across the sea. Soon after her return to Scotland the beautiful young queen married her cousin, the handsome but worthless Lord Darnley. A son was born to them, whom they called James. Not long afterwards, Lord Darnley fell ill. Some believe he was poisoned. Others think he had the smallpox. He was cared for in a house outside of Edinburgh, and away from the castle. One evening the queen visited him as 140 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK usual, and then went to a ball at the palace. That same night the house in which Darnley lay was blown up. Darnley's lifeless body was found in the garden. It was believed that Lord Bothwell helped in this murder, and that Mary herself knew of the plot. No wonder the people were angry when she married Bothwell, only four months after he had killed her husband ! Thus it came about that Mary Queen of Scots lost the love of her people. They would not allow her to rule any longer, but gave the crown to her young son, who was hardly more than a year old. As for the queen herself, the nobles took her and put her in prison in a castle on a lonely little island in Loch Leven. Here she had a keeper who showed her no pity. But her cleverness and her beauty soon made a friend for her in the keeper's brother. He tried to set her free, but failed, and was sent away from the island. Even then he did not give up trying to 141 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK get Mary out of her prison. He aided her through a kinsman of his, known as Little Douglas, who was a page in the castle. Douglas was about twelve years old. Every night it was the duty of young Doug- las to bring in the keys of the castle and lay them on the supper table beside the keeper. One Sunday evening, when the lad was serving his master, he dropped a napkin on the keys. In lifting the napkin he lifted the keys with it. He then slipped out and went to Mary's room, in the round tower. The queen and her maid had put on men's dress, and were expecting him; and now the three went down the winding stairway, and walked boldly through the main hall, which was filled with guests. The queen carried a jug on her shoulder. Her maid had a basket of bread on her head. Once outside, they went toward the great door. Several men were standing about, but there was little light, and they passed through in safety. Douglas was careful to lock the door behind them. 142 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK A small boat was waiting for them close by. They jumped in and started for the shore. They were hailed and fired at from the terrace of the castle, but they did not stop. The keys of the castle they threw into the lake. Friends were ready to meet them when they landed. A swift horse was at hand for the queen, and she rode quickly away to the west of Scotland. Before the end of the week she was at the head of a small army, marching against the nobles who had taken the crown from her. The young queen was easily defeated, and had to flee. In spite of the advice of her friends she went to England, hoping to get aid from her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth disliked and feared the Queen of Scots, thinking her a dangerous rival for the crown of England. She believed, also, that Mary had a hand in the murder of Lord Darnley. She at once ordered her to be put in prison. 143 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK For the next nineteen years, first in one castle and then in another, Queen Mary was kept a prisoner. She made plans to escape, but they all failed. She managed, however, in one way or another, to exchange letters with her friends. Although her plans came to nothing, they caused much alarm. Many really believed that Elizabeth would be in danger as long as Mary lived. At last they discovered a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth and place Mary on her throne. Those who took part in it were put to death. Mary was tried. She said she only wished to be free. But her judges thought her guilty and said she must die. Queen Eliza- beth finally signed the warrant for her death. One February afternoon the death warrant was taken to the unhappy and unfortunate queen, and read to her. She was told to prepare to die on the following morning. She took her supper with her attendants, and bade them good-by. She left presents for all of them. It was past midnight 144 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK before she lay down to rest. After a few hours' sleep she arose and made ready for the end. A few minutes after eight o'clock in the morning the marshal and the sheriff went to her apartments and found her dressed in all her splendor. A gold crucifix hung on her neck. In her hand she held another made of ivory. At her belt was a prayerbook. Taking the arm of an officer, she passed down the stairway to the large hall, where the scaffold stood. About three hundred persons were there to witness the scene. The warrant was again read, and the queen prepared for the last act. She knelt on the cushion by the block, and allowed one of her ladies to take a handkerchief and bind her eyes. Then she repeated in Latin the Psalm " In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust." When she had finished, she put out her hand to find the block. With the crucifix and the prayerbook in her hands she laid her head down with the dignity of a queen. 145 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Her last words were also in Latin, " Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." The scene had been too much even for the headsman. He had to strike twice before his task was finished. Mary's little dog had followed her without being seen, and was found cowering under the folds of her dress. On being discovered it gave a cry and seated itself by her dead body. Mary Queen of Scots was buried in the cathedral at Peterborough. When her son James came to the English throne, he had the body removed to Westminster Abbey. This unhappy and unfortunate woman had for many years kept the people of England in a state of unrest. The news of her death was received with great rejoicing. We are told that in London the people marched through the streets, making bonfires and singing psalms in every lane of the city. 146 XXXIV SIR PHILIP SIDNEY NOT long ago I told you that in the reign of Queen Elizabeth lived many great men. They sailed over the ocean, and discovered new lands. They led the queen's armies and won many battles in foreign countries. And they gave peace to the English people at home. Among the wise men at Elizabeth's court was the gifted Sir Philip Sidney. He was a statesman, a soldier, and a poet. He was so brave, so gentle, and so good that all who knew him loved him; and he was called the darling of the court. The queen used to speak of him as the jewel of her kingdom. Once there was war going on in Holland, against Philip the Second of Spain. To aid 147 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK in the struggle against this powerful king, Elizabeth sent an army across the sea. Sidney went with it. In one of the battles Sidney's horse was killed. " Another horse! " he cried, and went on fighting. Soon a musket ball hit him in the thigh, and he had to retire. While they were taking him from the field, he suffered great pain. The fever parched his throat. He asked for a drink of water; but none was at hand. At last one of his servants found a bottle of water. Sidney had lifted the water to his mouth when his eyes fell on a wounded soldier lying near him. The poor fellow could not speak, but he looked with great longing at the water. Without so much as tasting the water, Sidney handed it to the dying man. " Here, my poor fellow! Thy need is yet greater than mine." 148 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Sir Philip never saw his native land again; for he died of his wound. His death caused the English people great grief. His body was brought back to England. It lay for some time in state, and was then buried with much honor in Saint Paul's Cathedral. The people mourned for him throughout the land. Many verses were written in his memory. The great poet Spenser wrote of him as a dear friend who was lost- Sidney had not reached his thirty-third year. The English are proud of what he did in his short life. They love him most for the great purity and the great beauty of his character; they love him for such kind and noble acts as that shown to the wounded soldier on the battlefield. 149 XXXV THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA YOU will remember that Sir Philip Sidney lost his life fighting against Philip the Second of Spain. Philip was at that time the richest and the most powerful king of Europe. Now Philip the Second had married his cousin, Queen Mary of England, who was Elizabeth's half-sister. After Mary's death he wished to marry Queen Elizabeth. For a time Philip and the English queen seemed to be friendly to each other. At last, however, they became open enemies. Philip now made up his mind to conquer England. The Spanish king got ready a great army 150 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK and a large number of warships. The people of Spain called the fleet the Invincible Ar- mada, for they thought it could not be beaten. Long before this the English had heard that the Spaniards were likely to come, and made ready to meet them. The towns sent men and money. From the seaports came ships and sailors. Meanwhile they kept a sharp lookout for the Spanish fleet. The queen went to her troops and bade them do their utmost. " I am come among you to live or die with you, to give my crown and my blood, even in the dust, for my God and my people. I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England." The first news of the Armada came to the famous Sir Francis Drake, vice admiral of the English fleet. He, with Admiral Howard and others, was playing a game of bowls on the green at Plymouth, when a small white 151 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK sail came in sight. They soon saw that it was an English fishing boat, sailing at the top of its speed. When it reached land, its master came in haste to Drake to tell him he had seen the Spanish fleet. Drake's friends gathered round to hear, and some of them wished to go at once to their ships. " No, indeed," insisted Drake; " we have plenty of time to end our game and whip the Spaniards too." The news went like wildfire. On many hilltops fires were lighted to tell the people to make ready. Men on swift horses started through the country to spread the word. That night the English fleet put to sea. The next day they saw the mighty force with which they had to fight. Before them, in the shape of a half moon, lay the Spanish men-of-war. They looked like great castles. The line measured seven miles from point to point. There were one hundred and thirty 152 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK ships. On board were the best captains and the bravest men of Spain. The English had much fewer ships. None of them were so large as the Spanish men-of- war, and some of them were small. But they were lighter than the Spanish ships, and could sail much faster. And their captains knew how to fight. The English did not dare to face the whole fleet at once. They sailed back and forth be- fore the great Spanish men-of-war, and fired into them as they passed by. Then they got out of the way before the enemy could turn on them; and they were too swift to be pursued. The water was often rough, too, and much of the shooting done by the Span- iards went into the air or the sea. This kind of fighting lasted several weeks. At last Drake tried a new plan. He filled eight old ships with tar and other things that would burn easily, and one dark night set them afire and sent them into the midst of the Spanish fleet. 153 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The enemy were greatly excited when they saw these boats. In their hurry to escape, many of them cut their cables. Some of the ships ran into each other. Others sailed out to sea, scarcely knowing where. When morning came, they were scattered in all directions. The Spaniards now lost hope. They de- cided to make their way home by sailing round Scotland and Ireland. The Armada now met a stronger foe than the English. Along the coast of Scotland great storms arose and drove many of the ships on the rocks. Off Ireland there were more storms and more wrecks. At a single place were counted eleven hundred dead bodies that had been washed ashore. Philip's ambition cost Spain the loss of many ships and the lives of many brave men. Of all that proud fleet of one hundred and thirty vessels only fifty-three returned. These were filled with sick and dying men. " I sent my ships against men," said the 154 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK proud king, when he heard the news; " not against winds and seas." The people of England were grateful to have been saved from the power and pride of Spain. They gave thanks to God for the victory. Queen Elizabeth had medals struck, bearing the words, in Latin, " God blew, and they were scattered." 155 XXXVI THE GUNPOWDER PLOT OUEEN ELIZABETH, you remember, reigned nearly forty-five years. When the time came for her to die, the peo- ple were wondering who was to be their next ruler; for never having married, Elizabeth had no heir to receive the throne, nor did she have a brother or a sister to succeed her. " To whom will Your Majesty leave her crown? " she was asked. " To our cousin of Scotland." By this she meant James the Sixth of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, who had been put to death. And so James the Sixth of Scotland re- ceived the English crown, and became James the First of England. 156 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Now many of the English people did not like the new king. There were certain men who wanted to get rid of him. They met in a lonely house, swore to keep their secret, and formed a plot against the king's life. Their plan was to blow up the House of Parliament, — king, nobles, and all. They rented a house close by and began to dig a tunnel between the two buildings. One day they learned that a man who kept coal in the cellar under the House of Lords was moving out to go to another place. This was good news. They at once rented his part of the cellar, saying that they were going to sell wood and coal. Into this cellar they took secretly thirty- six barrels of gunpowder and hid them under the wood and coal. Now it happened that most of the men who were in the plot had friends or relatives in Parliament, and wished to save them if they could. Just before the fifth of November, when 157 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Parliament was to meet, one of the lords received a letter without any name attached to it. " Do not go to the House," the letter said, " for there shall be a sudden blow to many, and yet they shall not see who hurts them." This letter was shown to King James. The king at once thought of gunpowder, and sent men to search the cellars. They found not only the thirty-six barrels of powder, but also the man who was hired to put a light to it, Guy Fawkes. They took him before the king to be questioned. " How can you have the heart to wish to destroy so many innocent people? " " Because desperate diseases need desper- ate remedies." After the examination Fawkes was taken to the Tower. Here they tortured him to make him tell the names of the others in the plot. In spite of all his pain he would betray 158 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK nobody. He only told of the plot, and what he himself meant to do. They wrote down all he said, and then had him sign his name. He had suffered so much and was so weak that he could only make a few marks with the pen. A little later Fawkes and several others were brought to trial. They were all found guilty and put to death. This was the end of the Gunpowder Plot. Now you know why the fifth of November is called Guy Fawkes Day, and why on that day in many of the towns of England they carry about a figure stuffed with straw, and then throw it into a bonfire. 159 XXXVII THE ROYAL OAK WHEN James the First died, his son Charles was crowned King Charles the First. During his reign the people became divided into two parties, those who were on the king's side and those who were against him. The king's armies were defeated, and the king himself was beheaded. After the death of Charles the First, many of the people wanted his oldest son, Prince Charles, for their king. Others did not want any ruler at all, having had so much trouble with King Charles. Those who were opposed to a king chose Oliver Cromwell as their leader. 160 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Prince Charles, who had been in France for some time, now came home and claimed the crown. His friends fought for him, but they were not strong enough to make him king. Often he had to hide from the people. Sometimes he disguised himself to keep from being known. At one time a large sum of money was offered to anybody who would give him up; but not even the poorest were mean enough to tell where he was hiding. The friends of the young prince knew that if he fell into the hands of Cromwell he would be imprisoned and per- haps put to death, as his father had been. At last the army of Prince Charles was beaten. His men had to fly for their lives. The prince himself and a friend hurried from the field of battle and rode into the woods. Here they found some woodmen, one of whom gave the prince different clothes to put on. Charles and his friend now set out toward the sea. They had not gone far when they 161 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK heard horses behind them. Through the trees they could see Cromwell's redcoats, who had been sent to look for them. Close at hand was a large oak. In a mo- ment Charles and his friend had climbed up and were hidden among its leaves. They were just in time, for the redcoats passed under the very tree in which they were concealed. The soldiers were so busy looking all round them that they did not think of looking over their heads. After a while they rode away. Charles was safe, but he did not dare to leave the woods at once, for fear the soldiers would come back. He stayed all night in the great oak. He was so tired that he fell asleep; but his friend kept watch. When they left the woods, the prince hid in a barn. He had not had food for two days, and was glad to drink a pan of buttermilk that was brought him. He now cut off his long hair, put on poor 162 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK clothes, and so made his way through the country, slipping from house to house. After some days they came to the house of a woman named Jane Lane. She was a good friend to Charles, and found a way to help him. She dressed him as a servant, and had him sit in front of her on her horse, as was the custom in those days. In this way they finally reached the seaside. Jane Lane and the prince now went to an inn. The prince, still acting the part of a servant, was sent to the kitchen. Here he was almost found out. " Come, you idle fellow," cried the cook, " turn this spit for me." The prince had never done such a thing in his life. He did not know how. " How much you look like Prince Charles," somebody said. Charles made no reply; but he got out of the kitchen as soon as he could. Looking about him to find a way of escape, he came upon an old sailor, who took him across to France. 163 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Nine years later the prince came again to England. Most of the people were glad to have him back. This time it was to be king. He was crowned Charles the Second. The crowning took place on the twenty-ninth of May, his birthday. He was called the Merry Monarch. He turned out to be a selfish, dishonest ruler, who did not look to the welfare of his people, but only sought his own pleasure. The tree that had once concealed the young prince was for a long time called the Royal Oak. In some parts of England people still wear a sprig of oak on the twenty-ninth of May. They call the day Royal Oak Day. 164 XXXVIII THE GREAT PLAGUE THE houses in London used to be made of wood. They had no names or numbers on them, for few of the peo- ple could read. Many of them had signs painted on them, such as the figure of a lamb, a bear, or an oak tree. The streets were narrow, dark, and dirty. In the summer of 1665, during the reign of Charles the Second, London was visited by the plague. It was a strange disease that came from the East. Nobody knew anything about it, and no doctor knew how to cure it. Men were suddenly taken sick in the streets, and dropped to the ground as if shot. Women were seized while~~they went about 165 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK their household work. Children caught the disease at their play. Nobody that fell ill of this dreadful sickness was expected to get well. The plague spread so rapidly that within six months more than a hundred thousand people died. When it was at its worst, more than a thousand died every day. In- deed, they died so fast that they could not be properly buried. Great trenches were dug outside the city, and the dead bodies were thrown into them. In the stricken parts of London the houses were deserted and silent. The shops were closed. Business was at a standstill. All who could get away fled to the country. The once crowded streets had grass growing in them. The silence of the night was broken only by the rumble of carts, and by the bell and call of the drivers: " Bring out your dead. Bring out your dead." To prevent the disease from spreading, 166 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK the Lord Mayor of London sent out an order that the houses visited by the plague should be closed. A red cross was painted on the door, and below the cross the words " Lord, have mercy upon us." The doors were made fast from the out- side. Watchmen saw that nobody went in or came out. These men also brought food to those in the houses, and carried messages between them and their friends. Dreadful scenes sometimes took place. People were killed by their nurses, and robbed of the very beds in which they were lying. Others went mad and threw them- selves into the river. Even more dreadful was the case of those who sought to drown their fears in drinking and bad deeds, and who thus only hastened their own end. All this time the Merry Monarch was just as merry and selfish as ever. When the plague broke out, he and his court fled from London, but only to continue their gambling and drinking and shameless living. 167 XXXIX THE GREAT FIRE EARLY one Sunday morning, in the year following that of the Great Plague, the people near London Bridge were suddenly roused from their sleep by a sharp cry in the street : " Fire! Fire! Fire!" They hurried out of their beds, and found a baker's shop in flames. There was a strong east wind, and the fire spread rapidly. It went from house to house, and leaped across the streets in sheets of living flame, like some wild beast bent on eating up all before it. For three long days and nights the fire raged. The clouds of smoke, hot ashes, and flying sparks were carried far into the coun- 168 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK try. By night the sky was lighted for miles. The streets were filled with thousands of homeless people, men, women, and children, running about crying, and wringing their hands in despair. At last, for the purpose of stopping the fire, they began to blow up the houses with gunpowder and make wide gaps in the streets. Thus the fire was finally checked. In this great fire were destroyed eighty- nine churches and more than thirteen thou- sand houses. Nearly two hundred thousand people lost all they had. What little could be saved from the fire was taken to places of safety by the boats on the Thames, or carried out of the city. The fields round London were covered with rude huts and tents for the homeless people. But bad as this fire was, a great deal of good came out of it. It swept away the nar- row lanes and dirty streets where the plague had been. And it filled up the wells of im- pure water. 169 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK In rebuilding the city the streets were made wider and the houses better. By means of a canal good water was brought from fine springs in the country. And so with better streets, better houses, better air, and better water, there was less chance for either plague or fire ever to do again the harm it did in the reign of Charles the Second. The churches and much of the city were rebuilt after the plans of the great builder of the time, Sir Christopher Wren. Saint Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt by him, is one of the largest and most beautiful churches in the world. In the memory of the Great Fire a monu- ment designed by the same Sir Christopher was erected near London Bridge, close to where the fire began. The monument is still there. It is a stone column about two hundred feet high, with stone steps leading to the top. From the top you can see a large part of London. 170 XL BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE " NOW when the Merry Monarch came to his end, his brother James was crowned as James the Second. He was not a good king, and after a few years had to flee from England. He spent the rest of his life in France. About fifty years later, after several other rulers had occupied the throne, the Stuart family tried to get the crown back. Prince Charles Edward, the grandson of James the Second, thought the crown be- longed to him and to his father before him. The Scots were fond of Bonnie Prince Charlie, as they called him, and many of them took his side. 171 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK The young prince collected an army of Scotch Highlanders. He won a battle or two, but was finally beaten. Many brave Highlanders lost their lives, and Charles sought safety in flight. Day and night he was pursued like a wild beast, hunted from spot to spot among the hills and glens and lakes of Scotland. At one time he would snatch a few hours' sleep on a heap of straw in a cow house. Often he had to sleep in the open air, with only the bare ground for a bed. Once he lived in a lonely cave, the retreat of a band of men who stole sheep and cattle. As for food, he ate what he could get. It was generally plain and coarse. He often had to eat it out of the kettle in which it was cooked. The English offered a large sum of money for him. But poor as the people were, they would not give him up. Every day, however, it became harder and harder to conceal him. At last, when hope was almost at an end, 172 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK a brave and gentle lady named Flora Mac- donald came to his help. She had him dress as a maidservant, and gave him the name of Betty Burke. Sometimes they ran great risk of being caught. Often through night and storm they had to row from the Isle of Skye, where Flora Macdonald lived, to some other island. The prince's height made people stare at him and say, " See what long steps that woman takes." At one house where they sought shelter a little girl ran to her mother and cried, " Father has brought home the most odd- looking woman I ever saw." The friends of the poor prince often laughed at the mistakes he made when dressed as Betty Burke. Once when crossing a stream he lifted the skirts of his dress. The next time he forgot to do so, and his dress floated in the water. After many weary days and weeks in the Highlands of Scotland, Charles was picked 173 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK up by a French ship and carried out of danger. He never saw Scotland again, or the lady who had saved him. This was the last time the Stuarts ever tried to get back their lost throne. Many a song is sung, and many a story is told, of Bonnie Prince Charlie. " Over the water, and over the sea, And over the water to Charlie; Come weal, come woe, we'll gather and go, And live or die with Charlie." 174 XLI England's greatest naval hero ENGLAND has had many great sailors to fight her battles on the ocean, but the greatest of them all was the famous Lord Nelson. He was born in 1758, at the close of the reign of George the Second. He died in 1805, in the time of George the Third. When he was little, he was frail and sickly. But even in those early years he showed a spirit of unusual courage. One day he ran away from home. His father and mother looked everywhere for him. They found him at last sitting on the bank of a river. " I wonder," said his father, " that fear 175 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK did not send you back long ago, before you got so far." " What is fear? " asked the little fellow. " I have never seen it." Later on he was sent with his brother to a day school, some distance from home. One morning after a heavy fall of snow the boys started to school, but finally turned back. They were met at the door by their father. " Are you sure that the snow is too deep? " he asked. " Set out once more; and I trust to your honor to go to school if you can." The boys tried again. The snow was in- deed deep, and the older boy wanted to go home. " No, brother. We must go on, for it was left to our honor." On another occasion, when in the navy, Nelson went with his uncle far up into the North Sea. One morning he stole away from the ship, and was found on the ice with a white bear. He had not been able to shoot 176 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK the bear, for his gun was broken; but he tired him out and clubbed him to death. When he was taken before the captain and asked why he quit the ship without leave, his only excuse was, " I wished, sir, to get a bearskin for my father." Nelson had entered the navy at the age of thirteen. He was rapidly promoted. Before he was quite twenty-one, he was made captain. His sailors loved him. They would obey his least word, and were proud to fight under him. " My men are no more afraid of cannon balls than they are of peas," he used to say. In one battle this brave man lost an eye. In another he lost an arm. But although he had but one eye and one arm, he was always the first to go into the fight and the last to come out. Of all his great victories the greatest was that which he won against the united French and Spanish fleets off the coast of Spain, near Cape Trafalgar. 177 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Nelson was in command of the English fleet. After making careful preparations, he gave orders to begin the fight. From the mast of his flagship, the Victory, floated his last signal: " England expects that every man will do his duty." The signal was greeted with cheers. The battle began. Nelson's ship was received by the enemy with a furious storm of shot and shell; for his ship was well known, and everybody wanted to sink her. Nelson did not fire a single gun till he came alongside of the French admiral's ship. Then he poured a broadside into the enemy which raked her from stem to stern. He now attacked another large French ship. During the sharp fighting a number of the enemy climbed into the rigging and fired down on the English. There stood Nelson on the deck, calmly giving his orders. He was easily known by his dress. Before the battle he had the feel- 178 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK ing that it was to be his last fight. His officers urged him to wear a plainer coat, without his stars and medals. " No," he answered calmly; " in honor I have won them, and in honor I will die with them." A bullet struck him. " They have done for me at last," he said to the officer who knelt beside him. " I hope not." He was tenderly carried below. After a while Captain Hardy went to take him the news of the battle. " Well, Hardy, how goes the day with us? " " Very well. Ten of the enemy have struck their colors." At the end of another hour Hardy came to report that fifteen ships had been taken "That is well." Then taking Hardy's hand, Nelson said in a low voice, " Don't throw me overboard. I am satisfied. God bless you, Hardy. Thank God, I have done my duty." 179 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK These were his last words. The Battle of Trafalgar was won. England was safe. But the victory was dearly bought. It cost England the life of him who was not only her greatest admiral, but also one of the noblest and most generous of men. 180 XLII JAMES WATT AND THE STEAM ENGINE JAMES WATT was born in Scotland, in 1736, when George the Second was king. He died in 1819, in his eighty-fourth year. In his boyhood Watt was not strong. He could not go to school regularly, and in many things had to be his own teacher. His favorite study was mathematics, and he also took great interest in machines. " Jamie, lad," his mother said to him one day, " watch the kettle and see that it does not boil over." By and by the kettle began to sing. "What makes the kettle sing?" he asked himself. He kept thinking about it till his mother came back. 181 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Mother, there is a giant in that kettle." " Oh, you silly boy, how could there be a giant in that little kettle? There is nothing in it but boiling water." " Ah, but there is something else in it. There is a giant in it. Listen, and you will hear him rattling the lid and making the kettle sing. My giant likes to be kept shut in. He is always strongest then. If that lid were twenty times as heavy, he would lift it and make it dance just the same." " And what may be the name of your fine giant, Jamie? " and his mother smiled at him. " I will very soon tell you that. His name is Steam. He is stronger than a hundred horses." Little Jamie Watt was quite right. At the age of eighteen he was sent to London to become a maker of mathematical instruments. He used every minute of his time. He still had poor health, and in about a year he had to stop work. 182 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK A little later he went to Glasgow to begin again. Here he received an appointment to the university, and was given a place in which to work. With books all about him, and meeting learned men daily, he did not waste his spare time. While at the University of Glasgow he began to experiment with steam. After a while he gave all his time to these experi- ments. At last he made a real steam en- gine. His giant Steam did the work, and was stronger, as he had said, than a hun- dred horses. In making the steam engine James Watt did the world a service that was beyond measure. He was highly honored both at home and abroad, and was made a member of several learned societies. In many of the larger towns of Scotland and England the streets are adorned with his statue. Watt deserves all the honor paid him both then and now. He deserves it not merely for what he did, he deserves it for what he was. 183 XLIII GEORGE STEPHENSON AND THE LOCOMOTIVE GEORGE STEPHENSON was born in 1781, in the reign of George the Third. His parents were extremely poor. His early life was a struggle between poverty and his honest effort to make the most of himself. On one occasion he almost gave way to despair, and thought of leaving England. " I wept bitterly," he says, " f or I knew not where my lot in life might be cast." Stephenson began work as a boy by herd- ing cows at four cents a day. Then he was advanced to hoeing turnips at eight cents a day. Then he became fireman at a coal mine. 184 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK It was to him a time for rejoicing when at the age of fifteen he began to earn three dol- lars a week. While he was fireman, he applied himself to the study of Watt's steam engine. He took it to pieces, and learned all its parts. He became so skillful in repairing engines that he was called the engine doctor. In the meantime he was attending a night school and paying eight cents a week for lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic. He did his studying by the firelight of his engine. At this time people traveled by stagecoach. Some of the trips were long, and were not very safe. The roads were so bad that the coach sometimes broke down or upset. And there were many thieves about. " Why may not an engine be made to run on wheels? " thought young Stephenson; and this thought was ever in his mind. He tried and tried. At last he succeeded in building a locomotive. It was a clumsy affair, and could travel only six miles an hour. 185 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK People laughed at it, and called it Puffing Billy. This engine was used on a railroad between Stockton and Darlington. Some years later a railroad was proposed be- tween Liverpool and Manchester. Stephenson was chosen to take charge of the work. He said he would make a locomotive that would run, not six, but twenty miles an hour. " You must change your plans," declared one of the directors, " and bring your engine within a reasonable speed, or you will ruin the whole thing and be regarded as a maniac, fit only for Bedlam." A writer in the London Quarterly Review made fun of the absurd idea of traveling twice as fast as a stagecoach. " We should as soon expect the people to trust themselves to be fired off upon one of Congreve's rockets," he wrote, " as trust themselves to the mercy of such a machine going at such a rate." " Suppose, now," said a member of the committee who questioned Stephenson, " one 186 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK of the engines to be going along a railroad at the rate of nine or ten miles an hour, and that a cow were to stray upon the line and get in the way of the engine: would not that, think you, be a very awkward circumstance? " " Yes," replied Stephenson, with a twinkle in his eye, " very awkward — for the coo! " The new locomotive, the Rocket, was at last completed. To the amazement of every- body but Stephenson himself, it ran at the undreamed-of rate of thirty-five miles an hour. " Now," said one of the directors of the railroad, " George Stephenson has at last delivered himself." Hundreds of millions of dollars were soon invested in railroads all over the country. The building of the roads was intrusted to Stephenson. His offices in London were crowded with people who offered him large sums of money for the use of his name; but he was too honest to make money without working for it. 187 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Through all these busy years George Stephenson kept the heart of a boy. In the spring he would snatch a day now and then for his garden or to hunt birds' nests; and in one of his letters to his son he writes a touch- ing account of a pair of robins. In the autumn he would find time to go nutting. The last years of his life were spent in the quiet of his country home. With his heart as youthful as ever he now indulged his love for nature. He died in the summer of 1848. 188 XLIV THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE MY last story to you is going to be about the good Queen Victoria. But I wish first to tell you of an event in her reign which ranks as one of the most heroic in all history. It occurred in southern Russia, in the Crimean War. This was the war in which the English and the French united their forces to prevent Russia from seizing certain lands that belonged to Turkey. The Crimean War lasted from 1853 to 1856. My story has to do with one of the great battles fought in 1854. Through a mistake made in directing the troops, a brigade of English cavalry was ordered to charge the Russian artillery. To 189 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK do this, they had to ride a mile and a half across an open plain swept by the enemy's cannon. It was like riding into the jaws of death. The officer commanding the cavalry feared a mistake had been made. But he felt it his duty to obey. He ordered his men to advance. The Russian artillery opened a galling fire. Right and left the shots fell thick and fast, smoke filled the air, and the noise was like thunder. But without flinching, the gallant six hun- dred dashed through it all. They killed the gunners, broke the Russian line, and then turned and rode back. Two thirds of their number were left dead on the field. Tennyson, in his poem called " The Charge of the Light Brigade," has given us a thrilling description of the scene. Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. 190 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK " Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns! " he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. " Forward, the Light Brigade! " Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier knew Some one had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley 'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred. Flash'd all their sabres bare, Flash'd as they turn'd in air Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world wonder'd: 191 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro' the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reel'd from the sabre-stroke Shatter'd and sunder'd. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came thro' the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wonder'd. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble Six Hundred! 192 XLV QUEEN VICTORIA PRINCESS VICTORIA was born May 24, 1819. Kensington Palace, where she was born and brought up, was at that time in the midst of green fields, outside of London. The year of her birth was the same year that Watt died, and about the time that Stephenson was improving his locomotive. The little princess had a happy youth. In one of the rooms of Kensington Palace may still be seen her dolls' house, with table and chairs and tea service all ready for company. Victoria had a white donkey that she was fond of, and a pony carriage. She often went to the seaside, where she dug in the sand, 193 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK gathered shells, and played like other chil- dren. During her youth she was taught to take proper exercise; to be temperate, fearless, and truthful; to practice economy, and yet be a generous giver. She became skillful in music and drawing. She also learned several foreign languages. In work and in play she was trained to finish one thing before beginning another. One day she was raking hay, and threw her rake down before she was done. " No, no, princess, finish it; " and she did as she was told. Another time she stopped at a shop to buy some presents. After spending all her money she saw a box that she wanted. The shopkeeper was willing to let her take it, but she was not permitted to do so until she brought the money to pay for it. On the morning of June 20, 1837, she was awakened at five o'clock, and told that two lords were waiting to see her. She did not 194 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK stop to dress. She appeared before them with her hair falling over her shoulders, and her feet in slippers. The lords informed her that her uncle, William the Fourth, was dead, and that she was queen of England. " I ask your prayers," she said, with tears in her eyes, " that I may be fit to fill this great place." In 1840, in her twenty-first year, she mar- ried her cousin, Prince Albert, of Germany. The marriage was an unusually happy one. Queen Victoria always found time to visit the poor in their cottages, and the sick and wounded in the hospitals. Her visits were eagerly expected, for her gifts and her words brought comfort and sunshine. A clergyman once went to visit a sick man. He heard somebody reading, and paused at the door. On looking in he saw a lady sitting by the bedside. It was the queen. " Oh, if I could only see the queen! " 195 THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK cried a little girl in one of the hospitals; " I am sure I should soon be quite well." The queen heard of it, and went to her. " My dear," she said kindly, " I hope you will soon be well now." The child looked up at her, and a bright smile came into her little face. In the same room was a boy with a broken arm. The queen listened to his story, and sent his poor mother a gift of money. Part of the money was spent for a Bible. The boy called it the Queen's Bible. Now Victoria reigned nearly sixty-four years, a longer period than that of any English ruler before her. A great many things, both good and bad, happened in this long time. In general, it was a period of progress in England and in the world at large, with great blessings for humanity. The beloved queen died January 22, 1901, amid the tears of her people. She was a good queen and a noble woman, and her loss was mourned by the world. THE END. Pronunciation of Proper Names Angles, ang'gls. Armada, ar-ma'da. Ascham, as'kam. Athelstan, ath'el-stan. Austria, os'tri-a. B Bannockburn, ban'uk-burn. Bertrand, ber-tron' {on as French). Blondel, blon-del'. Boadicea, bo-a-di-ce'a. Bohemia, bo-he' mi-a. Bosworth, boz'wurth. Bothwell, both'wel (th as the). Briton, brit'un. c Calais, ka-lay'. Canterbury, kan' ter-ber-y . Canute, ka-nute' . Caradoc, kar'a-dok. Cathedral, ka-the'dral. Christopher Wren, kris'to ren. Congreve, kong'greve. Crecy, kray-se'. Crimean, kri-me'an. D Dane, dane. Danish, dane'ish. Darlington, dar'ling-tun. Denmark, den' mark. Douglas, dug'las. E Edinburgh, ed'en-bur-o. Edmund, ed'mund. Eleanor, cl'a-nor. Ely, e'ly. England, ing' gland. Ethelred, eth' el-red. G Geoffrey, jefry. Glasgow, glas'go. Gloucester, glos'ter. Godwin, god' win. Greenwich, grin'ij. Guy Fawkes, gi fox {g get). H -fer Harold, har'uld. Hastings, haste'ings. Hengist, heng'gist. 197 PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES Hexam, hek'sam. Horsa, hor'sa. Hubert, hu'bert. I Isle of Skye, He of sky. Isle of Thanet, He of than'et. Italy, it'a-ly. J Jerusalem, je-roo'sa-lem. Julius Caesar, jool'yus se'zer. K Kensington, ken' zing-tun. Lancaster, lang'kas-ter. Liverpool, liv'er-pool. Loch Leven, lok le'ven. M Macdonald, mak-don' aid. Magna Charta, mag'na kar'ta. Manchester, man'ches-ter. Matilda, ma*til'da. N Normandy, nor'man-dy. Parliament, par'li-ment. Peterborough, pe'ler-bur-o. Philippa, fi-lip'a. Plymouth, plim'uth. Pudding, pood'ing (oo as in foot). R Raleigh, rol'y. Rhine, vine. Roanoke, ro'a-nok. Rowena, ro-e'na. Russia, rush'a. S Saxon, sax'un. Sepulcher, sep'id-ker. Shakespeare, shake' 'speare. Sherwood, shur'wood. Somerset, sum'er-set. Stephen, ste'ven. Stephenson, ste'ven-sun. Sweyn, swane. T Tennyson, ten'i-sun. Thames, temz. Trafalgar, traf-al-gar' . Tyne, tine. V Venice, ven'is. Victoria, vik-io'ri-a. Vortigern, vor'ti-gern. W Westminster, west'min-ster. Windsor, win'zer. 198 11 1912 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS # 020 718 979