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IU.mitATHi litTH X'MLRmPA ENORA VI NMS.
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BY WM. C. TAYLOR, LL.D.,
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■
This is a reproduction of a book from the McGill
University Library collection.
Title: Pinnock’s improved edition of Dr. Goldsmith’s
History of England : from the invasion of Julius
Caesar to the death of George II, with a
continuation to the year 1858. With questions
for examination at the end of each section, besides
a variety of valuable information added throughout
the work, consisting of tables of contemporary
sovereigns and of eminent persons, copious
explanatory notes, remarks on the politics,
manners, and literature of the age, an outline of
the Constitution, &c., &c. Illustrated with numerous
engravings
Author: Goldsmith, Oliver, 17307-1774
Edition: 3rd Canadian ed.
Publisher, year: Montreal : J. Lovell, 1866
The pages were digitized as they were. The original
book may have contained pages with poor print. Marks,
notations, and other marginalia present in the original
volume may also appear. For wider or heavier books, a
slight curvature to the text on the inside of pages may be
noticeable.
ISBN of reproduction: 978-1-926846-97-2
This reproduction is intended for personal use only, and
may not be reproduced, re-published, or re-distributed
commercially. For further information on permission
regarding the use of this reproduction contact McGill
University Library.
McGill University Library
www.mcgill.ca/library
LOVELIES SERIES OF SCHOOL-BOOKS
PINNOCK’8
IMPROVED EDITION OP
DR. GOLDSMITH’S
HISTORY OF ENGLAND,
FROM THE INVASION OP
JULIUS CiESAR TO THE DEATH OF GEORGE II.
WITH A CONTINUATION TO THE YEAR 1858,
WITH
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION
AT THE END OF EACH SECTION,
BESIDES A VARIETY OF VALUABLE INFORMATION ADDED THROUGHOUT
THE WORK :
Consisting of Tables of Contemporary Sovereigns and of Eminent Persons;
Copious Explanatory Notes; Remarks on the Politics, Manners, and
literature of the Age; an Outline of the Constitution, &c., &c.
ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS.
BY WM. C. TAYLOR, LL.D.,
OF TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN,
AUTHOR OF MANUAL OF ANCIENT AND MODERN HISTORY, ETC,, ETC.
Third Canadian Edition.
Pontnal :
JOHN LOVELL, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER,
AND FOR SALE AT THE BOOKSTORES.
1866 ,
PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.
Next to our own national history, it is incumbent
on American youth to make themselves acquainted
with that of the country from which we derive our
political existence, and the most valuable of our cus-
toms and institutions. The history of England will
never cease to be interesting to us. It will never be
other than a valuable and important branch of instruc-
tion in our schools.
Among all the histories of that country which have
been written, none has been so long and so deservedly
popular as that of Dr. Goldsmith. Whether this be owing
to its attractive and perfectly intelligible style, or to the
vivid impression which his simple and clear narrative
of the facts never fails to leave, it is not now important
to enquire. The fact of its established classical charac-
ter, is sufficient to justify the publisher in selecting the
most approved edition of this work, to be revised and
adapted to the use of schools in our own country.
The mass of illustrative matter, consisting of notes,
tables, engravings, &e., which the reader will find in
the present edition, may be regarded as adding greatly
to its value ; and the complete and careful series of ques-
tions appended to each section will claim the especial
notice of teachers.
CONTENTS.
CHAP.
PAGE
I.— The Ancient Britons* , . *
II.— The Saxons
III.— The Invasion op the Danes
.—William the Conqueror
V.— William Rufus
VI. — Hekey I
VII. — Stephen
VIII. — Henry II
IX. — Richard I
X. — John
XI.— Henry III
XII.— Edward I
XIII. — Edward II
XIV. — Edward III.
XV.— Richard II
XVI. — Henry IV
XVII.— Henry V
XVIII.— Henry VI
XIX.— Edward IV
XX.— Edward V
XXI. — Richard III
XXII. — Henry VII
XXIII.— Henry VIII
XXIV.— Ed ward VI
XXV.— Mary
XXVI.— Elizabeth
XXVII.— James I
XXVIII.— Charles I
XXIX.— Oliver Cromwell
XXX.— Charles II
XXXI. — James II
XXXII.— William III
XXXIII. — Anne
XXXIV. — George I "
XXX V.— George II .7 ...... .7 ... .
XXXVI.— George III
XXXVII.— George IV.‘
XXX VIII.— William IV
XXXIX.— Victoria ’.
XL.— Sketch op the Progress op Literature,’ Science,
and the Arts, during the Present Century
XLI.— The British Constitution
Appendix
7
15
21
41
45
49
53
67
63
73
79
85
94
99
109
116
120
124
134
135
138
141
149
168
173
180
200
210
235
251
269
271
288
308
317
364
423
437
458
491
601
609
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
Brief Sketch of the Saxon Idols from, which the Bays of the
Week received their names.
The idols which our Saxon ancestors worshipped were various; but
those which are delineated in the Frontispiece, and from which the days
of the week derive their names, were the principal objects of their
adoration.
The Idol of the SUN.
This idol, which represented the glorious luminary of the day, was the
Chief object of their adoration. It is described like the bust of a man,
•et upon a pillar ; holding, with outstretched arms, a burning wheel be-
fore his breast. The first day of the week was especially dedicated to its
adoration, which they termed the Sun’s daeg; hence is derived the word
Buhday.
The Idol of the MOON.
The next was the Idol of the Moon, which they worshipped on the
second day of the week, called by them Mom’s daeg ; and since by us,
Monday,
The form of this Idol is intended to represent a woman, habited in a
short coat and a hood, with two long ears. The moon which she holds
in her hand designates the quality.
The Idol of TUISCO.
Tuisco was at first deified as the father and ruler of the Teutonic
race, but in course of time he was worshipped as the son of the earth.
From him came the Saxon words Tuisco’sdaeg, which we call Tuesday.
He is represented standing on a pedestal, as an old venerable sage,
clothed with the skin of an animal, and holding a sceptre in the right
baud.
The Idol WODEN, or ODIN.
Woden, or ODira ¥/as the supreme divinity of the Northern nations.
This hero is suppowfl to have emigrated from the East, but from what
country, or at what time, is not known. His exploits form the greatest
part of the mythological creed of the N orthern nations, and his achiev-
ments are magnified beyond all credibility. The name ot the fourth
day of the week, called by the Saxons Woden’s daeg, and by us Wee*
nesday, is derived from this personage.
Woden is represented in a bold and martial attitude, clad in armour,
with a broad sword uplifted in his right hand.
The Idol THOR.
Thor, the eldest and bravest of the sons of Woden and Friga, was,
after bis parents, considered as the greatest god among the Saxons and
Y1
OF THE IDOLATRY OF THE SAXONS, ETO,
Danes. To him the fifth day of the week, called by them 'Ihor’ a daeg,
and by us Thursday, was consecrated.
Thor is represented as sitting on a throne, with a crown of gold on his
head, adorned with a circle in front, wherein were set twelve bright-
burnished gold stars, and with a regal sceptre in his right hand.
The Idol FRIG A, or FREA.
Frtga, or Frea, was the wife of Woden or Odin; and, next to him,
the most revered divinity among the heathen Saxons, Danes, and other
Northern nations. In the most ancient times, Friga, or Frea, was the
tame with the goddess Hertha or Earth. To her the sixth day of the
week was consecrated, which by the Saxons was written Friya’s daeg,
corresponding with our Friday.
Friga is represented with a drawn sword in her right hand, and a bow
in her left.
The Idol SEATER.
The Idol Seater is represented on a pedestal, whereon is plaoed a
perch, on the sharp-prickled back of which he stood. His head was
uncovered and his visage lean. In his left hand he held up a wheel, and
in his right was a pail of water, wherein were flowers and fruits; and
his dress consisted of a long coat, girded with linen.
The appellation given to the day of his celebration is still retained.
The Saxons named it Seater’ s daeg, which we call Saturday.
It will be seen in our explanation of the Mythological plate, that the
names of the days of the week owe their origin to the names given by the
Saxons to their chief idols. We shall here observe, thatthe nameswhich
they gave to the months were singularly descriptive of the seasons, and,
therefore, we subjoin them: remarking, by the way, that the names of
the months adopted by the French during the Revolution, though more
elegant, were not more appropriate than those of the Saxons, whose
ideas they appear to have borrowed. — Their first month was styled
Midwinter Monath December.
Aefter Tula (or after Christmas) Jahuary.
Sol Monath (From the returning sun) February.
Rethe Monath. . . .(Rugged Month) March.
Easter Monath. . . [ ( Fr0 “ a Saxon goddess, whose name 1
( we still preserve) j aprh..
Trimilchi (From cows being milked thrice a day).. .May.
Sere Monath (Dry Month) Jure.
Mad Monath (The meads being then in bloom) .'. .July.
Weod Monath . . . .(From the luxuriance of weeds) August.
Ecefast Monath . .(Harvest Month) September
Winter Fyllish... { l Fr , om winter approaching with the)
v ( full moon of that month). .7 \ October.
Blot Monath ( (From the blood of cattle slain that 1
( month and stored for winter provision) ) November.
THE
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
CHAPTER L
THE ANCIENT BRITONS.
OF BRITAIN,* * * § PROM THE INVASION OF JULIUS Ch£SAR,f B, C. 54*
TO -THE ABDICATION OF THE ROMANS. J
SECTION I.
Theirs was the science of a martial race.
To shape the lance or decorate the shield ;
E’en the fair virgin stain’d her native grace
To give new horrors to the tented field.
1. Britain was but very little known to the rest of the
world before the time of the Romans. The coasts oppo-
site Gaul§ were frequented by merchants, who .traded
thither for such commodities as the natives were able to
produce, and who, it is thought, after a time, possessed
themselves of all the maritime places where they had at
first been permitted to reside. 2. Finding the country
fertile, and commodiously situated for trade, they settled
upon the seaside, and introduced the practice of agricul-
ture ; but it was very different with the inland inhabitants
of the country, who considered themselves as the lawful
possessors of the soil, and avoided all correspondence with
the new-comers, whom they viewed as intrdders upon their
property, || and therefore harassed by repeated wars.
* Britain, the name given to England, Scotland, and Wales, united.
t J ulius Csesar was a most eloquent writer and successful warrior ; he
assumed the title of emperor, which roused the jealousy of many of the
principal Roman citizens, by whom he was assassinated in the senate-
house, in the 56th year of his age.
t The ancient inhabitants of Rome in Italy.
§ Gaul was the ancient name of France.
II Geoffrey of Monmouth, an ancient English historian, says, that the
British isles were first peopled 1100 years before Christ, and asserts that
Brutus, the great grandson of jEneas, colonized them with the descend-
ants of those Trojans, who, after the destruction of Troy, settled in
Greece or Italy. This account is, however, unsupported by any genuine
historical documents, and is, therefore, now treated as purely fabulous,
though in les3 enlightened ages a story so romantic easily passed current.
8
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
3. The inland inhabitants are represented as extremelj
numerous, living in cottages thatched with straw, and
feeding large herds of cattle. They lived mostly upon
milk, or flesh produced by the chase.* What clothes they
wore to cover any part of their bodies, were usually the
skins of beasts; but the arms, legs, and thighs were left
naked, and were usually painted blue. 4. Their hair,
which was long, flowed down upon their backs and shoul-
ders; while their beards were kept close shaven, except
upon the upper lip, where they were suffered to grow. The
dress of savage nations is everywhere pretty much the
same, being calculated rather to inspire terror than to excite
Love or respect.
5. As to the government, it consisted of several small
principalities, each under its respective leader ; and this
seems to be the earliest mode of dominion with which man-
kind are acquainted, and is deduced from the natural privi-
leges of paternal authority. Upon great and imminent
dangers, a commander-in-chief was chosen by common
consent, in a general assembly; and to him was committed
the conduct of the general interest, the power of making
peace or leading to war, and the administration of justice.
6. Their forces consisted chiefly of foot, and yet they
could bring a considerable number of- horse into the field
upon great occasions. They likewise used chariots -in
battle, which, with short scythes fastened to the ends of
the axletrees, inflicted terrible wounds, spreading horror
and devastation wheresoever they drove.f 7. Nor while the
chariots were thus destroying, were the warriors who con-
ducted them unemployed: they darted their javelins against
the enemy, ran along the beam, leaped upon the ground, re-
sumed their seat, stopped or turned their horses at full speed,
and sometimes cunningly retreated to draw the enemy into
confusion.
8. The religion of the Britons was one of the most con-
siderable parts of their government; and the Druids, J
* The ancient Britons were so habitually regular and temperate, that
they only began to grow old at a hundred and twenty years. — Pltjtabch,
De Placitis Philosopher.
t Caesar gives a most animated description -of the dexterity of the Bri-
tons in managing their war-chariots, which he ascribes to constant use
and incessant exercise ; thereby intimating that the Britons were con-
tinually engaged in intestine wars. — Cresar’s Corn., lib. iv.
t The Druids were divided into three different classes ; the Bards, who
were the heroic historians and genealogical poets ; theVates who were the
sacred musicians the religious poets and the pretended prophets ;the third
THE ANCIENT BRITONS,
9
who were the guardians of it, possessed great authority
among them. No species of superstition was ever more
terrible than theirs: besides the severe penalties which
they were permitted to inflict in this world, they inculcated
the eternal transmigration of souls, and thus extended their
authority as far as the fears of their votaries.* 9. They
class, which was by far the most numerous, and who performed al 1 the oth-
er offices of religion, were called by the general name of Druids, which ap-
pellation was commonly given to the whole fraternity. Theirsupreme chief
was 6tyled the Arch-druia. To the priesthood were also attached a number
of females called Druidesses, who were likewise divided into three classes.
Those of the first vowed perpetual virginity, and lived together sequester-
ed from the rest of the world : these were great pretenders to divination,
prophecy, and miracles, and were highly venerated by the people. The
second class consisted of certain devotees, who, though married, spent
the greater part of their time with the Druids in assisting in the offices of
religion, occasionally returning to their husbands. The third and lowest
class waited on the Druids, and performed the most servile offices about
the temples, &c. The priesthood, in the most ancient times, was heie-
ditary in all countries, and was particularly so in the Celtic nations;
where the order of Druids did not only descend to their posterity, but
the office of priest was likewise hereditary in families.
* Among a people so credulous as the ancient Britons, it is no wonder
that those who possessed such high authority among them as the Druid's,
practiced the greatest impositions : accordingly we read, that the Druids
were in the habit of borrowing large sums of the people, which they
promised to repay in the other world. — Druid® pecuniam mutqo acci-
piebant in posteriore vita reddituri. — Farticius.
10
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
sacrificed human victims, which they burnt in large wicker-
idois, made so capacious as to contain a multitude of per-
sons at once, who were thus consumed together. To these
rites, tending to impress ignorance with awe, they added
the austerity of their manners and the simplicity of their
lives. They lived in woods, caves, and in hollow trees ; their
food was acorns and berries, and their drink water. These
acts caused the people, not only to respect, but almost to adore
them. The most remarkable Druidical monumen tin England
i3 the circle of stones on Salisbury plains, called Stonehenge.
It appears to have been a great' national temple.
10. It may be easily supposed that the manners of the
people took a tincture from the discipline of their teachers.
Their lives were simple, but they were marked with cruelty
and fierceness ; their courage was great, but neither dignified
by mercy nor perseverance.
Caesar invading Britain.
11. The Britons had long remained in this rude but in-
dependent state, when Caesar, having overrun Gaul with
his victories, and willing, still further to extend his fame,
determined upon the conquest of a country that seemed to
promise an easy triumph ; accordingly , when the ' troops
designed for the expedition were embarked, he set sail for
Britain about midnight, and the next morning arrived on the
coast near Dover, where he saw the rocks and cliffs covered
with armed men to oppose his landing.
THE ANCIENT BRITONS. 11
12. The Britons had chosen Cassivelau'nus* * * § for their com-
mander-in-chief ; but the petty princes under his command,
either desiring his station, or suspecting his fidelity, threw off
their allegiance. 13. Some of them fled with their forces
into the internal parts of the kingdom, others submitted
to Caesar, till at length Cassivelau'nus himself, weakened by
go many desertions, resolved upon making what terms
he was able while he yet had power to keep the field.
14. The conditions offered by Caesar, and accepted by
him, were, that he should send to the continent double the
number of hostages first demanded, and that he should
acknowledge subjection to the Romans. Caesar, however,
was obliged to return once more to compel the Britons to
complete their stipulated treaties.
Questions for Examination.
1. Was Britain well Known before the time of its invasion by the Romans ?
By whom were, at that time, the coasts opposite Gaul frequented ?
2. Who introduced the practice of agriculture?
3, 4. Describe the inland inhabitants.
6. Of what did the Government of the ancient Britons consist?
6, 7. What was their chief force ?
8. Who were the ministers of their religion?
9. Did they ever sacrifice human victims?
10. What were the manners of the people?
11. Who first determined on the conquest of Britain ?
12, 13. Whom did the Britons choose for their leader?
14. What conditions were offered by Caesar, and accepted by Cassivelaimus ?
SECTION II.
Great Boadicea
Thy very fall perpetuates thy fame,
And Suetonius’ laurels droop with shame. — Dibdin.
1. Upon tbe accession of Augus'tus,f that emperor bad
formed a design of visiting Britain, but was diverted from it
by the unexpected revolt of the Panno'nians.t
Tiberius, § wisely judging tbe empire already too extensive,
made no attempt upon Britain. From that time the natives
began to improve in all the arts which contribute to the
advancement of human nature.
2. The wild extravagances of Calig'ula, || by which he
* Sometimes written Cassibelau'nus, or Cassibe'lan.
t Augustus was the son of Julius Caesar’s niece adopted by Caesar. He
was the second emperpr of Rome.
t The people of Hungary, which country was formerly called Pannonia,
§ The third emperor of Rome.
V A Roman emperor, the successor of Tiberius.
12
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
threatened Britain with an invasion, served rather to expose
him to ridicule than the island to danger. At length, the
Bomans, in the reign of Clau'dius,* began to think seri-
ously of reducing them under their dominion. The ex-
pedition for this purpose was conducted in the beginning
by Plau'tius and other commanders, with that success which
usually attended the Koman arms.
3. Carac'tacus was the first who seemed willing, by a
vigorous effort, to rescue his country, and repel its insulting
and rapacious conquerors. This rude soldier, though with
inferior forces, continued, for above nine years, to oppose
and harass the Bomans ; till at length he was totally routed
and taken prisoner by Osto'rius Scap'ula, who sent him in
triumph to Borne. 4. While Caractacus was being led
through Borne, he appeared no way dejected at the amazing
concourse of spectators that were gathered upon this occa-
sion ; but casting his eyes on the splendours that surrounded
him, u Alas!” cried he, “ how is it possible that a people
possessed of such magnificence at home, could envy me a
humble cottage in Britain 1” The emperor was affected
by the British hero’s misfortunes, and won by his address.
He ordered him to be unchained on the spot, and set at
liberty with the rest of the captives.
5. The cruel treatment of Boadi'cea, queen of the Ice'ni,
drove the Britons once more into open rebellion. Prasat'-
agus, king of the Ice'ni, at his death had bequeathed one
half his dominions to the Bomans, and the other to his
daughters, thus hoping, by the sacrifice of a part, to secure
the rest to his family. But it had a different effect; for the
Boman procurator immediately took possession of the
whole : and when Boadi'cea, the widow of the deceased,
attempted to remonstrate, he ordered her to be scourged
like a slave, and made slaves of her daughters. 6. These
outrages were sufficient to produce a revolt throughout the
island. The Ice'ni, as being the most deeply interested in
the quarrel, were the first to take arms ; all the other states
soon followed the example; and Boadi'cea, a woman of
great beauty and masculine spirit, was appointed to head
the common forces, which amounted to two hundred and
thirty thousand fighting men. 7. These, exasperated by
their wrongs, attacked several of the Boman settlements and
colonies with success: Suetoni'us, who commanded the
Boman forces, hastened to relieve London, which was al-
* The son of Drusus, and successor of Caligula.
THE ANCIENT BRITONS.
13
ready a flourishing colony; but found on bis arrival, that
it would be requisite for the general safety to abandon that
place to the merciless fury of the enemy. 8. London was
soon, therefore, reduced to ashes ; such of the inhabitants
as remained in it were massacred, and the Romans, with
all other strangers, to the number of seventy thousand,
were cruelly put to the sword. Flushed with these suc-
cesses, the Britons no longer sought to avoid the enemy,
but boldly came to the place where Suetoni'us awaited their
arrival, posted in a very advantageous manner with a body
of ten thousand men. 9. The battle was obstinate and
bloody. Boadi'cea herself appeared in a chariot with her
two daughters, and harangued her army with masculine
intrepidity ; but the irregular and undisciplined bravery of
her troops was unable to resist the cool intrepidity of the
Bomans. They were routed with great slaughter ; eighty
thousand perished in the field, and an infinite number were
made prisoners ; while Boadi'cea herself, fearing to fall
into the hands of the enraged victor, put an end to her life
by poison.
10. The general who firmly established the dominion of
the Romans in this island was Ju'lius Agric'ola,* * * § who go-
verned it during the reigns of Vespa'sian,t Ti'tus,t and
Domi'tian,§ and distinguished himself as well by his cour-
age as humanity.
For several years after the time of Agric'ola, a profound
peace seems to have prevailed in Britain, and little mention
is made of the affairs of the island by any historian.
11. At length, however, Rome, that had for ages given
laws to nations, and diffused slavery and oppression over
the known world, began to sink under her own magnifi-
cence. Mankind, as if by a general consent, rose up to
vindicate their natural freedom; almost every nation as-
serting that independence of which they had been so long
unjustly deprived.
12. During these struggles the British youth were fre-
quently drawn away into Gaul, to give ineffectual succour
* Julius Agricola was the father-in-law of Tacitus, the celebrated his-
torian.
t Vespasian was the tenth Roman emperor, he was valiant, but very
avaricious.
X Titus was the eleventh Roman emperor, the son of Vespasian ; he was
SO good a man that he was called “ the delight ol mankind.”
§ Domitian was the twelfth Roman emperor, and brother to Titus; he
was a great persecutor of the Christians, and of a most cruel disposition.
14
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
to tHe various contenders for tlie empire, who, failing in
every attempt, only left the name of tyrants behind them.*
In the mean time, as the Roman forces decreased in Britain,
the Piets and Scots! continued still more boldly to infest
the northern parts ; and crossing the friths, which the Ro-
mans could not guard, in little wicker-boats covered with
leather, filled the country, wherever they came, with slaugh-
ter and consternation;
13. The Romans therefore finding it impossible to stand
their ground in Britain, in the reign of the emperor Valen
tin'ian took their last leave of the island, after being masters
of it for nearly four hundred years, and now left the natives
to the choice of their own government and kings. They
gave them the best instructions the calamitous times would
permit, for exercising their arms, and repairing their ram-
parts $ and helped them to erect a new wall of stone across
the island, for they had not at that time artisans skiful
enough among themselves to repair that which had been
built by the emperor Sev'erus*. The ruins of this wall, and
the fortresses by which the Roman colonies were defended,
are among the most interesting relics of antiquity in England.
Questions for Examination.
1. What prevented Augustus from visiting Britain ?
Did Tiberius make an attempt upon Britain ?
U. What exposed Caligula to ridicule ?
3. Who was the first person that was willing to repel the invaders ?
How long did Caractacus harass the Romans?
4. What remarks did Caractacus make on witnessing the splendour of
Rome?
-6. What caused the Britons to rebel ?
Who commanded Boadicea to be ill-treated?
6. What were tho consequences?
7. Who commanded the Roman forces at that time?
8. What was the fate of London and its inhabitants?
9. Describe Boadicea’s conduct, and the result of this battle.
10. Atwhattimedidpeaceprevailin Great Britain?
11. What was tho situation of Rome at this time?
12. What were the nations that infested the northern parts?
13. When did the Romans take their leave of Britain? And howlov *
had they been masters of it? °
* According to the “ Notitia Imperii," no less than twelve British
corps of infantry and cavalry wero constantly dispersed in the distant
provinces of tho empire ; while foreign soldiers were, according to the
invariable policy of the Romans, stationed in Britain °
tThe names by which tho inhabitants of Scotland’ were at that, time
distinguished. “The licts (so called from Pictish, a plunderer and
not from Picti, painted), and the Scots, from Scuite, a wanderer in the
Celtic tongue, were only different tribes of Caledonians.' ’—Dr henry
THE SAXONS.
15
CHAPTER II.
THE SAXONS.
SECTION I.
Bnt hark ! what foreign drum on Thanet’s isle
Proclaims assistance ? 'Tis the Saxon band
By Hengistled and Horsa; see they smile.
And greet their hosts with false insiduous hand.— Dibdin*
1. (A. D. 447.) The Britons, being now left to them-
selves, considered their new liberties as their greatest cala-
mity. The Piets and Scots, uniting together, began to look
upon Britain as their own, and attacked the northern wall,
which the Romans had built to keep off their incursions,
with success. Having thus opened to themselves a passage,
they ravaged the whole country with impunity, while the
Britons sought precarious shelter in the woods and moun-
tains.*
2. It was in this deplorable and enfeebled state that the
Britons had recourse to the Saxons, a brave people; who
for their strength and valour, were formidable to all the
German nations around them, and supposed to be more
than a match for the gods themselves. They were a people
restless and bold, who considered war as their trade ; and
were, in consequence, taught to consider victory as a doubt-
ful advantage, but courage as a certain good. 3. A nation
however entirely addicted to war, has seldom wanted the
imputation of cruelty ; as those terrors which are opposed
without fear are often inflicted without regret. The Saxons
are represented as a very cruel nation: but we must re-
member that their enemies have drawn the picture.
4. It was no disagreeable circumstance to these ambitious
people to be invited into a country upon whieli they had for
ages been forming designs. In consequence, therefore, of the
solemn invitation of Yor'tigern, who was then king of Bri-
tain, they arrived with fifteen hundred men, under the com-
mand of Hen'gist and Hor'sa, who were brothers, and
* In this extremity, they made application for succour to JEtius, pre-
fect of Gaul, in the following remarkable words: — “The groans of the
wretched Britons, to the thrice-appointcd Consul iEtius, — Tlio barba-
rians drive us into the sea, and the sea forces us hack on the swords of the
barbarians, so that we have nothing left us but the wretched choice of
beiDg either drowned or murdered.” -ZEtius was, however, too closely
engaged in opposing Attila, the renowned king of the Huns (who, from
the havoc he made wherever his sword was drawn, was denominated
“ The scourge of God,”) to bestow any attention on the Britons.
16
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
landed on the Isle of Than’et.f 5 . There they did not
long remain inactive ; but being joined by the British forces,
they boldly marched against the Piets and Scots, who had
advanced as far as Lincolnshire, and soon gained a complete
victory over them. (A. D. 450.)
The Saxons, however, being sensible of the fertility of
the country to which they came, and the barrenness of that
which they had left behind, invited over great numbers of
their countrymen to become sharers in their new expedi-
tion. 6. Accordingly they received a fresh supply of five
thousand men, who passed over in seventeen vessels, and
soon made a permanent establishment in the island.
The British historians, in order to account for the easy
conquest of their country by the Saxons, assign their treach-
ery, not less than their valour, as a principal cause.
7. They allege, that Yor'tigern was artfully inveigled
into a passion for Rowe'na, the daughter of Hen'gist ; and,
in order to marry her, was induced to settle the fertile
province of Kent upon her father, whence the Saxons
could never after be removed.! It is alleged, also, that
upon the death ofVor'timer, which happened shortly after
the victory he gained at Eg'glesford, Yor'tigern, his fa-
ther, was reinstated upon the throne. 8. It is added that
this weak monarch, accepting of a festival from Hen'gist,
three hundred of his nobility were treacherously slaugh-
tered, and himself detained captive.
After the death of Hen'gist, several other German tribes,
allured by the success of their countrymen, went over in
great numbers. 9. A body of Saxons, under the conduct
of Ella and his three sons, had some time before laid the
foundation of the kingdom of the South Saxons, though
not without great opposition and bloodshed. This new
kingdom included Surrey, Sussex, and the New Forest:
and extended to the frontier of Kent.
10. Another tribe of the Saxons, under the command of
Cerdic, and his son Kenrick, landed in the west, and from
thence took the name of West Saxons. These met with
towns' 6 *' an * s ^ an< ^ ■^ en t- Margate and Ramsgate are its principal
t Our old English historians say, that when the beautiful Rowena was
him on her knee with a
‘Be of health, Lord
custom, answered,
however, that some able historians have declared? that no authentic
documents exist concerning these stones of Vortie-era and Rm^no
of the slaughter of the British nobles; an d that g they aro fnclined to
believe the whole a fiction, or at least very much exaggerated °
THE SAXONS.
17
a very vigorous opposition from the natives, but, being rein-
forced from Germany,* * * § and assisted by their countrymen on
the island, they routed the Britons, and although retarded in
their progress by the celebrated king Arthur, t they had
strength enough to keep possession of the conquest they had
already made. Cerdic, therefore, with his son Kenrick, es-
tablished the third Saxon kingdom in the island, namely, that
of the West Saxons, including the counties of Hants, Dorset,
Wilts, Berks, and the Isle of Wight.
11. It was in opposing this Saxon invader that the cele-
brated prince Arthur acquired his fame. However unsuc-
cessful all his valour might have been in the end, yet
his name made so great a figure in the fabulous annals of
the times, that some notice must be taken of him. 12. This
prince is of such obscure origin, that some authors suppose
him to be the son of King Ainbro'sius,t and others only his
nephew ; others again affirm that he was a Cornish prince,
and son of Gurlois, king of that province. However this may
be, it is certain he was a commander of great valour ; and,
could courage alone have repaired the miserable state of the
Britons, his might have been effectual. 13. According to
the most authentic historians, he worsted the Saxons in
twelve successive battles. In one of these, namely, that
fought at Caerbadon, in Berks, it is asserted that he killed
no less than four hundred and forty of the enemy with his
own hand. But the Saxons were too numerous and power-
ful to be extirpated by the desultory efforts of single
valour j so that a peace, and not a conquest, was the im-
mediate fruit of his victories. 14. The enemy, therefore,
still gained ground ; and this prince, in the decline of life,
had the mortification, from some domestic troubles of his
own, to be a patient spectator of their encroachments. His
first wife had been carried off by Menlas, king of Somerset-
shire, who detained her a whole year at Glastonbury, §
until Arthur, discovering the place of her retreat, advanced
with an army against the seducer, and obliged him to give
her back. 15. In his second wife, perhaps, he may have
been more fortunate, as we have no mention made of her ;
but it was otherwise with his third consort, who was car-
* A large country of Europe, comprising many kingdoms and states.
t A British prince, who established Christianity at Y ork, in the room of
paganism or worshipping of idols.
+ King of the Britons.
§ Glastonbury is a town in Somersetshire, noted for a famous abbey.
B
18
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
ried off by his own nephew, Mordred. This produced a
rebellion, in which the king and his traitorous kinsman,
meeting in battle, slew each other.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who ravaged England with impunity? ....... ,
2. To whom did the Britons have recourse for assistance in their distress 7
3. What character is given of the Saxons’
4. Where did the Saxons land?
5. Whom did the Saxons defeat?
6. By what means can the easy conquest of Britain be accounted for?
7. How did the Saxons obtain possession of the province of Kent?
8. Were not many of the British nobility treacherously slaughtered?
9. Who laid the foundations of the South Saxon kingdom?
10. Who gave rise to the name of the West Saxons?
11, 12. What celebrated British prince opposed the Saxons with success?
13. What extraordinary feat of valour is related of him ?
14. What domestic troubles afflicted Arthur in the decline of life?
SECTION n
While undecided yet which part should fall.
Which nation rise, the glorious Lord of all. — Creech.
1. (A.D. 575.) In tbe meantime, while the Saxons were
thus gaining ground in the west, their countrymen were
not less active in the other parts of the island. Adventurers
still continuing to pour over from Germany, one body of
them, under the command of TJffa, seized upon the Counties
of Cambridge, Suffolk, and Norfolk, and gave their com-
mander the title of king of the East Angles,* which was the
fourth Saxon kingdom founded in Britain.
2. Another body of these adventurers formed a kingdom
under the title of East Saxony, or Essex, comprehending
Essex, Middlesex, and part of Hertfordshire. This king-
dom, which was dismembered from that of Kent, formed the
fifth Saxon principality founded in Britain.
3. The kingdom of Mercia was the sixth which was es-
tablished by these fierce invaders, comprehending all the
middle counties, from the banks of the Severn to the frontiers
of the two last-named kingdoms.
The seventh and last kingdom which they obtained was
that of Northumberland, f one of the most powerful and
extensive of them all. This was formed from the union of
* Comprehending Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, and the Isle of Ely
t Northumberland, that is the land north of the river Humber,
contained six counties in England, and extended as far as the Frith of
Edinburgh, in Scotland.,
THE SAXONS.
•* r\
two smaller Saxon kingdoms, the one called Berni'cia, con-
taining the present county of Northumberland and the
bishoprick of Durham; the subjects of the other, called
Dei'ri, extending themselves over Lancashire and York-
shire. 4. These kingdoms were united in the person of
Ethelred, king of Northumberland, by the expulsion of
Edwin, his brother-in-law, from the kingdom of the Dei'ri
and the seizure of his dominions. In this manner, the
natives being overpowered or entirely expelled, seven king-
doms were established in Britain, which have since been
well known by the name of the Saxon heptarchy.
5. The Saxons, being thus well established in all the desir-
able parts of the island, and having no longer the Britons
to contend with, began to quarrel among themselves. A
country divided into a number of petty independent princi-
palities, must ever be subject to contention, as jealousy and
ambition have more frequent incentives to operate. 6. After
a series, therefore, of battles, treasons, and stratagems, all
their petty principalities fell under the power of Egbert,
king of Wessex, whose merits deserved dominion, and
whose prudence secured his conquests. By him all the
kingdoms of the heptarchy were united under one common
jurisdiction ; but to give splendour to his authority, a gene-
ral council of the clergy and laity was summoned at Win-
chester, where he was solemnly crowned king of England,
by which name the united kingdom was thenceforward
called.
7. Thus about four hundred years after the first arrival
of the Saxons in Britain, all the petty settlements were
united into one great state, and nothing offered but prospects
of peace, security, and increasing refinement.
It was about this period that St. Gregory undertook to
send missionaries among the Saxons, to convert them to
Christianity. 8. It is said, that before his elevation to the
papal chair he chanced one day to pass through the slave-
market at Borne, and perceiving some children of great
beauty, who were set up for sale, he enquired about their
country, and finding they were English pagans, he is said
to have cried out in the Latin language, Non Angli sed
Angeli, forent, si essent Christiani , — u They would not be
English, but angels, had they been Christians.”* 9. From
* Inquiring further the name of their province, he was answered Deiri (a
district of Northumberland). “Deiri,” replied St. Gregory, “that is good;
they are called to the mercy of God from his anger, that is, db ira. But
20
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
vkat time lie was struck with an ardent desire to convert that
uirenhghtened nation, and ordered a monk named Augus-
tine, and others of the same fraternity, to undertake the
mission into Britain
This pious monk, upon his first landing upon the Isle of
Tlianet, sent one of his interpreters to Eth'elbert the Kent-
ish king, declaring he was come from Rome with offers of
eternal salvation. 10. The king immediately ordered them
to be furnished with all necessaries, and even visited them,
though without declaring himself as yet in their favour.
Augustine, however, encouraged by this favourable recep-
tion' and now seeing a prospect of success, proceeded with
redoubled zeal to preach the gospel. 11. The king openly
espoused the Christian religion, while his example wrought
so successfully on his subjects that numbers of them came
voluntarily to be baptized, the missionaries loudly declaring
against any coercive means towards their conversion. In
this manner the other kingdoms, one after the other, em-
braced the faith : and England was soon as famous for its
superstition, as it had once been for its averseness to Chris-
tianity.
The Saxon ecclesiastics were in general men of great piety
and learning. The most celebrated among them was the
venerable Bede, born A. D. 673, died A. D. 735, whose his-
tory of the Anglo-Saxon Church was so highly valued by
King Alfred, that he translated it from the Latin language, in
which it was written, into the Saxon.
Questions for Examination.
1. Whence did adventurers continue to come?
What counties formed the fourth kingdom of the Saxons *
2. What counties did the fifth Saxon kingdom comprehend?
3. What was the sixth kingdom called?
What was the seventh kingdom ? and how was it formed
f- , was the § e “ e r al name given to the seven Saxon kingdoms?
5. What happened to the Saxons after the Britons were subdued?
6. Under whose power did all tho petty principalities fall?
7. At about what period were missionaries 6ent among the Saxons to
convert them to Christianity ? “
8. 9. VVhat was the circumstance which occasioned the sending mission-
aries into Britain ?
ttowwerethe missio naries received by the Saxon monarch *
II. What eflect was produced by the king’s example?
what isthe king of that province named?” He was told a nr a r t I
• Alleluiah !” cried he, “ we must endeavour that the nrafsef
sung in that country.”— Hume. praises of God be
INVASION OF THE DANES.
21
CHAPTER III.
THE INVASION OP THE DANES.
FROM THE END OF THE HEPTARCHY TO THE REIGN OF WILLIAM THE
CONQUEROR.
SECTION I.
The Danes! the Danes!” the young and aged cry,
And mothers press their infants as they fly.” — Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 832.) Peace and unanimity had been scarcely
established in England, when a mighty swarm of those
nations called Danes* * * § and Northmen, subsequently corrupted
into Normen or Normans, who had possessed the country
bordering on the Baltic,! began to level tbeir fury against
England. A small body of them at first landed on the coasts,
with a view to learn the state of the country ; and having
committed some depredations, fled to their ships for safety.
2. About seven years after this first attempt they made a
descent upon the kingdom of Northumberland, where they
pillaged a monastery ; but, their fleet being shattered by a
storm, they were defeated by the inhabitants and put to the
sword. It was not till about five years after the accession of
Egbert % that their invasions became truly formidable.
From that time they continued with unceasing ferocity, until
the whole kingdom was reduced to a state of the most
distressing bondage. §
3. Though often repulsed, they always obtained their
end of spoiling the country and carrying the plunder away.
'It was their method to avoid coming, if possible, to a general
engagement ; but, scattering themselves over the face of the
country, they carried away indiscriminately, as well the
inhabitants themselves as all their movable possessions.
4. At length, however, they resolved upon making a settle-
* The Danes were inhabitants of Denmark, a kingdom in the north of
Europe.
t The Baltic is an inland sea in the north of Europe.
j Egbert was the first sole monarch in England.
§ Nothing could be more dreadful than the manner in which these
fierce barbarians carried on their excursions ; they spared neither age
nor sex, and each commander urged the soldiers to inhumanity. One
of their celebrated chieftains, named Oliver, gained from his dislike to
the favorite amusement of his soldiers (that of tossing children on the
point of their spears), the contemptuous surname of Bumakal, or “ The
Preserver of Children.”
22
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
ment in the country; and landing on the Isle of Thanet
stationed themselves there. In this place they kept their
ground, notwithstanding a bloody victory gained over them
by Eth'elwolf. The reign of Eth'elbald, his successor, was
of no long continuance ; however, in a short space, he
crowded together a number of vices sufficient to render hia
•name odious to posterity.
5. This prince was succeeded by his brother Eth'elred, a
brave commander, but whose valour was insufficient to
repress the Danish incursions. In these exploits he was
always assisted by his younger brother, Alfred, afterwards
surnamed the Great, who sacrificed all private resentment to
the public good, having been deprived by the king of a large
patrimony. 6. It was during Eth'elred’ s reign that the
Danes, penetrating into Mercia, took up their winter-quarters
at Nottingham ; whence the king, attempting to dislodge
them, received a wound in the battle, of which he died,
leaving his brother Alfred the inheritance of a kingdom that
was now reduced to the brink of ruin.
7. The Danes had already subdued Northumberland and
East Anglia, and had penetrated into the very heart of Wes-
sex. The Mercians were united against Alfred ; the depend-
ence upon the other provinces of the empire was but
precarious : the lands lay uncultivated, through fear of con-
tinual incursions; and all the churches and monasteries
were burnt to the ground. In this terrible situation of affairs,
nothing appeared but objects of terror, and every hope was
lost in despair. 8. The wisdom and virtues of one man
alone were found sufficient to bring back happiness, security,
and order ; and all the calamities of the time found redress
from Alfred.
9. This prince seemed born, not only to defend his bleed-
ing country, but even to adorn humanity. He had given
very early instances of those great virtues which afterwards
gave splendour to his reign ; and was anointed by Pope Leo
as future king, when he was sent by his father, for his
education, to Rome. On his return thence, he became every
day more the object of his father’s fond affections; and
that perhaps was the reason why his education was at
first neglected. He had attained the age of twenty before
he was made acquainted with the lowest elements of litera-
ture ; but hearing some Saxon poems read, which recounted
the praise of heroes, his whole mind was roused, not only
to obtain a similitude of glory, but also to be able to transmit
INVASION OP THE DANES.
23
that glory to posterity. 10. Encouraged by tbe queen his
mother, and assisted, by a penetrating genius, he soon learned
to read these compositions, and proceed thence to a knowledge
of Latin authors, who directed his taste and rectified his
ambition.
He was scarcely come to the throne when he was obliged
to oppose the Danes, who had seized Wilton,* and were
exercising their usual ravages on the country around. 1 1 . He
marched against them with the few troops he could assemble
on a sudden, and a desperate battle was fought, to the disad-
vantage of the English. But it was not in the power of
misfortune to abate the king’s diligence, though it repressed
his power to do good. He was in a little time enabled to
hazard another engagement; so that the enemy, dreading his
courage and activity, proposed terms of peace, which he did
not think proper to refuse. 12. They, by this treaty, agreed
to relinquish the kingdom ; but instead of complying with their
engagements, they only removed from one place to another,
burning and destroying wherever they came.
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Gregory IV 823
Sergius n 844
Leo IV 847
Benedict III 855
Nicholas 1 858
Emperors of the East.
Michael II 821
A.D.
Theophilus 1 829
Michael III 842
Emperors of the West,
and Kings of France.
Lewis 1 814
Lolharius 840
Lewis II 855
Kings of Scotland.
a.d.
Congallus III 824
Dongallus 829
Alpinus 834
Kennethus II 849
Donaldus V 859
Constantius II 865
EMINENT PERSONS.
In the reign of Egbert : Earls Osmond and Dudda. Bishops Wigfurth
and Herefurth. — In the reigns of Ethelbald and Ethelbert: Swithun, bish-
op of Winchester. Orsyck, earl of Hampton. Lambert and Ethelhard,
archbishops of Canterbury. — In the reign of Ethelred : Osbricht and Ella,
Northumbrian princes, who were killed while bravely opposing the Danes.
Questions for Examination.
1. What enemies disturbed the tranquillity which England eDjoyed after
the union of the seven Saxon kingdoms?
What mode of warfare was practised by the Danes ?
2. What loss did the Danes suffer by sea?
3. What did the Danes carry away?
4. Where did they at length establish themselves?
5. Who succeeded Ethelbald?
By whom was Ethelred assisted?
* Wilton is the county town of Wiltshire, though Salisbury is now its
principal place.
24
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
6. What was the cause of Ethelred’s death? and to whom did he leave
the kingdom?
7, 8 What was the cause of the lands remaining uncultivated?
9, 10. Wbat is related of Alfred’s youth and early disposition?
11. What was the success of this prince against the Danes ?
12. In what manner did the Danes observe their treaty with Alfred?
SECTION II.
Replete with soul, the monarch stood alone,
And built on freedom’s basis, England’s throne:
A legislator, parent, warrior, sage,
He died, the light of a benighted age. — Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 877.) Alfred, thus opposed to an enemy whom
no stationary force could resist, and no treaty could bifid,
found himself unable to repel the efforts of those ravagers
who from all quarters invaded him. New swarms of the
enemy arrived every year upon the coast, and fresh invasions
were still projected. Some of his subjects, therefore, left
their country, and retired into Wales,* or fled to the con-
tinent. Others submitted to the conqueror, and purchased
their lives by their freedom. 2. In this universal defection,
Alfred vainly attempted to remind them of the duty they
owed their country and their king ; but, finding his remon-
strances ineffectual, he was obliged to give way to the
wretched necessity of the times. Accordingly, relinquish-
ing the ensigns of jiis dignity, and dismissing his servants,
he dressed himself in the habit of a peasant, and lived for
some time in the house of a herdsman, who had been in-
trusted with the care of his cattle. 3. In this manner, though ,
abandoned by the world, and fearing an enemy in every
quarter, still he resolved to continue in his country, to catch
the slightest occasion for bringing it relief. Ir his solitary
retreat, which was in the county of Somerset, at the conflu-
ence of the rivers Parretand Thone, he amused himself with
music, and supported his humble lot with the hopes of better
fortune. 4. It is said, that one day, being commanded
by the herdsman’s wife, who was ignorant of his quality, to
take care of some cakes which were baking by the fire,
he happened to let them burn, on which she severely upbraided
him for neglect.
Previous to his retirement, Alfred had concerted measures
for assembling a few trusty friends, whenever an opportunity
should offer of annoying the enemy, who were in possession
of the whole country. 5. This chosen band, still faithful
., * Wales consists of twelve counties on the west of England, annexed to
it by Edward the First.
ALFRED THE GREAT.
25
to their monarch, took shelter in the forest and marshes
of Somerset, and thence made occasional irruptions upon
straggling parties of the enemy, Their success in this rapa-
cious and dreary method of living, encouraged 'many more
to join their society, till at length, sufficiently augmented,
they repaired to their monarch, who had by that time been
reduced by famine to the last extremity.*
6. Meanwhile Ubba, the chief of the Danish commanders,
carried terror over the whole land, and now ravaged the
country of Wales without opposition. The only place
where he found resistance was in his return from the castle
of Kenwith, into which the Earl of Devonshire had retired
with a small body of troops. Y. This gallant soldier, find-
ing himself unable to sustain the siege, and knowing the
danger of surrendering to a perfidious enemy, was resolved,
by one desperate effort, to sally out and force his way
through the besiegers, sword in hand. The proposal was
embraced by all his followers: while the Danes, secure in
their numbers, and in their contempt of the enemy, were
not only routed with great slaughter, but Ubba, their gene-
ral, was slain.
8. This victory once more restored courage to the dis-
pirited Saxons ; and Alfred, taking advantage of their favour-
* The life of Alfred is full of the most interesting events. Among nu-
merous anecdotes related of him by the old English historians, the follow-
ing we think worthy of a place in this work, as it affords a striking illustra-
tion of his benevolence, and is a proof oi the privations, in common with
his trusty adherents, underwent during their seclusion in Somersetshire:
—“It happened one day during the win ter, which proved uncommonly se-
vere, that he had sent all his attendants out to endeavour to procure lish,
or some kind of provisions; so difficult was the enterprise esteemed, that
the king and queen only were excusedfrom the employment. When they
were gone, the king, .as was his custom, whenever he had an opportunity,
took a book, and began reading, whilst Elswithawas employedin herdo-
meslic concerns ; they had notlong continued thus engaged, before a poor
pilgrim, accidentally passing that way, knocked at the gate, and begged
they would givo him something to eat. The humane king called Elswitha,
ana desired her to give the poor man part of whatpro vision there was in
the fort ; tho queen, finding only one loaf, brought it to Alfred to show how
Blender their store was, at the same time representing the distress the fa-
mily would labour under, should they return from their foraging unsuc-
cessful. The king, not deterred by this scanty view from his charitable
purpose, butrather internally rejoicing at this trial of his humanity, cheer-
fullygavetho poor Christian one half of the loaf; consoling the queen with
this religious reflection : ‘ That he who could feed live thousand with five
loaves and two fishes, could make (ifit so pleased Mm) that half of the loaf
suffice for more than their necessities.' When the traveller departed, the
king returned to Ms reading, and felt that satisfaction which most surely
results from a beneficent action. Nor was it long unrewarded, for his
companions returned with so great a quantity of provisions, that they
were notexposed to any similar inconveniences during their seclusion.”
26
HISTORY OP ENGLAND
ble disposition, prepared to animate them to a vigorous
exertion of their superiority. He soon, therefore, apprized
them of the place of his retreat, and instructed them to be
ready with all their strength at a minute’s warning. 9. But
still none Was found who would undertake to give intelli-
gence of the forces and posture of the enemy. Not know-
ing, therefore, a person in whom he could confide, he un-
dertook this dangerous task himself. In the simple dress
of a shepherd, with his harp in his hand, he entered the
Danish camp, tried all his musical arts to please, and was
so much admired, that he was brought even into the presence
of Guthrum, the Danish prince, with whom he remained
some days. 10. He there remarked the supine security of
the Danes, their contempt of the English, their negligence
in foraging and plundering, and their dissolute wasting of
such ill-gotten booty. Having made his observations, he
returned to his retreat; and, detaching proper emissaries
among his subjects, appointed' them to meet him in the
forest of Selwood, a summons which they gladly obeyed.
11. It was against the most unguarded quarter of the
enemy that Alfred made his most violent attack ; while the
Danes, surprised to behold an army of English, whom they
considered as totally subdued, made but a faint resistance.
Notwithstanding the superiority of their numbers, they
were routed with great slaughter ; and though such as es-
caped fled for refuge into a fortified camp in the neighbour-
hood, yet, being unprovided for a siege, in less than a fortnight
they were compelled to surrender at discretion, 12. By
the conqueror’s permission, those who did not choose to
embrace Christianity embarked for Flanders,* under the
command of one of their generals, called Hastings. Guth-
rum, their prince, became a convert, with thirty of his no-
bles, and the king himself answered for him at the font.
13. Alfred had now attained the meridian of glory; he
possessed a greater extent of territory than had ever been
enjoyed by any of his predecessors; the kings of Wales
did him homage for their possessions, the Northumbriansf
received a king of his appointing, and no enemy appeared
to give him the least apprehensions, or excite an alarm.
14. In this state of prosperity and profound tranquillity,
which lasted for twelve years, Alfred was diligently em-
ployed in cultivating the arts of peace, and in repairing the
damages which the kingdom had sustained by war.
*Now apart of the Netherlands, t The inhabitants of Northumberland.
ALFRED THE GREAT.
27
15. His care was to polish the country by arts, as he
had protected it by arms ; and he is said to have drawn up
a body of laws.* His care for the encouragement of learn-
ing did not a little tend to improve the morals and restrain
the barbarous habits of the people. When he came to the
throne, he found the English sunk into the grossest igno-
rance and barbarism, proceeding from the continual dis-
orders of the government, and from the ravages of the
Danes. He himself complains, that on his accession,
he knew not one person south of the Thames who could
so much as interpret the Latin service. t 16. To remedy this
deficiency, he invited over the most celebrated scholars
from all parts of Europe ; he founded, or at least re-esta-
blished, the University of Oxford, and endowed it with many
privileges ; and he gave, in his own example, the strongest
incentives to study. 17. He usually divided his time into
three equal portions : one was given to sleep, and to the re-
fection of his body by diet and exercise; another to the
despatch of business ; and the third to study and devotion.^
He made considerable progress in the different studies of
grammar, rhetoric, philosophy, architecture, and geometry.
He was an excellent historian ; he understood music ; he
was acknowledged to be the best Saxon poet of the age,
and left many works behind him, some of which remain to
this day. 18. To give a character of this prince would
* Alfred established a regular militia throughout England, and raised
a considerable naval force, by which means he was enabled to repel the
future incursions of the .Danes. He afterwards established a regular
police, dividing the kingdom into counties, and the counties into
hundreds and tithings. So well regulated was the police which he
established, that it is said he had golden bracelets hung up near the
highways, which no robber dared to touch. Yet he never deviated
from the nicest regard to the liberty of his people; and there is a
remarkable sentiment preserved in his will, namely, that “ It is just the
English should for ever remain as free as their own thoughts."
t So little, indeed, was learning attended to by the great, that Asser,
the biographer of Alfred, mentions with astonishment, that the king
taught his youngest son, Ethelward, to read, before he made him
acquainted with hunting.
t The piety of Alfred was as conspicuous a3 his prowess; and, in
those days of ignorance, he enlightened, by his pen no less than by his
example, the people over whom he swayed the sceptre. One of his
literary labours was the rendering the Holy Gospels into the Saxon
tongue, from which we extract the Lord’s Prayer, and insert it here as
a specimen of the language spoken by the English at that period :
“ Fader ure thu the earth on heafenum, si thin mama gehagog, to be
cumethin rice, Gevurthe hin willa on earthen swa .swa on heafenum,
urne go daegwanlican hlaf syle us to dag ; and forgyf us ure gyltas, swa
swa we forgivath urum gyltendum, and ne geldde thu us on consenung
ac alyse us of yfle.” (Si it 3wa . ) — Medullas Histories Anglicance.
28
HISTORY OF ENGLAND
be to sum up those qualities which constitute perfection.
Even virtues seemingly opposite were happily blended in
his disposition; persevering, yet flexible; moderate, yet
enterprising ; just, yet merciful ; stern in command, yet
gentle in conversation. Nature also, as if desirous that
such admirable qualities of mind should be set off" to the
greatest advantage, had bestowed upon him all bodily accom-
plishments, vigour, dignity, and an engaging, open counte-
nance. 19. He died at Oxford on the 25th of October,
900 and was buried at Winchester.
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
John VIII 872
Martin II 882
Adrian III 884
Stephen VI. 885
Formosus 891
Emperors of the East.
Basilus 1 867
A.n.
Leo VI 886
Emperors of the West,
and Kings of France.
Lewis II. 855
Charles 1 873
Charles II 880
Arnold 888
A.X)
Lewis HI 899
Kings of Scotland.
Constantine II 863
Ethus 878
Gregory 880
Donaldus VI 898
EMINENT PERSONS.
Oldune, earl of Devon, who killed Huhba the Dane, and took the
famous Reafem, or enchanted standard. Ultredus, Trelotegaldus,
Celnorth, Ethelred, and Flerumbus, were successively archbishops of
Canterbury in this reign.
Questions for Examination.
1. What effect had the continual ravages of the Danes upon the English ?
2, 3. How did Alfred act in this emergency?
4. What anecdote is related of Alfred during his concealment?
5. How did those who still remained faithful to Alfred conduct them-
selves?
6. What benevolent act is related of this monarch? (See the Note.)
7. What desperate effort did the Earl of Devonshire resolve on? And
what was the consequence?
8. What was the advantage gained by Alfred’s courage?
9. By what stratagem did Alfred get intelligence of the enemy’s
situation ?
10, 11. What observations did he make during his stay in the Danish
camp ?
12. What became of the Danes after their defeat - ?
13. What kings paid homage to Alfred?
14. 15, 16. How was Alfred employed during the peace?
17. For whatpurpose did Alfred dividehis time into three equal portions?
And what were his accomplishments?
18. What is the general character given of Alfred?
19. Where did Alfred die, and at what place was he buried?
EDWY.
29
SECTION HI.
Priest-ridden by a man
Of an unbounded stomach, ever ranking
Himself with princes .t— S hakespeare.
1. (A.D. 901.) His second son, Edward,* succeeded
him on the throne. To him succeeded Athelstan, his natural
son, the illegitimacy of his birth not being then deemed a
sufficient obstacle to his inheriting the crown. He died at
Gloucester, after a reign of sixteen years, and was succeeded
by his brother Edmund, who, like the rest of his predeces-
sors, met with disturbance from the Northumbrians on his
accession to the throne ; but his activity soon defeated their
attempts. 2. The resentment this monarch bore to men of
an abandoned way of living was the cause of his death.
He was killed by Leolff, a robber, at a feast, where this
villain had the insolence to intrude into the king’s presence.
His brother, Edred, was appointed to succeed him; and
like his predecessors this monarch found himself at the
head of a rebellious and refractory people. 3. Edred im-
plicitly submitted to the directions of Dunstan the monk,
both in church and state; and the kingdom was in a fair
way of being turned into a papal province by this zealous
ecclesiastic ; but he was checked in the midst of his career,
by the death of the king, who died of a quinsy, in the tenth
year of his reign. — A.D. 955. >•
4. Edwy, his nephew, who ascended the throne, his own
sons being yet unfit to govern, was a prince of great per-
sonal accomplishments, and of martial disposition. But
he was now come to the government of a kingdom in which
he had an enemy to contend with against whom all military
virtues could be of little service. 5. Dunstan, who had
governed during the former reign, was resolved to remit
nothing of his authority in this; and Edwy, immediately
upon his accession, found himself involved in a quarrel with
the monks; whose rage neither his accomplishments nor
his virtues could mitigate.
6. Among other instances of their cruelty, the following
is recorded: — There was a lady of the royal blood named
Elgiva, whose beauty had made a strong impression upon
* Sumamed Edward the Elder, from being the first of that name who
sat on the throne of England. He obtained many victories oyer the
Northumbrian rebels, built several castles, and fortified different cities.
He also founded the University of Cambridge, in 915. He is said to
have been nearly equal to bis father in military courage, but greatly
inferior to him in mental accomplishments. He reigned >4 years.
30
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Dunstan separating Edwy and Elgiva.
the young monarch’s heart. He had even ventured tc
marry her contrary to the advice of his councillors, as she
■was within the degrees of affinity prohibited by the canon
law. 6. On the day of his coronation, while his nobility
were giving loose to the more noisy pleasures of wine
and festivity in the 'great . hall, Edwy retired to his wife’s
apartments, where, in company with her mother, he enjoyed
the more pleasing satisfaction of her conversation. Dun-
stan no sooner perceived his absence, than, conjecturing the
reason, he rushed furiously into the apartment, and, upbraid-
ing him with all the bitterness of ecclesiastical rancour,
dragged him forth in the most outrageous manner.
8. Dunstan, it seems, was not without his enemies, for
the king was advised to punish this insult by bringing Lim
to account for the money with which he had been intrusted
during the last reign. This account the haughty monk
refused to give in ; wherefore he was deprived of all the
•ecclesiastical and civil emoluments of which he had been in
possession, and banished the kingdom. 9. His exile only
served to increase the imputation of his sanctity with the
people. Among the rest* Odo, archbishop of Canterbury,*
was so far transported with the spirit of party, that he pro-
nounced a divorce between Edwy and Elgiva. The king
was unable to resist the indignation of the church, and con-
sented to surrender his beautiful wife to its fury. Accord-
* An ancient city of Kent, of which county it ia the capital.
EDGAR.
31
ingly, Odo sent into the palace a party of soldiers, who
seized the queen, and, by his orders, branded her on the
face with a hot iron. 10. Not contented with this cruel
vengeance, they carried her by force into Ireland, and there
commanded her to remain in perpetual exile. This injunc-
tion, however, was too distressing for that faithful woman
to comply with; for being cured of her wound, and having
obliterated the marks which had been made to deface her
beauty, she once more ventured to return to the king, whom
she still regarded as her husband. But misfortune continued
to pursue her. 11. She was taken prisoner by a party
whom the archbishop had appointed to observe her con-
duct, and was put to death in a most cruel manner. The
sinews of her limbs being cut, and her body mangled, she
was thus left to expire in the most cruel agony. In the
mean time a secret revolt against Edwy became almost ge-
neral; and Dunstan put himself at the head of the party.
12. The malcontents at last proceeded to open rebellion ;
and having placed Edgar, the king’s youngest brother, a
boy of about thirteen years of age, at their head, they soon
put him in possession of all the northern parts of the king-
dom. Edwy’s power, and the number of his adherents,
every day declining, he was at last obliged to consent to a
partition of the kingdom ; but his death, which happened
30on after, freed his enemies from all further inquietude,
and gave Edgar peaceable possession of the government.
13. Edgar being placed on the throne by the influence
of the monks, affected to be entirely guided by their direc-
tions in all his succeeding transactions.
Little worthy of notice is mentioned of this monarch,
except his amour with Elfrida, which is of too singular a
nature to be omitted. 14. Edgar had long heard of the
beauty of a young lady, whose name was Elfrida, daughter
to the Earl of Devonshire; but unwilling to credit common
fame in this particular, he sent Ethelwald, his favourite
friend, to see and inform him if Elfrida was, indeed, that
incomparable woman report had described her. 15. Ethel-
wald, arriving at the earl’s, had no sooner set his eyes upon
that nobleman’s daughter than he became desperately en-
amoured of her himself. Such was the violence of his
passion, that, forgetting his master’s intention, he solicited
only his own interest, and demanded for himself the beau-
tiful Elfrida from her father in marriage. The favourite oi
a king was not likely to find a refusal ; the earl gave his
32
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
consent, and the nuptials were performed in private. 16.
Upon his return to court, which was shortly after, he as*
sured the king that riches alone, and her high quality, had
been the cause of her high fame, and he appeared amazed
how the world could tglk so much and so unjustly of her
charms. The king was satisfied, and no longer felt any
curiosity, while Ethelwald secretly triumphed in hi3 ad-
dress. 17. When he had, by this deceit, weaned the king
from his purpose, he took an opportunity, after some time,
of turning the conversation on Elfrida, representing that,
though the fortune of the earl of Devonshire’s daughter
would be a trifle to a king, yet it. would be an immense ac-
quisition to a needy subject. He therefore humbly entreated
permission to pay his addresses to her, as she was the rich-
est heiress in the kingdom. 18. A request so seemingly
reasonable was readily complied with ; Ethelwald returned
to his wife, and their nuptials were solemnized in public.
His greatest care however, was employed in keeping her
from court; and he took every precaution to prevent her
from appearing before a king so susceptible of love, while
she was so capable of inspiring that passion. But it was
impossible to keep his treachery long concealed. 19. Edgar
was soon informed of the whole, transaction; but' dissem-
bling his resentment, he took occasion to visit that part oi
the country where this miracle of beauty was detained, accom-
panied by Ethelwald, who reluctantly attended him thither.
Upon coming near the lady’s habitation, he told him thathe
had a desire to see his wife, of whom he had formerly heard
so much, and desired to be introduced as his acquaintance.
20. Ethelwald, thunderstruck at the proposal, did all in his
power, but in vain, to dissuade him. All he could obtain
was permission to go before, on pretence of preparing for
the king’s reception. On his arrival, he fell at his wife’s
feet confessing what he had done to be possessed of her
charm?, and conjuring her to conceal as much as possible
her beauty from the king, who was too susceptible of it?
power. 21. Elfrida, little obliged to him fora passion that
had deprived her of a crown, promised compliance ; but,
prompted either by vanity or revenge, adorned her person
with the most exquisite art, and called up all her beauty on
the occasion. The event answered her expectations ; the
king no sooner saw than he loved her, and was instantly
resolved to obtain her. 22. The better to effect his inten-
tions, he concealed his passion from the husband, and took
EDGAR.
33
leave with a seeming indifference ; but his revenge was not
the less certain and faithful. Ethelwald was sometime
after sent into Northumberland, upon pretence of urgent
affairs, and was found murdered in the wood by the 'way.
23. Some say he was stabbed by the king’s own hands;
some that he only commanded the assassination. However
this be, Elfrida was invited soon after to court by the king’s
own order, and their nuptials were performed with the usual
solemnity.
This monarch died, after a reign of sixteen years, in the
thirty-third year of his age, being succeeded by his son
Edward, whom he had by his first marriage with the
daughter of the earl of Ordmer.*
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. a. d.
Benedict IV 900
Leo V 904
Sergius III 905
Anastasius III 910
Lado 912
John X 913
Leo VII 928
Stephen Till 929
John XI 931
Leo VI 936
Stephen IX 939
Martin III 943
Agapeptus 950
John XII .956
Benedict V 964
John XIII 965
A.D.
Benedict YI 972
Donius II 972
Emperors of the East.
Leo VI 886
Constantine Porphy-
rogenitus 910
Iiomanus the young-
er 959
Kicephorus .963
Zenrises 970
Emperors of the West.
Lewis III 899
Conrad 1 912
Henry 1 919
A.D.
Otho I
936
Otho II
973
Kings of France.
Charles IH...
899
Lewis IV
936
Lothaire I
954
Kings of Scotland.
Constantine III 909
Malcolm 1 943
Indulphus 958
Duffus 967
Culenus 972
EMINENT PERSONS.
In the reign of Edivard: Ethelfrida, sister of Edward the Elder, a
great warrior, and very instrumental in assisting to gain her brother’s
victories. Atholme, archbishop of Canterbury. — In the reign oj
Athelstan: Guy, earl of Warwick, who is said to have killed the
Danish giant Colbrand in single combat at Winchester, and performed
many other extraordinary actions. Terketyl, a successful warrior, an
abbot of Crovland, and chancellor of England. Wolston, archbishop
of Canterbury . — In the reign of Edred: Dunstan, abbot of Glastonbury.
Odo, archbishop of Canterbury . — In the reign of Edgar : Dunstan and
Elsius, archbishops of Canterbury.
* Until the reign of Edgar, England was much infested with wolves.
The king, however, was indefatigable in hunting and destroying them:
but finding that those which escaped took shelter in the mountains and
forest of Wales, he changed the tribute of money imposed on that
country into an annual tribute of 300 wolves’ heads; this produced
such diligence in hunting them, that their extirpation, was soon
effected.
O
34
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
2. What was the cause of Edward’s death? and who succeeded him?
3. To whose directions did Edred submit?
4. Who succeeded Edred?
6. Whom did Ed wy marry?
7. What happened on the day of his coronation?
8. On what account was Dunstan banished the kingdom?
9. By whose orders was the queen seized ?
14. Who was Elfrida, and whom did Edgar send to her?
15. How did Ethelwald perform his mission?
16. 17, 18. Relate what followed?
19. How did the king act on hearing the whole transaction?
20. What did Ethelwald request of his wife?
21. What was the result of her non-compliance?
22. How did Ethelwald die?
23. How long did Edgar reign? and by whom was he succeeded?
SECTION IV.
Cut off in all the blossom of my sin,
Unhousel’d, unanointed, unanneal’d.
No reck’ning made, but sent to my account
With all my imperfections on my head . — Shale spear e.
1. (A. D. 975.) Edward, surnamed the Martyr, was
made king by the interest of the monks, and lived but four
years after his accession. In this reign there is nothing
remarkable if we except his tragical, and memorable end.
2. Hunting one day near Corfe Castle, where Elfrida, his
mother-in-law resided, he thought it his duty to pay her a
visit, although he was not attended by any of his retinue.
There desiring some liquor to be brought him, as he was
thirsty, while he was yet holding the cup to his head, one
of Elfrida’ s domestics, instructed for that purpose, stabbed
him in the back. The king, finding himself wounded, put
spurs to his horse; but fainting with the loss of blood, he
fell from the saddle, and his foot sticking in the stirrup, he
was dragged along by his horse till he died,
3. Ethelred the Second, 6urnamed the Unready, the son
of Edgar and Elfrida, succeeded; a weak and irresolute
monarch, incapable of governing the kingdom, or providing
for its safety. During his reign the bold and terrible ene-
mies, the Danes, who seemed not to be loaded with the
same accumulation of vice and folly as the English, were
daily gaining ground. 4. The weakness and inexperience
of Ethelred appeared to give a favourable opportunity for
renewing their depredations ; and, accordingly, they landed
on several parts of the coast, spreading their usual terror
and devastation. , A.D. 981.
CANUTE.
35
As they lived indiscriminately among the English, a
resolution was takefi for a general massacre ; and Ethelred,
by a policy incident to weak princes, embraced the cruel
resolution of putting them all to the sword. 5. This plot
was carried on with such secrecy, that it was executed in
one day, and all the Danes in England were destroyed
without mercy. But this massacre, so perfidious in the
contriving, and so cruel in the execution, instead of ending
the long miseries of the people, only prepared the way for
greater calamities.
While the English were yet congratulating each other
upon their late deliverance from an inveterate enemy,
Sweyn, king of Denmark, who had been informed of their
treacherous cruelties, appeared off the western coast with
a large fleet, meditating slaughter and furious with revenge.
Ethelred was obliged to fly into Normandy, and the whole
country thus came under the power of Sweyn, his victo-
rious rival.
7. Canute, afterwards surnamed the Great, succeeded
Sweyn as king of Denmark, and also as general of the
Danish forces in England. The contest between him and
Edmund Ironside, successor to Ethelred, was managed with
great obstinacy and perseverance ; the first battle that was
fought appeared indecisive ; a second followed, in which
the Danes were victorious ; but Edmund still having inter-
est enough to bring a third army into the field, the Danish
and English nobility, equally harassed by these convulsions,
obliged their kings to come to a compromise and to divide
the kingdom between them by treaty.* Canute reserved
,to himself the northern parts of the kingdom ; the southern
parts were left to Edmund; but this prince being murdered
about a month after the treaty, by his two chamberlains, at
Oxford, Canute was left in peaceable possession of the
whole kingdom. A. D. 1017,
Canute f is represented, by some historians, as one of the
first characters in those barbarous ages. The piety of the
* In the battle which was fought at Athelmey, Edmund, perceiving
Canute at the head of his forces, rode oil" from his own, and Canute
advancing, a furious combat ensued, in which, according to the author
of the Medullas Histories Anr/licaius, Canute was wounded, and first
proposed forbearance; and this, it is said, led to tho division of the
Kingdom. By Canute’s accession to tho throne, a termination was put
to a war with the Banes, which had almost, without intermission, raged
for 200 years. , , . ,
t In the latter part of his life, to atone for *his many a,cts of violence,
he built churches, endowed monasteries, imported relics, and made a
pilgrimage to Itome.
36
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
latter part of his life, and the resolute valour of the former,
were topics that filled the mouths of his courtiers with flatr
tery and praise. 9. They even affected to think his power
uncontrollable, and that all things would be.obedient to his
command. Canute, sensible of their adulation, is said to
have taken the following method to reprove them. He
ordered his chair to be set on the sea-shore while the tide was
coming in, and commanded the sea to retire. 10. “ Thou
art under my dominion,” cried he, “the land upon which
I sit is mine ; I charge thee, therefore, to approach no farther,
nor dare to wet the feet of thy sovereign.” He feigned to
sit some time in expectation of submission, till the waves
began to surround him, then turning to his courtiers, he
observed, That the titles of Lord and master belonged only
to Him whom both earth and seas were ready to obey.
11. Thus feared and respected, he lived many years, ho-
noured with the surname of Great for his power, but de-
serving it still more for his virtues. He died at Shaftes-
bury,* in the nineteenth year of his reign, leaving behind
him three sons, Sweyn, Harold, and Hardicanute. Sweyn
was crowned king of Norway, Hardicanute was put in pos-
session of Denmark, and Harold succeeded his father on
the English throne. A. D. 1036.
12. To Harold succeeded his brother, Hardicanute,
whose title was readily acknowleged both by the Danes
and the English ; and upon his arrival from the continent,
he was received with the most extravagant demonstrations
of joy. This king’s violent and unjust government was of
but short duration. He died two years after his accession
in consequence of excess at the marriage of a Danish lord
which was celebrated at Lambeth.
13. The disorders of the Danish monarchs once more
induced the English to place a monarch of the Saxon line
upon the throne, and accordingly Edward, surnamed the
Confessor, was by the general consent crowned king
A. D. 1041.
The English, who had long groaned under a foreign yoke,
now set no bounds to their joy, at finding the line of their
ancient monarchs restored.
14. As he had been bred in the Norman court, he showed,
in every instance, a predilection for the customs, laws, ana
even the natives of that country; and among the rest of
his faults, though he married Editha, the daughter of God-
* A market town in Dorchester.
HAROLD. 3?
win, yet, either from mistaken piety or fixed aversion, during
his whole reign he abstained from her society.*
15. Thus having no legitimate issue, and being wholly
engrossed, during the continuance of a long reign, with the
visions of superstition, he was at last surprised by sickness,
which brought him to his end, on 5th of January, in the
sixty-fifth year of his age and twenty-fifth of his reign.
16. Harold, the son of a popular nobleman, whose name
was Godwin, and whose virtues seemed to give a right to
his pretensions, ascended the throne without any opposition.
But neither his valour, his justice, nor his popularity were
able to secure him from the misfortunes attendant upon an
ill-grounded title. His pretensions were opposed by Wil-
liam duke of Normandy, who insisted that the crown be-
longed of right to him, it being bequeathed to him by Edward
the Confessor, f
Questions for Examination.
1. By whose interest was Edward the Martyr crowned king?
2. Relate the circumstances attending the king’s death?
3. Who succeeded Edward?
4. What was the conduct of the Danes during Ethelred’s reign?
6. W hat method did Ethelred take to destroy the Danes?
6. What was the consequence of Ethelred’s perfidy?
7. Br whom was S weyn succeeded ?
9. Did Canute reprove his courtiers for their flattery?
10. Repeat the words Canute made use of on this occasion?
11. Where did Canute die? and what issue did he leave?
13. Whom did the English place on the throne upon the death of Har-
dicanute?
14. Where had Edward the Confessor been bred ? and what predilections
had he in consequence?
15. How long did Edward reign?
16. What were the pretensions of William duke Normandy to the Eng-
lish throne? °
SECTION. V.
Ah 1 who can tell the horrors of that day
When Harold fell on the ensanguined field.
Where rank 'gainst rank rushed on in dread array.
With jav’lin, arrow, battle-axe, and shield. — Brown.
1. (A. D. 1066.) William, who was afterwards called the
Conqueror, was natural son of Robert duke of Normandy.
His mother’s name was Arlette, a beautiful maid of Falaise,
whom Robert fell in love with as she stood gazing at the
door while he passed through the town. William, who was
* This contributed to gain him the title of Saint and Confessor,
t Edward the Confessor converted a small monastery into the beau-
tiful cathedral called Westminster Abbey, where he built his own
sepulchre, and which, until very lately, has been the usual burial place
or the English monarchs.
38
history of englaiiI).
the offspring of this amour, owed a part of his greatness to
his birth, but still more to his own personal merit. 2. Hia
body was vigorous, his mind capacious and noble, and his
courage not to be repressed by apparent danger. Upon
coming to his dukedom of Normandy, though yet very
young, he on all sides opposed his rebellious subjects, and
repressed foreign invaders, while his valour and conduct
prevailed in every action. 3. The tranquillity which he
had thus established in his dominions induced him to extend
his views 5 and some overtures made by Edward the Con-
fessor, in the latter part of his reign, who was wavering in
the choice of a successor, inliamed his ambition with a
desire of succeeding to the English throne. 4. The pope
himself was not behind the rest in favouring his pretensions;
and, either influenced by the apparent justice of his claims,
or by the hopes of extending the authority of the church, he
immediately pronounced Harold a usurper. With such
favourable incentives, William soon found himself at the
head of a chosen army of sixty thousand men, all equipped
in the most warlike and splendid manner. 5. It was in the
beginning of summer that he embarked this powerful body
on board a fleet of three hundred sail ; and after some small
opposition from the weather, landed at Pevensey,* on the
coast of Sussex, with resolute tranquillity.
t>. Harold, who seemed resolved to defend his right to
the crown and retain that sovereignty which he had received
from the people, who only had a right to bestow it, was now
returning, flushed with conquest, from defeating the Nor-
wegians who had invaded the kindgdom, with ail the forces
he had employed in that expedition, and all he could invite
or collect in the country through which he passed. His
army was composed of active and valiant troops, in high
spirits, strongly attached to their king, and eager to engage.
7. On the other hand, the army of William consisted of
the flower of the continent, and had long been inured to
danger. The men of Brittany, Boulogne, Flanders, Poictou,
Maine, Orleans, France, and Normandy, were all voluntarily
united under his command. England never before, nor ever
since, saw two such armies drawn up to dispute its crown.
8. The day before the battle, William sent an otter to
Harold to decide the quarrel between them by single combat,
and thus to spare the blood of thousands : but Harold re-
fused, and said he would leave it to the God of armies to
determine. Both armies, therefore, that night pitched in
*A small town in Sussex.
Harold.
39
sight of each other, expecting the aawmng of the day with
impatience. The English passed the night in songs and
feasting, the Normans in devotion and prayer.
(Oct. 13, 1066.) 9. The ne^t morning, at seven, as soon
as day appeared, both armies were drawn up in array against
each other. Harold appeared in the centre of his forces,
leading on his army on foot, that his men might be more
encouraged by seeing their king exposed to an equality of
danger. William fought on horseback, leading on his army,
that moved at once, singing the songs of Roland, one of the
famous chiefs of their country. 10. The Normans began
to fight with their cross-bows, which, at first, galled and
surprised the English ; and as their ranks were close, their
arrows did great execution. But soon they came to closer
fight, and the English with their bills hewed down their
adversaries with great slaughter. Confusion was spreading
among the ranks, when William, who found himself on the
brink of destruction, hastened with a select band to the
relief of his forces. 11. His presence restored the suspense
of battle ; he was seen in every place, endeavouring to
pierce the ranks of the enemy, and had three horses slain
under him . At length, perceiving that the English continued
impenetrable, he pretended to give ground, which, as he
expected, drew the enemy from their ranks, and he was
instantly ready to take advantage of their disorder. 1 2. Upon
a signal given, the Normans immediately returned to the
charge with greater fury than before, broke the English
troops and pursued them to a rising ground. It was in this
extremity that Harold was seen flying from rank to rank
rallying and inspiring his troops with vigour; and though
he had toiled all day, till near nightfall, in front of his
Kentish men, yet he still seemed unabated in force or cou-
rage, keeping his men to the post of honour.
13. Once more, therefore, victory seemed to turn
against the Normans, and they fell in great numbers, so that
the fierceness and obstinacy of this memorable battle
was often renewed by the courage of the leaders, whenever
that of the soldiers began to slacken. Fortune at length
determined a victory that valour was unable to decide.
14. Harold, making a furious onset at the head of his
troops against the Norman heavy-armed infantry, was shot
into the Brains by an arrow ; and his two valiant brothers,
fighting by his - i do, shared the same fate. He fell with his
sword in his baud, admidst heaps of slain ; and after the bat-
40 Bistort of England.
tie, the royal corpse could hardly be distinguished among
the dead.*
This was the end of the Saxon monarchy in England,
which had continued for more than six hundred years.
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Benedict VII 975
John XIV 984
John XV 985
Gregory V 996
Silvester II 999
John XVI 1003
John XVII 1004
Sergius IV 1009
Benedict VIII 1012
John XVIII 1024
Benedict IX. 1033
Gregory VI 1044
Clement II 1046
Damascus II 1048
Leo IX 1049
Victor II 1055
Stephen X 1057
Nicholas II 1059
Alexander II 1061
Emperors of the East.
A.D.
Basilius II 975
Constantine X 1025
Romanus III 1028
Michael IV 1034
Michael V 1041
ConstaptineXI. . . .1042
Theodore (emp) . . .1054
Michael VI 1056
Isaac Comnenus. . .1059
Constantine XII.. .1059
Emperors of the West.
Otho II 973
OtholII 983
Henry II 1002
Conrad II 1024
Henry III 1039
Henry IV 1056
Kings of I< ranee.
A.D.
Lothaire 1 954
Louis V 986
Hugh Capet 987
Robert II 997
Henry 1 1031
P hili p 1 1060
Kings of Scotland.
Culenus 972
Kenneth III 977
Constantine IV — 1002
Grimus 1005
Malcolm II 1054
Duncan I.. 1031
Macbeth 1040
Malcolm III 1057
EMINENT PERSONS.
In the reigns of Edward the Martyr, Etheired II- and Edmund: the
duke of Mercia, who took part with Elfrida and the clergy, against the
king. Dunstan, Etbelgar, Eifric, Siricus, Alphage, and Livingus, arch-
bishops of Canterbury. — In the reigns of Canute, Harold, Hardicanute,
and Edward the Confessor : Elnothus, Edsino, and Robert, archbishops
of Canterbury. Goodwin, earl of Kent, whose estates, being afterwards
swallowed by inundations ofthesea, are now denominated the Goodwin
Sands .—In the reign of Harold II: Leofwin and Gurf, brothers to the
king. Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury. Tosti, earl of N orthumber-
land.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who was William the Conqueror?
2. When and where did William land?
6, 7. Of what were the armies of Harold and William composed?
8. How did the two armies pass the night previous to the battle?
9. In what way did Harold and William lead their respective armies to
battle?
11, 12, 13. Describe the conduct of William and Harold?
14. How did Harold 1 all ?
How long did the Saxon monarchy continue in England ?
*The English in this battle neither used the long-bow nor cross-bow,
but both were used by the Normans. I he English forces were nearly all
infantry, while by far the e i eater part of the Norman army was com-
posed of cavalry. It is therefore probable, that to the waLt of cavalry,
and the not using any missive weapons, may be in a great measuro attri-
buted the defeat of Harold’s armv. Certain it is, that tho victory
remained undecided from nine in the morning till the close of the day
when the death of the king, who had slain many Normans with his own
hand, finally turned the scale.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.
41
CHAPTER IV
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.
Born 1024. Died Sept. 9, 1087. Began to reign Dec.25th, 1066. Reigned
21 years.
William the Conqueror receiving the crown of England.
A furious victor’s partial will prevailed,
All prostrate lay ; and in the secret shade.
Deep stung but fearful indignation gnashed
His teeth. Thomson.
1. (A. D. 1066). As soon as William passed the Thames
at Wallingford, Stigand, the primate, made submission to
him in the name of the clergy : and before he came within
sight of the city, all the chief nobility came into his camp,
and declared their intention of yielding to his authority.
William was glad of being peaceably put in possession of a
throne which several of his predecessors had not gained
without repeated victories.
2. But, in order to give his invasion all the sanction pos-
sible, he was crowned at Westminster by the archbishop
of York, and took the oath usual in the times of the Saxon
and Danish kings : which was to protect and defend the
church, to observe the laws of the realm, and to govern the
people with impartiality. Having thus secured the govern-
ment, and, by a mixture of rigour and lenity, brought the
English to an entire submission, he resolved to return to. the
continent, there to enjoy the triumph and congratulations
of his ancient subjects.
42 HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
3. In the meantime the absence of the Conqueror iu
England produced the most fatal effects. His officers, being
no longer controlled by his justice, thought this a fit oppor-
tunity for extortion ; while the English, no longer awed by
his presence, thought it the happiest occasion for vindicating
their freedom.
4. The English had entered into a conspiracy to cut off
their invaders, and fixed the day for their intended mas-
sacre, which was to be on Ash-Wednesday, during the time
of divine service, when all the Normans would be unarmed
as penitents, according to the discipline of the times. But
William’s return quickly disconcerted all their schemes : and
from that time forward he began to loste all confidence in his
English subjects, and to regard them as inveterate and
irreconcilable enemies. 5. He had already raised such a
number of fortresses in the kingdom, that he no longer
dreaded the tumultuous or transient efforts of a discontented
multitude ; he therefore determined to treat them as a con-
quered nation •* to indulge his own avarice, and that of his
followers, by numerous confiscations ; and to secure his
power by humbling all who were able to make any resist-
ance. 6. He proceeded to confiscate all the estates of the
English gentry, and to grant them liberally'to his Norman
followers. Thus all the ancient and honourable families
were reduced to beggary, and the English found themselves
entirely excluded from every road that led either to honour
or preferment.
f. To keep the clergy as much as possible in his interests,
he appointed none but hi3 own countrymen to the most
considerable church dignities, and even displaced Stigand,
archbishop of Canterbury, upon some frivolous pretence.
William having crushed several conspiracies, and, by
punishing the malcontents, thus secured the peace of his
dominions, now expected rest from his labours j and, find-
* So mercilessly did the treat the people whom he had coquered, and
bo determined was he to incapacitate them from future resistance to his
power, that on the N orthumbrians having revolted in 1070, he gave orders
to lay waste the fine fertile lands between the rivers Humber and Tees,
for the extent of sixty miles. Many flourishing towns, fine villages, and
noble country seats were accordingly burnt down ; the implements of
husbandry destroyed and the cattle driven away. The great Lord
Lyttleton, speaking of these cruel devastations, and those occasioned
by the “ Forest laws,” observes that Attila did no more deserve the name
of the “ Scourge of God ” than this merciless tyrant, nor did he, nor any
other destroyer of nations make more havoc in an enmy's country thau
William did in his own.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 43
mg none either willing or powerful enough to oppose him,
he hoped that the end of his reign would be marked with
prosperity and peace. 8. But such is the blindness of
human hope, that he found enemies where he least expected
them ; and such, too, as served to imbitter all the latter part of
his life. His last troubles were excited by his own children,
from the opposing of whom he could expect to reap neither
glory nor gam. He had three sons, Robert, William, and
Henry, besides several daughters. 9. Robert, his eldest son,
surnamed Curthose from the shortness of his legs, was a
prince who inherited all the bravery of his family and nation,
but was rather bold than prudent ; and was often heard to
express his jealousy of his two brothers, William and Henry.
These, by greater assiduity, had wrought upon the cre-
dulity and affections of the king, and consequently were the
more obnoxious to Robert. 10. A mind, therefore, so well
prepared for resentment soon found or made cause for an
open rupture. The princes were one day in sport together,
and in the idle petulance of play, took it in their heads to
throw water over their elder brother as he passed through the
court, on leaving their apartment. Robert, all alive to sus-
picion, quickly turned this frolic into studied indignity ; and
having these jealousies further inflamed by one of his favour-
ites, he drew his sword, and ran up stairs, with intent to
take revenge. 11. The whole castle was quickly filled
with tumult, and it was not without some difficulty that the
king himself was able to appease it. But he could not allay
the animosity which, from that moment, ever after prevailed
in his family. Robert, attended by several of his confederates,
withdrew to Rouen that very night, hoping to surprise the
castle, but his design was defeated by the governor.
12. The flame being thus kindled, the popular character of
the prince, and a sympathy of manners, engaged all the young
nobility of Normandy and Maine, as well as Anjou and Brit-
tany, to espouse his quarrel ; even hiv mother it is said sup-
ported him by secret remittances, and aided him in this ob-
stinate resistance by private encouragement. This unnatural-
contest continued for several years to inflame the Norman
state, and William was at last obliged to have recourse to
England, for supporting his authority against his son. 13.
Accordingly, drawing an army of Englishmen together, he
led them over to Normandy, where he soon compelled
Robert and his adherents to quit the field, and he was quickly
reinstated in all his dominions.*
* In one of the battles between tha forces of William and his son Robert,
44
HISTORY OP ENGLAND*
William had scarcely put an end to this transaction, when
he felt a very severe blow in the death of Matilda his queen ;
and in addition to this domestic calamity, he received infor-
mation of a general insurrection in the Norman government.
14. Upon his arrival on the continent, he found that the
insurgents had been secretly assisted and excited by the king
of France, whose policy consisted in thus lessening the Nor-
man power, by creating dissensions among the nobles of its
different provinces. William’s displeasure was not a little
increased by the account lie received of some railleries which
that monarch had thrown out against him. _ This so pro-
voked the English monarch, that he sent him word, that
he should soon set the kingdom of France in a flame.
15. In order to perform this promise, he levied a strong
army, and, entering the isle of France, destroyed and burned
all the villages and houses without opposition, and took the
town of Mantua, which he reduced to ashes. But the pro-
gress of these hostilities was stopped by an accident, which
shortly after put an end to William’s life.
His horse chancing to place his fore-foot on some hot
ashes, plunged so violently, that the rider was thrown for-
ward, and bruised upon the pommel of the saddle to such a
degree, that he suffered a relapse, of which he died, shortly
after, at a little village near Rouen. Sept. 9, 1087.*
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.D.
Alexander II 1061
Gregory YII 1073
Victor HI 1086
Emperors of the East.
Constantine XH. . 1059
A.D.
Romanus IV 1083
Michael VII 1071
Nicephorus 1 1078
Alexis 1 1081
Emperor of the West.
Henry IV 1056
King of France.
AD.
Philip 1 1060
Kings of Scotland.
Malcolm III 1059
Donald VUI 1068
the latter happened to engage the king, whose face was concealed by his
helmet, and both of them being valiant, a fierce combat ensued till the
young prince wounded his father in the arm, and unhorsed him. On his
calling out for assistance, his voice discovered him to be his son, who,
struck with remorse, threw himself at hisfather’s feet and craved pardon
for his offence, but William, who was highly exasperated, gave him his
malediction. He was, however, afterwards reconciled to him, and on his
return to England, Robert was successfully employed in retaliating an
invasion of Malcolm, king of Scotland. *
* In this reign justices of the peace were first appointed in England.
The Tower of London was built. A general survey of all the lands'of the
kingdom made, their value, proprietors, quality of the soil &o and
entered in a register, called Doomsday-book, which is still’ preserved
in the exchequer, and is considered the most valuable monument of
antiquity, possessed by any nation. Ihe curfew (or cover fire) bell
established, at which signal all fires and candles were arbitrarily
extinguished at eight o’clock in the evening. 3
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.
45
EMINENT PERSONS.
Prince Edsar Atheling, Stigand and Lanfranc, archbishops of Can*
terbury. Edwin and Mocar, earls of Northumberland and Mercia.
Questions for Examination.
1. In what manner was William received by the nobility and clergy?
2. Where and by whom was he crowned?
4. What conspiracy did the English enter into?
6. In what way did William determine to treat his English subjects?
6, 7. What measures did he adopt to degrade the English ?
9. What were the troubles which afflicted William?
10, 11. What frolic was it that led to the serious consequences that fol-
lowed ?
12. Who espoused Robert’s cause?
13. What happened in one of the en gagements between the forces of the
king and his son ? ( See the Note. )
14. What inducement had the king of France to assist the insurgents?
16. What caused William’s death?
What valuable ancient record is preserved in the exchequer, and
what was its use? {See the Note,)
CHAPTER Y.
WILLIAM RUFUS.
Bom 1060. Died August 2nd, 1100. Began to reign Sept. 9th, 1087.
Reigned 12f years.
And that Red King, who, while of old
Through Boldrewood the chase he led,
By his loved huntsman’s arrow bled. — Walter Scott.
1. (A. D. 1087.) William, surnamed Rufus, from the
colour of his hair, was appointed, by the king’s will, his
successor, while the elder son, Robert, was left in possession
of Normandy. Nevertheless, the Norman barons were from
the beginning displeased at the division of the empire by
the late king : they eagerly desired a union as before, and
looked upon Robert as the proper owner of the whole. A
powerful conspiracy was therfore carried on against William ;
and Odo, the late king’s brother, undertook to conduct it
to maturity.
2. William, sensible of the danger that threatened him,
endeavoured to gain the affections of the native English,
whom he prevailed upon by promises of future good treat-
46
HISTORY or ENGLAND.
ment, and preference in the distribution of his favours, to
espouse his interests. 3. He was soon, therefore, in the
field ; and at the head of a numerous army, showed himself
in readiness to oppose all who should dispute his pretensions.
In the mean time Robert, instead of employing himself in
levies, to support his friends in England, squandered his
resources away in idle expenses and unmerited benefits,
so that he procrastinated his departure till the opportunity
was lost ; while William exerted himself with incredible
activity to dissipate the confederacy before his brother could
arrive. 4. Nor was this difficult to effect. The conspirators
had, in consequence of Robert’s assurances, taken possession
of some fortresses ; but the appearance of the king soon
reduced them to implore his mercy. He granted them
their lives; but confiscated all their estates and banished
them the kingdom.
5. A new breach was made some time after between the
brothers, on which Rufus found means to encroach still
farther upon Robert’s possessions. Every conspiracy thus
detected served to enrich the king, who took care to apply to
his own use those treasures which had been amassed for the
purpose of dethroning him.
6. (A. D. 1097.) But the memory of these transient
broils and unsuccessful treasons, was now totally eclipsed
by one of the most noted enterprises that ever adorned the
annals of nations, or excited the attention of mankind : I
mean the crusades, which were now first projected. Peter
the Hermit, a native of Amiens, in Picardy, was a man ol
great zeal, courage, and piety. 7. He had made a pilgrimage
to the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, and beheld with indigna-
tion the cruel manner in which the Christians were treated by
the infidels, who were in possession of that place.
He preached the crusade over Europe, by the pope’s
permission, and men of all ranks flew to arms with the
utmost alacrity to rescue the Holy Land from the infidels,
and each bore the sign of the cross upon his right shoulder,
as a mark of their devotion to the cause. 8. In the midst of
the universal ardour that was diffused over Europe, men
were not entirely forgetful of their temporal interests ; for
some, hoping for a more magnificent settlement in the soft
regions of Asia, sold their European property for whatever
they could obtain, contented with receiving anything for
what they were predetermined to relinquish. 9. Among
the princes who felt and acknowledged this general spirit
•WILLIAM RUFUS.
47
of enterprise, was Robert duke of Normandy. The cru-
sade was entirely adapted to his inclinations and his circum
stances; he was brave, zealous, covetous of glory, poor;
harassed by insurrections, and, what was more than all, na-
turally fond of change. In order therefore to supply money
to defray the necessary charges of so expensive an under-
taking, he offered to mortgage his dukedom in Normandy
to his brother Eufus for a stipulated sum of money. 10.
This sum, which was no greater than ten thousand marks,
was readily promised by Rufus, whose ambition was upon
the watch to seize every advantage.
But though the cession 'of Maine and Normandy greatly
increased the king’s territories, they added but little to his
real power, and his new subjects were composed of men
of independent spirits, more ready to dispute than to obey
his commands. Many were the revolts and insurrec-
tions which he was obliged to quell in person ; and no sooner
was one conspiracy suppressed than another rose to give him
disquietude.
However, Rufus proceeded careless of approbation or
censure ; and continued to extend lais dominions, either by
purchase or conquest. 12. The earl of Poictiers and
G-uienne, inflamed with a desire of going upon the cru-
sade, had gathered an immense multitude for that expedi-
tion, but wanted money to forward his preparations. He
had recourse, therefore, to Rufus, and offered to mortgage
all his dominions, without much considering what would
become of his unhappy subjects that he thus disposed of.
13. The king accepted this offer with his usual avidity,
and had prepared a fleet and an army in order to take pos-
session of the rich provinces thus consigned, to his trust.
But an accident put an end to all his ambitious projects :
he was shot by an arrow that Sir Walter Tyrrel* discharged
at a deer in the New Forest, which, glancing from a . tree, t
struck the king to the heart. 14. He dropped dead instan-
taneously ; while the innocent author of his death, terrified
* A French gentleman, remarkable for his skill in archery,
t It is a no less interesting historical fact, ^ botanical curiosity
abundantly proving the longevity of the oak, that this celebrated tree
now standing, though in the last stage of decay, near Mal«ood Castle,
the centre of the New Forest. It was hrst paled round by an order of
C Th r e e rampart which surrounds the Tower of London and Westimnster
Hall, are the principal monuments which remain f. •’ pf i
the time of his death he was forty-two years of ago, and had leigned
thirteen.
48
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
at the accident, put spurs to his horse, hastened to the sea-
shore, embarked for France, and joined the crusade that was
then setting out for Jerusalem.
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.D.
Victor III 1086
Urban II 1088
Pascal II 1099
Emperors of the East.
A. I).
Alexis 1 1081
Emperor of the West.
Henry IV 1056
King of France.
A.D.
Philip 1 1060
King of Scotland.
Donald VLLL... 1060
EMINENT PERSONS.
Lanfranc and Anselm, archbishops of Canterbury.
Bayeux. Flanxlard, bishop of Durham.
Odo, bishop of
Questions for Examination .
1. Who succeeded William the Conqueror ?
2. By what means did Rufus induce the English to support his interest?
3. How did Robert employ his money ?
6. What was the conduct of the king on the detection of conspiracies
against him ?
7. Relate the origin of the crusades.
9. What is the character of the duke of Normandy !
12. Who offered to mortgage his dominions to Rufus ?
13. What caused the death of Rufus t
henry I.
49
CHAPTER VI.
HENRY I.
Bora 1068. Died December 2d, 1135. Began to reign August 5th, 1100
Reigned 35 years,
Hut who shall teach my harp to gain
A sound of that romantic strain;
Whose Anglo-Norman tones whilere
Could win the royal Henry’s ear? —Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1100.) Henry, sur named Beauclere,* the
late king’s younger brother, who had been hunting in the
New Forest when Rufus was slain, took the earliest ad-
vantage of the occasion, and, hastening to Winchester, re-
solved to secure the royal treasures, which he knew to be
the best assistant in seconding his aims. The barons, as
well as the people, acquiesced in a claim which they were
unprovided to resist, and yielded obedience, from the fear
of immediate danger.
2. Henry, to ingratiate himself with the people, expelled
from court all the ministers of his brother’s debauchery and
arbitrary power. One thing only remained to confirm his
claims without danger of a rival. The English remembered
the Saxon monarchs with gratitude, and beheld them ex-
cluded the throne with regret. 3. There still remained
some of the descendants of that favourite line ; and amonst
others, Matilda the niece of Edgar Atheling; which lady,
having declined all pretension to royalty, was bred in a
convent, and had actually taken the veil. 4. Upon her
Henry first fixed his eyes as a proper consort, by whose
means the long breach between the Saxon and Norman in-
terest would be finally united. It only remained to get over
the scruple of her being a nun ; but this a council devoted
to his interests readily admitted, and Matilda being pro-
nounced free to marry, the nuptials were celebrated with
great pomp and solemnity.!
5. It was at this unfavourable juncture that Robert re-
turned from abroad j and, after taking possession of his
* “Henry was called ‘Beauclere’ from his attention to learning;
he had heard his father say, that ‘ Illiterate kings were little better than
crowned asses,’ and determined not to come under that description. ’
— Camden. - „ ,, , ,
t Queen Matilda was the delight of the English, both on account of
her descent and goodness of heart. To her we owe the firststone arched
bridges England ever possessed ; she built two at Stratford, in Essex,
(thence called De Arcubus, or Le Bow), where she had nearly been
drowned for want of such a convenience.
50
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
native dominions, laid Ms claim to the crown of England.
But proposals for an accommodation being made, it was
stipulated that Robert, upon the payment of a certain sum,
should resign his pretensions to England; and that, if
either of the. princes died without issue, the other should
succeed to his dominions. This treaty being ratified, the
armies on each side were disbanded: and Robert, having
lived two months in the utmost harmony with his brother,
returned in peace to his own dominions.
6. But Robert’s indiscretion soon rendered him unfit to
govern any state ; he was totally averse to business, and
only studious of the more splendid amusements or enjoy-
ments of life. His servants pillaged him without compunc-
tion ; and he is described as lying whole days in bed for
want of clothes of which they had robbed Mm. 7. Hip sub-
jects were treated still more deplorably; for, being under
the command of petty and rapacious tyrants, who plundered
them without mercy, the whole country was become a scene
of violence and depredation. It was in this miserable exi-
gence that the Normans at length had recourse to Henry,
from whose wise administration of his own dominions, they
expected a similitude of prosperity, should he take the
reins of theirs. Henry very readily promised to re-
dress their grievances, as he knew it would be the direct
method to second his own ambition. The year ensuing,
therefore, he landed in Normandy, with a strong army, took
possession of the principal towns; and a battle ensuing,
Robert’s forces were totally overthrown, and he himself
taken prisoner, with nearly ten thousand of his men, and
all the considerable barons who had adhered to his misfor-
tunes. This victory was followed by the final reduction
of Normandy, while Henry returned in triumph to England,
leading with him his captive brother, who, after a life of
bravery, generosity, and truth, now found Mmself deprived,
not only of his patrimony and friends, but also his freedom.
Henry, unmindful of his brother’s former magnammity with
regard to him, detained him a prisoner during the remainder
of Ms life, which was no less than twenty-eight years; and
he died in the castle of Cardiff, GlamorgansMre. 10. It
is even said by some that he was deprived of his sight by
a red-hot copper basin applied to his eyes ; while his brother
attempted to stifle the reproaches of his conscience, by
founding the abbey of Reading, wMch was then considered
a sufficient atonement for every degree of barbarity.
HENRY I.
51
11. Fortune now seemed to smile upon Henry, and pro-
mise a long succession of felicity. He was in peaceable
possession of two powerful states, and had a son, who was
acknowledged his undisputed heir, arrived at his eighteenth
year, whom he loved most tenderly. His daughter Matilda
was also married to the emperor Heni’y V. of Germany,
and she had been sent to that court, while yet but eight years
old, for her education. 12. All his prospects, however,
were at once clouded by unforeseen misfortunes, and acci-
dents, which tinctured his remaining years with misery.
The king, from the facility with which he usurped the
crown, dreading that his family might be subverted with
the same ease, took care to have his son recognized as his
successor by the states of England, and carried him over to
Normandy, to receive the homage of the barons of that
duchy. 13. After performing this requisite ceremony,
Henry, returning triumphantly to England, brought with
him a numerous retinue *of the chief nobility, who seemed
to share in his success. In one of the vessels of the fleet,
his son and several young noblemen, the companions of his
pleasures, went together, to render the passage more agree-
able. The king set sail from Harfleur,* and was soon
carried by a fair wind out of sight of land. 14. The prince
was detained by some accident ; and his sailors, as well as
their captain, Fitz-Stephen, having spent the interval in
drinking, became so disordered, that they ran the ship upon
a rock, and immediately it was dashed to pieces. The
prince was put into the boat and might have escaped, had
he not been called back by the cries of Maud, his natural
sister. He was at first conveyed out of danger himself, but
could not leave a person so dear to perish without an effort
to save her. He therefore prevailed upon the sailors to row
back and take her in. 15. The approach of the boat giving
several others, who had been left upon the wreck, the hopes
of saving their lives, numbers leaped in, and the whole
went to the bottom. About a hundred and forty young
noblemen of the principal families of England and Nor-
mandy, were lost on this occasion. A butcher of Rouen
was the only person on board who escaped ; he clung to
the mast and was taken up the next morning by some fish-
ermen. 16. Fitz-Stephen, the captain, while the butcher
was thus buffeting the waves for his life, swam up to him
and enquired if the prince was yet living ; when being told
* A town of Normandy in France.
52
HISTOET Off ENGLAND
that he had perished, “ then I will not outlive him, said
the captain, and immediately sunk to the bottom. Ihe
shrieks of these unfortunate people were heard, from the
shore, and the noise even reached the king’s ship, but the
cause was then unknown. 17. Henry entertained hopes,
for three days, that his son had put into some distant port
in England; but when certain intelligence of the calamity
was brought to him he fainted away, and was never seen to
smile from that moment till the day of liis death, .which
followed some time after at St. Denis, a little town in Nor-
mandy, from eating too plentifully of lampreys, a dish he
was particularly fond of. He died> in the sixty-seventh
year of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign,, leaving by
will his daughter Matilda heiress of all his dominions.
Questions for Examination.
1. On the death of Rufus, what was the conduct of Henry?
2. What method did Henry take to ingratiate himself in his subjects,
favour?
4. To whom was Henry married?
5. Was there any other claimant to the crown of England?
C, 7. What was the conduct of Robert, at this time, and to what disasters
did it lead?
9. In what way was the captive Robert treated by his brother?
11. What was the situation of Henry at this time ?
12. For what purpose did Henry carry his son to Normandy ?
15. Relate tho fatal accident that befel many of the nobility ?
17. What was the cause of the king’s death?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Pascal II 1099
GelastiusII 1118
Calixtus II 1119
Honorius II 1124
Innocent H 1130
Emperors of the East.
Alexis 1 1081
A.D.
John Comnenus.. 1118
Emperors of the West.
Henry IV 1056
Henry V 1106
Lotharius 1125
Kings of France.
Philip 1 1060
A.D.
Louis IY 1108
Kings of Scotland.
Donald Vin 1068
Edgar. 1108
Alexander 1117
David 1124
EMINENT PERSONS.
Anselm and Radulph, archbishops of Canterbury. William Crito, son
of duke Robert of Normandy. Robert earl of Shrewsbury. Tho
Empress Matilda.*
* She was fhe only daughter and surviving legitimate child of Henry •
ehe was married to Henry V. emperorof Germany, but having become a
widow in the year 1126, she returned to her father’s court and continued to
receive the honorary title of empress. In the following year Henry, while
STEPHEN.
53
CHAPTER VII.
STEPHEN.
Bom 1104. Died Oct. 25th, 1154. Began to reign Dec. 26, 1135. Reigned
18f years.
Contending armies now for empire fight.
And civil war distracts Britannia’s isle;
Matilda now asserts her regal right, —
-Now dauntless Stephen’s causo is seen to smile.
Thus mad ambition prompts to desperate deeds.
And, for a phantom, thus a nation bleeds.— Macdcmald
1. (A. D. 1135.) No sooner was the king known to be
dead, than Stephen, son of Adela, the king’s sister, and the
count of Blois,* conscious of his own power and influence,
resolved to secure himself the possession of what he so long
desired. He speedily hastened from Normandy, and, ar-
riving at London, was immediately saluted king by all the
lower ranks of people. 2. Being thus secure of the peo-
ple, his next step was to gain over the clergy ; and, for that
purpose, his brother, the bishop of Winchester, exerted all
his influence among them with great success.! Thus was
Stephen made king by one of those speedy revolutions
which ever mark the barbarity of a State in which they are
customary.
3. The first acts of a usurper are always popular. Ste-
phen, in order to secure his tottering throne, passed a char-
ter granting several privileges to the different orders of the
state : — To the nobility a permission to hunt in their own
forests; to the clergy, a speedy filling of all vacant bene-
fices; and to the people, a restoration of the laws of Ed-
ward the Confessor. To fix himself still more securely,
he took possession of the royal treasures at Winchester,
and had his title ratified by the pope with a part of the
money.
4. It was not long, however, that Matilda delayed assert-
ing her claim to the crown. She landed upon the coast of
inNormandy, became attached to GeoffryMartel.tbe young countof Anjou,
who had changed his name to Flantagenet, from his custom of wearing in
his helmet a bunch of flowering broom ( plante-de-genet ,) instead of a
plume ; not content with becoming his godfather in chilvary, the king re-
solved that Matildashould receive the young count of Anjcu as her second
husband. This marriage was contracted without the conseutof the estates
of the realms of England and N ormandy ; being therefore deemed illegal,
it afforded Stephen a pretext for usurping the throne. — William, of
Malmesbury.
* A city, of France.
t “Stephen was a man of great facetiousness, and much of his
success is to be imputed to the familiar pleasantry of his conversation,—
William of Malmesbury.
54
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Sussex, assisted by Robert, earl of Gloucester, natural son
of the late king. The whole of Matilda’s retinue upon
this occasion amounted to no more than one hundred and
forty knights, who immediately took possession of Arundel
castle ; but the nature of her claim soon increased the num-
ber of her partisans, and her forces every day seemed to
gain ground upon those of her antagonist. 5. Meantime
Stephen being assured of her arrival, flew to besiege Arun-
del, where she had taken refuge, and where she was pro-
tected by the queen dowager, who secretly favoured her
pretensions. This fortress was too feeble to promise a long
defence ; and would have soon been taken had it not been
represented to the king, that as it was a castle belonging to
the queen dowager, it would be an infringement on the re-
spect due to her to attempt taking it by force.
6. There was a spirit of generosity mixed with the rude-
ness of the times that unaccountably prevailed in many
transactions. Stephen permitted Matilda to come forth in
safety, and had her conveyed with security to Bristol,
another fortress equally strong with that from which he
permitted her to retire. 7. It would be tedious to relate the
various skirmishes on either side, in pursuance of their re-
spective pretensions ; it will suffice to say that Matilda’s
forces increased every day, while her antagonist seemed
every hour to become weaker ; and a victory gained by the
queen threw Stephen from the throne into a prison, and
exalted Matilda in his room. Matilda was crowned at
Winchester with all imaginable solemnity.
8. Matilda, however, was unfit for government. She
affected to treat the. nobility- with a degree of disdain to
which they had long been unaccustomed ; so that the fickle
nation once more began to pity their deposed king, and
repent the steps they had taken in her favour. The bishop
of Winchester was not remiss in fomenting these discon-
tents; and when he found the people ripe for a tumult,
detached a party of his friends and vassals to block up the
city of London, where the queen then resided. At the
same time measures were taken to instigate the Londoners
to a revolt, and to seize her person. Matilda, having timely
notice of this conspiracy, fled to Winchester, whither the
bishop, still- her secret enemy, followed her, watching an
opportunity to ruin her cause. His party was soon suf
ficiently strong to bid the queen open defiance, and to be-
siege her in the very place where she first received b|s
STEPHEN'
55
Imprisonment of King Stephen.
benediction. 10. There she continued for some time ; but
the town being pressed by a famine, she was obliged to
escape; while her brother, the earl of Gloucester, endea-
vouring to follow, was taken prisoner, and exchanged for
Stephen, who still continued a captive. Thus a sudden
revolution once more took place ; Matilda was deposed, and
obliged to seek for safety in Oxford. Stephen was again
recognised as the king, and taken- from his dungeon to be
replaced on the throne.
11. But he was now to enter the lists with a new op-
poser, who was every day coming to maturity, and growing
more formidable. This was Henry, the son of Matilda,
who had now reached his sixteenth year; and gave the
greatest hopes of being one day a valiant leader and a con-
summate politician.
12. With the wishes of the people in his favour young
Senry was resolved to claim his hereditary -kingdom, and
<o dispute once more Stephen’s usurped pretensions; he ac-
cordingly made an invasion on England, where he was iin.
mediately joined by almost all the barons of the kingdom.
13. In the meantime, Stephen, alarmed at the power
and popularity of his young rival, tried every method to
anticipate the purpose of an invasion ; but finding it im
possible to turn the torrent, he was obliged to have recourse
to treaty. It was, therefore, agreed, by all parties, that
Stephen should reign during his life; and that justice should
56
Distort of England
1JS £d5ufii#t$Fed \h his name ; that Henry should, on Ste-
phen’s death, succeed to the kingdom; and William, Ste-
phen’s son, should inherit Boulogne and his patrimonial
estate. 14. After all the barons had sworn to this treaty,
which filled the whole kingdom with joy, Henry evacuated
England ; and Stephen returned to the peaceful enjoyment
of his throne. His reign, however, was soon after termi-
nated by his death, which happened about a year after the
treaty at Canterbury, where he was interred.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who succeeded Henry the first ?
2. What measures were taken to secure the throne ?
3. What were the first acts of Stephen ?
4. Was there no opposition to Stephen ?
6. What was Stephen's conduct towards Matilda ?
7. Did Matilda succeed in recovering the throne ? 1
8. Had Matilda’s conduct any serious consequences ?
10. Whither did Matilda flee for safety ?
In what manner did she escape ?
11. Had Stephen any new opposer ?
12. Who joined Henry when he invaded England T
13. Of what nature was the treaty between the two parties ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Celestinell 1143
Lucius II 1144
Eugenius III .... 1145
AnastasiusIV.... 1153
Adrian IV 1154
Emperors of the East.
John Comnfenus. 1118
A.D.
Man. Comnenus. 1143
Emperors of the West.
Lothaire II 1125
Conrad III 1138
Frederic 1 1152
Kings of Fra/nce.
A.D,
Louis VI 1108
Louis VII 1137
King of Scotland.
David 1 1124
EMINENT PERSONS.
John of Salisbury, Henry of Huntingdon, Roger de Hoveden, GeofFry
of Monmouth (historians) ; Curboil and Theobald, archbishops of
Canterbury; Thurston, archbishop of York, and lieutenant to the king
who appointed Ralph, bishop of Durham, his general against the
Scots; Robert, earl of Gloucester; Ranulph, earl of Chester.
HENRY H.
67
CHAPTER VIII.
HENRY n.
Born 1132. Died July 6th, 1189. Bogan to reign Dec. 8th, 1154* Reigned
34] years.
SECTION I.
Piantagenet, from civil broils
The .and awhile respired, and all was peace;
Then Becket rose, and, impotent of mind,
Bid murd'rous priests the sov'reign frown contemn,
And with unhallowed crozier, bruised the crown. — Shenstme.
1. (A. D. 1155.) The first act of Henry’s government
gave the people a happy omen of his future wise adminis-
tration. Conscious of his power, he began to correct those
abuses, and to resume those privileges, which had been
extorted from the weakness or the credulity of his pre-
decessors. He immediately dismissed those mercenary
soldiers who committed infinite disorders in the nation.
2. He resumed many of those benefactions which had been
made to churches and monasteries in the former reigns.
He gave charters to several towns, by which the citizens
claimed their freedom and privileges, independent of any
superior but himself. These charters were the ground-
work of English liberty. The struggles which had before
this time been, whether the king, or the barons, or the
clergy, should be despotic over the people, now began to
assume a new aspect; and a fourth order, namely, that of
the more opulent of the people, began to claim a share in
administration. Thus was the feudal government first
impaired; and liberty began to be more equally diffused
throughout the nation.
4. Henry being thus become the most powerful prince
of his age, the undisputed monarch of England, possessed
of more than a third of France, and having humbled the
barorfs that would circumscribe hiz power, he might na-
turally be expected to reign with very little opposition lor the
future. But it happened otherwise. He found the severest
mortifications from a quarter where he least expected
resistance.
5. The famous Thomas a Becket, the firs! man of Eng-
lish extraction who had, since the Norman conquest, risen to
any share of power, was the son of a citizen of London.
* He was on the continent at thetime of Stephen^ death, and the com-
mencement of bis reign is dated from the day of bislaoding in England.
58
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Having received his early education in the schools of that
metropolis, he resided sometime at Paris; and, on his
return, became clerk in the Sheriff’’ s office. From that
humble station he rose, through the gradations of office,
until at last he was made archbishop of Canterbury a
d'gnity second only to that of the king.*
5. No sooner was he fixed in this high station, which
rendered him for life the second person in the kingdom, than
he endeavoured to retrieve the character of sanctity
which his former levities might have appeared to oppose.
He was in his person the most mortified man that could
be seen. He wore sackcloth next to his skin. He changed
it so seldom, that it was filled with dirt and vermin. His
usual diet was bread ; his drink water, which he rendered
farther unpalatable by the mixture of unsavory herbs.
7. His back was mangled with frequent discipline. He
every day washed on his knees the feet of thirteen beggars.
Thus pretending to sanctity, he set up for being a defender of
the privileges of the clergy, which had for a long time
been enormous, and which it was Henry’s aim to abridge.
8. An opportunity soon offered, and gave him a popular
pretext for beginning his intended reformation. A man in
holy orders had debauched the daughter of a gentleman
in Worcestershire ; and then murdered the father to prevent
* The parentage of this extraordinary man was truly romantic. Hie fa-
ther, Gilbert Beck, or Becket, while serving as a private soldier in Pales-
tine, was taken prisoner by a Saracen chief. He had the good fortune to
engage the affections of his master’s daughter, and by her aid made his
escape. She soon after took thcdesperate resolution of quitting her home
and country in search of the object of her love, and though the only two
words of any western language which she knew were London and Gilbert
6et out for Europe. By the aid of tlieformer word she secured a passage on
board an English vessel : and when she was landed on the bank3 of the
Thames, she ran from street to street, calling out the latter name until
chance brought her iutothe presenceof Gilbert himself. The strangeness
of the event excited universal attention, and the young Saracen, after
being baptized by the Christian name of Matilda, became the wife of
Gilbert Becket. Thomas was their eldest son, and was educated in all the
learning and accomplishments of the age. He was in early life taken under
the patronage of Thibaut or Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury, and by
the favour of that prelate was permitted to enjoy indulgences which the
Norman conquerors had prohibited to all of Saxon descent. During the
reign of Stephen, Becket and his patron were warm supporters of Henry ’s
claim to the English Crown, and in consequence he was rewarded atthe
commencement of the new reign with the high office of chancellor ot
England. In this situation he was distinguished by his zeal in defence of
the royal prerogative, and by the extravagant pomp and luxury of his est-
ablishment. Henry, believing that the companion of his games, his wars,
and even his debaucheries, would be subservient to his desires oflimiting
the power of the church, elevated Becket to the see of Canterbury, but
found, too late, that he had only given to the holy see a zealous champion,
and to himself a dangerous antagonist. '
HENRY II.
59
the effects of his resentment. The atrociousness of the
crime produced a, spirit of indignation among the people-
and the king insisted that the assassin should be tried bv the
onheThurch te ' ThiS BeCkCt OPPOSed, allegkg the P ri ^ges
9. In order to determine this matter, the king summoned a
general council of the nobility and prelates at Clarendon
to whom he submitted this great and important affair, and
desired their concurrence. These councils seem at that
time convened rather to give authenticity to the king’s decrees
than to enact laws that were to bind their posterity. A
number of regulations were then drawn up which were
afterwards well known under the title of the Constitutions
of Clarendon, and were then voted without opposition.
10. By these regulations it was enacted, that clergymen
accused of any crime should be tried in the civil courts •
that laymen should not be tried in the spiritual courts’
except by legal and reputable witnesses. These, with some
others of less consequence, or implied in the above, to the
number of sixteen, were readily subscribed to by all the
bishops present : Becket himself, who at first showed some
reluctance, added his name to the number. But Alexander
who was then pope, condemned them in the strongest
terms ; abrogated, annulled, and rejected them.
11. This produced a contest between the king and Becket,
who, having attained the highest honours the monarch
could bestow, took part with his holiness. In the midst
of this dispute, Becket, with an intrepidity peculiar to
himself arraying himself in his episcopal vestments, and
with the cross in his hand, went forward to the king's
palace, and, entering the royal apartments, sat down, holding
up his cross as his banner of protection. 12. There
he put himself in the most solemn manner, under the protec-
tion of the supreme pontiff; and, upon receiving a refusal
of permission to leave the kingdom, he secretly withdrew
in disguise, and at last found means to cross over to the
continent.
The intrepidity of Becket, joined to his apparent sanctity,
gained him a favorable reception upon the continent, both
from the people and the governors.
13. The pope and he were not remiss to retort their fulm’u-
ations, and to shake the very foundation of the king's
authority. Becket compared himself to Christ, who had
been condemned by a lay tribunal, and who was crucified
60
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
anew in the present oppressions, under which the ohurch
labored. But he did not, rest in complaints only. ^14. He
issued out a censure, excommunicating the king’s chief
ministers- by name, all that were concerned in sequestering
the revenues of his see, and all who obeyed or favoured the
constitutions of Clarendon.
Frequent attempts indeed were made towards an accom-
modation: but the mutual jealousies which each bore the
other, and their anxiety not to lose the least advantage in the
negociation, often protracted this desirable treaty.
Questions for Examination.
1. What were the first acts of Henry's power?
2. What was the ground- work of English liberty?
4. Describe the possessions of Henry at this time?
6. Who was Thomas k Becket?
How did he rise to be archbishop of Canterbury?
6. What was the character and manner of life of Becket?
9. What proceeding took place at the council of Clarendon?
10. What were these regulations?
11. 12. Describe Becket’s conduct in the king’s palace.
13. To whom did Becket compare himself? and why?
14. How did Becket act?
SECTION n.
Still must that tongue some wounding message bring.
And still thy priestly pride provoke thy king. — Pope.
1. (A. D.) 1170. At length, however, the mutual aim
of both made a reconciliation necessary ; but nothing could
exceed the insolence with which Becket conducted himself
upon his first landing in England. Instead of retiring
quietly to his diocese, with that modesty which became a
man just pardoned by his king, he made a progress through
Kent, in all the splendour and magnificence of a sovereign
pontiff. 2. As he approached Southwark, the clergy, the
laity, men of all ranks and ages, came forth to meet him, and
celebrated his triumphal entry with hymns of joy. Thus
confident of the voice and hearts of the people, he began
to launch forth his thunders against those who had been,
his former opposers. The archbishop of York, who had
crowned Henry’s eldest son in his absence, was the first
against whom he denounced sentence of suspension. 2.
The bishops of London and Salisbury he actually excom-
municated. One man he excommunicated for having spoken
against him; and another for having cut off the tail of
one of his horses.
HENBT n.
61
Death of Thomas k Becket, j
Henry was then in Normandy, while the primate was
thus triumpliantly parading through the kingdom; and it
was not without the utmost indignation that he received
information of his turbulent insolence. 4. When the sus-
pended and excommunicated prelates arrived with their
complaints, his anger knew no bounds. He broke forth
into the most acrimonious expressions against that arrogant
churchman, whom he had raised from the lowest station to
be the plague of his life, and the continual disturber of his
government. The archbishop of York remarked to him,
that so long as Becket lived, he could never expect to enjoy
peace or tranquillity : and the king himself burst out into
an exclamation, that he had no friends about him, or he
would not so long have been exposed to the insults of that
ungrateful hypocrite.* 5. These words excited the atten-
tion of the whole court, and armed four of his resolute
attendants to gratify their monarch’s secret inclination.
The conspirators being joined by some assistants at the
place of their meeting, proceeded to Canterbury with all
that haste their bloody intentions required. 6. Advancing
* The words made use of by the king on this occasion are said to be
as follow: — “ ‘ Is there not one of the crew of lazy, cowardly knights,
whom I maintain, that will i*id me of this turbulent priest, who came
to court but t’other day on a lame horse, with nothing but his wallet
behind him?’ This speech unfortunately animated to action Reginald
Fitzurse, William do Tracy, Hugh de Morvil, and Richard Brito.”—
Bering ton’s Life of Thomas d Becket,
62
History op England.
directly to Becket’s house, and entering his apartment, they
reproached him very fiercely for the rashness and insolence
of his conduct. During the altercation, the time approached
for Becket to assist at vespers, whither he went unguarded,
the conspirators following, ^ and preparing for their attempt.
7. As soon as he reached the altar, where it is just to think
he aspired to the glory of martyrdom, they all fell upon
him ; and having cloven his head with repeated blows he
dropped down dead before the altar of St. Benedict,* which
was besmeared with his blood and brains.
8. Nothing could exceed the king’s consternation upon
receiving the first news 'of this prelate’s catastrophe. He
was instantly sensible that the murder would be ultimately
imputed to him : and, at length, in order to divert the minds
of the people to a different object, he undertook an expedi-
tion to Ireland. A. D. 1172.
9. Ireland was at that time in pretty much the same
situation that England had been after the first invasion of
the Saxons. They had been early converted to Christianity ;
and for three or four centuries after possessed a very large
proportion of the learning of the times. Being undisturbed
by foreign invasions, and perhaps too poor to invite the ra-
pacity of conquerors, they enjoyed a peaceful life, which
they gave up to piety, and such learning as was then thought
necessary to promote it. 10. Of their learning, their arts,
their piety, and even their polished manners, too many
monuments remain to this day for us to make the least
doubt concerning them ; but it is equally true, that in time
they fell from these advantages : their degenerate posterity,
at the period we are now speaking of, were wrapped in the
darkest barbarity.
11. At the time when Henry first planned the invasion
of the island, it was divided into five principalities ; namely,
Leinster, Meath, Munster, Ulster, and Connaught; each
governed by its respective monarch. As it has been usual
for one or other of those to take the lead in the wars, he
was denominated sole monarch of the kingdom, and pos-
sessed of power resembling that of the early Saxon mon-
archs in England. Roderic O’Connor, king of Connaught,
was then advanced to this dignity, and Dermot MAIorrough,
was king of Leinster. 12. This last-named prince, a weak,
licentious, tyrant, had carried off the daughter of the king of
* St. Benedict, the founder of the religious order which bears his name,
was born in Italy about the year 480, aDd early embraced a solitary life
HENRY II
63
Meath, who, being strengthened by the alliance of the king
of Connaught, invaded Dermot’ s dominions, and expelled
him from his kingdom. The prince, thus justly punished,
had recourse to Henry, who was at that time in Guienne ;
and offered to hold his kingdom of the English crown, in
case he recovered it by the king’s assistance. 13. Henry
readily accepted the offer ; but being at that time embarrass-
ed by more near interests, he only gave to Dermot letters pa-
tent, by which he empowered all his subjects to aid the Irish
prince in the recovery of his dominions. Dermot, relying
on this authority, returned to Bristol, where, after some dif
fieulty, he formed a treaty with Richard, surnamed Strong-
bow, earl of Pembroke, who agreed to reinstate him in his
dominions, upon condition of his being married to his
daughter Eva, and declared heir of all his territory. 14.
Being thus assured of assistance, he returned privately to
Ireland, and concealed himself during the winter in the
monastery of Ferns, which he had founded. Robert Fitz-
stephens was the first knight who was able, in the ensuing
spring, to fulfil his engagements, by landing with a hundred
and thirty knights, sixty esquires, and three hundred arch-
ers. 15. They were soon after joined by Maurice Pender-
gast, who, about the same time, brought over ten knights and
sixty archers; and with this small body of forces they re-
solved on besieging Wexford, which was to be theirs by
treaty. The town was quickly reduced; and the adven-
turers being reinforced by another body of men to the amount
of a hundred and fifty, under the command of Maurice Fitz-
gerald, composed an army that struck the barbarous natives
with awe. 16. Roderic, the chief monarch of the island,
ventured to oppose them, but he was defeated ; and soon
after the prince of Ossory was obliged to submit, and give
hostages for his future conduct.
17. Dermot being thus reinstated in his hereditary do-
minions, soon began to conceive hopes of extending the limits
of his power, and making himself master of Ireland. With
these views he endeavoured to expedite Strongbow, who,
being personally prohibited by the king, was not yet come
over. Dermot tried to inflame his ambition by the glory of
the conquest, and his avarice by the advantages it would
procure. He expatiated on the cowardice of the natives,
and the certainty of his success. 18. Strongbow first sent
over Raymond, one of his retinue, with ten knights and
seventy archers ; and receiving permission shortly after tor
64
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
himself, he landed with two hundred horse and a hundred
archers. All these English forces now joining together,
became irresistible ; and though the whole number did not
amount to a thousand, yet such was the barbarous state of
the natives, that they were every where put to the rout. The
city of Waterford quickly surrendered; Dublin was taken
by assault; and Strongbow soon after marrying Eva, accord-
ing to treaty, became master of the kingdom of Leinster
upon Dermot’s decease.
19. The island being thus in a manner wholly subdued,
for nothing was capable of opposing the further progress of
the English arms, Henry became willing to share in person
these honours which the adventurers had already secured.
20. He, therefore, shortly after landed in Ireland, at the
head of five hundred knights and some soldiers; not sc
much to conquer a disputed territory, as to take possession
of a kingdom. Thu3 after a trifling effort, in which very
little money was expended, and little blood shed, that beau-
tiful island became, as it still continues to be, an appendage
to the British crown.
Questions for Examination.
2. 3. How did Becket conduct himself on his return to England?
4. Inwhat manner did Henryreceive the complaints of Beckct’6insolence?
5. 6. What was the consequence of Henry’s resentment?
7. By what means did Henry divert the minds of the people ?
9. 10. What was the situation of Ireland at this time?
11. By whom was it governed ?
12. What occasioned the interference of Henry?
13. What followed this interference? '
15 What further means were taken to subdue Ireland?
18. What was the success of the English on their invading Ireland?
20. For what purpose did Henry go to Ireland ?
SECTION III.
A maid unmatch'd in manners as in face.
Skill’d in each airt, and crown'd with every grace. Pope.
1. (A. D. 1173.) The joy which this conquest diffused
was very great ; but troubles of a domestic nature served to
j^nder the remainder of Henry’s life a scene of turbulence
and disquietude.
. Young Harry, the king’s eldest son, was taught to believe
himself injured, when, upon being crowned as partner in
the kingdom, he was not admitted into a share of the admin-
istration. 2. His discontents were shared by his brothers
Geoffrey and Richard, whom the queen persuaded to assert
HENRY II,
65
Henry II. on his pilgrimage to Canterbury.
"their titles to the territories assigned them. Queen Eleanor
herself was meditating an escape to the court of France
whither her sons had retired, and had put on man’s apparel
for that purpose, when she was seized by the king’s order
and put in confinement. 3. Thus Henry saw all his long
perspective of future happiness totally clouded ; his sons
scarcely yet arrived at manhood, eager to share tne spoils of
their father’s possessions; his queen warmly encouraging
these undutiful princes in their rebellion ; and many poten-
tates of Europe not ashamed to lead them assistance to sup-
port these pretensions.
4. It was not long before the young princes had sufficient
influence upon the continent to raise a powerful confederacy
in their favour. Henry, therefore, knowing the influence of
superstition over the minds of the people, and perhaps ap-
prehensive that a part of his troubles arose from the displea-
sure of heaven, resolved to do penance at the shrine of St.
Thomas, at Canterbury, for that was the name given to
Beeket upon his canonization. As soon as he came within
sight of the church of Canterbury, alighting from his horse,
he walked barefoot towards the town, and prostrated himself
before the shrine* of the saint. , Next day he received abso-
lution; and, departing for London, was acquainted with the
* Here he was scourged by the monks, and passed the whole day and
qight fasting on the bare stones.
66
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
agreeable news of a victory over the Scots, obtained on Che
very day ofhis absolution.
5. From that time Henry’s affairs began to we^r a better
aspect : the barons, who had revolted, or were preparing for
a revolt, made instant submission; they delivered up their
castles to the victor; and England, in a few weeks, was
restored to perfect tranquillity. 6. Young Henry, who was
ready to embark with a large army, to second the efforts of
the English insurgents, finding all disturbances quieted at
home, abandoned all thoughts of the expedition. This
prince died soon after, in the twenty-sixth year of his age,
of a fever, at- Martel, not without the deepest remorse for
his undutiful conduct towards his father.
7 . As this prince left no posterity, Richard was become
heir in his room; and he soon discovered the same ardent
ambition that had misled his elder brother. A crusade hav-
ing been once more projected, Richard, who had long wished
to have all the glory of such an expedition to himself, and
who could not bear to have even his father a partner in his
victories, entered into a confederacy with the king of France,
who promised to confirm him in those wishes at which
he so ardently aspired. 8. By this, Henry found himself
obliged to give up all hopes of taking the cross, and com-
pelled to enter upon a war with France and his eldest son,
who were unnaturally leagued against him.
9. At last, however, a treaty was concluded, in which he
was obliged to submit to many mortifying concessions : but
still more so, when, upon demanding a list of the barons
that it was stipulated he should pardon, he found his son
John, his favourite child, among the number. He had long
borne an infirm state of body with calm resignation. He
had seen his children rebel without much emotion ; but
when he saw that child, whose interest always lay next to
his heart, among the number of those who were in rebellion
against him, he could no longer contain his indignation. He
broke out into expressions of the utmost despair ; cursed the
day on which he had received his miserable being; and
bestowed on his ungrateful children a malediction, which he
never after could be prevailed upon to retract. 10. The
more his heart was disposed to friendship and affection, the
more he resented this barbarous return ; and now not having
one corner in his heart where he could look for comfort or
fly for refuge fr om his conflicting passions, he. lost all his
former vivacity. A lingering fever, caused by a broken
HENRY II.
67
heart, soon after terminated his life and his miseries. He died
at the castle of the Chinon, near Saumur, in the fifty-eighth
year of his age, and in the thirty-fifth of his reign, in the
course of which he displayed all the abilities of a politician,
all the sagacity of a legislator, and all the magnanimity of a
hero; sullied, however, by many instances of cruelty ,and
perfidy, which were too commonly the characteristics of all
the Plantagenets.
Questions for Examination.
2. By what means did Eleanor endeavour to escape?
way were Henry’s prospects of future happiness clouded?
4. What was the penance performed by Henry?
5. At what time did the affairs of Henry wear a better aspect?
6. Who endeavoured to assist the insurgents?
7. Did another of Henry’s sons enter into a conspiracy? and what was
the consequence?
8. What were the misfortunes which led Henry to curse the day of his
birth, and to bestow a malediction on his children?
10. What caused the death of Henry?
What was his character?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Adrian IV*. .... . 1154
Alexander HI . . . 1159
Lucius III 1181
Urban III 1185
Gregory Yin 1187
Clement HI 1188
Emperors of the East.
Man. Comnenus.. 1113
Alexis II 1180
AndronicusI 1183
A.D.
Isaac Angelus — 1185
Emperor of the West.
Frederick I 1152
Kings of France.
Louis VH 1137
Philip Augustus.. llgO
Kings of Portugal.
Alphonso 1102
A r ).
Saucho I J I.S5
King of Denmark.
Waldemarl.f 1157
Kings of Scotland.
David 1 1124
Malcolm IV 1153
Wdliam 1105
EMINENT PERSONS.
Theobold, B’ecket, Richard, and Baldwin, archbishops of Canterbury;
Strongbow, earl of Pembroke ; William Longsword, earl of Salisbury ;
Geoffrey, archbishop of York; and Morgan, bishop of Durham— natural
sons of the king — tho two former by fair Rosamond, the latter bv a
daughter of Sir Ralph Blewet. Hugh Lacy, and Ralph de Glanville,
lusticiaries of Ireland and England. Bertrand de Boru.J
* Pope Adrian was an Englishman, by name Nicholas Breakspear; he
was choked by a fly in the filth year of his popedom. — Med. Mist. August.
t The regular succession and history of Denmark do not properly
commence till the accession of Waldemar I. (called the Great), who
considerably enlarged and civilized tho country.
t Though not properly a subject of the British crown, this extraordi-
nary man exercised no little influence on the fortunes of Henry, lie was
lord ofasmall territory lying between the continental possossionsofHenry
and France : he saw that his only hope of retaining independence rested
on the continued hostility of these great powers, and used all his efforts
68 i
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
CHAPTER IX.
RICHARD I.
Bom 1157. Died April 6th, 1199. Began to reign August 13, 1189. Reigned
9J years.
Against whose fury and unmatched force
The aweless lion could not wage the fight,
Nor keep his princely heart from Richard’s hand. — Snalcspeare'.
1. (A. D. 1189.) Richard, surnamed Cceur de Lion ,
upon liis ascending the throne, was still inflamed with the
desire of going upon the crusade : and at length the king
having got a sufficient supply for his undertaking, having
even sold his superiority over the kingdom of Scotland,
which had been acquired in the last reign, for a moderate
sum, he set out for the Holy Land, whither he was impelled
by repeated messages from king Philip H. of France, who
w as ready to embark in the same enterprise.
2. The first place of rendezvous for the two armies ol
England and France, was the plain of Yevelay, on the
borders of Burgundy; where, when Richard and Philip
arrived, they found their armies amounting to a hundred
thousand fighting men. Here the French prince and the
English entered into the most solemn engagements of mu-
tual support, and determined to conduct the armies to the
Holy Land by Sea ; they were obliged, however, by stress
of weather, to take shelter at Messina,* the capital of Sicily,
where they were detained during the whole winter. 3.
Richard took up his quarters in the suburbs, and possessed
himself of a small fort, which commanded the harbour.
Philip quartered liis troops in the town, and lived upon good
terms with the Sicilian king.
to keep them constantly at war. Being both a politician and a poet,
ho exaggerated the causes of quarrel which constantly arise between
adjoining states, and in bitter satires alternately reproached each gov-
ernment with cowardly submission to its rival. " lie stimulated the sons
of Henry to make war against tln ir hither, and young Henry especially
was chiefly urged into the field by the satirical verses of Boru. After
the death ot the young prince, Henry besieged Bertrand’s castle and
made him prisoner. When brought into the monarch’s presence, the
king sarcastically said to his captive, “ I think, Bertrand, thy wit has
tailed thee.” “ Yes, my lord,” replied Bertrand, ” it tailed me on the
day that the valiant young king, y< ur son, expired : on that day I lost
sense, wit, and knowledge.” Struck at the unexpected mention of his
son’s name, tho king fainted, and on his recovery granted Bertrand a
full pardon. — History of ihc Troubadours.
~ This place suffered much by an earthquake in 1783. It is famous for
its wines, and is the iincst harbour in the Mediterranean.
RICHARD I.
69
Manj were, the mistrusts and the mutual conciliations
between these two monarchs, which were very probably
inflamed by the Sicilian Icing’s endeavours. At length,
however, having settled all controversies, they set sail 1 >r
the Holy Land, where the French arrived long before the
English.
4. Upon the arrival of the English army in Palestine,
however, fortune was seen to declare more openly in favour
of the common cause. The French and English princes
seemed to forget their secret jealousies, and to act in concert.
But shortly after, Philip, from the bad state of his health,
returned to France, leaving Richard ten thousand of his
troops, under the command of the duke of Burgundy. 5.
Richard, now left conductor of the war, went on from vic-
tory to victory. The Christian adventurers, under his com-
mand, determined to besiege the renowned city of Ascalon,
in order to prepare the way for attacking Jerusalem with
greater advantage. Saladin, the most heroic of the Saracen
monarchs, was resolved to dispute their march, and placed
himself upon the road with an army of three hundred thou-
sand men. This was a day equal to Richard’s wishes;
this an enemy worthy his highest ambition. 6. The Eng-
lish crusaders were victorious. Richard, when the wings
of his army were defeated, led on the main body in person,
and restored the battle. The Saracens fled in the utmost
confusion, and no less than forty thousand of their number
perished on the field of battle.* Ascalon soon surrendered
after this victory ; other cities of less note followed the ex-
ample ; Richard was at last able to advance within sight of
Jerusalem, the object of his long and ardent expectations.
7. But just at this glorious juncture, his ambition was to
suffer a total overthrow; upon reviewing his forces, and
considering his abilities to prosesute the siege, he found that
his army was so wasted with famine, fatigue, and even vic-
tory, that they were neither able nor willing to second the
* So celebrated was the courage of the English king, even in the enemy 's
army, and so dreaded was his name, that the Saracens would say to their
restive horses, “What do you start at? do you think you see king
Richard?” Nor was his zealous industry less remarkable than his cou-
rage. To encourage tho soldiers in repairing the ruined walls of Acre,
Coeur de Lion not only laboured in person, but appointed hours for
other leaders to work at the head of their men. All cheerfully obeyed,
except the duke of Austria, who sent word that his father having been
neither bricklayer nor mason, he had not learned either business. The
English king hearing this insolent speech repeated to his face by the
haughty duke, kicked him out of his tent, and ordered his banner to be
disgraced. — Brampton.
70
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
views of their commander. 8. It appeared, therefore, abso-
lutely necessary to come to an accommodation with Saladin,
and a truce for three years was accordingly concluded; in
which it was agreed, that the sea-port towns o'l Palestine
should remain in the hands of the Christians ; &nd that all
of that religion should be permitted to make their pilgrimage
to Jerusalem in perfect security.*
9. Richard having thus concluded his expedition with
more glory than advantage, began to think of returning
home ; but being obliged to return through Germany, in the
habit of a pilgrim, lie was arrested by Leopold, duke of
Austria, who commanded him to be imprisoned, and loaded
with shackles, to the disgrace of honour and humanity. The
emperor soon after required the prisoner to be delivered up.
to him, and stipulated a large sum of money to the duke as
a reward of his services. 10. Thus, the king of England,
who had long filled the world with his fame, was basely
thrown into a dungeon, and loaded with irons, by those who
expected to reap a sordid advantage from his misfortunes.
It was a long time before his subjects in England knew
what was become of their beloved monarch. 11. So little
intercourse was there between different nations at that time,
that this discovery is said by some to have been made by a
poor French minstrel, who, playing upon his harp, near
the fortress in which Richard was confined, a tune which
lie knew that unhappy monarch was fond ofj he was an-
swered by the king from within, who, with his harp, played
the same tune, and thus discovered the place of his confine-
ment.
12. However, the English at length prevailed upon this
barbarous monarch, who now saw that he could no longer
detain his prisoner, to listen to terms of accommodation. A
ransom was agreed upon, which amounted to a hundred and
fifty thousand marks, or one hundred thousand pounds of
our money, upon the payment of which, Richard was once
more restored to his expecting subjects.
13. Nothing could exceed the joy of the English upon
seeing their monarch return, after all his achievements and
sufferings.
* There was a magnanimity and generosity in Saladin rarely seen. It
is recorded, that once during this campaign, Richard was dangerously
sick, and his disorder requiring fresh fruit, and snow to render it cool
the generous Saracen sent both in profusion, and thus saved the life of
the only foe he dreaded.— ( Vita Saladina.)
RICHARD I.
71
He made his entry into London in triumph; and such
was the profusion of wealth shown by the citizens, that the
German lords who attended him were heard to say, that
if the emperor had known of their affluence he would not
so easily have parted with their king, He soon after ordered
himself to be crowned anew at Winchester. He convoked
a general council at Nottingham, at which he confiscated all
his brother John’s possessions, who had basely endeavoured
to prolong his captivity and gone over to the king of France
with that intent. However he pardoned him soon after,
with this generous remark: “I wish I could as easily for-
get my brother’s offence as he will my pardon.”
14. Richard’s death was occasioned by a singular acci-
dent. A vassal of the crown had taken possession of a
treasure, which was found by one of the peasants in dig-
ging a field in France ; and to secure the remainder, he sent
part of it to the king. Richard, as superior lord, sensible
that he had a right to the' whole, insisted on its being sent
to him ; and upon refusal, attacked the castle of Chalus,
where he understood this treasure had been deposited. 15.
On the fourth day of the siege, as he was riding round the
place to observe where the assault might be given with the
fairest probability of success, he was aimed at by Bertrand
de Goiirdon, an archer from the castle, and pierced in the
shoulder with an arrow. The wound was not in itself dan-
gerous; but an unskilful surgeon, endeavouring to disen-
gage the arrow from the flesh, so rankled the wound, that it
mortified, and brought on fatal symptoms. 16. Richard,
when he found his end approaching, made a will, in which
he bequeathed the kingdom, with all his treasure, to his
brother John, except a fourth part, which he distributed
among his servants. He ordered also that the archer who
had shot him should be brought into his presence, and de-
manded what injury he had done him, that he should take
away his life ? The prisoner answered with deliberate intre-
pidity: 17. “You killed, with your own hand, my father
and my two brothers, and you intended to have hanged me.
I am now in your power, and my torments may give you
revenge; but I will endure them with pleasure, since it is
my consolation that I have rid the world of a tyrant.” Rich-
ard, struck with this answer, ordered the soldier to be pre-
sented with one hundred shillings, and set at liberty ; but
M&reade, the general under him, like a true ruffian, ordered
him to be flayed alive, and them hanged. Richard died in
72
HISTORY OF ENGLAND
the tenth year of his reign and the forty-secoud of his age,
leaving only one (natural) son, named Philip, behind him.
Questions for Examination.
1. With whom did Richard embark for the crusades ?
2. Of what numbers did the armies consist?
i. On Philip’s return to France, who was left to 'conduct the war?
5. Who opposed Richard on his march to besiege Jerusalem?
6. Can you repeat the particulars of the battle ?
8. What circumstance induced Richard to come to an accommodation
with Saladin?
9. In returning home, what happened to Richard?
11. How was it discovered that Richard was a prisoner?
12. By what means did Richard recover his liberty?
13. Who endeavoured to prolong Richard’s captivity? and what was his
remark on this occasion?
15. Can you relate the singular accident which caused the death ol
Richard?
17. What was the answer of the person who shot the king?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes A.D.
Clement 111 1188
Celestine HI 1191
Innocent III 1198
Emperors of the East.
Isaac II 1186
A.D.
Alexis IH 1195
Emperors of the West.
Frederic 1 1152
Henry VI 1190
Philip 1 1197
Kings of
A.D.
France. Phillip II. 1180
Portugal. San. I. 1180
Denmark. Can. V. 1182
Scotland. William 1165
EMINENT PERSONS.
Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury ; Henry Fitzalwyn, first lord mayor
of London ; William Longcharaps, bishop of Ely, regent in Richard’s
absence; Robin Hood and Little John, the celebrated outlaws
JOHN.
73
CHAPTER X.
JOHN.
Born 1165. Died October 7th, 1216. Began to reign April 6th, 1199, Reigned
17J years.
SECTION I.
When faithless John usurped the sullied crown,
What ample tyranny ! Six tedious years
Our helpless fathers iu despair obey’d
The Papal interdict : and who obey’d
The Sovereign plundered?— Shenstone.
1. (A. D. 1199.) John,* who was readily put in pos-
session of the English throne, lost no time to second his
interest on the continent ; and his first care was to recover the
revolted provinces from young Arthur, his nephew. Bui
from the pride and cruelty of his temper, he soon be-
came hateful to his subjects ; and his putting his nephew,
who had a right to the crown, to death, with his own hand in
prison, served to render him completely hateful.
2. Hitherto John was rather hateful to his subjects than
contemptible; they rather dreaded than despised him.
But he soon shewed that he might be offended, if not without
resentment, at least with impunity. It was the fate of this
vicious prince to make those the enemies of himsel
whom he wanted abilities to make the enemies of each
other. The clergy had for some time acted as a community
independent of the crown, and had their elections of each
other generally confirmed by the pope, to whom alone they
owed subjection. 3. However, the election of archbishops
had for some time been a continual subject of dispute between
the suffragan bishops and the Augustine monks, and
both had precedents to confirm their pretensions. John
sided with the bishops, and sent two knights of his train,
who were fit instruments for such a prince, to expel the
monks from their convent, and to take possession of their
revenues. 4. The pope was not displeased with these
divisions ; and instead of electing either of the persons
appointed by the contending parties, he nominated Stephen
Langton as archbishop of Canterbury. John, however,
refusing to admit the man of the pope’s choosing, the king-
dom was put under an interdict. This instrument of terror,
in the hands of the sec of Rome, was calculated to strike
the senses in the highest degree, and to operate upon the
* Sumamed Sans Terre, or Laclcland.
74 '
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
superstitious minds of the people. 5. By it a stop was im-
mediately put to divine service, and to the administration
of all the sacraments but baptism. The church-doors were
shut; the statues of the saints were laid on the ground;
the dead were refused Christian burial, and were thrown into
ditches on the highways, without the usual rites or any
funeral solemnity.
6. No situation could be more deplorable than that of
John upon this occasion — furious at his indignities, jealous of
his subjects, and apprehending an enemy in every face.
It is said that, fearing a conspiracy against his life, lie shut
himself up a whole night in the castle of Nottingham, and
suffered none to approach his person. But what was his
consternation when he found that the pope had actually
given away his kingdom to the monarch of France, and
that the prince of that country was actually preparing an
army to take possession of his crown !
7. John, who, unsettled and apprehensive, scarcely knew
where to turn, was still able to make an expiring effort to
receive the enemy. All hated as he was, the natural enmity
between the French and the English, the name of king,
which he still retained, and some remaining power, put
him at the head of sixty thousand men — a sufficient number
indeed, but not to be relied on — and with these he advanced
to Dover. 8. Europe now regarded the important pre-
parations on both sides with impatience; and the decisive
blow was soon expected, in which the church was to triumph
or to be overthrown. But neither Philip nor John had
ability equal to the pontiff by whom they were actuated;
who appeared on this occasion too refined a politician for
either. He only intended to make use of Philip’s- power
to intimidate his refractory son, not to destroy him. 9.
He intimated, therefore, to John, by his legate, that
there was but one way to secure himself from impend-
ing danger ; which was to put himself under the pope’s
protection, who was a merciful father, and still willing to
receive a repentant sinner to his bosom. John was too
much intimidated by the manifest danger of his situation
not to embrace every means offered for his safety. He
assented to the truth of the legate’s remonstrances and
took an oath to perform whatever stipulation the pope should
impose. 10. John having thus sworn to the performance of
an unknown command, the artful Italian so well managed
the barons, and so effectually intimidated the king that ha
JOHN.
75
persuaded him to lake the most extraordinary oath in all
the records of history, before all the people, kneeling upon
his knees, and with his hands held up between those of the
legate.
\ l : “J-j J <? 1a n, the grace of God, king of England
and lord of Ireland, in order to expiate my sins, from my
own free will, and the advice of my barons, give to the
church of Home, to pope Innocent, and his successors, the
kingdom of England, and all other prerogatives of my
crown. I will hereafter hold them as the pope’s vassal. I
will be faithful to God, to the church of Rome, to the pope mv
master, and his successors legitimately elected. I promise
to pay him a tribute of a thousand marks yearly: to
wit, seven hundred for the kingdom of England, and three
hundred for the kingdom of Ireland.” 12. Having thus
done homage to the legate, and agreed to reinstate Langton
in the primacy, he received the crown, which he had been
. supposed to have forfeited, while the legate trampled under
his feet the tribute which John had consented to pay. Thus,
by this most scandalous concession, John once more averted
the threatened blow.
In this manner, by repeated acts of cruelty, by expeditions
without effect, and humiliations without reserve, John was
become the detestation of all mankind.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the conduct of John on succeeding to the throne?
2. 3. Of what nature was the disagreement between the king and the
clergy which produced such serious consequences to the nation?
4. Why was the kingdom put under an interdict?
5. What were the consequences of it?
6. To what distress was John reduced ?
9. To what humiliating concessions did John submit?
11. What oath did the king take?
12. What degrading ceremony followed ?
SECTION II.
This is the place
Where England’s ancient barons, clad in arms,
And stern with conquest, from their tyrant king
(Then rendered tame) did challenge and secure
The charter of thy freedom. — Akenside.
1. (A.D. 1215.) The barons had long been forming a
confederacy against him ; but their union was broken, or
their aims disappointed, by various and unforeseen accidents.
At length, however, they assembled a large body of men at
Stamford, and thence, elated by their power, they
marched to Brackley, about fifteen miles from Oxford, the
76
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
place where the court then reside#. 2. John, hearing of
their approach, sent the archbishop of Canterbury, the earl
of Pembroke and others of the council, to know the particu-
lars of their request, and what those liberties were which
they so earnestly importuned him to grant. The barons
delivered a schedule, containing the chief articles of their
demands, and of which the former charters of Henry anti
Edward the Confessor formed the ground-work. No sooner
were those shown to the king, than he burst into a furious
passion, and asked why the barons did not also demand his
kingdom ? swearing that the would never comply with such
exorbitant demands! But the confederacy was now too
strong to fear much from the consequences of his resent-
ment. 3. They chose Robert Fitzwalier for their general,
whom they dignified with the title of “ mareschal of the
army of God, and of the holy church,” and proceeded,
without further ceremony, to make war upon the king.
They besieged Northampton; they took Bedford; they
were joyfully received in London. They wrote circular
letters to all the nobility and gentlemen who had not yet
declared in their favour, and menaced their estates with
devastation in case of refusal or delay.
4. John, struck with terror, first offered to refer all dif-
ferences to the pope alone, or eight barons ; four to be
chosen by himself and four by the confederates. This
the barons scornfully rejected. He then assured them that he
would submit at discretion; and that it was his supreme
pleasure to grant all their demands ; a conference was ac-
cordingly appointed and all things adjusted for this most
important treaty.
5. The ground where the king’s commissioners met the
barons was between Staines and Windsor,* at a place
called Runimede, still held in reverence by posterity as
the spot where the standard of freedom was first erected in
England. There the barons appeared with a vast number of
knights and warriors, on the fifteenth day of June,
while those on the king’s part came a day or two after.
Both sides encamped apart like open enemies. The de-
bates between power and precedent are generally but of short
continuance. 6. The barons, having arms in their hands,
would admit but few abatements; and the king’s agents
being for the most part in their interests, few debates
* Here is the strongest castle in England ; it was the general residence
of his late majesty, and was originally built by William the Conqueror.
King John compelled to ratify Magna Charta.
ensued. After some days the king, with a facility that
was somewhat suspicious, signed and sealed the charter
required of him ; a charter which continues in force to this
day, and is the famous bulwark of English liberty, which
now goes by the name of Magna Charta. 7. This famous
deed either granted or secured freedom to those orders of
the kingdom that were already possessed of freedom;
namely, to the clergy, the barons, and the gentlemen : as
for the inferior and the greater part of the people, they
were as yet held as slaves, and it was long before they
could come to a participation pf'legal protection.
8. John, however, could not long brook these conces-
sions that were extorted from his fears ; he therefore took
the first opportunity of denying to be the least governed by
them.
9. This produced a second civil war, in which the barons
were obliged to have recourse to the king of France for
assistance. Thus England saw nothing but a prospect of
being every way undone. If John succeeded, a tyrannical
and implacable monarch was to be their tormentor; if the
French king was to prevail, the country was ever after to
submit to a more powerful monarchy, and was to become a
province of France. What neither human prudence could
foresee nor policy suggest, was brought about by a happy and
unexpected accident.
78
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
10. John had assembled a considerable army, with a
view to make one great effort for the crown; and at the
head of a large body of troops, resolved to penetrate into
the heart of the kingdom. With these resolutions he de-
parted from Lynn, which, for its fidelity, he had distin-
guished with many marks of favour, and directed his route
towards Lincolnshire. His road lay along the shore, which
was overflowed at high-water; but not being apprised cl
this, or being ignorant of the tide of the place, he lost all
his carriages, treasure, and baggage, by its influx. 11. He
himself escaped with the greatest difficulty, and arrived at
the abbey of Swinstead, where his grief for the loss he had
sustained, and the distracted state of affairs, threw him
into a fever which soon appeared to be fatal. Next day,
being unable to ride on horseback, he was carried in a litter
to the castle of Seaford, and thence removed to Newark,
where, after having made his will, he died, in the fifty-first
year of his age and the eighteenth of his detested reign.*
12. Seldom has any throne been disgraced by a monarch
so depraved as John ; before his accession he had rebelled
against a fond father, and treacherously attempted the life
of a generous brother : to secure himself on the throne he
murdered his nephew, prince Arthur, and detained his
niece, the princess Eleanora, in perpetual imprisonment.
He repudiated one wife and imprisoned another, and
violated his faith to both with the most abandoned prof-
ligacy. He showed his contempt for religion by habitually
sw'earing, and wantonly violating the most solemn oaths.
If he was a bad man, he was a worse king; he subjected
himself to the ignominious yoke of Rome; he suffered
France to take possession of the Norman provinces, almost
without a struggle ; and at home he acted the part of a
lustful and bloody tyrant, sporting with the honours, the
fortunes, and the lives of his unhappy subjects. Yet bv
the blessing of Providence, his tyranny became the source
of the greatest benefits to posterity, since his intolerable
oppression drove the barons into rebellion, -and procured
them the great charter, which was the first foundation oi
British freedom.
* King John once demanded 10,600 marks from a Jew of Bristol • and
on his refusal, ordered one of his teeth to be drawn every dav till bp
Bhould comply. The J ew lost seven teeth, and then paid the sum required
HENRY III,
79
Questions for Examination.
1. Did the barons assemble an army in opposition to the king?
2. What were their demands? and what answer did the king return?
3, 4. What consequences followed?
5, 6. Can you mention the circumstances which attended the signing of
Magna Charta?
8. What produced a second civil war?
9. What great effort did J ohn resolve to make ?
10, 11. What was the accident which befell John, and accelerated his
death ?
12. What was the character of John?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.T>.
Innocent III 119S
Honorius HI 1215
Emperors of the East.
Alexis HI 1195
Alexis IV 1203
A.D.
Alexis V 1204
Theodore 1 1205
Emperors of the West.
Philip 1187
Otho IV 1208
Frederick II 1211
Kings of
A.o.
France. Philip H. 1189
Portug. Sancho 1. 1185
Adolphus II. . 1212
Den. Waldemar 11.1202
Scotland. WiUiam.1105
Alexander II. 1214
EMINENT PERSONS.
Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury; he divided our Bible
into chapters and verses. JtoDert Fitzwalter, general of the barons’
army. John de Courcy, earl of Ulster, famous for his strength and
prowess. Prince Arthur, nephew to the king, by whom he is supposed
to have been murdered.
CHAPTER XL
HENRY III.
Bom 1207. Died Nov. 16th,1272. Began to reign October the 17th, 1216.
Reigned 56 years.
SECTION I.
Humane, indulgent, kind ev’n to a fault;
Yet wanting energy when cares assault.
His reign, though turbulent, an instance brings
Of “Mercy throned in the heart of Rings.”— Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1216.) A claim was made, upon the death ol
John, in favour of young Henry, the son of the late king,
wbo was now but nine years of age. The earl of Pem-
broke, a nobleman of great worth and valour who had
80
HISTORT OF ENGLAND.
faithfully adhered to John in all the fluctuations of his for-
tune, determined to support his declining interests, and had
him solerpnly crowned by the bishops of Winchester, Bath,
and Gloucester.
2. The young king was of a character the very opposite
to his father • as he grew up to man’s estate, he was found
to be gentle, merciful, and humane ; he appeared easy and
good-natured to his dependents, but no way formidable to his
enemies. Without activity or vigour, he was unfit to govern
in war ; without distrust or suspicion, he was imposed upon
in times of peace.
3. As weak princes are never without governing favour-
ites he first placed his affections ori Hubert ae Burgh, and
he becoming obnoxious to the people, the place was soon
supplied by Peter Des Roches, bishop of Winchester, a
Poictevin by birth, a man remarkable for his arbitrary con-
duct, for his courage, and his abilities. Henry, in pursuance
of this prelate’s advice, invited over a great number of Poic-
tevins; and other foreigners, who, having neither principles
nor fortunes at home were willing to adopt whatever schemes
their employers should propose. 4. Eyery office and com-
mand was bestowed on these unprincipled strangers, whose
avarice and rapacity were exceeded only by their pride and
insolence. So unjust a partiality to strangers very naturally
excited the jealousy of the barons ; and they even ventured
to assure the king, that, if he did not dismiss all foreigners
from court, they would drive both him and them out of the
kingdom ; but their anger was scarcely kept within bounds
when they saw a new swa-^ of these intruders come over
from Gascony, with Isabella, the king’s mother, who had
some time before been married to the Count de la Marche.
5. To these just causes of complaint were added the king’s
unsuccessful expedition to the continent, his total want°of
economy, and his oppressive exactions, which were t|ut the
result of the former. ' The kingdom therefore waited with
gloomy resolution, determined to take vengeance when the
general discontent arrived at maturity.
6. This imprudent preference, joined to a thousand other
illegal evasions of justice, at last impelled Simon Montford,
earl of Leicester, to attempt an innovation in the government
and to wrest the sceptre from the feeble hand that held it!
This nobleman was the son of the famous general who com-
manded against the Albigenses, a sect of enthusiasts that
had been destroyed some time before in the kingdom of Sa~
HENRY III.
81
toy. He was married to the king’s sister ; and by his power
and address was possessed of a strong interest in the nation ;
having gained equally the affections of the great and the
little.
7. The place where the formidable confederacy which he
had formed first discovered itself was in the parliament house,
where the barons appeared in complete armour. The king,
upon his entry, asked them what was their intention ; to
which they submissively replied, to make him their sovereign
by confirming his power, and to have their grievances re-
dressed. 8. Henry, who was ready enough to promise
whatever was demanded, instantly assured them of his inten-
tion to give all possible satisfaction ; and, for that purpose,
summoned a parliament at Oxford, to digest a new plan of
government, and to elect proper persons who were to be in-
trusted with the chief authority. This parliament, after-
wards called the “mad parliament,” went expeditiously to
work upon the business of reformation. 9. Twenty-four
barons were appointed, with supreme authority, to reform
the abuses of the state, and Leicester was placed at their
head. The whole state in their hands underwent a complete
alteration ; all its former officers were displaced j and crea-
tures of the twenty-four barons were put into their room.
They not only abridged the authority of the king, but the
efficacy of parliament, giving up to twelve persons all parlia-
mentary power between each session. Thus, these insolent
nobles after having trampled upon the crown, threw pros-
trate the rights of the people, and a vile oligarchy was on
the point of being established for ever.
10. The first opposition that was made to these usurpa-
tions was from a power which but lately began to take a
place in the constitution. The knights of the shire, who
for some time had begun to be regularly assembled in a se-
parate house, now first perceived these grievances, and com-
plained against them. They represented that their own
interests and power seemed the only aim of all their decrees j
and they even called upon the king’s eldest 6on, prince Ed-
ward, to interpose his authority, and save the sinking nation.
Questions for Examination.
1. By whom was the interest of the young king secured
2. What is tho character given of him?
8. Who were his favourites?
V
82 ,
(HISTORY. OF ENGLAND.
4. By what means did he excite the jealousy of the barons?
6. Who attempted an innovation in the government? ,,,
7. What are the particulars of the conspiracy formed by the bat*< ii ,■
9. In whom was the supreme authority vested?
10. By whom were these usurpations opposed, and of what did OV(fc*
plain?.
SECTION n.
The fate of war, capricious, now ordains
That Edward, Henry’s son, shall break his chains . — Jwt tin.
1. (A. D. 1264.) Prince Edward was at this *hae at /ut
twenty-two years of age. The hopes, which were concei fed
of his abilities and his integrity rendered him important
personage in the transactions of the times, and in some o.ea-
sure atoned for the father’s imbecility. He h*J, at a very
early age, given the strongest proofs of courage, of wisd om,
and of constancy. At first, indeed, when applied to, ap-
pearing sensible of what his father had suflTered by le vity
and breach of promise, he refused some time to listen to the
people’s earnest application; but, being at 1**4 persuaded to
concur, a parliament was called, in which tW king assumed
his former authority.
2. This being considered as a breach of the late conven-
tion, a civil war ensued, in which, in a pished battle, the
earl of Leicester became victorious, and tfte king was taken
prisoner, but soon after exchanged for Pnuce Edward, who
was to remain as a hostage to ensure the p* actual observance
of the former agreement.
With all these advantages, however, Leicester w»s not so
entirely secure but that he still feared th# combination of the
foreign states against him, as well as th : internal machina-
tions of the royal party. In order, tb* efore, to secure his
ill-acquired power, he was obliged to base recourse to an aid
till now entirely unknown in England, namely, that of the
body of the people. 4. He called a parliament, where, be-
sides the barons of his own party, and several ecclesiastics,
who were not immediate tenants of t\e crown, he ordered
returns to be made of two knights from every shire ; and also
deputies from the boroughs, which had been hitherto consi-
dered as too inconsiderable to have a voice in legislation.
This is the first confused outline of an English house of
commons. The people had been gaining some consideration
since the gradual diminution of the force of the feudal
system.
5. This parliament, however, was found not so very com
HENRY III.
83
plying as he expected. Many of the barons who had hi-
therto steadfastly adhered to his party, appeared disgusted
at his immoderate ambition ; and many of the people, who
found that a change of masters was not a change for hap-
piness, began to wish for the re establishment of the royal
family. 6. In this exigence, Leicester, finding himself unable
to oppose the concurring wishes of the nation, was resolved
to make a merit of what he could not prevent; and he ac-
cordingly released prince Edward from confinement, and had
him introduced at Westminster-hall, where his freedom was
confirmed by the unanimous voice of the barons. But though
Leicester had all the popularity of restoring the prinee, yet
he was politic enough to keep him still guarded by his emis-
saries, who watched all his motions and frustrated all his
aims.
7. The prince, therefore, upon hearing that the Duke of
Gloucester was up in arms in his cause, took an opportunity
to escape from his guards, and put himself at the head of his
party. A battle soon after ensued ; but the earl’s army hav-
ing been exhausted by famine on the mountains of Wales,
were but ill able to sustain the impetuosity of young Ed-
ward’s attack, who bore down upon them with incredible
fury. During this terrible day, Leicester behaved with as-
tonishing intrepidity ; and kept up the spirit of the action
from two o’clock in the morning till nine at night. 8. At.
last his horse being killed under him, he was compelled to
fight on foot ; and though he demanded quarter, yet the ad-
verse party refused it, with a barbarity common enough in
the times we are describing. The old king, who was placed
in front of the battle, was soon wounded in the shoulder ;
and, not being known by his friends, he was on the point ot
being killed by a soldier; but crying out, “I am Henry ot
Winchester, the king!” he was saved by a knight of the
royal army. 9. Prince Edward, hearing the voice of his
father, instantly ran to the the spot where he lay, and had him
conducted to a place of safety. The body ot Leicester being
found among the dead, was barbarously mangled by one Ro-
ger Mortimer; and then, with an accumulation of inhuma-
nity, sent to the wretched widow as a testimony of the royal
party’s success. . .
10. This victory proved decisive ; and the prince, having
thus restored peace to the kingdom, found his affairs so
firmly established, that he resolved upon taking the cross,
which was at that time the highest object- of human ambitioni
84 HISTORY OB’ ENGLAND.,
In pursuance of this resolution, Edward sailed fro™
land with, a large army, and arrived at the camp of Lewis,
king of France, which lay before Tunis, where he had the
misfortune to hear of that good monarch’s death before his
arrival. The prince, however, no way discouraged by this
event, continued his voyage, and arrived at the Holy Land
in safety.
11. He was scarcely departed upon this pious expedition
when the health of the old king began to decline j and he
found not only his own constitution, but also that of the
state, in such a dangerous situation, that he wrote letters to
his son, pressing him to return with all dispatch. 12. At
last, being overcome with the cares of government, and the
infirmities of age, he ordered himself to be removed by easy
journeys, from St. Edmunds to Westminster, and that same
night expired, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and in the
fifty-seventh of his reign, the longest to be met with in the
annals of England, until that of George the Third.*
Questions for Examination.
1. What were the circumstances which warranted the hopes conceived
by prince Henry?
2. What was the result of the battle between the king and Leicester?
3. 4. By what means did Leicester endeavour to secure his power?
5. Did the Parliament comply with his wishes?
6. Why did Leicester resolve to release prince Edward?
7. 8, 9. Can you relate the circumstance which took place in the action
between prince Edward and Leicester?
10. What were Edward’s determination and conduct after this victory?
11. During Edward’s absence, what was the situation of the king and the
nation?
12. At what age did Henry die? and how long did he reign?
*The interest paid in this reign for money in the East Indies, amounted,
it is said, to twenty-five, and even sometimes to thirty-six percent. But
instances occurred in England of fifty per cent, being paid for money. No
wonder, therefore, that the Jews, who were tlie only money-lenders, should
be tempted to stay in the kingdom, notwithstanding the grievous extor-
tions that were practiced on them.
Henry granted a charter to the town of Newcastle, in which he gave
the inhabitants a license to dig coal.
The houses of the city of London were, till this period, mostly thatched
with straw, for it appears that an order was issued, that all houses there-
in should be covered with tiles or slate, instead of straw ; moreespecially
such as stood in the best streets, which were then but few in comparison
with the present, for where Clieapside now stands (which is the heartoi
the city), was at that timea field, the principal part of thecity lying more
eastward. From Temple Bar to the city (then the village, )of YVestminster,
where 1 he Strand nowstands, was no more than a mere highway or coun-
try road, having, however, many noblemen’s houses and gardens adjoining
to it, which have since given names to streets there erected. This indeed
was the case in several subsequent reigns.
EDWARD I.
85
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Honorious III 1216
Gregory IX 1227
Celestine IT 1241
Innocent IV 1243
Alexander IV 1254
Urbain IV 1261
Clement IV. 1265
Gregory X 1271
Emperors of the East.
Theodore 1 1204
John III 1222
Theodore II 1225
John IV 1259
A.D.
Michael VIII 1259
Emperor of the West.
Frederick II 1211
Kings of France.
Philip II 1280
Louis VIII 1223
St. Louis IX 1226
Philip III 121D
Kings of Portugal.
Alphonso III 1202
Sancho II 1233
A.D.
Alphonsus IV 1247
Kings of Denmark.
iWaldemar 1202
Eric VI 1240
Abell 1250
Christopher 1 1252
Eric VIII 1258
King of Sweden.
Waldemar 1250
Kings of Scotland.
Alexander II 1214
Alexander III 1249
EMINENT PERSONS.
Richard Magnus, Edmund of Abingdon, Boniface, and Robert Kil-
warby, archbishops ot Canterbury. Ees Roches, bishop of Winchester,
and Lord Chancellor.* Earl of Pembroke, protector. Montfoid, Earl
of Leicester, general of the barons.
CHAPTER XII.
EDWARD I.
Born 1236. Died July 7th, 1307. Began to reign Nov. 16th, 1272. Reigned
34 years.
The red cross flies in holy land,
The Saracen his crescent waves.
And English Edward's gallant band
Seek proud renown or glorious graves.— Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1272.) While the unfortunate Henry was thus
vainly struggling with the ungovernable spiritof his subjects,
his son and successor, Edward, f was employed in the holy
wars, where he revived the glory of the English name, and
made the enemies of Christianity tremble. He was stabbed,
however, by one of those Mahometan enthusiasists, called
Assassins, as he was one day sitting in his tent, and was
cured, not without great difficulty. 2. Some say that he
* In the reigns of the earlier Norman kings the Lord Chancellor
was usually a clergyman, and was frequently styled the keeper of the
king’s conscience The Court of Chancery did not exist under the Saxon
^t*From the great length and slenderness of his legs, he was surnamed
Longshanks.
B6 HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
owed hie safety to the piety of Eleanora, his wife, who
sucked the poison from the wound, to save his- life at the
hazard of her own.
Though the death of the late king happened while the
successor was so far from home, yet measures had been so
well taken, that the crown was transferred with the greatest
tranquillity.
3. As Edward was now come to an undisputed throne,
the opposite interests were proportionably feeble. The barons
were exhausted by long and mutual dissensions ; the clergy
were divided in their interests, and agreed only in one point,
to hate the pope, who had for some time drained them with
impunity: the people, by some insurrections against the
convents, appeared to hate the clergy wdtli equal animosity.
But these disagreeing orders concurred in one point, that of
esteeming and reverencing the king, who therefore thought
this the most favourable conjuncture for uniting England
with Wales. 4. The Welsh had for many ages enjoyed
their own laws, language, customs, and opinions. They
were the remains of the ancient Britons, who had escaped
Roman and Saxon invasions, and still preserved their free-
dom and their country uncontaminated by the admission of
foreign conquerors. 5. But as they were, from their num-
ber, incapable of withstanding their more powerful neigh-
bours on the plain, their chief defence lay in the inaccsesible
mountains, those natural bulwarks of the country. When-
ever England was distressed by faction at home, or its forces
called off by wars abroad, the Welch made it a constant
practice to pour in their irregular troops, and lay the open
country waste wherever they came. 6. Nothing could be
more pernicious 'to a country than several neighbouring
independent principalities, under different commanders, and
pursuing different interests ; the mutual jealousies of such
were sure to harass the people ; and whenever victory was
purchased, it was always at the expense of the general wel-
fare. 7. Sensible of this, Edward had long wished to reduce
that incursive people, and had ordered Llewelyn to do ho-
mage for his territories: which summons the Welsh prince
refused to obey, unless the king’s own son should be deli-
vered as a hostage for his safe return. The kino- was not
displeased at this refusal, as it served to give him 5 a pretext
for his intended invasion. He therefore levied an army
against Llewelyn, and marched into his country with certain
assurance of success.
EDWARD I.
87
8. Upon the approach of Edward, the Welsh prince took
refuge among the inaccessible mountains of Snowdon,* and
there resolved to maintain his ground, without trusting
to the chance of a battle. These were the steep retreats
that had for many ages defended his ancestors against all the
attempts of the Roman and Saxon conquerors. But Edward,
equally vigorous and cautious, having explored every part
of his way, pierced into the very centre of Llewelyn’s ter-
ritories, and approached the Welsh army in its vast retreats.
9. Here, after extorting submission from the Welsh prince,
the king retired. But an idle prophecy, in which it was
foretold by Merlin that Llewelyn was to be the restorer of
Bruton’s empire in Britain, was an inducement sufficiently
strong to persuade this prince to revolt once more, and hazard
a decisive battle against the English. 10. With this view
he marched into Radnorshire, and, passing the river Wye,
his troops were surprised and defeated by Edward Mortimer,
while he himself was absent from his army upon a confer-
rence with some of the barons of that country. Upon his
return, seeing the dreadful situation of his affairs, he ran
desperately into the midst of the enemy, and quickly found
that death he so ardently sought for. David, the brother of
this unfortunate prince, soon after fell in the same cause ;
and with him expired the independence of the Welsh nation,
A. D. 1282. 11. It was soon after united to the kingdom
of England, and made a principality, and given to the eldest
6on of the king. Foreign conquest might add to their glory,
but this added to the felicity of the kingdom. The Welsh
are now blended with the conquerors, and in the revolution
of a few ages, all national animosity was entirely forgotten.
12. Soon after, the death of Margaret, queen of Scotland,
gave him hopes of adding Scotland also to his dominions.
The death of this princess produced a most ardent dispute
about the succession to the Scottish throne, it being claimed
by no less than twelve competitors. The claims, however,
of all the other candidates were reduced to three, who were
the descendants of the Iilarl of Huntingdon by three daugh-
ters: John Hastings, who claimed in right of his mother,
as one of the co-heiresses of the crown; John Baliol, who
alleged his right, as being descended from the eldest daugh-
ter, who was his grandmother ; and Robert Bruce, who was
* From the summit of which may be seen part of Ireland, Scotland,
England, and all North Wales.
88
HISTOEY OT ENGLAND,
Baliol surrendering his crown to Edward I*
the actual sou of the second daughter. This dispute being
referred to Edward’s decision, with a strong degree of as-
surance he claimed the crown for himself, and appointed
Baliol his deputy.
13. Baliol being thus placed on the Scottish throne, less a
king than a vassal, Edward’s first step was sufficient to con-
vince that people of his intentions to stretch the prerogative
to the utmost. Upon the most frivolous pretence, he sent
six different summonses for Baliol to appear in London, . at
different times in one year; so that the poor Scottish king
soon perceived that he was possessed of the name only, but
not the authority of a sovereign. Willing, therefore, to
shake off the yoke of so troublesome a master, Baliol re-
volted, and procured the pope’s absolution from his former
oath of homage.
14. But no power the Scots could bring into the field was
able- to withstand the victorious army of Edward. He
overthrew their forces in many engagements ; and thus be-
coming undisputed master of the kingdom, he took every
precaution to secure his title, and to abolish those distinc-
tions which might be" apt to keep the nation in its former
independence. Baliol was carried a prisoner to London
and compelled to surrender his crown; and Edward care-
fully destroyed all records and monuments of antiquity that
inspired the Scots with a spirit of national pride.
HDWARD I.
89
Questions for Examination.
1. What disaster hefell Edward in the Holy Land?
2. To whose care is it said he owed Lis life?
3. What was the situation of the kingdom at Edward’s accession?
4. What was the state of the Welsh at this time?
5. What was the constant practice of the Welsh towards England *
7. What method did Edward pursue to reduce Wales?
8. What was its success ?
9. What induced Llewelyn again to revolt?
10. What followed this defeat ?
1L To whom was the principality of Wales given after its union with
Eng;and?
12. What happened, at this time, that gave Edward hopes of adding
Scotland to his dominions? 6
How many competitoi s claimed the Scottish throne? and what were
the names of the three principal?
13. What method did Baliol take to shake off the yoke of Edward?
15. What was the result oi this struggle for independence ?
SECTION II.
Still are the Scots determined to oppose
And treat intruding Edward’s friends as foes;
Till the revengeful king, in proud array,
Swears to make Scotland bend beneath his sway.— Macdonald.
1. (A. D. 1296.) These expeditions, however, terminated
rather in glory than advantage; the expenses which were
requisite for carrying on the war were not only burdensome
to the king, but even, in the event, threatened to shake him
on his throne. In order at first to set the great machine in
motion, he raised considerable supplies by means of his
parliaments, and that august body was then first modelled by
him into the form in which it continues to this day. 2. As
a great part of the property of the kingdom was, by the in-
troduction of commerce and the improvement of agricul-
ture, transferred from the barons to the lower classes of the
people, so their consent was now thought necessary for the
raising any considerable supplies. For this reason he issued
writs to the sheriffs, enjoining them to send to parliament
along with two knights of the shire (as in the former reign)
two deputies from each borough within their county ; and
these provided with sufficient power from their constituents
to grant such demands as they should think reasonable for
the safety of the state. 3. One of the first efforts, therefore,
was to oblige the king’s council to sign the Magna Charta,
and to add a clause to secure the nation forever against all
impositions and taxes without the consent of parliament.
This the king’s council (for Edward was at that time in
Flanders) readily agreed to sign; and the king himself, when
90
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
it was sent over to him, after some hesitation thought pro-
per to do the same. These concessions he again con-
tinued after his return ; and though it is probable he was
averse to granting them, yet he was at last brought to give
a plenary consent to all the articles which were demanded of
him. Thus, after the contest of an age, the Magna Charta
wa§ finally established ; nor was it the least circumstance
in its favour, that its confirmation was procured from one of
the greatest and boldest princes that ever swayed the Eng-
lish sceptre.
5. In the mean time William Wallace,* so celebrated in
Scottish story, attempted to rescue Scotland from the Eng-
lish yoke. He was a younger son of a gentleman who lived
in the western part of the kingdom. He was a man of a
gigantic stature, incredible strength, and amazing intrepidity ;
eagerly desirous of independence, and possessed with the
most disinterested spirit of patriotism. To this man had
resorted all those who were obnoxious to the English govern-
ment ; the proud, the bold, the criminal, and the ambitious.
6. These, bred among dangers and hardships themselves,
could not forbear admiring in their leader a degree of pa-
tience under fatigue and famine, which they supposed beyond
the power of human nature to endure ; he soon, therefore,
became the principal object of their affection and their esteem.
His first exploits were confined to petty ravages, and occa-
sional attacks upon the English; but he soon overthrew the
English armies and slew their generals.
7. Edward, who had been over in Flanders while these
misfortunes happened in England, hastened back with im-
patience to restore his authority, and secure his former con-
quest. He quickly levied the whole force of his dominions,
and at the head of a hundred thousand men directed his
course to the north, fully resolved to take vengeance upon
the Scots for their late defection.
A battle was fought at Falkirk, in which Edward gained
a complete victory, leaving twelve thousand of the Scots, or,
as some will have it, fifty thousand, dead upon the field
while the English had not a hundred slain. A blow so
dreadful had not as yet entirely crushed the spirit of the
Scottish nation; and after a short interval they began to
breathe from their calamities. 9. Wallace, who had gained
* He was of an ancient family, and was chosen
during the captivity of Baliol.
regent of Scotland
EDWARD I.
91
all their regards by his valour, shewed that he still merited
them more by his declining the rewards of ambition. Per-
ceiving how much he was envied by the nobility, and know-
ing how prejudicial that envy would prove to the interests
of his country, he resigned the regency of the kingdom,
and humbled himself to a private station. 10. He proposed
Cummin as the most proper person to supply his room ; and
that nobleman endeavoured to show himself worthy of this
pre-eminence. He soon began to annoy the enemy; and
not content with a defensive war, made incursions into the
southern counties of the kingdom, which Edward had im-
agined wholly subdued. They attacked an army of English
lying at Roslin, near Edinburgh, and gained a complete
victory.
11. But it was not easy for any circumstances of bad
fortune to repress the enterprising spirit of the king. He
assembled a great fleet and army ; and entering the frontiers
of Scotland, appeared with a force which the enemy could
not think of resisting in the open field. Assured of suc-
cess, he marched along, and traversed the kingdom from
one end to the other, ravaging the open country, taking all
the castles, and receiving the submissions of all the nobles.
12. There seemed to remain only one obstacle to the final
destruction of the Scottish monarchy, and that was William
Wallace, who still continued refractory; and wandering
with a few forces from mountain to mountain, preserved his
native independence, and usual good fortune. But even their
feeble hopes from him were soon disappointed; he was
betrayed into the king’s hands by Sir John Monteith, his
friend, whom he had made acquainted with the place of his
concealment, being surprised by him as he lay asleep in the
neighbourhood of Glasgow. 13. The king, willing to
strike the Scots with an example of severity, ordered him
to be conducted in chains to London, where he was hanged,
drawn, and quartered, with the most brutal ferocity.
Robert Bruce, who had been one of the competitors for
the crown, but was long kept prisoner in London, at length
escaping from his guards, resolved to strike for his country s
freedom. 14. Having murdered one of the king’s servants,
he left himself no resource but to confirm by desperate
valour what he had begun in cruelty, and he soon expelled
such of the English forces as had fixed themselves in the
kingdom. Soon after, he was solemnly crowned king, by
the bishop of St. Andrew’s, in the abbey of Scone; and
92
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
numbers flocked to his standard, resolved to confirm his
pretensions. 15. Thus, after twice conquering the king-
dom, and as often pardoning the delinquents ; after having
spread his victories in every quarter of the country, and
receiving the most humble submissions; the old king saw
that his whole work was to begin afresh, and that nothing
but the final destruction of the inhabitants, could give him
assurance of tranquillity. But no difficulties could repress
the ardent spirit of this monarch, who, though now verging
towards his decline, yet resolved to strike a parting blow
and to make the Scots once more tremble at his appearance.
16. He vowed revenge against the whole nation ; and
averred that nothing but reducing them to the completest
bondage could satisfy his resentment. He summoned his
prelates, nobility, and all who held by knight’s service, to
meet him at Carlisle, which was appointed as the general
rendezvous: and in the mean time he detached a body of
forces before him to Scotland, under the command of
Aymer de Valence, who began the threatened infliction by
a complete victory over Bruce, near Methven, in Perthshire.
17. Immediately after this dreadful blow, the resentful king
appeared in person, entering Scotland with his army di-
vided into two parts, and expecting to find, in the opposi-
tion of the people, a pretext for punishing them. But this
brave prince, who was never cruel but from motives of
policy, could not strike the poor submitting natives, who
made no resistance. His anger was disappointed in their
humiliation; and he was ashamed to extirpate those who
only opposed patience to his indignation. 18. His death
put an end to the apprehensions of the Scots, and effectually
rescued their country from total subjection. He sickened
and died at Carlisle, of a dysentery : enjoining his son with
his last breath, to prosecute the enterprise, and never to
desist till he had finally subdued the kingdom. He ex-
pired July 7, 1307, in the sixty-ninth year of his age, and
the thirty-fifth of his reign ; after having added more to the
solid interests of the kingdom than any of those who went
before or succeeded him.
Questions for Examination.
1. What circumstances led to the modelling the parliament into its
V present form?
hat was the manner observed in framing the parliament?
3. What was one of their first efforts ?
EDWARD I.
93
4 .
5 .
6 .
7.
8 .
9.
12 .
13.
14.
15.
18.
^ a whnm k !£f Rt fir ?t favourable to the measure?
yoke? aa attempt made t0 rescue Scotland from the English
with ZZV he S l st ad . h erents of Wallace?
Did any ensa™™? Ut°° P i did Edward march towards the north?
Wallace ° ement take place between the forces of Edward and
What was the issue of this engagement?
F“'! as the conduct of Wallace afterwards?
Wlm? wa™th? er Was Wallace afterwards surprised?
W hat was the manner of his death ?
Whot t°° kplace a f ter Druce’s escape from London?
Whe£e ^d t th° 0 C v- Ddu ^ °» f th 5 kin = on this occasion?
prosecute? 6 UD ^ dl0? and wkat enterprise did he enjoinhis son to
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A/D.
Gregory X 1271
Innocent V 1276
Adrian V 1276
JohnXXI 1276
Nicholas in 1277
Martin IV 1281
Honorius IV 1285
Nicholas IV 1288
Celestine V 1294
Boniface VIII 1294
Benedict IX 1303
Clement V 1305
Emperors of the East.
Michael VIII 1259
Andronicus II 1283
Emperors of the West.
Frederick II* 1212
Rodolphus 1 1273
Adolphus of Nassau 1291
Albert 1298
Kings of France.
Philip III 1270
Philip IV 1285
Kings of Portugal.
Adolphus III 1247
Denni3 1275
Kings of Denmark.
A.D.
Eric VII 1259
Eric VIII 1283
Kings of Sweden-.
Magnus II 1279
Birger 11 1299
Kings of Scotland.
Alexander 111 1246
John Baliol 1293
Robert Brace 1306
EMINENT PERSONAGES.
JohnPeckham, Robert Winchelsea, Walter Reynolds, and John Strat*
ford, archbishops of Canterbury. Richard, earl of Cornwall. Rodger
Bigod, earl of Norfolk. Humphrey Bohun, earl of Hereford. John
Plantagenet, earl of Warwick. Roger Bacon. Wickliffe.t
•After the death of Frederick II. there was an interregnum in the
Western empire until Rodolphus, during which the following princes
either reigned or were elected : Conrad III. ; William, earl of Holland ;
Richard, earl of Cornwall; Edward IV.; and AlphonsO, king of Castile.
—Lochman .
t Wickliffe was the first preacher of the reformed doctrines in Eng-
land ; he was the author of a valuable translation of the New Testament,
and of several able tracts on the usurpations of the Romish Church.
94
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
CHAPTER XIII.
EDWARD II.
Bom 1281. Died Sep. 21, 1327. Began to reign July 7, 1307. Reigned
20 years.
SECTION I.
Immersed in soft effeminacy’s down,
The feeble prince his subjects’ good neglects
For minions, who monopolize the crown.
And stain the sceptre which their vice protects.— Dibdin.
1. (A.D. 1307.) Edward, surnamed Caernarvon,* was
in the twenty-third year of his age when he succeeded hi8
father; of an agreeable figure, of a mild, harmless disposi-
tion, and apparently addicted to few vices. Rut he soon
gave symptoms of his unfitness to succeed so great a mo-
narch as his father; he was rather fond of the enjoyment
of his power, than of securing it, and, lulled by the flattery
of his courtiers, he thought he had (lone enough for glory
when he accepted the crown. 2. Instead, therefore, of
prosecuting the war against Scotland, according to the in-
junctions he had received from his dying father, he took
no steps to check the progress of Bruce : his march into
that country being rather a procession of pageantry than a
warlike expedition.
3. Weak monarchs are ever governed by favourites; and
the first that Edward placed his affections upon was Piers
Gavestone, the son of a Gascon knight, who had been
employed in the service of the late king. The young man
was adorned with every accomplishment of person and
mind that was capable of creating affection ; but he was
utterly destitute of those qualities of heart and understanding
that serve to procure esteem. He was handsome, witty,
brave and active; but then he was vicious, effeminate, de-
bauched, and trifling. These were qualities entirely adapted
to the taste of the young monarch, and he seemed to think no
rewards equal to his deserts. 4. Gavestone, on the other
hand, intoxicated with his power, became haughty and
overbearing, and treated the English nobility, from whom it
is probable he received marks of contempt, with scorn and
derision, A conspiracy, therefore, was soon formed against
him, at the head of which queen Isabel and the earl o<
Lancaster, a nobleman of great power, were associated.
5. It was easy to perceive that a combination of the
nobles, while the queen secretly assisted their designs,
* From the place of his birth, Caernarvon Castle, in Wales.
EDWARD II.
95
would be too powerful against the efforts of a weak king
and a vain favourite. The king, timid and wavering,
banished him, (A. D. 1312) at their solicitation, and recalled
him soon after. . This was sufficient to spread an alarm
over the whole kingdom : all the great barons flew to arms,
and the earl of Lancaster put himself at the head of this
irresistible _ confederacy. The unhappy Edward, instead
of attempting to make resistance, sought only for safety.
Ever happy in the company of his favourite, he embarked at
Teignmouth, and sailed with him to Scarborough, where
he left G-avestoue as in a place of safety, and then went
back to York himself, either to raise an army to oppose his
enemies or by his presence to allay their animosity. 6. In
the meantime, Gravestone was besieged in Scarborough by
the earl of Pembroke ; and had the garrison been sufficiently
supplied with provisions, the place would have been im-
pregnable. But Gavestone, sensible of the bad condition
of the garrison, took the earliest opportunity to offer terms of
capitulation. He stipulated that he should remain in Pem-
broke’s hands as a prisoner for two months ; and that
endeavours should be used in the meantime for a general
accommodation. 1 . But Pembroke had no intention that
he should escape so easily ; he ordered him to be conducted
to the castle of Deddington, near Banbury, where, on pre-
tence of other business, he left him with a feeble guard, of
which the earl of Warwick having received information,
attacked the castle in which the unfortunate Gavestone
was confined, and quickly made himself master of his person.
The earls of Lancaster, Hereford, and Arundel were soon
apprised of Warwick’s success, and informed that their
common enemy was now in custody in Warwick castle.
8. Thither therefore they hastened with the utmost expe-
dition to hold a consultation upon the fate of their prisoner.
This was of no long continuance , they unanimously resolved
to put him to death, as an enemy to the kingdom, and
gave him no time to prepare for his execution. They
instantly had him conveyed to a place called Blaeklow-hili,
where a Welsh executioner, provided for that purpose,
severed his head from his body.
9. To add to Edward’s misfortunes, he soon after suf-
fered a most signal defeat from the Scots’ army under Bruce,
near Bannockburn;* and this drove him once more to seek
♦ Hear Stirling. Edward was so sure of conquest that he brought with
aim Boston, a Carmeitte, and a iamous poet, to celebrate bis victory.
96
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
for relief in some favourite’s company. 10. The name of
his new favourite was Hugh de Spenser, a young man of a
noble English family, of some merit, and very engaging
accomplishments. His father was a person of a much
more estimable character than the son ; he was venerable
for his years, and respected through life for his wisdom,
his valour, and his integrity. 11. But these excellent quali-
ties were all diminished and vilified from the moment he
and his son began to share the king’s favour, who even dis-
possessed some lords unjustly of their estates, in order to
accumulate them upon his favourite. This was a pretext
the king’s enemies had been long seeking for; the earls of
Lancaster and Hereford flew to arms ; sentence was pro-
cured from parliament of perpetual exile against the two
Spensers, and a forfeiture of their fortunes and estates.
12. The king, however, at last rousing from his lethargy,
took the field in defence of his beloved Spenser, and at
the head of thirty thousand men pressed the earl of Lan-
caster so closely, that he had not time to collect his forces
together, and, flying from one place to another, he was at
last stopped in his way towards Scotland by Sir Andrew
Harcla, and made prisoner. 13. As he had formerly shown
little mercy to Gavestone, there was very little extended to him
upon this occasion. He was condemned by a court-martial :
and led, mounted on a lean horse, to an eminence near
Pomfret, in circumstances of the greatest indignity, where he
was beheaded by a Londoner.
14. A rebellion, thus crushed, served only to increase the
pride and rapacity of young Spenser; most of the forfeitures
were seized for his use — and in his promptitude to seize the
delinquents, he was guilty of many acts of rapine and injus-
tice.*
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the disposition of Edward II?
2. What was his conduct in regard to Scotland?
3. What was the character ofGavestone, the king’s first favourite?
4. Who formed a conspiracy against the kin<r?
6. What was the conduct of the king on this occasion?
* In the year 1315, the perpetual rains and cold weather having not
only destroyed the harvest but produced a mortality among the cattle, the
parliament endeavoured to moderate the prices of pro visions. The rates
established were, of our present money, as follows : for the best ox, not
corn fed, 21 8s., corn fed, 3 1 12s. ; a fat hog, two years old, 10s, ; a l'at we-
ther, unshorn, 5s., shorn, 3s. 6 d . ; a fat gooce sevenpence halfpenny ; a fat
capon, 6d . ; a fat hen 3 d; two chickens, 3d. ; four pigeons, 3d. ; and twenty-
four eggs, 3d.
EDWARD II.
91
<5. Where was Gavestone besieged? and on what conditions did he
surrender himself?
7, 8. Were these conditions observed? and what was the conduct of the
nobles towards him ?
9. What misfortune did Edward experience in Scotland?
10. Who were the Spensers?
11. On what pretext did the king’s enemies fly to arms?
12. How did the king act on this emergency ?
13. What was the manner of executing the earl of Lancaster?
SECTION II.
Mark what convulsions heave his martyr’d breast.— Lems.
1. (A.D. 1325.) But he was now to oppose a more for-
midable enemy in Queen Isabella, a cruel, haughty woman,
who fled over to France, and refused to appear in England
till Spenser was removed from the royal presence, and
banished the kingdom. By this reply she gained two very
considerable advantages: she became popular in England,
where Spenser was universally disliked; and she had the
pleasure of enjoying the company of a young nobleman,
whose name was Mortimer, upon whom she had lately placed
her affections, and whom she indulged with all the familiari-
ties that her criminal passion could confer. 2- The queen’s
court now, therefore, became a sanctuary for all the mal-
contents who were banished their own country, or who chose
to come over. Accordingly, soon after, accompanied by
three thousand men-at-arms, she set out from Dort* harbour,
and landed safely, without opposition, on the coast of Suf-
folk. She had no sooner appeared than there seemed a ge-
neral revolt in her favour: and the unfortunate king found
the spirit of disloyalty was not confined to the capital alone,
but diffused over the whole kingdom. 3. He had placed
some dependence upon the garrison which was stationed in
the castle of Bristol, under the command of the elder Spen-
ser; but they mutinied against their governor, and that un-
fortunate favourite was delivered up, and condemned by the
tumultuous barons to the most ignominious death. He was
hanged on a gibbet, in his armour: his body was cut in
pieces and thrown to the dogs; and his head was sent to
Winchester, where it was set upon a pole, and exposed to
the populace.
* Dort, or Dordrecht, is a city of Holland, situated on an island of the
Meuse. By an irruption of the river Meuse, seventy-two villages and
one hundred thousand persons were lost. It is said to have keen o -
sii.ued by the malice of a man, who wished to inundate his neighbour S
ground by destroying the dyke near liis house.
G
98
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
4. Young Spenser, the unhappy son, did not long survive
his father 5 he was taken, with some others who had follow-
ed the fortunes of the wretched king, in an obscure convent
in Wales, and the merciless victors resolved to glut their
revenge in adding insult to cruelty. The queen had not pa-
tience to wait the formality of a trial, but ordered him imme-
diately to be led forth before the insulting populace, and
seemed to take a savage pleasure in feasting her eyes with
his distresses. 5. The gibbet erected for his execution was
fifty feet high ; his head was sent to London, where the citi
zens received it in brutal triumph, and fixed it on the bridge
Several other lords also shared his fate ; all deserving pity in
deed, had they not themselves formerly justified the presenl
inhumanity by setting a cruel example.
6. In the meantime, the king, who hoped to find refuge ii
Wales, was quickly discovered, and delivered up to his ad
versaries, who expressed their satisfaction in the grossness
of their treatment. He was conducted to the capital, amidst
the insults and reproaches of the people, and confined in the
Tower. A charge was soon after exhibited against him, in
which no other crimes but his incapacity to govern, his in-
dolence, his love of pleasure, and his being swayed by evil
counsellors, were objected against him. His deposition was
quickly voted by parliament ; he was assigned a pension for
his support ; his son Edward, a youth of fourteen, was fixed
upon to succeed him, and the queen was appointed regent
during the minority. 7. The deposed monarch but a short
time survived his misfortunes ; he was sent from prison to
prison, a wretched outcast, and fhe sport of his inhuman
keepers. He had been at first consigned to the custody of the
Earl of Lancaster, but this nobleman showing some marks of
respect and pity, he w r as taken out of his hands, and delivered
over to Lords Berkeley, Montravers and Gournay, who were
intrusted with the charge of guarding him a month about. 8.
Whatever his treatment from Lord Berkeley might have been,
the other two seemed resolved that he should enjoy none ol
the comforts of life while in their custody. They practiced
every kind of indignity upon him, as if their design had
been to accelerate his death by the bitterness of his suffer-
ings. (A.D. 1328.) But when his persecutors saw that
his death might not arrive, even under every cruelty till a
revolution had been made in his favour, they resolved* to rid
themselves of their fears by destroying him at once. 9.
Accordingly his two keepers, Gournay and Montravers*
EDWARD III.
93
came to Berkeley castle, where Edward was then confined,
and murdered him by a most cruel and torturing process,
which left no marks of external violence.
Question for examination.
1. What other enemy had Edward now to oppose?
2. Was there any revolt in the queen’s favour? and by whom was she
accompanied?
3. What happened to the elder Spenser?
6. In what manner was the younger Spenser executod?
6. What were the proceedings against tho king?
7. Did the king long survive his misfortunes?
8. Can you relate the indignities practiced upon him?
9. What was the manner of the king’s murder? and by whom was it
committed?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.D.
Clement V 1305
John XII 1316
Emperors of the East.
Andronicus II. . . 1283
Andronicus III. . 1320
Emperors of the West.
Alberti 1298
Henry VIII 1304
A. I).
Lewis IV 1314
Kings of France.
Philip IV 1284
Lewis X 1314
Philip V 1310
Charles IV 1322
Kings of Portugal.
Dennis 1272
Alphonsus IV ... . 1325
EMINENT PERSONS.
Kings of Denmark.
A D.
Eric VIII 1286
Christopher II.. . 1319
Kings of Sweden.
Berger II 1290
Magnus HI 1320
King of Scotland.
Robert Bruce 1306
John Offord, archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Plantagenet, earl of
Lancaster. Roger, lord Mortimer; Piers Gavestone and the two
Spensers, favourites of the king.
CHAPTER XIY
EDWARD III.
Born 1312. Died June 21, 1377. Began to reign Sept. 22, 1S27. Reigned
nearly 50 years.
SECTION I.
With form and aspect to command respect.
With mind, desert, and talent to protect,
Edward presents a model to admire ;
His subjects’ hearts before their sovereign bend,
The widow’s guardian and the orphan’s sire :
Foe to the vicious, to the good a friend —Dibdin.
1. (A.D. 1327.) The Parliament by which young Ed-
ward was raised to the throne, during the life of his father,
appointed twelve persons as his privy council, to direct the
operations ofthe government. Mortimer the queen’s favourite.
100
HISTOET OF ENGLAND.
who might naturally be set down as one of the members,
artfully excluded himself, under a pretended show of mode-
ration; but at the same time he secretly influenced all
the measures that came under their deliberation. 2. He
caused the greater part of the royal revenues to be settled
on the queen-dowager, and he seldom took the trouble to
consult the ministers of government in any public undertak-
ing. The king himself was even so besieged by the fa-
vourite’s creatures, that no access could' be procured to him,
and the whole sovereign authority was shared between
Mortimer and the queen, who took no care to conceal her
criminal attachment.
3. At length, however, Edward was resolved to shake off
an authority that was odious to the nation, and particularly
restrictive upon him. But such was the power of the fa-
vourite, that it required as much precaution to overturn the
usurper as to establish the throne. The queen and Morti-
mer had for some time chosen the castle of Nottingham for
the place of their residence; it was strictly guarded, the
gates locked every evening, and the keys carried to the
queen. 4. It was therefore agreed between the king and
some of the barons, who secretly entered into his designs,
to seize upon them in the fortress; and for that purpose Si:
William Bland, the governor, was induced to admit them
by a secret subterraneous passage, which had been formerly
contrived for an outlet, but was now hidden with rubbish,
and known only to one or two. It was by this, therefore,
tire noblemen in the king’s interest entered in the night; and
Mortimer, without having it in his power to make any re-
sistance, was seized in apartments adjoining those of the
queen. 5. It was in vain that she endeavoured to protect
him ; in vain she entreated them to spare her 11 gentle Mor-
timer ” ; the barons, deaf to her entreaties, denied her that
pity which she had so often refused to others. Her para-
mour was condemned by the parliament, which wa 3 then
sitting, without being permitted to make his defence, or even
examining a witness against him. He was hanged on a
gibbet, at a place called Elms, about a mile from London,
where his body was left hanging for two days after. 6. The
queen, who certainly was the most culpable, was shielded
bv the dignity of her station ; she was only disgraced from
all share of power, and confined for life in the castle of Ris-
ings, with a pension of three thousand pounds a year. From
this confinement she was never after set frefe ; and though
EDWARD 111*
101
the king annually paid her a visit of decent ceremony, yet
ehe found herself abandoned to universal contempt and de-
testation ; and continued, for about twenty-five years after, a
miserable monument of blighted ambition.
7. In order still more to secure the people’s affections,
Edward made a successful irruption into Scotland, in which,
in one battle, fought at Halidon hill, about thirty thousand
of the Scots were slain. Soon after he turned his arms
against France, which was at that time particularly unfortu-
nate. Three sons of Philip the Fair, in full parliament, ac-
cused their wives of adultery ; and in consequence of this
accusation they were condemned and imprisoned for life.
8. Lewis Hutin, successor to the crown of France, caused
his wife to be strangled, and her lovers to be flayed alive.
After his death, as he left only a daughter, his next brother,
Philip the Tall, assumed the crown in prejudice of the
daughter, and vindicated his title by the Salic law, which
laid it down that no female should succeed to the crown.
Edward, however, urged his pretensions, as being, by his
mother Isabella, who was daughter to Philip the Fair, and
sister to the three last kings of France, rightful heir to the
crown. But first he, in a formal manner, consulted his par-
liament on the propriety of the undertaking, obtained their
approbation, received a proper supply of wool, which he
intended to barter with the Flemings; and being attended
with a body of English forces, and several of his nobility,
he sailed into Flanders, big with his intended conquests.
9. The first great advantage gained by the English was in
a naval engagement on the coast of Flanders, in which the
French lost two hundred and thirty ships, and had thirty
thousand of their seamen and two of their admirals slain.
10. The intelligence of Edward’s landing and the devas-
tation caused by his troops, who dispersed themselves over
the whole face of the country, soon spread universal conster-
nation through the French court. Caen was taken and
plundered by the English without mercy ; the villages and
towns, even up to Paris, shared the same fate; and the
French had no other resource, but by breaking down their
bridges to attempt putting a stop to the invader’s career.
11. Philip, then king of France, was not idle in making pre-
parations to repress the enemy. He had stationed one of
his generals, Godemar de Faye, with an army on the oppo-
site side of the river Somme, over which Edward was to
102
HISTOEY OF ENGLAND.
pass ; while he himself, at the head of one hundred thou
sand fighting men, advanced to give the English battle.
12. As both armies had for some time been in sight of
each other, nothing was so eagerly expected on each side as
a battle ; and although the forces were extremely dispropor-
tionate, the English amounting only to thirty thousand, -the
French to a hundred and twenty thousand, yet Edward re-
solved to indulge the impetuosity of his troops, and to put all
to the hazard of a battle. He accordingly chose his ground
with advantage, near the village of Crecy,* and there deter-
mined to wait with tranquillity the shock of the enemy. He
drew up his men on a gentle ascent, and divided them into
three lines. The first was commanded by the young prince
of Wales; the second was conducted by the earls of North-
ampton and Arundel ; and the third, kept as a body of re-
serve, .was headed by the king in person.
13. On the other side, Philip, impelled by resentment,
and confident of his numbers, was more solicitous in bring-
ing the enemy to an engagement than prudent in taking
measures for its success. He led on his army in three
bodies opposite to those of the English. The first line con-
sisted of fifteen thousand Genoese cross-bow men, the second
body was led by the king of France’s brother, and he him-
self was at the head of the third.
Question for Examination.
2. By whom, and in what manner, were the operations of the govern-
ment conducted ?
4. What was the conduct of the king at this time ?
6. What was the fate of Mortimer?
What was the queen’s punishment?
7. In what undertaking did Edward succeed?
8. What is the Salic law?
9. What was the first advantage gained by the English ?
10. What did the English in France?
11. What preparations did the king of France make to oppose Edward?
12. Where did Edward choose his ground ?
How did he draw up his army ? and who conducted it?
13. How did Philip lead on his army?
* Here the King of Bohemia was slain, and the motto, “ loh dien,"
I serve, was found under the ostrich feathers which he wore on his helmet
Edward the Black Prince, adopted this motto, and it has ever since
continued to be the motto of the prince of Wales. At this battle cannon
were first made use of.
EDWARD III.
10S
section rr.
tn frequent showers their shafs the archers hail’d
In headlong charge successive hosts assail’d;
But motionless as his own island’s rocks.
Undaunted, Edward met their furious shocks.— Cooke.
1. (A. D. 1346.) About three in the afternoon, the famous
tattle of Crecy began, by the. French king’s ordering the
Genoese archers to charge, but they were so fatigued with
their march that they cried out for a little rest before they
should engage. The count Alenqon, being informed of their
petition, rode up, and reviled them as cowards, commanding
them to begin their onset without delay. Their reluctance
to begin was still more increased by a heavy shower, which
fell at that instant, and relaxed their bow-strings : so that
the discharge they made produced but very little effect. 2.
On the other hand the Enlish. archers, who had kept their
bows in cases, and were favoured by a sudden gleam of sun-
shine, that rather dazzled the enemy, let fly their arrows so
thick, and with such good aim, that nothing was to be seen
among the Genoese but hurry, terror, and dismay. The
young prince of Wales had presence of mind to take advan-
tage of their confusion and to lead on his line to the charge.
The French cavalry, however, commanded by the Count
Alengon, wheeling round, sustained the combat and began
to hem the English in. 3. The earls of Arundel and North-
ampton now came to assist the prince, who appeared fore-
most in the very shock ; and wherever he appeared, turned
the fortune of the day. The thickest of the battle was now
gathered round him, and the valour of a boy tilled even
veterans with astonishment; but their surprise at his courage
could not but give way to their fears for his safety. Being ap-
prehensive that some mischance might happen to him at the
end, an officer was despatched to the king, desiring that suc-
cours might be sent to the prince’s relief. 4. Edward, who
had all this time, with great tranquillity, viewed the engage-
ment from a windmill, demanded, with seeming deliberation,
if his son were dead ; Isut being answered that he still lived
and was giving astonishing instances ot his valour, “Then
tell my generals,” cried the king, “ that he shall have no as-
sistance from me ; the honour of the day shall be his ; let
him show himself worthy of the profession of arms, and
let him be indebted to his own merit alone for victory.’ 5.
This speech being reported to the prince and his attendants,
inspired them with new courage ; they made a fresh attack
upon the French cavalry, and Count Alencon, their bravest
King Edward III. and the Burgesses of Calais.
commander, was slain. This was the beginning of theii
total overthrow ; the French, being now without a compe-
tent leader, were thrown into confusion-, the whole army
took to flight, and were put to the sword by the pursuers
without mercy, till night stopped the carnage. 6. Never
was a victory more seasonable, or less bloody to the English,
than this. Notwithstanding the great slaughter of the enemy,
the conquerors lost but one squire, three knights, and a few
of inferior rank.
But this victory was attended with still more substantial
advantages; for Edward, as moderate in conquest as prudent
in his methods to obtain it, resolved to secure an easy en-
trance into France for the future. 7. With this view he laid
siege to Calais, at that time defended by John de Vienne,
an experienced commander, and supplied with everything
necessary for defence. These operations, though slow,
were at length successful. It was in vain that the governoi
made a noble defence, that he excluded all the useless
mouths from the city, which Edward generously permitted
to pass. 8. Edward resolved to reduce it by famine ; and
it was at length taken, after a twelvemonths’ siege, the de-
fendants having been reduced to the last extremity. He re-
solved to punish the obstinacy of the townsmen by the death
of six of the most considerable citizens, who offered them-
EDWARD III.
105
selves* with ropes round their necks, to satiate his indigna-
tion; but he spared their lives at the intercession of the queen.
9. While Edward was reaping victories upon the conti-
nent, the Scots, ever willing to embrace a favourable oppor-
tunity of rapine and revenge, invaded the frontiers with a
numerous army, headed by David Bruce, their king. This
unexpected invasion, at such a juncture, alarmed the English,
but was not capable of intimidating them. 10. Lionel,
Edward’s son, who was left guardian of England during his
father’s absence, was yet too young to take upon him the
command of an army ; but the victories on the continent
seemed to inpire even women with valour. Philippa, Ed-
ward’s queen, look upon her the conduct of the field, and
prepared to repulse the enemy in person ; accordingly, hav-
ing made Lord Percy general under her, she met the Scots at
a place called Nevil's Cross, near Durham, and offered them
battle. 11. The Scots king was no less impatient to engage ;
lie imagined that he might obtain an easy victory against
undisciplined troops, and headed by a woman. But he was
miserably deceived. His army was quickly routed and
driven from the field. Fifteen thousand of his men were
cut to pieces ; and he himself, with many of his nobles and
knights, were taken prisoners, and carried in triumph to
London, A. D. 1346.
12. A victory, gained by the Black prince,* near Poictiers,
followed not long after, in which John, king of France, was
taken prisoner, and led in triumph through London, amidst
an amazing concourse of spectators. Two kings, prisoners
in the same court, and at the same time, were considered as
glorious achievements ; but all that England gained by them
was only glory. Whatever was won in France, with all
the dangers of war, and the expense of preparation, was
successively and in a manner silently lost, without the
mortification of a defeat.
13. The English, by their frequent supplies, had been
quite exhausted, and were unable to continue an army in the
field. Charles, who had succeeded his father John, who
died a prisoner in the Savoy, on the other hand, cautiously
forebore to come to any decisive engagement ; but was con-
tent to let his enemies waste their strengh in attempts to
plunder a fortified country. When they were tired, he then
was sure to sally forth, and possess himself of such places
as they were not strong enough to defen'd. 14. He first tell
* Edward, the Prince of Wales. He was called the Black Prince
from the color of his armour.
106
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
upon Ponthieu ; the citizens of Abbeville opened their gates
to him; those of St. Valois, Rue, and Crotoy imitated the
example, and the whole country was, in a little time, re-
duced to total submission. The southern provinces were, in
the same manner, invaded by his generals with equal suc-
cess; while the Black Prince, destitute of supplies from
England, and wasted by a cruel and consumptive disorder,
was obliged to return to his native country, leaving the affairs
of the south of France in a most desperate condition. 15.
But what of all other things served to cast a gloom over the
latter part of this splendid reign was the approaching death
of the Black Prince, whose constitution showed, but too
manifestly, the symptoms of a speedy dissolution. This
valiant and accomplished prince died in the forty-sixth year
of his age, leaving behind him a character without a single
blemish ; and a degree of sorrow among the people that time
could scarcely alleviate.
16. The king was most sensibly affected with the loss of
his son, and tried every art to allay his uneasiness. He
removed himself entirely from the duties and burdens of the
state, and left his kingdom to be plundered by a set of ra-
pacious ministers. He did not survive the consequences of
his bad conduct, but died about a year after the prince, at
Sheene, in Surrey, deserted by all his courtiers, even by
those who had grown rich by his bounty. He expired
in the sixty-fifth year of his age, and fifty-first of his
reign, 1377 ; a prince more admired than beloved by his
subjects and more an object of their applause than their
sorrow.
17. It was in this reign that the order of the Garter was
instituted ; the number was to consist of twenty-four per-
sons besides the king. A story prevails, but unsupported
by any ancient authority, that the Countess of Salisbury, at
a ball, happening to drop her garter, the king took it up
and presented it to her, with these words, “ Honi soi qui
malypense — “ Evil be to him that evil thinks.” This
accident, it is said, gave rise to the order and the motto,*
A. D. 1349.
Edward left many children by his queen, Philippa of
* " Some do affirm, tbat this order beganne fyrst by King Richard Cceur
de Lion, at the siege of the citie of Acres, where in his greate necessvtie
there was but twenty-live knights that Gimlyoand surelye abode by him
where ho caused all of them to wear thonges of blue leythere aboute their
legges, and afterwards they were called kuigbts .’’—Itastell's Chronicle.
EDWARD III.
107
Hainault. His eldest son, the Black Prince, died before
him j but he left a son named Richard, who succeeded to the
throne.*
Questions for Examination .
1. Describe the situation and conduct of the Genoese archers.
2. What circumstances operated in favour of the English archers?
What advantage did the Prince of Wales take of it?
3. What astonishing bravery did the prince display ?
4. What answer did the king make, when he was requested to send relief
to the prince ?
6. How many did the English lose in the battle?
8. How long did Edward besiege Calais?
9. What did the Scots in the meantime?
10. What female prepared to repulse the enemy?
11. What was the fate of the Scots ?
12. What did England gain by its royal prisoners ?
14. What obliged the Black Prince to return to England?
15. What character is given of the prince?
17. When was the order of the Garter instituted?
What accident is said to have given rise to the institution of this order ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
, , A.D.
John XII 1316
Benedict XI 1334
Clement VI 1342
Innocent VI 1352
Urban V 1362
Gregory XI 1370
Emperors of the East.
■Andronicus III. . . .1320
John V 1341
John YI 1365
Emperors of the West.
Uouis iy 1314
A.D.
Charles IV 1347
Kings of France.
Charles IV 1322
Philip VI 1328
John 1 1353
Charles V 1364
Kings of Portugal.
Alphonsus IV 1325
Pedro 1 1357
Ferdinand I.. ..... .1367
Kings of Denmark.
Christopher II 1319
AD.
Waldemar III 1340
Olaus III 1375
Kings of Sweden.
Magnus III 1320
Albert 1363
Kings of Scotland.
Robert Bruce 1306
David II 1330
Edward Baliol ... 1332
David II. (restor.)1342
Robert (Stuart) II. 1370
EMINENT PERSONS.
Thomas Bradwardin, Simon Islip, Simon Langham, William Whittle-
<ey, and Simon Sudbury, archbishops of Canterbury. Edward, the
Black Prince, John Lord Chandos. Latimer, the lord chamberlain, &c.
* In this reign the statute of high-treason was first enacted. St.
Stephens chapel (now the house of commons) was built, and Windsor
Metis changed from a fortress to a palace.
108
HISTORY OP ENGLAND*
CHAPTER XV
RICHARD II.
Born 1367. Deposed Sept. 30, 1399. Died Jan. 10, 1400. Began to reign
June 21, 1377. Reigned 22| years.
SECTION I.
Sprung from a sire and grandsire of renown.
Yet he was scarce deserving of ? crown. — Egerton.
1. (A. D. 1377.) Richard the Second was but eleven
years old when he came to the throne of his grandfather,
and found the people discontented and poor, the nobles
proud and rebellious. As he was a minor, the government
was vested in the hands of his three uncles, the Dukes oi
Lancaster, York, and Gloucester; and as the late king had
left the kingdom involved in many dangerous and expensive
wars, which demanded large and constant supplies, the
murmurs of the people increased in proportion. 2. The
expenses of armaments to face the enemy on every side
and the want of economy in the administration, entirely ex-
hausted the treasury ; and a new tax of three groats on
every person above fifteen was granted by parliament as a
supply. The indignation of the people had been for some
time increasing; but a tax so unequitable, in which the
rich paid no more than the poor, kindled the resentment of
the latter into a flame. 3. It began in Essex, where a
report was industriously spread that the peasants were to be
destroyed, their houses burned, and their farms plundered.
A blacksmith, well known by the name of Wat Tyler, was
the first that incited them to arms. The tax-gatherers
coming to the man’s house while he was at work, demanded
payment for his daughter, which he refused, alleging she
was under the age mentioned in the act. 4. One of the
brutal collectors insisted on her being a full-grown woman,
and behaved in the most indecent manner. This provoked
the father to such a degree, that he instantly struck him
dead with a blow of his hammer. The etanders-by ap-
plauded his spirit, and one and all resolved to defend his con-
duct. He was considered as a champion in the cause and
appointed the _ leader and spokesman of the people. 5. It
is easy to imagine the disorders committed by this tumultuous
rabble; the whole neighbourhood rose in arms; they burned
RICHARD II.
109
and plundered wherever they came, and revenged upon their
former masters all those insults which they had long sus-
tained with impunity. As the discontent was general, the
insurgents increased in proportion as they approached the
capital. The flame soon propagated itself into Kent, Here-
fordshire, Surrey, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, and Lincoln.
6. They were found to amount to above a hundred thousand
men by the time they arrived at Blackheath. At the head
of one party of these was Wat Tyler, who led his men
into Smithfield, where he was met by the king, who invited
him to a conference, under a pretence of hearing and re-
dressing his grievances. Tyler, ordering his companions
to retire till he should give them a signal, boldly ventured
to meet the king in the midst of his retinue, and accordingly
began the conference. 7. The demands of this demagogue
are censured by all the historians of the time as insolent
and extravagant ; and yet nothing can be more just than
those they have delivered for him. He required that all
slaves should be set free, and all commonages ahould be
open to the poor as well as the rich ; and that a general
pardon should be passed for the late outrages. 8. Whilst
he made these demands, he now and then lifted up bis
Bword in a menacing manner ; which insolence so raised the
indignation of William Walworth, then mayor of London,
attending cn the king, that, without considering the danger
to which he exposed his majesty, he stunned Tyler with a
blow of his mace, while one of the king’s knights, riding
up, despatched him with liis sword. 9. The mutineers,
seeing their leader fall, prepared themselves to take revenge;
and their bows were now bent for execution, when Richard,
though not yet quite sixteen years of age, rode up to the rebels,
and with admirable presence of mind, cried out, 11 What,
my people, will you then kill your king? Ee not concerned
for the loss of your leader; I myself will now be your
general; follow me now into the field, and you shall have
whatever you desire.” The awed multitude immediately
desisted: they followed the king, as if mechanically, into
the field, and there he granted them the same charter that
he had before given to their companions, but which he soon
afterwards revoked in parliament.*
* Gower, the poet, wrote some Latin verses on this rebellion, part
of which are here inserted, as a specimen of the literature of this reign ;
nor will they be less acceptable, we trust, from the ludicrous effect
produced by putting English nick-names into a Latin dress.
110
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
10. Hitherto the king had acted under the control of the
regency, who did all they could devise to abridge his power.
However, in an extraordinary council of the nobility, as-
sembled after Easter, he, to the astonishment of all present,
desired to know his age ; and being told that he was turned
of two-and-twenty, he alleged that it was time then for him
to govern without help ; and that there was no reason that
he should he deprived of those rights which the meanest ol
his subjects enjoyed.
11. Being thus set at liberty to conduct the business oi
government at discretion, it quickly appeared that he wanted
those arts that are usually found to procure a lasting respect ;
he was fond of luxurious pleasure and idle ostentation ; he
admitted the meanest ranks to his familiarity ; and his con-
versation was not adapted to impress them with a reverence
for his morals or abilities. 12. The cruelty shown to the
Duke of Gloucester, who, upon slight suspicions, was sent
to confinement in Calais, and there murdered in prison,
with some other acts equally arbitrary, did not fail to in-
crease those animosities which had already taken deep root
in the kingdom. The aggrandizement of some new favou-
rites contributed still more to make the king odious ; but
though he seemed resolved, by all his actions, to set his
subjects against him, it was accident that gave occasion for
his overthrow. 13. The Duke of Hereford appeared in
parliament, and accused the Duke of Norfolk of having
spoken seditious words against his majesty in a private con-
versation. Norfolk denied the charge, gave Hereford the
lie, and offered to prove his innocence by single combat.
“ Watte vocat cui Thoma venit, neque Svmke retardat,
Batque, Gibbe simul, Hykkk venire subent.
Colle furit quem Bobbe juvat, nocamenta parantes,
Cum quibus ad damnum Wills coire volat.
Griggk rapit, dum Davie strepit, comes est quibus Hobbs
Larkin et in medio non minor esse putat.
Hudde ferit, quem Judde terit, dum Tibbe juvatur,
Jacks domosque viros vellit, et ense necat," &c.
Which are thus humorously translated by Andrews.
“ Wat cries, Tom flies, nor Symkin stays aside ;
And Batt, and Gibb, and Hike, they summon loud ;
Collin and Hob combustibles provide,
While Will the mischief f orwards in the crowd ;
Greg hawls, Bob bawls, and Davy joins the cry,
> With Lary, not the least among the throng ;
Hodge drubs, Jude scrubs, while Tib stands grinningby,
And Jac# with sword and fire-brand madly strides along."
RICHARD II.
Ill
As proofs were wanting for legal trial, the lords readily ac-
quiesced in that mode of determination ; the time and place
were appointed, and the whole nation waited with anxious
suspense for the event. 14. At length the day arrived, on
which the duel was to be fought ; and the champions having
just begun their career, the king stopped the combat, and
ordered both the combatants to leave the kingdom. The
Duke of Norfolk he banished for life, but the Duke of Here-
ford only for ten years. Thus the one was condemned to
exile without being charged with any offence, and the other
without being convicted of any crime. The Duke of Nor-
folk was overwhelmed with grief and despondence at the
judgment awarded against him: he retired to Venice, where
in a little time after, he died of a broken heart. 15. Here-
ford’s behaviour on this occasion was resigned and sub-
missive, which so pleased the king, that he consented to
shorten the date of his banishment four years ; and he also
granted him letters patent, ensuring him the enjoyment of
any inheritance which should fall to him during his absence ;
but upon the death of his father, the Duke of Lancaster,
which happened shortly after, Richard revoked those letters,
and retained the possession of the Lancaster estate to him-
self A.D. 1388.
Questions for Examination.
' 1. At what age and under what circumstances did Richard come to the
throne ?
2. In whose hands was the government vested?
3. Who was the first person that excited the people to arms?
5, 6. What disorders were committed by the rebels ? and who was their
leader?
7. What conditions were requested from the king by Wat Tyler?
8. By whom was Wat Tyler slain ? •
9. What was the conduct of the king on this occasion?
10. Did the subsequent conduct of the king serve to make him respected
by his subjects ?
13. What gave occasion to his overthrow?
14. With what severity did the king treat Norfolk and Hereford?
SECTION. II.
Oh ! let us then intestine discord shun :
We ne’er can be but by ourselves undone. — Savage.
1. (A. D. 1398.) Sxjch complicated injuries served to
inflame the resentment of Hereford against the king : and
although he had hitherto concealed it, he now set no bounds
to his indignation, but even conceived a desire of dethroning
112 HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
a person who had shown himself so unworthy of power.
Indeed, no man could be better qualified for an enterprise
of this nature than the Earl of Hereford : he was cool,
cautious, discerning, and resolute. 2. He had served with
distinction against the infidels of Lithuania; and he had
thus joined to his other merits those of piety and valour.
He was stimulated by private injuries, and had alliance and
fortune sufficient to give weight to his measures. He only
waited the absence of the king from England to put his
schemes into execution; and Richard’s going over into Ire-
land to quell an insurrection there, was the opportunity he
had long looked for.
3. Accordingly he instantly embarked at Nantz, with a
retinue of sixty persons, in three small vessels, and landed
at Ravenspur, in Yorkshire. The Earl of Northumberland,
who had long been a malcontent, together with Henry Percy,
his son, who, from -his ardent valour, was surnamed Hot-
spur, immediately joined them with their forces. After this
junction the concourse of people coming to enlist under
his banner was so great, that in a* few days his army
amounted to sixty thousand men.
4. While these things were transacting in England,
Richard continued in Ireland in perfect security. Contrary
winds, for three weeks together, prevented his receiving any
news of the rebellion which had begun in his native do-
minions ; wherefore, upon landing at Milford Haven with a
body of twenty thousand men, he saw himself in a dreadful
situation, in the midst of an enraged people, without any
friend on whom to rely ; and forsaken by those who, in the
sunshine of his power, had only contributed to fan his
'follies. 5. His little army gradually began to desert him,
till at last he found that he had not above six thousand men
who followed his standard. Thus not knowing whom to
trust, or where to turn, he saw no other hopes of safety
but to throw himself upon the generosity of the enemy,
and to gain from pity what he could not obtain by arms.
He therefore sent Hereford word that he was ready to sub-
mit to whatever terms he thought proper to prescribe, and
that he earnestly desired a conference. 6. For this pur-
pose the earl appointed him to meet at a castle within about
ten miles of Chester, where he came next day with his
army. Richard, who the day before had been brought
thither by the Duke of Northumberland, descrying liis
Rival’s approach from the walls, went down to receive him ;
RICHARD II.
113
while Hereford, after some ceremony, entered the -castle in
complete armour, only his head was bare, in compliment to
the fallen king. 7. Richard received him with that open
air for which he had been remarkable, and kindly bade
him welcome. “ My lord king,” returned the earl, with a
cool respectful bow, “ I am come sooner than you appointed,
because your people say, that for one-and-twenty years you
have governed with rigour and indiscretion. They are
very ill satisfied with your conduct ; but if it please God, I will
help you to govern them better for the time to come.”
To this declaration the king made no other answer but
“ Fair cousin, since it pleases you it pleases us likewise.”
8. But Hereford’s haughty answer was not the only
mortification the unfortunate Richard was to endure. After
a short conversation with some of the king’s attendants,
Hereford ordered the king’s horses to be brought out of the
stable ; and the wretched animals being produced, Richard
was placed upon one, and his favourite, the earl of Salis-
bury, on the other. 9. In this mean equipage they rode to
Chester ; and were conveyed to the castle with a great
noise of trumpets, and through a vast concourse of people,
who were no way moved at the sight. In this manner he
was led triumphantly along from town to town, amidst multi-
tudes who scoffed at him, and extolled his rivals. u Long
live the good Duke of Lancaster, our deliverer !” was the
general cry ; but as for the king, to use the pathetic words
of the poet, u None cried God bless him!” 10. Thus, after
repeated indignities, he. was confined a close prisoner in
the Tower, there, if possible, to undergo a still greater
variety of studied insolence and flagrant contempt. The
wretched monarch, humbled in this manner, began to lose the
pride of a king with the splendors of royalty, and his
spirit sunk to his circumstances. There was no great diffi-
culty, therefore, in inducing him to sign a deed, by which
he renounced his crown, as being unqualified for governing
the kingdom. 11. Upon this resignation Hereford founded
his principal claim: but, willing to fortify his pretensions
with every appearance of justice, he called a parliament,
which was readily brought to approve and confirm his
claim. A frivolous charge, of thirty-three articles, was
drawn up, and found valid against the king; upon which
he was solemnly deposed, and the Earl of Hereford elected
in his stead, by the title of Henry the Fourth. 12. Thus
H
Bichard n. surrendering his crown.
began the contest between the houses of York and Lancaster ,
which, for several years after, deluged the kingdom with
blood ; and yet, in the end, contributed to settle and confirm
the constitution.
13. When Richard was deposed, the Earl of Northum-
berland made a motion in the house of peers, demanding the
advice of parliament with regard to the future treatment
of the deposed king. To this they replied, that he should
be imprisoned itj some secure place, where his friends and
partizans should not be able to find him. This was accord-
ingly put in practice; but while he still continued alive, the
usurper could not remain in safety. Indeed, some conspi-
racies and commotions which followed soon after, induced
Henry to wish for Richard’s death; in consequence of
which, one of those assassins that are found in every court,
ready to commit the most horrid crimes for reward, went
down to the place of this unfortunate monarch’s confinement
in the castle of Pomfret, and, with eight of his followers,
rushed into his apartments. 12. The king, concluding their
design was to take away his life, resolved not to fall un-
revenged, but to sell it as dearly as he could; wherefore,
wresting a pole-axe from one of the murderers, he soon
laid four of their number dead at his feet. But he was at
RICHARD II.
115
length overpowered, and struck dead by tbe blow of a pole-
axe 3 - although some assert- that he was starved in prison.
15. ’Thus died the unfortunate Richard, in the thirty-fourth
year of his age, and the twenty-third of his reign. Though
his conduct was blameable, yet the punishment, he suffered
was greater than his offences} and in the end his sufferings
made more converts to his family and cause than ever his
most meritorious actions could have procured them. Ha
left no posterity, either legitimate or otherwise.
Questions for Examination.
I. By whom was the king opposed ?
3 15y whom was Hereford joined on his arrival in England 7
4. In what manner did the king conduct himself 7
6 Can you mention the indignities the king afterwards suffered 7
i. How did Richard receive the Earl of Hereford ? and what passed at
the interview between them 7 ..... , ., .
8, 9 To what other mortifications was the king obliged to submit 7
10. What circumstances preceded his resignation of the crown 7
II. By whom was lie succeeded 7
12. What dreadful contest now commenced 7
13. Afier Richard was deposed, in what manner was he treated 7
u! Relate the circumstances which attended the murder of Richard.
15. Describe his character.
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.r>.
Gregory XI 1370
Urbain VI 1378
Boniface IX 1389
Emperors of the East.
John VI 1355
Emanuel 11 1391
Emperors of the West
Charles IV 1347
Winceslaus 1378
Kings of France.
A.D.
Charles V 1364
Charles VI 1380
Kings of Portugal.
Ferdinand 1367
John 1 1385
King and Queen of
Denmark.
Glaus HI 1375
A.D.
Margaret 1385
Queen of Sweden.
Margaret held
Sweden with
Denmark 1397
Kings of Scotland.
Robert II 1370
Robert HI 1390
EMINENT PERSONS.
William Courtney, and Thomas Arundel, archbishops of Canterbury.
William Walworth, lord mayor of London. Roger Mortimer, earl of
March, grandson to Clarence, heir apparent. Henry of Bolingbroke.
Vere, duke of Ireland. William of Wykeham, bishop of Winchester,
founder of Winchester College, and of Merton College, Oxford.
116
HISTORY OP ENGLAND,
CHAPTER XVI.
iv.
Bom 1367. Died March 20, 1413. Began to reign October 1, 1399. Reigned
13 years.
Heaven knows what bye-paths and crooked ways
I met this crown ; and I myself know well
How troublsome it sat upon my brow. — Shakespeare.
x. (A. D. 1399.) Henry soon found that the throne of a
usurper is but a bed of thorns. Such violent animosities
broke out among the barons in the first session of this par-
liament, that forty challenges were given and received, and
forty gauntlets were thrown down as pledges of the sincerity
' of their resentment. But though these commotions were
seemingly suppressed by his moderation for that time, yet
one conspiracy broke out after another, and were detected
in the formation, or actually punished in the field.
2. That formed against him by the Earl of Northumber-
land was the most formidable. It was in a skirmish between
the Scots and English that Archibald, Earl of Douglas, with
many of the Scots nobility, were taken prisoners by the Earl
of Northumberland, and carried to Alnwick castle. When
Henry received intelligence of this victory, he sent the earl
orders not to ransom his prisoners, as he intended to detain
them, in order to increase his demands in making peace with
Scotland. 3. This message was highly resented by the
Earl of Northumberland, who, by the laws of war that pre-
vailed in that age, had a right to the ransom of all such as he
had taken in battle. The command was still more irksome,
as he considered the king his debtor, both for his security
and his crown. Accordingly, stung with this supposed
injury, he resolved to overturn a throne which he had the
chief hand in establishing.
4. A scheme was laid in which the Scots and Welsh were
to unite their forces, and to assist Northumberland in
elevating Mortimer, as the true heir to the crown of England.
When all things were prepared for the intended insurrection,
the earl had the mortification to find himself unable to
lead on the troops, being seized with a sudden illness
at Berwick. But the want of his presence was well supplied
by his son, Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur, who took
the command of the troops, and marched them towards
Shrewsbury, in order to join his forces with those of Glen-
HENRY IV.
117
dower, a Welsh chieftain, who for some time before had been
exchanged from prison, and had now advanced with his
forces as far as Shropshire. 5. Upon the junction of these
two armies they published a manifesto, which aggravated
their real grievances, and invented more. In the ineantime,
Henry, who had received no intelligence of their designs,
was at first greatly surprised at the news of this rebellion.
But fortune seemed to befriend him on this occasion ; he had
a small army in readiness, which he had levied for an in-
tended war against the Scots, and knowing the importance
of despatch against such active enemies, he instantly hurried
down to Shrewsbury, that he might give the rebels battle.
6. Upon the approach of the two armies, both sides seem-
ed willing to give a colour to their cause by shewing a
desire of reconciliation ; but when they came to open their
mutual demands, the treaty was turned into abuse and re-
crimination. On one side was objected rebellion and ingra-
titude; on the other, tyranny and usurpation. 7. The two
armies were pretty nearly equal, each consisting of about
twelve thousand men ; the animosity on both sides was in-
flamed to the highest pitch ; and no prudence nor military
skill could determine on which side the victory might in-
cline ; accordingly a very bloody engagement ensued, in
which the generals on both sides exerted themselves with
great bravery. Henry was seen everywhere in the thickest
of the fight ; while his valiant son, who was afterwards the
renowned conqueror of France, fought by his side; and,
though wounded in the face by an arrow, still kept the field,
and performed astonishing acts of valour. 8. On the other
side, the daring Hotspur supported that renown which he
had arquired in so many bloody engagements, and every-
where sought out the king as a noble object of indignation.
At last, however, .his death from an unknown hand decided
the victory; and the fortune of Henry once more prevailed.
On that bloody day, it is said that no less than two thousand
three hundred gentlemen were slain, and about six thousand
private men, of whom two-thirds were of Hotspur’s army.
9. While this furious transaction was going forward, Nor-
thumberland, who was lately recovered from his indisposi-
tion, was advancing with a body of troops to reinforce the
army of malcontents, and take upon him the command ;
but hearing by the way of his son’s and brother’s misfortune
he dismissed his troops, not daring to keep the field with
so small a force, before an army superior in number, and
118
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
flushed with recent victory. 10. The earl, therefore, for a
while, attempted to find safety by flight; but at last, being
pressed by his pursuers, and finding himself totally without
resource, he chose rather to throw himself upon the king’s
mercy than lead a precarious and indigent life in exile.
Upon his appearing before Henry at York, he pretended
that his sole intention in arming was to mediate between
the two parties ; and this, though but a very weak apology,
seemed to satisfy the king. Northumberland, therefore,
received a pardon ; Henry probably thinking that he was
sufficiently punished by the loss of his army and the death
of his favourite son.
11. By these means Henry seemed to surmount all his
troubles ; and the calm which was thus produced was em-
ployed by him in endeavours to acquire popularity, which
he had lost by the severities exercised during the preceding
part of his reign. For that reason, he often permitted the
house of commons to assume powers which had net been
usually exercised by their predecessors. (A.D. 1407.) 12.
In the sixth year of his reign, when they voted him the
supplies, they appointed treasurers of their own, to see the
money disbursed for the purpose intended ; and required
them to deliver in their accounts to the house. They pro-
posed thirty very important articles for the government of
the king’s household ; and, on the whole, preserved their
privileges and freedom more entire during his reign than
in that of any of his predecessors. 13. But while tiie king
thus laboured, not without success, to retrieve the reputation
he had lost, his son Henry, the prince of Wales, seemed
equally bent on incurring the public aversion. He became
notorious for all kinds of debauchery, and ever chose to be
surrounded by a set of wretches, who took pride in commit-
ting the most illegal acts, with the prince at their head.
14. The king was not a little mortified at this degeneracy
in his eldest son, who seemed entirely forgetful of his sta-
tion ; although he had already exhibited repeated proofs of
his valorous conduct and generosity. Such were the ex-
cesses into which he ran, that one of his dissolute com-
panions having been brought to trial before Sir William
Gascoigne, chief justice of the king’s bench, for some misde-
meanor, the prince was so exasperated at the issue of the
trial, that he struck the judge in open court. 15. The ven-
erable magistrate, who knew the reverence that was due
to his station, behaved with a dignity that became his office,
HENRY IV.
119
and immediately ordered the prince to be committed to pri-
son. When this transaction was reported to the king, who
was an excellent judge of mankind, he could not help ex-
claiming in a transport — !< Happy is the king that has a
magistrate endowed with courage to execute the laws upon
such an offender; still more happy in having a son willing
to submit to such a chastisement!” This, in fact, is one cf
the first great instances we read in the English history of a
magistrate doing justice in opposition to power; since, upon
many former occasions, we find the judges only ministers of
royal caprice.
16. Henry, whose health had for some time been declin-
ing, did not long outlive this transaction. He was subject to
fits, which bereaved him for the time of his senses; and
which at last brought on his death at Westminister, in the-
forty-sixth year of his age, and the fourteenth of his reign.
Questions for Examination.
1. In what situation did Ilenry flnd himself on ascending the throne ?
2. Who was the most formidable opponent of Henry ?
4. For what purpose were the Scots and Welsh to unite their forces ?
7. Relate the valorous conduct of the king and of the prince
8. What was the fate of Hotspur ?
10. What became of the ear i of Northumberland ?
12. AV hat at this time were the poworsassumed by the house of commons ?
13. What was tho conductoftno priuco of Wales ?
15. For whttt offenco did the chief justice imprison him ?
tlm king exclaim when he heard of the prince’s committal ?
16. What caused the death of the king '!
CONTEMPORARY SOYEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.D.
tlonifacelX 1389
innocent VII 1404
CregoryXII 1403
Alexander V 1409
John XXIII 1410
Emperor of the East.
Emanuel II 1391
Emperors of the West.
A.D.
Winceslaus 1378
Robert le Pet 1400
Sigismuud 1410
King of France.
Charles VI 1380
King of Portugal.
John 1 1385
King and Queen of
Denmark and Sweden ,
A.D,
Margaret 1335
Eric XIII 1411
Kin a of Scotland .
Robert 111 1390
EMINENT PERSONS.
Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury; Edward Mortimer; Hen-
ry Percy, surnam*d Hotspur; Chief Justice Gascoigne; Sir Robert
Knowles ; Sir Richard Whittington, lord mayor of London ; John
Sower, and Geoffrey Chaucer.
120
HISTORY OF ENGLAND
CHAPTER XVII.
HENRY V.
Born 1388. Died Aug. 31, 1123. Began to reign March 20, 1413.
Keigned 9} years.
Now terror seemed to make the field its own. — Egerton .
1. (A.D. 1413.) The first steps taken by the young king
confirmed all those prepossessions entertained in his favour.
He called together his former abandoned companions:
acquainted them with his intended reformation ; exhorted
them to follow his example; and thus dismissed them
from his presence, allowing them a competency to subsist
upon till he saw them worthy of further promotion. 2.
The faithful ministers of his fat her at first began to tremble
for their former justice in the administration of their duty;
but he soon eased them of their fears by taking them into
his friendship and confidence. Sir William Gascoigne, who
thought himself the most obnoxious, met with praise instead
of reproaches, and was exhorted to persevere in the same
rigorous and impartial execution of justice.
3. About this time the heresy of Wickliffe,* or Lol-
lardism, as it was called, began to spread every day more
and more, while it received a new lustre from the protec-
tion and preaching of Sir John Oldcastle, baron of Cobham,
who had been one cf the king’s domestics, and stood high
in his favour. The primate, however, indicted this noble-
man, and, with the assistance of his suffragans, condemned
him, as a heretic, to be burnt alive. 4. Cobham, however,
escaping from the Tower, in which he rvas confined, the day
before his execution, privately went up to London to take a
signal revenge on his enemies. But the king, apprised of
his intentions, ordered that the city gates should be shut ;
and coming by night with his guards into St. Giles’s- fields
seized such of the conspirators as appeared, and afterwards
laid hold of several parties that were hastening to the ap-
* John Wick lilfe, a celebrated English divine, was the father of the
reformation ot' tho English Church from popery, lie iirst opposed the
authority of the pope, end, being cited to appear before the bishop ot
Condon, it caused great tumult. His tenets were solemnly condemned
in an assembly held at Oxford ; he, however, escaped the' malice of his
enemies, and died peaceably at Lutterworth, in 1384.
HENRY V.
121
pointed place. 5. Some of these were executed, but the
greater number pardoned. Cobham himself found means of
escaping for that time, but he was taken about four years
after; and never did the cruelty of man invent, or crimes
draw down, such torment as he was made to endure. He
was hung up with a chain by the middle, and thus, at a slow
fire, burned, or rather roasted, alive.
6. Henry, to turn the minds of the people from such
hideous scenes, resolved to take advantage of the troubles
in which France at that time was engaged ; and assembling
a great fleet and army at Southampton, landed at Harfleur,
at the head of an army of six thousand men-at-arms, and
twenty-four thousand toot, mostly archers. But although
the enemy made but a feeble resistance, yet the climate
seemed to fight against the English , a contagious dysentery
carrying off three parts of Henry’s army. 7. The English
monarch, when it was too late, began to repent of his rash
inroad into a country where disease and a powerful army
everywhere threatened destruction ; he, therefore, began to
think of retiring into Calais.
The enemy, however, resolved to intercept his retreat;
and after he had passed the small river of Tertois, at
Blangi, he was surprised to observe, from the heights, the
whole French army drawn up in the plains of Agipcourt,*
and so posted, that it was impossible for him to proceed
on his march without coming to an engagement. 8. No
situation could be more unfavourable than that in which he
found himself. His army was wasted with disease; the
soldiers’ spirits worn down with fatigue, destitute of pro-
visions, and discouraged by their retreat. Their whole
body amounted to but nine thousand men, and these were
to sustain the shock of an enemy nearly ten times their
number, headed by expert generals, and plentifully sup-
plied with provisions. 9. As the enemy were so much
superior, he drew up his army on a narrow ground between
two woods, which guarded each flank; and he patiently
expected, in that position, the attack of the enemy. The
constable of France was at the head of one army, and
Henry himself, with Edward, Duke of York, commanded
the other. 10. For a time both armies, as if afraid to
begin, kept silently gazing at each other, neither willing to
♦Agincourt is a village in the province of Artois, formerly part of the
French Netherlands
122
HISTORY OP ENGLAND-
break tlieir ranks by making the onset ; which, Henry per-
ceiving, with a cheerful countenance cried out, “ Hy
friends, since they will not begin, it is ours to set the
example; come on, and the blessed Trinity be our pro-
tection 1” Upon this the whole army set forward with a
shout, while the French still waited their approach with
intrepidity. 11. The English archers, who had long been
famous for their great skill, first let fly a shower of arrows
three feet long, which did great execution. The French
cavalry advancing to repel these two hundred bowmen,
who lay till then concealed, rising on a sudden let fly among
them, and produced such a confusion, that the archers threw
by their arrows, and, rushing in, fell upon them sword in
hand. The French at first repulsed the assailants, who were
enfeebled by disease; but they soon made up the defect by
their valour ; and, resolving to conquer or die, burst in upon
the enemy with such impetuosity, that the French were
soon obliged to give way.
12. They were overthrown in every part of the field;
their numbers being crowded into a very narrow space,
were incapable of either flying or making any resistance,
so that they covered the ground with heaps of slain. After
all appearance of opposition was over, there was heard an
alarm from behind, which proceeded from a number of
peasants who had fallen on the English baggage, and were
putting those who guarded it to the sword. 13. Henry,
now seeing the enemy on all sides cf him, began to enter-
tain apprehensions from his prisoners, the number of whom
exceeded even that of his army. He thought it necessary,
therefore, to issue general orders for putting them to death:
but on a discovery of a certainty of his victory, he stopped
the slaughter, aud was still able to save a great number.
14. This severity tarnished the glory which his victory
would otherwise have acquired; but all the heroism of that
age is tinctured with barbarity. In this battle the French
lost ten thousand men and fourteen thousand prisoners: the
English only forty men in all.*
15. France was at that time (A.D. 1417) in a wretched
situation; the whole kingdom appeared as one vast theatre
• 4uke of York and theearl of Suffolk were among the few who fall
in this battle on the sideot the English. Also three valiant Welshmen,
named Davy Gam, Roger Vaughan, Walker, Lloyd, who had rescued
moling and were afterwards knighted by him as they lay bleeding to
death.— Monstrdet. 6
HENRY V.
123
of. crimes, murders, injustice, and devastation. The duke
of Orleans was assassinated by the duke* of Burgundy ; and
the duke of Burgundy, in his turn, fell by the treachery of
the dauphin. . . , , , , - ,,
16. A state of imbecility into winch Charles had fallen
made him passive in every transaction; and Henry, at last,
by conquests and negotiation, caused himself to be elected
heir to the crown. The principal articles of this treaty
were, that Henry should espouse the princess Catharine,
daughter of the king of France; that king Charles should
enjoy the title and dignity for life, but that Henry should
be declared heir to the crown, and should be intrusted
with the present administration of the Government ; that
France and England should for ever be united under one
king, but should still retain their respective laws and
privileges.
17. Inconsequence of this, while Henry was everywhere
victorious he fixed his residence in Paris ; and while Charles
had but a small court, he was attended with a very magnifi-
cent one. (A.D. 1421.) On Whit-Sunday, the two kings
and their two queens, with crowns on their heads, dined to-
gether in public ; Charles receiving apparent homage, but
Henry commanding with absolute authority.*
18. Henry, at that time, when his glory had nearly
reached its summit, and both crowns were just devolved upon
him, was seized with a fistula, a disorder which, from the
unskilfulness of the physicians of the time, soon became
mortal. He expired with the same intrepidity with which
he had lived, in the thirty-fourth year of his age and the
tenth of his reign.
Questions for Examination.
1. What were the first steps taken by the young king ?
3. What remarkable circumstance did the heresy of Wickliffe produce?
5. What was the melancholy late of Sir John Oldcastle, baron ol
G'obham ?
* 1 he revenues of government, and the grants of parliament, were so
inadequate to Henry’s expensive armies and expeditions that he was
iji'ceu to pawn his crown to his uncle, Cardinal Beaufort, for a large
sum , and certain jewels to the lord mayor of London, for ten thou-
sand marks. He was also obliged to pledge two gold cased basons,
weighing together 281b. 8oz. to two canons of St. Paul’s for six hundred
maiks : and two golden shells to the dean of Lincoln for one hundred
more. The cost of his army was great; each knight received 208 per
diem, a squiie 10s. and each archer 6s. Besid s which, he had a costly
band of music, among which were the ten clarions, wh.ch played an
hour night and morning, before his tent . — Bertrand de Moleville,
3 24
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
6. What caused Henry to assemble an army in France?
What was the amount of his army ?
7. Where did the enemy attempt to intercept his retreat?
8. In what condition was the English army?
9. Who commanded the respective armies?
10. Relate the particulars of the battle of Agincourt?
14. What tarnished the glory of this victory ?
What was the situation of France?
15. What were the principal articles of treaty between England and
France?
18. What was the age of Henry at his death, and how long did be reign?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.n.
John XXIII 1410
Martin V 1417
Emperor of the East.
Emanuel II. 1394
Emperor of the West.
A.n.
Sigismund 1410
King of France.
Charles IV 13S0
King of Portugal.
John 1 1385
King of Denmark and
Sweden.
Eric XIII 14li
King of Scotland,
Robert HI .1390
EMINENT PERSONS.
Henry Chicheley, archbishop of Canterbury ; Cardinal Beaufort, bishop
of Winchester, younger son of John of Gaunt, and preceptor to Henry
the Fifth and Sixth. Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury.
CHAPTER XVIII.
HENRY VI.
Born 1421. Deposed March 5, 1461. Died April 21, 1471. Began to
reign August 31, 1422. Reigned 38 j- years.
SECTION I.
From fields obscure darts forth a village maid.— Dihdin.
] . (A. D. 1422.) The duke of Bedford, one of the most
accomplished princes of the age, and equally experienced
both in the cabinet and the field, was appointed by parlia-
ment protector of England, defender of the church, and
first counsellor to the king during his minority; as he was
not yet a year old : and as France was the great object
that engrossed all consideration, be attempted to exert the
efforts of the nation upon the continent with all his vmor.
2. A new revolution was produced in that kingdom, by
HENRY VI.
125
means apparently the most unlikely to be attended with
success. In the village of Domreni, near Vaucoleurs, on
the borders of Lorraine, there lived a country girl, about
twenty-seven years of age, called Joan of Arc. This girl
had been a servant at a small inn, and in that humble sta-
tion had submitted to those hardy employments which fit the
body for the fatigues of war. She was of an irreproachable
life, and had hitherto testified none of those enterprising
qualities which displayed themselves soon after. 3. Her
mind, however, brooding with melancholy steadfastness upon
the miserable situation of her country, began to feel several
impulses, which she was willing to mistake for the inspira-
tions of Heaven. Convinced of the reality of her own ad-
monitions she had recourse to one Baudricourt, governor
of Vaucoleurs, and informed him of her destination by Hea-
ven to free her native country from its fierce invaders.
Baudricourt treated her at first with some neglect : but her
importunities at length prevailed, and willing to make trial
of her pretensions, he gave her some attendants, who con-
ducted her to the French court, which at that time resided at
Chinon.
4. The French court were probably sensible of the weak-
ness of her pretensions ; but they were willing to make use
of every artifice to support their declining fortunes. It was
therefore, given out that Joan was actually inspired ; that
she was able to discover the king among the number of his
courtiers, although he had laid aside all the distinctions of
his authority; that she had told him some secrets which
were only known to himself; and that she had demanded
and minutely described a sword in the church of St. Cathe-
rine de Firebois, which she had never seen. 5. In this manner
the minds of the vulgar being prepared for her appearance,
she was armed cap-a-pie, and shown in that martial dre«s to
the people. She was then brought before the doctors of the
university, and they, tinctured with the credulity of the times,
or willing to second the imposture, declared that she had
actually received her commission from above.
5. When the preparations for her mission w r ere completely
blazoned, their next aim was to send her against the enemy.
The English were at that time besieging the city of Orleans,
the last resource of Charles, and everything promised them
a speedy surrender. Joan undertook to raise the siege ; and
to render herself still more remarkable girded herself with
the miraculous sword, of which she had before such extra-
126
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
ordinary notices. Thus equipped, she ordered all the sol-
diers to confess themselves before they set out; she dis-
played in her hand a consecrated banner, and assured the
troops of certain success. 7. Such confidence on her die
soon raised the spirits of the French army ; and even the
English who pretended to despise her efforts, felt them-
selves secretly influenced with the terrors of her mission ;
and relaxing in their endeavours, the siege was raised with
great precipitation. From being attacked, the French now
in turn became the aggressors. One victory followed an-
other; and at length the French king was solemnly crowned
at Rheims, which Joan had promised should come to pass.
8. A tide of success followed the performance of this
solemnity; but Joan having thrown herself into the city of
€ompeign, with a body of troops, that was then besieged
by the Duke of Burgundy, she was taken prisoner in a sally
which she headed against the enemy, the governor shutting
the gates behind. The Duke of Bedford was no sooner
informed of her being taken, than he purchased her cf the
count Vendome, who had made her prisoner, and ordered
her to be committed to close confinement. 9. The credulity
cf both nations was at the time so great, that nothing was
too absurd to gain belief that coincided with their passions.
As Joan, but a little before, from her successes, was re-
garded as a saint, she was now, upon her captivity, consi-
dered as a sorceress, forsaken by the demon who had granted
her a fallacious and temporary assistance ; and accordingly,
being, tried at Rouen, she was found guilty of heresy and
witchcraft, and sentenced to be burnt alive, which was exe-
cuted with the most ignorant malignity.
10. From this period the English affairs became totally
irretrievable. The city of Paris returned once more to a
sense of its duty. Thus ground was continually, though
slowly, gained by the French; and in the lapse of a few
years, Calais alone remained of all the conquests that had
been made in France ; and this was but a small compensa-
tion for the blood and treasure which had been lavished in
that country, and which only served to gratify ambition with
transient applause.* (A.D. 1443.)
* The duko of Bedford died about this time ; and when the dauphin
of Franco was advised to demolish tho monument of black marblo which
had been erected to his memory, lie generously replied. •* Let him repose
in peace; and let us bo thankful that hedoosrepose. Were he to awake,
h ■ vrnn'd make tho stoutest of us tremble.”
HENRY YI.
127
11. But the incapacity of Henry began to appear m a
fuller light; and a foreign war being now extinguished, the
people began to prepare for the horrors of intestine strife.
In this period of calamity a new interest was revived, which
had lain dormant in the times of prosperity and triumph.
Richard, Duke of York, was descended, by the mother’s
side, from Lionel, one of the sons of Edward the Third;
whereas the reigning king was descended from John of
Gaunt, a younger son of the same monarch : Richard, there-
fore, 6tood plainly in succession before Henry ; and he began
to think the weakness and unpopularity of the present reign
a favourable moment for ambition. The ensign of Richard
was a white rose, that of Henry a red : and this gave name
to the two factions, whose animosity was now about to
drench the kingdom with slaughter.
12. Among the number of complaints which the unpopu-
larity of the government gave rise to, there were some which
even excited insurrection ; particularly that headed by John
Cade, which was of the most dangerous nature. This man
was a native of Ireland, who had been obliged to fly over to
France for his crimes ; but seeing the people upon his re-
turn, prepared for violent measures, he assumed the name
of Mortimer; and at the head of twenty thousand Kentish
men, advanced towards the capital, and encamped at Black-
heath. The king, being informed of this commotion, sent
a message to demand the cause of their assembling in arms,
and Cade, in the name of the community, answered that
their only aim was to punish evil ministers, and to procure
a redress of grievances for the people. 13. But committing
some abuses and engaging with the citizens, he was aban-
doned by most of his followers ; and retreating to Rochester,
was obliged to fly alone into the woods of Kent, where, a
price being set upon his head by proclamation, he was dis-
covered and slain.*
14. In the meantime the duke of York secretly fomented
these disturbances, and, pretending to espouse the cause of
the people, still secretly aspired to the crown ; and though
he wished nothing so ardently, yet he was for some time
prevented by his own scruples from seizing it. What his in-
* The inscription on Cade’s standard consisted of the following dog-
gerel, sufficiently indicative of the levelling doctrines of him and bis
rebel companions
“ When Adam delv’d and Eve span,
Who was then a gentleman V r
128
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
trigues failed to bring about, accidents produced according to
his desires. 15. The king tailing into a distemper, which
so far increased his natural imbecility that it even rendered
him incapable of maintaining the appearance of royalty,
York was appointed lieutenant and protector of the king-
dom, with powers to hold and open parliaments at pleasure.
Question for Examination .
1. What happened on the death of the king?
2, 3. Relate the history of Joan of Arc.
4. By what artifices aid the French court support their declining
fortunes ?
6. What enterprise did Joan undertake?
7. W ere the French successful ?
8. In what manner was Joan of Arc made prisoner?
9. What was the fate of this extraordinary woman?
10. In what state were the English ahairs atthis time?!
11. What new interest was now revived against Henry? and to what
consequences did it lead ?
12. Mention the particulars of an insurrection which took place, and the
cause which occasioned it?
13. What was the fate of the principal conspirators ?
14. Who secretly fomented these disturbances?
15. Who was appointed protector of the kingdom, and on what occasion?
SECTION II.
While second Richard’s blood for vengeance calls.
Doom’d for his grandsire’s guilt, poor Henry falls. — Savage.
1. (A.D. 1452.) Being thus invested with a plenitude of
power, he continued in the enjoyment of it for some time ;
but at length the unhappy king recovered from his lethargic
complaint; and, as if waking from a dream, perceived with
surprise that he was stripped of all his authority. Henry was
married to Margaret of Anjou,* a woman of a masculine
understanding, who obliged him to take the field, and in a
manner dragged him to it, where both sides came to an en-
gagement, in which the Yorkists gained a complete victory.!
2. The king himself being wounded, and having taken shelter
in a cottage near the field of battle, was taken prisoner, and
treated by the victor with great respect and tenderness.
Henry was now merely a prisoner, treated with the splen-
did forms of royalty; yet, indolent and sickly, he seemed
* Daughter of Eeu6, titular king of Sicily, an ambitious, enterprising
and courageous woman. She supported the rights of her husband w ith
great lbrtitudoaud activity, till the latai defeat at Tewkesbury wuich nut
an end to ml her enterprises. y
t T his battle was the lirst of St. Alban’s.
HENRY VI.
129
pleased with his situation, and did not regret that power
which was not to be exercised without fatigue. But Mar-
garet once more induced him to assert his prerogative. 3.
The contending parties met at Bloreheath, on the borders of
Staffordshire, Sept. 23, 1459, and the Yorkists gained some
advantages; but Sir Andrew Trollop deserted with all his
men to the king ; and this so intimidated the whole army of
the Yorkists, that they separated the next day without strik-
ing a single blow. Several other engagements followed,
with various success ; Margaret being at one time victorious,
at another in exile: the victory upon Wakefield green,* in
which the duke of York was slain, seemed to fix her good
fortune.
4. But the earl of Warwick, who now put himself at the
head of the Yorkists, was one of the most celebrated generals
of the age, formed for times of trouble, extremely artful,
and incontestably brave, equally skilful in council and the
field ; and inspired with a degree of hatred against the queen
that nothing could suppress. He commanded an army, in
which he led about the captive king, to give a sanction of
his attempts. 5. Upon the approach of the Lancastrians,
he conducted his forces, strengthened by a body ofLondoners,
who were very affectionate to his cause, and gave battle
to the' queen at St. Alban’s. In this, however, he was de-
feated. About two thousand of the Yorkists perished in
the battle, and the person of the king- again fell into the
hands of his own party, to be treated with apparent respect,
but real contempt.
6. In the mean time yofing Edward, the eldest son of the
late duke of York, began to repair the losses his party had
lately sustained, and to give spirit to the Yorkists. This
prince, in the bloom of youth, remarkable for the beauty of
his person, his bravery, and popular deportment, advanced
towards London with the remainder of Warwick’s army;
and, obliging Margaret to retire, entered the city amidst the
acclamations of the people. Perceiving his own popularity,
he supposed that now was the time to lay his claim to the
crown; and his friend Warwick, assembling the citizens to
St. John’s Fields, pronounced a harangue, setting forth the
title of Edward, and inveighing against the tyranny and
usurpation of the house of Lancaster. (A.D. 1461.) 7. Both
sides at length met near Towton, in the county of York, to
* In the West Riding of Yorkshire.
130
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
decide the fate of the empire, and never was England de-
populated by so terrible an engagement. It was a dreadful
eight to behold a hundred thousand men of the same country
engaged against each other; and all to satisfy the ambition
of the weakest or the worst of mankind. While the army
of Edward was advancing to the charge, there happened a
great fall of snow, whifch, driving full in the face of the
enemy, blinded them ; and this advantage, seconded by an
impetuous onset, decided the victory in his favour. Edward
issued orders to give no quarter; and a bloody slaughter
ensued, in which nearly forty thousand of the Lancastrians
were slain.
8. The weak and unfortunate Henry, always imprudent,
and always unsuccessful, was taken prisoner, carried to
London with great ignominy, and conducted to the Tower.
Margaret was rather more fortunate: she contrived to escape
out of the kingdom, and took refuge with her father in Flan-
ders.*
9. Edward being now, by means of the earl of Warwick,
fixed upon the throne, reigned in peace and security, while
his title was recognised by parliament, and universally sub-
mitted to by the people. (A.D. 1464.) He began, therefore,
to give loose to his favourite passions, and a spirit of gallan-
try, mixed with cruelty, was seen to prevail in his court.
The very same palace which one day exhibited a spectacle of
horror, was to be seen the day -following with a mask or
a pageant; and the king would at once gallant a mistress and
inspect an execution. 10. In order to turn him from these
pursuits, which were calculated to render him unpopular,
the earl of Warwick advised him to marry; and with his
consent went over to France, to procure Bona of Savoy, as
queen, and the match was accordingly concluded. But
whilst the earl was hastening the negociation in France, the
♦Margaret, flying with her son into a forest, was attacked during the
night by robbers, who despoiled her of her rings and jewels, and treated
her with the utmost indignity. The partition of this great booty having
raised a violent quarrel'among them, she took an opportunity of flying
with her son into the thickest part of the forest, wlu-re she wandered till
she was overcome with hunger and fatigue. While in this wretched con-
dition, she saw a robber approaching her with his naked sword; she sud-
denly embraced the resolution of trusting entirely to his laitli and gene-
rosity, and, presenting to him the young prince, “ Here, my friend,”
said she, “ I commit to your care the safety of the king’s son.” The man
struck with the singularity of the event, and recalled to virtue bv the flat-
tering confidence reposed in him, vowed not only to abstain from all in-
jury against the princess, but to devote himself entirely to her service.
By his means she reached the sea-coast and embarked for Fland.ra.
—DeMolcville, &c. ' "
HENRY VI.
131
king himself rendered it abortive at home, by marrying
Elizabeth Grey,* with whom he had fallen in love, and
whom he had vainly endeavoured to debauch. 11. Having
thus given Warwick real cause of offence, he was resolved to
widen the breach by driving him from the council. War-
wick, whose prudence was equal to his bravery, soon made
use of both to assist his revenge ; and formed such a com-
bination against Edward, that he wac in his turn obliged to
fiy the kingdom. Thus, once more, the poor, passive king
Henry was released from prison to be placed upon a dangerous
throne. A parliament was called, which confirmed Henry’s
title with great solemnity; and Warwick was himself
received among the people under the title of king
maker.
12. But Edward’s party, though repressed, was not de-
stroyed. Though an exile in Holland, he had many partisans
at home; and, after an absence of nine months, being
seconded by a small body of troops, granted to him by the
duke of Burgundy, he made a descent at Ravenspur, in
Yorkshire. Though, at first, he was coolly received by the
English, yet his army increased upon his march, while his
moderation and feigned humility still added to the number of
his partisans. London, at that time ever ready to admit
the most powerful, opened her -gates to him; and the
wretched Henry was once more plucked from a throne to be
sent back to his former mansion.
13. Nothing now, therefore, remained to Warwick, but
to cut short an anxious suspense, by hazarding a battle.
Edward’s fortune prevailed. They met at St. Albans, and
the Lancastrians were defeated; while Warwick himself,
leading a chosen body of troops into the thickest of the
slaughter, fell, in the midst of his enemies, covered with
wounds.
Margaret, receiving the fatal news of the death of the brave
Warwick, and the total destruction of her party, gave way
to her grief, for the first time, in a torrent of tears ; and
yielding to her unhappy fate, took sanctuary in the abbey of
Beaulieu, in Hampshire.
14. She had not been long in this melancholy abode
•Elizabeth Grey was the daughter of sir Richard Woodville. The king
first saw her at court, whether she had repaired to present a petition for
the recovery of the confiscated lands of hor latehu&Dand, sir John Grey,
who was slain in arms on tho side of Henry. She told Edward when
ho first addressed her on the subject of his love, that though too humble
to be his wife, she was too high to become his concubine.
HISTORY' OF ENGLAND.
ioJ
before she found some few friends still waiting to assist her
fallen fortunes. She had now fought battles in almost every
province in England; Tewkesbury park was the last scene
that terminated her attempts. 15. The duke of Somerset
headed her army; a man who h.ad shared her dangers, and
had ever been steady in her cause. When Edward first
attacked him in his intrenchments, he repulsed him with such
vigour, that the enemy retired with precipitation; upon
which the duke, supposing them routed, pursued, and ordered
lord Wenlock to support his charge. But, unfortunately,
this lord' disobeyed his orders ; and Somerset’s forces were
soon overpowered by numbers. 16. In this dreadful exi-
gence, the duke finding that all was over, became ungovern-
able in his rage; and beholding Wenlock inactive, and
remaining in the very place where he had first drawn up
his men, giving way to his fury, with his heavy battle-axe in
both hands he ran upon the coward, and with one blow
dashed out his brains.
17. The queen and the prince were taken prisoners after
the battle, and brought in the presence of Edward. The
young prince appeared before the conqueror with undaunted
majesty ; a:.d being asked, in an insulting manner, how he
dared to invade England without leave, more mindful of his
high birth than ofhis ruined fortunes, he boldly 7 " replied, u I
have entered the dominions of my father, to revenge his
injuries and to redress my own.” 18. The barbarous Ed-
ward, enraged at his intrepidity, struck him on the mouth
with his gauntlet ; and this served as a signal for further
brutality: the dukes of Gloucester, Clarence, and others,
like wild beasts, rushing on the unarmed youth at once,
stabbed him to the heart with their daggers. To complete
the tragedy, Henry himself was soon after murdered in cold
blood. Of all those that were taken, none were suffered to
survive but Margaret herself. 19. It was perhaps expected
that she would be ransomed by the king of France ; and in
this they were not deceived, as that monarch paid the king
of England fifty thousand crowns for her freedom. This
extraordinary woman, after having sustained the cause of her
husband in twelve battles, after having survived her friends,
fortunes, and children, died a few years after in privacy in
France, very miserable indeed ; but with few other claims to
our pity except her courage and her distresses.*
* During this and several previous reigns, a most absurd fashion was
followed by the people. It was customary to wear the beaks or points ot
HENRY YI.
133
Questions for Exa rn i nation.
1. TYIiat was the issue of tlie first battle between the houses of York
and Lancaster ?
2. What was the fortune of Henry ?
3. Vt'here did the contending parties next meet ?
What circumstances gave the advantage to Henry's party r
4. Who was the commander of the Yorkists ?
What was his success ?
. 6. Who now la hi claim to the crown ? «
7. What were the particulars of the action at Towton ?
8. What happened to Margaret and the young prince after the battle 7
9. How did Edward conduct himself after his accession '!
11. For what reason did Warwick combine agaiuot Edward ?
By what title was Warwick received among the people ?
13. What was the fortune of the next battle ?
14. What followed this engagement ?
17. What was the answer of the young prince to Edward ?
18. What was his treatment ?
What was the fate of Henry ?
19. What of Margaret?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. a.d. |
Martin V 1417 ,
EugeniusYI 1431 j
Nicholas V 14i7
Calixtus III 1455
Fiusll 1458
Emperors rf the East.
Emanuel II 13 ! Jl
JohnVil 1429
Constantine HI.,
and last Christian
emperor. Suc-
ceeded by his
conqueror, Ma-
homet II ., Who
A.D.
took Constantino-
ple by storm, May I
29 1453
Emperors of the West.
Sigismund 1410
AlberUI 1438
Frederick III 1440
Kings of France.
Charles VII 1452
Louis XI 1461
Kings of Portugal.
John 1 1385
A.D.
Edward 1433
Alphonsus 1438
Kings of Denmark and
Sweden.
Eric IX 1411
Christopher III. ..1439
Christian 1 1448
Kings of Scotland.
Robert III ... .1390
.lames I la. 4
James II 1437
James III 5.. 1460
EMINENT PERSONS.
John Stratford and John Kemp, archbishops of Canterbury. De la
Pole, duke of Suffolk. The dukes of Bedford, Gloucester, Ext rer, m :
bishop of Winchester, regents and guardiansto the king. Richard, duke
of York.
thcrir shoes so long that it was necessary to tie them up to their knees with
laces or chains to enable them to walk without stumbling; gentlemen
used for this purpose chains made of silver, or silver gilt, and others used
laees. 'Ibis ridiculous custom was now (A.D. 1467,) prohibited on the for-
feiture of twenty shillings, and the pain of cursing by the clergy. What-
ever absm dities in dress may have been rendered fashionable in modem
times, certainly none have exceeded this folly of our ancestors.
134
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
CHAPTER XIX.
EDWARD IY.
Bom 1411, Died April 9th, 1482. Began to reign March 5tb, 146L
Reigned 22 years.
Edward, to each voluptuous vice a slave.
Cruel, intemp’rate, vain, suspicious, brave. — Egerton.
1. (A.D. 1478.) Edward, being now free from great
enemies, turned to the punishment of those of lesser note ;
bo that the gibbets were hung with his adversaries, and their
estates confiscated to his use.
Whilst he was rendering himself terrible on the one hand,
he was immersed in abandoned pleasures on the other.
Nature, it seems, was not unfavourable to him in personal
charms ; as he was universally allowed to be the handsom-
est man of his time. 2. His courtiers also seemed willing
to encourage those debaucheries in which they had a share;
and the clergy, as they themselves practised every kind of
lewdness with impunity, were ever ready to lend absolution
to all his failings. The truth is, enormous vices had been
of late too common.
Among his other cruelties, that to his brother, the duke
of Clarence, is the most remarkable. The king, hunting
one day in the park of Thomas Burdet, a creature of the
duke’s, killed a white buck, which was a great favourite of
the owner. Burdet, vexed at the loss, broke into a passion,
and wished the horns of the deer in the belly of the person
who had advised the king to that insult. For this trifling
exclamation, Burdet was tried for his life, and publicly ex-
ecuted at Tyburn. 4. The duke of Clarence, upon the
death of his friend, vented his grief in renewed reproaches
against his brother, and exclaimed against the iniquity of
the sentence. The king, highly offended with this liberty,
or using that as a pretext against him had him arraigned
before the house of peers, and appeared in person as his
accuser. 5. In those times of confusion, every crime alleged
by the prevailing party was fatal; the duke was found
EDWARD V.
135
guilty; and, being granted a choice of the manner in which
he would die, was privately drowned in a butt of malmsey
in the Tower; a whimsical choice, and implying that he had
an extraordinary passion for that liquor.
6. However, if this monarch’s reign was tyrannical, it
was but short; while he was employed in making prepara-
tion for a war with France, he was seized with a distemper,
of which he expired in the forty-second year of his age, and,
counting from the denosition of the late king, in the twenty-
third of his reign.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was now the conduct of Edward ?
2. For what was Burdet tried and executed ?
4. Relate the cruelty of Edward towards his brother ?
5. What kind of death did the duke of Clarence prefer t
6. How long did Edward the Fourth reign ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D. ( A.D.
Pius IT 1458 Bajazet II 1481
PaulH 1464
Sextus IV 1471
Emperor of Germany,
Frederic U 1440
Emperors of the Turks.
Mahomet II 1453
King of France.
Louis IX 1461
Kings of Portugal.
Alphonsus V 1438
John II 1481
Kings of Denmark and
Sweden.
A.DU
Christian 1 1410
John 1 1481
King of Scotland.
JameB HI 1469
EMINENT PERSONS.
Bortieur archbishop of Canterbury : Nevil, earl of Warwick
called the king-maker ; Beaufort, duke of Somerset ; Richard, duke oi
Gloucester j Tiptoft, earl of Worcester ; William Caxton, mercer of Lon
& Sto£* P ™ te ' (pr ““ C " i "* “
CHAPTER XX.
EDWARD Y.
worn 1470. Died June, 1483. Began to reign April 9, 1483. Reigned 8
months.
_ _ What’s this
That rises like the issue of a king,
And bears upon his baby brow the round
And top of sov’reignty ? Shakespeare.
1. (A.D. 1483.) The duke of Gloucester, who had been
made pi^tector of the realm, upon a pretence of guarding
the persons of the late king’s children from danger, conveyed
them both to the Tower.
13G
HISTORY OF FNGL-i.NI)
Having thus secured them, his next step was to spread a
report cf their illegitimacy; and by pretended obstacles, to
put off the day appointed for young Edward’s coronation..
His next aim was to dispatch Lord Hastings, whom he
knew to be warmly in the young king’s interest.
'7. Having summoned Lord Hastings to a council in the
Tower, he entered the room knitting his brows, biting his
lips, and showing, by a frequent change of countenance, the
signs of some inward perturbation. A silence ensued for
some time ; and the lords of the council looked upon each
other, not without reason, expecting some horrid catas-
trophe. 3. Laying bare his arm, all shrivelled and decayed,
he accused Jane Shore and her accomplices of having pro-
duced this deformity by their sorceries; upon which Hast-
ings cried, “If they have committed such a crime, they
deserve punishment.” — “If!” cried the protector, with a loud
voice; “dost thou answer me withifs? I tell thee they
have conspired my death; and that thou, traitor, art an ac-
complice in the crime.” 4. He struck the table twice with
his hand, and the room was instantly filled with armed men.
“ I arrest thee,” continued he, turning to Hastings, “for
high treason and at the same time gave him in charge to
the soldiers. Hastings was obliged to make a short con-
fession to the next priest that was at hand ; the protector
crying out, by St. Paul, that he would not dine till he had
seen his head taken off. He was accordingly hurried out to
the little green before Tower chapel, and there beheaded
on a log of wood that accidentally lay in the way.
5. Jane Shore, the late king's favourite, was the next that
felt his indignation. This unfortunate woman was an ene
my too humble to excite his jealousy : yet, as he had ac-
cused her of witchcraft, of which all the world saw she was
innocent, he thought proper to make her an example
fjr those faults of which she was really guilty. 6. She
had been formerly deluded from her Ini- ban 1, who was a
goldsmith in Lombard-street, and continued to live with Ed-
ward, the most guiltless favourite in his abandoned court.
It was very probable that the people were not displeased at
seeing one again reduced to her former meanness who had
ffr a while been raised above tliem and enjoyed the smiles
< f a court. 7. The charge against her was too notorious
to be denied ; she pleaded guilty, and was accordingly con-
demned to walk barefooted through the city, aftd 'to do
penance in St Paul’s church in a white sheet, with a wax
EDWARD V.
137 '
taper in her hand before thousands of spectators. She lived
above forty years after this sentence, and was reduced to
the most extreme indigence.
8. The Protector now began to throw off the mask, and
to deny his pretended regard for the sons of the late king,
thinking it high time to aspire to the crown more openly.
He had previously gained over the duke of Buckingham,
a man of talents and power, by bribes and promises of
future favour. This nobleman, therefore, used all his arts
to cajole the populace and citizens at St. Paul’s cross ; and,
construing their silence into consent, his followers cried
“Long live king Bichard!” Soon after, the mayor and
aldermen waiting upon Richard with an offer of the crown,
he accepted it with seeming reluctance.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the conduct of the duke of Gloucester towards the young
princes ?
2. 3. By what vile arts did he get rid of lord Hastings ?
5. Who next felt his indignation ?
6. Who was Jane Shore '!
7. What punishment did she suffer ?
8. In what manner did Bichard contrive to procure an offer of the crown ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Pope. A.D.
Sextus IV 1471
Emperor of Germany.
Frederick III 1440
Emperor the Turks.
Bajazet II Iu81
King of France.
A D.
Charles VIII 1483
King of Portugal.
John II. 1481
King of Denmark and
Sweden. .
A.D.
John 1481
King of Scotland.
James Ifl 1460
EMINENT PERSONS.
Richard, duko of Gloucester, protector. Edward, earl of Warwick ;
Margaret, countess of Salisbury (children of George, duke of Clarence).
Earl Grey. Marquis of Dorset. William Lord Hastings.
138
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
CHAPTER XXI.
RICHARD III.
Bom 1450. Died Aug. 23, 1485. Began to reign June 27, 1483. Reigned
2 years.
Tetchy and wayward was his infancy ;
ilis school-days lrightlul, desperate, wild, and furious ;
His prime ot manhood, daring, bold, andventurou3 ;
His age confirm’d, proud, subtle, sly, and bloody.— Shakespeare.
1.* (A.D. 1483.) One crime ever draws on another;
justice will revolt against fraud, and usurpation requires
security. As soon, therefore, as Richard was seated upon the
throne, he sent the governor of the Tower orders to put the
two young princes to death ; but this brave man, whose
name was Braekenbury, refused to be made the instrument
of a tyrant’s will ; but submissively answered, that he knew
not how to imbrue his hand in innocent blood. A fit in-
strument, however, was not long wanting ; Sir James Tyrrel
readily undertook the office, and Braekenbury was ordered
to resign to him the keys for one night. Tyrrel, choosing
three associates, Slater, Deighton, and Forest, came in the
night-time to the door of the chamber where the princes
were lodged, and, sending in the assassins, he bid them ex-
ecute their commission, while he himself stayed without.
They found the young princes in bed, and fallen into a
sound sleep : after suffocating them with a bolster and pil-
lows, they showed their naked bodies to Tyrrel, who
ordered them to be buried at the stair’s foot, deep in the
ground under a heap of stones.
3. But while the usurper thus endeavoured to establish
his power, he found it threatened in a quarter where he least
expected an attack. The duke of Buckingham, who had
been instrumental in placing him on the throne, now took
disgust, beirfg refused some confiscated lands for which he
solicted. He therefore levied a body of men in Wales,
and advanced with hasty marches towards Gloucester, where
he designed to cross the Severn. 4. Just at that time the
river was swollen to such a degree, that the country on both
sides was deluged, and even the tops of some hills were
covered with water. The inundation continued for ’ten
days; during which Buckingham’s army, composed of
* See the note at the end of the reign of Henry vn.
RICHARD HI.
139
Welshmen, could neither pass the river nor find subsistence
od their own side ; they were therefore obliged to disperse,
and return home, notwithstanding all the dukes’ s efforts to
prolong their stay. 5. In this helpless situation, the duke,
after a short deliberation, took refuge at the house of one
Bannister, who had been his servant, and who had received
repeated obligations from his family ; but the wicked seldom
find, as they seldom exert, friendship. Bannister, unable to
resist the temptation of a large reward that was set upon
the duke’s head, went and betrayed him to the sheriff" off
Shropshire ; who, surrounding the house with armed men,
seized the duke, in the habit of a peasant, and conducted
him to Salisbury ; where he was instantly tried, condemned,
and executed, according to the summary method practised
in those days.
6. Amidst the perplexity caused by many disagreeable
occurrences, the king received information that the earl of
Richmond was making preparations to land in England, and
assert his claims to the crown. Richard, who knew not in
what quarter he might expect the invader, had taken post at
Nottingham, in the centre of the kingdom ; and had given
commission to several of his creatures to oppose the enemy
wherever he should land.
7. Some time after, however, the earl of Richmond, who
was a descendant from John of Gaunt, by the female line,
resolved to strike for the crown. He had been obliged to
quit the kingdom ; but he now, knowing how odious the
king was, set out from Harfleur, in Normandy, with a
retinue of about two thousand persons, and, after a voyage
of six days, arrived at Milford-Haven in Wales, where he
landed without opposition.
8. Upon news of this descent, Richard, who was pos-
sessed of courage and military conduct, his only virtues
instantly resolved to meet his antagonist and decide their
mutual pretensions by a battle. Richmond, on the other
hand, being reinforced by Sir Thomas Bouchier, Sir Walter
Hungerford, and others, to the number of about six thou-
sand, boldly advanced with the same intention ; and in a
few days both armies drew near Bosworth-field,* where the
contest that had now for more than forty years filled the
kingdom with civil commotions and deluged its plains with
blood, was determined by the death of Richard, who was
*/J nLe ’ cestershire - battle fought at this place was the last ol
thirteen between the houses of York and Lancaster.
HISTORY OF ENGLAND
140 ,
slain in battle : while Richmond was saluted king, by the
title of Henry the Seventh.*
Questions for Examination.
1. What was; the first act of Richard ?
2. In what manner were his orders executed ?
3. From what quarter and on what occasion wasRichard first threatened?
4. What obliged Buckingham’s army to disperse ?
5. What was the fate of the duke of Buckingham ?
6. With what new opposer did Richard now contend ?
7. Where did Richmond land ?
8. By whom was he joined ?
Where did the armies meet ?
What was the result of the battle ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Sextus IV 1471
Innocent VIH .... 1484
Emperor of Germany.
Frederick II 1440
Emperor of the Turks.
Bajazet II 1481
King of Frane.
A.D.
Charles VHI 1483
King of Portugal,
John II.. 1481
King of Denmark and
Sweden .
A.D.
John 1481
King of Scotland.
James III 1460
EMINENT PERSONS.
Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond. Stafford, duke of Buckingham.
Vere, earl of Oxford. Thomas, Lord Stanley. Howard, duke of Norfolk.
Francis, viscount Lovel. Sir Richard Ratcliffe. Sir William Catesby.
* Richard’s body, after being exposed, was buried in the church of the
Grey Friars, at Leicester. Henry VII. bestowed a monument on it,
which was demolished at the dissolution of abbeys under Henry VIII. ;
and the monarch’s stone coffin actually served for .a horse trough, at the
White Horse Inn. “ Sic transit gloria mundi 1”
HENRY VII.
141
CHAPTER XXII.
HENRY Vn.
Bom 1456. Died April 22, 1509. Began to reign Aug. 23, 1485. Reigned
23) years.
SECTION I.
But oh ! how altered was the mournful tone?
When Harry Richmond, armed with title true,
His baldrick ’cross his shoulder flung,
And with enliv’niug trumpet blew
A call to arms that through the island rung !
Mis claim announcing to the English throne.— Dibdin.
1. (A.D. 1485.) Henry’s first care, upon coming to the
throne, was to marry the princess Elizabeth, daughter of
Edward the Fourth ; and thus he blended the interest of the
houses of York and Lancaster, so that ever after they were
incapable of distinction.
2. A great part of the miseries of his predecessors pro-
ceeded from their poverty, which was mostly occasioned by
riot and dissipation. Henry saw that money alone could
turn the scale of power in his favour ; . and, therefore,
hoarded up all the confiscations of his enemies with the
utmost frugality.
Immediately after his marriage with Elizabeth, he issued
a general pardon to all such as chose to accept it ; but people
were become so turbulent and factious, by a long course of
civil war, that no governor could rule them, nor any king
please-, so. that one rebellion seemed extinguished only to
give rise to another.
3. There lived in Oxford one Richard Simon, a priest,
who, possessing some subtlety, and more rashness, trained
up Lambert Simn§l, a baker’s son, to counterfeit the person
of the earl of Warwick, the son of the duke of Clarence,
who was smothered in a butt of malmsey. But, as the im-
postor was not calculated to bear a close inspection, it w r as
thought proper to show him first at a distance ; and Ireland
was judged the fittest theatre for him to, support his assumed
character.
4. In this manner Simnel, being joined by Lord Lovel,
and one or two lords more of the discontented party, re-
solved to pass over into England; and accordingly landed
in Lancashire, whence he marched to York, expecting the
country would rise and join him as he marched along.
But in this he was deceived; the people, averse to join a
body of German and Irish troops, by whom he was sup-
142
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
ported, and kept in awe by tbe king’s reputation, remained
in tranquillity, or gave all their assistance to the royal cause.
6. The opposite armies met at Stoke, in the county of
Nottingham, and fought a tattle, which was more bloody,
and more obstinately disputed than could have been ex-
pected from the inequality of their forces. 6. But a vic-
tory at length declared in favour of the king, and it proved
decisive. Lord Lincoln perished in the field of battle;
Lord Lovel was never more heard of, and it is supposed he
shared the same fate. Simnel, with his tutor Simon, were
taken prisoners; and four thousand of the common men
fell in tbe battle. Simon, being a priest, could not be tried
by the civil power, and wa3 only committed to close con-
finement. 7. Simnel was too contemptible to excite the
king’s fear or resentment: he was pardoned, and made a
scullion in the king’s kitchen, whence he was afterwards
advanced to the rank of falconer, in which mean employ-
ment he died.
8. A fresh insurrection began in Yorkshire. The people
resisting the commissioners who were appointed to levy
the taxes, the earl of Northumberland attempted to enforce
the king’s command ; but the populace, being by this taught
to believe that he was the adv iser of' their oppressions, flew
to arms, attacked his house, and put him to death. The
mutineers did not stop there; but, by the advice of one
John Archamber, a seditious fellow of mean appearance,
they chose sir John Egremont for their leader, and prepared
themselves Lr a vigorous resistance. 9. The king, upon
hearing of this rash proceeding, immediately levied a free
which he put under the carl of Surrey ; and this nobleman,
encountering the rebels, dissipated the tumult, and took
their leader, Archambcr, prisoner. Archamber was shortly
after executed, but sir John Egremont fled to the court of
the duchess of Burgundy, the usual retreat of all who were
obnoxious to government in England.
10. One would have imagined, that from the ill success
ofSimnel’s impwture, few would be willing to embark in
another of a similar kind ; however, the old duchess of
Burgundy, rather irritated than discouraged by the failure
of her past enterprises, was determined to disturb that go-
vernment which she could not subvert, A. D. 1492. She
first procured a report to be spread that the young duke of
York, said to have been murdered in the Tower, ^was still
living; and finding the rumour greedily received, she soon
HENRY YH.
143
produced a young man who assumed his name and cha-
pter. 11. The person chosen to sustain this part was one
Osbeck, or Warbeck, the' son of a converted Jew, who had
been over in England during the reign of Edward IV.,
where he had this son named Peter, but corrupted, after
the Flemish manner, into Peterkin, or Perkin. 12. The
duchess of Burgundy found this youth entirely suited to
her purposes ; and her lessons, instructing him to personate
the duke of York, were easily learned and strongly retained
by a youth of very quick apprehension. In short, his
graceful air, his courtly address, his easy manner, and
elegant conversation, were capable of imposing upon all
but such as were conscious of the imposture.
The English, ever ready to revolt, gave credit to all these
absurdities; while the young man’s prudence, conversation,
and deportment served to confirm what their disaffection
and credulity had begun.
13. Among those who secretly abetted the cause of
Perkin were lord Fitzwalter, sir Simon Mountford, sir
Thomas Thwaits, and sir Robert Clifford. But the person
of the greatest weight, and the most dangerous opposition,
was sir William Stanley, the lord chamberlain, and brother
to the famous lord Stanley, who had contributed to place
Henry on the throne. This personage, either moved by a
blind credulity, or more probably by a restless ambition,
entered^ into a regular conspiracy against the king; and a
correspondence was settled between the malcontents in
England and those in Flanders.
14. While this plot was thus carrying on in all quarters,
Henry was not inattentive to the designs of his enemies.
He spared neither labour nor expense to detect the false-
hood of the pretender to his crown ; and was equally assid-
uous in finding out who were his secret abettors. For
this purpose he dispersed his spies through all Flanders,
and brought over, by large bribes, some of those whom he
knew to be in the enemy’s interest. 15. Among these, sir
Robert Clifford was the most remarkable, both for his con-
sequence, and the confidence with which he was trusted.
From this person Henry learnt the whole of Perkin’ s birth
and adventures, together with the names of all those who
had secretly combined to assist him. The king was pleased
with the discovery ; but the more trust he gave to his spies,
the higher resentment did he feign against them.
16. At first he was struck with ix iignation at the ingra-
144
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
titude . of many of those about him ; but concealing his
resentment for a proper opportunity, he almost at the same
instant arrested Fitzwalter, Mountford, and Thwaits, to-
gether with William Danbury, Robert Ratcliff, Thomas
Cressenor and Thomas Astwood. All these were arraigned^
convicted, and condemned for high treason. Hountfbrdf
Ratcliff, and Danbury were immediately executed; the reef
received a pardon.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was Henry’s first care ? •
2. What prudent measures did he take to secure his power ?
3. Who counterfeited the person of the Earl of Warwick ?
4. By whom was Simnel joined ?
6. 6. What were the consequences of this rebellion ?
7. What became of Simnel ?
8. What caused a fresh insurrection ? and what was the conduct of thft
mutineers ?
10. Wtfat other imposture was now undertaken ?
11. Who was chosen to personate the duke of York ?
12. Who instructed Perkin to personate him ?
13. Wbo were his abettors ?
14. 15. What was Henry’s conduct on this occasion ?
16. What was the fate of those who opposed the king ?
SECTION n.
James backed the cause of that weak prince,
Warbeck that Flemish counterfeit,
Who on the gibbet paid the cheat. — Scott.
1. (A. D. 1494.) The young adventurer, thus finding his
hopes frustrated in England, went next to try his fortune
in Scotland. In that country his luck seemed greater than
in England — James IV., the king of that country, receiving
him -with great cordiality. He was seduced to believe the
story of his birth and adventures ; and he carried his con-
fidence so far, as to give him in marriage lady Catherine
Gordon, daughter of the earl of Huntley, and a near kins-
woman of his own-r— a young lady eminent for virtue as
well as beauty. 2. But not content with these instance#
of favour, he was resolved to attempt setting him on the
throne of England. It was naturally expected that, updtf*
Perkin’s first appearance in that kingdom, all the friends of
the house of York would rise in his favour. Upon this
ground, therefore, the king of Scotland entered England
with a numerous army, and proclaimed the young adven-
turer wherever he went. But Perkin’s pretensions, attended
HENRY Vn.
145
by repeated disappointments, were now become stale, even
in the eyes of the populace ; so that, contrary to expecta-
tion, none were found to second his views.
3. In this manner the restless Perkin, being dismissed
Scotland, and meeting with a very cold reception from the
Flemings, who now desired to be at peace with the English,
resolved to continue his scheme of opposition, and took re-
fuge among the wilds and fastnesses of Ireland. A.D. 1497.
Impatient of an inactive life, he held a consultation with
his followers, Herne, Skelton, and Astley, three broken
tradesmen 5 and by their advice he resolved to try the affec-
tions of the Cornishmen 5 and he no sooner made his ap-
pearance among them at Bodmid, in Cornwall, than the
populace, to the number of three thousand, flocked to his
standard. 4. Elated with this appearance of success, he
took on him, for the first time, the title of Richard the
Fourth, king of England ; and, not to suffer the spirits of
his adherents to languish, he led them to the gates of
Exeter. Finding the inhabitants obstinate in refusing to
admit him, and being 'unprovided with artillery to force an
entrance, he broke up the siege of Exeter, and retired to
Taunton. 5. His followers, by this time, amounted to
seven thousand men, and appeared ready to defend his
cause ; but his heart failed him upon being informed that
the king was coming down to oppose him; and instead
of bringing his men into the field, he privately deserted
them, and took sanctuary in the monastery of Leauheu, in
the New Forest. His wretched adherents, left to the king’s
mercy, found him still willing to pardon ; and, except a few
of the ringleaders, none were treated with capital severity.
6 . At the same time some other persons were employed to
treat with Perkin, and to persuade him, under promise of
a pardon, to deliver himself up to justice, and to confess
and explain all the circumstances of his imposture. His
affairs being altogether desperate, he embraced the king’s
offer without hesitation, and quitted thd sanctuary. Henry
being desirous of seeing him, he was brought to court, and
conducted through the streets of London in a kind of mock
triumph, amidst the derision and insults of the populace,
which he bore with the most dignified resignation. 7. He
was then compelled to sign a confession of his former life
and conduct, which was printed and dispersed throughout
the nation ; but it was so defective and contradictory, that
instead of explaining his pretended imposture, it left it still
K
146
HISTOBY OP ENGLAND.
more doubtful than before ; and this' youth’s real pretensions
are to this very day an object of dispute among the learned.
After attempting once or twice to escape from custody, he
was hanged at Tyburn ; and several of his adherents suf-
fered the same ignominious death.
8. There had been hitherto nothing in this reign but
plots, 'treasons, insurrections, impostures, and executions ;
and it is probable that Henry’s severity proceeded from
the continual alarm in which they held him. It is certain
that no prince ever loved peace more than he ; and much
ofthe ill-will of his subjects arose from his attempts to
repress their inclinations for war. The usual preface to all
his treaties was, “That, when Christ came into the world
peace was sung ; and when he went out of the world, peace
was bequeathed.”
9. He had all along two points in view; one to depress
the nobility and clergy, and the other to exalt and humanise
the populace. With this view he procured an act, by which
the nobility were granted a power of disposing of their
estates ; a law infinitely pleasing to the commons, and not
disagreeable even to the nobles, since they had thus an im-
mediate resource for supplying their taste for prodigality,
and answering the demands of their creditors. The blow
reached them in their posterity alone ; but they were ttV»
ignorant to be affected by such distant distresses.
10. He was not remiss also in abridging the pope’s
power, while at the same time he professed the utmost sub-
mission to his commands, and the greatest respect for the
clergy. But while he thus employed liis power in lowering-
the influence of the nobles and clergy, he was using every
art to extend the privileges of the people. In fact, his
greatest efforts were directed to promote trade and commerce,
because they naturally introduced a spirit of liberty, and
disengaged them from all dependence, except upon the laws
and the king. 11. Before this great era, all our towns
owed their origin to some strong castle in the neighbour-
hood, where some powerful lord generally resided. These
were at once fortresses for protection, and prisons for all
sorts of criminals. In this castle there was usually a gar-
rison armed and provided, depending entirely on the noble-
man’s support and assistance. 12. To these seats of pro-
tection, artificers, victuallers, and shopkeepers naturally
resorted, and settled on some adjacent spot, to furnish the
lord and his attendants with all the necessaries they might
HENRY VII.
147
reauire. The farmers, also, and the husbandmen, in the
neighbourhood, built their houses there, to be protected
against the numerous gangs of robbers, called Robertsmen,
that hid themselves in the woods by day, and infested the
open country by night. 13. Henry endeavoured to bring
the towns from such a neighbourhood, by inviting the in-
habitants to a more commercial situation. He attempted to
teach them frugality, and a just payment of debts, by his
own example; and never once omitted the rights of the
merchant, in all his treaties with foreign princes.
14. Henry having seen England, in a great measure,
civilized by his endeavours, h's people pay their taxes with-
out constraint, the nobles confessing subordination, the laws
alone inflicting punishment, the towns beginning to live in-
dependent of the powerful, commerce every day increasing,
• the spirit of faction extinguished, and foreigners either
fearing England or seeking its alliance, he began to see the
approaches of his end, and died of the gout in his stomach,
(A. D. 1509,) having lived fifty-two years, and reigned
twenty-three.
The reign of Henry Vn. produced so many beneficial
changes in the condition of England, and the manners of its
people, that many historians have attributed to the monarch
a larger sharp of wisdom and virtue than is justly his due.
He was a faithless friend, a bitter enemy, a cruel husband
to an amiable consort, an undutiful son to his venerable
mother, a careless father, and an ungenerous master. He
maintained peace because his avarice disinclined him to the
expenses of war; he increased the power of the people
through jealousy of the nobles; and he checked the papal
encroachments because they interfered with his taxes. In-
ordinate love of money and unrelenting hatred of the house
of York* were his ruling passions, and the chief sources of
all his vices and his troubles.
•The pretensions of Perkin Warbeck, the last who claimed the crown
in right of the house of York, will naturally occur to the reader’s mind,
and some anxiety will be felt to learn whether he was really an unfortu-
nate prince or a crafty impostor. The latter opinion seems to have pre-
vailed principally on the authority of Shakespeare and Lord Bacon, cer-
tainly the two greatest names in our literature, but as certainly witness-
es wholly unworthy of credit in the present instance. They wrote to
please queen Elizabeth, who was naturally anxious to raise the character
of her grandfather Henry VII and depreciate that of his rival Richard III.
The first point to be ascertained is the fact of the murder of the two
young princes, and this, which would at once have decided the preten-
sions of Warbeck, was so far from being proved, that the inquisition
taken and published, by Henry’s command is so full of contradictions and
148
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
1. Where next did the young adventurer try his fortune ? and what
was his success ? _ . . , . .
3. After his disappointment in Scotland, what was Perkins future
scheme of opposition ?
4. Wiiat title did l'erkin assume 1
5. What was his conduct afterwards ?
6. In what manner did Henry treat him ?
7. Of what nature was his confession, and wnat his fate r
8. From what cause proceeded Henry’s severity?
What was his usual preface to his treaties ?
9. What were the two points which Henry had always in view, and
what plan did lie pursue to attain them ?
10. How did ho abridge the power of the pope ?
11, 12 Before this era, what was the state of the towns in England ?
13, 14. By what means did Henry civilize his country ?
When did the king die and what was his character ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Innocent VHI. . . .1484
Alexander VI 1492
Pius III 1503
Julius III 1503
Emperors of Germany.
Frederick II 1440
Maximilian 1 1493
Emperor of the Turks.
Bajazet II 1481
Kings of France.
A.D.
Charles VIII 1483
Louis XII 1498
King tf Queen of Spain
Ferdinand * the
Catholic, and
Isabella 1475
Kings of Portugal.
John 1181
A.D.
Emanuel ....1495
King of Denmark and
Sweden.
John 1481
Kinas of Scotland,
James III 1460
James IV 1489
palpable absurdities, that nenry himself never made use of it in any
of his later declarations. Besides, tho persons who were said to have
confessed tho murder were never brought to trial ibr tho crime.
The next evidence brought forward on tho side of nenry is the confes-
sion extorted from Warbeck after he was made prisoner. Like tho for-
mer, it bears internal evidence of its own falsehood, though the unfortu-
nate young man is said to have repeated it at tho timo of hisdeath.
On tho other side we have tho eviJcuco of the duchess of Burgundy,
who could have had no possible motivo for joining in such a foul conspi-
racy against the husband of herown neice ; and to say nothing ofaliost
offrieuds of tho house of York, wo have tho negative ovidenco of the dow-
ager-queen, whom Henry kept in close confinement from the mommtof
Warbcck’s appearance. To have brought him into her presence would at
onco havo set the question at rest, for surely tho mother would hav#
known whether it was her son or not that stood before her. But Henry
took especial cave to prevent such an interview ; and the inference is,
that ho had just reason to dread that it3 consequences would be a confirm-
ation of Warbeck’s pretensions. — T.
•Tiil this period, Spain had been divided into three different govern-
ments, viz. Leon, Castile and A rragon, under distiuctsovereigns ; but by
tho marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, heiress of Caatilo and Axr&gon
tho wholo was unitod in ono kingdom.
HENRY VII.
149
EMINENT PERSONS.
John Morton, Henry Chicheley, Thomas Langton, archbishop of Can-
terbury. Margaret, countess of Richmond, mother of the king. Cardinal
Morton, lord chancellor. Fox, bishop of Winchester. Sebastian Cabot,
a great navigator. Epson and Dudley, extortionate ministers ot the
king.
CHAPTER XXIII.
HENRY VIII.
Bom 1491. Died January 28, 1547. Began to reign April 22, 1509,
reigned 37£ years.
SECTION I.
Now Henry reigns, to learning much inclin’d,
But of strong passions and a savage mind.— Egerton.
1. (A.D. 1509.) No prince ever came to the throne with
a conjuncture of circumstances more in his favour than
Henry the Eighth, who now, in the eighteenth year of hia
age, undertook the Government of the kingdom. As he
was at the head of a formidable army, fifty thousand strong,
and as a war with France was the most pleasing to the people,
he determined to head his forces for the conquest of that
kingdom. 2. But France was not threatened by him alone ;
the Swiss, in another quarter, with twenty-five thousand
men were preparing to invade it; while Ferdinand of
Arragon, whom no treaties could bind, was only waiting for
a convenient opportunity of attack on his side to advantage.
Never was the French monarchy in so distressed a situation ;
but the errors of its assailants procured its safety. 3. After
an ostentatious but ineffectual campaign, a truce was con-
cluded between the two kingdoms; and' Henry continued
to dissipate, in more peaceful follies, those immense sums
which had been amassed by his predecessor for very diffe-
rent purposes.
4. In this manner, while his pleasures on the one hand
engrossed Henry’s time, the preparations for repeated ex-
peditions exhausted his treasures on the other. As it was
natural to suppose the old ministers, who were appointed
by his father, to direct him, would not willingly concur in
these idle projects, Henry had, for some time, discontinued
asking their advice, and chiefly confided in the counsels of
150
HISTORY OF ENGLAND,
Thomas, afterwards Cardinal Wolsey, who seemed to second
him in his favourite pursuits. 5. Wolsey was a minister
who complied with all his master’s inclinations, and flattered
him in every scheme to which his sanguine and impetuous
temper was inclined. He was the eon of a private gentle-
man at Ipswich. He was sent to Oxford so early, that he
was a bachelor at fourteen, and at that time was called the
boy bachelor. He rose by degrees, upon quitting college,
from one preferment to another, till he was made rector of
Lymington by the marquis of Dorset, whose children he
had instructed. 6. He was soon recommended as chaplain
to Henry the Seventh ; and being employed by that mo-
narch in a secret negotiation respecting his intended mar-
riage with Margaret of Savoy, he acquitted himself to the
king’s satisfaction, and obtained the praise both of diligence
and dexterity. 7. That prince, having given him a commis-
sion to Maximilian, who at that time resided at Brussels,
was surprised in less than three days to see Wolsey present
himself before him ; and supposing he had been delinquent,
began to reprove thi3 delay. Wolsey, however, surprised
him with an assurance that he had just returned from Brus-
sels, and had successfully fulfilled all his majesty’s com-
mands. 8. His despatch on that occasion procured him the
deanery of Lincoln ; and in this situation it was that he
was introduced by Fox, bishop of Winchester, to the young
king’s notice, in hopes that he would have talents to sup-
plant the earl of Surrey, who was the favourite at that time ;
and in this Fox was not out in his conjectures. Presently
after being introduced at court, he was made a privy council-
lor 5 and as such had frequent opportunities of ingratia-
ting himself with the young king, as he appeared at once
complying, submissive, and entreprising. 9. Wolsey used
every art to suit himself to the royal temper ; he sung,
laughed, and danced with every libertine of the court;
neither his own years, which were nearly forty, nor his
character as a clergyman, were any restraint upon him, or
tended to check by ill-timed severities the gayety of his
companions. To such a weak and vicious monarch as
Henry, qualities of this nature were highly pleasing ; and
Wolsey was soon acknowledged as the chief favourite, and
to him was intrusted the chief administration of affairs.
10. The people began to see with indignation the new
favourite’s mean condescensions to the king, and his arro-
gance to themselves. They had long regarded the vicious
HENRY VlH.
151
haughtiness and tlie unbecoming splendour of the clergy
with envy and detestation; and Wolsey’s greatness served
to bring a new odium upon that body, already too much the
object of the people’s dislike. His character, _ being now
placed in a more conspicuous point of light, . daily began to
manifest itself the more. 11. Insatiable in his acquisitions,
but still more magnificent in his expense ; of extensive ca-
pacity, but still more unbounded in enterprise; ambitious
of power, but still more desirous of glory; insinuating, en-
gaging, persuasive, and at other times lofcy, elevated, and
commanding; haughty to his equals, but affable to his
dependents ; oppressive to the people, but liberal to his
friends ; more generous than grateful ; formed to take the
ascendant in every intercourse, but vain enough not to cover
his real superiority.
12. In order to divert the envy of the public from his
inordinate exaltation, he soon entered into a correspondence
with Francis the First of France, who had taken many
methods to work upon his vanity, and at last succeeded.
In consequence of that monarch’s wishes, Henry was per-
suaded by the cardinal to an interview with that prince.
This expensive congress was held between Guines and
Andres, near Calais, within the English pale, in compliment
to Henry for crossing the sea.
Question for Examination.
1. What combination ofcircumstances favoured Henry tho Eighth on
coming to the throne 1 °
3. What was the conduct of Henry after the truce with France ?
4. In what counselsidid Henry chiefly confide ?
5. Whose son was Cardinal Wolsey ?
6. What disgraceful circumstance happened to Wolsey ?
7. 8. What circumstance led to Wolsey’s advancement ?
9- What were the arts used by Wolsey to please theking?
10. What were the consequences ? °
Jo wbat manner did Wolsey’s character now manifest itself t
la, W itii whom did he enter into a correspondence?
SECTION n.
At Guines, where France and England met
In dazzling panoply of gold.— Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1520.) Some months before, a defiance had been
sent by the two kings to each other’s court, and through
all the chief cities of Europe, importing that Henry and
152
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Francis, with fcrnrteen aids, would be ready in the plains
of Picardy to answer all comers, that were gentlemen, at
tilt and tournay.* Accordingly, the monarchs, now all
gorgeously apparelled, entered the lists on horseback,
Francis surrounded with Henry’s guards, and Henry with
those of Francis. 2. They were both at that time the
most comely personages of their age, and prided themselves
on their expertness in military exercises. The ladies
were the judges in these feats of chivalry, and they put an end
to the encounter whenever they thought proper. In these
martial exercises, the crafty French monarch gratified
Henry’s vanity by allowing him to enjoy a petty pre eminence
in these pastimes.
3 . By this time all the immense treasures of the late king
were quite exhausted on empty pageants, guilty pleasures,
or vain treaties, or expeditions. But the king relied on
Wolsey alone for replenishing his coffers; and no person
could be fitter for the purpose. 4. His first care was to get
a large sum of money from the people, under the title of a
benevolence; which, added to its being extorted, had the
mortification of being considered as a free gift. Henry little
minded the manner of its being raised, provided he had the
enjoyment of it ; however, his minister met with some oppo-
sition in his attempts to levy these extorted contributions.
In the first place, having exacted a considerable sum from the
clergy, he next addressed himself to the house of com-
mons : but they only granted him half the supplies he de-
manded. 5. Wolsey was at first highly offended at their
parsimony, and desired to be heard in the house; but as
this would have destroyed the very form and constitution of
that august body, they replied, that none could be permitted
to sit and argue there but such as had been elected mem-
bers. This was the first attempt made in this reign to
render the king master of the debates in parliament. Wolsey
first paved the way, and, unfortunately for the kingdom,
Henry too' well improved upon his plans soon after.
6. Hitherto the administration of all affairs was carried
on by Wolsey; for the king was contented to lose, in the
embraces of his mistresses, all the complaints of his sub-
jects; and the cardinal undertook to keep him ignorant
in order to continue his uncontrolled authority. But now
a period was approaching that was to put an end to this
♦This game was instituted by Henry I. of Germany, A.D. 919. and
abolished in 1560.
henry yiii.
153
minister’s exorbitant power. One of tbe most extraordi-
nary and important revolutions that ever employed the
attention of man was now ripe for execution. This was
no less a change than the Reformation. 7. The vices and
impositions of the church of Rome were now almost come to
a head; and the increase of arts and learning among the
laity propagated by means of printing, which had been
lately invented, began to make them resist that power,
which was originally founded on deceit. (A. D. 1519.) Leo
the Tenth was at that time pope, and eagerly employed in
building the church of St. Peter, at Rome. In order to
procure money for carrying on that expensive undertaking,
he gave a commission for selling indulgences, a practice
that had often been tried before. 8. These were to free
the purchaser from the pains of purgatory ; and they would
serve even for one’s friends, if purchased with that inten-
tion. The Augustine friars* had usually bfeen employed in
Saxony, to preach the indulgences, and from this trust had
derived both profit and consideration; but the pope’s
minister, supposing that they had found out illicit methods
of secreting the money, transferred this lucrative employ-
ment from them to the Dominicans.f 9. Martin Luther,
professor in the university of Wirtemberg, was an Augus-
tine monk, and one of those who resented this transfer of
the sale of indulgences from one order to another. He
began to shew his indignation by preaching against their
efficacy; and being naturally of a fiery temper, and pro-
voked by opposition, he inveighed against the authority of
the pope himself. Being driven hard by his adversaries,
still as he enlarged his reading, in order to support his
tenets, he discovered some new abuse or error in the
church of Rome. 10, In this dispute, it was the fate of
Henry to be champion on both sides. His father, who
had given him the education of a scholar, permitted him to
be instructed in school divinity, which then was the princi-
pal object of learned inquiry. Henry, therefore, willing to
convince the world of his abilities in that science, obtained
the pope’s permission to read the works of Luther, which
* They observed the rule of St. Augustine, prescribed them by pope
Alexander IY. ki 1256. This rule was, to have all things in common ;
the rich, who entered among them, were compelled to sell their pos-
sessions and give them to the poor.
t In some places called jacobins, and in others predicants, or preaching
friars ; they we re obliged to take a vow of absolute poverty, and to aban-
don entirely their revenues and possessions.
154
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
had been forbidden under pain of excommuniaation. 11. In
consequence of this, the king defended the seven sacraments,
out of St. Thomas Aquinas ; and shewed some dexterity
in this science, though it is thought that W olsey had. the
chief hand in directing him. A book being thus finished in
haste, it was eert, to Rome for the pope’s approbation, which
it was natural to suppose would not be withheld. The
pontiff, ravished with its eloquence and depth, compared
it to the labours of St. Jerome, or St. Augustine, and re-
warded the author of it with the title of defender of the
faith; little imagining that Henry was soon to be one of the
most terrible enemies that ever the church of Rome had to
contend with.
Questions for Examination.
1, 2. Relate the particulars of the congress that took place in the plain*
of Picardy.
3. In what manner were the late king’s treasures exhausted ?
4. How were the king’s coffers replenished?
g. What was the first attempt made to render the king master of the
debates in parliament ?
<5. Why did Wolsey endeavour to keep the king ignorant of the com-
plaints of his su bjects ?
7. What practices led to the Reformation?
9. In what manner did Luther oppose the transfer of the sale of indul-
gences ?
10, 11. What was the king’s conduct on this occasion, and what was his
reward ?
SECTION HI.
When thunderstruck, that eagle Wolsey fell.— Young.
1. (A. D. 1527.) Henry had now been eighteen years
married to Catharine of Arragon, who had been brought
over from Spain, and married to his eldest brother, who
died a few months after. But, notwithstanding the submis-
sive deference paid for the indulgence of the church, Hen-
ry’s marriage with this princess did not pass without scru-
ple and hesitation, both on his own side and on that of the
people. 2. However, his scruples were carried forward,
though perhaps not at first excited by a motive much more
powerful than the tacit suggestion of his conscience. It
happened that among the maids of honour then attending
the queen, there was one Anna Bullen, the daughter of sir
Thomas Bullen, a gentleman of distinction, an d related to
most of the nobility. He had been employed by the king
HENRY Till.
155
in several embassies, and was married to a daughter of the
duke of Norfolk. 3. The beauty of Anna surpassed what-
ever had hitherto appeared at this voluptuous court; and
her education, which she had received at Paris, set off
her personal charms. Henry, who had never learned
the art of restraining any passion that he desired to gra-
tify, saw and loved her; but, of course, could not marry
her without previously divorcing his wife, queen Catha-
rine of Arragon. 4. This obstacle, therefore, he hardly
undertook to remove; and as his own queen was now
become hateful to him, in order to procure a divorce,
he alleged that his conscience rebuked him for having
so long been married to the wife of his brother. In
this pretended perplexity, therefore, he applied to Cle-
ment the Seventh, who owed him many obligations, desir-
ing him to dissolve the bull of the former pope, which had
given him permission to marry Catherine: and to declare
that it was not in the power even of the holy see, to dis-
pense with the law so strictly enjoined in Scripture. 5.
The unfortunate pope, unwilling to grant, yet afraid to re-
fuse, continued to promise, recant, dispute, and temporize;
hoping that the king’s passion would never hold out during
the tedious course of an ecclesiastical controversy. In this
he was entirely mistaken. Henry had been long taught to
dispute as well a9 he, and quickly found or wrested many
texts in Scripture to favour his opinions, or his passions.
6. During the course of a long perplexing negotiation, on
the issue of which Henry’s happiness seemed to depend, he
had at first expected to find in his favourite Wolsey a warm
defender and a steady adherent : but in this he found him-
self mistaken. Wolsey seemed to be in pretty much the
same dilemma with the pope. On the one hand, he was
to please his master the king, from whom he had received
a thousand marks of favour; and on the other hand, he
feared to disoblige the pope, whose servant he more imme-
diately was, and who, besides, had power to punish his dis-
obedience. 7. He therefore, resolved to continue neuter
in the controversy ; and, though of all men the most haughty,
he gave way on this occasion to Campeggio the pope’s nun-
cio, in all things, pretending a deference to his skill in canon
law. Wolsey’s scheme of temporizing was highly displeas-
ing to the king; but for a while he endeavoured to stifle his
resentment, until he could act with more fatal certainty,
tv /.for some time looked out for a man of equal abilities and
156
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
less art ; and it was not long before accident threw in hia
way one Thomas Cranmer, of greater talents, and probably
of more integrity.
8. Thus finding himself provided with a person who
could supply Wolsey’s place, he appeared less reserved in
his resentments against that prelate. The attorney-general
was ordered to prepare a bill of indictment against him; and
he was soon after commanded to resign the great seal.
Crimes are easily found out against a favourite in disgrace,
and the courtiers did not fail to increase the catalogue of his
errors. He was ordered to depart from York place palace ;
and all his furniture and plate were converted to the king’s
use. 9. The inventory of his goods being taken, they were
found to exceed even the most extravagant surmises. He
was soon after arrested by the earl of Northumberland, at
the king’s command, for high treason, and preparations were
made for conducting him from York, where he then resided,
to London, in order to take his trial. 10. He at first refused
to comply with the requisition, as being a cardinal ; but find-
ing the earl bent on performing his commission, he com-
plied, and set out by easy journeys to London, to appear as
a criminal, where he had acted as a king. In his way he
stayed a fortnight at the earl of Shrewsbury’s; where one
day, at dinner, he was taken ill, not without violent suspi-
cions of having poisoned himself. Being brought forward
from thence, he with much difficulty reached Leicester ab-
bey; where the monks coming out to meet him, he said,
“ Father Abbot, I am come to lay my bones among you:”
and immediately ordered his bed to be prepared. 11. As
his disorder increased, an officer being placed near him, at
once to guard and attend him, he spoke to him a little before
he expired to this effect: “Had I but served God as dili-
gently as I have served the king, he would not have given
me over in my gray hairs. But this is the just reward I
must receive for my indulgent pains and study; not regard-
ing my service to God, but only to my prince.” He died
soon after, in all the pangs of remorse, and left a life
which had all along been rendered turbid by ambition, and
wretched by mean assiduities.
12. The tie that held Henry to the church being thus
broken, he resolved to keep no farther measures with the
pontiff. He, therefore, privately married Anna Bullen,
whom he had created marchioness of Pembroke ; the duke
of Norfolk, uncle to the new queen, her father, and Dr.
HENRY VIII.
157
Death of Queen Catharine of Arragon.
Cranmer, being present at tbe ceremony. Soon after, cir-
cumstances compelled him publicly to own bis marriage ;
and, to cover his disobedience to the pope with an appear-
ance of triumph, he passed with his beautiful bride through
London with a magnificence greater than had ever been
known before. But though Henry had thus seceded from
the church, yet he had not addicted himself to the system
of the reformers.
13. As the monks had all along shown him the greatest
resistance, he resolved at once to deprive them of future
power to injure him. He accordingly empowered Thomas
Cromwell, who was now made secretary of state, to send
commissioners into the several counties of England to inspect
the monasteries, and to report with rigorous exactness the
conduct and deportment of such as were resident there.
This employment was readily undertaken by some creatures
of the court, namely, Layton, London, Price, Gage, Peter,
and Bellasis, who are said to have discovered monstrous
disorders in many of the religious houses. The accusations,
whether true or false, were urged with great clamour against
these communities, and a general horror was excited in the
nation against them.
14. Queen Catharine of Arragon, Henry’s first wife lived in
retirement after her divorce until her decease. She was one
of the brightest characters of English history. Her charao-
ter and death are admirably depicted by Shakspeare.
158
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who was Henry’s first wife ?
2. Whom did lie afterwards wish to obtain?
S. What description is given, of Anna Bullen ?
4. What pretence did Henry allege to procure a divorce r
5. What was the conduct of the pope ?
6. What weie the circumstances which put an end to W olsey'S power ?
8. In what manner did the king act towards him. ?
9. \V hataccount is given of the inventory of his goods ?
10. What circumstances preceded the death of VVolsey ?
11. Relate Wolsey’s expression immediately before his death.
12. What followed Wolscy’s death?
13. What commission did the king give to Cromwell ?
14. What is said of queen Catharine ?
SECTION IV.
Tyrannic cruelty, voluptuous pride,
Insatiable licentiousness and guilt,
So share this monarch, we can ne’er decide
On what one vice his ruling wish was built. — Dibdin.
I. (A.D. 1536.) A new visitation of the religious houses
was soon after appointed, and fresh crimes were also pro-
duced 5 so that his severities were conducted with such seem-
ing justice and success, that in less than two years lie became
possessed of all monastic revenues. These, on the whole,
amounted to six hundred and forty-five, of which twenty-eight
had abbots who enjoyed a seat in parliament. Ninety colleges
were demolished in several counties ; two thousand three hun-
dred and seventy-four chantries and free chapels, and a hun-
dred and ten hospitals. 2. The whole revenue of these esta-
blishments amounted to one hundred and sixty-one thousand
pounds, which was about the twentieth part of the national
income. But as great murmurs were excited by some on
this occasion, Henry took care that all those who could be
useful to him, or even dangerous in case of opposition,
should be sharers in the spoil. He either made a gift cf the
revenues of the convents to his principal courtiers, or sold
them at low prices, or exchanged them for other lands on
very disadvantageous terms.
3. Henry’s opinions were at length delivered in a law,
which, from its horrid consequences, was afterwards termed
the Bloody Statute ; by which it was ordained, that who-
ever, by word or writing, denied transubstantiation, whoever
maintained that the communion in both kinds was necessary,
whoever asserted that it was lawful lor priests to marry,
whoever alleged that vows of chastity might be broken,
whoever maintained that private masses were unprofitable,
or that auricular confessiou was unnecessary, should be found
159
HENRY Yin.
guilty of heresy and burned or hanged as the court should
determine. ,4. As the people were at that time chiefly com-
posed of those who followed the opinions of Luther, and
such as still adhered to the pope, this statute, with Henry’s
former decrees, in some measure included both, and opened
a field for persecution, which soon after produced its dread-
fiil harvests. Bainham and Bilney were burned for their
opposition to popery. Sir Thomas More and bishop Fisher
were beheaded for denying the king’s supremacy.
5. These severities, however, were preceded by one of a
different nature, arising neither from religious nor political
causes, but merely from a tyrannical caprice. Anna Bullen,
his queen, had always been favourable to the Reformation,
and consequently had many enemies on that account, who
only waited some fit occasion to destroy her credit with the
king, and that occasion presented itself but too soon. 6.
The king’s passion was by this time abated, and he became
as desirous to divorce the queen as he had formerly been
to marry her. He was now fallen in love, if we may so
prostitute the expression, with another, and was desirous
to marry Jane Seymour, who had for some time been maid
of honor to the queen.
7. In the meantime her enemies were not remiss in rais-
ing an accusation against her. The duke of Norfolk, from
his attachment to the old religion, took care to produce seve-
ral witnesses, accusing her of impropriety with some of
the meaner servants of the court. Four persons were par-
ticularly pointed out as her favourites ; Henry Norris,
groom of the stole; Weston and Breton, gentlemen of the
king’s bedchamber; together with Mark Smeaton, a musi-
cian. 8. Accordingly, soon after, Norris, Weston, Breton,
and Smeaton were tried in Wesiminsler-hall; when Smeaton
was prevailed upon, by the promise of a pardon, to confess
a criminal correspondence with the queen; but he was never
confronted with her he accused ; and his execution with the
rest, shortly after, served to acquit her of the charge. 9.
Norris, who had been much in the king’s favour, had an
offer of his life if he would confess his crime, and accuse
his mistress; but he rejected the proposal with contempt,
and died professing her innocence and his own. The queen
and her brother were tried by a jury of peers; but upon
what proof or pretence the crime was urged against them
is unknown : the cheif evidence, it is said, amounted to
uo more t’n.n that Ihckfbr i had been seen to lean on her
160
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
bed before some company. 10. Part of tbe charge against
her was, that she bad declared to ber attendants tbat tbe king
never bad ber heart : wbicb was considered as a slander
upon tbe throne, and strained into a breach of law by statute,
by which it was declared criminal to throw any slander upon
tbe king, queen, or their issue. The unhappy queen, though
unassisted by council, defended herself with great judgment
and presence of mind : and the spectators could not forbear
declaring her entirely innocent. 1 1 . She answered distinctly
to all the charges brought against her : but the king’s authority
was not to be controlled ; she was declared guilty and her sen-
tence ran that she should be burned or beheaded at the king's
pleasure. On the morning of her execution, her sentence being
mitigated into beheading, she sent for Kingstone, the keeper
of the Tower, to whom, upon entering the prison, she said,
“Mr. Kingstone, I hear I am not to die till noon, and I am
sorry for it 5 for I thought to be dead before this time, and
free from a life of pain.” 12. The keeper attempting to
comfort her by assuring her the pain would be very little,
she replied, “I have heard the executioner is very expert ;
and (clasping her neck with her hands, laughing) I have but
a little neck.” When brought to the scaffold, from a con-
sideration of her child Elizabeth’s welfare, she would not
inflame the minds of the spectators against her persecutors,
but contented herself with saying that “she was come to
die as she was sentenced by the law.” 13. She would accuse
none, nor say anything of the ground upon which she
was judged 5 she prayed heartily for the king, and called
him a most merciful and gentle prince ; that he had always
been to her a good and gracious sovereign ; and if that any
one should think proper to canvass her cause, she desired
him to judge the best.” She was beheaded by the execu-
tioner of Calais, who was brought over, as much more expert
than any in England. 14. The very next day after her
execution he married the lady Jane Seymour, his cruel heart
being no way softened by the wretched fate of one that had
been so lately the object of his warmest affections. He also
ordered his parliament to give him a divorce between her
sentence and execution, and thus endeavoured to render
Elizabeth, the only child he had by her, illegitimate, as he
had in the same manner, formerly, Mary, his only child by
queen Catherine.
HENRY VIII.
161
Questions for Examination.
1. What monastic rovenuc3 now came into the king's possession ?
2. tYliat was tho amount of the=e revenues t
8. What were tho opinions of iicnry ?
4. Wliat were the lior"i<l consequences ?
6. What tyrannical act preceded these severities r
7. Relate the charges alleged against Anna liullen .
9. What is said to nave been the chief evidence against her r
10. What strange charge was brought against her f
11. What was her behaviour at the trial ?
12, 13. What at her execution ?
14. In what manner did the king act after her execution f
SECTION V.
Superior Cranmer, in a crowd alone,
Dares friendship with the virtuous fallen own. — Dibdin.
1. (A.D. 1537.) In the midst of these commotions the
fires of Smithfield were seen to blaze with unusual fierce*
ness Those who adhered to the pope, or those who fol-
lowed the doctrines of Luther, were equally the objects of
royal vengeance and ecclesiastical persecution. From the
multiplied alterations which were made in the national sys-
tems of belief, mostly drawn up by Henry himself, lew
knew what to think, or what to profess. 2. They were
ready enough to follow his doctrines, how inconsistent or
contradictory soever; but, as he was continually changing
them himself, they could hardly pursue so last as he advanced
before them. Thomas Cromwell, raised by the king’s ca-
price from being a blacksmith’s son to be a royal favourite
(for tyrants ever raise their favourites from the lowest of the
peoble), together with Cranmer, now become archbishop of
Canterbury, were both seen to favour the Reformation with
all their endeavours. 3. On the other hand, Gardiner,
bishop of Winchester, together with the duke of Norfolk,
were for leading the king back to his original faith. In
fact, Henry submitted to neither; liis pride had long been
so inflamed by flattery, that he thought himself entitled to
regulate, by his own single opinion, the religious faith of
the whole nation.
4. Soon after, no less than five hundred persons were im-
prisoned for contradicting the opinions delivered in the
Bloody Statute, and received protection only from the lenity
of Cromwell. Lambert, a schoolmaster, and doctor Barnes,
who had been instrumental in Lambert’s execution, felt the
L
162
filSTtat? OF ENOLANO.
severity of the persecuting spirit; and, by a bill in parliament,
without any trial, were condemned to the flames, discussing
theological questions at the very stake. With Barnes were
executed one Gerrard, and Jerome, for the same opinions.
Three Catholics also, whose names were Abel, Featherstone,
and Powel, were dragged upon the same hurdles to execu-
tion; and who declared that the most grievous part of their
punishment was the being coupled with such heretical mis-
creants as were united in the same calamity.
5. During these horrid transactions, Henry was resolved
to take another queen, Jane Seymour having died; and
after some negotiations upon the continent, he contract-
ed marriage with Anne of Cleves, his aim being, by her
means, to fortify his alliance with the princes of Ger-
many. 6. His aversion, however, to the queen secretly
increased every day ; and he at length resolved to get rid of
her and his prime minister together. He had a strong cause
of dislike to him for his late unpropitious alliance ; and a
new motive was soon added for increasing his displeasure.
Henry had fixed his affection on Catharine Howard, niece
to the duke of Norfolk ; and the only method of gratifying
this new passion was, as in the former cases, discarding the
present queen to make room for a new one. The duke of
Norfolk had long been Cromwell’s mortal enemy, and eagerly
embraced this opportunity to destroy a man he considered as
his rival. 7. He therefore made use of all his niece’s arts
to ruin the favourite ; and when this project was ripe for
execution, he obtained a commission from the king to arrest
Cromwell for high-treason. His disgrace was no sooner
known, than all his friends forsoook him, except Cranmer,
who wrote such a letter to Henry in his behalf, as no other
man in the kingdom would have .presumed to offer. How-
ever, he was accused in parliament of heresy and treason ;
and without even being heard in his own defence, condemn-
ed to suffer the pains of death, as the king should think
proper to direct. 8. When he was brought to the scaffold
his regard^ for his son hindered him from expatiating upon
his own innocence. He thanked God for bringing him to
death for his transgressions ; confessed he had often been
seduced, but that he now died in the Catholic faith.
But the measure of Henry’s severities was not yet filled
up. He had thought himself very happy in his new mar-
riage. He was so captivated with the queen’s accomplish-
ments, that he gave public thanks for his felicity, and depired
HENRY VIII.
1G3
his confessor to join with him in the same thanksgiving.
9. This joy, however, was of very short duration. While the
king was at York, upon an intended conference with the
king of Scotland, a man of the name of Lassels waited upon
Cranmer at London ; and, from the information of his sis-
ter, who had been servant to the duchess-dowager of Nor-
folk, he gave a very surprising account of the queen’s crimi-
nality. When the queen was first examined relative to
her crime, she denied the charge; but afterwards, finding
that her accomplices were her accusers, she confessed her
crime in part, but denied some of the circumstances. 10.
Three maids of honour, who were admitted to her secrets,
still further alleged her guilt; and some of them made
such confessions as tended to augment the nature of her
crime. The servile parliament, upon being informed of
the queen’s crime and confession, quickly found her guilty,
and petitioned the king that she might be punished with
death; that the same penalty might be inflicted on the
lady Rochford, her friend and confidant; and that her
grandmother, the duchess-dowager of Norfolk, together
with her father, mother, and nine others, men and women,
as having been privy to the queen’s irregularities, should
participate in her punishment. With this petition the
king was most graciously pleased to agree; they were
condemned to death by an act of attainder, which at the
3ame time, made it capital for all persons to conceal their
knowledge of the criminality of any future queen. 11.
The queen was beheaded on Tower-hill, together with the
ady Kochford, who found no great degree of compassion,
as she had herself before tampered in blood.
Questions far Examination.
^a?ional'bL?ct'?° CU ^ 0n ^°^ owe ^ multiplied alterations in the
2. Who favoured the Reformation ;
6 Who endeavoured to lead the king back to popery ?
«' whom did Henry fix his affections ? F
° quenoe'» Seti Henry 8 dislike to Cromwell ? and what was the conse-
164
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
9. In what manner was the king informed of the criminality of hi*
queen ?
10. Who were the witnesses that alleged her guilt r
11. What was the fate of the queen ?
SECTION VI.
I would not hare such a heart in ray bosom
For the dignity of the whole body. — Shakspedre,
1. (Ai D. 1543.) In about a year after the death of the
last queen, Henry once more changed his condition, by
marrying bis sixth and last wife, Catharine Parr, who was
a widow. She was the widow of the late lord Latimer;
and was considered as a woman of discretion and virtue.
She had already passed the meridian of life, and managed
this capricious tyrant’s temper with prudence and success.
2. Still, however, the king’s severity to his subjects con-
tinued as fierce as ever. For some time he had been incom-
moded by an ulcer in his leg; the pain of which, added to
his corpulence and other infirmities, increased his natural
irascibility to such a degree, that scarcely any of his domes-
tics approached him without terror. It was not to be ex-
pected, therefore, that any who differed from him in opinion
should, at this time particularly, hope for pardon.
3. Though his health was declining apace, yet his im-
placable cruelties were not the less frequent. His resentment
was diffused indiscriminately to all ; at one time a protes-
tant, and at another a catholic, were the objects of his se-
verity. The duke of Norfolk, and his son, the earl of
Surrey, were the last that felt the injustice of the tyrant’s
groundless suspicions. 4. The duke was a nobleman who
had served the king with talent and fidelity ; his son was
a young man of the most promising hopes, who excelled in
every accomplishment that became a scholar, a courtier,
and a soldier. He excelled in all the military exercises
which were then in request; he encouraged the fine arts
by his practice and example; and it is remarkable that
he was the first who brought our language, in his poetical
pieces, to any degree of refinement. 5. He celebrated
the fair Geraldine in all his sonnets, and maintained her
superior beauty in all places of public contention. These
HENRT VIIL
165
qualifications, however, were no safeguard to him against
Henry’s suspicions; he had dropped some expressions of
resentment against the king’s ministers, upon being dis-
placed from the government of Bologne; and the who.e
iamily was become obnoxious from the late conduct
of Catharine Howard the queen', who was executed. 6.
From these motives, therefore, private orders were given
to arrest father and son; and accordingly they were ar-
rested both on the same day and confined in the Tower.
Surrey being a commoner, his trial was the more expe-
ditious ; and as to proofs, there were many informers base
enough to betray the intimacies of private confidence, and
all the connections of blood. The duchess-dowager of
Richmond, Surrey’s own sister, enlisted herself among the
number of his accusers; and sir Richard Southwell, also,
his most intimate friend, charged him with infidelity to
the king. 7. It would seem that at this dreary period,
there was neither faith nor honour to be found in all the
nation. Surrey denied the charge, and challenged his ac-
cuser to single combat. This favour was refused him ; and
it was alleged that he had quartered the arms of Edward
the Confessor on his escutcheon, which alone was sufficient
to convict him of aspiring to the crown. To this he could
make no reply; and indeed any answer would have been
needless; for neither parliaments nor juries, during thi 3
reign, seemed to be guided by any other proofs but the will
of the crown. 8. This young nobleman was, therefore,
condemned for high treason, notwithstanding his eloquent
and spirited defence ; and the sentence was soon after exe-
cuted upon him on Tower-hill. In the meantime the duke
endeavoured to mollify the king by letters of submission ;
but the monster’s hard heart was rarely subject to tender
impressions. 9. The parliament meeting on the fourteenth
day of January (A.D. 1546), a bill of attainder was found
against the duke of Norfolk ; as it was thought he could not
so easily have been convicted on a fair hearing by his
peers. The death-warrant was made out, and immediately
sent to the lieutenant of the Tower. The duke prepared for
death ; the following morning was to be his last ; but an
event ot greater consequence to the kingdom intervened, and
prevented his execution.
10. The king had been for some time approaching fast
towards his end ; and for several days all those about his
person plainly saw that his speedy death was inevitable.
166
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
The disorder in his leg was now grown extremely painful;
and this, added to his monstrous corpulency, which ren-
dered him unable to stir, made him more furious than a
chained lion. He had been very stern and severe ; he was
now outrageous. In this state he had continued for nearly
four years before his death, the terror of all, and the tor-
mentor of himself; his courtiers having no inclination to
make an enemy of him, as they were more ardently em-
ployed in conspiring the death of each other.* 11. In this
manner, therefore, he was suffered to struggle, without any
of his domestics having the courage to warn him of his
approaching end ; as more than once, during this reign, per-
sons had been put to death for foretelling the death of the
king. At last, sir Anthony Denny had the courage to dis-
close to him this dreadful secret ; and, contrary to his usual
custom, he received the tidings with an expression of resig-
nation. 12. His anguish and remorse were at this time
greater than can be expressed; he desired that Cranmer
might be sent for; but before that prelate could arrive he
was speechless. Cranmer desired him to give some sign
of his dying in the faith of Christ ; he squeezed his hand
and immediately expired, after a reign of thirty-seven years
and nine months, in the fifty-sixth year of his age.
13. Some kings have been tyrants from contradiction
and revolt; some from being misled by favourites; and
some from a spirit of party ; but Henry was cruel from a
*Tho irritability of the king was so ungovernable, that many fell victims
to it ; and his queen, whoconstantly attended him with themost tender
and dutiful care, had also, as will be seen by tliefollowing account, near-
ly fallen asacrifice. Henry’s favourite topic of conversation was theology,
and Catharine had unwarily ventured to raise objections against his
arguments. Henry, highly provoked that she should presume to differ
from his opinion, complained of her obstinacy to Gardiner, bishop of Win-
chester, the chancellor, who inflamed his anger by representing the queen
as a dangerous heretic. Hurried by their insinuations, he went so far as to
d : rect the chancellor to drawuparicles of impeachment, which hesi®ned
This paper fortunately fell into thehands of one of the queen’s friends
who immediately carried the intelligence to her. Next morning she raid
her usual visit to the king, andiindmg him disposed to challenge her to
an argument on divinity, she modestly declined the conversation saving
that it did not become a weak woman to dispute with one who bv his
superior learning, was entitled to dictate, not only to her hut to the
whole woild ; aud that if ever she had ventured to objectto anything he
advanced, it was only for the sake of her own instruction, and to engage
him upon topics which diverted his pains. This seasonable piece offlat-
tery suddenly revived his affections, and the chancellor coming soon after
with a numerous escort, to seize the queen and carry her to the Tower’
the king treated him very roughly, calling him knave, fool, and beast and
commanded him to be gone .— Be Moleville’s Great Britain '
HENRY VIII.
167
depraved disposition alone; cruel in government, cruel in
religion, and cruel in his family. Our divines have taken
gome pains to vindicate the character of this brutal prince,
as if his conduct and our Reformation had any connexion
with each other, There is nothing so absurd as to defend
the one by the other; the most noble designs are brought
about by the most vicious instruments : for we see even that
cruelty and injustice were thought necessary to be employed
in our holy redemption.
Questions for Examination.
1. To whom was the kingnow married ? .
2. What at this time increased the king’s irrascibihty ?
3. Who were the last who felt this severity ?
4 5. What character is given of the earl of Surrey r
6 Who appeared among the number of Surrey’s accusers ?
7. What was the chief charge alleged against this nobleman ?
8. Where was he executed? , ,
9 What was the fate of his father, duke of Norfolk r
10. What description is given of the king during his illness ?
CONTEMPERARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
Julius H 1503
Leo X 1513
Adrian VI 1522
Clement Vn 1523
PaulIH 1534
•
Emperors of Germany,
Maximili an 1 1493
Charles V 1519
Emperors of the Turks.
Bajazet II 1481
Selim 1 1512
Solimanll 15201
Kings of France.
A.D.
Louis XII
. .1498
Francis I
..1515
Kinas and Qu. of Spain
Philip I
..1504
Joan
..1506
Charles I
..1516
Kings of Portugal.
Emanuel
..1495
John IH
..1512
Kings of Denmark and
Sweden .
John
..1481
A.D.
Christian II 1513
Kings of Denmark
alone.
Frederick 1 1524
Christian HI 1533
King of Sweden alone.
Gustavus Vasa*... 1522
Kings and Queen of
Scotland.
James IV 1498
James V 1514
Mary 1542
EMINENT PERSONS.
Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury ; cardinal Wolsey and sir
Thomas More, lord Chancellors ; Thomas, lord Cromwell -, Gardiner,
bishop of Winchester ; Henry Howard, earl of Surrey -.Nicholas, lord
Vaux ; John Bourchier, lord Berners ; George Boleyn, Viscount Roch-
ford ; John, lord Lumley ; Edward, lord Sheffield ; dean Collet.
* Gustavos Vasa delivered Sweden from the Danish yoke, and forbid
recompense was elected its independent sovereign,
168
HISTORY OF ENGLAND,
CHAPTER XXIY.
EDWARD VI.
Bom 1537. Died July 6, 1553. Began to reign Jan. 29, 1547. Reigned
6i years.
Men perish in advance, as if the sun
Should set ere noon. Young.
1. (A.D. 1547.) Henry tlie Eighth, was succeeded on
the throne by his only son, Edward the Sixth, now in the
ninth year of his age. The late king, in his will, which he
expected would be implicitly obeyed, fixed the majority of
the prince at the completion of his eighteenth year; and in
the mean time appointed sixteen executors of his will, to
whom, during the minority, he intrusted the government of
the king and kingdom ; the duke of Somerset, as protector,
being placed at their head.
2. The protector, in his schemes for advancing the Refor-
mation, had always recourse to the counsels of Cranmer;
who, being a man of moderation and prudence, was averse
to violent changes, and determined to bring over the people
by insensible innovations to his own peculiar system.
3. A committee of bishops and divines had been appointed
by the council to frame a liturgy for the service of the
church ; and this work was executed with great moderation,
precision, and accuracy. A law was also enacted, permit-
ting priests to marry ; the ceremony of auricular confession,
though not abolished, was left at the discretion of the people,
who were not displeased at being freed from the spiritual
tyranny of their instructors; the doctrine of the real pre-
sence was the last tenet of popery that was wholly aban-
doned by the people, as both the clergy and laity were loth
to renounce so miraculous a benefit as it was asserted to be.
4. However, at last, not only this, but all the principal
opinions and practices of the catholic religion, contrary to
what the scripture authorizes, were abolished; and the
Reformation, such as we have it, was almost entirely com-
pleted in England. With all these innovations the people
and clergy in general acquiesced; and Gardiner and Bon-
ner were the only persons whose opposition was thought of
any weight ; they were, therefore, sent to the Tower, and
threatened with the king’s further displeasure in case of
disobedience. (A.D. 1548.)
EDWARD VI.
169
5. For all these the protector gained great applause and
popularity; but he was raised to an enviable degree of
eminence, and his enemies were numerous in proportion to
his exaltation. Of all the ministers at that time in council,
Dudley, earl of Warwick, was the most artful, ambitious,
and unprincipled. Resolved, at any rate, to possess the
principal place under the king, he cared not what means
were to be used in acquiring it. However, unwilling to
throw off the mask, he covered the most exorbitant views
under the fairest appearances. Having associated himself
with the earl of Southampton, he formed a strong party in
the council, who were determined to free themselves from
the control the protector assumed over them. That noble-
man was, in fact, now grown obnoxious to a very prevailing
party in the kingdom. 7. He was hated by the nobles for
his superior magnificence and power ; he was hated by the
catholic party for his regard to the Reformation; he was
disliked by many for his severity to his brother; besides,
tbe great estate he had raised 'at the expense of the church
and the crown rendered him obnoxious to all. The palace*
which he was then building in the Strand served also, by
its munificence, and still more so by the unjust methods
that were taking to raise it, to expose him to the censures of
the public. The parish church of St. Mary, with three
bishops’ houses, were pulled down to furnish ground and
materials for the structure.
8. He was soon afterwards sent to the Tower; and the
chief article of which he was accused was the usurpation of
the government, and taking all the power into hi 3 own
hands; but his great riches were the real cause. Several
others of a slighter tint were added to invigorate this accu-
sation, but none of them could be said to amount to high-
treason. 9. In consequence of these, a bill of attainder was
preferred against him in the house of lords; but Somerset
contrived for this time to elude the rigour of their sentence,
by having previously, on his knees, confessed the charge
before the members of the council. 10. In consequence of
this confession, he was deprived of all his offices and goods,
together with a great part of his landed estates, which were
forfeited to the use of the crown. This fine on his estate
was soon after remitted by the king ; and Somerset, once
more, contrary to the expectation of all, recovered his lib-
* Still called Somerset House,
170
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
erty. He was even readmitted into tlie council. Happy
for him if his ambition had not revived with his security 1
11. In fact, he could not help now and then bursting out
into invectives against the king and government, which were
quickly carried to his secret enemy, the earl of Warwick,
who was now become the duke of Northumberland. As he
was surrounded with that nobleman’s creatures, they took
care to reveal all the designs which they had themselves
first suggested, and Somerset soon found the fatal effects of
his rival’s resentment. 12. He was, by Northumberland’s
command, arrested, with many more accused of being his
partisans ; and was, with his wife, the duchess, also thrown
into prison. He was now accused of having formed a
design to raise an insurrection in the North} of attacking
the train-bands on a muster day; of plotting to secure the
Tower, and to excite a rebellion in London.
13. These charges he strenuously denied; but he con-
fessed one of as heinous nature, which was, that he had
laid a project for murdering Northumberland, Northampton,
and Pembroke at a banquet, which was to be given them
by lord Paget. He was soon after brought to trial before
the Marquis of Winchester, who sat as high-steward on the
occasion, with twenty-seven peers more, including Northum-
berland, Pembroke, and Northampton, who were at once
his judges and accusers; and being found guilty, was
brought to the scaffold on Tower-hill, where he appeared
without the least emotion, in the midst of a vast concourse
of the populace, by whom he was beloved. 14. He spoke
to them with great composure, protesting that he had always
promoted the service of his king, and the interest of true
religion, to the best of his power. The people attested their
belief of what he said by crying out, “ It is most true.” An
universal tumult was beginning to take place ; but Somerset
desiring them to be still, and not interrupt his last medita-
tions, but to join with him in prayer, he laid down his head,
and submitted to the stroke of the executioner.
15. In the meantime, Northumberland had long aimed
at the first authority ; and the infirm state of the king’s
health opened alluring prospects to his ambition. He re-
presented to that young prince that his sisters, Mary and
Elizabeth, who were appointed by Henry’s will to succeed
in failure of direct heirs to the crown, had been declared ille-
gitimate by parliament; that the queen of Scots, his aunt,
stood excluded by the king’s will, and, being an alien also,
EDWARD VI.
171
lost all right of succeeding. 16. And, as the three princesses
were thus legally excluded, the succession naturally devolved
to the marchioness of Dorset whose next heir was the lady
Jane Grey, a lady every way accomplished for government,
as well as by the charms of her person as the virtues and
acquirements of her mind. The king, who had long sub-
mitted to all the politic views of this designing minister,
agreed to have the succession submitted to council, where
Northumberland had influence soon after to procure an easy
concurrence. _
17. In the meantime, as the king’s health declined, the
minister laboured to strengthen his own interests and con-
nexions. His first aim was to secure the interests of the
marquis of Dorset, father of lady Jane Grey, by procuring
for him the title of duke of Suffolk, which was lately become
extinct. Having thus obliged this nobleman, he then pro-
posed a match between his fourth son, lord Guildford Dud-
ley, and the lady Jane Grey. 18. Still bent on spreading
his interests as widely as possible, he married his own
daughter to Lord Hastings, and had these marriages solem-
nized with all possible pomp and festivity. Meanwhile,
Edward continued to languish, and several fatal symptoms
of consumption began to appear. It was hoped, however,
that youth and temperance might get the better of his
disorders ; and, from their love, the people were unwilling
to think him in danger. 19. It had been remarked, indeed,
by some, that his health was visibly seen to decline from
the moment that the Dudleys were brought about his per-
son. The character of Northumberland might have justly
given some colour to suspicion ; and his removing all, ex-
cept his own emissaries, from about the king, still farther
increased the distrusts of the people. Northumberland,
however, was no way uneasy at their murmurs; he was as-
siduous in his attendance upon the king, and professed the
most anxious concern for his safety ; but still drove forward
his darling scheme of transferring the succession to his own
daughter-in-law.
20. The young king was put into the hands of an igno-
rant womaD, who very confidently undertook his cure.
After the use of medicines, all the bad symptoms in-
creased to a most violent degree ; he felt a difficulty of speech
and breathing ; his pulse failed ; his legs swelled ; his colour
became livid, and many other symptoms appeared of his
approaching end. He expired at Greenwich, in the six-:
172
HISTORY OP ENGLAND,
King Edward VI. refusing to place his foot on the Bible.
teenth year of his age, and the seventh of his reign, greatly
regretted by all, and his early virtues gave a prospect of the
continuance of a happy reign, July 6, 1553.
An anecdote is related of this king to illustrate his piety
and reverence for the Scriptures. When in his library, one
day, being desirous to reach a book on a high shelf, he was
offered a large Bible as a footstool. But he refused the
offer, with strong expressions of disapprobation towards the
attendant who had made it.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who succeeded Henry the Eighth ?
Who was appointed protector during the king’s minority ?
2, 3. By what methods was the Reformation begun and completed ?
4 . Who wei e sent to the tower for their aversion to the Reformation ?
6. By whom was the protector opposed ?
7. For what reasons -was he universally disliked ?
8. What was the chief article of accusation against him ?
9. Bv what means did he elude the rigour of his sentence ?
10. Did tho protector regain his authority ?
11. in what manner did he then conduct himself t
12. Bv whose command was he afterwards arrested ?
Of what was lie accused ?
13. What confession did he make ?
14. What was his behaviour when brought to the scaffold t
15. Who next aspired to the chief authority ?
10. 17. What means did he take to secure it?
18, 19. What circumstances preceded the king’s death t
20. Where and at what age did Edward the Sixth die f
MART.
m
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Topes.
A.D.
Pacl m ...1531
Julius HI 1550
Emperor of Germany
and King of Spain.
Charles V 1517
Emperor of the Turks.
A,D.
Soliman II 1520
Kina of France.
Henry'll 1517
Kino of Portugal.
John 111 15H
King of Denmark.
A.D.
Charles n 1634
King of Sweden.
Gustavu8 Vasa — 1522
Queen of Scotland.
Mary 1512
EMINENT PERSONS.
Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury. Heath and Day, bishops of
Worcester and Chichester. Lord Seymour. Dukes of Somerset and
Northumberland. Guildford, lord Dudley. Lady Jane Grey.
CHAPTER XXV
MARY.
Born 1618. Died December 1, 1558. Began to reign July 16, 1583.
Beigned 5 years.
When persecuting zeal made royal sport
With royal innocence in Mary's court,
Then Bonner, blythe as shepherd at a wake,
Enjoy’d the show, and danced about the stake.— Cowper.
1. (A.D. 1553.) Upon the death of Edward, two candi-
dates put in their pretensions to the crown ; — Mary, Henry’s
daughter by Catharine of Arragon, relying on the justice of
her cause; and lady Jane Grey, being nominated in the
late young king’s will, and upon the support of the duke of
Northumberland, her father-in-law. Mary was strongly big-
oted to the popish superstitions, having been bred up among
churchmen, and having been even taught to prefer martyr-
dom to a denial of her belief. 2. As she had lived in conti-
nual restraint, she was reserved and gloomy; she had, even
during the life of her father, the resolution to maintain her
sentiments, and refused to comply with his new institutions.
Her zeal had rendered her furious ; and she was not only
blindly attached to her religious opinions, but even to the
popish clergy who maintained them. 3. On the other hand,
Jane Grey was strongly attached to the Reformers; and
though yet but sixteen, her judgment had attained to such
a degree of maturity as few have been found to possess.
All historians agree that the solidity of her understanding,
improved by continual application, rendered her the wonder
of her age, Jane, who was in a great measure ignorant of
m
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
all the transactions in her favour, was struck with equal
grief and surprise when she received intelligence of them.
She shed a flood of tears, appeared inconsolable, and it was
not without the utmost difficulty that she yielded to the
entreaties of Northumberland, and the duke her father. 4.
Orders were given also for proclaiming her throughout the
kingdom ; but these were but very remissly obeyed. When
she was proclaimed in the city, the people heard her acces-
sion made public without any signs of pleasure ; no applause
ensued, and some even expressed their scorn and con-
tempt.
5. In the meantime, Mary, who had retired, upon the
news of the king’s death, to Kenning Hall, in Norfolk, sent
circular letters to all the great towns and nobility in the
kingdom, reminding them of her right, and commanding
them to proclaim her without delay. Her claims soon be-
came irresistible ; in a little time she found herself at the
head of forty thousand men ; while the few who attended
Northumberland continued irresolute, and be even feared to
lead them to the encounter.
6. Lady Jane, thus finding that all was lost, resigned her
royalty, which she had held but ten days, with marks
of real satisfaction, and retired with her mother to their own
habitation. Northumberland, also, who found his affairs
desperate, and that it was impossible to stem the tide of pop-
ular opposition, attempted to quit the kingdom ; but he was
prevented by the band of pensioner-guards, who informed
him that he must stay to justify their conduct in being led
out against their lawful sovereign. Thus circumvented on
all sides, he delivered himself up to Mary, and was soon
afterwards executed in a summary way. Sentence was also
pronounced against lady Jane and lord Guildford, but without
any intention for the present of putting it into execution.
7. Mary now entered London, and with very little effu-
sion of blood saw herself joyfully proclaimed, and peaceably
settled on the throne. This was a flattering prospect; but
soon the pleasing phantom was dissolved. Mary was mo-
rose, and a bigot ; she was resolved to give back their former
power to the clergy; and thus once more to involve the king-
dom in all the horrors from which it had just emerged.
Gardiner, Tunstal, Day, Heath, and Vesey, who had been
confined or suffered losses, for their catholic opinions during
the late reign, were taken from prison, reinstated in their
sees, and their former sentences repealed.
MARV.
175
8. A parliament, which the queen called soon after, seem-
ed willing to concur in all her measures : they at one blow
repealed all the statutes, with regard to religion, which had
passed during the reign of her predecessors ; so that the na-
tional religion was again placed on the same footing on which
it stood in the early part of the reign of Henry the Eighth.
9. While religion was thus returning to its primitive
abuses, the queen’s ministers, who were willing to strengthen
her power, by a catholic alliance, had been for some time
looking out for a proper consort ; and they at length chose
Philip, prince of Spain, son to the celebrated Charles the
Fifth. In order to avoid any disagreeable remonstrance
from the people, the articles of marriage were drawn as
favourable as possible to the interest and honour of England .
and this in some measure stilled the clamours that had
already been begun against it.
10. The discontents of the people rose to such a pitch,
that an insurrection, headed by sir Thomas Wyat, suc-
ceeded; but Wyat, being made prisoner, was condemned
and executed, with some of his adherents. But what ex-
cited the compassion of the people most of all, was the
execution of lady Jane Grey and her husband, lord Guild-
ford Dudley, who were involved in the punishment, though
not in the guilt of this insurrection. 11. Two days after
Wyat was apprehended, lady Jane and her husband were
ordered to prepare for death. Lady Jane, who had long
before seen the threatening blow, was no way surprised at
the message, but bore it with heroic resolution ; and being
informed that she had three days to prepare, she seemed
displeased at so long a delay. 12. On the day of her exe-
cution her husband desired permission to see her; but this
she refused, as she knew the parting would be too tender
for her fortitude to withstand. The place at first designed
for their execution was without the Tower; but their youth,
beauty, and innocence being likely to raise an insurrection
among the. people, orders were given that they should be
executed within the verge of the Tower. 13. Lord Dudley
was the first that suffered; and while the lady Jane was
being conducted to the place of execution, the officers of
the Tower met her, bearing along the headless body of her
husband streaming with blood, in order to be interred in
the Tower chapel. She looked on the corpse for some time
without any emotion : and then, with a sigh, desired them
HISTORY OJF ENGLAND.
m
Heath of Lady Jane Grey.
to proceed. 14. On the scaffold she made a speech, in
which she alleged that her offence was not the having laid
her hand upon the crown, but the not rejecting it with suffi-
cient constancy ; that she had less erred through ambition
than filial obedience ; and she willingly accepted death as the
only atonement she could make to the injured state;
and was ready by her punishment to show, that innocence
is no plea in excuse for deeds that tend to injure the
community. After speaking to this effect, she caused herself
to be disrobed by her women, and, with a steady, serene
countenance, submitted to the executioner.
15. At the head of those who drove these violent mea-
sures forward were Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, and
cardinal Pole, who was now returned from Italy. Pole,
who was nearly allied by birth to the royal family, had
always conscientiously adhered to the catholic religion, and
had incurred Henry’s displeasure, not only by refusing to
assent to his measures, but by writing against him. 16. It
was for this adherence that he was .cherished by the pope, and
now sent over to England as legate from the holy see.
Gardiner was a man of a very different character; his chief
aim was to please the reigning prince, and he had shown
already many instances of his prudent conformity.
MART.
177
Questions far Examination.
1. What were the pretensions of the two candidates for the crown ?
i. What was the character of Mary ?
3. What is said of lady Jane Grey ? ...
4. In what manner was her proclamation received ?
j. How did Mary act, and what was her success ?
6. What was the fate of the duke of Northumberland r
7. What was Mary’s conduct after her accession ?
8. Did the parliament concur in her religious views ?
9. What plan was resolved on to strengthen the Catholic power r
11. WhatwasthefateofladyJaneGreyandher husband ?
12, 14. Mention the circumstances r that attended their execution.
15 ^ 16. Who were the instigators of those violent measures ?
SECTION II.
Curst superstition, which deludes the mind,
An d makes it to the tender feelings blind.— Anon.
1. (A. D. 1554.) A persecution, therefore, began by
the martyrdom of Hooper, bishop of Gloucester, and Rogers,
prebendary of Saint Paul’s. They were examined by com-
missioners appointed by the queen, with the chancellor at
the head of them. Saunders and Taylor, two other clergy-
men, whose zeal had been distinguished in carrying on the
Reformation, were the next that suffered.
2. Bonner, bishop of London, bloated at once with rage
and luxury, let loose his vengeance without restraint, and
seemed to take a pleasure in the pains of the unhappy suf-
ferers; while the queen, by her letters, exhorted him to
pursue the pious work without pity or interruption. Soon
after, in obedience to her commands, Ridley, bishop of
London, and the venerable Latimer, bishop of Worcester,
were condemned together. 3. Ridley had been one of the
ablest champions for the Reformation ; his piety, learning,
and solidity of judgment were admired by his friends and
dreaded by his enemies. The night before his execution,
he invited the mayor of Oxford and his wife to see him ;
and when he beheld him it melted him to tears ; he himself
appeared quite unmoved, inwardly supported and comforted
in that hour of agony. When he was brought to the stake
to be burnt, he found his old friend, Latimer, there before
him. 4. Of all the prelates of that age, Latimer was the
most remarkable for his unaffected piety, and the simplicity
of his manners. He had never learnt to flatter in courts ;
and his open rebuke was dreaded by all the great, who at
that time too much deserved it. 5. His sermons, which
M.
178
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
remain to this day, show that he had much learning and
much wit ; and there is an air of sincerity running through
them, not to be found elsewhere. When Eidley began to
comfort his ancient friend, Latimer was as ready on his
part to return the kind office. “Be of good cheer, brother,”
cried he ; “ we shall this day kindle such a torch in Eng-
land, as, I trust in God, shall never be extinguished.” 6. A
furious bigot ascended to preach to them and the people,
while the fire was preparing ; and Eidley gave a most
serious attention to his discourse. No way distracted by
the preparations about him, lie heard him to the last, and
then told him he was ready to answer all he had preached
upon, if he were permitted a short indulgence ; but this was
refused him. At length fire was set to the pile; Latimer
was soon out of pain : but Eidley continued to suffer much
longer, his legs being consumed before the fire reached his
vitals.
7. Cranmer’s death followed soon after, and struck the
whole nation with horror. His love of life had formerly
prevailed. In an unguarded moment be was induced to
sign a paper condemning the Eeformation; and now his
enemies, as we are told of the devil, after having rendered
him completely wretched, resolved to destroy him.
8. Being led to the stake, and the fire beginning to be
kindled around him, he stretched forth his right hand, and
held it in the flames till it was consumed, while he fre-
quently cried out, in the midst of his sufferings, “That
unworthy hand!” at the same time exhibiting no appearance
of pain or disorder. When the fire attacked his body, he
seemed to be quite insensible to his tortures : his mind was
wholly occupied upon the hopes of a future reward. After
his body was destroyed, his heart was found entire ; an em-
blem of the constancy with which he suffered.
9. It was computed that, during this persecution, two
hundred and seventy-seven persons suffered by fire, besides
those punished by imprisonment, fines and confiscations.
Among those who suffered by fire, were five bishops,
twenty-one clergymen, eight lay gentlemen, eighty-four
tradesmen, one hundred husbandmen, fifty-five women, and
four children. All this was terrible; and yet the temporal
affairs of the kingdom did not seem to be more successful.
10. (A. D. 1557.) Calais, that had now for above two
hundred years been in possession of the English, was
attacked, and by a sudden and unexpected assault, being
MART.
179
blockaded on every side, was obliged to capitulate; so
that in less than eight days, the duke of Guise recovered
the city that had been in possession of the English siuce the
time of Edward the Third, who had spent eleven months
in besieging it. This loss filled the whole kingdom with
murmurs, and the queen with despair; she was heard to
say, that, when dead, the name of Calais would be found
engraven upon her heart.
11. These complicated evils, a murmuring people, an
increasing heresy, a disdainful husband, and an unsuccessful
war, made dreadful depredations on Mary’s constitution.
She began to appear consumptive, and this rendered her
mind still more morose and bigoted. The people now,
therefore, began to turn their thoughts to her successor;
and the princess Elizabeth came into a greater degree of
consideration than before. 12. Mary had been long in a
very declining state of health; and having mistaken the
nature of her disease, she made use of an improper regi-
men, which had increased her disorder. Every reflection
now tormented her. The consciousness of being hated by
her subjects, and the prospect of Elizabeth’s succession,
whom she hated, preyed upon her mind, and threw her into
a lingering fever, of which she died, after a short and un-
fortunate reign of five years, four months, and eleven days,
in the forty-third year of her age.
Questions for Examination .
1. Who were the first in this reign who sufferer! martyrdom for their
v religion ?
2. Who wero the principal actors in this persecution ?
3. 4. Describe the behaviour and character ot'Ridley and Latimer ?
6. What words did Latimer make use of at the stake to his friend and
fellow-sufferer?
8. What iseaid of the character and death ofCranmer?
9. How many persons are said to have been burnt on ‘account of tbeir
religious tenets ?
10. Bv what means was Calais obliged to capitulate?
11. What hastened 3lary’s death ?
12. How long did she reign ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
Julius III
MarccllusII..
Paul IV
A.D.
.1550
.1555
.1555
Emperor gf Germany.
Cbailes V 1519
Emperor of the Turks.
Solunan £f. 1520
King of France.
A.D.
Henry 1547
King of Spain,
Philip II 1555
King of Portuga 1 ,
John III 1521
King of Denmark.
A.D.
Frederic II 1549
King of Sweden.
Gustavus Vasa. ...1522
Queen of Scotland.
Mary 1542
180
HISTORY OF ENGLAND,
EMINENT PERSONS.
Archbishop Cranmer; bishops Ridley, Hooper, Latimer, Feries, Rogers,
Saunders, Taylor, and many others of the clergy who suffered for their
religion. Cardinal Pole, bishops Gardiner, Bonner, Thirlby, &c„ who
were fiery supporters of the papal powers.* Lord Stafford,
CHAPTER XXVL
ELIZABETH.
Bom 1533. Died March 24, 1603. Began to reign November 7, 1558. Reigned
44} years.
SECTION I.
1. (A. D. 1558.) Nothing could exceed the joy that was
diffused among the people upon the accession of Elizabeth,
who now came to the throne without any opposition.
This favourite of the people, from the beginning, resolved
upon reforming the church, even while she was held in the
constraints of a prison; and now, upon coming to the
crown, she immediately set about it. A parliament soon
after completed what the prerogative had begun; act after
act was passed in favour of the Reformation; and in a single
session the form of religion was established as we at present
have the happiness to enjoy it.
2. A state of permanent felicity is not to be expected
here; and Mary Stuart, commonly called Mary queen of
Scots, was the first person that excited the fears or the
resentment of Elizabeth. Henry the Seventh had married
his eldest daughter, Margaret, to James, king of Scotland,
who dying, left no issue that came to maturity except Mary
* "The common net at that time for catching protestants was the real
presence, and this net was used to catch theprincessElizabeth ; for being
asked onetime what she thought of the words of God, this is my body,
whether she thought it tho true bodyof Christ that was in the sacrament,
it is said, that, after some pausing, she thus answered
Christ was the word that spake it,
He took the bread and brake it,
And what the word did make it.
That I believe and take it.
"Which, though it may seem but a slight expression, vet had itmorosolid-
liess than at first sight appears ; at least it served lioi- turn at that time to
escape the net, which by direct answer she could not have done."
ELIZABETH.
181
afterwards surname! Mary queen of Scots. 3. At a very
early age, this princess, being possessed of every accom-
plishment of person and mind, was married to Francis, the
dauphin of France, who dying, left her a widow at the age
of nineteen. Upon the death of Francis, Mary, the widow,
still seemed disposed to keep up the title ; but finding her-
self exposed to the persecutions of the dowager-queen, who
now began to take the lead in France, she returned home to
Scotland, where she found the people strongly impressed
with the gloomy enthusiasm of the times. 4. A difference
of religion between the sovereign and the people is ever
productive of bad effects; since it is apt to produce con-
tempt on the one side, and jealousy on the other. Mary
could not avoid regarding the sour manners of the reforming
clergy, who now bore sway among the Scots, with a
mixture of ridicule and hatred ; while they, on the other
hand, could not look tamely on gayeties and levities which
she introduced among them, without abhorrence and resent-
ment. The jealousy thus excited began every day to grow
stronger; the clergy only waited for some indiscretion in
the queen to fly out into open opposition ; and her impru-
dence but too soon gave them sufficient opportunity.
5. Mary, upon her return, had married the earl of Darn-
ley; but having been dazzled by the pleasing exterior of her
new lover, she had entirely forgotten to look to the accom-
plishments of his mind. Darnley was but a weak and igno-
rant man ; violent, yet variable in his enterprises ; insolent,
yet credulous, and easily governed by flatterers. She soon,
therefore, began to convert her admiration into disgust;
and Darnley, enraged at her increasing coldness, pointed his
vengeance against every person he supposed the cause of
this change in her sentiments and behaviour.
6. There was then in the court one David Rizzio, the
3on of a musician at Turin, himself a musician, whom Mary
took into her confidence. She consulted him on all occa-
sions; no favours could be obtained but by his intercession;
and all suitors were first obliged to gain Rizzio to their
interests by presents or by flattery. 7. It was easy to
persuade a man of Darnley’ s jealous and uxorious temper
that Rizzio was the person who had estranged the queen’s
affections from him ; and a surmise once conceived became
to him a certainty. He soon, therefore, consulted with
some lords of his party; who, acorn panying him into the
queen’s apartments, where Rizzio then was, they dragged
182
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
him into the antechamber, where he was despatched with
fifty-six wounds; the unhappy princess continuing her la-
mentations while they were perpetrating their horrid crime.
8. Being informed, however, of his fate, Mary at once dried
her tears, and said she would weep no more, for she would
now think of revenge. She, therefore, concealed her resent-
ment, and so far imposed upon Darnley her husband, that
he put himself under her protection, and soon after attended
her to Edinburgh, where he was told the place would be
favourable to his health.
9. Mary lived in the palace of Holyrood-house ; but as
the situation of that place was low, and the concourse of
people about the court necessarily attended with noise,
which might disturb him in his present infirm state, she
fitted up an apartment for him in a solitary house at some
distance, called the Kirk of Field. Mary there gave him
marks of kindness and attachment; she conversed cordially
with him ; and she lay some nights in a room under his.
10. It was on the ninth of February that she told him she
would pass that night in the palace, because the marriage of
one of her servants tvas to be there celebrated in her pre-
sence. But dreadful consequences ensued. About two
o’clock in the morning, the whole city was much alarmed
at hearing a great noise ; the house in which Darnley lay
was blown up with gunpowder. His dead body was found
at some distance in a neighbouring field, but without any
marks of violence or contusion. No doubt could be enter-
tained that Darnley was murdered; and the general sus-
picion fell upon Bothwell, a person lately taken into Mary’s
favour, as the perpetrator.
11. One crime led on to another; Bothwell, though ac-
cused of being stained with the husband’s blood, though
universally odious to the people, had the confidence, while
Mary was on her way to Stirling, on a visit to her son, to
seize her at the head of a body of eight hundred horse, and
to carry her to Dunbar, where he forced her to yield to his
purposes. It was then thought by the people that the
measure of his crimes was complete ; and that lie who was
supposed to kill the queen’s husband, and to have pos-
sessed himself of her person, could expect no mercy ; but
they were astonished upon finding, instead of disgrace, that
Bothwell was taken into more than former favour ; and to
crown all, that he was married to Mary, having divorced
his own wife to procure his union.
ELIZABETH.
183
13. This was a fatal alliance to Mary ; and the people
were now wound up, by the complication of her guilt, . to
pay very little deference to her authority. An association
was formed that took Mary prisoner, and sent her into con-
finement to the castle of Lochlevin, situated on a lake of that
name, where she suffered all the severities of an unkind
keeper, an upbraiding conscience, with a feeling heart.
14. The calamities of the great, even though justly de-
served, seldom fail of creating pity, and procuring friends.
Mary, by her charms and promises, had engaged a young
gentleman, whose name was George Douglas, to assist her
in escaping from the place where she was confined ; and
this he effected by conveying her in disguise in a small boat,
rowed by himself, ashore. It was now that the news of her
enlargement being spread abroad, all the loyalty of the peo-
ple seemed to revive once more, and in a few days she saw
herself at the head of six thousand men.
Questions for Examination.
1. What were the first ants of Elizabeth in favour of 1
2. Who was the first person that excited, her resentment ?
From whom was Mary queen of iicots descended ?
3. '1 o whom was she first married ?
4. Why is 1 ho diffevence in religion between the sovereign and the peo-
ple apt to produce bad effects ? ' "
5. Describe the character of the earl of Darnley ?
6. Who was David ltizzio ?
7. What was tliciato ot'Eizzio ?
8. On what did Mary determine in consequence ?
9. How did she affect to treat her husband ?
10. Delate the circumstances of the earl of Darnley's death.
13. Where was Mary confined ?
14. By what means did she escape ?
SECTION II.
But malice, envy, cruelty and spleen,
To death doom’d Scotia’s dear devoted queen.— Macdonald.
1. (A. D. 1568.) A battle was fought at Langside, near
Glasgow, which was entirely decisive against the queen of
Scots ; and now, being totally ruined, she fled southward
from the field of battle with great precipitation, and came
with a few attendants to the borders of England, where she
hoped for protection from Elizabeth ; who, instead of pro-
tecting, ordered her to be put in confinement, yet treated
her with all proper marks of respect. 2. She was accord-
184
filSTORT? OF ENGLAND
ingly sent to Tutbury castle, in the county of Stafford, and
put into the custody of the earl of Shrewsbury ; where she
had hopes given her of one day coming into favour: and
that, unless her own obstinacy prevented, an accommodation
might at last take place.
3. The duke of Norfolk was the only peer who enjoyed
the highest title of nobility in England ; and the qualities
of his mind were correspondent to his high station. Bene-
ficent, affable, and generous, he had acquired the affections
of the people ; and yet, from his moderation, he had never
alarmed the jealousy of the sovereign. He was at this
time a widower ; and being of a suitable age to espouse the
queen of Scots, her own attractions, as well as his interest,
made him desirous of the match. Elizabeth, however,
dreaded such a union, and the duke was soon after made
prisoner, and sent to the Tower. Upon his releasement
from thence, new projects were set on foot by the enemies
of the queen and the reformed religion, secretly fomented
by Rodolphi, an instrument of the court of Rome, and the
bishop of Ross, Mary’s minister in England. 5. It was
concerted by them that Norfolk should renew his designs
upon Mary, and raise her to the throne, to which it is pro-
bable he was prompted by passion as well as by interest ; and
this nobleman entering into their scheme, he, from being at
first only ambitious, now became criminal. His servants
were brought to make full confession of their master’s
guilt ; and the bishop of Ross, soon after finding the whole
discovered, did not scruple to confirm their testimony. 6.
The duke was instantly committed to the Tower, and or-
dered to prepare for his trial. A jury of twenty-five peers
unanimously passed sentence upon him; and the queen,
four months after, reluctantly signed the warrant for his
execution. He died with great calmness and constancy;
and, though he cleared himself of any disloyal intentions
against the queen’s authority, he acknowledged the justice
of the sentence by which he suffered.
7. These conspiracies served to prepare the way for
Mary’s ruin, whose greatest misfortunes proceeded rather
from the violence of her friends than the malignity of her
enemies., Elizabeth’s ministers had long been waiting for
some signal instance of the captive queen’s enmity, which
they could easily convert into treason; and this was not
long wanting. 8. About this time (A. D. 1586), one John
Ballard, a popish priest, who had been bred in the English
ELIZABETH.
185
seminary at Rheims, resolved to compass the death of the
queen, whom he considered as the enemy °f k g ’
and with that gloomy resolution came over to En -‘ a ^ ''
the disguise of a soldier, with the assumed name of captain
Fortescue. He bent his endeavours to bring about at once
the project of an assassination, an msurrecUon^ and
invasion. 9. The first person he addressed himself to was
Anthony Babington, of Dethic, m the county of Derby, a
young gentleman of good family, and possessed y
plentiful fortune. This person had been long remarkable
for his zeal in the catholic cause, and in particular for his
attachment to the captive queen. He, therefore, came
readily into the plot, and procured the concurrence and
assistance of some other associates in this dangerous under-
taking. 10. The next step was to apprise Mary of the
conspiracy formed in her favour; and this they effected
by conveying their letters to her, by the means of a brewer
that supplied the family with ale, through a. chink m the
wall of her apartment. In these, Babington informed her of
a design laid for a foreign invasion, the plan of an insur-
rection at home, the scheme for her delivery, and the
conspiracy for assassinating the usurper, by six noble
gentlemen, as he termed them, all of them his private
friends, who, from the zeal which they bore the catholic
cause, and her majesty’s service, would undertake the
tragical execution. 11. To these Mary replied, that she
approved highly of the design; that the gentlemen might
expect all the rewards which it should ever be in her power
to confer ; and that the death of Elizabeth was a necessary
circumstance, previous to any further attempts, either for
her delivery or the intended insurrection.
12. The plot being thus ripe for execution, and the
evidence against the conspirators incontestable, Walsing-
ham, who was privately informed of all, resolved to suspend
their punishment no longer. A warrant was accordingly
issued out for the apprehension of Babington and the
rest of the conspirators, who covered themselves with various
disguises, and endeavoured to keep themselves concealed.
But they were soon discovered, thrown into prison,
and brought to trial. In their examination they contra-
dicted each other, and the leaders were obliged to make
a full confession of the truth. Fourteen were condemned
and executed; seven of whom died acknowledging their
crime.
186
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
13. The execution of these wretched men only prepared
the way for one of still greater importance, in which a captive
queen was to submit to the unjust decision of those who
had no right but that of power to condemn her. Accord-
ingly a commission was issued to forty peers, with five
judges, or the major part of them, to try and pass sentence
upon Mary, daughter and i^ir of James the Fifth, king of
Scotland, commonly called queen of Scots, and dowager of
France. 14. Thirty-six of these commissioners arriving at
the castle of Fotheringay on the 11th of November, 1586,
presented her with a letter from Elizabeth, commanding her
to submit to a trial for a late conspiracy. The principal
charge against her was urged by sergeant Gaudy, who ac-
cused her with knowing, approving, and consenting to
Babington’s conspiracy. This charge was supported by
Babington’s confession, and by the copies which were
taken of their correspondence, in which her approbation of
the queen’s murder was expressly declared.
15. Whatever might have been this queen’s offences, it
is certain that her treatment was very severe. She desired
to be put in possession of such notes as she had taken prepar-
atory to her trial; but this was refused her. She de-
manded a copy of her protest; but her request was not
complied with. She even required an advocate to plead
her cause against so many learned lawyers as had undertaken
to urge her accusations; but all her demands were rejected,
and, after an adjournment of some days, sentence of death
was pronounced against her in the Star Chamber, in
Westminster, all the commissioners except two being
present.
Independent of the affairs of Mary queen of Scots, the
contents of this section are barren of information. It must
not, however, be supposed, that a period of eighteen years of
the reign of Elizabeth afforded no matter worthy of the
notice of the historian ; and we shall therefore endeavour to
supply the deficiency by the following brief chronological
memoranda: — On St. Bartholomew’s day, 1572, a dreadful
massacre of the protestants took place in France ; a circum-
stance which proved very detrimental to the Scottish queen,
as many of her adherents, who were protestants, dreaded
her attachment to a religion that allowed its votaries to em-
ploy such abominable measures. In 1573, Elizabeth found
means, by economy, without imposing any additional burdens
•n her subjects, to discharge with interest, not only all the
ELIZABETH.
187
debts she had incurred in her reign, but those of Edward VI.
her brother, and of her sister Mary. In 1574, so great a
dearth prevailed in England, that wheat sold for six shillings
a bushel. In 1577, pocket-watches were first brought into
England from Germany. In 1579, a proclamation was
issued, prohibiting the enlarging of the city of London; to
effect which, it was ordered that no new houses should be
built within three miles of the gates of the city. In the same
year the Turkey Company was established. In 1580,
the use of coaches was first introduced into England by the
earl of Arundel. Before that time the queen, on public occa-
sions, rode on horseback behind her chamberlain.
In the year 1580, also, Francis Drake, the first English-
man who circumnavigated the globe, returned from his
voyage. He brought home with him immense treasures,
which he had taken from the Spaniards; and many of the
English courtiers, dreading the Spanish power, advised Eli-
zabeth to discountenance the gallant adventurer. But the
queen, who admired valor, and was allured by the prospects
of sharing the booty, conferred on him the honour of knight-
hood, and accepted a banquet from him at Deptford, onboard
the ship which had achieved so memorable a voyage.
Questions for Examination.
1. Where did Mary fly after her defeat at Langsida .
2. Where was she confined ?
3. Describe the character of the duke of Norfolk ?
4. Of what was ho desirous ?
5. What were the designs of the duke of Norfolk ?
6. What were the consequences ?
8. What conspiracy was now formed in Mary’s favour ?
10. By what means was Mary informed of it ?
12. what was the fateoftho conspirators ?
if What 'T a3 the principal charge alleged against Mary T
le. What favours were refused her previous to her sentence ?
188
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
section m.
Dejected pity by her side,
Her soul-subduing voice applied. — Collins.
1. (A.D. 1586.) Whether Elizabeth was really sincere
in her apparent reluctance to execute Mary, is a question
which, though usually given against her, I will not take
upon me to determine. Certainly there were great arts
used by her courtiers to incline her to the 6ide of severity ;
as they had everything to fear from the resentment of
Mary in case she ever succeeded to the throne. 2. Accord-
ingly the kingdom was now filled with rumors of plots,
treasons, and insurrections; and the queen continually
kept in alarm by fictitious dangers. She, therefore, appeared
to be in great terror and perplexity; she was observed to
sit much alone, and mutter to herself half sentences, im-
porting the difficulty and distress to which she was reduced.
S. In this situation she one day called her secretary, Da-
vison, whom she ordered to draw out secretly the warrant for
Mary’s execution, informing him that she intended keep-
ing it by her, in case any attempt should be made for the
delivery of that princess. She signed the warrant, and
then commanded it to be carried to the chancellor, to have
the seal affixed to it. 4. Next morning, however, she sent
two gentlemen successively to desire that Davison would
not go to the chancellor until she should see him; but
Davison telling her that the warrant had been already
sealed, she seemed displeased at his precipitation. Davison,
who probably wished himself to see the sentence executed,
laid the affair before the council, who unanimously resolved
that the warrant should be immediately put in execution:
and promised to justify Davison to the queen. 5. Accord-
ingly, the fatal instrument was delivered to Beale, who
summoned the noblemen to whom it was directed, namely,
the earls of Shrewsbury, Derby, Kent, and Cumberland; and
these together set out for Fotheringav-castle, accompanied
by two executioners to dispatch their bloody commission.
6. Mary heard of the arrival of her executioners, who
ordered her to prepare for death at eight o’clock the next
morning. Early on the fatal morning she dressed herself
in a rich habit of silk and velvet, the only one which she had
reserved for this solemn occasion. Thomas Andrews, the
under-sheriff of the county, then entering the room, he
informed her that the hour was come, and that he must
ELIZABETH.
189
attend her to the place of execution. 7. She replied that
she was ready, and, bidding her servants farewell, she pro-
ceeded, supported by two of her guards, and followed the
sheriff with a serene, composed aspect, with a long veil ot
linen on her head, and in her hand, a crucifix of ivory.
.8. She then passed into another hall, the noblemen and
the sheriff going before, and Melvil, her master of the
household, bearing up her train, where was a scaffold
erected, and covered with black. As soon as she was
seated, Beale began to read the warrant for her execution.
Then Fletcher, dean of Peterborough, standing without the
rails, repeated a long exhortation, which she desired him to
forbear, as she was firmly resolved to die in the catholic
religion. The room was crowded with spectators, who
beheld her with pity and distress ; while her beauty, though
dimmed by age and affliction, gleamed through her sufferings
and was still remarkable in this fatal moment. 9. The two
executioners kneeling, and asking her pardon, she said she
forgave them, and all the authors of her death, as freely as
she hoped for forgiveness from her Maker-, and then once
more made a solemn protestation of her innocence. Her
eyes were then covered with a linen handkerchief; and she
laid herself down without any fear or trepidation. TheD
reciting a psalm, and repeating a pious ejaculation her head
was severed from her body, at two strokes by the execu-
tioners.
10. Thus perished Mary, in the forty-fifth year of her age,
and the nineteenth of her captivity in England. She was a
woman of great accomplishments ; and the beauty of her
person, the graces of her air, and charms of her conversa-
tion, combined to make her one of the most amiable of
women, and to produce a deep impression on all who had
intercourse with her. She was ambitious and active in her
temper, yet inclined to cheerfulness and society. She par-
took sufficiently of manlike virtues to give her vigour in the
prosecution of her purposes, without relinquishing those soft
graces which compose the proper ornament of her sex.
Such indeed were, on the one hand, her natural advantages
and her acquirements, and on the other her faults, that an
enumeration of her qualities might seem to be a panegyric ;
while an account of her conduct must, in some parts, wear
the aspect of severe satire and invective.
Her numerous misfortunes, the solitude of her long capti-
vity, and the persecution to which she had been exposed on
190
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
account of her religion, had produced in her a degree of
bigotry in her later years : and such were the prevalent spirit
and principles of the age, that we need not wonder if her
zeal, her resentment, ami her interest uniting, induced her
to give consent to a design which conspirators, actuated by the
first of these motives only, had formed against the life of
Elizabeth.
In contemplating the contentions of mankind, we find,
almost ever both sides culpable; Mary, who was stained
with crimes that deserved punishment, was put to death by a
princess who had no just pretensions to inflict punishment
on her equal.
11. In the meantime, Philip, King of Spain, who had
long meditated the destruction of England, and whose ex-
tensive power gave him grounds to hope for success, now
began to put his projects into execution. The point on
which he rested his glory and the perpetual object of his
schemes, was to support the catholic religion and exter-
minate the Reformation. The revolt of his subjects in the
Netherlands still more inflamed his resentment against the
English, as they had encouraged that insurrection, and as-
sisted the revolters. He had, therefore, for some time been
making preparations to attack England by a powerful in-
vasion ; and now every part of his vast empire resounded
with the noise of armaments, and every art was used to
levy supplies for that great design.
12. The marquis of Santa Cruz, a sea-officer of great
reputation and experience, was destined to command the fleet,
which consisted of a hundred and thirty vessels, of a greater
size than any that had hitherto been seen in Europe. The
duke of Parma was to conduct the land forces, twenty thou-
sand of whom were on board the fleet, and thirty-four thou-
sand more were assembled in the Netherlands, ready to be
transported into England. No doubt was entertained of this
fleet’s success; and it was ostentatiously styled the Invin-
cible Armada.
13. Nothing could exceed the terror aud consternation
which all ranks of people felt in England upon the news of
this terrible armada being under sail to invade them. A
fleet of not above thirty ships of war, and those very small
in comparison, was all that was to oppose it at sea ; and as
for resisting it by land, that was supposed to be impossible,
as the Spanish army was composed of men well-disciplined,
and long inured to danger.
ELIZABETH.
191
14. Although the English fleet was much inferior in num-
ber and size of shipping to that of the enemy, yet it was
much more manageable; the dexterity and courage of the
mariners being greatly superior. Lord Howard of Effing-
ham, a man of great courage and capacity, as lord admiral,
took upon him the command of the navy.
15. Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, the most renowned
seamen in Europe, served under him ; while a small squad-
ron, consisting of forty vessels, English and Flemish, com-
manded by lord Seymour, lay off Dunkirk, in order to
intercept the duke of Parma. This was the preparation
made by the English ; while all the Protestant powers in
Europe regarded the enterprise as the critical event which
was to decide for ever the fate of their religion.
Questions for Examination .
2. Withwhat rumours was the kingdom filled ?
3. What orders did Elizabeth give to her Secretary ?
6. To whom was the warrant of Mary’s death delivered ?
6. 7. 8. Relate the particulars other execution,
9. What was her behaviour at the fatal hour ?
11. Who now meditated the destruction ot'England ?
What was the chief object of his schemes '!
12. Who were his principal officers ?
What was the amount of the Spanish forces ?
13. What was the number of the English ships ?
14. Who commanded them ?
15. What other preparations were made by the English t
192
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
SECTION IY.
Destruction follows where her flag is seen,
And haughty Spaniards stoop to Britain’s queen.— Anon.
1. (A. D. 1588.) In the mean, time, while the Spanish
armada was preparing to sail, the admiral Santa Cruz died,
as likewise the vice-admiral Palino ; and the command of
the expedition was given to the duke de Medina Sidonia, a
person utterly inexperienced in sea afiairs ; and this, in
some measure, served to frustrate the design. But some
other accidents also contributed to its failure. 2. Upon
leaving the port of Lisbon, the armada the next day met
with a violent tempest, which sunk several of the smallest
of their shipping, and obliged the fleet to put back into har-
bour. After some time spent in refitting, they again put to
sea ; where they took a fisherman, who gave them intelli-
gence that the English fleet, hearing of the dispersion of
the armada in a storm, had retired back into Plymouth har-
bour, and most of the mariners were discharged. 3. From
this false intelligence, the Spanish admiral, instead of going
directly’ to the coast of Flanders, to take in the troops
stationed there as he had been instructed, resolved to sail for
Plymouth, and destroy the shipping laid up in that harbour.
But Effingham, the English admiral, was very well prepared
to receive them ; he had just got out of port when he saw
the Spanish armada coming full sail towards him, disposed
in the form of a half moon, and stretching seven miles from
one extremity to the other. 4. However, the English
admiral, seconded by Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher,
attacked the armada at a distance, pouring in their broad-
sides with admirable dexterity. They did not choose to en-
gage the enemy more closely, because they were greatly
inferior in the number of ships, guns, and weight of metal;
nor could they pretend to board such lofty ships without
manifest disadvantage. However, two Spanish galleons
were disabled and taken. 5. As the armada advanced up
the channel, the English still followed, and infested their
rear; and their fleet continually increasing from different
ports, they soon found themselves in a capacity to attack
the Spanish fleet more nearly, and accordingly fell upon
them while they were as yet taking shelter in the port of
Calais. 6. To increase their confusion, Howard took
eight of his smaller ships, and filling them with combustible
materials, sent them, as if they had been fire-ships, one
ELIZABETH.
193
after the other, into the midst of the enemy. The Spaniards
taking them for what they seemed to be, immediately took
flight, in great disorder; while the English, profiting by
their panic, took or destroyed about twelve of the enemy. _
1 . This was a fatal blow to Spain ; the duke de Medina
Sidonia, being thus driven to the coast of Zealand, held a
council of war, in which it was resolved, that, as their am-
munition began to fail, as their ships had received great
damage, and the duke of Parma had refused to venture his
army°under their protection, they should return to Spain
by sailing round the Orkneys, as the winds were contrary
to his passage directly back. 8. Accordingly they pro-
ceeded northward, and were followed by the English fleet
as far as Flamborough-head, where they were terribly shat-
tered by a storm. Seventeen of the ships, having five
thousand men on board, were afterwards cast away on the
Western isles, and the coast of Ireland. Of the whole
armada, three-and-fifty ships only returned to Spain, in a
miserable condition; and the seamen, as well as soldiers,
who remained, only served by their accounts to intimidate
their countrymen from attempting to renew so dangerous an
expedition.
9. From being invaded, the English, in their turn, attacked
the Spaniards. Of those who made the most signal figure
in the depredations upon Spain, was the young earl of Essex,
a nobleman of great bravery, generosity, aud genius ; and
fitted not only for the foremost ranks in war by his valour,
but to conduct the intrigues of court by his eloquence and
address. 10. In all the masques which were then performed,
the earl and Elizabeth were generally coupled as partners;
and although she was almost sixty, and he not half so old,
yet her vanity overlooked the disparity ; the world told her
she was young, and she herself was willing to think so.
This young earl’s interest in the queen’s affections, as may
naturally be supposed, promoted his interests in the state ;
and he conducted all things at his discretion. 11. But
young and inexperienced as he was, he at length began to
fancy that the popularity he possessed, and the flatteries he
received, were given to his merits, and not to his favour.
In a debate before the queen, between him and Burleigh,
about the choice of a governor for Ireland, he was so heated
in the argument, that he entirely forgot both the rules and
duties of civility. 12. He turned his back on the queen in
a contemptuous maimer, which so provoked her resentment,
194
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
that she instantly gave him a box on the ear. Instead oi
recollecting himself, and making the submission due to her
sex and station, he clapped his hand to his sword, and swore
he would not bear such usage even from her father. This
offence, though very great, was overlooked by the queen:
her partiality was so prevalent, that she reinstated him in
her former favour, and her kindness seemed to have acquired
new force from that short interruption of anger and resent-
ment. 13. The death also of his rival, Lord Burleigh,
which happened shortly after, seemed to confirm his power.
At that time the earl of Tyrone headed the rebellious na-
tives of Ireland ; who, not yet thoroughly brought into sub-
jection by the English, took every opportunity to make
incursions upon the more civilized inhabitants, and slew all
they were able to overpower. 14. To subdue these was an
employment that Essex thought worthy of his ambition;
nor were his enemies displeased at thus removing him from
court, where he obstructed all their private aims of prefer-
ment. But it ended in his ruin. Instead of attacking the
enemy in their grand retreat in Ulster, he led his forces into
the province of Munster, where he only exhausted his
strength, and lost his opportunity against a people that sub-
mitted at his approach, but took up arms when he retired.
15. This issue of an enterprise, from which much was ex-
pected, did not faii to provoke the queen most sensibly:
and her anger was still more heightened by the peevish and
impatient letters which he daily wrote to her and the council.
But her resentment against him was still more justly let
loose, when she found that, leaving the place of his appoint-
ment and without any permission demanded or obtained,
he returned from Ireland, to make his complaints to herself
in person.
16. Though Elizabeth was justly offended, yet he soon
won upon her temper to pardon him. He was now ordered
to continue a prisoner in his own house till the queen’s fur-
ther pleasure should be known, and it is probable that the
discretion of a few months might have reinstated him in all
his former employments ; but the impetuosity of his cha-
racter would not suffer him to wait for a slow redress of
what he considered as wrongs : and the queen’s refusing his
request to continue him in possesion of a lucrative mono-
poly of sweet wines, which he had long enjoyed, spurred
him on to the most violent and guilty measures. (A. D.
1600.) 17. Having long built with fond credulity pn his
ELIZABETH.
195
great popularity, he began to hope, from the assistance of
the giddy multitude, that revenge upon his enemies in coun-
cil, which he supposed was denied him from the throne.
His greatest dependence was upon the professions of the
citizens of London, whose schemes of religion and govern-
ment he appeared entirely to approve ; and while he grati-
fied the puritans, by railing at the government of the church,
he pleased the envious, by exposing the faults of those in
power. 18. Among other criminal projects, the result of
blind rage and despair, it was resolved that Sir Christopher
Blount, one of his creatures, should, with a choice detach-
ment, possess himself of the palace gates ; that Sir John
Davis should seize the hall; sir Charles Danvers, the guard
chamber; while JLsex himself should rush in from the
Mews, attended by a body of his partisans, into the queen’s
presence, and entreat her to remove his and her enemies, to
assemble a new parliament, and to correct the defects of the
present administration.
Questions for Examination.
1. 2. What were the circumstances that contributed to retard the
armada ?
4. Describe the gallant conduct of the English ?
7. 8. What were the consequences ?
9. What was the character of the earl of Essex ?
12 How did ho behave to the queen ?
13. What expedition did lie undertake ?
14. What was liissuccess ?
15, 18. In what mumerdid he increase the queen's resentment T
17. I< rom whom did Essex expect assistance ?
18. On what project did he afterwards resolve ?
SECTION V.
Raleigh, with hopes of new discoveries fired.
And a I the depths of human wit inspired
Moved o’er the western world in search o’ffame,
Adding fresh glory to Eliza’s name.— Dr. King.
1. (A. D. 1601.) While Essex was deliberating upon
the manner m which he should proceed, he received a pri-
vate note, by which he was warned to provide for his own
safety. He now, therefore, consulted with his friends,
touching the emergency of their situation; they were desti-
tute ot arms and ammunition, while the guards at the palace
^ i ' e ^’ 80 an y attac k there would be fruitless.
l. While he and his confidants were in consultation, a per-
son, probably employed by his enemies, came in, as a mes-
senger from the citizens, with tenders of friendship and
196
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
assistance against all his adversaries. Wild as the project
was of raising the city in the present terrible conjuncture, it
was resolved on; but the execution of it was delayed till
the day following.
8. Early in the morning of the next day he was attended
by his friends, the earls of Rutland and Southampton, the
lords Sandes, Parker, and Monteagle, with thrqe hundred
persons of distinction. The doors of Essex-house were im-
mediately locked, to prevent all strangers from entering ; and
the earl now discovered his scheme for raising the city more
fully to all the conspirators. In the mean time, sir Walter
Raleigh sending a message to Perdinando Georges, this
officer had a conference with him in a boat on the Thames,
and there discovered all their proceedings. 4. The earl of
Essex, who now saw that all wa3 to be hazarded, resolved
to leave his house, and to sally forth to make an insurrec-
tion in the city. But he had made a very wrong estimate
in expecting that popularity alone would aid him in time of
danger; he issued out with about two hundred followers,
armed only with swords ; and in his passage to the city was
joined by the earl of Bedford and lord Cromwell. 5. As
lie passed through the streets, he cried aloud, 11 For the
queen! for the queen! a plot is laid for my life;” hoping
to engage the populace to rise ; but they had received orders
from the mayor to keep within their houses, so that he was
not joined by a single person. 6. In this manner, attended
by a few of his followers, the rest having privately retired,
he made towards the river ; and, taking a boat, arrived once
more at Essex-house, where he began to make preparations
for his defence. But his case was too desperate for any
remedy from valour ; wherefore, after demanding in vain for
hostages and conditions from his besiegers, he surrendered
at discretion, requesting only civil treatment and a fair and
impartial hearing.
7. Essex and Southampton were immediately carried to
the archbishop’s palace at Lambeth, whence they were
the next day conveyed to the tower, and tried by the peers
on the nineteenth of February following. Little could be
urge*l in their defence; their guilt was too flagrant; and
though it deserved pity, it could not meet an acquittal.
Essex, after condemnation, was visited by that religious
horror which seemed to attend him in all his disgraces.
He was terrified almost to despair by the ghostly remon-
strances of his own chaplain; he was reconciled to hi*
ELIZABETH.
197
Queen Elizabeth signing the death warrant of Essex.
enemies, and made a full confession of liis conspiracy.
8. It is alleged upon this occasion, that he had strong hopes
of pardon from the irresolution which the queen seemed to
discover before she signed the warrant for his execution.
She had given him formerly a ring, which she desired him
to send her in any emergency of this nature, and that it
should procure his safety and protection. This ring was
actually sent by the countess of hi ottingham, who, beipg a
concealed enemy to the unfortunate earl, never delivered it;
while Elizabeth was secretly fired at his obstinacy in mak-
ing no application for mercy or forgiveness. 9. The fact
is, she appeared herself as much an object of pity as the
unfortunate nobleman she was induced to condemn. She
signed the warrant for his execution ; she countermanded
it; she again resolved on his death, and again felt a new
return of tenderness. At last she gave her consent to his
execution, and was never seen to enjoy one happy day more.
10. With the death of her favourite Essex, all Elizabeth’s
pleasures seemed to expire ; she afterwards went through
the business of the state merely from habit, but her satisfac-
tions were no more. His distress was more than sufficient
to destroy the remains of her constitution ; and her end was
now visibly seen - to approach. Her voice soon after left
her; she fell into a lethargic slumber, which continued some
198
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
hours ; and she expired gently, without a groan, in the
seventieth year of her age, and the forty-fifth of her reign.
11. Her character differed with her circumstances : in the
beginning she was moderate and humble ; towards the end
of her reign haughty and severe. Though she was possess-
ed of excellent sense, yet she never had. the discernment to
discover that she wanted beauty ; and to flatter her charms
at the age of sixty-five was the surest road to her favour and
esteem.
12. But whatever were her personal defects, as a queen
she is ever to be remembered by' the English with gratitude.
It is true, indeed, that she carried her prerogative in parlia-
ment to its highest pitch, so that it was tacitly allowed in
that assembly that she was above all laws, and could make
and unmake them at pleasure ; yet still she was so wise and
good as seldom to exert that power which she claimed,
and to enforce few acts of her prerogative which were not
for the benefit of her people. 13. It is true, in like manner,
that the English, during her reign, were put in possession
of no new or splendid acquisitions ; but commerce was daily
growing up among them, and the people began to find that
the theatre of their truest conquests was to be on the bosom
of the ocean. A nation, which had hitherto been the object
of every invasion, and a prey to every plunderer, now as-
serted its strength in turn, and became terrible to its invad-
ers. 14. The successful voyages of the Spaniards and Por-
tuguese began to excite their emulation, and they planned
several expeditions for discovering a shorter passage to the
East Indies. The famous Sir Walter Raleigh, without any
assistance from government, colonized New England ; while
internal commerce was making equal improvements; and
many Flemings, persecuted in their native country, found,
together with their arts and industry, an easy asylum in
England. 15. Thus the whole island seemed as if roused
from her long habits of barbarity; arts, commerce, and
legislation began to acquire new strength every day; and
such was the state of learning at that time, that some fix
that period as the Augustan age of England. Sir Walter
Raleigh and Hooker are considered as among the first im-
provers of our language. 16. Spenser and Shakspeare are
too well known as poets to be praised here ; but, of all man-
kind, Francis Bacon, lord Verulam, who flourished in this
reign, deserves, as a philosopher, the highest applause ; his
style is copious and correct, and his wit is only surpassed
ELIZABETH.
199
by his learning and penetration. 17. If we look through,
history, and consider the rise of kingdoms, we shall scarcely
find an instance of a people becoming, in so short a time,
wise, powerful, and happy. Liberty, it is true, still conti-
nued to fluctuate; Elizabeth knew her own power, and
stretched it to the very verge of despotism ; but, now that
commerce was introduced, liberty soon after followed; for
there never was a nation that was perfectly commercial that
submitted long to slavery.
Questions for Examination.
1. What project did Essex resolve on for rising the city ?
3, 4, 6. How did he proceed to effect this ?
6, 7. What was the fate of Essex and Southampton ?
8. What induced Essex to have hopes of pardon ?
9, What was Elizabeth’s conduct on this occasion ?
10. Did Elizabeth long survive the death of her favourite ?
11. What was her character ?
13. What was the political condition ofEngland at the death of Elizabeth ?
14. Did any important events take place during her reign ?
la. What was the state of learning, and what eminent men flourished at
this time ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.D.
Paul IV 1555
Pips IV 1559
Pius V 1565
Gregory XIH 1572
Sextus V 1585
Urban VII 1590
Gregpry XIV 1590
Innocent IX 1591
Clement VIII 1592
A.D.
Selim II 1566
Amurath III 1574
Mahomet 111 1595
Kings of France.
Henry II 1547
Francis II 1559
Charles IX 1580
Henry III 1574
Henry IV 1589
Emperors of German]/.
Ferdinand 1 1558
Maximilian II 1564
Rodolphus II 1576
Emperors of the Turks.
Soliman 11 15201
King of Spain.
Philip II 1555
Kings of Portugal.
Sebastian 1557
Henry 1579
Union of Spain and
Portugal.
A.D.
Philip II 1580
Philip III 1597
Kings of Denmark.
Christian IV 1558
Frederick II 1559
Kings of Sweden.
Eric X 1556
John III 1569
Sigismund 1592
Queen and King of
Scotland.
Mary 1542
James VI 1567
EMINENT PERSONS.
Shakspeare. Spenser. Bacon. Sir Philip Sidney. Sir Walter Raleigh.*
Sir Francis Drake. Lord Howard of Effingham. Cecil Lord Burleigh,
kins & (P &c ° y ’ earl °* Leicester - Sir Martin Frobisher. Sir John Haw-
'' ral . ter „R a 'eigh is said to have attracted Elizabeth’s notice by a
delicate act of gallantry. When tho queen, in one of her customary
waiks, hesitated about passing a miry spot, Raleigh, then a young ad-
7f n .* ur , e I'> threw his cloak before her as.a carpet. He was immediately
jnvited to court, and the most brilliant prospects began to open before
200
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
CHAPTER XXVII.
JAMES r.
Born 1556. Died March 27, 1625. Began to reign March 24,1603. Reigul
ed 22 years over Great Britain, 58 years (nearly) over Scotland.
Now, on the great and glorious queen’s demise.
The Scottish James her vacant place supplies ;
Uniting into one, both crowns he claims,
And then, conjunctively, Great Britain names.— Egertfft.
1. (A.D. 1603.) James the Sixth of Scotland, and tht
First of England, the son of Mary, came to the throne witl
the universal approbation of all orders of the state, as in hii
person were united every claim that either descent, bequest,
or parliamentary sanction could confer. However, in the
very beginning of his reign, a conspiracy was set on foot, 1 ;
the particulars of which are but obscurely related. 2. It is
said to have been begun by lord Grey, lord Cobham, and
sir Walter Raleigh, who were all condemned to die, but had
their sentence mitigated by the king. Cobham and Grey
were pardoned after they had laid their heads on the block.
Raleigh was reprieved, but remained in confinement many
years afterwards, and at last suffered for his< offence, which
was never proved.
3. Mild as this monarch was in toleration, there was a
project contrived in the very beginning of his reign for the
re-establishment of popery, which, were it not a fact known
to all the world, could scarcely be credited by posterity.
This was the gunpowder plot, than which a more horrid or
terrible scheme never entered into the human heart to con*
ceive.
4. The Roman Catholics had expected great favour and
indulgence on the accession of James, both as a descendant
of Mary, a rigid Catholic, and also as having shown some
partiality to that religion in his youth; but they soon d.scov-
ered their mistake, and were at once surprised and enraged
to find James, on all occasions, express his resolution ot
strictly exercising the laws enacted against them, and of per-
severing in the conduct of his predecessor. This declaration
determined them upon more desperate measures ; and they
at length formed a resolution of destroying the king and
both houses of parliament at a blow. The scheme was first
broached by Robert Catesby, a gentleman of good parts and
ancient family; who conceived that a train of gunpowder
JAMES I.
201
might be so placed under the parliament-house as to blow
up the king and all the members at once.
6. How horrid soever the contrivance might appear, yet
every member seemed faithful and secret in the league, and
about two months before the sitting of parliament they hired
a house, in the name of Percy, adjoining to that in which
the parliament was to assemble. 7. Their first intention
was to bore a way under the parliament-house from that
which they occupied, and they set themselves labouring at
the task ; but when they had pierced the wall, which was
three yards in thickness, on approaching the other side they
were surprised to find that the house was vaulted underneath,
and that a magazine of coals was usually deposited there.
8. From their disappointment on this account they were
soon relieved, by information that the coals were then sell-
ing off, and that the vaults Would then be let to the highest
bidder. They therefore seized the opportunity of hiring
the place, and bought the remaining quantity of coals with
which it was then stored, as if for their own use. 9. The
next thing done was to convey thither thirty-six barrels of
gunpowder, which had been purchased in Holland ; and the
whole was covered with coals and fagots, bought for that
purpose. Then the doors of the cellar were boldly thrown
open, and every body admitted as if it contained nothing
dangerous.
10. Confident of success, they now began to plan the re-
maining part of their project. The king, queen, prince
Henry, the king’s eldest son, were all expected to be present
at the opening of parliament. The king’s second son,
by reason of his tender age, would be absent, and it was
resolved that Percy should seize or assassinate him. The
princess Elizabeth, a child likewise, was kept at lord Har-
rington s house in Warwickshire j and sir Everard Di^bv
was to seize her and immediately proclaim her queen. °
1. The day for the sitting of parliament now approached.
Never was treason more secret or ruin more apparently in-
evitable : the hour was expected with impatience, and the
conspirators gloried in their meditated guilt. The dreadful
secret, though communicated to above twenty persons, had
been inviolably kept during the space of a year and a half.
When all the motives of pity, justice, and safety were too
weak, a remorse of private friendship saved the kingdom.
. Sir Henry Percy, one of the conspirators, conceived
a design of saving the life of lord Monteaglc, his intimate
202
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
friend and companion, who also was of the same persuasic
with himself. About ten days before the meeting of parli
ment, this nobleman, upon his return to town, received
letter from a person unknown, and delivered by one wl
fled as soon as he had discharged his message. 13.' T1
letter was to this effect : u My lord, stay away from th
parliament; for God and man have concurred to punish tl
wickedness of the times. And think not slightly of th
advertisement, but retire yourself into your county, whei
you may expect the event in safety. For though there 1:
no appearance of any stir, yet I say they will receive a te
rible blow this parliament; and yet they shall not see wh
hurts them. This counsel is not to be condemned, becaus
it may do you good, and can do you no harm. For th
danger is passed as soon as you have burned the letter.”
14. The contents of this mysterious letter surprised an
puzzled the nobleman to whom it was addressed; an
though inclined to think it a foolish attempt to affright an
ridicule him, yet he judged it safest to carry it to lord Salh
bury, secretary of state. 15. Lord Salisbury, too, was ir
dined to give little attention to it, yet thought proper to la
it before the king in council, who came to town a few day
after. None of the council were able to make any thing c
it, although it appeared serious and alarming. In the uni
versal agitation between doubt and apprehension, the kin;
was the first who penetrated the meaning of this dark epistle
16. He concluded that some sudden danger was preparing
by gunpowder ; and it was thought advisable to inspect al
the vaults below the houses of parliament. This care be
longed to the earl of Suffolk, lord chamberlain, who pur
posely delayed the search till the day before the meeting o
parliament, November 5, 1605. He remarked those greal
piles of fagots which lay in the vault under the house o
peers, and seized a man preparing for a terrible enterprise,
dressed in a cloak and boots, with a dark lantern in hi(
hand. 17. This was no other than Guy Fawkes wbo had
just deposited every part of the train for its taking fire tin
next morning, the matches and other combustibles bein«
found in his pockets. The whole design was now discov
ered; but the atrociousness of his guilt, and the despair o
pardon inspiring him with resolution, he told the officers o
justice, with an undaunted air, that, had he blown them and
himself up together, he had been happy. Before the coun
cil he displayed the same intrepid firmness, mixed even witj
JAMES I.
203
Seizure of Guy Fawkes.
6Corn and disdain, refusing to discover his associates, and
showing no concern but for the failure of his enterprise. But
his bold spirit was at length subdued ; being confined in the
Tower for two or three days, and the rack just shewn him,
Ms courage, fatigued with so long an effort, at last failed
Mm, and he made a full discovery of all his accomplices.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who succeeded Elizabeth ?
2. What conspiracy was set on foot at the commencement of this reign?
3. What project was contrived for the re-establishment of popery ?
6. By whom was it first broached ?
6—9. In what manner was the project endeavoured to be carried into
effect ?
10. Who were expected to be present at the opening of parliament ?
11. To how many persons had the plot been revealed 1
12. What circumstance saved the kingdom ?
13. What were the contents of i’eicy's letter ?
15. Who was the first to discover tho meaning of the letter ?
16. Can you relate the measures taken to prevent the apprehended
danger ?
17. Wliat was the name of the person engaged in this enterprise, and
What was his conduct on being discovered ?
SECTION n.
Yet Raleigh left a deathless name.
To learning dear, and dear to lame. — Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1695.) Catesbt, Percy, and the conspirators
who were in London, hearing that Fawkes was arrested,
fled with all speed to Warwickshire, where sir Everard
204
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Digby, relying on tbe success of the plot, was already ii
arms. But the country soon began to take the alarm, and
wherever they turned, they found a superior force ready t<
oppose them. 2. In this exigence, beset on all sides, the]
resolved, to the number of about eighty persons, to fly n<
further, but to make a stand at a house in Warwickshire, t<
defend it to the last, and sell their lives as dearly as possible
But even this miserable consolation was denied them ; a
spark of fire happening to fall among some gunpowder tha
was laid to dry, it blew up, and so maimed the principa
conspirators, that the survivors resolved to open the gate,
and sally out against the multitude that surrounded the house!
3. Some were instantly cut to pieces ; Catesby, Percy, and
Winter, standing back to back, fought long and desperately,
till in the end the two first fell covered with wounds, and
Winter was taken alive. Those that survived the slaughter
were tried and convicted ; several fell by the hands of the
executioner, and others experienced the king’s mercy. The
jesuits, Garnet and Oldcorn, who were privy to the plot,
suffered with the rest ; and, notwithstanding the atrociousness
of their treason, Garnet was considered by his party as a
martyr, and miracles were said to have been wrought by his
blood.
4. The sagacity with which the king first discovered the
plot raised the opinion of his wisdom among the people,
but the folly with which he gave himself up to his favou-
rites quickly undeceived the nation. (A.D. 1612.) In the
first rank of these stood Robert Carr, a youth of a good
family in Scotland, who, after having passed some time in
his travels, arrived in London, at about twenty years of age.
All his natural accomplishments consisted in a pleasing vis-
age ; and all his acquired abilities in an easy and graceful
demeanour.
5. This youth was considered as a most rising man at
court ; he was knighted, created viscount Rochester, lion
oured with the order of the garter, made a privy councillor,
and, to raise him to the highest pitch of honour, he was at
last created earl of Somerset. '
6. This was an advancement which some regarded with
envy*, but the wiser part of mankind looked upon it with
contempt and ridicule, sensi ble that ungrounded attachments
are 6eldom of long continuance. Some time after, being
accused and convicted, from private motives, of poisoning
Sir Thomas Overbury in the tower, he fell under the king’s
JAMES I
205
displeasure; and, being driven from court, spent the remain-
der of his life in contempt and self-conviction.
7. But the king had riot been so improvident as to part
with one favourite until he had provided himself with another.
This was George Villiers, a youth of one and twenty,
the younger brother of a good family, who was returned
about tha° time from his travels, and whom the enemies of
Somerset had taken occasion to throw in the king’s way,
certain that his beauty and fashionable manners would do
the rest. 8. Accordingly he had been placed at a comedy
fall in the king’s view and immediately caught the monarch’ a
affections. In the . course of a few years, he was created
viscount Villiers, earl, marquis, and duke of Buckingham,
knight of the garter, master of the horse, chief justice in
eyre, warden of the cinque ports, master of the king’s bench
office, steward of Westminster, constable of Windsor, and
lord high admiral of England.
9. The universal murmur which these foolish attachments
produced was soon after heightened by an act of severity,
which still continues as the blackest stain upon this mo-
narch’s memory. The brave and learned Raleigh had been
confined in the Tower almost from the very beginning of
James’ accession, for a conspiracy which had never been
proved against him ; and in that abode of wretchedness he
wrote several valuable performances which are still in the
highest esteem. 10. His long sufferings, and his ingenious
writings, had now turned the tide of popular opinion in his
favour ; and they who once detested the enemy of Essex,
could not now help pitying the captivity of this philosophical
soldier. He himself still struggled for freedom ; and perhaps
it was with this desire that he spread the report of his
having discovereiL a gold mine in Guiana, which was
sufficient to enricn not only the adventurers who should
seize it, but afford immense treasures to the nation. 11.
The king, either believing his assertions, or willing to subject
him to further disgrace, granted him a commission to try his
fortune in quest of these golden schemes ; but still reserved
his former sentence as a check upon his future behaviour.
12. Raleigh was not long in making preparations for this
adventure, which, from the sanguine manner in which he
carried it on, many thought he believed to be as promising as
he described it. He bent his course to Guiana, and re-
maining himself at the month of the river -Orinoko with
five of the largest ships, he sent the rest up the stream, under
■
206 HISTORY OF ENGLAND
the command of his son and captain Kemmis, a person
tirely devoted to his interest. 13. But, instead of a coui:
abounding in gold, as the adventurers were taught to expi
they foundthe Spaniards had been warned of their approa
and were prepared in arms to receive them. Young
leigh, to encourage his men, called out "That was thet
mine,” meaning the town of St. Thomas which he \
approaching j and " that none but fools looked for any othe:
but just as he was speaking he received a shot, of which
immediately expired. This was followed by another <
appointment; for* when the English took possession of i
town they found nothing in it of any value.
14. Raleigh in thi3 forlorn situation, found now that
his hopes were over ; and saw his misfortunes still fart)
aggravated by the reproaches of those whom he had und
•taken to command. Nothing could be more deplorable th
his situation, particularly when he was told that he must
carried back to England, to answer for his conduct to l
king. 15. It is pretended that he employed many artific
first to engage them to attack the Spanish settlements al
time of peace, and, failing of that, to make his e-cape ii
Prance. But all of those proving unsuccessful, he was i
livered into the king’s hands and strictly examined, as w
as his fellow-adventurers, before the privy council. Cotj
Gondemar, the Spanish ambassador, made heavy complaii
against the expedition; and the king dec’ared that Rale^
had express orders to avoid all disputes and hostiliti
against the Spaniards. 16. Wherefore to give the cuurt
Spain a particular instance cf his attachment, he signed t
■warrant fur his execution ; not for the present offence, l
for his former conspiracy. This great man died with t
same fortitude he had testified through life; he observi
as he felt the edge of the axe, that it was a sharp but a si
remedy for all evils ; his harangue to the people was ca
and eloquent ; and he laid his head down on the block w
the utmost indifference.
Questions for Examination.
1. What measures were taken by the principal conspirators ?
3. What was their fate ?
4. W ho was king James’ first favourite ?
«. How did Somerset tall under the king’s displeasure?
7. Who was tbo king’s next favourite i
8. What honours did he confer on him ?
For what was sir Walter JUaleigli confined in the Tower ?
JAMES I.
207
10. What report did Raleigh spread f
12—15. Mention the particulars relating to this expedition f
10. What was the fate of this great man ?
What was his behaviour at his execution ?
SECTION II.
Though scorned abroad, bewilder’d in a maze
Of fruitless treaties, while at home enslaved.
He lost his people’s confidence and love.— Thomson.
1. (A.D. 1618.) But there soon appeared very appa-
rent reasons for James’ partiality to the court of Spain.
This monarch had entertained an opinion which was peculiar
to himself, that in marrying his son Charles, the prince
of Wales, any alliance below that of royalty would be un-
worthy of him; he, therefore, was obliged to seek, either
in the court of France or Spam, a suitable match, and he
was taught to think of the latter. 2. Gondemar, who was
an ambassador from the court, perceiving this weak mo-
narch’s partiality to a crowned head, made an offer of the
second daughter of Spain to prince Charles; and that he
might render the temptation irresistible, he gave hopes of an
immense fortune which should attend the princess. How-
ever, this was a negotiation which was not likely soon to
be ended ; and from the time the idea was first started, James
saw five years elapse without bringing the treaty to any kind
of conclusion.
3. A delay of this kind was very displeasing to the king,
who had all along an eye on the great fortune of the princess :
nor was it less disagreeable to prince Charles, who, bred
up with the ideas of romantic passion, was in love without
ever seeing the object of his affections. In this general
tedium of delay, a project entered the head of Villiers,
who had for some years ruled the king with absolute
authority, that was fitter to be conceived by the knight of a
romance than by a minister and a statesman. 4. It was
projected that the prince should himself travel in disguise
into Spain, and visit the princess of that country in person.
Buckingham, who wanted to ingratiate himself with the
prince, offered to be his companion ; and the king, whose
.business it was to check so wild a scheme, gave his consent
to this hopeful proposal. 5. Their adventures on this
strange project would fill novels: and have actually been
made the subject of many. Charles was the knight-errant,
tod Buckingham was the squire. The match, however,
208
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
broke off, fojr what reasons historians do not assign ; but, h
we may credit the novelists of that time, the prince hat
already fixed bis affections upon the daughter of Henry IV .
of France, whom he married shortly after.
6. It may be easily supposed that these mismanagements
were seen and felt by the people. The house of commons
was become by this time quite unmanageable ; the prodigality
of James to his favourites had made his necessities so many,
that he was contented to sell the different branches of his
prerogative to the commons, one after the other, to procure
supplies. In proportion as they perceived his wants, they
found out new grievances ; and every grant of money was
sure to come with a petition for redress. The struggles be-
tween him and the parliament had been growing more and
more violent every session ; and the very last advanced their
pretensions to such a degree, that he began to take the
alarm : but these evils, which the weakness of this monarch
had contributed to give birth to, fell upon his successor.
7. These domestic troubles were attended by others still
more important in Germany, and which produced in the end
most dangerous effects. The king’s eldest daughter had
been married to Frederic, the elector palatine of Germany ;
and this prince, revolting against the emperor Ferdinand the
Second, was defeated in a decisive battle, and obliged to take
refuge in Holland. 8. His affinity to the English crown,
his misfortunes, but particularly the Protestant religion, for
which he had contended, were strong motives to the people
of England to wish well to his cause; and frequent ad-
dresses were sent from the commons to induce James to take
a part in the German contest, and to replace the exiled
prince upon the throne of his ancestors. 9. James at first
attempted to ward off the misfortunes of his son-in-law by
negotiation, A. D. 1620; but this proving utterly ineffectual
it was at last resolved to rescue the palatinate from the
emperor by force of arms. Accordingly, war was declared
against Spain and the emperor; six thousand men were
sent over into Holland, to assist prince Maurice in his
schemes against those powers; the people were every-
where elated at the courage of their king, and were satisfied
with any war which was to exterminate the papists. 10.
This army was followed by another, consisting of twelve
thousand men, commanded by count Mansfeldt; and the
court of France promised its assistance. But the English
were disappointed in all their views; the troops being em-
JAMES 1.
209
barked at Dover, upon sailing to Calais they found no orders
for their admission. After waiting in vain for some time,
they were obliged to sail towards Zealand, where no proper
measures were yet concerted for their disembarkation. 11.
Meanwhile a pestilential disease crept in among the forces,
so long cooped up in narrow vessels; half the army died
while on board ; and the other half; weakened by sickness,
appeared too small a body to march into the palatinate; and
thus ended this ill-concerted and fruitless expedition.
12. Whether this misfortune had any effect upon James’
constitution is uncertain ; but he was soon after seized with
a tertian ague, which, when his courtiers assured him from
the proverb that it was health for a king, he replied, that the
proverb was made for a young king. (A. D. 1625.) After
some fits he found himself extremely weakened, and sent
for the prince, whom he exhorted to persevere in the Pro-
testant religion ; then, preparing with decency and courage
to meet his end, he expired, after a reign over England of
twenty-two years, and in the fifty-ninth year of his age.
Questions for Examination.
1. What were the reasons for James' partiality to Spain ?
2. What offer was made by the Spanish ambassador ?
4. What project was formed by Villiers, and by whom was it under-
taken ?
5. What was its success ?
6. How did the house of commons act towards James ?
7 — 11. Relate the circumstances that occurred in Germany.
12. In what manner did the king conduct himself previously to his death?
How long did he reign ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes
A.X>.
Clement Till 1592
Leo XI 1605
Paul III 1605
Gregory XV 1621
Urban VHI 1623
Emperors of Germany.
Rodolphus II 1576
Matthias 1 1612
Ferdinand II 1619
Emperors of the Turks.
A.D.
Achmet 1 1603
Mustapha 1 1617
Osman 1 1618
Mustapha I. re-
stored 1622
Amurath 1Y. . . . . .1623
/
Kings of France.
Henry IV 1589
Louis XIII 1610
Kings of Spain and
Portugal, a.d.
Philip III 1597
Philip IY 1621
King of Denmark.
Christian IV 1588
Kings of Sweden.
Sigismund 1592
Charles IX 1606
Gustavus II 1611
EMINENT PERONS.
Henry, prince of Wales. Carr, earl of Somerset. Villiers, duke of
Buckingham. Lord chancellor Bacon. William Shakspkarb. Sir
Walter Raleigh. Sir Hugh Middleton. Lord chancellor Maitland. W.
A., earl of Stirling. Sir M. Kerr, earl of Ancram. J. Hamilton, earl of
Haddington. James, duke of Hamilton. Henry Carey, lord Falkland.
O
$10
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
G. Calvert, lord Baltimore. Robert Carey, earl of Monmouth. Sir M.
Cecil, earl of Salisbury. Henry Howard, earl of Northampton. Lord
chancellor Ellesmere. Sir Eaulke Cireville, lord Brooke. G. Carew, earl
ofTotues8. W. Herbert, earl of Pembroke. Sir Dudley Carleton, vis-
count Dorchester. E. Cecil, viscount Wimbledon, &c., &c.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHARLES I.
Born 1600. Died January 30, 1649. Began to reign March 27, 1626.
lteigned 23] years.
SECTION I.
The monarch’s deeds shall large allowance claim.
With whom too often, to a nation’s shame.
Success is virtue and misfortune blame. — l)ibdin.
1. (A. D. 1625.) Few princes ever. ascended the throne
■with more apparent advantages than Charles; and none ever
encountered more real difficulties. Indeed, he undertook
the reigns of government with a fixed persuasion that his
popularity was sufficient to carry every measure. 2. He
had been loaded with a treaty for defending the prince
palatine, his brother-in-law, in the last reign ; and the war
declared for that purpose was to be carried on with vigour
in this. But war was more easily declared than supplies
granted. After some reluctance, the commons voted him
two subsidies; a sum far from being sufficient to support
him in his intended equipment.
3. To supply the want of parliamentary aid, Charles had
recourse to some of the ancient methods of extortion, prac-
ticed by sovereigns when in necessitous circumstances.
That kind of tax called a benevolence was ordered to be
exacted, and privy seals were issued accordingly. With
this the people were obliged, though reluctantly, to comply;
it was in fact authorised by many precedents ; but no pre-
cedent whatsoever could give a sanction to injustice.
4. After an ineffectual expedition to Cadiz, another at-
tempt was made to obtain supplies in a more regular and
constitutional manner than before. Another parliament wa3
accordingly called; and though some steps were taken to
exclude the more popular leaders of the last house of com-
mons, by nominating them sheriffs of counties, yet the
present parliament seemed more refractory than the former,
CHARLES I.
211
5. When the king laid before the house hia necessities, and
asked for a supply, they voted him only three subsidies,
which amounted to about sixty thousand pounds, a sum no
way adequate to the importance of the war, or the necessities
of the state. In order, therefore, to gain a sufficient supply,
a commission was openly granted to compound with the
catholics, and agree for a dispensation of the penal laws
against them. He borrowed a sum of money from the no-
bility, whose contributions came in but slowly. 6. But the
greatest stretch of his power was in the levying of ship-
money. In order to equip a fleet (at least this was the
pretence made), each of the maritime towns wa§ required,
with the assistance of the adjacent counties, to arm as many
vessels as were appointed them. The city of London was
rated at twenty ships. This was the commencement of a
tax, which, afterwards, being carried to such violent lengths,
created such discontents in the nation.
7. War being soon after declared against France, a fleet
was sent out, under the command of Buckingham, to relieve
Rochelle, a maritime town in that kingdom, that had long
enjoyed its privileges, independent of the French king ; but
that had for some time embraced the reformed religion, and
now was besieged with a formidable army. This expedition
was as unfortunate as that to the coast of Spain. 8. The
duke’s measures were so ill concerted, that the inhabitants
of the city shut their gates, and refused to admit allies, of
whose coming they were not previously informed. Instead
of attacking the island of Olderon, which was fertile and de-
fenceless, he bent his course to the isle of Rhe, which was
garrisoned and well fortified. He attempted there to starve
out the garrison of St. Martin’s castle, which was plentifully
supplied with provisions by sea. 9. By that time the French
had landed their forces privately at another part of the island ;
so that Buckingham was at last obliged to retreat, but with
such precipitation, that two-thirds of his army were cut to
pieces before he could re-embark, though he was the last
man of the whole army that quitted the shore. 10. This
proof of his personal courage, however, was but a small
subject of consolation for the disgrace which his country
had sustained, for his own person would have been the last
they would have regretted.
11. The contest between the king and the commons every
day grew warmer. The officers of the custom-house were
summoned before the commons, to give an account by what
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
212
authority they seized the goods of the merchants who had
refused to pay the duty of tonnage and poundage, which
they alleged was levied without the sanction of law. The
barons of the exchequer were examined concerning their
decrees on that head ; and the sheriff of London committed
to the Tower for his activity in supporting the custom-house
officers. 12. These were bold measures ; but the commons
went still further, by a resolution to examine into religious
grievances, and a new spirit of intolerance began to appear.
A. D. 1629. The king, therefore, resolved to dissolve a
parliament which he found himself unable to manage ; and
sir John Finch, the speaker, just as the question concerning
tonnage and poundage was going to be put, rose up, and
informed the house that he had a command from the king
to adjourn.
13. The house upon this was in an uproar 5 the speaker
was pushed back into his chair, and forcibly held in it by
Hollis and Valentine, till a short remonstrance was framed,
and passed by acclamation rather than vote. Ip this hasty
production, papists and Arminians were declared capital
enemies to the state ; tonnage and poundage were condemned
as contrary to the law ; and not only those who raised that
duty, but those who paid it, were considered as guilty of
capital crimes.
14. In consequence of this violent procedure, sir Miles
Hobart, sir Peter Haymen, Selden, Coriton, Long, and
Strode, were, by the king’s order, committed to prison
under pretence of sedition. But the same temerity that
impelled Charles to imprison them, induced him to grant
them a release. 15. Sir John Elliot, Hollis, and Valentine
were summoned before the king’s bench ; but they, refusing
to appear before an inferior tribunal for faults committed in
a superior, were condemned to be imprisoned during the
king’s pleasure; the two former to pay a fine of a thousand,
pounds each, and the latter five hundred, and to find sureties
lor their good behaviour. The members triumphed in their
sufferings, while they had the whole kingdom as spectators
and applauders of their fortitude.
16. In the meantime, while the king was thus distressed
by the obstinacy of the commons, he felt a much severer
blow by the death of his favourite, the duke of Buckingham,
who fell a sacrifice to his unpopularity. 17. It had been
resolved once more to undertake the raising of the siege of
Rochelle ; and the earl of Denbigh, brother-in-law to Buck-
CHARLES I
213
ingham, was sent thither, but returned without effecting any
thing. In order to repair this disgrace, the duke of Buck-
ingham went in person to Portsmouth to hurry on another
expedition, and punish such as had endeavoured to de-
fraud the crown of the legal assessments. 18. In the general
discontent that prevailed against that nobleman, it was daily
expected that some severe measures would be resolved on ;
and he was stigmatized as the tyrant and betrayer of his
country. There was one Felton who caught the general
contagion, — an Irishman of good family, who had served
under the duke as lieutenant, but had resigned, on being
refused his rank on the death of his captain, who had been
killed at the isle of RhA 19. This man was naturally me-
lancholy, courageous, and enthusiastic ; he felt for the coun-
try, as if labouring under a calamity which he thought it
in the power of his single arm to remove. He therefore,
resolved to kill the duke, and thus revenge his own private
injuries, while he did service also to God and man. 20.
Animated in this manner with gloomy zeal and mistaken
patriotism, he travelled down to Portsmouth alone, and
entered the town while the duke was surrounded by his
levee and giving out the necessary orders for embarkation.
While he was speaking to one of his colonels, Felton struck
him over an officer’s shoulder in the breast with his knife.
21. The duke had only time to say, “ The villain has killed
me,” when he fell at the colonel’s feet, and instantly ex-
pired. No one had seen the blow, nor the person who
gave it ; but a hat being picked up, on the inside of which
was sewed a paper containing four or five lines of the re-
monstrance of the commons against the duke, it was con-
cluded that this hat must belong to the assassin ; and while
they were employed in conjectures whose it should be, a
man without a hat was seen walking very composedly
before the door, and was heard to cry out, “I am he!”
22. He disdained denying a murder in which he gloried;
and averred that he looked upon the duke as an enemy to
his country, and, as such, deserving to suffer. When asked
at whose instigation he had perpetrated that horrid deed, he
answered that they need not trouble themselves in that in-
quiry; that his conscience was his only prompter, and that
no man on earth could dispose him to act against its dictates.
He suffered with the same degree of constancy to the last ;
nor were there many wanting who admired, not only his
fortitude, but the action for which he suffered.
214
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who succeeded James ?
3—6. What methods were taken to procure supplies ?
7 — 10. What success attended Buckingham’s expedition to France ?
11, What followed the contest between the king and the commons ?
13. What uproar was excited by the king’s command to adjourn ?
14, 15. Under what pretence did the king send many of the members to
prison ?
17 — 21. Relate the circumstances which attended the assassination of th$
duke of Buckingham.
What was the conduct of the assassin ?
SECTION I.
When civil dudgeon first grew high,
And men fell out, they knew not why.— Butler.
1. (A. D. 1627.) The king’s first measure, now being
left without a minister and a parliament, was a prudent one.
He made a peace with the two crowns against whom he had
hitherto waged war, which had been entered upon without
necessity and conducted without glory. 2. Being freed
from these embarrassments, he bent his whole attention to
the management of the internal policy of the kingdom, and
took two men as his associates in this task, who still acted
an under part to himself. These were, sir Thomas Went-
worth, afterwards created earl of Strafford j and Laud, after-
wards archbishop of Canterbury.
3. While Laud, therefore, during this long interval, ruled
the church, the king and Strafford undertook to manage the
temporal interests of the nation. A declaration was dis-
persed, implying that during this reign no more parliaments
would be summoned ; and every measure of the king but
too well served to confirm the suspicion.
4. Tonnage and poundage were continued to be levied by
royal authority alone ; custom-house officers received orders
from the council to enter any house whatever, in search of
suspected goods ; compositions were openly made with
papists, and their religion was become a regular part of the
revenue. 5. The high commission court and the court of
the star-chamber exercised their power, independent of any
law, upon several bold innovators in liberty, who only
gloried in their sufferings, and contributed to render govern-
ment odious and contemptible. Prynne, a barrister at Lin-
colns’-Inn ; Burton, a divine ; and Bastwick, a physician,
were tried before this tribunal for schismatical libels, in
which they attacked, with great severity and intemperate
CHARLES I.
215
eeal, the ceremonies of the church of England. They were
condemned to be pilloried, to lose their ears, and to pay five
thousand pounds to the king.
6. Every year, every month, every day, gave fresh in-
stances, during this long intermission of parliaments, of the
resolution of the court to throw them oil’ for ever; but the
levying of ship money, as it was called, being a general
burden, was universally complained of as a national griev-
ance. This was a tax which had, in former reigns, been
levied without the consent of parliament, but then the
exigency of the state demanded such a supply. 7. John
Hampden a gentleman of fortune in Buckinghamshire, re-
fused to comply with the tax, and resolved to bring it to a
legal determination. He had been rated at twenty shillings
for his estate, which he refused to pay ; and the case was
argued twelve days in the exchequer chamber, before all
the judges of England. 8. The nation regarded, with the
utmost anxiety, the result of a trial that was to fix the limits
of the king’s power. All the judges, four only excepted,
gave sentence in favour of the crown; while Hampden,
who lost his cause, was more than sufiiciently recompensed
by the applause of the people.
9. The discontent and opposition which the king met
with, in maintaining episcopacy among his English subjects
might, one would think, hinder him from attempting to in-
troduce it among those of Scotland, where it was generally
hateful. Having published an order for reading the liturgy
in the principal church in Edinburgh, the people received it
with clamours and imprecations. 10. The seditious disposi-
tion in that kingdom, which had hitherto been kept within
bounds, was now too furious for restraint, and the insurrec-
tion became general over all the country, and the Scots flew
to arms with great animosity.
11. Yet still the king could not think of desisting from
his design; and so prepossessed was he in favour of royal
right, that he thought the very name of king, when forcibly
urged, would induce them to return to their duty. Instead,
therefore, of fighting with his opponents, he entered upon a
treaty with them ; so that a suspension of arms was soon
agreed upon, and a treaty of peace concluded, which
neither side intended to observe; and then both parties
agreed to disband their forces. After much altercation, and
many treaties signed and broken, both parties had recourse
216
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
once more to arms, and nothing but blood could satiate the
contenders.
12. War being thus resolved on, the king took every
method as before for raising money to support it. Ship-
money was levied as usual; some other arbitrary taxes
were exacted from the reluctant people with great severity,
but these were far from being sufficient ; and there now
remained only one method more, the long-neglected method
of a parliamentary supply.
13. The new house of commons, however, could not be
induced to treat the Scots, who were of the same principles
with themselves and contending against the same ceremo-
nies, as enemies of the state. They regarded them as
friends and brothers, who first rose to teach them a duty it
was incumbent on all virtuous minds to imitate. The
king, therefore, could reap no other fruits from this assem-
bly than murmurings and complaints. 14. Every method
he had taken to supply himself with money was declared
an abuse, and breach of the constitution. The king, there-
fore, finding no hopes of a compliance with his requests,
but recrimination instead of redress, once more dissolved
the parliament, to try the most feasible methods of removing
his necessities.
15. His necessities, however, continuing, the parliament
was called, which did not cease sitting till they overturned
the constitution. Without any interval they entered upon
business, and, by unanimous consent, they struck a blow that
might be regarded as decisive. Instead of granting the
demand of subsidies, they impeached the earl of Strafford,
the king's first minister, and had him arraigned before the
house of peers for high-treason. 16. After a long and elo-
quent speech, delivered without premeditation, in which he
confuted all the accusations of his enemies, he was found
guilty by both houses of parliament ; and nothing remained
but for the king to give his consent to the bill of attainder.
Charles, who loved Strafford tenderly, hesitated, and seemed
reluctant, trying every expedient to put off so dreadful a
duty as that of signing the warrant for his execution. 17.
While he continued in this agitation of mind, not knowing
how to act, his doubts were at last silenced by an act of
heroic bravery in the condemned lord. He received a letter
from that unfortunate nobleman, desiring that his life might
be made the sacrifice of mutual reconcilation between the
CHARLES I.
217
king and the people ; adding, that he was prepared to die,
and to a willing mind there could he no injury. 18. This
instance of noble generosity was but ill repaid by his mas-
ter, who complied with his request. He consented to sign
the fatal bill by commission. Stratford was beheaded on
Tower-hill, behaving with all that composed dignity of reso-
lution that was expected from his character.
19. In this universal rage tor punishment, the parlia-
ment fell with great justice on two courts, which had been
erected under arbitrary kings, and had seldom been em-
ployed but in cases of necessity. These were, the high
commission court, and the court of star-chamber. A bill
unanimously passed the houses to abolish both ; and in
them to annihilate the principal and most dangerous articles
in the king’ s prerogative.
20. In the midst of these troubles an insurrection in the
northern counties of Ireland, accompanied by several acts
of atrocious cruelty, excited great alarm throughout the
empire. The insurgents might have been easily subdued;
but the king’s deputies in Ireland, eager to make their
fortunes by trading in confiscations, averred, that all the
catholics in the kingdom were involved in the guilt of this
rebellion, and by wicked arts changed the local disturbance
into a general civil war. Many wanton murders were com-
mitted on both sides; religious zeal added bitterness to
political animosity ; the hatred of heresy by one party, and
of popery by the other, led men to perpetrate and palliate
crimes shocking to human nature. The war lasted several
years ; four hostile parties had armies in Ireland, the native
Irish, the descendants of the early settlers, usually called
u the lords of the pale,” the royalists, and the puritans,
who supported the supremacy of the English parliament.
The last party, though infinitely the weakest, finally tri-
umphed by taking advantage of the dissensions and errors
of the other three.
21. The king, aware that he was already suspected of a
secret attachment to popery, and that the northern Irish
pretended to have his authority for taking up arms, used
every means in his power to put down the rebellion. But
he was no longer able to effect this desirable object; the
native Irish and the lords of the pale, frequently deceived
before, would not trust the royal promises; Parsons and
Borlase, the lords justice of Ireland, refused to obey the
king’s commands : and the English parliament gladly used
218
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
the Irish war as a pretext for levying soldiers; for every
one now clearly foresaw that the disputes between the king
and the parliament must finally be decided by the sword.
Many insinuations were thrown out that he had himself
fomented this rebellion, and no money could be spared for
the extinction of distant dangers, when they pretended that
the kingdom was threatened with greater at home.
It was now that the republican spirit began to appear
without any disguise in the present parliament ; and that
party, instead of attacking the faults of the king, resolved
to destroy monarchy .
Questions for Examination.
1. "What was the king’s first measure after Buckingham’s death f
2, 3. By whom was theking assisted in his government ?
4 . In what manner did the custom-house officers exact taxes ?
6. What is said respecting the court of star-chamber t
6. What tax w r as the most generally complained of ?
7, 8. By whom was the tax of ship-money opposed, and what were the
consequences ?
9—12. What produced an insurrection in Scotland, and afterwards
war?
13. How were the Scotch regarded by the new parliament ?
15. What was the conduct of the next parliament ?
16—18. Describe the particulars of the trial and death of the earl of
Strafford ?
19. What we're the next proceedings of parliament ?
20. What insurrection took place in Ireland ?
21. How was the king treated by his parliament on this occasion ?
What spirit now openly manifested itself '(
SECTION III.
The eon and father loose mild nature’s ties.
And by a brother’s hand a brother dies.— Egerton.
1. (A. D. 1641.) The leaders of opposition began their
operations by a resolution to attack episcopacy, which
was one of the strongest bulwarks of the royal power. They
accused thirteen bishops of high-treason, for enacting canons
without the consent of parliament; and endeavoured to
to prevail upon the house of peers to exclude all the prelates
from their seats and votes in that august assembly. The
bishops saw the storm that was gathering against them - and
probably to avert its effects, they resolved to attend’ their
duty in the house of lords no longer.
2. This was a fatal blow to the royal interest; but it
soon felt a much greater from the king’s own imprudence,
yharles had long suppressed his resentment, and only
CHARLES I.
219
strove to satisfy the commons by the greatness of his con-
cessions; but, finding that all his compliances had but in-
creased their demands, he could no longer restrain it. 3.
He gave orders to Herbert, his attorney general, to enter an
accusation of high treason in the house of peers against lord
Kimbolton, one of the most popular men of his party,
gether with five commoners; sir Arthur Haslerig, Hollis,
Hampden, Pypi, and Strode. 4. The articles were, that
they had traitorously endeavoured to subvert the fundamen-
tal laws and government of the kingdom; to deprive the
king of his regal power, and to impose on his subjects an
arbitrary and tyrannical authority. Men. had scarcely lei-
sure to wonder at the precipitancy and imprudence of his
impeachment when they were astonished by another mea-
sure still more rash and unsupported. 5. The next day the
king himself was seen to enter the house of commons alone,
advancing through the hall, while all the members stood up
to receive him. The speaker withrew from the chair, and
the king took possession of it. Having seated himself, and
having looking around for some time, he told the house that
he was sorry for the occasion that had forced him thither ;
that he was come in person to seize the members whom he
had accused of high-treason, seeing they would not deliver
them up to his sergeant-at-arms. He then sat down for
some time, to see if the accused were present, but they had
escaped a few minutes before his entry.
6. Thus disappointed, perplexed, and not knowing on
whom to rely, he next proceeded, — amidst the clamours of
the populace, who continued to cry out, u Privilege! privi-
lege 1” — to the common council of the city, and made his
complaints to them. The common council only answered
his complaints with a contemptuous silence ; and, on his
return, one of the populace, more insolent than the rest,
cried out, “ To your tents, 0 Israel!” a watch-word
among the Jews when they intended to abandon their
princes.
7. Being returned to Windsor, he began to reflect on the
rashness of his former proceedings, and now, too late, re-
solved to make some atonement. He therefore, wrote to
the parliament, informing them that he desisted from his
former proceedings against the accused members ; and as-
sured them that upon all occasions he would be as careful
of their privileges as of his life or his crown. Thus his
former violence had rendered him hateful to his com.
220
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
mons, and Ms present submission now rendered Mm con-
temptible.
8. The power of appointing generals and levying armies
was still a remaining prerogative of the crown. The com-
mons having, therefore, first magnified their terrors of po-
pery, which perhaps they actually dreaded, they proceeded
to petition that the Tower might be put into their hands,
and that Hull, Portsmouth, and the fleet should be intrusted
to persons of their choosing. These were requests, the
complying with which levelled all that remained of the an-
cient constitution ; however, such was the necessity of the
times, that they were first contested, and then granted. 9.
At last, every compliance only increased the avidity of mak-
ing fresh demands ; the commons desired to have a militia,
raised and governed by such officers and commanders as
they should nominate, under pretext of securing them from
the Irish papists, of whom they professed to be in great
apprehension.
10. It was here that Charles first ventured to put a stop
to these concessions, and being urged to give up the com-
mand of the army for an appointed time, he was so exas-
perated that he exclaimed u No, not for an hour.” This
peremptory refusal broke off all further treaty; and both
sides were resolved to have recourse to arms.
11. No period since England began could show so many
instances of courage, abilities, and virtue, as the present
fatal opposition called forth into exertion, A.D. 1642. Now
was the time when talents of all kinds, unchecked by au-
thority, were called from the lower ranks of life, to dispute
for power and pre-eminence.
12. Manifestos on the one side and on the other were now
dispersed throughout the whole kingdom; and the people
were universally divided between two factions, distinguished
by the names of cavaliers and roundheads. The king’s
forces appeared in a very low condition ; besides the trained
bands of the country, raised by sir John Digby, the sheriff,
he had not got together three hundred infantry. 13. His
cavalry, which composed his chief strength, exceeded not
eight hundred, and were very ill provided with arms. How-
ever, he was soon gradually reinforced from all quarters,
but not being then in a condition to faee Ms enemies, he
thought it prudent to retire by slow marches to Derby, and
thence to Shrewsbury, in order to countenance the levies
wMch his friends were making in those quarters.
CHARLES I.
221
14. In the meantime the parliament was not remiss in
preparations on their side. They had a magazine of arms
at Hull, and sir John Hotham was appointed governor of
<that place by government. The forces also, which had been
everywhere raised on pretence of the service of Ireland,
were now more openly enlisted by the parliament for their
own purposes, and the command given to the earl of Essex,
a bold man, who rather desired to see monarchy abridged
than totally destroyed; and in London no less than four
thousand men were enlisted in one day.
15. Edge-hill was the first place where the two armies
were put in array against each other, and the country
drenched in civil slaughter. It was a dreadful sight to see
above thirty thousand of the bravest men in the world, in-
stead of employing their courage abroad, turning it against
each other, while the dearest friends and nearest kinsmen
embraced opposite sides, and prepared to bury their private
regards in factious hatred. After an engagement of some
hours, animosity seemed to be wearied out, and both sides
separated with equal loss. Five thousand men are said to
have been found dead on thfe field of battle.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the first act of the leaders of the opposition ?
By what means did the bishops avert the impending storm ?
2, 3. What was the king’s conduct on this occasion ?
4. What wero the articles of impeachment ?
5. How did the king conduct himself when he went to the house of
commons ?
6i How did the common-council afterwards receive him t
7. What were the consequences of his rashness ?
8, 9. What were the next demands of the commons ?
iO. On what occasion did the king stop all further concessions ?
What was the result ?
>2. By wbatmeans were the contending parties distinguished t
13. Tn what situation were the king’s forces ?
14. What preparations did the parliament make ?
15. Where did the armies first meet ?
What was the issue of the battle ?
SECTION IV.
To live with Freedom or to die with Fame.— Day.
1. (A. D. 1643.) It would be tedious, and no way in-
structive, to enter into the marchings and counter-marchings
of these undisciplined and ill-conducted armies; war was
222
HISTO&Y OF ENGLAND.
a new trade to the English, as they had not seen a hostile
engagement in the island for nearly a century before. The
queen came to reinforce the royal party; she had brought
soldiers and ammunition from Holland, and immediately
departed to furnish more. 2. But the parliament, who knew
its own consequence and strength, was no way discouraged.
Their demands seemed to increase in proportion to their
losses ; and as they were repressed in the field, they grew
more haughty in the cabinet. Such governors as gave up
their fortresses to the king were attainted of high-treason.
3. It was in vain for the king to send proposals after any
success ; this only raised their pride and their animosity.
But though this desire in the king to make peace with his
subjects was the highest encomium on his humanity, yet his
long negotiations, one of which was carried on at Oxford,
were faulty as a warrior. He wasted that time in altercation
and treaty which he should have employed in vigorous
exertions in the field.
4. However, his first campaign, upon the whole, wore a
favourable aspect. One victory followed after another;
Cornwall was reduced to peace and obedience under the
king; a victory was gained over the parliamentarians at
Stratton-Hill, in Cornwall; another at Roundway Down,
about two miles from Devizes; and a third at Chalgrave
Field. Bristol was besieged and taken, and Gloucester
was invested ; the battle of Newbury was favourable to the
royal cause ; and great hopes of success were formed from an
army in the north, raised by the marquis of Newcastle.
5. In this first campaign, the two bravest and greatest
men of their respective parties were killed ; as if it was in-
tended, by the kindness of Providence, that they should be
exempted from seeing the miseries and the slaughter which
were shortly to ensue ; these were John Hampden, and
Lucius Cary, lord Falkland, — the first in a skirmish against
prince, Rupert ; the other in the battle of Newbury, which
followed shortly after.
6. Hampden, whom we have seen, in the beginning of
these troubles, refusing to pay the ship-money, gained, by
his inflexible integrity, the esteem even of his enemies. To
these he added affability in conversation, temper, art, elo-
quence in debate, and penetration in council.
7. Falkland was still a greater loss, and greater character.
He added to Hampden’s severe principles a politeness and
elegance but then beginning to be known in England. He
Charles i.
223
imd boldly withstood the king’s pretensions while he saw
him making a bad use of his power; but, when he per-
ceived the design of parliament to overturn the religion
and the constitution of the country, he changed his side, and
steadfastly attached himself to the crown. 8. From the
beginning of the civil war, his natural cheerfulness and
vivacity forsook him ; he became melancholy, sad, pale, and
negligent of his person, and seemed to wish for death. His
usual cry among his friends, after a deep silence and
frequent sighs, was u Peace I peace 1” He now said, upon
the morning of the engagement, that he was weary of the
times, and should leave them before night. He was shot
by a musket-ball in the chest; and his body was next morn-
ing found among a heap of slain. His writings^ his ele-
gance, his justice, and his courage deserved each a death
of glory ; and they found it.
9. The king, that he might make preparations during the
winter for the ensuing campaign, and to oppose the designs of
the Westminster parliament, called one at Oxford; and
this was the first time that England saw two parliaments
sitting at the same time. His house of peers was pretty
full ; his house of commons consisted of about one hundred
and forty, which amounted to not above half of the other,
house of commons. From this shadow of a parliament he
received some supplies, after which it was prorogued, and
never after assembled. ,
10. In the meantime, the parliament were equally active
on their side. They passed an ordinance commanding all the
inhabitants of London and its neighbourhood to retrench a
meal a week, and to pay the value of it for the support of the
public cause. 11. But, what was more effectual, the Scots,
who considered their claims as similar, led a strong body to
their assistance. They levied an army of fourteen thousand
men in the east under the earl of Manchester ; they had an
army of ten thousand men under Essex ; another, of nearly
the same force, under sir William Waller. These were
superior to any force the king could bring into the field ; and
were well appointed with ammunition, provisions and pay.
12. Hostilities, which even during the winter season had
never been wholly discontinued, were renewed in spring
with their usual fury, and served to desolate the kingdom,
without deciding victory. (A.D. 1644.) Each county joined
that side to which it was addicted, from motives of convic-
tion, interest, or fear, though some observed a perfect neu-
224 HISTOKY OF ENGLAND.
trality. Several frequently petitioned for peace ; and all the
wise and good were earnest in the cry. 13. What particu-
larly deserves remark was an attempt of the women of
London, who, to the number of two or three thousand, went
in a body to the house of commons, earnestly demanding a
peace — '‘Give us those traitors,” said they, ‘Ghat are
against a peace : give them, that we may tear them to
pieces.” The guards found some difficulty in quelling this
insurrection, and one or two women lost their lives in the
affray.
14. The battle of Marston Moor was the beginning of the
king’s misfortunes and disgrace. The Scots and parlia-
mentarian army had joined, and were besieging York, when
prince Rupert, joined by the marquis of Newcastle, deter-
mined to raise the siege. Both armies drew up on Marston
Moor, to the number of fifty thousand, and the victory
seemed long undecided between them. 15. Rupert, who
commanded the right wing of the royalists, was opposed by
Oliver Cromwell, who now first came into notice, at the
head of a body of troops which he had taken care to levy
and discipline. Cromwell was victorious ; he pushed ' his
opponents off the field, followed the vanquished, returned to
a second engagement, and a second victory ; the prince’s
whole train of artillery was taken, and the royalists never
after recovered the blow.
16. William Laud,- archbishop of Canterbury, was sent to
the Tower in the beginning of the civil war. He was
now brought to his trial, condemned, and executed. And
it was a melancholy consideration, that in those times of
trouble, the best men on either side were those who chiefly
suffered.
17. The death of Laud was followed by a total alteration
of the ceremonies of the church. The liturgy was, by a
public act, abolished the day he died, as if he had been the
only obstacle to its former removal. The church of England
was, in all respects, brought to a conformity to the puri-
tanical establishment ; while the citizens of London and the
Scots’ army gave public thanks for so happy an alteration.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who reinforced the royal party ?
2. What courage did the parliament display ?
4, 5. In the first campaign, where were the principal battles fought ?
6. Describe the character of Hampden.
7. Describe the character of Falkland.
CHARLES l.
225
8. How was his death occasioned ?
9. Where did the king summon a parliament, and what were their pro-
ceedings ?
10. What ordinance was now passed ?
11. What other measures were taken in opposition to the king ?
12. What was the situation of the kingdom ?
13. What earnest desire for peace did the women of London discover ?
14. 15. Describe the particulars of the battle of Marston Moor.
16. What was the fate of archbishop Laud ?
17. Whatiollowed his execution ?
SECTION V.
Guile, violence, and murder seized on man,
And, for milky streams, with blood the rivers ran. — Thomson.
1. (A.D. 1645.) The well-disputed battle, which decided
the fate of Charles, was fought at Naseby, a village iu
Northamptonshire. The main body of the royal army was
commanded by lord Astley; prince Rupert led the right
wing, sir Harmaduke Eangdale the left ; and the king him-
self headed the body of reserve. 2. On the opposite side,
Fairfax and Skippon commanded the main body. Cromwell
led on the right wing, and Ireton, his son-in-law, the left.
Prince Rupert attacked the left wing with his usual impetu-
osity and success ; they were broken, and pursued as far as
the village ; but he lost time in attempting to make himself
master oftheir artillery. 3. Cromwell, in the meantime, was
equally successful on his side, and broke through the enemy’s
horse, after a very obstinate resistance. While these were
thus engaged, the infantry on both sides maintained the conflict
with equal ardour ; but, in spite of the efforts of Fairfax and
Skippon, their battalions began to give way. At this cri-
tical period Cromwell returned with his victorious forces,
and charged the king’s infantry in flank with such vigour,
that a t#tal rout began to ensue. 4. By this time prince
Rupert had rejoined the king, and the small body of reserve:
but his troops, though victorious, could not be brought to a
second charge. The king, perceiving the battle wholly
lost, was obliged to abandon the field to his enemies, who
took all his cannon, baggage,- and about fifty thousand pri-
soners.
5. The battle of Naseby put the parliamentarians in pos-
session of almost all the strong cities of the kingdom, Bris-
tol, Bridgewater, Chester, Sherborn, and Bath. Exeter
was beseiged; and all the king’s troops in the western
counties being entirely dispersed, Fairfax pressed the place.
226
filSTORY OF ENGLAND.
and it surrendered at discretion. The king, thus surrounded,
harassed on every side, retreated to Oxford, that, in all con-
ditions of his fortune, had held steady to his cause: and
there he resolved to offer new terms to his incensed pur-
suers.
6. In the meantime Fairfax was approaching with a
powerful and victorious army, and was taking the proper
measures for laying siege to Oxford, which promised an
easy surrender. To be taken captive, and led in triumph
by his insolent subjects, was what Charles justly abhorred:
and every insult and violence was to be dreaded from the
soldiery, who had felt the effects of his opposition.
7. In this desperate extremity he embraced a measure,
which, in any other situation, might justly lie under the im-
putation of imprudence and indiscretion. He took the fatal
resolution of giving himself up to the Scots army, who had
never testified such implacable animosity against him ; but
he soon found that, instead of treating him as a king, they
insulted him as a captive.
8. The English parliament, being informed of the king's
captivity, immediately entered into a treaty with the Scots
about delivering up their prisoner. This was soon adjusted.
They agreed, that upon payment of four hundred thousand
pounds, they would deliver up the king to his enemies, and
this was cheerfully complied with. An action so .atrocious
may be palliated, but can never be defended ; they returned
home laden with plunder, and the reproaches of all good
men.
9. The civil war was now over; the king had absolved
his followers from their allegiance ; and the parliament had
now no enemy to fear, except those very troops by which
they had extended their overgrown authority. But, in pro-
portion as the terror of the king’s power diminished, the
divisions between the members which composed the parlia-
ment became more apparent. 10. The majority inthehouse
were of the Presbyterian sect, who were for having clergy;
but the majority ol the army were staunch independents, who
admitted of no clergy ; but thought that every mah had a
right to instruct his fellows. At the head of this sect was
Cromwell, who secretly directed their operations, and invi-
gorated all their measures.
11. Oliver Cromnell, whose talents now began to appear
in lull lustre, was the son of a private gentleman of Hun-
tington; but, being the son of a second brother, he inherited
CHARLES I.
227
& very email paternal fortune. From accident or intrigue
he was chosen a member for the town of Cambridge in the
long parliament ; but he seemed at first to possess no ora-
torical talents ; his person being ungraceful, his dress slo-
venly, his elocution homely, tedious, obscure, and embar-
rassed. 12. He made up, however, by zeal and perseverance
what he wanted in natural powers ; and, being endowed with
unshaken intrepidity, much dissimulation, and a thorough
conviction of the rectitude of his cause, he rose, through the
gradations of preferment, to the post of lieutenant-general
under Fairfax ; but, in reality, possessing the supreme com-
mand over the whole army.
13. The army now began to consider themselves as a
body distinct from the commonwealth ; and complained that
they had secured the general tranquillity, while they were
at the same time deprived of the priviliges of Englishmen.
In opposition, therefore, to the parliament of Westminster,
a military parliament was formed, composed of the officers
and common soldier? of each regiment. 14. The principal
officers formed a council to represent the body of peers;
the soldiers elected two men out of each company, to re-
present the house of commons, and these were called the
agitators of the army. Cromwell took care to be one of
the number, and thus contrived an easy method of secretly
conducting and promoting the sedition of the army.
15. The unhappy king, in the meantime, continued a
prisoner at Holmby Castle; and as his countenance might
add some authority to that side which should obtain it,
Cromwell, who secretly conducted all the measures of the
army, while he apparently exclaimed against their violence,
resolved to seize the king’s person. 16. Accordingly, a
party of five hundred horse appearing at Holmby Castle,
under the command of one Joyce, conducted the king to
the army near Cambridge. The next day Cromwell ar-
rived among them, where he was received with acclama-
tions of joy, and was instantly invested with the supreme
command.
Questions for Examination .
1. Where was the battle fought that decided the fate of Charles ?
Who were the leaders of the king’s army ?
2. By whom was the parliamentary army conducted ?
4. What was the issue of the battle ?
6. What towns surrendered to the parliamentarians after this engage-
ment ?
6. Where did the king fly for refuge ?
228
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
7. On what measures did he now resolve ?
8. What atrocious act was committed towards the king ?
10. What were the parties which composed the parliament ?
11. Who was Oliver Cromwell ?
12. To what post in the army did he rise ?
14. In what manner was a council formed from the army ?
15. Where was the place of the king’s confinement ?
16. By whose command was he taken and conducted to the army?
SECTION VI.
Though always by prosperity undone,
Yet in adversity this monarch shone. — Egerton.
1. (A.D. 1647.) The house of commons was now
divided into parties, as usual ; one part opposing, but the
majority, with the two speakers *at their head, encouraging
the army. In such a universal confusion, it is not to be
expected that anything less than a separation of the parties
could take place ; and accordingly the two speakers, with
sixty-two members, secretly retired from the house, and
threw themselves under the protection of the army, which
was then at Hounslow-heath. 2. They were received with
shouts and acclamations ; their integrity was extolled ; and
the whole body of the soldiery, a formidable force of twenty
thousand men, now moved forward, to reinstate them in
their former seats and stations.
3. In the meantime, that part of the house which was
left behind resolved to act with vigour, and resist the en-
croachments of the army. They chose new speakers, they
gave orders for enlisting troops, they ordered the trainbands
to man the lines ; and the whole city boldly resolved to resist
the invasion. But this resolution only held while the enemy
was thought at a distance : for when the formidable force
of Cromwell, appeared, all was obedience and submission;
the gates were opened to the general, who attended the
speakers; and the rest of the members, peaceably to their
habitations. 4. The eleven impeached members, being
accused as causers of the tumult, were expelled, and most
of them retired to the continent. The mayor, sheriff, and
three aldermen were sent to the Tower; several citizens
and officers of the militia were committed to prison, and
the lines about the city were levelled to the ground. The
command of the Tower was given to Fairfax, the general;
and the parliament offered him their heartythanks for having
disobeyed their commands.
£• It now only remained to dispose of the king, who had
CHARLES I.
229
■been sent by tbe army a prisoner to Hampton Court ;
from whence he attempted to escape, but was once more
made prisoner in the Isle of Wight and confined in Carris-
brook Castle.
6. While the king continued in this forlorn situation, the
parliament, new modelled as it was by the army, was every
day growing more feeble and factious. He still, therefore,
continued to negociate with the parliament for settling the
unspeakable calamities of the kingdom. The parliament
saw no other method of destroying the military power than
to depress it by the kingly ; and frequent proposals for an
accommodation passed between the captive king and the
commons.
7 . But it was now too late; their power was soon totally
to expire; for the rebellious army, crowned with success,
was returned from the destruction of their enemies ; and,
sensible of their own power, with furious remonstrances
began to demand vengeance on their king. At the same
time they advanced to Windsor; and sending an officer to
seize the king’s person, where he was lately sent under
confinement, they conveyed him to Hurst Castle, in Hamp-
shire, opposite the Isle of Wight. 8. The commons,
however, though destitute of all hopes of prevailing, had.
still courage to resist; and attempted, in the face of the
whole army, to close their treaty with the king. But the
next day colonel Pride, at .the head of two regiments, block-
aded the house, seized in the passage forty-one members of
the Presbyterian party, and sent them to a low room be-
longing to the house, that passed by the denomination of
hell. 9. Above a hundred, and sixty members more were
excluded ; and none were allowed to enter but the most
furious and determined of the Independents, in all not ex-
ceeding sixty. This atrocious invasion of the parliamentary
rights commonly passed by the name of Pride’s Purge, and
the remaining members were called the Rump. These soon
voted that the transactions of the house a lew days before
were entirely illegal, and that their general’s conduct was
just and necessary.
10. A committee was appointed to bring in a charge
i against the king ; and a vote passed, declaring it treason in
a king to levy war against his parliament. A high court of
justice was accordingly appointed, to try his majesty for
this new-invented treason.
11. Colonel Harrison, the son of a butcher was com*
230
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
manded to conduct the king from Hurst Castle to W insdor,
and from thence to London. His afflicted subjects, who ran
to have a sight of their sovereign, were greatly affected
at the change that appeared in his face and person. He
had allowed his beard to grow; his hair was become vene-
rably gray, rather by the pressure of anxiety than the hand
of time ; while his apparel bore the marks of misfortune
and decay. 12. Thus he stood a solitary figure of majesty
in distress, which even his adversaries could not behold
without reverence and compassion. He had been long at-
tended only by an old decrepit servant, whose name was
sir Phillip Warwick, who could only deplore his master’s
fate, without being able to revenge his cause. 13. All the
exterior symbols of sovereignty were now withdrawn ; and
his new attendants had orders to serve him without cere-
mony. The duke of Hamilton, who was reserved for the
same punishment with his master, having leave to take a
last farewell as he departed from Windsor, threw himself at
the king’s feet, crying out, “My dear master 1” 14. The
unhappy monarch raised him up, and, embracing him ten-
derly replied, while tears ran down his cheeks, “I have
indeed been a dear master to you.” These were severe
distresses ; however he could not be persuaded that his ad-
versaries would bring him to a formal trial ; but he every
moment ^xpected to be despatched by private assassination.
15. From the sixth to the twentieth of January was spent
in making preparations for this extraordinary trial. The
court of justice consisted of a hundred and thirty-three
persons, named by the commons; but of these never above
seventy sat upon the trial. The members were chiefly
composed of the principal officers of the army, most of
them of very mean birth, together with some of the lower
house, and a few citizens of London. Bradshaw, a lawyer,
was chosen president ; Coke was appointed solicitor for the
people of England ; Dorislaus, Steele, and Aske were
named assistants. The court sat in Westminster-hall.
16. The king now was conducted from Windsor to St.
James’s, and the next day was brought before the high
court to take his trial. When he was brought forward,
he was conducted by the mace bearer to a chair placed
within the bar. Though long detained a prisoner, and now
produced as a criminal, he still sustained the dignity of a
king; he surveyed the members of the court with a stern
and haughty air; and, without moving his hat, sat down
CHARLES I.
231
while the members also were covered. 17. His charge was
then read by the solicitor, accusing him of having been the
cause of all the bloodshed which followed since the com-
mencement of the war ; at that part of the charge he could
not suppress a smile of contempt and indignation. After
his charge was finished, Bradshaw directed his discourse to
the king, and told him that the court expected his answer.
Questions for Examination.
1. What measures were pursued by the majority of the house of com-
mons?
2. How were they received by the army?
3. What was the conduct of the remaining members?
4. To whom was the command of the Tower given ?
5. Did not the king escape from the place of his confinement?
Where was he taken ?
6. Did lie continue to negotiate with the parliament?
7—9. Describe the conduct of the army on thi3 occasion.
11, 12. What was now the appearance of the king?
13. What passed between him and the duke of Hamilton?
15. How many persons sat on the king’s trial?
13. Who were the chief?
17. What was his behaviour on his trial?
What was the charge alleged against him?
SECTION vn.
Nor agonies, nor livid death, disgrace
The sacred features ot the monarch’s face ;
In the cold visage, mournfully serene.
The same indignant majesty is seen.— Rowe’s Lucan.
1. (A.D. 1648.) The king, with great temper, entered
upon his defence, by denying the authority of the court.
He represented, that having been engaged in a treaty with
his two houses of parliament, and having finished almost
every article, he expected a different treatment from that
which he now received. He perceived, he said, no appear-
ance of an upper house, which was necessary to constitute
a just tribunal. 2. That he was himself the king and the
fountain of law, and, consequently, could not be tried by
laws to which he had never given his assent; that having
been intrusted with the liberties of the people, he would
not now betray them, by recognising a power founded in
usurpation; that he was willing, before a proper tribunal,
to enter into the particulars of his defence; but that before
them he must decline any apology or plea of innocence,
lest he should be considered as the betrayer of, and not a
martyr fur, the constitution.
3, Bradshaw, in order to support the authority of the
232
HISTORY OF ENGL ANT
court, insisted that they had received their power from the
people, the source of all right. He pressed the prisoner
not to decline the authority of the court, which was dele-
gated by the commons of England ; and he interrupted and
overruled the king in his attempts to. reply.
4. In this manner the king was three times produced be-
fore the court, and as often he persisted in declining its
jurisdiction. The fourth and last time he was brought be-
fore the self-created tribunal ; as he was proceeding thither,
he was insulted by the soldiers and the mob, who exclaimed,
u Justice ! justice ! execution ! execution 1” but he continued
undaunted. His judges, having now examined some wit-
nesses, by whom it was proved that the king had appeared
in arms against the forces commissioned by parliament, pro-
nounced sentence against him.
5. The conduct of the king, under all these instances of
low-bred malice, was great, firm, and equal; in going through
the hall, the soldiers and the rabble were again instigated to
cry out, “ Justice and execution 1” They reviled him with
the most bitter reproaches. Among other insults, one mis-
creant presumed to spit in the face of his sovereign. He
patiently bore their insolence. “ Poor souls,” cried he,
“ they would treat their generals in the same manner for
sixpence.” 6. Those of the populace who still retained the
feelings of humanity, expressed their sorrow in sighs and
tears. A soldier, more compassionate than the rest, could
not help imploring a blessing upon his royal head. An
officer, overhearing him, struck the honest sentinel to the
ground before the king, who could not help saying that the
punishment exceeded the offence.
7. After returning from this solemn mockery of justice,
the unhappy monarch petitioned the house for permission
to see his children, and desired the attendance of Dr. Juxon,
bishop of London, to assist in his private devotions. Both
requests were immediately granted, and three days were
allowed to prepare for the execution of the sentence. This
interval was spent by Charles in the exercises of devotion,
and in administering consolation to his unhappy family.
8. During the progress of the trial, fhe French and Dutch
ambassadors vainly interceded in his behalf; and the Scots,
who had set the first example of resistance to his authority,
now remonstrated against the violence offered to his person
and dignity. 9. After his condemnation, the queen and the
prince of Wales wrote the most pathetic letters to the par
CHARLES I.
233
Execution of King Charles I., 1649.
liament, but nothing could divert the stern regicides from
their atrocious design.
10. The king was confined in the palace of St. James's,
but the place selected for erecting the scaffold was the
street before the palace of Whitehall. 11. On the morning
of the execution he rose early, and, having spent some time
in private devotion, received the sacrament from the hands
■of bishop Juxon; he was then conducted on foot through
the park to Whitehall, and partook of some slight refresh-
ment; after a brief delay, he advanced to the place of execu-
tion, attended still by his friend and servant, Dr. Juxon. who
used every exertion to soothe the last moments of his unfor-
tunate master. 12. The scaffold, which was covered with
black, was guarded by a regiment of soldiers, under the
command of colonel Tomlinson, and under it were to be seen
a block, the axe, and two executioners in masks. The
people, in immense crowds, stood at a great distance, in
dreadful expectation of the event. The king surveyed all
these solemn preparations with calm composure ; and as he
could not expect to be heard by the people at a distance, he
addressed himself to the few persons who stood around him.
13. He there justified his own innocence in the late fatal
war ; and observed, that he had not taken arms till after the
parliament had shewn him the example. That he had no
other object in his warlike preparations than to preserve that
234 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
authority entire, which had been transmitted to him by his
ancestors; but though innocent towards his people, he
acknowledged the equity of his execution in the eyes of his
Maker. 14. He owned that he was justly punished for hav-
ing consented to the execution of an unjust sentence upon
the earl of Strafford. He forgave all his enemies ; exhorted
the people to return to their obedience, and acknowledged
his sen as his successor ; and signed his attachment tp the
Protestant religion, as professed in the church of England.
So strong was the impression his dying words made upon
the few who could hear him, that colonel Tomlinson himself,
to whose care he had been committed, acknowledged himself
a convert.
15. While he was preparing himself for the block, bishop
Juxon called out to him, “ There is, sir, but one stage more,
which, though turbulent and troublesome, is yet a very
short one. It will soon carry you a great way. It will carrv
you from earth to heaven ; and there you shall find, to your
great joy, the prize to which you hasten, a crown of glory.”
16. “I go,” replied the king, “from a corruptible to an
incorruptible crown, where no disturbance can have place.”
— “ You exchange,” replied the bishop, a temporal for an
eternal crown ; a good exchange I” Charles, having taken
off his cloak, delivered his George to the prelate, pronouncing
the word “ Remember 1” Then he laid his neck on the
block, and, stretching out his hands as a signal, one of the
executioners severed his head from his body at a blow;
while the other, holding it up, exclaimed, “ This is the head
of a traitor 1” 17. The spectators testified their horror of
the sad spectacle in sighs, tears, and lamentations ; the tide
of their duty and affection began to return ; and each blamed
himself either with active disloyalty to his king, or a passive
compliance with his destroyers. .
18. Charles was executed in the forty-ninth year of his
age, and the twenty-fourth of his reign. He was of a middle
stature, robust, and well-proportioned. His visage was
pleasing but melancholy ; and it is. probable that the con-
tinued troubles in which he was involved might have made
that impression on his countenance. As for his character
the reader will deduce it, with more precision and satisfa<>
tion to himself, from the detail of his conduct, than from any
summary given of it by the historian.
THE COMMONWEALTH.
235
Questions for Examination.
L 2. What did the king urge in his defence?
3. What was the answer of Bradshaw?
4. What treatment did he receive from the soldiers?
51 With what patience did he bear their reproaches, and what was bis
remark?
7, 8. Whatfollowed the king’s condemnation?
9, 10. What spot was chosen as the place of the king’s execution?
12. What preparations were made for his trial?
13, 14. Wnat did he say in his address to the people?
15, 16. What conversation pa sed between the king and bishop Juxon?
17. What effect had his execution pn the minds of the people?
18. How long did Charles reign?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.D.
Urbain VIII 1623
Innocent X 1644
Emperors of Germany.
Ferdinand II 1619
Ferdinand III 1637
Emperors of the Turks.
A.D.
AmurathIV.. ..1623
Ibrahim 1649
Mahomet IV 1649
Kings of France.
Louis XIII, 1620
Louis XIV.. 1643
King of Spain and
Portugal.
A.D.
Philip IV 1621
Portugal alone.*
John IV 1640
EMINENT PERSONAGES.
Archbishop Laud. Earl of Strafford. John Hampden. Lucius Cary,
lord Falkland. Harry Cary, Lord Falkland- M. Montague, earl ofMan-
chester. It. Greville, lord Brooke. Lord-keeper Littleton. Arthur,
lord Capel. Lord Edward Herbert, of Cherbury. G. Stanley, earl of
Derby. J. Digby, earl of Bristol. Ulicke de Burgh, marquis of Clanri-
carde, and earl of St. Albans. Henry Carey, earl of Monmouth. Mild-
may Fane, earl of Westmoreland. E. Somerset, mar quis of Worcester.
CHAPTER XXIX.
OLIVER CROMWELL.
Bom 1599. Died September 3. 1658. Became lord protector December
16, 1653. Puled 4j years.
THE COMMONWEALTH.
SECTION I.
Though cunning, bold ; and though intrepid, sage,— Eger Ion.
1. (A. D. 1649.) Cromwell, who had secretly solicited
and contrived the king’s death, now began to feel wishes
to which he had been hitherto a stranger. His prospects
widening as he rose, his first principles of liberty were
* The Portuguese shook off the Spanish yoke, and elected John, duke
of Braganza, their king.
236
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
all lost in the unbounded stretch of power that lay before
him.
2. Having been appointed to command the army in Ire-
land, he prosecuted the war in that kingdom with his usual
success. He had to combat against the royalists, com-
manded by the duke of Ormond, and the native Irish, led ou
by O’Neil. ,But such ill-connected and barbarous troops
could give very little opposition to Cromwell’s more nu-
merous forces, conducted by such a general, and emboldened
by long success. He soon overran the whole country ; and,
after some time, all the towns revolted in his favour, and
opened their gates at his approach. 3. But, in these con-
quests, as in all the rest of his actions, there appeared a
brutal ferocity, that would tarnish the most heroic valour.
In order to intimidate the natives from defending their towns,
he, with a barbarous policy, put every garrison that made
any resistance to the sword.
4. After his return to England, upon taking his seat, he
received the thanks of the house, by the mouth of the
speaker, for the services he had done the commonwealth in
Ireland. They then proceeded to deliberate upon choosing
a general for conducting the war in Scotland, where they
had espoused the royal cause, and placed young Charles,
the son of their late monarch, on the throne. Fairfax re-
fusing this command upon principle, as he had all along
declined opposing the Presbyterians, the command necessa-
rily devolved upon Cromwell, who boldly set forward for
Scotland, at the head of an army of sixteen thousand men.
5. The Scots in the mean time, who had invited over
their wretched king to be a prisoner, not a ruler among them,
prepared to meet the invasion. (A. D. 1650.) A battle soon
ensued, in which they, though double the number of the
English, were soon put to flight, and pursued with great
slaughter, while Cromwell did not lose above forty men
in all.
6. In this terrible exigence young Charles embraced a
resolution worthy a prince who was willing to hazard all
for empire. Observing that the way was open to England,
he resolved immediately to march into that country, where
he expected to be reinforced by all the royalists in that part
of the kingdom.
1 . But he soon found himself disappointed in the expec-
tation of increasing his army. The Scots, terrified at the
prospect of so hazardous an enterprise, fell from him in great
THE COMMONWEALTH.
23 ?
numbers. The English, affrighted at the name of his ■ op-
ponent, dreaded to join him; but his mortifications were
still more increased as he arrived at Worcester, when, in-
formed that Cromwell was marching with hasty strides from
Scotland, with an army increased to forty thousand men.
8. The news had scarcely arrived, when that active general
himself' appeared ; and falling upon the town on all sides,
broke in upon the disordered royalists.. The streets were
strewed with slaughter ; the whole Scots’ army were either
killed or taken prisoners; and the king himself, having
given many proofs of personal valour, was obliged to fly.
9. Imagination can scarcely conceive adventures more
romantic or distress more severe, than those which attended
the young king’s flight from the scene of slaughter. After
various escapes, and one-and-forty days’ concealment, he
landed safely at Feschamp in Normandy ; no less than forty
men and women having, at different times, been privy to his
escape.
10. The particulars of Charles’ escape, after the battle of
Worcester are truly interesting. He left the fatal scene of
action accompanied by the duke of Buckingham, the earls
of Derby and Lauderdale, the lords Talbot, Wilmot, and
fifty horse; and, without halting, arrived at Whiteladies,
twenty.five miles from Worcester, at five o’clock in the
morning. There he thought it best for his safety to separate
from his companions ; and, without intrusting them with his
intentions, he went to Boscobel, a lone house in Staffordshire,
inhabited by one Penderell, a farmer, whose fidelity remained
unshaken, though death was denounced against all who
concealed the king,, and a great reward promised to any one
who phould betray him. Penderell, and his four brothers,
having clothed the king in a garb like their own, led- him
into the neighbouring wood, put a bill into his hand, and em-
ployed themselves in cutting faggots with him. For better
concealment he mounted upon an oak where he sheltered
himself among the branches and leaves for twenty -four hours.
There he saw several soldiers passing in search of him.
This tree was afterwards called the royal oak, and for many
years was regarded by the neighbourhood with great venera-
tion. Thence he passed with imminent danger from one
cottage to another, feeling all the varieties of famine, fatigue,
and pain, till he reached the house of Mr. Lane, a gentleman
of good reputation and fortune in Staffordshire. In this
station the king remained many days in quiet and security,
238 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Thence lie went to one of Mr. Lane’s relations, within five
miles of Bristol, where he intended to embark ; but finding
that no ship was to sail for a month from that place, he
was obliged to go elsewhere for a passage, and escaped from
being discovered and arrested at Lyme, only by a few
minutes. Charles passed through many other adventures,
assumed different disguises, in every step was exposed to
imminent dangers, and received daily proofs of uncorrupted
fidelity. A little bark was at last found at Brighthelmstone,
(at that time a small fishing-town in Sussex, but now a place
of considerable magnitude and opulence,) where his majesty
embarked, and arrived safely at Feschamp, in Normandy,
October-22.
11. In the meantime, Cromwell, crowned with success,
returned in triumph to London, where he was met by the
speaker of the house, accompanied by the mayor of London,
and the magistrates, in all their formalities. His first care
was to take advantage of his late success, by depressing the
Scots, who had so lately withstood the work of the gospel,
as he called it. 12. An act was passed for abolishing, roy-
alty in Scotland, and annexing that kingdom, as a conquered
province, to the English commonwealth. It was empowered,
however, to send some members to the English parliament.
Judges were appointed to distribute justice; and the people
of that country, now freed from the tyranny of the ecclesias-
tics, were not much dissatisfied with their present govern-
ment. The prudent conduct of Monk, who was left by Crom-
well to complete their subjection, served much to reconcile
the minds of the people, harassed with dissensions, of which
they never well understood the cause.
13. In this manner, the English parliament, by the means
of Cromwell, spread their un contested authority over all the
British dominions. Ireland was totally subdued by Ireton
and Ludlow. All the settlements in America, that had
declared for the royal cause, were obliged to submit ; Jersey, .
Guernsey, Scilly, and the Isle of Man, were brought easily
under subjection. Thus mankind saw, with astonishment,
a parliament composed of sixty or seventy obscure and illi-
terate members governing a great empire with unanimity
and success 14. Without any acknowledged subordination
except a council of state, consisting of thirty-eight, to whom
all addresses were made, they levied armies, maintained
fleets, and gave laws to the neighbouring powers of Europe.
15. The finances were managed with economy and exact-
(The commonwealth.
ness. Few private persons became rich, by the plunder of
the public ; the revenues of the crown, the lands of the
bishops, and a tax of a hundred and twenty thousand pounds
each month, supplied the wants of the government, and gave
vigour to all their proceedings.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the nature of Cromwell’s ambition ?
2. What success attended him in Ireland ?
3. What cruelty tarnished his victories ?
t. Whom did the parliament appoint to the command of the army
against Scotland ?
6. What was Cromwell’s success ?
6. What resolution did prince Charles embrace ?
7. W hat news did the prince receive at Worcester ?
8. What was the result of his undertaking 1
9. What were his sufferings, and how did he escape ?
10. Mention more particularly the incidents of this escape ?
11. What was Cromwell’s first care after his return ?
12. What act was now passed respecting Scotland '/
13—15. What was the state of the British empire at this time ?
SECTION II.
An evil soul, producing holy writ.
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek ;
A goodly apple rotten at the core.— Shakspeare.
1. (A.. D. 1652.) The parliament, having thug reduced
their native dominions to perfect obedience, next resolved
to chastise the Dutch, who had given but very slight cause
of complaint. It happened that one doctor Dorislaus, who
was of the number of the late king’s judges, being sent by
the parliament as their envoy to Holland, was assassinated
by one of the royal party, who had taken refuge there.
2. Some time after, also, Mr. St. John, appointed their
ambassador to that court, was insulted by the friends of the
prince of Orange. These were thought motives sufficient
to induce the commonwealth of England to declare war
against them. The parliament’s chief dependence lay in
the activity and courage of Blake, th^jr admiral; who
though he had not embarked in naval command till late in
life, yet surpassed all. that went before him in courage and
dexterity. 3. On the other side, the Dutch opposed to him
•240
HISTORY 0£’ ENGLAND.
their famous admiral Yon Tromp, to whom they have never
since produced an equal. Many were the engagements
between these celebrated admirals, and various was their
success. Sea lights, in general, seldom prove decisive ; and
the vanquished are soon seen to make head against the
victor. Several dreadful encounters, therefore, rather served
to. shew tlie excellence of the admirals than to determine
their superiority. 4. The Dutch, however, who felt many
great disadvantages by the loss of their trade, and by the
total suspension of their fisheries, were willing to treat for
a peace ; but the parliament gave them a very unfavourable
answer. It was the policy of that body to keep their navy
on foot as long as they could; rightly judging, that, while
the force of the nation was exerting by sea, it would diminish
the power of general Cromwell by land, which wa3 become
very formidable to them.
5. This great aspirer, however, quickly perceived their
designs ; and, from the first, saw that they dreaded his
growing power, and wished its diminution. All his mea-
sures were conducted with a bold intrepidity that marked
his character, and he now saw that it was not necessary to
wear the mask of subordination any longer. Secure, there-
fore, in the attachment of the army, he resolved to make
another daring effort ; and persuaded the officers to present
a petition for payment of arrears and redress of grievances,
which he knew would be rejected by the commons with dis-
dain. 6. The petition was soon drawn up and presented, in
which the officers, after demanding their arrears, desired the
parliament to consider how many years they had sat; and
what professions they had formerly made of their intentions
to new-model the house, and establish freedom on the broad-
est basis.
7. The house was highly offended at the presumption of
the army, although they had seen, but too lately, that their
own power was wholly founded on that very presumption.
They appointed a committee to prepare an act ordaining
that all persons who presented such petitions for the future
should be deemed guilty of high-treason. To this the offi-
cers made a very warm remonstrance, and the parliament
as angry a reply; while the breach between them every
moment grew wider. 8. This was what Cromwell had long
wished, and had *long foreseen. He ‘was sitting in the
council with his officers, when informed of the subject on
which the house was deliberating; upon which he rose up
THE COMMONWEALTH.
241
Cromwell dismissing the parliament.
in the most seeming fury, and, turning to major Vernon, he
cried out that he was compelled to do a thing that made the
very hairs of his head stand on end. 9. Then hastening to
the house with three hundred soldiers, and, with the marks
of violent indignation on his countenance, he entered.
Stamping with his foot, which was the signal for the soldiers
to enter, the place was immediately filled with armed men.
Then addressing himself to the members: “For shame,”
said he, “get you gone. Give place to honester men; to
those who will more faithfully discharge their trust. 10.
You are no longer a parliament : I tell you you are no longer
a parliament: the Lord has done with you.” Sir Harry
Vane exclaiming against this conduct: “ Sir Harry,” cried
Cromwell, with a loud voice, “ 0 1 sir Harry Vane, ^he Lord
deliver me from sir Harry Vane.” He then, in the coarsest
and most violent manner, reproached many of the members,
by name, with their vices. “ It is you,” continued he,
“that have forced me upon this. 11. I have sought the
Lord night and day, that he would rather slay me than put
me upon this work.” Then pointing to the mace, “ Take
away,” cried he, “ that bauble.” After which, turning out
all the members, and clearing the hall, he ordered the doors
to be locked, and, putting the key in his pocket, returned to
Whitehall.
Q
242
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
12. The persons selected for his next parliament were the
lowest, meanest, and the most ignorant among the citizens,
and the very dregs of the fanatics. He was well apprised,
that, during the administration of such a group of characters,
he alone must govern, or that they must soon throw up the
reins of government, which they were unqualified to guide.
Accordingly, their practice justified his sagacity. One of
them particularly, who was called Praise God Barebone, a
canting leather seder, gave his name to this odd assembly,
and it was called Barebone’ s Parliament.
IS. The very vulgar now began to exclaim against so
foolish a legislature; and they themselves seemed 'not insen-
sible of the ridicule which every day was thrown out against
them. Accordingly, by concert, they met earlier than the
rest of their fraternity, and observing to each other that this
parliament had sat long enough, they hastened to Cromwell,
with Rouse their speaker at their head, and into his hands
they resigned the authority with which he had invested them.
Questions for Examination.
1. What circumstances produced a war with the Dutch ?
2. On what admiral did the English place their chief dependence ?
3. To whom was Blake opposed ?
4. What was the result of the war ?
6. What petition did Cromwell persuade the officers to present f
7. In what manner did the parliament receive the petition ?
8 — 11. Relate the particulars of this dispute, and its result.
12. Of whom was the next parliament composed, and whatwaait called 1
13. To whom did they resign their authority ?
SECTION - HI.
Established violence and lawless might,
Avowed and hallowed by the name of right.— Rowe’s Lucan.
1. (A. D. 1653.) Cromwell accepted their resignation
with pleasure; but being told that some of the members
were refractory, he sent colonel White to clear-the house of
such as ventured to remain there. They had placed one
Moyer in the chair by the time the colonel arrived, and,
being asked by the colonel what they did there, Moyer
replied, very gravely, that they were seeking the Lord.
“ Then may you go elsewhere,” cried White, “for, to my
certain knowledge, the Lord has not been here these many
years.”
2. This shadow of a parliament being dissolved, the offi-
cers, by their own authority, declared Cromwell protector
THE COMMONWEALTH.
243
of the commonwealth of England. He was to be addressed
by the title of highness ; and his power was proclaimed in
London, and other parts of the kingdom. Thus an obscure
and vulgar man, at the age of fifty-three, rose to unbounded
power ; first by following small events in his favour, and at
length by directing great ones.
3. Cromwell chose his council from among his officers,
who had been the companions of his dangers and his victo-
ries, to each, of whom he assigned a pension of one thousand
pounds a year. He took care to have his troops, upon
whose fidelity he depended for support, paid a month in
advance; the magazines were also well provided, and the
public treasure managed with frugality and care ; while his
activity, vigilance, and resolution were such, that he dis-
covered every conspiracy against his person, and every plot
for an insurrection, before they took effect.
4. His management of foreign affairs, though his schemes
were by no means political, yet well corresponded with his
character, and for a while were attended with success. The
Dutch, having been humbled by repeated defeats, and totally
abridged of their commercial concerns, were obliged at last
to sue for peace, which he gave them upon terms rather too
favourable. 5. He insisted upon their paying deference to
the British flag; he compelled them to abandon the interest
of the king, and to pay eighty-five thousand pounds, as an
indemnification for former expenses ; and to restore the Eng-
lish East India Company a part of those dominions of which
they had been dispossessed by the Dutch, during the former
reign, in that distant part of the world.
6. He was not less successful in his negotiation with the
court of France. Cardinal Mazarin, by whom the affairs
of that kingdom were conducted, deemed it necessary to pay
deference to the protector ; and desirous rather to prevail by
dexterity than violence, submitted to Cromwell’s imperious
character, and thus procured ends equally beneficial to both.
7. The court of Spain was not less assiduous in its endea-
vours to gain his friendship, but was not so successful.
This vast monarchy, which, but a few years before, had
threatened the liberties of Europe, was now reduced so low
■ as to be scarcely able to defend itself. Cromwell, however,
who knew nothing of foreign politics, still continued to
regard its power with an eye of jealousy, and came into ah
association with France to depress it still more. 8. He lent
that court, a body of six thousand men to attack the Spanish
244
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
dominions in the Netherlands ; and, upon obtaining a signal
victory by bis assistance at Dunes, the French put Dunkirk,
which they had just taken from the Spaniards, into his
hands, as a reward for his attachment.
9. But it was by sea that he humbled the power of Spain
with still more effectual success. Blake, who had long
made himself formidable to the Dutch, and whose fame was
spread over Europe, now became still more dreadful to the
Spanish monarchy. He sailed with a fleet into the Mediter-
ranean, whether, since the time of the crusades, no English
fleet had ever ventured to advance. He there conquered
all that dared to oppose him. 10. Casting anchor before
Leghorn, he demanded and obtained satisfaction for some
injuries which the English commerce had suffered from the
duke of Tuscany. He next sailed to Algiers, and compelled
the Dey to make peace, and to restrain his piratical subjects
from further injuring the English. 11. (A. D. 1655.) He
then Vent to Tunis, and, having made the same demands,
was desired by the Dey of that place to look at the two castles,
Porto Forino and Goletta, and do his utmost. Blake shewed
him that he was not slow in accepting the challange ; entered
that harbour, burned the shipping there, and then sailed out
triumphantly to pursue his voyage. At Cadiz he took two
galleons, valued at nearly two millions of dollars. 12. At
the Canaries he burned a Spanish fleet of sixteen ships ; and
returning home to England, to enjoy the fame of his noble
actions, as he came within sight of his native country he
expired. This gallant man, though he fought for an usurper,
was yet adverse to his cause ; he was a zealous republican
in principle, and his aim was to serve his country, not to
establish a tyrant. “ It is still our duty,” he would say to
the seamen, u to fight for our country into whatever hands
the government may fall.”
13. At the same time that Blake’ e expeditions were going
forward, there was another carried on under the command
of admirals Penn and Venables, with about four thousand
land forces, to attack the island of Hispaniola. Failing,
however, in this, and being driven off the place by the Spa-
niards, they steered to Jamaica, which was surrendered to
them without a blow. So little was thought of the import-
ance of this conquest, that, upon the return of the expedi-
tion, Penn and Venables were sent to the Tower, for their
failure in the principal object of their expedition.
14. But it must not be supposed that Cromwell’s situation
THE COMMONWEALTH.
245
was at that time enviable. Perhaps no situation, however
mean or loaded with contempt, could be more truly distress-
ing than his at the time the nation were loading him with
congratulations and addresses. He had by this time rendered
himself hateful to every party ; and he owed his safety
to their mutual hatred and diffidence of each other. 15. His
arts of dissimulation had been long exhausted; none could
now be deceived by them ; those of his own party and prin-
ciples disdained the use to which he had converted his zeal
and professions. The truth seems to be, if we may use
the phrase taken from common life, he had begun with being
a dupe to his own enthusiasm, and ended with being a
sharper.
16. The whole nation silently detested his adminstration,
but he had not still been reduced to the extreme of wretch-
edness, if he could have found domestic consolation. Fleet-
wood, his son-in-law, actuated with the wildest zeal, detest-
ed that character which could use religious professions for
the purposes of temporal advancement. 17. His eldest
daughter, married to Fleetwood, had adopted republican
principles so vehemently, that she could not behold even
her own father intrusted with uncontrollable power. His
other daughters were no less sanguine in favour of the royal
cause; but, above all, Mrs. Claypole, his favourite daughter,
upon her death-bed, upbraided him with all those crimes that
had led him to trample on the throne.
18. Every hour added some new disquietude. Lord
Fairfax, sir William Waller, and many of the heads of the
Presbyterians, had secretly entered into an engagement to
destroy him. His administration, so expensive both at home
and abroad, had exhausted his revenue, and he was left con-
siderably in debt. 19. One conspiracy was no sooner de-
tected, than another rose from its ruins ; and, to increase the
calamity, he was now taught, upon reasoning principles, that
his death was not only desirable, but his assassination would
be meritorious. A book was published by colonel Titus, a
man who had formerly been attached to his cause, entitled,
11 Killing no Murder.” 20. Of all the pamphlets that came
forth at that time, or perhaps of those that have since ap-
peared, this was the most eloquent and masterly. “ Shall
we,” said this popular declaimer, u who would not suffer
the lion to invade us, tamely stand to be devoured by the
wolf?” Cromwell read this spirited treatise and was neyey
seen to smile more,
246
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
1. Mention what followed the resignation of this parliament?
2. What important eveuts succeeded ?
3 — 5. What were the first acts of Cr omwell ? .
6, 7. In what manner did lie act towards Prance and Spam .
9 — 12. Relate the bold and successful enterprises of admiral Jjlake .
13. What other admirals did Crumwell employ, and with what success?
14, 15. What was Cromwell’s situation at this time ?
16, 17. What were his domestic troubles ?
18. Who entered into an engagement to destroy him ?
19. What effect had the pamphlet written by colonel Titus on lum ?
SECTION IY
He left a name at which the world grew pale.
To point a moral or adorn a tale.— Johnson.
1. (A. D. 1658.) All peace was now forever banished
from his mind ; and he found that the grandeur to which he
had sacrificed his former peace was only an inlet to fresh
inquietudes. The fears of assassination haunted him in all
his walks, and were perpetually present in his imagination.
He wore armour under his clothes, and always kept pistols
in his pockets. 2. His aspect was clouded by a settled
gloom, and he regarded every stranger with a glance of timid
suspicion. He always travelled with hurry, and was ever
attended by a numerous guard. He never returned from any
place by the road he went ; and seldom slept above three
nights together in the same chamber. Society terrified him,
as there he might meet an enemy ; solitude was terrible, as
he was there unguarded by every friend.
3. A tertian ague came kindly at last to deliver him from
this life of horror and anxiety. For the space of a week no
dangerous symtoms appeared; and in the intervals of the
fits he was able to walk abroad. At length the fever increased,
and he became delirious. He was just able to answer yes
to the demand, whether his son Richard should be appointed
to succeed him. He died on the third day of September, the
very day which he had always considered as the most for-
tunate of his life ; he was then fifty-nine years old, and had
usurped the government nine years.
4. Whatever might have been the difference of interests
after the death of the usurper, the influence of his name was
still sufficient to get Richard, his son, proclaimed protector
in his room. But the army, discontented with such a leader,
established a meeting at general Fleetwood’s, which, as he
dwelt at Wallingford-house, was called the cabal of Wah
THE COMMONWEALTH.
247
lingford. The result of their deliberation was a remon-
strance, that the command of the army should be intrusted
to some person in whom they might all confide ; and it was
plainly given to understand that the young protector was
not that person.
5. Richard wanted resolution to defend the title that had
been conferred upon him ; he soon signed his own abdication
in form, and retired to live, several years after his resigna-
tion, at first on the continent, and afterwards upon his pater-
nal fortune at home. He was thought by the ignorant to be
unworthy the happiness of his exaltation ; but he knew, by
his tranquillity in private, that he had made the most fortu-
nate exchange.
While Richard Cromwell was on his travels, under an
assumed name, he was introduced to the prince of Conti, who,
talking of England, broke out into admiration of Cromwell’s
courage and capacity : 11 But as for that poor pitiful fellow,
Richard,” said he, “ what has become of him ? How could
he be such a blockhead as to reap no greater benefit from all
his father’s crimes and successes?” We have, however,
abundant proof that Richard was fonder of the social virtues
than of noisy fame, and .justly appreciated the calm enjoy-
ments of retirement. When, on assuming the protectorship,
one of his adherents pressed him to exert more vigour
against the royalists, he said “ I positively forbid shedding
the blood of a single man in my cause. I would rather
relinquish the post I hold, than proceed to such unwarrant-
able extremities. I wish to retain my situation no longer
than shall be consistent with the public good, and the wishes
of those I goverp.” His peaceful and quiet life extended to
the age of 86 ; and he died in the year 1712, at the latter end
of queen Anne’s reign.
6. The officers, being once more left to themselves, deter-
mined to replace the remnant of the old parliament which
had beheaded the king, and which Cromwell had so dis-
gracefully turned out of the house.
7. The rump parliament, for that was the name it went
by, being now reinstated, was yet very vigorous in its at-
tempts to lessen the power by which it was replaced. The
officers of the army, therefore, came to a resolution, usual
enough in those times, to dissolve that assembly by which
they were so vehemently opposed. 8. Accordingly, Lam-
bert, one of the generals, drew up a chosen body of troops,
and, placing them in the streets which led to W estminstei*
248
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
hall, when the speaker, Lenthall, proceeded in his carriage
to the house, he ordered the horses to be turned, and very
civilly conducted him home. The other members were like-
wise intercepted, and the army returned to their quarters to
observe a solemn feast, which generally either preceded or
attended their outrages.
9. During these transactions, general Monk was at the
head of eight thousand veterans in Scotland, and beheld the
distractions of his native country with but slender hopes of
relieving it.
10. Whatever might have been his designs, it was impos-
sible to cover them with greater secrecy than he did. As
soon as he put his army in motion, to inquire into the cause
of the disturbances in the capital, his countenance was
eagerly sought by all the contending parties. He still, how-
ever, continued to march his army towards the capital ; the
whole country equally in doubt as to his motives, and
astonished at his reserve. But Monk continued his inflexi-
ble taciturnity, and at last came to St. Albans, within a few
miles of London.
11. He there sent the rump parliament, who had resumed
their seat, a message, desiring thorn to remove such forces
as remained in London to country quarters. In the mean-
time, the house of commons having passed votes for the
composure of the kingdom, dissolved themselves, and gave
orders for the immediate assembling of a new parliament.
12. As yet the new parliament was not assembled, and no
person had hitherto dived into the designs of the general.
(A. D. 1660.) He still persevered in his reserve; and
although the calling of a new parliament was but, in other
words, to restore the king, yet his expressions never once
betrayed the secret of his bosom. Nothing but a security
of confidence at last extorted the confession from him. 13.
He had been intimate with one Morrice, a gentleman of
Devonshire, of a sedentary studious disposition, and with him
alone did he deliberate upon the great and dangerous enter-
prise of the restoration. Sir John Granville, who had a
commission from the king, applied for access to the general;
he was desired to communicate his business to Morrice.
14. Granville refused, though twice urged, to deliver his
message to any but the general himself; so that Monk, find-
ing he could depend upon this minister’s Secrecy, opened to
him his whole intentions ; but, with his usual caution, still
scrupled to commit anything to paper. In consequence of
THE COMMONWEALTH.
249
this, the king left the Spanish territories, where he very nar-
rowly escaped being detained at Breda by the governor, under
the pretence of treating him with proper respect and forma-
lity. Thence he retired into Holland, where he rosolved to
wait for further advice.
15. At length the long-expected day for the sitting of a
free parliament arrived. The affections of all were turned
towards the king; yet such were their fears, and such
dangers attended a freedom of speech, that no one dared for
some days to make any mention of his name. All this time
Monk, with his usual reserve, tried their temper, and exa-
mined the ardour of their wishes; at length he gave direc-
tions to Annesly, president of the council, to inform them
that sir J ohn Granville, a servant of the king, had been sent
over by his majesty, and was now at the door with a letter to
the commons.
16. Nothing could exceed the joy and transport with which
this message was received. The members, for a moment,
forgot the dignity of their situations, and indulged in a loud
acclamation of applause. Granville was called in, and the
letter eagerly read. A moment’ s pause was scarcely allowed .-
all at once the house burst into a universal assent to the king’s
proposals ; and to diffuse the joy more widely, it was voted
that the letter and indemnity should immediately be pub-
lished.
17. Charles n. entered London on the twenty-ninth of
May, which was his birth-day. An innumerable concourse
of people lined the way wherever he passed, and rent the
air with their acclamations. They had been so long dis-
tracted by unrelenting factions, oppressed and alarmed by a
succession of tyrannies, that they could no longer suppress
these emotions of delight, to behold their constitution
restored, or rather, like a phasnix, appearing more beautiful
and vigourous from the ruins of its former conflagration.
18. Fanaticism, with its long train of gloomy terrors, fled
at the approach of freedom ; the arts of society and peace
began to return ; and it had been happy for the people if the
arts of luxury had not entered in their train.*
* A great number of religious sects sprung up in England during the
civil wars. That of the Quakers was the most remarkable. The founder
was George Fox, born at Drayton, in Lancashire, in 1624,
250
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
1, 2. What was the state of Cromwell’s mind, and what was his con* (
duct previous to his death ? . ,
3. When did he die ? at what age ? and how long did he reign ?
5. What mode of life did Richard Cromwell prcler ?
6. What measures were now determined upon ?
7. 8. What consequences followed ?
9—12. What was now the conduct of general Monk ?
13. In whom did general Monk confide t , ,. ,
16. Relate the particulars which preceded the king’s restoration r
17. At what time did Charles H. enter London, and what was his recep-
tion ? *
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A.D.
Innocent X 1644
Alexander VII — 1655
Emperors of Germany .
Ferdinand HI .... 1637
Leopold 1658
Emperor of the Turlcs.
Mahomet IV 1649
King of France.
A/D.
Louis XIV 1649
King of Spain.
Philip IV 1621
Kings of Portugal.
John IV 1640
Alphonso 1656
Kiag of Denmark.
A.D.
Frederick III 1648
King and Queen of
Sweden.
Christiana 1633
Charles X... 1653
EMINENT PERSONS.
John Milton ;* Waller ; Davenant ; Cowley; sir John Denham ;
Harrington ; Harvey ; Clarendon ; Selden ; Hobbs. Admirals Blake
Montague, &c. ; Generals Bradshaw, Ireton, Fairfax, Monk, Lambert,
Fleetwood ; the earl of Essex ; sir Henry Vane ; Bulstrode Whiterock,
lord keeper.
* Milton was the greatest epic poet that England, perhaps that the
world has ever produced. He held the situation of Latin Secretary
under Oliver Cromwell, and was permitted to retain the emoluments of
his office after he had become blind. After the Restoration he was
deprived of his office : and it was amid all the distress arising from
blindness, age, and poverty, that Paradise Lost, the most sublime poem
which adorns any language, was written.
CHARLES II.
251
CHAPTER XXX.
CHARLES H.
Bora 1630. Died February 6, 1685. Began to reign May 29, 1660.
ltoigncd 24| years.
SECTION I.
Already quench’d sedition’s brand.
And zeal, which burnt it, only warms the land. — Dryden.
1. (A. D. 1661.) When Charles came to the throne he
was thirty years of age, possessed of an agreeable person,
an elegant address, and an engaging manner. His whole
demeanour and behaviour was well calculated to support
and increase popularity. Accustomed, during his exile, to
live cheerfully among his courtiers, he carried the same
endearing familiarities to the throne ; and, from the levity
of his temper, no injuries were dreaded from his former
resentments. 2. But it was soon found that all these ad-
vantages were merely superficial. His indolence and love
of pleasure made him averse to all kinds of business; his
familiarities w r ere prostituted to the worst as well as to the
best of his subjects ; and he took no care to reward his
former friends, as he had taken few steps to be avenged of
his former enemies.
3. Though an act of indemnity was passed, those, who
had an immediate hand in the king’s death were excepted.
— Cromwell, Ireton, and Bradshaw, though dead, were con-
sidered as proper objects of resentment; their bodies were
dug from their graves, dragged to the jHace of execution,
and, after hanging some time, buried under the gallows.
4. Of the rest who sat in judgment in the late monarch’s
trial, some were dead, and some thought worthy of pardon.
Ten only, out of fourscore, were devoted to destruction.
These were enthusiasts, who had all along acted from
principle, and who, in the general spirit of rage excited
against them, shewed a fortitude that might do honour to a
better cause.
5. This was the time for the king to have made himself
independent of all parliaments; and it is said that South-
ampton, one of his ministers, had thought of procuring his
master, from the commons, the grant of a revenue of two
millions a year, which would have effectually rendered him
252
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
absolute ; but in this his views were obstructed by the great
Clarendon, who, though attached to the king, was still more
the friend of liberty and the laws. 6. Charles, however, was
no way interested in these opposite views of his ministers;
he only desired money in order to prosecute his pleasures ;
and, provided he had that, he little regarded the manner in
which it was obtained.
7. His continual exigencies drove him constantly to mea-
sures no way suited to his inclination. Among others was
his marriage, celebrated at this time, with Catharine, infanta
of Portugal, who, though a virtuous princess, possessed, as
it would seem, but few personal attractions. It was the
portion of this princess that the needy monarch was ena-
moured of, which amounted to three hundred thousand
pounds, together with the fortresses of Tangier in Africa, and
of Bombay in the East Indies. 8. The chancellor Clarendon,
the duke of Ormond, and Southampton, urged many reasons
against this match, and opposed it with all their influence ;
but the king disregarded their advice, and the inauspicious
marrjage was celebrated accordingly.
9. It was probably with a view of recruiting the supply
for his pleasure that he was iuduced to declare war against
the Dutch, as the money appointed for that purpose would
go through his hands. In this naval war, which continued
to rage for some years with great fierceness, much blood was
spilt and great treasure exhausted, until at last a treaty was
concluded at Breda, by which the colony of New York was
ceded by the Dutch to the English, and considered as a most
valuable acquisition.
10. This treaty was considered as inglorious to the English,
as they failed in gaining any redress upon the complaints
whjch gave rise to it. Lord Clarendon particularly gained a
share of blame, both for having advised an unnecessary war,
and then for concluding a disgraceful peace. He had been
long declining in the king’s favour, and he was no less dis-
pleasing to the majority of the people.
11. This seemed the signal for the earl’s enemies to step
in, and effect his entire overthrow. A charge was opened
against him in the house of commons, by Mr. Seymour,
consisting of seventeen articles. These, which were only
a catalogue of the popular rumours before mentioned,
appeared, at first sight, false and frivolous. However,
Clarendon, finding the popular torrent, united to the violence
of power, running with impetuosity against him, thought
proper to withdraw to France.
CHARLES It.
253
12. Having thus got rid of his virtuous minister, the king
soon after resigned himself to the direction of a set of men
who afterwards went by the appellation of the Cabal, from
the initials of the names of which it was composed.
13. The first of them, sir Thomas Clifford, was a man of
a daring and impetuous spirit, rendered more dangerous by
eloquence and intrigue. Lord Ashley, soon after known by
the name of Lord Shaftesbury, was turbulent, ambitious,
subtle, and enterprising. The duke of Buckingham was
gay, capricious, with some wit, and great vivacity. Arling-
ton was a man of very moderate capacity ; his intentions
were good, but he wanted courage to persevere in them.
Lastly, the duke of Lauderdale, who was not defective in
natural, and still less in acquired talents ; but neither was
his address graceful, nor his understanding just : he was
ambitious, obstinate, insolent, and sullen. 14. These were
the men to whom Charles gave up the conduct of his affairs,
and who plunged the remaining part of his reign in difficul-
ties, which produced the most dangerous symptoms.
15. From this inauspicious combination the people had
entertained violent jealousies against the court. The fears
and discontents of the nation were vented without restraint ;
the apprehensions of a popish successor, an abandoned court,
and a parliament, which, though sometimes assertors of
liberty, yet which had now continued for seventeen years
without change, naturally rendered the minds of mankind
timid and suspicious, and they only wanted objects on which
to wreak their ill-humours.
The gloom which hung over the public mind was still
further increased by two fearful calamities. In the year
1665 the plague broke out in London, and raged so dread-
fully that 68,596 persons died within the bills of mortality.
The following year was as fearfully distinguished by the
great fire of London, in which eighty-nine churches and
13,200 houses were consumed. The ruins of the city ex-
tended over 436 acres, from the Tower along the river to the
Temple, and from the north-east gate along the city wall
to Holborn-bridge. Prompted by blind rage, some ascribed
the guilt of this accidental conflagration to the republicans,
others to the catholics ; though it is not easy to conceive
how the burning of London could serve the purposes of
either party. As the papists were the chief objects of
public detestation, the rumour, which threw the guilt on
them was favourably received by the people. No proof)
254
HISTORY OF ENGLAND,
Dreadful fire in London, 1666.
however, or even presumption, after the strictest inquiry by
a committee of parliament, ever appeared to authorize such
a calumny ; yet in order to give countenance to the popular
prejudice, the inscription engraved by authority on the monu-
ment ascribed the calamity to this hated sect. This clause
was erased by James II. after his ascension, but was again
restored after the revolution. So credulous, as well as
obstinate, are the people in believing every thing which
flatters their prevailing passions !
Questions for Examination.
1. What engaging qualities did Charles possess ?
2. Were these advantages of outward behaviour solid ?
3. 4. What proceedings were taken against those who were concerned
in the king’s death ?
6. What proposition did Southampton make in favour of Charles and
who opposed it ?
7. Whom did the king marry, and what was his inducement ?
9. What is supposed to have induced the king to declare war aaainst
the Dutch '! 6
10. In what way did Lord Clarendon incur blame ?
11. To what country did Clarendon withdraw ?
12. What appellation was given to the new ministers ?
13. Who were they t
15. What consequences followed their appointment ?
CHARLES II.
255
SECTION n.
Some genuine plots on their authors were fix’d
With plots to invent plots, most curiously mix’d;
For Dangerfield, Bedloe, and Oates found a Tongue
To affirm haif the natives deserved to be hung. — Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1610.) When the spirit of the English is once
roused, they either find objects of suspicion, or make them.
On the 13th of August, one Kirby, a chemist, accosted the
king, as he was walking in the park. “Sir,” said he
“keep within the company; your enemies have a design
upon your life, and you may be shot in this very walk.”
2. Being questioned in consequence of this Strange intima-
tion, he offered to produce one doctor Tongue, a weak,
credulous clergyman, who told him that two persons, named
Grove and Picketing, were engaged to murder the king;
and that Sir George Wakeman, the queen’s physician, had
undertaken the same task by poison. 3. Tongue was intro-
duced to the king with a bundle of papers relating to this
pretended conspiracy, and was referred to the lord-treasurer
Danby. He there declared that the papers were thrust under
his door ; and he afterwards asserted that he knew the author
of them, who desired that his name might be concealed, as
he dreaded the resentment of the jesuits.
4. This information appeared so vague and unsatisfactory
that the King concluded the whole was a fiction. However,
Tongue was not to be repressed in the ardour of his loyalty;
he went again to the lord-treasurer, and told him that a
packet of letters, written by jesuits concerned in the plot,
was that night put into the post-house at Windsor, directed
to one Bedingfield, a jesuit, who was confessor to the duke
of York, and who resided there. These letters had actually
been received a few hours before by the duke ; but he had
shown them to the king as a forgery, of which he knew
neither the drift nor the meaning.
5. Titus Oates, who was the fountain of all this dreadful
intelligence was produced soon after, who, with seeming
reluctance, came to give his evidence. This Titus Oates
was an abandoned miscreant, obscure, illiterate, vulgar, and
indigent. He had been once indicted for perjury, was after-
wards chaplain on board a man-of-war, and dismissed for
criminal practices. 6. He then professed himself a Roman
catholic, and crossed the sea to St. Omer’s, wjiere he was
for some time maintained iu the English seminary of that
city. At a time that he was supposed ^o have been intrusted
with a secret involving the fate of kings, he was allowed to
256
HISTORY OP ENGLAND;
remain in such necessity, that Kirby was obliged to supply
him with daily bread.
7. He had two methods to proceed ; either to ingratiate
himself by this information with the ministry, or to alarm
the people, and thus turn their fears to his advantage. He
chose the latter method. 8. He went, therefore, with his
companions, to Sir Edmondsbury Godfrey, a noted and active
justice of the peace, and before him deposed to a narrative
dressed up in terrors fit to make an impression on the vulgar.
The pope, he said, considered himself as entitled to the pos-
session of England and Ireland, on account of the heresy of
the prince and people, and had accordingly assumed the
soverignty of these kingdoms. 9. The king, who was
ridiculed by the jesuits, was solemnly tried by them,
and condemued as a heretic. Grove and Pickering, to make
sure work, were employed to shoot the king, and that too
with silver bullets. The duke of York was to be offered
the crown in consequence of the success of these probable
schemes on condition of extirpating the protestant religion.
Upon his refusal, “ To pot James must go 1” as the Jesuits
were said to express it.
10. In consequence of this dreadful information, suffi-
ciently marked with absurdity, vulgarity and contradictions,
Titus Oates became the favourite of the people, notwith-
standing, during his examination before the council, he so
betrayed the grossness of his impostures, that he contradicted
himself in every step of his narration.
11. A great number of the jesuits mentioned by Oates
were immediately taken into custody. Coleman, secretary
to the duke of York, who was said to have acted so strenuous
a part in the conspiracy, at first retired, and next day sur-
rendered himself to the secretery of state ; and some of his
papers, by Oates’ directions, were secured.
12. In this fluctuation of passions an accident served to
confirm the prejudices of the people, and to put it beyond a
doubt that Oates’ narrative was nothing but the truth.
Sir Edmondsbury Godfrey, who had been so active in un-
ravelling the whole mystery of the popish machinations,
after having been missing some days, was found dead in a
ditch by Primrose-hill, on the way to Hampstead. 13. The
cause of his death remains, and must still continue, a secret;
but the people, already enraged against the papists, did not
hesitate a moment to ascribe it to them. The body of God-
frey was carried through the streets, in procession, preceded
CHARLES II.
257
by seventy clergymen ; and every one who saw it made no
doubt that his death could be only caused by the papists.
14. Even the better sort of people were infected with the
vulgar prejudice ; and such was the general conviction of
popish guilt, that no person, with any regard to personal
safety, could express the least doubt concerning the informa-
tion of Oates, or the murder of Godfrey.
15. In order to continue and propagate the alarm, the
parliament affected to believe it true. An address was voted
for a solemn fast. It was requested that all papers tending
to throw light upon so horrible a conspiracy might be laid
before the house ; that all papists should remove from Lon-
don; that access should be denied at court to all unknown
and suspicious persons ; and that the train-bands in London
and Westminster should be in readiness to march. 16. Oates
was recommended to parliament by the king. He -was lodged
in Whitehall, and encouraged by a pension of twelve hun-
dred pounds a year to proceed in forging new informations-
The encouragement given to Oates did not fail to bring in
others also, who hoped to profit by the delusion of the times.
17. William Bedloe, a man, if possible, more infamous than
Oates, appeared next upon the stage. He was, like the
former, of very low birth, and had been noted for several
cheats and thefts. This man, at his own desire, was arrested
at Bristol, and conveyed to London, where he declared before
the council that he had seen the body of Sir Edraondsbury
Godfrey at Somerset-house where the queen lived. 18. He
said that a servant of Lord Bellasis offered to give him four
thousand pounds if he would carry it ,off ; and, finding all
his information greedily received, he confirmed and height-
ened Oates’ plot with aggravated horrors.
19. Thus encouraged by the general voice in their favour,
the witnesses, who had all along enlarged their narratives in
proportion as they were eagerly received, went a step further
and ventured to accuse the queen. The commons, in an
address to the king, gave countenance to this scandalous
accusation; the lords rejected it with becoming disdain.
Questions for Examination.
1. In what manner did Kirby address the king?
2—4. Relate the circumstances of a pretended conspiracy.
6. What was the character of the principal actor in this business?
7 — 11. Jlv wbat means did he proceed?
}2— 14, What accident served to confirm the prejudices of the people?
8
258
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
15. What means were taken to continue the alarm?
16. How was Oates treated by the government?
17. What other delusion followed?
19. Whom did they afterwards venture to accuse ?
SECTION ni.
*
O think what anxious moments pass between
The birth of plots, and their last fatal periods
O ’tis a dreadful interval of time,
Made up of horror all, and big with death .—Addison.
1. (A. D. 1675.) Edward C.oleman, secretary to the duke
wf York, was the first who was brought to trial, as being
most obnoxious to those who pretended to fear the introduc-
tion of popery. Bedloe swore that he received a commis-
sion, signed by the superior of the Jesuits, appointing him
papal secretary of state, and that he had consented to the
king’s assassination. 2. After this unfortunate man’s sen-
tence, thus procured by these vipers, many members of both
houses offered to interpose in his behalf, if he would make
ample confession ; but as he was, in reality, possessed of no
treasonable secrets, he would not procure life by falsehood
and imposture. He suffered with calmness and constancy;
and, to the last, persisted in the strongest protestations of his
innocence.
The trial of Coleman was succeeded by those of Ire-
land, Pickering and Grove. They protested their inno-
cence, but were found guilty. The unhappy men went to
execution protesting their innocence, a circumstance, which
made no impression on the spectators ; but their being jesuits
banished even pity for their sufferings.
4. Hill, Green, and Berry, were tried upon the evidence
of one Miles Prance, for the murder of Godfrey ; but though
Bedloe’ s narrative, and Prance’s information were totally
irreconcilable, and though their testimony was invalidated
by contrary evidence, all was in vain ; the prisoners were
condemned and executed. They all denied their guilt at
execution; and, as Berry died a protestant, this circum-
stance was regarded as very considerable.
5. Whitebread, provincial of the jesuits, Fenwick, Gaven,
Turner, and Harcourt, all of them of the same order, were
brought to their trial ; and Langhorne soon after. Besides
Oates and Bedloe, Dugdale, a new witness, appeared against
the prisoners. This man spread the alarm still further, and
even asserted that two hundred thousand papists in England
were ready to take up arms. 6. The prisoners proved, by
CHARLES IJ
259
sixteen witnesses from St. Omer’s that Oates was in that
seminary at the time he swore he was in London. But, as
they were papists, their testimony could gain no manner of
credit. All pleas availed them nothing; but the jesuits and
Langhorne were condemned and executed; with their last
breath denying the crime for which they died.
7. The informers had less success on the trial of sir
George Wakeman, the queen’s physician, who, though they
swore with their usual animosity, was acquitted. His con-
demnation would have involved the queen in his guilt; and
•it is probable the judge and the jury were afraid of venturing
so far. * '
8. The earl of Stafford, nearly two years after, was the
last man that fell a sacrifice to these bloody wretches: the
witnesses produced against him were Oates, Dugdale, and
Tuberville. Oates swore that he saw Fenwick, the jesuit,
deliver Stafford a commission from the general of the jesuits,
constituting him paymaster of the papal army. 9. The
clamour and outrage of the populace against the prisoner
was very great; he was found guilty, and condemned to be
hanged and quartered ; but the king changed his sentence
into that of beheading. He was executed on Tower-hill,
where even his persecutors could not forbear shedding tears
at that serene fortitude which shone in every feature, motion
and accent of this aged nobleman.
10. This parliament had continued to sit for seventeen
years without interruption, wherefore a new one was called ;
in which was passed the celebrated statute called the Habeas
Corpus Act, which confirms the subject in an absolute se-
curity from oppressive power. By this act it was prohibited
to send any one to prison beyond the sea ; no judge, under
severe penalties, was to refuse to any prisoner his writ of
habeas corpus ; by which the jailer was to produce in court
the body of the prisoner, whence the writ had its name, and
to certify the cause of its detainer and imprisonment.
11. If the jail lie within twenty miles of the judge, the
writ must be conveyed in three days, and so proportionably
for greater distances. Every prisoner must be indicted the
first term of his commitment, and brought to trial the sub-
sequent term ; and no man, after being enlarged by court
can be recommitted for the same offence.
12. The Meal-tub Plot, as it was called, soon followed the
former. One Dangerfield, more infamous, if possible than
Oates and Bedloe, a wretch who had been set in the
260
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
pillory, scourged, branded, and transported for felony and
coining, hatched a plot, in conjunction with a person
whose name was Cellier, a Roman catholic of abandoned
character. Dangerfield began by declaring that there was
a design on foot to set up a new form of government, and
remove the king and the royal family. 13. He communi-
cated this intelligence to the king and the duke of York,
who supplied him with money, and countenanced his dis-
covery. He hid some seditious papers in the lodgings of
one colonel Mansel; and then brought the custom-house
officers to his apartment, to search for smuggled merchan-
dise. The papers were found: and the council, having
examined the affair, concluded they were forged by Danger-
field. 14. They ordered all the places he frequented to be
searched ; and in the house of Cellier the whole scheme of
the conspiracy was discovered upon paper, concealed in a
meal-tub, whence the plot had its name. Dangerfield,
being committed to Newgate, made an ample confession of
the forgery, which, though probably entirely of his own
contrivance, he ascribed to the earl of Castl&main, the
countess of Powis, and the five lords in the Tower. 15. He
said that the design was to suborn witnesses to prove a
charge of perjury upon Oates, to assassinate the earl of
Shaftesbury, to accuse the dukes of Monmouth and Bucking-
ham, the earls of Essex, Halifax, and others, of having
been concerned in the conspiracy against the king and
his brother. Upon this information the earl of Castlemain
and the countess of Powis were sent to the Tower, and
the king himself was suspected of encouraging this impos-
ture.
16. The chief point which the present house of commons
laboured to obtain was the exclusion bill, which, though
the former house had voted, was never passed into a law.
Shaftesbury, and many considerable men of the party, had
rendered themselves so obnoxious to the duke of York, that
they could find safety in no measure but in his ruin. Mon-
mouth’s friends hoped that the exclusion of James would
make room for their own patron. IV. The duke of York’s
professed bigotry to the catholic superstition influenced
numbers, and his tyrannies, which were practised without
control while he continued in Scotland, rendered his name
odious to thousands. In a week, therefore, after the com-
mencement of the session, a motion was made for bringing
in a bill for excluding him from the succession to the throne,
CHARLES II.
261
and a committee was appointed for that purpose. The
debates were carried on with great violence on both sides.
The king was present during the whole debate; and had
die pleasure of seeing the bill thrown out by a very great
majority.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who was first brought to trial ?
2. What was his behaviour at his execution ?
3. 4. Who were the next that suffered ?
5. What others were tried for their lives ?
6. Bv what means did they prove their innocence ?
7. Which ofthe accused was acquitted ?
8. Who was the last that fell a victim to these wretches ?
What was the evidence against him ?
9. What sentence was passed upon the earl of Stafford ?
What effect had his fortitude on the beholders of his death ?
10, 11. What were the particulars of the Habeas Corpus Act ?
12. What plot was now laid, and who was the principal actor in it ?
13. How and when was it discovered ?
16, 17. What now engaged the attention of the Commons ?
SECTION IV.
Yet sometimes nations will decline so low
From Virtue, which is reason, that no wrong,
But justice, and some fatal course annex’d,
Deprives them of their outward liberty.
Their inward lost. — Milton.
1. (A. D. 1683.) Each party had for some time reviled
and ridiculed the other in pamphlets and libels ; and this
practice at last was attended with an accident that deserves
notice. One Fitzharris, an Irish papist, dependent on
the duchess of Portsmouth, one of the king’s favourites,
used to supply her with these occasional publications.
2. But he was resolved to add to their number by Ins own
endeavours ; and he employed one Everhard, a Scotch-
man, to write a libel against the king and the duke of
York. The Scot was actually a spy for the opposite party •
and supposing this a trick to entrap him, he discovered
the whole to sir William Waller, an eminent justice of the
peace; and to convince him of the truth of his informa-
tion, posted him and two other persons, privately, where
they heard the whole conference between Fitzharris and
himself. 3. The libel composed between them was replete
with utmost rancour and scurrility. Waller carried the
intelligence to the king, and obtained a warrant for com-
mitting Fitzharris, who happened at that very time to have
a copy of the libel in his pocket. Seeing himself in the
hands of a party from which he expected no mercy, he
262 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
resolved to side with them, and throw the odium of the
libel on the court, who, he said, were willing to draw, out a
libel which should be imputed to the exclusioners, and thus
render them hateful to the people. 4. He enhanced his
services with the country party by a new popish plot, still
more tremendous than any of the foregoing. He brought
in the duke of York, as a principal accomplice in the plot,
and as a contriver in the murder of sir Edmondsbury
Godfrey.
5. The king imprisoned Fitzharris; the commons avowed
his cause. They voted that he should be impeached by
themselves, to secure him from the ordinary forms of jus-
tice ; the lords rejected the impeachment ; the commons
asserted their right ; a commotion was likely to ensue ;
and the king, to break off the contest, went to the house,
and dissolved the parliament, with a fixed resolution never
to call another.
6. This vigorous measure was a blow that the parlia-
ment had never expected; and nothing but the necessity
of the times could have justified the king’s manner of
proceeding. From that moment, which ended the parlia-
mentary commotions, Charles seemed to rule with despotic
power ; and he was resolved to leave the succession to his
brother, but clogged with all the faults and misfortunes of
his own administration. 7. His temper, which had always
been easy and merciful, now became arbitrary, and even
cruel ; he entertained spies and informers round the throne,
and imprisoned all such as he thought most daring in their
designs.
8. He resolved to humble the Presbyterians ; these were
divested of their employments and their places ; and their
offices given to such as held with the court, and approved
the doctrine of non-resistance. The clergy began to testify
their zeal and their principles by their writings and their
sermons ; but though among these the partisans of the king
were the most numerous, those of the opposite faction were
the most enterprising. 9. The king openly espoused the
cause of the former ; and thus placing himself at the head
of a faction, he deprived the city of London, which had
long headed the popular party, of their charter. It was not
till after an abject submission that he returned it to them,
having previously subjected the election of their magistrates
to his immediate authority.
10. Terrors also were not wanting to confirm this new
Charles it.
263
species c>f monarchy. Fitzharris was brought to trial be-
fore a jury, and condemned and executed. The whole
gang of spies, witnesses, informers, and suborners, which
had long been encouraged and supported by the leading
patriots, finding now that the king was entirely master,
turned short upon their ancient drivers, and offered their
evidence against those who had first put them in motion.
The king’s ministers, with a horrid satisfaction, gave them
countenance and encouragement; so that soon the same
cruelties, and the same injustice, were practised against
presbyterian schemes, that had been employed against
catholic treasons.
11. The first person that fell under the displeasure of the
ministry was one Stephen College, a London joiner, who
had become so noted for his zeal against popery, that he
went by the name of the protestant joiner. He had attended
the city members to Oxford armed with sword and pistol ;
he had been sometimes heard to speak irreverently of the
king, and was now presented by the grand jury of London
as guilty of sedition. 12. A jury, at Oxford, after half an
hour’s deliberation, brought him in guilty ; and the spectators
testified their inhuman pleasure with a shout of applause.
He bore his fate with unshaken fortitude ; and at the place
of execution denied the crime for which he had been con-
demned.
13. The power of the crown became at this time irre-
sistible (A. D. 1683), the city of London having been
deprived of their charter, which was restored only upon
terms of ■ submission ; and the giving up the nomination of
their own magistrates was so mortifying a circumstance, that
all the other Corporations in England soon began to fear the
same treatment, and were successively induced to surrender
their charters into the hands of the king. Considerable sums
were exacted for restoring these charters ; and all the offices
of power and profit were left at the disposal of the crown.
14. Resistance now, however justifiable, could not be safe ;
and all prudent men saw no other expedient, but peaceably
submitting to the present grievances. But there was a party
in England that still cherished their former ideas of freedom,
and were resolved to hazard every danger in its defence.
15. The duke of Monmouth, the king’s natural son, engaged
the earl of Macclesfield, lord Brandon, sir Gilbert Gerrard,
a id other gentlemen in Cheshire, in this cause. Lord Russel
fixed a correspondance with Sir William Courtney, sir
264
STSTOR? OF ENGLANU.
Francis Howies, and sir Francis Drake, who promised to
raise the west. Shaftesbury, with one Ferguson, an inde-
pendent clergymen, and a restless plotter, managed the city,
upon which the confederates chiefly relied. It was now
that this turbulent man found his schemes most likely to
take effect.
16. After the disappointment and destruction of a hun-
dred plots, he at last began to be sure of this. But this
scheme, like all the former, was disappointed. The caution
of lord Russel, who induced the duke of Monmouth to put
off the enterprise, saved the kingdom from the horrors of a
civil war j while Shaftesbury was so struck with the sense
of his impending danger, that he left his house, and, lurking
about the city, attempted, but in vain, to drive the London-
ers into open insurrection. 17. At last, enraged at the
numberless cautions and delays which clogged and defeated
his projects he threatened to begin with his friends alone.
However, after a long struggle between fear and rage, he
abandoned all hopes of success, and fled out of the kingdom
to Amsterdam, where he ended his turbulent life soon
after, without being pitied by his friends or feared by his
enemies.
Questions for Examination.
1, 2. What incident next deserves notice ?
3, 4. How did the commons act on this occasion, and what was the
consequence ?
6. How did the dispute end between the king and parliament ?
7. What was now the temper of the king ?
8. How did the clergy act r
9. Of what did the king deprive the city of London ?
10. What was now the conduct of the spies ?
11, 12. Who first fell under the ministry’s displeasure, and on what occa-
sion ?
13, 14. What resulted from the great power of the crown ?
15. By whom was resistance made ?
16, 17. What was the issue of it ?
SECTION V.
But let the bold conspirator beware.
For heav’n makes princes its peculiar car e.—Dryden.
1. (A. D. 1684.) The loss of Shaftesbury, though it re-
tarded the views of the conspirators, did not suppress them.
A council of six was elected, consisting of Monmouth, Rus-
CHARLES II. 2G5
eel, Essex, Howard, Algernon Sidney, and John Hampden,
grandson to the great man of that name.
2. Such, together with the duke of Argyle, were the
leaders of this conspiracy. But there was also a set of
subordinate conspirators who frequently met together and
carried on projects quite unknown to Monmouth and his
council. Among these men were colonel Rumsey, an old
republican officer, together with lieutenant-colonel Walcot,
of the same stamp ; Goodenough, under-sheriff of London,
a zealous and noted party-man ; Ferguson, an independent
minister ; and several attorneys, merchants, and tradesmen
of London. 3. But colonel Rumsey and Ferguson were
the only persons that had access to the great leaders of the
conspiracy. These men in their meetings embraced the
most desperate resolutions. They proposed to assassinate
the king on his way to Newmarket; Rumble, one of the
party, posessed a farm upon, that road called the Rye-house,
and thence the conspiracy was denominated the Rye-
house plot. 4. They deliberated upon a scheme of stopping
the king’s coach by overturning a cart on the highway at
this place, and shooting him through the hedges. The
house in which the king lived at Newmarket took fire acci-
dentally, and he was obliged to leave Newmarket eight days
sooner than was expected, to which circumstance his safety
was ascribed.
5. Among the conspirators was one Keiling, who, finding
himself in danger of a prosecution for arresting the lord-
mayor of London, resolved to earn his pardon by discover-
ing this plot to the ministry. Colonel Rumsey, and West,
a lawyer, no sooner understood that this man had informed
against them, than they agreed to save themselves by turning
king’s evidence, and they surrendered themselves accord-
ingly. 6. Monmouth absconded; Russel was sent to the
Tower ; Grey escaped ; Howard was taken, concealed in a
chimney ; Essex, Sidney, and Hampden were soon after
arrested, and had the mortification to find lord Howard an
evidence against them.
7. Walcot was first brought to trial and condemned,
together with Hone and Rouse, two associates in the con-
spiracy, upon the evidence of Rumsey, West, and Shep-
pard. They died penitent, acknowledging the justice of
the sentence by which they were executed. A much
greater sacrifice was shortly after to follow. This was the
Lord Russel, son of the earl of Bedford, a nobleman of num.
266 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
berless good qualities, and led into this conspiracy from a
conviction of the duke of York’s intention to restore popery.
8. He was liberal, popular, humane, and brave. _ All his
virtues were so many crimes in the present suspicious dis-
position of the court. The chief evidence against him was
lord Howard, a man of very bad character, one of the con-
spirators who was now contented to take life upon such
terms, and to accept of infamous safety. 9. This witness
swore that Russel was engaged in the design of an insur-
rection 5 but he acquitted him ; as he did also Rumsey and
West, of being privy to the assassination. The jury, who
were zealous royalists, after a short deliberation, brought
the prisoner in guilty, and he was condemned to suffer be-
heading. The scaffold for his execution was erected in
Lincoln’ s-inn-fields ; he laid his head on the block without
the least change of countenance, and at two strokes it was
severed from his body.
10. The celebrated Algernon Sidney, son to the earl of
Leicester, was next brought to his trial. He had been
formerly engaged in the parliamentary army against the late
king, and was even named on the high court of justice that
tried him, but he had not taken his seat among the judges.
11. He had ever opposed Cromwell’s usurpation, and went
into voluntary banishment on the restoration. His affairs,
however, requiring his return, he applied to the king for a
pardon, and obtained his request. But all his hopes and all
his reasoning were founded upon republican principles. For
his adored republic he had written and fought and went into
banishment and ventured to return. 12. It may easily be
conceived how obnoxious a man of such principles was
to a court that now was not even content to be without
limitations to its power. They went so far as to take illegal
methods to procure his condemnation. The only witness
that deposed against Sidney was lord Howard, and the law
required two. 13. In order therefore, to make out a second
witness, they had recourse to a very extraordinary expe-
dient. In ransacking his closet, some discourses on govern-
ment were fonnd in his own handwriting, containing prin-
ciples favourable to liberty, and in themselves no way sub-
versive of a limited government. By overstraining, some
of these were construed into treason. 14. It was in vain
he alleged that papers were no evidence ; that it could not
be proved they were written by him ; that if proved, the
papers themselves contained nothing criminal. His defence
CHARLES II.
267
was overruled ; the violent and inhuman Jefferies, who was
now chief-justice, easily prevailed on a partial jury to bring
him in guilty, and his execution followed soon after. 15.
One can scarce contemplate the transactions of this reigu
without horror. Such a picture of factious guilt on each
side ; a court at once immersed in sensuality and blood, a
people armed against each other with the most ' deadly ani-
mosity, and no single party to be found with sense enough
to stem the general torrent of rancour and factious suspicion.
Hampden was tried soon after, -and as there was nothing
to affect his life, he was fined forty thousand pounds. Hol-
loway, a merchant of Bristol, who had fled to the West
Indies, was brought over, condemned, and executed. Sir
Thomas Armstrong also, who had fled to Holland, was
brought over, and shared the same fate. 17. Lord Essex,
who had been imprisoned in the Tower, was found in an
apartment with his throat cut ; but whether he was guilty
of suicide, or whether the bigotry of the times might not
have induced some assassin to commit the crime, cannot
now be known.
This was the last blood that was shed for an imputation
of plots or conspiracies, which continued during the greatest
part of this reign.
18. At this period the goverment of Charles was as abso-
lute as that of any monarch in Europe ; but happily, for
mankind, his tyranny was but of short duration. The king
was seized with a sudden fit, which resembled an apoplexy;
and although he was recovered by bleeding, yet he languish-
ed only for a few days, and then expired, in the fifty-fifth
year of his age, and twenty-fifth of his reign. During his
illness some clergymen of the church of England attended
him, to whom he discovered a total indifference. Catholic
priests were brought to his bedside, and from their hands he
received the rites of their communion.
In this reign was begun the celebrated naval hospital at
Greenwich. The design was by Inigo Jones, and it was
intended as a royal palace. It remained unfinished till the
reign of William III., when it was converted to its present
use. It was enlarged by the addition of three wings, enriched
by donations, and by a tax of 6d. a month from every sea-
man ; and it now supports 3000 boarders, and pays pensions
to 5400 in different parts of the kingdom.
The reign of Charles II., which some preposterously
represent as our Augustan age, retarded the progress of polite
literature; and the immeasurable licentiousness indulged,
268
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Greenwich Hospital.
or rather applauded at court, was more destructive to the
fine arts, ti^an even the court nonsenoe and enthusiasm of
the preceding period. — Hume.
Bishop Burnet, in his History of his own Times, says, there
were apparent suspicions that Charles had been poisoned.
He also observes that the king’s body was indecently neglect-
ed ; his funeral was very mean ; he did not lie in state ; no
mourning was given, and the expense of it was not equal to
what an ordinary nobleman’s funeral will amount to.
Questions for Examination.
1. What new conspiracy was formed ?
2. Who were the subordinate conspirators ?
3. 4. What were their desperate resolutions ?
6. In what manner was this plot discovered ?
6. What was the late of the conspirators ?
7. What eminent noblemen was concerned in this conspiracy ?
8. Describe the character of Russel. Who was principal evidence
against him ?
9. Where didiordRussel suffer? 10. Who was the next brought to trial?
11. Describe the character and conduct of Algernon Sidney.
12, 13. What methods were taken to procure his condemnation ?
14. Was his defence attended to, ana by whom was he tried ?
15. What dreadful picture did the kingdom now present ?
16. 17. What other persons suffered ?
18. Describe the manner of the death of the king.
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Alexander VII . . .1655
Clement IX 1667
Innocent XI 1676
Clement X 1679
Emperor of Germany.
Leopold 1658
Emperor of the Turks.
A.D.
Mahomet IV 1649
King of France.
Louis XIV 1643
Kings of Spain.
Philip IV 1621
Charles II 1665
Kings of Portugal.
A.D,
Alphonso VI..... 1656
Pedro II 1688
Kings of Denmark.
Frederick III 1648
Christian V 1576
King of Sweden.
Charles XI 1660
JAMES II.
269
EMINENT PERSONS.
Hyde, earl of Clarendon ; Villiers, duke of Buckingham ;* Butler*
duke of Ormond ; Cooper, earl of Shaftesbury ; sir William Temple :
Algernon Sidney ; Wentworth Dillon, earl of Roscommon ; It. Boyle,
eai 1 of Orrery ; G. Mackenzie, earl of Cromarty ; G. Monk, duke of Al-
bemarle ; C. Stanley, earl of Derby ; Montague, earl of Sandwich ; J.
P owlet, marquis of Winchester ; W. Cavendish, duke of Newcastle ; G.
Digby, carl of Bristol ; Dcnzil, lord Hollis ; Dudley, lord North ; J.
Touchet, earl of Castlehaven and baron Audley ; II. Pierpont, marquis
of Dorchester ; J. Wilmot, carl of Rochester* ; Anthony Ashley ; He-
neago Finch, earl of Nottingham ; Francis North ; lord-keeper Guild-
lord ; J. Roberts, earl of Radnor ; Arthur Anncsly, earl of Auglesea ;
marquis of Argyle ; H. Finch, earl of Winchelsea ; A. Carry, lord Falk-
land ; Anne, countess of Dorset, Pembroke, and Montgomery ; Mar-
garet, duchess of Newcastle.
CHAPTER XXXI.
JAMES n.
Bora 1633. Began to reign February 6, 1685. Abdicated the throne,
January 22, 1688. Reigned years.
SECTION I.
Near Bridgewater, the fatal place
Of Monmouth’s downfall and disgrace.
The hopele s duke, half starved, half drowned.
In covert of a ditch was found. — Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1685.) The duke of York, who succeeded his
brother by the title of king James the Second, had been bred
*The strange character of this highly-gifted but profligate nobleman,
is thus graphically described by Dryden :
“ A manso various that he seemed to be
Not one, but all mankind’s epitome:
Stiff in opinion — always in the wrong —
Was everything by starts, but nothing long ;
Who in the course of one revolving moon
Was chemist, tiddler, statesman, and buffoon.”
He died in wretchedness. Pope thus describes the miserable end of
ljis career r
in the worst inn’s worst room, with mat half hung,
The George and Garter dangling from that bed,
Where tawdry yellow strove with dirty red.
Great Villiers lies— alas ! how changed from him
That life of pleasure, and that soul of whim '!
There, victor of his health, of fortune, 1'hends,.
And fame, the lord of useless thousands ends.” 1
t Rochester was equally celebrated for his wit and profligacy. His
mock epitaph on Charles II. contains a severe but just character of that
monarch : ...
“ Here lies our mutton-eating king.
Whose word no man relies on :
He never said a foolish thing,
And never did a wise one.”
270
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
a papist by bis mother, and was strongly bigoted. to his
principles. He went openly to mass with all the ensigns of
his dignity, and even sent one Caryl as his agent to Rome,
to make submission to the pope, and to pave the way for the
readmission of England into the bosom of the eatholic church.
2. A conspiracy, set on foot by the duke of Monmouth,
was the first disturbance in this reign. He had, since his
last conspiracy, been pardoned, but was ordered to depart
the kingdom, and had retired to Holland. Being dismissed
from thence by the prince of Orange, upon James’s accession
he went to Brussels, where finding himself still pursued by
the king’s severity, he resolved to retaliate, and make an
attempt upon the kingdom. 3. He had ever been the dar-
ling of the people ; and some averred that Charles had mar-
ried his mother, and owned Monmouth’s legitimacy at his
death. The duke of Argyle seconded his views in Scotland,
and they formed the scheme of a double insurrection ; so that,
while Monmouth should attempt to make a rising in the
west, Argyle was also to try his endeavours in the north.
4. Argyle was the first who landed in Scotland, where he
published his manifestoes, put himself at the head of two
thousand five hundred men, and strove to influence the peo-
ple in his cause. But a formidable body of the king’s forces
coming against him, his army fell away, and he himself,
after being wounded in attempting to escape, was taken pri-
soner by a peasant, who found him standing up to his neck
in a pool of water. He was thence carried to Edinburgh,
where, after enduring many indignities with a gallant spirit,
he was publicly executed.
5. Meanwhile Monmouth was by this time landed in Dor-
setshire, with scarcely a hundred followers. However, his
name was so popular, so great was the hatred of the people
both for the person and religion of James, that in four days
he had assembled a body of above two thousand men.
6. Being advanced to Taunton, his numbers had increased
to six thousand men; and he was obliged every day, for"
want of arms, to dismiss numbers who crowded to his stand-
ard. He entered Bridgewater, Wells, and Frome, and was
proclaimed in all those places ; but he lost the hour of action
in receiving and claiming these empty honours.
7. The king was not a little alarmed at his invasion j but
still more so at the success of an undertaking that at first
appeared desperate. Six regiments of British troops were
recalled from Holland, and a body of regulars, to the num-
JAMES II.
271
ber of three thousand men, were sent, under the command of
the earls of Feversham and Churchill, to check the progress
of the rebels. 8. They took post at Sedgemore, a village
in the neighbourhood of Bridgewater, and were joined by
the militia of the country in considerable numbers. It was
there that Monmouth resolved, by desperate effort, to lose
his life or gain the kingdom. The negligent disposition
made by Feversham invited him to the attack ; and his faith-
ful followers showed what courage and principle could do
against discipline and numbers. 9. They drove the royal
infantry from their ground, and were upon the point of gain-
ing the victory, when the misconduct of Monmouth, and the
cowardice of lord Grey, who commanded the horse, brought
all to ruin. This noblemen fled at the first onset ; and the
rebels being charged in flank by the victorious army, gave
way, after three hours’ contest. 10. About three hundred
were killed in the engagement, and a thousand in the pur-
suit ; and thus ended an enterprise rashly begun, and more
feebly conducted.
Monmouth fled from the field of battle about twenty miles,
till his horse sunk under him. He then alighted, and, chang-
ing his clothes with a shepherd, fled on foot, attended by a
German count, who had accompanied him from Holland.
11. Being quite exhausted with hunger and fatigue, they
both lay down in a field, and covered themselves with fern-
The shepherd being found in Monmouth’s clothes by the
pursuers, increased the diligence of the search ; and by the
means of blood-hounds he was detected in this miserable
situation, with raw peas in his pocket, which he had gathered
in the fields to sustain life. 1 12. He wrote the most sub-
missive letters to the king ; and that monarch, willing to
feast his eyes with the miseries of a fallen enemy, gave him
an audience. At this interview the duke fell upon his knees,
and begged his life in the most abject terms. He even
signed a paper, offered him by the king, declaring his own
illegitimacy; and then the stern tyrant assured him that his
crime was of such a nature as could not be pardoned. 13.
The duke, perceiving that he had nothing to hope from the
clemency of his uncle, re-collected his spirits, rose up, and
retired with an air of disdain. He was followed to the scaf-
fold with great compassion from the populace. He warned
the executioner not to fall into the same error which he had
committed in beheading Russel, where it had been neccessary
to redouble the blow. 14. But this only increased the
272
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
severity of the punishment,; the man was seized with a uni-
versal trepidation, and he struck a feeble blow, upon which
the duke raised his head from the block, as if to reproach
him ; he gently laid down his head a second time, and the
executioner struck him again and again to no purpose. He
at last threw the axe down ; but the sheriff compelled him
to resume the attempt, and at two more blows the head was
severed from the body. 15. Such was the end of James,
duke of Monmouth, the darling of the English people. He
was brave, sincere, and good-natured, open to flattery, and
by that seduced into an enterprise which exceeded his capa-
city.
16. But it were well for the insurgents, and fortunate for
the king, if the blood that was now shed had been thought
a sufficient expiation for the late offence. The victorious
army behaved with the most savage cruelty to the prisoners
taken after the battle. Feversham, immediately after the
victory, hanged up above twenty prisoners.
17. The military severities of the commanders were still
inferior to the legal slaughters committed by judge Jefferies,
who was sent down to try the delinquents. The natural
brutality of this man’s temper was inflamed by continual
intoxication. He told the prisoners, that if they would save
him the trouble of trying them, they might expect some
favour, otherwise he would execute the law upon them with
the utmost severity. 18. Many poor wretches were thus
allured into a confession, and found that it only hastened
their destruction. No less than eighty were executed at
Dorchester; and, on the whole, at Exeter, Taunton, and
Wells, two hundred and fifty-one are computed to have fallen
by the hands of the executioner.
Questions for Examination.
1. In what manner did James act on succeeding to the throne T
2, 3. What was the first disturbance in this reign, and who were the
principals concerned in it ?
4. What success attended Argyll’s attempt ?
5 — 10. Relate the particulars of Monmouth’s invasion ?
11. In what situation was ho found ?
12. What was his conduct after he was taken ?
13. 14. Relate what happened at his execution ?
15. What was his character ?
16. How were the prisoners treated ?
17. What was the conduct of judge Jefferies ?
18. How many retails are said to have been executed ?
JAMES II.
273
SECTION n.
With persecution arm’d, the sacred code
Of law he dashes thoughtless to the ground. — Valpy.
1. (A. D. 1686.) 1st ecclesiastical matters, James proceed-
ed with still greater injustice. Among those who distin-
guished themselves against popery was one Dr. Sharpe, a
clergyman of London, who declaimed with just severity
against those who changed their religion by such arguments
as the popish missionaries were able to produce. 2. This
being supposed to reflect upon the king, gave great offence
at court; and positive orders were given to the bishop of
London to suspend Sharpe, till his majesty’s pleasure should
be further known.' The bishop refused to comply; and the
king resolved to punish the bishop himself for disobedience.
3. To effect his design, an ecclesiastical commission was
issued out, by which seven commissioners were invested
with a full and unlimited authority over the whole church
of England. Before this tribunal the bishop was summoned,
and not only he, but Sharpe, the preacher, suspended.
4. The next step was to allow the liberty of conscience
to all sectaries ; and he was taught to believe, that the truth
of the catholic religion would then, upon a fair trial, gain
the victory. He, therefore, issued a declaration of general
indulgence, and asserted that non-conformity to the estab-
lished religion was no longer penal.
5. To complete his work, he publicly sent the earl of
Castlemain ambassador extraordinary to Rome, in order to
express his obedience to the pope, and to reconcile his king-
dom to the catholic communion. Never was there so much
contempt thrown upon an embassy that was so boldly under-
taken. The court of Rome expected but little success from
measures so blindly conducted. They were sensible that
the king was openly striking at those laws and opinions,
which it was his business to undermine in silence and secu-
rity.
6. The jesuits soon after were permitted to erect colleges
in different parts of the kingdom ; they exercised the catho-
lic worship in the gnost public manner; and four catholic
bishops, consecrated in the king’s chapel, were sent through
thekindom to exercise their episcopal functions, under the
title of apostolic vicars.
S
274
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
1 . Father Francis, a benedictine monk, was recommended
by the king to the university of Cambridge, for a degree
of master of arts. But his religion was a stumbling-block
which the university could not get over; and they pre-
sented a petition, beseeching the king to recall his mandate.
8. Their petition was disregarded and their deputies denied
a hearing: the vice-chancellor himself was summoned to
appear before the high commission court, and deprived of
his office ; yet the university persisted, and Father Francis
was refused.
9. The place of president of Magdalen college, one of the
richest foundations in Europe, being vacant, the king sent a
mandate in favour of one Farmer, a new convert to popery,
and a man of bad character in other respects. The fellows
of the college made very submissive applications to the king
for recalling his mandate ; they refused admitting the candi-
date; and James, finding them resolute in the defence of
their privileges, ejected them all except two.
10. A second declaration for liberty of conscience was
published about the same time with the former; but with
this peculiar injuction, that all divines' should read it after
service in their churches. (A. D. 1688.) The clergy were
known universally to disapprove of these measures, and they
were-now resolved to disobey an order dictated by the most
bigoted motives. They were determined to trust their cause
to the favour of the people, and that universal jealousy which
prevailed against the encroachment of the crown. 11. The
first champions of this service of danger were Loyde, bishop
of St. Asaph; Ken, of Bath and Wells; Turner, of Ely;
Lake, of Chichester; White, of Peterborough; and Tre-
lawney, of Bristol. These, together with Sancroft, the pri-
mate, concerted the address, in the form of a petition to the
king, which, with the warmest expressions of zeal and sub-
mission, remonstrated that they could not read his declara-
tion consistent with their consciences, or the respect they
owed the protestant religion.
12. The king, in a fury, summoned the bishops before the
council, and there questioned them whether they would
acknowledge their petition. They for sometime declined
giving an answer; but being urged by the chancellor, they
at last owned it. On their refusal to give bail, an order wa?
immediately drawn for their commitment to the tower, and
the crown lawyers received directions to prosecute them for
a seditious libel.
JAMES II.
275
Questions for Examination.
1. In what way did Dr. Sharpe give offence to the king ?
2. What was the conduct of James on that occasion ?
3. By what means did he effect his design ?
4. What was his next step ?
6. Whom did he send ambassador extraordinary to Rome, and how
was the embassy received V
6. Relate the further proceedings of James ?
9. What took place at Magdalen college ?
10. What were the consequences of another declaration ?
11. Who were the first that disobeyed the king’s mandate ?
12. In what manner did James act on this occasion ?
SECTION m.
Forsaken thus, he other thoughts revolves.
To quit the realm, and many a scheme resolves :
But let him go, nor heed, though thus you make
The gentle duke his lonely journey take. — Hoole.
1. (A. D. 1688.) The twenty-ninth day of June was fixed
for their trial j and their return was more splendidly attended
than their imprisonment. The cause was looked upen as
involving the fate of the nation ; and future freedom, or future
slavery, awaited the decision. The dispute was learnedly
managed by the lawyers on both sides. 2. Holloway and
Powel, two of the judges, declared themselves in favour of
the bishops. The jury withdrew into a chamber, where
they passed the whole night; but next morning they returned
into court, and pronouned the bishops not guilty. 3. West-
minster-hall instantly rang with loud acclamations, which
were communicated to the whole extent of the city. They
even reached the camp at Hounslow, where the king was at
dinner, in lord Feversham’s tent. His majesty demanded
the cause of these rejoicings, and being informed that it
was nothing but the soldiers shouting at the delivery of the
bishops, “ Calljmu that nothing,” cried he, “but so much
the worse for them !”
4. It was in this posture of affairs that all people turned
their eyes upon William, prince of Orange, who had married
Mary, the eldest daughter of king James.
William was a prince w r ho had, from his earliest entrance
into business, been immersed in dangers, calamities, and
politics. The ambition of France, and the jealousies of
Holland, had served to sharpen his talents, and to give him
a propensity for intrigue.
5. This politic prince now plainly saw that James had
incurred the most violent hatred of his subjects. (A. D.
276
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
1688.) He was minutely informed of their discontents; and
by seeming to discourage, still farther increased them, hoping
to gain the kingdom for himself in the sequel.
6. The time when the prince entered upon this enterprise
was just when the people were in a flame about the recent
insult offered to their Bishops. He had before this made
considerable augmentations to the Dutch fleet, and the ships
were then lying ready in the harbour. Some additional
troops were also levied, and sums of money raised for other
purposes Were converted to the advancement of this expe-
dition.
7. So well concerted were his measures, that, in three
days, above four hundred transports were hired ; the army
fell down the rivers and canals from Nimeguen, with all ne-
cessary stores ; and the prince set sail from Helvoetsluys,
with a fleet of nearly five hundred vessels, and an army of
above fourteen thousand men.
It was given out that this invasion was intended for the
coast of France; and many of the English, who saw the fleet
pass along their coasts, little expected to see it land on their
own shores. Thus, after a voyage of two days, the prince
landed his army at the village of Broxholme, at Torbay, on
the fifth of November, which was the anniversary of the
gunpowder treason.
8. But though the invitation from the English was very
general, the prince had for some time the mortification to
find himself joined by very few. He marched first to Exe-
ter, where the country people had been so much terrified at
the executions which had ensued on Monmouth’s rebellion,
that they continued to observe a strict neutrality. 9. He
remained for ten days in expectation of being joined by the
malcontents, and at last began to despair of success. But
just when he began to deliberate about re-embarking his
forces, he was joined by several persons of consequence, and
the whole country soon after came flocking to his standard.
The nobility, clergy, officers, and even the king’s own ser-
vants and creatures, were unanimous in deserting Jame3.
10. Lord Churchill had been raised from the rank of a page,
and had been invested with a high command in the army ;
had been created a peer, and owed his whole fortune to the
king’s bounty; even he deserted among the rest, and carried
with him the duke of Grafton, the natural son of the late
king, colonel Berkeley, and some others.
11. The prince of Denmark, and Anne, his favourite
JAMES II.
277
daughter, perceiving the desperation of his circumstances,
resolved to leave him, and take part with the prevailing side.
When he was told that the prince and princess had followed
the rest of his favourites, he was stung with most bitter
anguish. “ God help me,” cried he, in the extremity of his
agony, “ my own children have forsaken me 1”
12. The king, alarmed everyday more and more with
the prospect of a general disaffection, was resolved to hearken
to those who advised his quitting the kingdom. To prepare
for this he first sent away the queen, who arrived safely at
Calais, under the conduct of Count Lauzun, an old favourite
of the French king. He himself soon after disappeared in
the night time, attended only by sir Edward Hale, a new
convert ; but was discovered and brought back by the mob.
But shortly after, being confined at Rochester, and ob-
serving that he was entirely neglected by his own subjects,
he resolved to seek safety from the king of France, the only
friend he had still remaining. 14. He accordingly fled t.o
the sea-side, attended by his natural son, the duke of Ber-
wick, where he embarked for the continent, and arrived in
safety at Ambleteuse in Picardy, from whence he hastened
to the court of France, where he still enjoyed the empty
title of a king, and the appellation of a saint, which flat-
tered him more.
15. The king having thus abdicated the throne, the next
consideration was the appointing a successor. (A. D. 1688.)
flome declared for a regent; others, that the princess of
Orange should be invested with regal power, and the young
prince considered as supposititious. After a long debate in
both houses, a new sovereign was preferred to a regent, by
a majority of two voices. It was agreed that the prince
and princess of Orange should reign jointly as king and
queen of England, while the administration of government
should be placed in the hands of the prince only.
Questions for Examination.
1—3. Kelato the circumstances which attended the bishops’ trial ?
4. To whom didtho people look for deliverance '!
6. What was the situation of the people when William entered upon.
this enterprise ?
7. What measures did William concert to effect the invasion of
England ?
Where did he land ?
10. By whom was the king deserted ?
11. What exclamation did the king make when he was told that the
prince and princess had forsaken him ?
278
HISTORY OP ENGLAND,
12. What resolution did the king adopt 1
14. To what court did James repair '<
15. What followed the king’s abdication ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
A. D
Pope.
A.D.
Innocent XI 1670
Emperor of Germany.
Leopold 1658
Emperors of the Turks.
Mahomet IV 1649
Solyman 1 1687
King of France.
Louis XIV 1643
King of Spain.
Charles li 1665
King of Portugal.
A.D,
Pedro II 1683
King of Denmark.
Christian V 1678
King of Sweden.
Charles XI 1660
EMINENT PERSONS.
The duke of Monmouth ; Spencer, earl of Sunderland ; Prince Janies,
otherwise called the Pretender; Judge Jefferies; Colonel Kirk ; G Saville,
marquis of Halifax; George, earl of Berkcly ; Thomas Osburn, duke of
Leeds ; H. Booth, lord Delamore, and earl of Warrington ; C. Sackvilio,
earl Dorset; U. Cavendish, duke of Devonshire; J. Thomson, lord Ha-
versham; Colin Lindsay, carl of Balcarras; James Dalrymple, viscount
Stair; R. Graham, viscount Preston; Roger Palmer, earl of Castlemain.
CHAPTER XXXII.
WILLIAM III.
Bom 1650. Died March 8, 1702. Landed inEngland, November 5, 1688.
Began to reign January 22, 1689. Reigned 13 years.
SECTION I.
By turns they tell.
And listen, each with emulous gloryfired,
How William conquer’d, and liow France retired,
TIow Providence o’er William’s temples held,
On Boyne’s projritious banks the heav’nly shield. — Prior.
1. (A.D. 1687.) William was no sooner elected to the
throne, than he began to experience the difficulty of govern-
ing a people, who were more ready to examine the com-
mands of their superiors than to obey them.
2. His reign commenced with an attempt similar to that
which had been the principal cause of all the disturbances
in the preceding reign, and which had excluded the monarch
from the throne. William was a Calvinist, and consequently
averse to persecution; he therefore began by attempting
those laws which enjoined uniformity of worship; and,
though he could not entirely succeed in his design, a tolera-
tion was granted to such dissenters as should take the oatha
of allegiance, and hold no private conventicle.
3. In the meantime, James, whose authority was still
William nl.
27S
acknowleged in Ireland, embarked at Brest for that kingdom,
and on May 22d arrived at Kinsale. He soon after made
his public entry into Dublin, amidst the acclamations of the
inhabitants. He found the appearance of things in that
country equal to his most sanguine expectations. Tyrconnel,
the lord-lieutenant, was devoted to his interests; his old
army was steady, and a new one raised, amounting together
to nearly forty thousand men.
4. As soon as the season would permit, he went to lay
siege to Londonderry, a town of small importance in itself,,
but rendered famous by the stand it made on this occasion.
5. The besieged endured the most poignant sufferings
from fatigue and famine, until at last relieved by a store-
ship, that happily broke the boom laid across the river to
prevent a supply. The joy of the inhabitants at this unex-
pected relief was only equalled by tne rage and disappoint-
ment of the besiegers. The army of James was so dispirited
by the success of this enterprise, that they abandoned the
siege in the night ; and retired with precipitation, after
having lost about nine thousand men before the place.
6. It was upon the opposite sides of the river Boyne that
both armies came in sight of each other, inflamed with all
the animosities arising from a difference of religion, hatred,
and revenge. (A. D. 1690.) The river Boyne at this place
was not so deep but that men might wade over on foot ;
however, the banka were rugged, and rendered dangerous
by old houses and ditches, which served to defend the latent
enemy. 7. William, who now headed the protestant army,
had no sooner arrived, than he rode along the side of the
river in sight of both armies, to make proper observations
upon the plan of battle ; but in. the meantime, being, per,
reived by the enemy, a cannon was privately brought out,
and planted against him where he was sitting. The shot
killed several of his followers, and he himself was wounded
in the shoulder.
8. Early the next morning, at six o’clock, king William
gave orders to force a passage over the river This the
army undertook in three different places; and after a furious
cannonading, the battle began with unusual vigour. The
Irish troops, though reckoned the best in Europe abroad,
\ave always fought indifferently at home. 9. After an
obstinate resistance, they fled with precipitation, leaving the
French and Swiss regiments, who came to their assistance,
to make the best retreat they could. William led on his
280
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.,
Battle of Aughriin, and Death of General St. Ruth.
liorse in person ; and contributed by his activity and vigi-
lance to secure the victory. James was not in the battle, but
stood aloof during the action, on the hill of Dunmore, sur-
rounded with some squadrons of horse : and at intervals was
heard to exclaim, when he saw his owntroops repulsing those
of the enemy, “ 0 spare my English subjects 1”
10. The Irish lost about fifteen hundred men, and the
protestants about one-third of that number. The victory
was splendid, and almost decisive; but the death of the
duke of Schomberg, who was shot as he was crossing the
jvater, seemed to outweigh the whole loss sustained by the
enemy.
11. The last battle fought in favour of James was at
Aughrim. (A. D. 1691.) The enemy fought with surpris-
ing fury, and the horse were several times repulsed ; but the
English wading through the middle of a bog up to the
waist in mud and rallying with some difficulty on the firm
ground on the other side, renewed the combat with great
fury. 12. St. Ruth, the Irish general, being killed, hia
fate so discouraged his troops, that they gave way on all
sides, and retreated to Limerick, where they resolved to
make a final stand, after having lost above five thousand of
the flower of their army. 13. Limerick, the last retreat
of the Irish forces, made a brave defence; but soon seeing
the enemy advanced within ten paces of the bridge foot,
and perceiving themselves surrounded on all sides, they
determined to capitulate j a negotiation was immediately
William hi.
281
begun, and hostilities ceased on both sides. 14. The li -
man catholics, by this capitulation, were restored to the
enjoyment of those liberties in the exercise of their religion
which they had possessed in the reign of king Charles the
Second. All persons were indulged with free leave to re-
move with their families and effects to any other country
except England and Scotland. In consequence of this,
above fourteen thousand of those who had fought for king
James went over into France, having transports provided by
government for conveying them thither.
Questions for Examination.
1,2. What were the first acts of William ?
3. In what manner was James received in Ireland ? /
4. What was the state of affairs in that coun try ?
5. Relate the particuiars of the eeige ofLondonderry ?j
6. Where did the armies first meet?
7. By whatmeans was William wounded ?
8. 9. What was the issue of this battle ?
Describe the conduct of the rival kings during his engagement.
10. Whatloss did eachside sustain ?
11. Where w r as the next battle fought ?
12. How many of the Irish fell in this engagement ?
13. What was the last place of their retreat ?
14. What were the articles of their capitulation ?
SECTION n.
Yet Fame shall stay and bond to William’s praise.
Of him her thousand ears shall hear triumphant lays ;
Of him her tongue shall talk, on him her eyes shall gaz e.— Congreve.
1. (A. D. 1692.) James was now reduced to the lowest
state of despondence : his designs upon England were quite
frustrated, so that nothing was left his friends but the hopes
of assassinating the monarch on the throne. These base
attempts, as barbarous as they were useless, were not en-
tirely disagreeable to the temper of James. 2. It is said he
encouraged and proposed them ; but they all proved unser-
viceable to his cause, and only ended in the destruction of
the Undertakers. From that time till he died, which was
about seven years, he continued to reside at St. Germains,
a pensioner on the bounty of Louis, and assisted by occa-
sional liberalities from his daughter and friends in England.
He died on the sixteenth day of September, in the year
1700, after having laboured under a tedious sickness; aria
many miracles, as the people thought, were wrought at his
tomb. 3. Indeed, the latter part of his life was calculated
to inspire the superstitious with reverance for his piety.
He subjected himself to acta ot uncommon penance and
282
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
mortification. He frequently visited the poor monks of La
Trappe, who were edified by his humble and pious deport-
ment. 4. His pride and arbitrary temper seemed to have
vanished with his greatness ; he became affable, kind, and
easy to all his dependents; and at his last illness conjured
his son to prefer religion to every worldly advantage, — a
counsel which that prince strictly obeyed. He died with
great marks of devotion, and was interred, at his own request,
in the church of the English benedictines at Paris, without
any funeral solemnity.
5. William, upon accepting of the crown, was resolved
to preserve, as much as he was able, that share of preroga-
tive which still was left him. But at length he became
fatigued with opposing the laws which parliament every day
were laying round his authority, and gave up the contest.
6. He admitted every restraint upon the prerogative in Eng-
land, upon the condition of being properly supplied with the
means of humbling the power of France. War and the
balance of power in Europe, were all he knew, or indeed
desired to understand. Provided the parliament furnished
him with supplies for these purposes, he permitted them to
rule the internal polity at their pleasure. 7. For the prose-
cution of the war with France, the sums of money granted
to him were incredible. The nation, not content with fur-
nishing him with such sums of money as they were capable
of raising by the taxes of the year, mortgaged these taxes
and involved themselves in debts which they have never
since been able to discharge. 8. For all that profusion of
wealth granted to maintain the imaginary balance of Europe,
England received in return the empty reward of military
glory in Flanders, and the consciousness of having given
their allies, particularly the Dutch, frequent opportunities
of being ungrateful.
The war with France continued during the greatest part of
this king’s reign ; but at length the treaty of Ryswick, A. D.
1697, put an end to those contentions, in which England had
engaged without policy and came off without advantage.
9. In the general pacification, her interest seemed entirely
deserted ; and for all the treasures she had sent to the con-
tinent, and all the blood which she had shed there, the
only equivalent she received w r as an acknowledgment of
king William’s title from the king of France.
10. William was naturally of a very feeble constitution;
and it was by this time almost exhausted by a series of con-
WILLIAM Hi.
283
tinual disquietude and action. He had endeavoured to re-
pair his constitution, or at least to conceal its decay, by
exercise and riding. On the twenty-first day of February, in
riding to Hampton-Court from Kensington, his horse fell
under him, and he was thrown with such violence, that his
collar-bone was fractured. His attendants conveyed him to
the palace at Hampton-court, where the fracture was re-
duced, and in the evening he returned to Kensington in his
coach. 11. The jolting of the carriage disunited the frac-
ture once more, and the bones were again replaced, under
Bidloo, his physician. This in a robust constitution would
have been a trifling misfortune ; but in him it was fatal.
For sometime he appeared in a fair way of recovery; but,
falling asleep on his couch, he was seized with a shivering,
which terminated in a fever and diarrhoea, which soon be-
came dangerous and desperate. 12. Perceiving his end
approaching, the objects of his former care still lay next his
heart; and the fate of Europe seemed to remove the sensa-
tions he might be supposed to feel for his own. The earl
of Albermarle arriving from Holland, he conferred with him
in private on the posture of affairs abroad. Two days after,
having received the sacrament from archbishop Tenison, he
expired in the fifty-second year of his age, after having
reigned thirteen years.
Questions for Examination.
1. To what situation was James reduced, and what were the designs of
his friends ?
2. When and where did James die ?
3. How did the exiled monarch spend the latter part of his life ?
4. What counsel did he give to hissoninhis.lastiilness ?
5. What was William’s resolution on accepting the crown ?
6. Hid his actions correspond with that resolution '!
7. In what manner did William act '!
8. 9. What consequences resulted from the war with France ?
10, 11. What accident happened to William, and what were the conse-
quences '{
12. What object lay nearest his heart ?
How long did William reign, and what was his age ?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS'.
Popes. A. D.
Alexancer VIII.. 1689
Innocent XII 1691
Clement XI 1700
Emperor of Germany.
Leopold 1658
Emperors of the Tnrhs.
Soliman HI 1687
, A- D.
■ Achmet II 1691
Mustapha II 1695
King of France.
Louis XIV 1643
Kings of Spain.
Charles II 1605
Fllillip V 1700
King of Portugal.
A. D.
Pedro II 1683
King of Denmark.
Christian Y A. 1670
Kings of Sweden.
Charles XI 1660
Charles XII 1690
284
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
EMINENT PERSONS.
Sir Isaac Newton ; John Locke ; Archbishop Tillotscm ; Bishop
Burnet; duke Schomberg ; General Schomberg, son ot the duke ; Mon-
tague, earl of Halifax; Russel, earl of Oxford ; John, lord Somers ;
Anthony Ashley Cooper, earl of Shaftesbury (grandson to the nobleman
mentioned in a former reign) ; Sheffield, duke of Buckingham ; John,
lord Cutts ; admiral Russel, lord Berkely, &c.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
ANNE.
Born 1664. Died August, 1714. Began to reign March 8, 1702. Reigned
12 £ years.
SECTION I.
Ye active streams, where’er your waters flow.
Let distant climes and farthest nations know
What ye from Thames and Danube have been taught,
How Anne commanded, and how Marlboro’ fought.— Prior.
1. (A. D. 1702. ) Anne, married to prince George of
Denmark, ascended the throne in the thirty-eight year of
her age, to the general satisfaction of all parties. She was
the second daughter of King James, by his first wife, the
daughter of chancellor Hyde, afterwards earl of Clarendon.
Upon coming to the crown, she resolved to declare war
against France, and communicated her intentions to the
house of commons, by whom it was approved, and war was
proclaimed accordingly.
2. This declaration of war on the part of the English,
was seconded by similar declarations by the Dutch and
Germans on the same day. The French monarch could not
suppress his anger at such a combination, but his chief re-
sentment fell upon the Dutch. He declared with great emo-
tion, that, as for these gentlemen pedlars, the Dutch, they
should one day repent their insolence and presumption in
declaring war against one whose power they had formerly
felt and dreaded. 3. However, the affairs of the allies
were no way influenced by his threats. The duke of Marl-
borough had his views gratified, in being appointed general
of the English forces; and he was still farther flattered by
the Dutch, who, though the earl of Athlone had a right to
share the command, appointed Marlborough generalissimo
of the allied army. 4. And it must be confessed, that few
men shone more, either in debate or action, than he ; serene
in the midst of danger, and indefatigable in the cabinet; so
ANNE,
285
Marlborough.
that he became the most formidable enemy to France that
England ever produced, since the conquering times of Cressy
and Agincourt.
5. A great part of the history of this reign consists in bat-
tles fought upon the continent, which, though of very little
advantage to the interest of ,the nation, were very great
additions to its honour. These triumphs, it is true, are
passed away, and nothing remains of them but the names of
Blenheim, Ramilies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet, where the
allied army gained great, but (with respect to England) use-
less victories.
6. A conquest of much greater national importance was
gained with less expense of blood and treasure in Spain.
The ministry of England, understanding that the French
were employed in equipping a strong squadron in Brest,
sent out Sir Cloudesly Shovel and sir John Rooke to watch
their motions. Sir George, however, had further orders to
convoy a body of forces in transport-ships to Barcelona, upon
which a fruitless attack was made by the prince of Hesse.
7. Finding no hopes, therefore, from this expedition, in two
days after the troops were re-embarked, Sir George Rooke,
joined by sir Cloudesly, called a council of war on board
the fleet, as they lay off the coast of Africa. In this they
resolved to make an attempt upon Gibraltar, a city then be-
longing to the Spaniards, at that time ill provided with a
garrison, as neither expecting nor fearing such an attempt.
286
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
8. The town of Gibraltar stands upon a tongue of land,
as the mariners called it, and defended by a rock inaccessible
on every side but one. The prince of Hesse landed his
troops, to the number of eight hundred, on the continent ad-
joining, and summoned the town to surrender, but without
effect. 9. Next day the admiral gave oi*ders for cannonading
the town ; and perceiving that the enemy were driven from
iheir fortifications at a place called the South Mole Head,
ordered captain Whitaker to arm all the boats, and assault
that quarter. Those officers who happened to be nearest
the Mole immediately manned their boats without orders,
and entered the fortifications sword in hand. 10. But they
were premature ; for the Spaniards sprung a mine, by which
two lieutenants and about one hundred men were killed
or -wounded. Nevertheless, the two captains, Hicks and
Jumper, took possession of a platform, and kept their ground
until they were sustained by captain Wh itaker, and the rest
of the seamen, who took a redoubt between the Mole and
the town by storm. Then the governer capitulated, and
the prince of Hesse entered the place, amazed at the success
of the attempt, considering the strength of the fortifications.
11. When the news of this conquest was brought to Eng-
land, it was for some time in debate whether it was a cap-
ture worth thanking the admiral for. It was at last consid-
ered, as unworthy of public gratitude ; and, while the Duke of
Marlborough was extolled foV useless services, sir George
llooke was left to neglect, and soon displaced from his com-
mand for having so essentially served his country. A strik-
ing instance, that, even in the most enlightened age, popular
applause is most usually misplaced. 12. Gibraltar has ever
since remained in the possession of the English, and continues
of the utmost use in refitting that part of the navy destined
to annoy an enemy, or protect our trade in the Mediterra-
nean. Here the English have a repository capable of con-
taining all things necessary for the repairing of fleets or the
equipment of armies.
13. While the English were thus victorious by land and
pea, a new scene of contention was opened on the side of
Spain, where the ambition of the European princes exerted
itself with the same fury that had filled the rest of the conti-
nent. Philip the Fourth, grandson of Louis the Fourteenth,
had been placed upon the throne of that kingdom, and had
been received with the joyful concurrence of the greatest part
of his subjects; 14. He had also been nominated successor
ANNE.
287
to the crown by the late king of Spain’s will. But, in a
former treaty among the powers of Europe, Charles, son of
the Emperor of Germany, was appointed heir to that crown ;
and thi 3 treaty had been guaranteed by France herself, though
she now resolved to reverse that consent in favour of a de-
scendant of the house of Bourbon. 15. Charles was still
farther led on to put in for the crown of Spain by the invi-
tations of the Catalonians, who declared in his favour, and
by the assistance of the English and the Portuguese, who
promised to arm in his cause. He was furnished with two
hundred transports, thirty ships of war, and nine thousand
men, for the conquest of that extensive empire. But the
earl of Peterborough, a man of romantic bravery, offered to
conduct them ; and his single service was thought equiva-
lent to armies.
16. The earl of Peterborough was one of the most sin-
gular and extraordinary men of the age in which he lived.
When yet but fifteen, he fought against the Moors in Africa ;
at twenty he assisted in compassing the revolution ; and he
now carried on the war in Spain almost at his own expense :
his friendship for the duke Charles being one of his chief
motives to this great undertaking. He was deformed in his
person ; but of a mind the most generous, honourable, and
active. His first attempt upon landing in Spain was the
taking of Barcelona, a strong city, with a garrison of five
thousand men, while the whole army amounted to little more
than nine thousand. The prince of Hesse was killed in this
action.
17. These successes, however, were but of short continu-
ance; Peterborough being recalled, and the army under
Charles being commanded by the Lord Galway. This no-
bleman, having received intelligence that the enemy, under
the command of the duke of Berwick, was posted near the
town of Almanza, he advanced thither to give him battle.
18. The conflict began about two in the afternoon, and the
whole front of each army was fully engaged. The centre,
consisting chiefly of battalions from Great Britain and Hol-
land, seemed at first victorious; but the Portuguese horse,
by whom they were supported, betaking themselves to flight
in the first charge, the English troops were flanked and sur-
rounded on every side. 19. In this dreadful emergency
they formed themselves into a square, and retired to an emi-
mence, where, being ignorant of the country and destitute of
all supplies, they were obliged to surrender prisoners of
Death of the prince of Hesse at Barcelona.
war, to the number of ten thousand men. This victory was
complete and decisive ; and all Spain, except the Province
of Catalonia, returned to their duty to Philip their sovereign.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who succeeded William ?
Against whom did Anne declare war ?
2. How did the French monarch express his anger ?
3. Who was appointed generalissimo i ’
4. What is his character ?
5. Where did the nation gain great victories ?
6. 7. What important conquest was next obtained ?
8, 10 Delate tho patriculars ?
11. What opinion did the nation entertain ofit ?
12. Was not this opinion unfounded ?
13 — 15. What new scenes of contention arose ?
16. What were the character and conduct of the earl of Peterborough?
18, 19. Delate the particulars of the battle of Almanza.
SECTION II.
Henceforth, she said, in each returning year,
One stem the thistle and the rose shall'bear ;
The thistle’s lasting grace— thou, O my rose, shall be;
The warlike thistle’s arm a sure defence to thee.— Rowe.
1. (A. D. 1707.) The councils of the queen had hitherto
been governed by a whig ministry; for, though the duke
of Marlborough had first started in the tory interest, he soon
joined the opposite faction- thonv most sincere
ANNE,
289
in their desires to humble the power of France. The whigs,
therefore, still pursued the schemes of the late king; and,
impressed with a republican spirit of liberty, strove to
humble despotism in every part of Europe. 2. In a gov-
ernment, where the reasoning of individuals, retired from
power, generally leads those who command, the designs of
the ministry must alter as the people happen to change.
The people, in fact, were beginning to change. But pre-
vious to the disgrace of the whig ministry, whose fall was
now hastening, a measure of the greatest importance took
place in parliament ; a measure that had been wished by
many, but thought too difficult for execution. 3. What I
mean is, the union between the two kingdoms of England
and Scotland: which, though they were governed by one
sovereign since the accession of James the First, yet were
still ruled by their respective parliaments, and often professed
to pursue opposite interests and different designs.
4. The attempt for a union was begun at the commence-
ment of this reign ; but some disputes arising relative to the
trade of the East, the conference was broken up, and it was
thought that an adjustment would be impossible. 5. It was
revived by an act in either parliament, granting power to
commissioners, named on the part of both nations, to treat
on the preliminary articles of a union, which should after-
wards undergo a more thorough discussion by the legislative
body of both kingdoms. The choice of these commission-
ers was left to the queen, and she took care that none should
be employed but such as heartily wished to promote so de-
sirable a measure.
6. Accordingly, the queen having appointed commission-
ers on both sides, they met in the council-chamber of the
Cockpit, near Whitehall, which was the place appointed for
the conferences. As the queen frequently exhorted the
commissioners to despatch, the articles of this famous Union
were soon agreed to and signed by the commissioners ; and
it only remained to lay them before the parliaments of both
nations.
7. In this famous treaty it was stipulated that the succes-
sion to the United Kingdom should be vested in the house
of Hanover; that the united kingdoms should be represented
by one and the same parliament; that all the subjects of
Great Britain should enjoy a communion of privileges and
advantages. 8. That they should have the same allowance
290
filSTORY OF ENGLAND.
and privileges with#respect to commerce and customs ; that
the laws concerning public right, civil government, and
policy, should be the same through the two united king-
doms; but that no alteration should be made in the laws
which concerned private rights, except tor the evident benefit
of the subjects of Scotland. 9. That the courts of session,
and all other courts of judicature in Scotland, should re-
main as then constituted by the laws of that kingdom, with
the same authority and privileges as before the union; and
that Scotland should be represented in the parliament of
Great Britain by sixteen peers and forty-five commoners, to
be elected in such a manner as should be settled by the
present parliament of Scotland. 10. That all peers of Scot-
land should be considered as peers of Great Britain, and
rank immediately after the English peers of the like degree
at the time of the union,- and before such as should be
created after it; that they should enjoy all privileges of
English peers, except that of sitting or voting in parliament,
or sitting upon the trial of peers ; and that all the insignia
of royalty and government should remain as they were.
11. That all laws or statutes in either kingdom, as far as
they may be inconsistent with the terms of these articles,
should cease, and be declared void by the respective parlia-
ments of the two kingdoms. These were the principal
articles of the union ; and it only remained to obtain the
sanction of the legislature of both kingdoms to give them
authority.
12. The arguments of these different assemblies were
suited to the audience. To induce the Scots parliament to
come into the measure, it was alleged, by the ministry and
their supporters, that an entire and perfect union would be
the solid foundation of a lasting peace. It would secure
their religion, liberty, and property ; remove the animosities
that prevailed amongst themselves, and the jealousies that
subsisted between the two nations. 13. It would increase
their strength, riches, and commerce ; the whole island
would be joined in affection, and freed from all apprehen-
sions of different interests ; it would be enabled to resist all
its enemies, support the Protestant interests, and maintain
the liberties of Europe. It was observed, that the less the
wheels of government were clogged by a multiplicity of
councils, the more vigorous would be their exertions. 14.
They were shown that the taxes, which, in consequence
of this union, they were to pay, were by no means so pro-
ANNE
291
portionally great as their share in the legislature ; that their
taxes did not amount to a seventeenth part o? those supplied
by the English ; and yet their share in the legislature was
not a tenth part less. Such were the arguments in favour
of the union addressed to the Scots’ parliament. 15. In the
English houses it was observed, that a powerful and dan-
gerous nation would thus for ever be prevented from giving
them any disturbance. That, in case of any future rupture,
England had everything to lose, and nothing to gain,
against a nation that was courageous and poor.
16. On the other hand, the Scots were tired with indig-
nation at the thought of losing their ancient and indepen-
dent government. The nobility found themselves degraded
in point of dignity and influence, by being excluded from
their seats in parliament. The trading part of the nation
beheld their commerce loaded with heavy duties, and con-
sidered their new privileges of trading to the English plan-
tations in the West Indies as a very uncertain advantage.
17. In the English houses it was also observed, that the
union of a rich with a poor nation would always be benefi-
cial to the latter, and that the former could only hope for a
participation of their necessities. It was said that the Scots
reluctantly yielded to this coalition, and it might be likened
to a marriage with a woman against her consent. 18. It
was supposed to be a union made up of so many unmatched
pieces and such incongruous ingredients, that it could never
take effect. It was complained that the proportion of the
land-tax paid by the Scots was small, and unequal to their
share in the legislature.
ID. At length, notwithstanding all opposition made by
the tories, every article in the union was approved by a
great majority in both joarliaments. Thus all were obliged
to acquiesce in - a union of which they at first had not the
sagacity to distinguish the advantage.
Questions for Examination.
1. By whom had the queen’s counsels hitherto been governed?
2, 3. What important measure took place in parliament?
4-6. By what means was the union effected ?
7 - 11 . lielate the stipulations contained in this famous treaty.
12-14. What arguments were used to induce the Scots to come into the
measure?
15. What arguments were made use of to the English?
10. In what manner did the Scots receive this message?
17. How was it received by the English?
13. What opinion was held concerning it?
19 ' Did the measure succeed?
292
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
SECTION m.
Of Church and State, who dearest deems
Should.carefully avoid extremes. — Dibdin .
1. (A.D. 1708.) In the meantime the whig ministry was
every day declining. Among the number of those whom
the duchess of Marlborough had introduced to the queen
to contribute to her private amusement, was one Mrs.
Masham, her own kinswoman, whom she had raised from
indigence and obscurity. The duchess, having gained the
ascendant over the queen, became petulant and insolent, and
relaxed in those arts by which she had risen. 2. Mrs.
Masham, who had her fortune to make, was more humble
and assiduous ; she flattered the foibles of the queen, and
assented to her prepossessions. She soon saw the queen’s
inclination to the tory set of opinions, their divine right and
passive obedience ; and instead of attempting to thwart her,
as the duchess had done, she joined in with her partiality,
and even outdid her in her own way.
3. This lady was, in fact, the tool of Mr. Harley, secre-
tary of state, who also some time before had insinuated him-
self into the queen’s good graces, and who had determined
to sap the credit of the whig ministers. His aim was to
unite the tory interest under his own shelter, and to expel
the whigs from the advantages which they had long enjoyed
under government.
4. In this career of his ambition he chose for his coad-
jutor, Henry St. John, afterwards the famous lord Boling-
broke ; a man of great eloquence and a greater ambition ;
enterprising, restless, active, and haughty, with some wit and
little principle. To this juncto was added Sir Simon Har-
court, a lawyer, who was a man of great abilities.
5. It was now perceived that the people themselves began
to be weary of a whig ministry, whom they formerly ca-
ressed. To them they imputed the burdens under which
they groaned, — burdens which they had been hitherto ani-
mated to bear by the pomp of triumph, but the load of
which they felt in a pause of success.
6. Harley, afterwards known by the title of lord Oxford,
was at the bottom of all these complaints ; and though they
did not produce an immediate effect, yet they did 'not fail
of a growing and steady operation.
7. At length the whig party of the ministry opened their
eyes to the intrigues of the tories. But it was now too late!
ANNE.
293
they had entirely lost the confidence of the queen. Harley
soon threw off the mask of friendship, and took more
vigorous measures for the prosecution of his designs. In
him the queen reposed all her trust, though he had now no
visible concern in the administration. 8. The first triumph
of the tories, in which the queen discovered a public par-
tiality in their favour, was seen in a transaction of no great
importance in itself but from the consequence it produced.
The parties of the nation were eager to engage, and they
wanted but the watchword to begin. This was given by a
man neither of abilities, property, nor power j but whom
accident brought forward on this occasion.
9. Henry Sacheverel was a clergyman bred at Oxford,
of narrow intellects and an overheated imagination. He
had acquired some popularity among those who had dis-
tinguished themselves by the name of high churchmen, and
had taken all occasions to vent his animosity against the
dissenters. At the summer assizes at Derby, he held forth
in that strain before the judges. On the fifth of November,
in St. Paul’s church, he, in a violent declamation, defended
the doctrine of non-resistance, inveighed against the tolera-
tion of dissenters, declared the church wa3 dangerously at-
tacked by its enemies, and slightly defended by its false
friends. 10. He sounded the trumpet for the zealous, and
exhorted the people to put on the whole armour of God.
Sir Samuel Gerrard, lord mavor, countenanced this ha-
rangue, which, though very weak both in matter and style,
was published under his protection, and extolled by the
tories as a masterpiece of writing. These sermons owed
all their celebrity to the complexion of the times, and they
are now deservedly neglected.
11. Mr. Dolbon, son of the archbishop of York, laid a
complaint before the house of commons against these rhap-
sodies, and thus gave force to what would soon have been
forgotten. The most violent paragraphs were read, and the
sermons were voted scandalous and seditious libels. Sache-
verel was brought to the bar of the house ; and he, far from
disowning the writing of them, gloried in what he had
done and mentioned the encouragement he had received to
publish them from the lord mayor, who was then present.
12. Being ordered to withdraw, it was resolved to impeach
him of high crimes and misdemeanours at the bar of the
house of lords ; Mr. Dolbon was fixed upon to conduct the
prosecution, in the name of the commons of England. A
294
HISTORY OP ENGLAND
committee was appointed to draw up articles of impeach-
ment; Sacheverel was taken into custody, and a day was
appointed for his trial before the lords in Westminster-hall.
13. The eyes of the whole kingdom were turned upon this
very extraordinary trial, which lasted three weeks, and
excluded all other public business for the time. The queen
herself was every day present as a private spectator, whilst
vast multitudes attended the culprit each day as he went to
the hall, shouting as he passed, or silently praying for his
success. The managers for the commons, were sir Joseph
Jekvl, Mr. Eyre, solicitor-general, sir Peter King, recorder--
general Stanhope, sir Thomas Parker, and Mr. Walpole.
14. The doctor was defended by sir Simon Harcourt and
Mr. Philips, and assisted by doctor Atterbury, doctor Small-
ridge, and doctor Friend. While the trial continued, nothing
could exceed the violence and outrage of the populace.
They surrounded the queen’s sedan, exclaiming, “ God bles3
your majesty and the church 1 We hope your majesty is for
doctor Sacheverel.” 15. They destroyed several meeting-
houses, plundered the dwellings of many eminent dissenters,
and even proposed to attack the bank. The queen, in com-
pliance with the request of the commons, published a pro-
clamation for suppressing the tumults ; and several persons
were apprehended and tried for high-treason. Two were
convicted, and sentenced to die ; but neither suffered.
16. When the commons had gone through their charge,
the managers for Sacheverel undertook his defence with
great art and eloquence. He afterwards recited a speech
himself, which, from the difference found between it and his
sermons, seemed evidently the work of another. 17. In it
he solemnly justified his intentions towards the queen and her
government. He spake in the most respectful terms of the
Revolution and of the Protestant succession. He main-
tained the d ctnne of non-resistance as the tenet of the
car.rcli in which he was brought up ; and in a pathetic con-
* fusion endeavoured to excite the pity of his audience.
Questions for Examination.
1 , :: What circumstances led to the fall of the whig ministers?
. ’ 4, V>'n > se e the principal persons opposed to them?
l> -,y ;«st made the people dissatisfied ?
Who was the cause of their discontent?
7 In whom did the queen repose her trust?
a. lu -a hat accident originated the contention between the two parties?
Wuui was sue subject ol Sacheycrel ’s writings?
ANNE.
295
10. Who countenanced and extolled them?
11. What notice did parliament take of these writings?
12. What followed?
13. Who were the managers for the commons?
14. B y whom wa i he dcieuded?
What wa3 the conduct of the populace?
15. Wliat outrages did they commit?
16. 17. What was the purport of ttachercrel’s defenco?
SECTION IV.
Next to the thunderer let Anne stand,
In piciy supremo as in command;
Foul'd for victorious arms and generous aid,
Young Austria’s refuge and herco Bourbon’s dread.— Lansdowne.
1. (A.D. 1700.) At length after much obstinate dispute
and virulent altercation Sacheverel was found guilty by a
majority of seventeen voices ; but no less than four-and
thirty peers entered a protest against this decision. He
was prohibited from preaching for three years ; and his two
sermons were ordered to be burnt by the hand of the com-
mon hangman, in presence of the lord mayor and the two
sheriffs. The lenity of this sentence, which was in a great
measure owing to the dread of popular resentment, was
considered by the tories a3 a triumph.
2. Such was the complexion of the times, when the queen
thought proper to summon a new parliament; and being a
friend to the tories herself, she gave the people an opportu-
nity of indulging themselves in choosing representatives to
her mind. In fact, very few were returned but such as had
distinguished themselves by their zeal against the whig
administration.
3. In the meantime the campaign in Flanders was con-
ducted with the most brilliant success. The duke of Marl-
borough had every motive to continue the war, as it gratified
not only his ambition, but his avarice, — a passion that
obscured his shining abilities.
4. The king of France appeared extremely desirous of a
peace, and resolved to solicit a conference. He employed
one Perkum, resident of the duke of Holstein at the Hague,
to negotiate upon this subject, and he ventured also to solicit
the duke himself in private. A conference was at length
begun at Gertruydenburg, under the influence of Marlbo-
rough, Eugene, and Zinzendorf, who were all three, from
private motives, entirely averse to the treaty. 5. Upon this
occasion the French ministers were subjected to every spe-
296
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
cies of mortification. Spies were placed upon all their con-
duct. Their master was insulted, and their letters were
opened; till at last Louis resolved to hazard another cam-
paign. 6. It was only by insensible degrees that the queen
seemed to acquire courage enough to second her inclinations,
and depose a ministry that had long been disagreeable to
her. Harley, however, who still shared her confidence, did
not fail to inculcate the popularity, the justice, and the secu-
rity of such a measure ; and, in consequence of his advice,
she began the changes, by transferring the post of lord
chamberlain from the duke of Kent to the duke of Shrews-
bury, who had lately voted with the tories and maintained,
an intimate correspondence with Mr. Harley. 7. Soon
after, the earl of Sunderland, secretary of state, and son-in-
law to the duke of Marlborough, was displaced, and the earl
of Dartmouth put in hfs room. Finding that she was
rather applauded than condemned for this resolute proceed-
ing, she resolved to become entirely free.
8. Soon after, the earl of Godolphin was divested of his
office, and the treasury put in commission, subjected to the
direction of Mr. Harley, who was appointed chancellor <tf
the exchequer, and under-treasurer. 9. The earl of Roches-
ter was declared president of the council, in the room of lord
Somers. The staff of the lord steward, being* taken from
the duke of Devonshire, was given to the duke of Bucking-
ham; and Mr. Boyle was removed from the secretary’s
office to make way for Mr. Henry St. John. The lord
chancellor having resigned the great seal, it was first put
in commission, and then given to sir Simon Harcourt. 10.
The earl of Wharton surrendered his commission of lord-
lieutenant of Ireland, and that employment was confer-
red upon the duke of Ormond. Mr. George Greenville was
appointed secretary of war, in the room of Mr. Robert
Walpole. And, in a word, there was not one whig left in
any office of the state, except the duke of Marlborough. He
was still continued the reluctant general of the army ; but
he justly considered himself as a ruin entirely undermined,
and just ready to fall.
11. But the triumph was not yet complete until the
parliament was brought to confirm and approve the queen’s
choice. The queen, in her speech, recommended the pro-
secution of the war with vigour. The Parliament were
ardent in their expressions of zeal and unanimity. They
exhorted her to discountenance all such principles and
ANNE.
297
measures as had lately threatened her royal crown and
dignity. This was but an opening to what soon after'followed.
12. The duke of Marlborough, who but a few months
before had been so highly extolled and caressed by the repre-
sentatives of the people, was now become the object of their
hatred and reproach. His avarice was justly upbraided ; his
protracting the war was said to arise from that motive.
Instances were everywhere given of his fraud and extor-
tion. These might be true ; but party had no moderation,
and even his courage and conduct were called in question.
13. To mortify the duke still more, the thanks of the house
of commons were voted to the earl of Peterborough for his
services in Spain, when they were refused to the duke for
those in Flanders ; and the lord-keeper, who delivered them
to Peterborough, took occasion to drop some reflection
against the mercenary disposition of his rival.
14. Nothing now, therefore, remained of the whig system,
upon which this reign was begun, but the war, which
continued to rage as fiercely as ever, and which increased in
expense every year as it went on. It was the resolution
of the present ministry to put an end to it at any rate, as it
had involved the nation in debt almost to bankruptcy ; and
as it promised, instead of humbling the enemy, only to
become habitual to the constitution.
15. It only remained to remove the duke of Marlborough
from his post, as he would endeavour to traverse all their
negotiations. But here again a difficulty started : this step
could not be taken without giving offence to the Dutch, who
placed entire confidence in him; they were obliged, therefore,
to wait for some convenient occasion. Upon his return from
the campaign, he was accused of having taken a bribe of six
thousand pounds a year from a Jew who contracted to supply
the army with bread; and the queen thought proper to
dismiss him from all his employments. 16. This was the
pretext made use of, though his fall had been predetermined ;
and though his receiving such a bribe was not the real cause
of his removal, y r et candour must confess that it ought to
have been so.
In the meantime, Prior, much more famous as a poet
than as a statesman, was sent over with proposals to France ;
and Menager, a man of no great station, returned with
Prior to London, with full powers to treat upon the pre-
liminaries.
IT. The ministry having got thus far, the great difficulty
298
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
still lay before them of making the terms of peace agreeable
to all the confederates. The earl of Strafford, who had
been lately recalled from the Hague, where he resided as
ambassador, was now sent back to Holland, with orders to
communicate to the pensionary Heiusius the preliminary
proposals, to signify the queen’s approbation of them, and to
propose a place where the plenipotentiaries should assemble.
18. The Hutch were very averse to begin the conference,
upon the inspection of the preliminaries. They sent over
an envoy to attempt to turn the queen from her resolution;
but, finding their efforts vain, they fixed upon Utrecht as a
place of general conference, and they granted passports to
the French ministers accordingly.
19. The conference began at Utrecht, under the conduct
of Robinson, bishop of Bristol, lord privy-seal, and the earl
of Strafford, on the side of the English; of Buys and Vander-
dusson, on the part of the Dutch ; and of the marshal
d’Exelies, the cardinal Polignac, and Mr. Menager, on behalf
of France. The ministers of the emperor and of the duke of
Savoy assisted, and the other allies sent also plenipoten-
tiaries, though with the utmost reluctance. 20. As England
and France were the only two powers that were seriously
inclined to peace, it may be supposed that all the other
deputies served rather to retard than advance its progress.
They met rather to start new difficulties and widen the
breach, than to quiet the dissensions of Europe.
Questions for Examination.
1. Was Saeheverel found guilty ?
What was liis sentence ?
2. Which party prevailed in the new parliament ?
3-5. What took place in Flanders ?
6-10. What change in the ministry took place ?
11. In what manner did the parliament act '(
12, 13 What conduct was observed towards the duke of Marlborough ?
14. What was the resolution of tho present ministry t
15. With what crime was Marlborough charged ?
16. 17. What proceedings were now adopted ?
18. Were the Dutch averse to tho measure ?
19. Where did the conference begin ? By whom was it conducted ?
20. What retarded its progress ?
ANNE.
299
SECTION V.
No reign than Anne’s in war more justly crown’d.
No reign for learning just 'y more renow’d,
Elizabeth a Shahcspeaie own’d;
Charles could a Milton boast;
But Anne saw Newton high enthron’d
Amid the heavenly host. — Dibdin.
1. (A.D. 1712.) The Engli.di ministers, therefore, finding
multiplied obstructions from the deliberations of their allies,
set on foot a private negotiation with France. They stipu-
lated certain advantages for the subjects of Great Britain in
a concerted plan of peace. They resolved to enter into
such mutual confidence with the French as would anticipate
all clandestine transactions to the prejudice of the coalition.
2. In the beginning of August, secretary St. John, who
had been created lord viscount Bolingbroke, was sent to the
court of Versailles to remove all obstructions to the separate
treaty. He was accompanied by Mr. Prior and the ubbe
Gualtier, and treated with the most distinguished marks of
respect. He was caressed by the French king and the
marquis de Torcy, with whom he adjusted the principal
interests ofthe duke of Savoy and the elector of Bavaria.
3. At length, the.treaties of peace and commerce between
England and France being agreed on by the plenipotentiaries
on either side, aud ratified by the queen, she acquainted the
parliament ofthe steps she had taken.
4. The articles of this famous treaty were longer can-
vassed, and more warmly debated, than those of any other
treaty read of in history. The number of different interests
concerned, and the great enmity and jealousy subsisting
between all, made it impossible that all could be satisfied;
and indeed there seemed no other method of obtaining peace
but that which was taken, — for the two principal powers
concerned to make their own articles, and to leave the rest
for a subject of future discussion.
5. The first stipulation was, that Philip, now acknow-
ledged king of Spain, should renounce all right to the
crown of France ; the union of two such powerful kingdoms
being thought dangerous to the liberties of Europe. It was
agreed that the duke of Berri, Philip’s brother, and after
him in succession, should also renounce his right to the
crown of Spain, in case he became king of France. 6. It
was stipulated that the duke Savoy should possess the
island of Sicily, with the title of king, together with Fenis-
trelles, and other places on the continent ; which increase
300
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
of do min ion was in some measure made out of the spoils
of the French monarchy. The Dutch had that barrier
granted them which they so long sought after ; and if the
crown of France was deprived of some dominions to enrich
the duke of Savoy, on the other hand the house of Austria
was taxed to supply the wants of the Hollanders, who were
put in possession of the strongest towns in Flanders. 7.
With regard to England, its glory and its interests were
secured. The fortifications of Dunkirk, a harbour that
might be dangerous to their trade in time of war, were
ordered to be demolished, and its port destroyed. Spain
gave up all right to Gibraltar and the Island of Minorca.
France resigned her pretensions to Hudson’s Bay, Nova
Scotia, and Newfoundland : but they were left in possession
of Cape Breton, and the liberty of drying their fish upon
the shore. 8. Among these articles, glorious to the English
nation, their setting free the French Protestants confined in
the prisons and galleys for their religion, was not the least
meritorious. For the emperor, it was stipulated, that he
should possess the kingdom of Naples, the duchy of Milan,
and the Netherlands. The king of Prussia was to have
Upper Guelder; and a time was fixed for the emperor’s
acceding to these articles, as he had for some time obsti-
nately refused to assist at the negociation. 9. Thus Europe
seemed to be formed into one great republic, the different
members of which were cantoned out to different governors,
and the ambition of any one state amenable to the tribunal
of all. Thus it appears that the English ministry did
justice to all the world ; but their country denied that justice
to them.
10. But while the whigs were attacking the tory minis-
ters from without, these were in much greater danger from
their own internal dissensions. Lord Oxford and Lord Bo-
lingbroke, though they had started with the same principles
and designs, yet, having vanquished other opposers, now
began to turn their strength against each other. Both began
to form separate interests, and to adopt different principles.
Oxford’s plan was the more moderate ; Bolingbroke’s the
more vigorous, but the more secure. 11. Oxford, it was
thought, was entirely for the Hanoverian succession; Bo-
lingbroke had some hopes of bringing in the pretender.
But though they hated each other most sincerely, yet they
were for a while kept together for the good offices of their
friends and adherents, who had the melancholy prospect of
ANNE. 301
seeing the citadel of their hopes, while openly besieged from
without, secretely undermined within. °
12. This was a mortifying prospect for the tories; but
it was more particularly displeasing to the queen, who daily
saw her favourite minister declining, while her own health
kept pace with their contentions. Her constitution was now
quite broken. One fit of sickness succeeded another;
and what completed the ruin of her health was the anxiety
of her mind. These dissensions had such an effect upon
her spirits and constitution, that she declared she could not
outlive it, and immediately sank into a state of lethargic in-
sensibility. Notwithstanding all the medicines which the
physicians could prescribe, the distemper gained ground so
fast, that the day afterwards they despaired of her life, and
the privy council was assembled on the occasion.
All the members, without distinction, being summoned
from the different parts of the kingdoih, began to provide
for the security of the constitution. 14. They sent a letter
to the elector of Hanover, informing him of the queen’s
desperate situation, and desiring him to repair to Holland,
where he would be attended by a British squadron to con-
vey him to England. At the same time they despatched
instructions to the earl of Strafford, at the Hague, to desire
the states-general to be ready to perform the guarantee of
thr Protestant succession. 15. Precautions were taken to
secure the seaports ; and the command of the fleet was
bestowed upon the earl of Berkeley, a professed whig.
These measures, which were all dictated by that party,
answered a double end. It argued their own alacrity in the
cause of their new sovereign, and seemed to imply a danger
to the state from the disaffection of the opposite interest.
16. On the thirtieth of July, the queen seeming some-
what relieved by medicines, rose from her bed about eight
o’clock and walked a little. After some time, easting her
eyes on a clock that stood in her chamber, she continued to
gaze on it for some minutes. One of the ladies in waiting
asked her what she saw there more than usual, to which
the queen only answered by , turning her eyes upon her
with a dying look. 17. She was soon after seized with a
fit of apoplexy. She continued all night in a state of stu-
pefaction, and expired the next morning, in the forty-ninth
year of her age. She reigned more than twelve years over
a people that was now risen to the highest pitch of refine-
ment, and had attained by their wisdom all' the advantagea
302
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
of opulence, and, by their valour, all the happiness of secu*
rity and conquest.*
Questions for Examination.
I, 2. What circumstances preceded the treaty -with France?
3, 4. After its conclusion, in what maimer was it received?
5. What was tho first stipulation?
6. What the next ?
7. How did the treaty regard England ?
8. Which article of'tte treaty was meritorious to the English nation?
What were the stipulations regarding the emperor and the king of
Prussia?
9. What appearance did Europe now exhibit?
10. What dissensions took placo between Oxford and Bollingbroke?
II. What was thought to bo their different views ?
12. What effect had this discussion on the queen?
13-15. When the queen’s life was despaired of, what measures were taken ?
16. What immediately preceded the queen’s death?
17. How long did she reign?
What was the situation of England at her death?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes
AD.
Clement XI 1700
Emperors of Germany.
Leopold 1653
Joseph I ,...1705
Charles VI 1711
Emperors of the Turks.
Mustapha II 1695
A.D.;
Achmet III 1703
King of France.
Louis XIV 1643
King of Spain.
Philip V 1700
Kings of Portugal.
Pedro II 1683
A.T).
John V 1707
King of Denmark.
Frederick IV... .1669
King of Sweden.
Charles XII 1697
King of Prussia.
Frederick 1 1701
* It has been a subject of general remark, that England flourished more
under the reigns of Elizabeth and Anne than under those cf its most dis-
tinguished kings. Though the actions and principles of these princesses
wero widely different, yet their reigns weie equally remembered with
gratitude by their subjects, and both of them have acquired tho endear-
ing epithets of “good queens.” With a pleasing countenance end me-
lodious voice, wero united in the person of queen Anno those amiable
virtues, which add so great a lustre to tho charms of beauty, and place
the female character in so admirable a light. Good-natured, ailab'e, and
lend, sho was an affectionate wife, a tender mother, a warm friend, a
generous patroness, and a benevolent and merciful sovereign. Though
sho was deficicntiu the shining qualities of Queen Elizabeth, yet sho
surpassed that princess in licr londnfcss for her subjects; and as Eliza-
beth acquired the good-wi:l of tho English by the great ness cf her actions,
so Anno was beloved by her people because she evinced a maternal affec-
tion for them. Nor should tho iact pass unnoticed, that, notwithstand-
ing the prevalence of factions and tho dissensions of parties, during this
reign the blood of no subject was shed for treason.
GEORGE I.
303
EMINENT PERSONS.
Churchill, duke of Marlborough ; lord Bolingbroke, sir 'William Tem-
ple ; Boyle, earl of Orrery; Swift; Sydney, carl of Godolpliin; Harley,
earl of Oxford ; Mordount, earl of Peterborough; Howard, earl of Suf-
folk; D. Finch, eail of Ko.tlingham ; O. Grenville, lord Tandrdowne;
Philip, duke of Wharton ; II. loid Raymond; lord-chancellor King; T.
lord Paget ; Sarah, duchess ot Marlborough.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
GEORGE I.
Born 1000, Died June 11, 1727. Began to reign August 1, 1714. Reigned
12| years.
SECTION I.
The common weal should be the first pursuit
Of the crown’d warrior ; for the royal brows
The people first enwreath’d.— Seward.
1. (A.D. 1714.) Pursuant to tlie act of succession,
George the First, eon of Ernest Augustus, first elector of
Brunswick, and the princess Sophia, grand-daughter to
♦John Churchill, duke of Marlborough, was the Son of sir Winston
Churchill, and was born at Ashe, in Devonshire, in 1053. At the age of]2
he became page to the duke of York. About lOGOlio was made an ensign
intho guards, and served forsomo time atTangier; and this seems to
have decided him in the choice of a profession. He was a great favou-
rite at court, and tho duchess of Cleveland presented him .£5,000, with
which ho purchased a lifo annuity, In 1772 ho accompanied tlic duke of
Monmouth to tho continent as a captain of grenadiers, and there fought
under tho great Turenne, with whom ho was known by tho name of the
handsome Englishman. At the siege of Maestritcht lie distinguished
himself so highly as to receive tho public thanks of tho king of Franco.
Returning to England, ho advanced trom one post to another. On the
accession of Janies II, lie was created baren ChurchiT ofSundridge:
and, oil that of William and Alary, earl cf Marlborough. When Anne
took tho throne in 1792, lie was made captain-general cf all tho forces at
home and abroad, and sent plenipotentiary to tho Hague, where lio was
also made captain-general by tho states. This was followed by a series
of tho most splendid campaigns ever made by the armies of England.
But in 1711 ho was removed from li is command by a ministry that was
opposed to him. At tho accession of George I ho was leinstated. After
assisting in tho defeat cf the rebellion in 1715, lie withdrew from public
employments, and died in 1A2, in the 73d year cf bis age.
The ducliess, his widow, a lady of great ambition indavarice, became
very celebrated, and died in 1744, after amassing great wealth.
The palace which was built for him by Hie nation at Woodstock, near
Oxford, alter bis cele brated victory at Blenhiem, is one of tho finest
structures in the kingdom.
The architect, sir John Vanburgb, has been censured as having built
it in too heavy a stylo ; and this caused the mock epitaph on him to be
received with much favour:
Lie heavy on him, earth ; for he
Laid many a heavy load on theo.
But many consider the criticism unjust.
304
History of England.
James the First, ascended the British throne. Hi3 mature
age, he being now fifty-four years old, his sagacity and
experience, his numerous alliances, and the general tran-
quility of Europe, all contributed to establish his interests,
and to promise him a peaceable and happy reign. 2. His
abilities, though not shining, were solid ; he was of a very
different disposition from the Stuart family, whom he suc-
ceeded. These were known, to a proverb, for leaving their
friends in extremity. Georg#, on the contrary, soon after
his arrival in England was heard to say, ‘ 1 My maxim is,
never to abandon my friends, to do justice to all the world,
and to fear no man.”
3. To these qualifications of resolution and perseverance,
he joined great application to business. However, one fault
with respect to England remained behind, — he studied the
interests of those subjects he had left, more than the inter-
ests of those he came to govern.
4. The queen had no sooner resigned her breath, than
the privy-council met j and three instruments were produced,
by which the elector appointed several of his known adhe-
rents to be added as lord-justices to seven great officers of
the kingdom. Orders were immediately issued out for
proclaiming George king of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
The regency appointed the earl of Dorset to carry him the
intimation of his accession to the crown, and to attend him
on his journey to England. They sent the general officers,
in whom they could confide, to their posts ; they reinforced
the garrison at Portsmouth, and appointed the celebrated
Mr. Addison secretary of state. 5. To mortify the late
ministry the more, lord Bolingbroke was obliged to w9.it
every morning in the passage among the servants with his
bag of papers, where there were persons purposely placed to
insult and deride him. No tumult appeared, no commotion
arose, against the accession of the new king ; and this gave
a strong proof that no rational measures were even taken to
obstruct his exaltation.
6. When he first landed at Greenwich, he was received
by the duke of Northumberland, captain of the life-guard,
and the lords of the regency. When he retired to his bed-
chamber, he sent for such of the nobil ity as had distinguish-
ed themselves by their zeal for his succession. But the
duke of Ormond, the lord-chancellor, and the lord-treasurer,
found themselves excluded.
7. The king of a faction, is but the sovereign of half hia
GEORGE I.
305
subjects . Of this, however, the new elected monarch did
not seem to be sensible. It was his misfortune, and con-
sequently that 'of the nation, that he was hemmed round by
men who soured him with their own interests. None now
but the leaders of a party were admitted into employment.
The whigs, while they pretended to secure the crown for
their king, were, with all possible arts, confirming their own
interests, extending their connexions, and giving laws to
the sovereign. 8. An instantaneous and total change was
made in all the offices of trust, honour and advantage. The
whigs governed the senate and the court, whom they would
have oppressed; bound the lower orders of people with
severe laws, and kept them at a distance by vile distinctions ;
and taught them to call this— -liberty I
9. These partialities soon raised discontents among the peo-
ple, and the king’s attachment considerably increased the
discontents throughout the kingdom. The clamour of the
church’s being in danger was revived. Birmingham, Bris-
tol, Norwich, and Reading, still remembered the spirit with
which they had declared for Sacheverel ; and now the cry
was, “ Down with the whigs, and Sacheverel for everl”
10. Upon the first meeting of the new parliament, in
which the whigs, with the king at their head, were predo-
minant, nothing was expected but the most violent measures
against the late ministry, nor were the expectations of man-
kind disappointed. (A.D. 1714).
11. The lords professed their hopes that the king would
be able to recover the reputation of the kingdom on the con-
tinent, the loss of which they affected to deplore. The
commons went much further : they declared their resolution
to trace out those measures by which the country was de-
pressed ; they resolved to seek after those abettors on whom
the pretender seemed to ground his hopes ; and they deter-
mined to bring such to condign punishment.
12. It was the artifice, during this and the succeeding
reign, to stigmatize all those who testified their discontent
against government, as papists and jacobites. All who at-
tempted to speak against the violence of their measures, were
reproached as designing to bring in the pretender; and most
people were consequently afraid to murmur, since discontent
waB so near akin to treason. The people, therefore, beheld
the violence of their [conduct in silent fright, internally dis-
approving, yet not daring to avow their detestation.
Y
306
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
13. A committee was appointed, consisting of twenty-
persons, to inspect all the papers relative to the late negoti-
ation for peace, and to pick out such of them as might serve
as subjects of accusation against the late ministry. After
some time spent in this disquisition, Mr. Walpole, as cshair-
man of the committee, declared to the house that a report,
was drawn up ; and in the mean time moved that a warrant
might be issued for apprehending Mr. Mathew Prior and
Mr. Thomas Harley, who, being in the house, were imme-
diately taken into custody. 14. He then impeached lord
Bolingbroke of high treason. This struck some of the
members with amazement ; but they were still more asto-
nished when lord Coningsby, rising up, was heard to say,
“ The worthy chairman has impeached the hand, but I im-
peach the head ; *he has impeached the scholar, and I the
master; I impeach Bobert earl of Oxford and the earl of
Mortimer of high-treason and of other crimes and misde-
meanours.”
Questions for Examination.
1. Under' what circumstances did George I. ascend the throne ?
2. What were hie abilities and disposition?
What was his maxim ?
3. What fault was atributed to him ?
4. What was the first act of the privy council ?
5. In what manner was Bolingbroke treated?
6. By whom was the king received on his landing?
7. By whom was the king advised, and what was the result?
8. 9. What did these partialities produce ?
10. 11. In what manner did the new parliament act?
12. What did their proceedings produce?
13] 14. For what purpose was a committee appointed ?
SECTION H.
Where Scotland's cloud-capp’d hills appear.
See Mar the rebel standararear :
The rash Pretender's hopes are vain
His followers dispersed or slain.— Davies
1. (A.D. 1714.) When lord Oxford appeared in the house
of lords the day following, he was avoided by the peers as
infectious ; and he had now an opportunity of discovering
the baseness of mankind. When the articles were read
against him in the house of commons, a warm debate arose
upon that in which he was charged with having advised the
French king of the manner of gaining Tournay from the
Dutch. 2. Mr, Walpole alleged that it was treason. Sir
Joseph Jekyl, a known whig, said that he could never be
of opinion that it amounted to treason. It was his principle,
GEORGE I.
307
lie said, to do justice to all men, from the highest to the
lowest. He hoped he might pretend to some knowledge of
the law, and would not scruple to declare, upon this part of
the question, in favour of the criminal. 3. To this, Wal-
pole answered, with great warmth, that there were several
persons, both in and out of the committee, who did not in
the least yield to that member in point of honesty, and exceed-
ed him in the knowledge of the laws, and yet were
satisfied that the charge in that article amounted to high
treason. 4. This point being decided against the earl, and
the other articles proved by the house, the lord Coningsby,
attended by the whig members, impeached him soon after
at the bar of the house of lords ; demanding, at the same
time, that he might lose his seat, and be committed to cus-
tody. When this point came to be debated in the house of
lords a violent altercation ensued. Those who still adhered
to the deposed minister, maintained the injustice and danger
of such proceedings. 5. At last the earl himself rose up,
and, with great tranquillity, observed, that, for his own part,
he always acted by the immediate directions and command
of the queen, his mistress ; he had never offended against
any known law, and was unconcerned for the life of an in-
significant old man. Next day he was brought to the bar,
where he received a copy of his indictment, and was allow-
ed a month to prepare his answer. Though Dr. Mead de-
clared, that if the earl should be sent to the Tower, his life
would be in danger, it was carried in the house that he should
be committed.
6. At the same time the duke of Ormond and lord Boling-
broke, having omitted to surrender themselves (for they had
actually fled to the continent) within a limited time, it was
ordered that the earl-marshall should raze out their names
and arms from among the list of peers ; and inventories were
taken of their estates and possessions, which were declared
forfeited to the crown,
7. Lord Oxford, being confined in the Tower, continued
there for two years, during which time the nation was in a
continual ferment, from an actual rebellion that was carried
on unsuccessfully. After the execution of some lords who
were taken in arms, the nation seemed glutted with blood,
and that was the time that lord Oxford petitioned to be
brought to trial. 8. He knew that the fury of the nation
was spent on objects that were really culpable, and expected
that hie case would look like innocence itself compared to
308
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
theirs. A day, therefore, at his own request, was assigned
him, and the commons were ordered to prepare for their
charge. At the appointed time the peers repaired to the
court in Westminster-hall, where lord Cowper presided as
lord high steward. 9. But a dispute arising between the
lords and commons concerning the mode of his trial, the
lords voted that the prisoner should be set at liberty. To
this dispute he probably, owed the security of his title and
fortune ; for as to the articles importing him guilty of high
treason, they were at once malignant and frivolous, so that
his life was in no manner of danger.
10. In the mean time these vindictive proceedings excited
the indignation of the people, who perceived that the ave-
nues to royal favour were closed against all but a faction.
The flames of rebellion were actually kindled in Scotland.
The earl of Mar, assembling three hundred of his own vas-
sals in the Highlands, proclaimed the pretender at Castle-
down, and set up his standard at a place called Braemar,
assuming the title of lieutenant-general of his majesty’s
forces. 11. To second these attempts, two vessels arrived
in Scotland from France, with arms, ammunition, and a
number of officers, together with assurances to the earl, that
the Pretender himself would shortly come over to head his
own forces. The earl, in consequence of this promise, soon
found himself at the head of ten thousand men, well armed
and provided. 12. The duke of Argyle, apprized of his in-
tentions, and at any rate willing to prove his attachment to
the present government, resolved to give him battle in the
neighbourhood of Dumblane, though his forces did not amount
to half the number of the enemy. After an engagement
which continued several hours, in the evening both sides
drew off, and both sides claimed the victory. 13. Though
the possession of the field was kept by neither, yet eertainly
all the honour and all the advantages of the day belonged to
the duke of Argyle. It was sufficient for him to have inter-
rupted the progress of the enemy ; for, in their circumstances,
delay was defeat. The earl of Mar soon found his disap-
pointment and losses increase. The castle of Inverness, of
which he was m possession, was delivered up to the king
by lord Lovat, who had hitherto professed to act in the in-
terest of the Pretender. 14. The marquis of Tullibardine
forsook the earl, in order to defend his own part of the coun-
try ; and many of the clans, seeing no likelihood of coming
soon to a second engagement, returned quietly home ; for
oeoege i. 309
an irregular army is much easier led to battle, than induced
to bear the fatigues of a campaign.
15. In the mean time the rebellion was much more un-
successfully prosecuted in England. From the time the
Pretender had undertaken this wild project at Paris, in which
the duke of Ormond and lord Bolingbroke were engaged,
lord Stair, the English ambassador there, had penetrated all
his designs, and sent faithful accounts of all his measures,
and of all his adherents, to the ministry at home. Upon the
first rumour, therefore, of an insurrection, they imprisoned
several lords and gentlemen, of whom they had a suspicion.
16. The earls of Home, Wintown, Kinnoul, and others,
were committed to the castle of Edinburgh. The king oh
tained leave from the lower house to seize sir William
Wyndham, sir John Packington, Harvey Combe, and others.
The lords Lansdowne and Duplin were taken into custody.
Sir William Wyndham’s father-in-law, the duke of Somer-
set, offered to become bound for his appearance, but this
surety was refused.
Question t for Examination.
1. What was the conduct of the peers towards lord Oxford?
2. In what way was he defended by sir John Jekyl?
3. What was the answer of Walpole?
4. Who impeached the earl of Oxford before the lords?
6. What answer did his lordship make to the charge?
6. What proceedings were taken against Ormond and Bolingbroke?
7. In what state was the nation at this time?
8. Under what circumstances did Oxford request his trial?
9. What occasioned his being set at liberty?
10. What excited the indignation of the people ?
11-14. Relate the particulars of the rebellion of Scotland.
16 . Who, penetrating into the wild project of the pretender, sent accounts
of all his measures?
16. Who were imprisoned in consequence?
SECTION m.
Swift to the north his troops he leads.
O’er rapid floods and hills of snow ;
No toil the glorious march impedes
That bears the Briton to the toe.— Anon.
1. (A.D. 1715.) All these precautions were not able to
stop the insurrection in the western counties, where it was
already begun. However, all their preparations were weak
and ill-conducted ; every measure was betrayed to government
as soon as projected, and many revolts suppressed in the
very outset. 2. The university of Oxford was treated with
great severity on this occasion. Major-general Pepper, with
3i0 HISTORY OF ENGLAftth
a strong detachment of dragoons, took possession of the city
at daybreak, declaring that he would instantly shoot any of
the students who should presume to appear without the limits
of their respective colleges. The insurrections in the northern
counties came to greater maturity. 3. In the month of Oc-
tober, 1115, the earl of Derwentwater and Mr. Foster took
the field with a large body of horse, and being joined by
some gentlemen from the borders of Scotland, proclaimed
the Pretender. Their first attempt was to seize upon New-
castle, in which they had many friends j but they found the
gates shut against them and were obliged to retire to Hex-
ham. 4. To oppose these, general Carpenter was detached
by government with a body of nine hundred men, and an
engagement was hourly expected. The rebels had pro-
ceeded by way of Kendal and Lancaster to Preston, of
which place they took possession without any resistance.
But this was the last stage of their ill-advised incursion ; for
general Wills, at the head of seven thousand men, came up
to the town to attack them, and from his activity there was
no escaping. They now, therefore, began to raise barri-
cades, and to place the town in a posture of defence, repuls-
ing the first attack of the royal army with success. Next
day, however, Wills was reinforced by Carpenter, and the
town was invested on all sides. In this deplorable situation,
to which they were reduced by their own rashness, Foster
hoped to capitulate with the general, and accordingly sent
colonel Oxburgh, who had been taken prisoner, with a
trumpeter, to propose a capitulation. 6. This, however,
Wills refused, alleging that he would not treat with rebels,
and the only favour they had to expect was to be spared
from immediate slaughter. These were hard terms, yet no
better could be obtained. They accordingly laid down their
arms, and were put under a strong guard ; all the noblemen
and leaders were secured, and a few of the officers tried for
deserting from the royal army, and shot by order of a court-
martial. The common men were imprisoned at Chester
and Liverpool ; the noblemen and considerable officers were
sent to London, and led through the streets, pinioned and
bound together, to intimidate their party.
7. The Pretender might, by this time, have been con-
vinced of the vanity of his expectations, in supposing that
the whole country would rise up in his cause. His affairs
were actually desperate ; yet, with his usual infatuation, he
resolved to hazard his person among his friends in Scotland
George t.
311
at a time wheu such a measure was too late for success. 8.
Passing, therefore, through France in disguise, and embark-
ing in a small Teasel at Dunkirk, he arrived, after a passage
of a few days, on the coast of Scotland, with only six gen-
tlemen in his train. He passed unknown through Aberdeen
to Feterosse, where he was met by the earl of Mar, and
about 'thirty noblemen and gentlemen of the first quality.
9. There he was solemnly proclaimed. His declaration,
dated at Commercy, was printed and dispersed. He went
from thence to Dundee, where he made a public entry, and
in two days more he arrived at Scoon, where he intended to
have the ceremony of the coronation performed. He order-
ed thanksgivings to be made for his safe arrival ; he enjoined
the ministers to pray for him in their churches ; and with-
out the smallest share of power, went through the ceremo-
nies of royalty, which threw an air of ridicule on all his
conduct. 10. Having thus spent some time in unimportant
parade, he resolved to abandon the enterprise with the same
levity with which it was undertaken. Having made a speech
to his grand council^ he informed them of his want of money,
arms, and ammuumtion, for undertaking a campaign, and
therefore deplored that he was compelled to leave them. He
once more embarked on board a small French ship that lay
in the harbour of Montrose, accompanied by severals lords,
his adherents, and in five days arrived at Gravelin.
11. In this manner ended a rebellion, which nothing but
imbecility could project, and nothing but rashness could
support. But though the enemy was no more, the fury of
the victors did not seem in the least to abate with success.
The law was now put in force with all its terrors; and the
prisons of London were crowded with those deluded
wretches, whom the ministry seemed resolved not to pardon.
12. The commons, in their address to the crown, declared
they would prosecute in the most rigorous manner the authors
of the late rebellion. In consequence of which the earls of
Derwentwater, Nithisdale, Carnwath^ and Wintown, the
lords Widrington, Kenmuir, and Nairne, were impeached,
and, upon pleading guilty, all but lord Wintown received
sentence of death. No entreaties could soften the minstry
to spare these unhappy men. The countess of Derwent-
water, with her sister, and several other ladies of the first dis-
tinction, being introduced into the presence of the king, be-
sought his clemency for her husband, but without effect.
13. Orders were dispatched for executing the lords Der-
312
HISTORY OF ENGLAND;
Countess of Derwen water interceding for her husband.
wentwater, Nithisdale, and Kenmuir immediately; the rest
were respited to a farther time. Nithisdale, however, had
the good fortune to escape in women’s clothes, which were
brought to him by his mother, the night before he was to
have been executed. Derwentwater and Kenmuir were
brought to the scaffold on Tower-hill at the time appointed.
Both underwent their sentence with calm intrepidity, pitied
by all, and seemingly less moved themselves than those who
beheld them.
14. In the beginning of April, commissioners for trying
the rebels met in the court of common pleas, when bills
were found against Mr. Forster, Mr. Mackintosh, and twenty
of their confederates.
15. Forster escaped from Newgate, and reached the con-
tinent in safety; the rest pleaded not guilty. Pitts, the
keeper of Newgate, being suspected of having connived at
Forster’s escape, was tried for his life, but acquitted. Yet,
notwithstanding this, Mackintosh and several other prisoners
broke from Newgate, after having mastered the keeper and
tnrnkey, and disarmed the sentinel. 16. The court pro-
ceeded to the trial of those that remained ; four or five were
hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn; two-and-twenty
were executed at Preston and Manchester; and about a
thousand prisoners experienced the king’s mercy, if such it
might be called, by being transported to North America.
GEORGE I.
313
17. A rupture with Spain, which ensued some time after,
served once more to raise the declining expectations of the
pretender and his adherents. It was hoped that, by the
assistance of cardinal Alberoni, the Spanish minister, a new
insurrection might be carried on in England. The duke of
Ormond was the person fixed upon to conduct this expedi-
tion ; and he obtained from the Spanish court a fleet of ten
ships of war and transports, having on board six thousand
regular troops, with arms for twelve thousand more. 18.
But fortune was still as unfavourable as ever. Having set
sail, and proceeded as far as Cape Finisterre, he was encoun-
tered by a violent storm, which disabled his fleet and frus-
trated the expedition. This misfortune, together with the
bad success of the Spanish arms in Sicily, and in other parts
of Europe, induced Philip to wish for peace ; and he at last
consented to sign the quadruple alliance. This was at that
time thought an immense acquisition ; but England, though
she procured the ratification, had no share in the advantage
of the treaty.
Questions for Examination.
1. Of what nature was the insurrection in the western counties?
2. In what manner was the University of Oxford treated?
3. By whom was the pretender first proclaimed ?
4. Relate the mapper in which they were opposed.
6. 6. What was the result of the siege of Preston?
8. 9. What was the next proceeding of the Pretender?
10. Whpt was his conduct on abandoning this enterprise?
11. What was the conduct of the victors ?
12. What was the declaration of the oommons ? and what was the conse-
quence?
13. What orders were now despatched ?
14^-16. Relate the particulars which regarded the other rebels.
17. What rupture raised the declining hopes oftho Pretender?
18. What was the result?
SECTION IV.
The South Sea bubble now appears,
Which caused some smiles, some countless tears,
And set half Europe by the e&rs.—Dibdin.
1. (A.D. 1721) It was about this time that one John
Law, a Scotchman, had cheated France by erecting a com-
pany under the name of the Mississippi, which promised
that deluded people great wealth, but which ended in involv-
ing the French nation in great distress. It was now that
the people of England were deceived by a project entirely
similar, which is remembered by the name of the South
314
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Sea Scheme, and which was felt long after by thousafads.
2. To explain this as concisely as possible, it is to be ob-
served, that ever since the revolution under king William,
the government, not having had sufficient supplies granted
by parliament, or what was granted requiring time to be
collected, they were obliged to borrow money from several
different companies of merchants, and, among the rest, from
that company which traded to the South Sea. The South
Sea company having made up their debt to the goverament
ten millions, instead of six hundred thousand pounds^ which
they usually reoeived as interest, were satisfied with five
hundred thousand pounds.
3. It was in this situation of things that one Blount, who
had been bred a scrivener, and was possessed of all the
cunning and plausibility requisite for such an undertaking,
proposed to the ministry, in the name of the South Sea
company, to buy up all the debts of the different companies
of merchants, and thus to become the sole creditor of the
state. 4. The terms he offered to government were ex-
tremely advantageous. The South Sea oompany was to
redeem the debts of the nation out of the hands of the
private proprietors, who were creditors to the government,
upon whatever terms they oould agree on; and for the
interest of this money, which they had thus redeemed, and
taken into their own hands, they would be contented to be
allowed by government, for six years, five per cent. ; then
the interest should be reduced to four per cent. ; and should
at any time be redeemable by parliament. 5. But now
caifie the part of the scheme big with fraud and ruin. As
the directors of the South Sea company could not of them-
selves be supposed to possess money sufficient to buy up the
debts of the nation^ they were empowered to raise it by
opening a subscription to a scheme for trading to the South
Seas, from which commerce immense ideal advantages were
promised by the cunning directors, and still greater expected
by the rapacious credulity of the people. All persons
therefore, who were creditors to the government, were
invited to come in, and exchange their Btocks for that of the
South Sea company.
6. The directors' books were no sooner opened for the
first subscription, than crowds came to make the exchange
of their stock for South Sea stock. The delusion was art-
fully continued, and spread. Subscriptions in a very few
days sold for double the price they had been bought at.
GEORG® i.
315
The scheme succeeded even beyond the proprietor’s hopes,
and the whole nation was infected with a spirit of avaricious
enterprise. The infatuation prevailed ; the stock increased
to a surprising degree, and to nearly ten times the value of
what it was subscribed for.
7. After a few months, however, the people awoke from
their dreams of riches, and found that all the advantages
they expected were merely imaginary, while thousands of
families were involved in one common ruin.
8. The principal delinquents were punished by parlia-
ment with a forfeiture of all such possessions and estates as
they had acquired during the ^ continuance of this popular
phrensv, and some care also was taken to redress the suf-
ferers. The discontents occasioned by these public calami-
ties once more gave the disaffected party hopes of succeed-
ing. But in all their councils they were weak, divided, and
wavering.
9. The first person that was seized upon suspicion was
Francis Atterbury, bishop of Rochester, a prelate long ob-
noxious to the present government, and possessed of abilities
to render him formidable to any ministry he opposed. His
papers were seized, and he himself oonfined to the Tower.
Soon after, the duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Orrery, the lords
North and Grey, and some others of inferior rank, were ar-
rested and imprisoned. Of all these, however, only the
bishop, who was banished, and one Mr. Layer, who was
hanged at Tyburn, felt the severity of government, the
proofs against the rest amounting to no convictive evidence.
10. The commons about this time, finding many abuses
had crept into the court of Chancery, which either imped-
ed justice or rendered it venal, resolved to impeach the
chancellor Thomas, earl of Macclesfield, at the bar of the
house of lords, for high crimes and misdemeanours. 11.
This was one of the most laborious and best-contested trials
in the annals of England. The trial lasted twenty days.
The earl proved that the sums he had reoeived for the sale
of places in chancery had been usually received by former
lord chancellors; but reason told that such receipts were
contrary to strict justice. Equity, therefore, , prevailed
above precedent ; the earl was convicted of fraudulent prac-
tices, and condemned to a fine of thirty thousand pounds,
with imprisonment till the sum should be paid, which was
accordingly discharged about six weeks after.
12. In this manner, the corruption, venality, and avarice
B16 HISTORY OP ENGLANIa
of the times had increased with the riches and luxury of the
nation. Commerce introduced fraud, and wealth introduced
prodigality.
It must be owned that the parliament made some new
efforts to check the progress of vice and immorality, which
now began to be diffused through every rank of life. But
they were supported neither by the co-operation of the
ministry, nor the voice of the people.
13. It was now two years since the king had visited his
electoral dominions of Hanover. He therefore, soon after
the breaking up of the parliament, prepared for a journey
thither. A. D. lY2t.) Having appointed a regency in his
absence, he embarked for Holland, and lay, upon his land-
ing, at a little town called Voet. Next day he proceeded
on his journey, and, in two days more, between ten and
eleven at night, arrived at Delden, to all appearance in per-
fect health. 14. He supped there very heartily, and conti-
nued his progress early the next morning, but between
eight and nine ordered his coach to stop. It being per-
ceived that one of of his hands lay motionless, Monsieur Fa-
brice who had formerly been servant to the king of Swe-
den, and who now attended king George, attempted to
quicken the circulation, by chafing it between his hands.
15. As this had no effect, the surgeon, who followed on
horseback, was called, and he also rubbed it with spirits.
Soon after, the king’s tongue began to swell, and he had just
strength enough to bid them hasten to Osnaburgh ; then,
falling insensibly into Fabrice’s arms, he never recovered,
but expired about eleven o’clock the next morning^ in the
sixty-eighth year of his age and the thirteenth of his reign.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the project of the South Sea scheme?
2. Explain the nature of it ?
3. What proposition was made to the ministry?
4. What were the terms?
5. What part of the scheme was full of fraud and ruin?
' 6. What success attended it?
8. How were the principal delinquents'punished ?
9. What persons were now seized as obnoxious to government?
10. On what charge was the earl of Macclesfield impeached?
11. Relate the particulars of his trial.
12. What was now the state of the nation?
13 . About what time did the king prepare to visit his electoral dominions ?
14. What happened on his^progress thither ?
15. In what manner did the king die? and what was his age?
GEORGE II.
317
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes. A.D.
Clement XI 1700
Innocent XIII 1721
Benedict XIII 1724
Emperor of Germany.
Charles VI..*, 1711
Emperor of the Turks.
Ackmet III 1708
Emperor qf Russia.
Peter the Great, first
emperor 1722
Empress of Russia.
A.D.
Catherine 1 1725
I Kings of France.
Louis XIV 1643
Louis XV 1715
King of Spain,
Philip V... 1700
King of Portugal.
John V 1707
King qf Denmark.
A.D.
Frederick IV 1699
King and Queen of
Sweden.
Charles XII 1697
Utricia Leonora. . .1718
King of Prussia.
Frederick II 1713
EMINENT PERSONS.
Sir William Wyndham; Sir Robert Walpole; William Pulteney ; Fran-
cis, bishop Atterbury ; John, lord Harvey : John Perceval, earl of Egmout,
&c, &c.
CHAPTER XXXV.
GEORGE n.
Bom 1688. Died October 26, 1760. Began to reign June 11,1727. Reigned
331 years.
SECTION I.
The royal sire to realms of bliss removed,
(Like the famed phoenix) from his pyre shall spring
Successive Georges, gracious and beloved,
And good ana glorious as the parent king. — Cunningham.
1. (A.D. 1727.) Upon the death of George the First, his
son George the Second came to the crown ; a man of infe-
rior abilities to the late king, and strongly biased with a
partiality to his dominions on the continent. The chief
person, and he who shortly after engrossed the greatest
share of power under him, was sir Robert Walpole, who
had risen from low beginnings, through two successive
reigns, into great estimation. 2. He was considered as a
martyr to his cause in the reign of queen Anne ; and when
the tory party could no longer oppress him, he still pre-
served the hatred against them with which he set out. To
defend the declining prerogative of the crown might, per-
haps, have been the first object of his attention ; but soon
after, those very measures by which he pretended to secure
it, proved the most effectual means to lessen it. By cor-
rupting the house of commons, he increased their riches
318
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
and power ; and they were not averse to voting away those
millions which he permitted them so liberally to share.
3. As such a tendency in him naturally produced opposi-
tion, he was possessed of a most phlegmatic insensibility to
reproach, and a calm dispassionate manner of reasoning
upon such topics as he desired should be believed. His
discourse was fluent, hut without dignity, and his manner
convincing from its apparent want of art.
4. The Spaniards were the first nation who showed the
futility of the treaties of the former reign to hind, when any
advantage was to be produced by infraction. The people
of our WeBt India Islands had long carried on an illicit
trade with the subjects of Spain upon the continent, but,
whenever detected, were rigorously punished, and their
cargoes confiscated to the crown. In this temerity of
adventure, on the one hand, and in the vigilance of pursuit
and punishment on the other, it must often have happened
that the innocent must suffer with the guilty j and many
complaints were made, perhaps founded in justice, that the
English merchants were plundered by the Spanish king’s
vessels upon the southern coast of America, as if they were
pirates.
6. The English ministry, unwilling to credit every report
which was inflamed by resentment or urged by avarice,
expected to remedy the evils complained of by their fbvourite
system of treaty, and in the meantime promised the naticn
redress. At length, however, the complaints became more
general, and the merchants remonstrated by petition to the
house of commons, who entered into a deliberation on the
subject. 7. They examined the evidence of several who
had been unjustly seized, and treated with great cruelty.
One man, the master of a trading vessel, had been used by
the Spaniards in a most shocking manner ; he gave in his
evidence with great precision, informed the house of the
manner they had plundered and stripped him, of their cut-
ting off his ears, and of their preparing to put him to death.
“I then looked up,” said he, “to my Goa for pardon, and
to my country for revenge.”
8. These accounts raised a flame among the people,
which it was neither the minister’s interest nor perhaps that
of the action to indulge: new negotiations were set on
foot, and new mediators offered their interposition. A treaty
was signed at Vienna, between the emperor, the king of
Great Britain, and the king of Spain, which settled the
GEORGE II.
319
peace of Europe upon its former footing, and put ©ff the
threatening war for a time. 9. By this treaty the king of
England conceived hopes that all war would be at an end.
Don Carlos, upon the death of the Duke of Parma, was, by
the assistance of an English fleet, put in peaceable posses’
sion of Parma and Placentia, while six thousand Spaniards
were quietly admitted and quartered in the duchy of Tus-
cany, to secure for him the reversion of that dukedom.
10. An interval of peace succeeded, in which nothing
remarkable happened, and scarcely any contest ensued, ex-
cept in the British parliament, where the disputes between
the court and country party were carried on with unceasing
animosity.
11. (A.D. 1731.) A society of men, in this interested
age of seeming benevolence, had united themselves into a
company, by the name of the Charitable Corporation ; and
their professed intention was to lend money at legal interest
to the poor, upon small pledges, and to persons of higher
rank upon proper security. Their capital was at first limited
to thirty thousand pounds, but they afterwards increased it
to six hundred thousand. 12. This money was supplied
by subscription, and the care of conducting the capital was
intrusted in a proper number of directors. This company
having continued for more than twenty years, the cashier,
George Robinson, member for Marlow, and the warehouse-
keeper, John Thompson, disappeared in one day. Five
hundred thousand pounds of capital was found to be sunk
and embezzled by means which the proprietors could not
discover. 13. They, therefore, in a petition, represented
to the house the manner in which they had been defrauded,
and the distress to which many of the petitioners were re-
duced. A seeret committee being appointed to examine
into this grievance, a most iniquitous scene of fraud was
discovered, which had been carried on by Robinson and
Thompson, in concert with some of the directors, for em-
bezzling the capital and cheating the proprietors. Many
persons of rank and quality were concerned in this infamous
conspiracy; and even some of the first characters in the
nation did not escape censure. 14. A spirit of avarice and
rapacity infected every rank of life about this time : no less
than six members of parliament were expelled for the most
sordid acts of knavery^ — Sir Robert Sutton, sir Archibald
Grant, and George Robinson, for their frauds in the manage-
ment of the Charitable Corporation scheme ; Denis Bond
320
HISTORY OF INGLAND.
and sergeant Birch, for a fraudulent sale of the unfortu-
nate earl of Derwentwater’s large estate : and, lastly, John
Ward, of Hackney, for forgery. 15. Luxury had given
birth to prodigality, and that was the parent of the meanest
arts of peculation. It was asserted in the house of lords,
at that time, that not one shilling of the forfeited estates was
ever applied to the service of the publio, but became the
reward of fraud and venality.
Questions for Examination,
1. Br whom was George the First succeeded?
Who engrossed the greatest share of power under him?
2. 3. What measures did Walpole pursue? what was his character?
4. 5. Under what circumstances did the dispute with Spain originate?
6. What was the conduct of the English ministry?
7. Relate the evidence of one who had heen treated with great oruelty
bv the Spaniards.
8. What for a time prevented the threatening war?
10. In the interval of peace did anything remarkable happen?
11. What wag the origin of the Charitable Corporation?
12. By whom was its capital embezzled ?
13. What followed the detection of this fraud?
14. What members of parliament were expelled for the most sordid acts
of knavery ?
15. What remarkable assertion was made in the house of lords at this
time?
SECTION H.
Of Spain dissatisfied once more we tell;
On England's triumphs, too, the muse might dwell.
And sing how Vernon fought and Porto Bello fell .—Dibdin.
1. (A.D. 1732.) A scheme, set on foot by sir Robert
Walpole, soon after engrossed the attention of the public,
which was to fix a general excise. The minister introduced
it into the house, by going into detail of the frauds practised
by the factors in London, who were employed by the Ame-
rican planters in selling their tobacco. 2. To prevent these
frauds, he proposed, that, instead of having the custom levied
in the usual manner upon tobacco, all hereafter to be imported
should be lodged in warehouses appointed for that purpose
by the officers of the crown ; that it should from thence be
sold, upon paying the duty of fourpence a pound, when the
proprietor found a purchaser. 3. This proposal raised a
violent ferment, not lees within doors than without. It was
asserted that it would expose the factors to such hardships
that they would not be able to continue their trade, and that
GEORGE II.
321
such a scheme would not even prevent the frauds complained
of. It was added, that a number of additional excisemen
and warehouse-keepers would thus be employed, which
would at once render the ministry formidable, and the people
dependent. 4. Such were the arguments made use of to
stir up the citizens to oppose this law ; arguments rather
specious than solid, since, with all its disadvantages, the tax
upon tobacco would thus be more safely and expeditously
collected, and the avenues to numberless frauds would be
shut up. The people, however, were raised into such a fer-
ment, that the parliament-house was surrounded with mul-
titudes, who intimidated the ministry, and compelled them
to drop the design. The miscarriage of the bill was cele-
brated with public rejoicings in London and Westminister,
and the minister was burned in effigy by the populace of
London.
5. Ever since the treaty of Utrecht, the Spaniards in
America had insulted and distressed the commerce of Great
Britain, and the British merchants had attempted to carry on
an illicit trade in their dominions. A right which the Eng-
lish merchants claimed by treaty, of cutting logwood in the
bay of Campeachy, gave them frequent opportunities of
pushing in contraband commodities upon the continent; so
that, to suppress the evil, the Spaniards were resolved to an-
nihilate the claim. 6. This liberty of cutting logwood had
often been acknowledged, but never clearly ascertained ; in
all former treaties it was considered as an object of too little
importance to make a separate article in any negotiation.
The Spanish vessels appointed for protecting the coast, con-
tinued their severities upon the English ; many of the sub-
jects of Britain were sent to dig in the mines of Potosi, and
deprived of all means of conveying their complaints to those
who might send them redress. 1 . One remonstrance fol-
lowed another to the court of Madrid of this violation of
treaty ; but the only answers given were promises of inquiry
which produced no reformation. Our merchants complained
loudly of these outrages, but the ministers vainly expected
from negotiations that redress which was only to be obtained
by arms.
8. The fears discovered by the court of Great Britain
only served to increase the insolence of the enemy ; and
their guard-ships continued to seize, not only all the guilty,
but the innocent, whom they found sailing along the Spanish
Main. At last, however, the complaints of the English
w
322
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
merchants were loud enough to interest the house of com-
mons ; their letters and memorials were produced, and their
grievances enforced by council at the bar of the house. 9. It
was soon • found that the money which Spain had agreed to
pay to the court of Great Britain was withheld, and no rear
son assigned for the delay. The minister, therefore, to gratify
the general ardour, and to atone for his former deficiencies,
assured the house that he would put the nation in a condition
for war. Soon after, letters of reprisal were granted against
the Spaniards ; and this being on both sides considered as
an actual commencement of hostilities, both diligently set
forward their armaments by sea and land. 10. In this
threatening situation, the French minister at the Hague de-
clared that his master was obliged by treaty to assist the
king of Spain ; so that the alliances, which but twenty years
before had taken place, were now quite reversed. At that
time, France and England were combined against Spain : at
present France and Spain were united against England:
such little hopes can statesmen place upon the firmest trea-
ties, where there is no superior power to compel the observ-
ance.
11. (A.D. 1739.) A rupture between England and Spain
being now become unavoidable, the people, who had long
clamoured for war, began to feel uncommon alacrity at its
approach ; and the ministry, finding it inevitable, began to
be as earnest in preparation. Orders were issued for aug-
menting the land forces, and for raising a body of marines.
War was declared with proper solemnity, and soon after,
two rich Spanish prizes were taken in the Mediterranean.
12. Admiral Vernon, a man of more courage than expe-
rience, of more confidence than skill, was sent as comman-
der of a fleet into the West Indies, to distress the enemy in
that part of the globe. He had asserted in the house of
commons, that Porto Bello, a fort and harbour in South
America, could be easily destroyed, and that he himself
would undertake to reduce it with six ships only. 13. A
project which appeared so wild and impossible was ridiculed
by the ministry ; but as he still insisted upon the proposal,
they complied with his request, hoping that his want of suc-
cess might repress the confidence of his party. In this, how-
ever, they were disappointed; for with six ships only he
attacked and demolished all the fortifications of the place,
and came away victorious with scarcely the loss pf a man.
This victory was magnified at home in all the strains of
GEORGE II. 323
panegyric, and the triumph was far superior to the value of
the conquest.
14. While vigorous preparations were making in other
departments, a squadron of ships was equipped for distress-
ing the enemy in the South Seas, the command of which
was given to commodore Anson. This fleet was destined to
sail through the Straits of Magellan, and, steering northward
along the coast of Chili and Peru, to co-operate occasionally
with admiral Vernon across the isthmus of Darien. The
delays and mistakes of the ministry frustrated that part of
the scheme, which was originally well laid. 15. When it
was too late in the season, the commodore set out with five
ships of the line, a frigate and two smaller ships, with about
fourteen hundred men. Having reached the eoast of Brazil,
he refreshed his men for some time on the island of St.
Catherine, a spot that enjoys all the fruitfulness and verdure
of the luxurious tropical climate. From thence he steered
downward into the cold and tempestuous regions of the South ;
and, about five months after, meeting a terrible tempest,
he doubled Cape Horn. 16. By this time his fleet was dis-
persed, and his crew deplorably disabled with the scurvy ;
so that with much difficulty he gained the delightful island
of Juan Fernandez. There he was joined by one ship, and
a vessel of seven guns. From thence advancing northward,
he landed on the coast of Chili, and attacked the city of
Paita by night. 17. In this bold attempt he made no use
of his shipping, nor even disembarked all his men : a few
soldiers, favoured by darkness, sufficed to fill the whole
town with terror and confusion. The governor of the gar-
rison, and the inhabitants, fled on all sides: accustomed to
be severe, they expected severity. In the mean time a
small body of the English kept possession of the town for
three days, stripping it of treasures and merchandise to a
considerable amount, and then setting it on fire.
Questions for Examination.
1. What scheme now engrossed the public attention ?
2. How did the minister propose to effect it ?
8. What were the arguments used in opposition to this measure?
4. What was their success?
6. From what cause originated the dispute ?
6. What was the conduct of the Spaniards ?
7. What measures were taken by the English merchants?
8. What continued to be the conduct of the enemy ?
9. What induced the minister to gratify the general ardour of the nation ?
Jj) what manner did the war commence?
324
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
10. Under what pretence did France asiist Spain?
11. What was the feeling of the people at the approach of the war?
12. What did admiral Vernon assert in the house of commons?
13. Relate the success of his expedition.
14—17. Describe the proceedings of the squadron under commodore Anson
from its sailing to the taring of Paita.
SECTION III.
But what are wreaths in battle won !
And what the tribute of amaze
Which man too oft mistaken pays
To the vain idol shrine of false renown .'—Anon.
1. (A. D. 1740.) Soon after, this small squadron advanced
as far as Panama, situated on the isthmus of Darien, on the
western side of the great American continent. The com-
modore now placed all his hopes in taking one of those
valuable Spanish ships which trade from the Philippine
islands to Mexico. Not above one or two at the most of
these immensely rich ships went from one continent to the
other in a year; they were therefore, very large, in order
to carry a sufficiency of treasure, and proportionably strong
to defend it. 2. In hopes of meeting with one of these, the
commodore, with his little fleet, traversed the Pacific Ocean ;
but the scurvy once more visiting his crew, several of his
men died and nearly all were disabled. In this exigence,
having brought all liis men into one vessel, and set fire to
another, he steered for the island of Tinian, which lies
about half way between the new world and the old. 3. In
this charming abode he continued for some time, till his
men recovered their health, and his ship was refitted for
sailing.
Thus I'efitted, he set forward for China, where he laid in
proper stores for once more traversing back that immense
ocean, in which he had before suffered such incredible dif-
ficulties. 4. Having accordingly taken some Dutch and
Indian sailors on board, he again steered towards America,
and at length, after various toils, discovered the Spanish gal-
leon he had so long and ardently expected. This vessel
was built as well for the purpose of war as for merchandise.
It mounted sixty guns and five hundred men, while the
crew of the commodore did not amount to half that number.
5. However, the victory was on the side of the English,
and they returned home with their prize, which was esti-
mated at three hundred and thirteen thousand pounds ster-
ling, while the different captures that had been made before
amounted to as much more, Thus, after a voyage of three
GEORGE II.
m
years, conducted with astonishing perseverance and intre-
pidity, the public sustained the loss of a noble fleet but a
few individuals became possessed of immense riches.
6. In the mean time the English conducted other opera-
tions against the enemy with amazing activity. When
Anson set out, it was with a design of acting a subordinate
part to a formidable armament designed for the coast of New
Spain, consisting of twenty-nine ships of the line, and almost
an equal number of frigates, furnished with all kinds of
warlike stores, nearly fifteen thousand seamen, and as
many land-forces. Never was a fleet more completely
equipped, nor never had the nation more sanguine hopes of
success. Lord Cathcart was appointed to command the
land-forces ; but he dying on the passage the command
devolved upon general Wentworth, whose abilities were
supposed to be unequal to the trust reposed in him.
7. When the forces were landed at Carthagena, they
erected a battery, with which they made a breach in the
principal fort, while Vernon, who commanded the fleet,
sent a number of ships into the harbour to divide the fire of
the enemy, and to co-operate with the army on shore. 8.
The breach being deemed practicable, a body of troops
were commanded to storm ; but the Spaniards deserted the
forts, which if possessed of courage, they might have de-
fended with success. The troops, upon gaining this advan-
tage, were advanced a good deal nearer the city; but there
they met a much greater opposition than they had expected.
9. It was found, or at least asserted, that the fleet could not
lie near enough to batter the town, and that nothing re-
mained but to attempt one of the forts by scaling. The
leaders of the fleet and the army began mutually to accuse
each other, each asserting the probability of what the other
denied. At length, Wentworth, stimulated by the admiral’s
reproach, resolved to try the dangerous experiment, and
ordered that fort St. Lazare should be attempted by escalade.
10. Nothing could be more unfortunate than this undertak-
ing. The forces marching up to the attack, the guides were
slain, and they mistook their way. Instead of attempting
the weakest part of the fort, they advanced to where it
was the strongest, and where they were exposed to the fire
of the town. Colonel Grant, who commanded the grena-
diers, was killed in the beginning. 11. Soon after, it was
found that their scaling-ladders were too short; the officers
were perplexed for want of orders, and the troops stood ex-
326
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
posed to the whole fire of the enemy, without knowing how
to proceed. After bearing a dreadful fire for some hours
with great intrepidity, they at length retreated, leaving six
hundred men dead on the spot. 12. The terrors of the
climate soon began to be more dreaded than those of war ;
the rainy season came on with such violence that it was
impossible for the troops to continue encamped ; and the
mortality of the season now began to attack them in all its
frightful varieties. To these calamities, sufficient to quell
any enterprise, was added the dissension between the land
and sea commanders, who blamed each other for every
failure, and became frantic with mutual recrimination. They
only, therefore, at last, could be brought to agree in one
mortifying measure, which was to re-embark the troops,
and withdraw them as quickly as possible from this scene of
slaughter and contagion.
13. This fatal miscarriage, which tarnished the British
glory, was no sooner known in England, than the kingdom
was filled with murmurs and discontent. The loudest burst
of indignation was directed at the minister; and they who
once praised him for success that he did not merit, condemned
him now for a failure of which he was guiltless.
14. (A.D. 1741.) The minister, finding the indignation
of the house of commons turned against him, tried every art
to break that confederacy, which he knew he had not
strength to oppose. The resentment of the people had been
raised against him to an extravagant height ; and their lead-
ers taught them to expect very signal justice on their sup-
posed oppressor. At length, finding his post untenable, he
declared he would never sit more in that house; the next
day the king adjourned both houses of parliament for a few
days, and in the interim sir Robert Walpole was created earl
of Oxford, and resigned all his employments.
15. But the pleasure of his defeat was but of short dura-
tion: it soon appeared that those who declared most loudly
for the liberty of the people, had adopted new measures
with their new employments. The new converts were
branded as betrayers of the interests of their country • but
particularly the resentment of the people fell upon Pulteney
earl of Bath, who had long declaimed against that very
conduct he now seemed earnest to pursue. 16. He had
been the idol of the people, and considered as one of the
most illustrious champions that ever defended the cause
of freedom ; but allured, perhaps, with the hope of go-
GEORGE II.
327
Verning in Walpole’s place, he was contented to give up his
popularity for ambition. The king, however, treated him
with that neglect which he merited ; he was laid aside for
life, and continued a wretched survivor of all his former
importance.
Questions for Examination.
1-4, Relate briefly the further proceedings of the squadron under com-
modore Anson till the capture of the rich Spanish galleon.
6. What was the result of this enterprise ?
6. What other operations were undertaken ?
7-9. Describe the particulars of the siege of Carthagena.
10. 11. What causes rendered it unsuccessful ?
12. What was then the situation of the English troops?
13. What was the consequence of this miscarriage?
14. What was the ministers' conduct?
16. Did the conduct of his successors render them favourites of the people ?
On whom particularly did the public resentment fall?
16. In what light had Pulteney formerly been considered by the people ?
SECTION IV.
By turns each army gains the vantage-ground,
The cannons roar, and carnage spreads around.— Duncan.
1. (A. D. 1740.) The emperor dying in the year 1740,
the French began to think this a favourable opportunity for
exerting their ambition once more. Regardless of treaties,
particularly that called the Pragmatic sanction, by which
the reversion of all the late emperor’s dominions was set-
led upon his daughter, they caused the elector of Bavaria
to be crowned emperor. Thus the queen of Hungary,
daughter to Charles the Sixth, descended from an illustrious
line of emperors, saw herself stripped of her inheritance,
and left for a whole year deserted by all Europe, and without
any hopes of succour. 2. She had scarcely closed her
father’s eyes, when she lost Silesia, by an irruption of the
young king of Prussia, who seized the opportunity of her
defenceless state to renew his ancient pretensions to that
province, of which it must be owned his ancestors had been
unjustly deprived. France, Saxony, and Bavaria attacked
the rest of her dominions. England was the only ally that
seemed willing to espouse her helpless condition. Sardinia
and Holland soon after came to her assistance, and last of all
Russia acceded to a union in her favour.
3. It may now be demanded what cause Britain had to
intermeddle in those continental schemes. It can only be
answered, that the interests of Hanover, and the security
328
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
of that electorate, depended upon nicely balancing the dif-
ferent interests of the empire ; and the English ministry
were willing to gratify the king.
4. Accordingly the king sent a body of English forces
into the Netherlands, which he had augmented by sixteen
thousand Hanoverians, to make a diversion upon the do-
minions of France, in the queen of Hungary’s favour; and
by the assistance of these the queen of Hungary soon began
to turn the scale of victory on her side. 5. The French
were driven out of Bohemia. Her general, prince Charles,
at the head of a large army, invaded the dominions of Ba-
varia. Her rival, the nominal emperor, was obliged to fly
before her, and, being abandoned by his allies and stripped
of even bis hereditary dominions, retired to Frankfort, where
he lived in obscurity.
6. (A.D. 1743.) The French, in order to prevent the
junction of the Austrian and the British forces, assembled an
army of sixty thousand men on the river Mayne, under the
command of marshall Noailles, who posted his troops upon
the east side of that river. The British forces, to the num-
ber of forty thousand, pushed forward on the other side into
a country were they found themselves entirely destitute of
provisions, the French having cut off all means of their
being supplied. 7. The king of England arrived at the
camp while his army was in this deplorable situation ;
wherefore he resolved to penetrate forward to join twelve
thousand Hanoverians and Hessians, who had reached
Hanau. With this view he decamped ; but before his army
had reached three leagues, he found that the enemy had en-
closed him on every side, near a village called Dettingen.
8. Nothing now presented themselves but the most mor-
tifying prospects. If he fought the enemy, it must be at the
greatest disadvantage ; if he continued inactive, there was a
certainty of being starved ; and a retreat for all was impos-
sible. The impetuosity of the French troops saved his
whole army. They passed a defile, which they should
have been contented to guard ; and, under the command of
the duke of Grammont, their horse charged the English
foot with great fury. They were received with intrepidity
and resolution ; so that they were obliged to give way, and
repassed the Mayne with precipitation, with the loss of five
thousand men.
9. Meanwhile the French went on with vigour on every
side. They projected an invasion of England ; and Charles,
GEORGE II.
329
the son of the old pretender, departed from Rome, in the
disguise of a Spanish courier, for Paris, where he had an
audience of the French king.
10. The family had long been the dupes of France; but
it was thought that at present there were serious resolutions
formed in their favour. The troops destined for the expedi-
tion amounted to fifteen thousand men ; preparations were
made for embarking them at Dunkirk and at other of the ports
nearest to England, under the eye of the young Pretender.
11. The duke de Roquefeuille, with twenty ships of the
line was to see them safely landed in England ; and the fa-
mous count Saxe was to command them when put on shore.
But the whole project was disconcerted by the appearance
of sir John Norris, who, with a superior fleet, made up to
attack them. The French fleet was thus obliged to put
back ; a very hard gale of wind damaged their transports
beyond redress : and the French, now frustrated in their
scheme of a sudden descent, thought fit openly to declare war.
12. The French, therefore, entered upon the war with
great alacrity. They besieged Fribourg, and in the begin-
ning of the succeeding campaign invested the strong city of
Tournay. Although the allies were inferior in number, and
although commanded by the duke of Cumberland, yet they
resolved, if possible, to save the city by hazarding a battle.
They accordingly marched against the enemy, and took post
in sight of the French, who were encamped on an eminence,
the village of St. Antoine on the right, a wood on the left,
and the town of Fontenoy before them. 13. This advan-
tageous situation did not repress the ardour of the English,
who began to attack at two o’clock in the morning, and,
pressing forward, bore down all opposition. They were
for nearly an hour victorious, and confident of success, while
Saxe, a soldier of fortune, who commanded the French army,
was at that time sick of the same disorder of which he after-
wards died. However, he was carried about to all the posts
in a litter, and assured his attendants, that, notwithstanding
all unfavourable appearances, the day was his own. 14.
A column of the English, without any command, but by
mere mechanical courage had advanced upon the enemy’B
lines, which, opening, formed an avenue on each side to re-
ceive them. It was then that the French artillery on the
three sides began to play on this forlorn body, which, though
they continued for a long time unshaken, were obliged at
last to retreat.
330
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
15. This was one of the most bloody battles that had
been fought in this age ; the allies left on the field nearly
twelve thousand men, and the French bought their victory
with nearly an equal number of slain.
This blow, by which Tournay was taken by the Frepch,
gave them such a manifest superiority all the rest of the
campaign, that they kept the fruits of the victory during
the whole continuance of the war.
Questions for Examination.
1. On the death of the emperor of Austria, what was the conduct of the
French ?
2. Describe the situation of the emperor’s daughter.
3. What cause had Britain to intermeddle in continental schemes?
4. 5. With what success was Britain's interference attended? .
6-8. Relate the circumstances which preceded and attended the battle
of Dettmgen.
9. What other project did the French endeavour to effect?
10. 11. What success attended their measures?
12. What preceded the battle of Fontenoy ?
13. 14. Relate the particulars of this battle.
15. What loss did each side experience?
SECTION V-
But still to darken the dread gloom of war,
Misguided Stuart drew rebellion's sword :
E’en Derby saw his vaunting banners wave.
And Scottish chieftains hail’d him as their lord. — Valpy.
1. (A. D. 1745.) But though bad succss attended the
British arms by land and sea, yet, these being distant evils,
the English seemed only to complain from honourable mo-
tives, and murmured at distresses of which they had but a
very remote prospect. A civil war was now going to be
kindled in their own dominions, which mixed terrors with
their complaints ; and which, while it increased their per-
plexities, only cemented their union.
2. It was at this period that the son of the old Pretender
resolved to make an effort for gaining the British crown.
Charles Edward, the adventurer in question; had been bred
in a luxurious court without partaking of its effeminacy.
He was enterprising and ambitious ; but either from inex-
perience or natural inability, utterly unequal to the bold un-
dertaking. He was long flattered by the rash, the suspersti-
tious, and the needy: he was taught to believe that the
kingaom was ripe for a revolt, and that it could no longer
bear the immense load of taxes with which it was burdened.
3. Being now, therefore, furnished with some money, and
GEOBam ii.
331
With still larger promises from France, who fanned his am-
bition, he embarked for Scotland on board a small frigate,
accompanied by the marquis of Tullibardine, sir Thomas
Sheridan, and a few other desperate adventurers. Thus,
for the conquest of the whole British empire, he only brought
with him seven officers, and arms for two thousand men.
4. The boldness of this enterprise astonished all Europe.
It awakened the fears of the pusillanimous, the ardour of the
brave, and the pity of the wise. But by this time the young
adventurer was arrived at Perth, where the unnecessary ce-
remony was performed of proclaiming his father king of
Great Britain. 5. From thence, descending with his forces
from the mountains, they seemed to gather as they went for-
ward ; and, advancing to Edinburgh, they entered that city
without opposition. There again the pageantry of procla-
mation was performed ; and there he promised to dissolve
the union, which was considered as one of the grievances
of the country. However, the castle of that city still held
out, and he was unprovided with cannon to besiege it.
6. In the mean time, sir John Cope, who had pursued
the rebels through the Highlands, but had declined meeting
them in (their descent, being now reinforced by two regi-
ments of dragoons, resolved to march towards Edinburgh
and give the enemy battle. The young adventurer, whose
forces were rather superior though undisciplined, attacked
him near Preston-pans, about twelve miles from the capital,
and in a few minutes put him and his troops to flight. 7 .
This victory, by which the king lost five hundred men, gave
the rebels great influence ; and had the Pretender taken ad-
vantage of the general consternation and marched directly
for England, the consequences might have been fatal to free-
dom. But he was amused by the promise of succours which
never came ; and thus induced to remain at Edinburgh, to
enjoy the triumphs of an unimportant victory, and to be
treated as a monarch.
8. While the young Pretender was thus trifling away his
time at Edinburgh (for, in dangerous enterprises, delay is but
defeat,) the ministry of Great Britain toolf every precaution to
oppose him with success. Six thousand Dutch troops, that
had come over to the assistance of the crown, were despatch-
ed northward, under the command of general W ade. The
duke of Cumberland soon after arrived from Flanders, and
was followed by another detachment of dragoons and in-
fantry, well disciplined and inured to action. Besides
332
HISTORY OF ENGLAND*
these, volunteers offered in every part of the kingdom, and
every county exerted a vigorous spirit of indignation both
against the ambition, the religion, and the allies of the young
Pretender.
9. However, he had been bred in a school that taught him
maxims very different from those that then prevailed in
England. Though he might have brought civil war, and all
the calamities attending it, with him into the kingdom, he
had been taught that the assertion of his right was a duty
incumbent upon him, and the altering the constitution, and
perhaps the religion, of his country, an object of laudable
ambition. 10. Thus animated, he went forward with vi-
gour ; and having, upon frequent consultations with his offi-
cers, come to a resolution of making an irruption into Eng-
land, he entered the country by the western border, and
invested Carlisle, which surrendered in less than three days.
He there found a considerable quantity of arms, and there
too he caused his father to be proclaimed king.
11. General Wade, being apprized of his progress, ad-
vanced across the country from the opposite shore ; but re-
ceiving intelligence that the enemy was two days’ march
before him, he retired to his former station. The young
Pretender, thus unopposed, resolved to penetrate farther into
the kingdom, having received assurances from France that
a considerable body of troops would be landed on the south-
ern coasts, to make a diversion in his favour. 12. He was
flattered also with the hopes of being joined by a considera-
ble number of malecon tents as he passed forward, and that
his army would increase on his march. Accordingly, leav-
ing a small garrison in Carlisle, which he should rather have
left defenceless, he advanced to Penrith marching on foot
in a Highland dress, and continued' his irruption till he came
to Manchester, where he established his head-quarters.
13. He was there joined by about two hundred English,
who were formed into a regiment, under the command of co-
lonel Townley. From thence he pursued his march to Derby,
intending to go by the way of Chester into Wales, where
he hoped to be joined by a great number of followers ; but
the factions among his own chiefs prevented his proceeding
to that part of the kingdom.
14. He was by this time advanced within a hundred
miles of the capital, which was filled with perplexity and
consternation, Had he proceeded in his career with that
expedition which he had hitherto used, he might have made
GEORGE II.
333
himself master of the metropolis, where he would certainly
have been joined by a considerable number of his well-
wishers, who waited impatiently for his approach.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the situation of England at this time ?
2. By whom was an effort made to gain the English crown?
3. Under what circumstances was it undertaken ?
6. What were the first proceedings of the Pretender?
6. With what success did he attack sir John Cope?
7. What were the consequences of this victory ?
8. What precautions were taken by the English ministry?
What was the conduct of the Pretender?
II. By whom was an attempt made to oppose him? and what was its re-
sult?
13. To what place did he next proceed?
13. By whom was he joined? and whither did he next maroh?
II. What might have been the results had he proceeded with expedition?
SECTION YI.
Ill-fated youth ; Culloden's bloody field
Sunk the vain fabrics of ambition low.
Press’d with fatigue and hunger, long he roam’d,
’Mid scenes of danger and ’nud sights of woe. — Valpy.
1. (A. D. 1745.) In tbe mean time the king resolved to
take the field in person. But he found safety from the
discontents which now began to prevail in the Pretender’s
army. In fact, he was but the nominal leader of his forces ;
as his generals, the chiefs of the highland clans, were, from
their education, ignorant, and averse to subordination. They
had, from the beginning, began to embrace opposite systems
of operation, and to contend with each other for pre-einin-
nence ; but they seemed now unanimous in returning to
their own country once more.
2. The rebels accordingly effected their retreat to Carlisle
without any loss, and from thence crossed the rivers Eden
and Solway, into Scotland. In these marches, however,
they preserved all the rules of war ; they abstained in a
great measure from plunder ; they levied contributions on
the towns as they passed along : and with unaccountable
caution left a garrison at Carlisle, which shortly after was
obliged to surrender to the duke of Cumberland at discre-
tion, to the number of four hundred men.
3. The Pretender, being returned to Scotland, proceeded
to Glasgow, from which city he exacted severe contribu-
tions. He advanced from thence to Stirling, where he was
joined by lord Lewis Gordon, at the head of some forces
334
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
which had been assembled in his absence. Other clans, to
the number of two thousand, came in likewise ; and from
some supplies of money which he received from Spain, and
from some skirmishes, in which he was successful against
the royalists, his affairs began to wear a most promising as-
pect. 4- Being joined by lord Drummond, he invested the
castle of Stirling, commanded by general Blakeney ; but the
rebel forces, being unused to sieges, consumed much time to
no purpose. It was during this attempt that general Haw-
ley, who commanded a considerable body of forces near
Edinburgh, undertook to raise the siege, and advanced to-
wards the rebel army as far as Falkirk. After two days
spent in mutually examining each other’s strength, the re-
bels, being ardent to engage, were led on in full spirits to
attack the king’s army. 5. The Pretender, who was in the
front line, gave the signal to engage, and the first fire put
Hawley’s forces into confusion. The horse retreated with
precipitation and fell upon their own infantry ; while the
rebels following up the blow, the greatest part of the royal
army fled with the utmost precipitation. They retired in
confusion to Edinburgh, leaving the conquerors in posses-
sion of their tents, their artillery, and the field of battle.
6. Thus far the affairs of the rebel army seemed not unpros-
perous ; but here was an end of all their triumphs. The
duke of Cumberland, at that time the favourite of the. Eng-'
lish army, had been recalled from Flanders, and put him-
self at the head of the troops, at Edinburgh, which consisted of
about fourteen thousand men. 7. With these he advanced
to Aberdeen, where he was joined by several of the Scotch
nobility attached to the house of Hanover ; and having
revived the drooping spirits of his army, he resolved to find
out the enemy, who retreated at his approach. After having
refreshed his troops at Aberdeen for some time, he renewed
his march, and in twelve days he came up to the banks of
the deep and rapid river Spey. This was the place where
the rebels might have disputed his passage, but they lost
every advantage in disputing with each other. 8. They
seemed now totally void of all counsel and subordination,
without conduct and without unanimity. After a variety
of contests among each other, they resolved to wait their
pursuers upon the plains of Culloden, a place about nine
miles distant from Inverness, embosomed in hills, except on
that side which was open to the sea. There they drew up
in order of battle, to the number of eight thousand men, in
GEORGE II.
335
three divisions, supplied with some pieces of artillery, ill
manned and served.
9. The battle began about one o’clock in the afternoon j
the cannon of the king’s army did dreadful execution among
the rebels, while theirs was totally unserviceable. One of
the great errors in all the Pretender’s warlike measures, was
his subjecting wild and undisciplined troops to the forms of
artful war, and thus repressing their native ardour, from
which alone he could hope for success. 10. After they had
kept in their ranks and withstood the English fire for some
time, they at length became impatient for closer engagement ;
and about five hundred of them made an irruption upon the
left wing of the enemy with their accustomed ferocity.
The first line being disordered by this onset, two battalions
advanced to support it and galled the enemy with a terrible
close discharge. 11. At the same time the dragoons under
Hawley, and the Argyleshire militia pulling down a park-
wall feebly defended, fell among them sword in hand, with
great slaughter. In less than thirty minutes they were
totally routed, and the field covered with their wounded
and slain to the number of three thousand men. The
French troops on the left did not fire a shot, but stood inac-
tive during the engagement, and afterwards surrendered
themselves prisoners of war. 12. An entire body of the
clans marched off the field in order, while the rest were
routed with great slaughter, and their leaders obliged with
reluctance to retire. Civil war is in itself terrible, but much
more so when heightened by unnecessary cruelty. How
guilty soever an enemy may be, it is the . duty of a brave
soldier to remember that he is only to fight an opposer, and
not a suppliant. 13. The victory was in every respect
decisive, and humanity to the conquered would have ren-
dered it glorious. But little mercy was shown here ; the
conquerors were seen to refuse quarter to the wounded, the
unarmed, the defenceless; some were slain who were only
excited by curiosity to become spectators of the combat,
and soldiers were seen to anticipate the base employment of
the executioner. 14. The duke, immediately after the
action, ordered six-and-thirty deserters to be executed.
The conquerors spread terror wherever they came : and,
after a short space, the whole country round was one dread-
ful scene of plunder, slaughter, and desolation ; justice was
forgotten, and vengeance assumed the name.
336
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the situation of the Pretender’s army ?
2. To what place did the rebels retreat?
3. By whom were they joined?
4. What success attended them in besieging Stirling castle?
Who attempted to raise the siege?
5. With what success did the rebels attack the royal army?
6. What ended their triumphs?
7. What was the conduct of the duke of Cumberland?
8. What was the determination of the rebel army?
What was.the amount of their forces?
9-12. Relate the particulars and result of the battle of Culloden.
13. 14. What was the conduct of the conquerors?
SECTION VII.
The quality of mercy is not strain’d,—
It droppeth as a gentle ram from heaven
Upon the place beneath; it is twice Mess'd,—
Itblesseth him that gives and him that t&kes.—Shakepeare.
1. (A.D. 1746.) In this manner were blasted all the
hopes and all the ambition of the young adventurer. One
short hour deprived him of imaginary thrones and sceptres,
and reduced him from a nominal king to a distressed, forlorn
outcast, shunned by all mankind except those who sought
his destruction. To the good and the brave, subsequent
distress often atones for former guilt; and while reason
would speak for punishment, our hearts plead for mercy.
2. Immediately after the engagement, he fled away with a
captain of Fitz- James’s cavalry; and when their horses
were fatigued, they both alighted, and separately seught
for safety. He for some days wandered in this country,
naturally wild, but now rendered more formidable by war,
a wretched spectator of all those horrors which were the
result of his ill-grounded ambition.
3. There is a striking similitude between his adventures
and those of Charles the Second upon his escape from
Worcester. He sometimes found refuge in caves and in
cottages, without attendants, and dependent on the wretched
natives who could pity but not relieve him. Sometimes
he lay in forests, with one or two companions of his dis-
tress, continually pursued by the troops of the conqueror,
as there was a reward of thirty thousand pounds offered
for taking him, dead or alive. 4. Sheridan, an Irish adven-
turer, was the person who kept most faithfully by him, and
inspired him with courage to support such incredible hard-
ships. He had occasion, in the course of his concealments,
to trust his life to the fidelity of above fifty individuals,
GEORGE II. 337
whose veneration for his family prevailed above their ava-
rice.
5. One day, having walked from morning till night, he
ventured to enter a house, the owner of which he well
knew was attached to the opposite party. As he entered,
he addressed the master of the house in the following man-
ner: “ The son of your king comes to beg a little bread,
and a few clothes. I know your present attachment to my
adversaries, but I believe you have sufficient honour not to
abuse my confidence or to take advantage of my distressed
situation. Take these rags, that have for some time been
my only covering : you may probably restore them to me
one day when I shall be seated on the throne of Great
Britain.” 6. The master of the house was touched with
pity at his distress ; he assisted him as far as he was able,
and never divulged the secret. There were few of those
who even wished his destruction, that would choose to be
the immediate actors in it, as it would have subjected them
to the resentment of a numerous party.
7. In this manner he continued to wander among the
frightful wilds of Glengarry for near six months, often
hemmed round by his pursuers, but still rescued by some
lucky accident from the impending danger. At length a
privateer of St. Maloes, hired by his adherents, arrived
in Loclinanach, in' which he embarked in the most wretched
attire. He was clad in a short coat of black frieze, thread-
bare, over which was a common Highland plaid, girt round
by a belt from which were suspended a pistol and a dag-
ger. He had not been shifted for many weeks ; his eyes
were hollow, his visage wan, and his constitution greatly
impaired by famine and fatigue. 8. He was accompanied
by Sullivan and Sheridan, two Irish adherents, who had
shared all his calamities, together with Cameron of Lochiel,
and his brother, and a few other exiles. They set sail for
France ; and after having been chased by two English
men-of-war, they arrived in safety at a place called Roseau,
near Morlaix, in Bretagne. Perhaps he -would have found
it more difficult to escape, had not the vigilance of his pur-
suers been relaxed by a report that he was already slain.
9. In the meantime, while the Pretender was thus pur-
sued, the scaffold and the gibbets were preparing for his
adherents. Seventeen officers of the rebel army were
hanged, drawn, and quartered, at Kennington-common, in
the neighbourhood of London. Their constancy in death
838 HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
gained more proselytes to their cause than even pernaps
their victories would have obtained. Nine were executed
in the same manner at Carlisle, and eleven at York. A few
obtained pardon, and a considerable number of common
men were transported to the plantations in North America.
10. The earls of Kilmarnock and Cromartie, and the
lord Balmerino, were tried by their peers, and found guilty.
Cromartie was pardoned, and the rest were beheaded on
Tower-hill.
In this manner, victory, defeat, negotiation, treachery, and
rebellion, succeeded each other rapidly for some years, till
all sides began to think themselves growing more feeble,
and gaining no solid advantage.
11. A negotiation was, therefore, resolved upon ; and
the contending powers agreed to come to a congress at
Aix-la-Chapelle, where the earl of Sanford and sir Thomas
Eobinson assisted as plenipotentiaries from the king o >
Great Britain. This treaty was begun upon the preliminary
condition of restoring all conquests made during the wan
12. From thence great hopes were expected of conditions
both favourable and honourable to the English; but ths
treaty still remains a lasting mark of precipitate counselr.
and English disgrace. By this it was agreed, that all pr-
soners on each side should be mutually restored and all
conquests given up. T hat the Duchies of Parma, Placentia,
and Guastalla, should be ceded to don Philip, heir-apparent
to the Spanish throne, and to his heirs; but in case of his
succeeding to the crown of Spain, then these dominions
should revert to the house of Austria. 13. It was con-
firmed that the fortifications of Dunkirk to the sea should
be demolished ; that the English ships annually sent with
slaves to the coast of New Spain should have this privilege
continued for four years ; that the king of Prussia should
be confirmed in the possession of Silesia, which he had
lately conquered ; and that the queen of Hungary should
be secured in her patrimonial dominions. 14. But one
article of this peace was more displeasing and afllicti ve to
the English than all the rest. It was stipulated that the
king of Great Britain should, immediately after the ratifica-
tion of this treaty, send two persons of rank and distinction
to France, as hostages, until restitution should be made ol
Cape Breton, and all other conquests which England had
made during the war. 15. This was a mortifying clause;
but, to add to the general error of the negotiation, no med
GEORGE II.
339
tion was made of the searching the vessels of England in
the American seas, upon which the war was originally
begun. The limits of their respective possessions in North
America were not ascertained; nor did they receive any
equivalent for those forts which they restored to the enemy.
16. The treaty of Utrecht had long been the object of re-
proach to those by whom it was made ; but with all its
faults, the treaty now concluded was by far more despicable
and erroneous. Yet such was the spirit of the times, that
the treaty of Utrecht was branded with universal contempt,
and the treaty of Aixla Chapelle was extolled with the
highest strains of praise.
17. This treaty, which some asserted would serve for a
bond of permanent amity, was, properly speaking, but a
temporary truce ; a cessation from hostilities, which both
sides were unable to continue. Though the war between
England and France was actually hushed up in Europe,
yet in the East and the West Indies it still went forward with
undiminished vehemence; both sides still willing to offend
still offending, and yet both complaining of the infraction.
Questions for Examination.
1, 2. In what situation was the Pretender after the battle of Culloden?
3. Whose adventures did liis resemble?
4. Who was his most faithful attendant?
6. In what manner did he address one of his opponents?
7. By what means did he escape? and what was his appearance ?
8. By whom washe accompanied?
9. In what manner were his adherents punished?
10. What noblemen were beheaded?
fl. What led to a negotiation between Great Britain and Spain?
12. What hopes were expected from this treaty? What was the result?
13. What were its conditions?
14. Which article of peace was very displeasing to the English ?
15. What was another error in the negotiation?
16. What opinion was held of this treaty?
SECTION Yin.
In distant climes we wage unequal war,
And transatlantic broils our comfort mar. — Jones.
1. (A.D. 1750.) A new colony having been formed in
North America, in the province of Nova Scotia, it was
thought that thither the waste of an exuberant nation might
well be drained off; and those bold spirits kept in employ-
ment at a distance, who might be dangerous if suffered to
continue in idleness at home. Nova Scotia was a place
340
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
where men might be imprisoned, but not maintained ; it was
cold, barren, and incapable of successful cultivation. 2.
The new colony, therefore, was maintained there with some
expense to the government in the beginning ; and such as
were permitted, soon went southward to the milder climates,
where they were invited by an untenanted and fertile soil.
Thus did the nation ungratefully send off her hardy veterans
to perish on inhospitable shores, and this they were taught
to believe would extend their dominions.
3. However, it was for this barren spot that the English
and French revived the war, which soon after spread with
such terrible devastation over every part of the globe. The
native Indians bordering upon the deserts of Nova Scotia, a
fierce and savage people, looked from the first with jealousy
upon these new settlers ; and they considered the vicinity
of the English as an encroachment upon their native pos-
sessions. 4. The French, who were neighbours in like
manner, and who were still impressed with natural animo-
sity, fomented these suspicions in the natives, and repre-
sented the English (and with regard to this colony this
representation might be true) as enterprising and severe.
Commissaries were, therefore, appointed, to meet at Paris,
to compromise these disputes; but these conferences were
rendered abortive by the cavillings of men who could not
be supposed to understand the subject in debate.
5. As this seemed to be the first place where the dissen-
sions took their rise for a new war, it may be necessary to
be a little more minute. The French had been the first
cultivators of Nova Scotia, and, by great industry and long
perseverance, had rendered the soil, naturally barren, some-
what fertile, and capable of sustaining nature, with some
assistance from Europe. This country, however, had fre-
quently changed masters, and at length the English were
settled in the possession, and acknowledged as the rightful
owners, by the treaty of Utrecht. 6. The possession of
this country was reckoned necessary to defend the English
colonies to the north, and to preserve their superiority in the
fisheries in that part of the world. The French, however,
who had been long settled in the back part of the country,
resolved to use every method to dispossess the new-comers,
and spirited up the Indians to more open hostilities, which
were represented to the English ministry for some time
without redress.
7. Soon after this, another source of dispute began to be
GEORGE II.
341
seen in the same part of the world, and promised as much
uneasiness as the former. The French, pretending to have
first discovered the mouth of the river Mississippi” claimed
the whole adjacent country towards New Mexico on the
east, and quite to the Appalachian mountains on the west. 8.
In order to assert their claims, they found several English,
who had settled beyond these mountains from motives of
commerce, and who had also been invited by the natural
beauties of the country ; they dispossessed them of their
new settlements, and built such forts as would command
the whole country round about.
9. Not in America alone, but also in Asia, the seeds of
a new war were preparing to be expended. On the coasts
of Malabar, the English and French had, in fact, never
ceased from hostilities.
(A.D. 1756.) The ministry, however, in England now
began a very vigorous exertion in defence of their colonies,
who refused to defend themselves. Four operations were
undertaken in America at the same time. Of these, one
was commanded by colonel Monckton, who had orders to
drive the French from the encroachments upon the province
of Nova Scotia. 10. The second, more to the south, was
directed against Crown Point, under the command of gene*
ral Johnson. The third, under the conduct of general Shir-
ley, was destined to Niagara, to secure the forts on that
river. And the fourth was farther southward still, against
Fort du Quesne, under general Braddock.
11. In these expeditions, Monckton was successful ;
Johnson also was victorious, though he failed in taking the
fort against which he was sent; Shirley was thought to
have lost the season for operation by delay ; Braddock was
vigorous and active, but suffered a defeat. This bold com-
mander, who had been recommended to this service by the
duke of Cumberland, set forward upon this expedition in
June, and left the cultivated parts of the country on the 10th,
at the head of two thousand two hundred men, directing his
march to that part of the country whence major Washington
had retreated the year before. 12. Being at length within
ten mile3 of the French fort he was appointed to besiege,
and marching forward through the forest with full confidence
of success, on a sudden his whole army was astonished by
a general discharge of arms both in front and flank, from
an enemy that still remained unseen. It was now too late
to think of retreating; the troops had passed into the defile,
342
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
which the enemy had artfully permitted them to do before
they offered to fire. 13. The vanguard of the English now,
therefore, fell back in consternation upon the main body,
and the panic soon became general. The officers alone
disdained to fly, while Braddock himself still continued to
command his brave associates, discovering at once the
greatest intrepidity and the greatest imprudence. 14. An
enthusiast to the discipline of war, he disdained to' fly from
the field, or to permit his men to quit their ranks, when
their only method of treating the Indian army was by pre-
cipitate attack, or an immediate desertion of the field of
battle. At length Braddock, having received a musket-shot
through the lungs, dropped, and a total confusion ensued.
Ail the artillery, ammunition, and baggage of the army was
left to the enemy, and the loss sustained by the English
army might amount to seven hundred men. The. remnant
of the army in this emergency was saved by the courage and
ability of Washington. -
15. The murmurs, fears, and dissensions which this
defeat gave rise to, gave the French an opportunity of car-
rying on their designs in another quarter, The Island of
Minorca, which we had taken from the Spaniards in the
reign of queen Anne, was secured to England by repeated
treaties. But the ministry at this time, being blinded by
domestic terrors, had neglected to take sufficient precaution
for its defence, so that the garrison was weak, and no way
fitted to stand a vigorous siege. 16. The French, there-
fore, landed near the fortification of St. Philip, which was
reckoned one of the strongest in Europe, and commanded
by general Blakeney, who was brave indeed, but rather
superannuated. The siege was carried on with vigour, and
for some time as obstinately defended on the side of the
English j but the place was at length obliged to capitulate.
Questions for Examination.
1. 2. From what motive was the new colony in Nova Scotia furnished
with inhabitants ?
3. What was the cause of the renewing of the war?
4. Where were the commissaries appointed to meet to settle these dis-
putes?
What rendered these conferences abortive?
6. Who had been the first cultivators of Nova Scotia?
Who had been acknowledged rightful owners of this country?
6. What method did the French use to dispossess the English?
8. What other conductof the French contributed to hasten the war?
9, 10. What operations were undertaken by the English?
11. What success attended them?
GEORGE II.
343
12, 13. Relate the particulars of General Braddock's expedition.
14. What was the result of it?
16, 16. What other enterprise did the French undertake? and ■with
what success.
SECTION IN.
How many traitors to their God and king
Escape the death which was reserv’d for Byng!— Anon.
1. (A. D. 1757.) The ministry, being apprised of this un-
expected attack, resolved to raise the siege if possible, and
sent out admiral Byng, with ten ships of war, with orders
to relieve Minorca at any rate. Byng accordingly sailed
from Gibraltar, where he was refused any assistance of men
from the governor of that garrison, under a pretence that his
own fortifications were in danger. 2. Upon his approaching
the island, he saw the French banners displayed upon the
shore, and the English colours still flying on the castle c-f
St. Philip. He had been ordered to throw a body of troops
into the garrison, but this he thought too hazardous an un-
dertaking, nor did even make an attempt. While he
was thus deliberating between his fears and his duty, his
attention was quickly called off by the appearance of a
French fleet, that seemed of nearly equal force to his own.
3. Confounded by a variety of measures, he seemed resol-
ved to pursue none, and, therefore, gave orders to form
the line of battle, and act upon the defensive. Byng had
been long praised for his skill in naval tactics; and per-
haps, valuing most those talents for which he was most
praised he sacrificed all claims to courage to the applause
for naval discipline. The French fleet advanced, a part of
the English fleet engaged ; the admiral still kept aloof, and
gave very plausible reasons for not coming into action. The
French fleet, therefore, slowly sailed away, and no other
opportunity ever offered of coming to a closer engagement.
4. Nothing could exceed the resentment of the nation
upon being informed of Byng’s conduct. The ministry
were not averse to throwing from themselves the blame of
those measures which were attended with such indifferent
success, and they secretly fanned the flame. 5. The news
which soon after arrived of the surrender of the garrison to
the French, drove the general ferment almost to frenzy. In
the meantime Byng continued at Gibraltar, quite satisfied
with his own conduct, and little expecting the dreadful
etorm that was gathering against him at home. Orders,
344
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
however, were soon sent out for putting him under an
arrest, and for carrying him to England. 6. Upon his
arrival, he was committed to close custody in Greenwich
hospital, and some arts used to inflame the populace against
him, who want no incentives to injure and condemn their
superiors. Several addresses were sent up from different
counties demanding justice on the delinquent, which the
ministry were willing to second. 7 . He was soon after
tried by a court-martial in the harbour of Portsmouth,
where, after a trial which continued several days, his judges
were agreed that he had not done his utmost during the
engagement to destroy the enemy, and therefore they ad-
judged him to suffer death by the twelfth article of war.
At the same time, however, they recommended him as aa
object of mercy, as they considered his conduct rather as
the effect of error than of cowardice. By this sentence they
expected to satisfy at once the resentment of the nation, and
yet screen themselves from conscious severity. 8. The
government was resolved upon shewing him no mercy; the
parliament was applied to in his favour, but they found no
circumstance in his conduct that could invalidate the former
sentence. Being thus abandoned to his fate, he maintained
to the last a degree of fortitude and serenity that no way
betrayed any timidity or cowardice. On the day fixed for
his execution, which was on board a man-of-war, in the
harbour of Portsmouth, he advanced, from the cabin where
he had been imprisoned, upon deck, the place appointed for
him to suffer. 9. After delivering a paper, containing the
strongest assertions of his innocence, he came forward to
the place where he was to kneel down, and for some time
persisted in not covering his face ; but his friends repre-
senting that his looks would possibly intimidate the soldiers
who were to shoot him, and prevent their taking a proper
aim, he had his eyes bound with a handkerchief; and then
giving the signal for the soldiers to fire, he was killed in-
stantaneously. There appears some severity in Byng’s
punishment ; but it certainly produced soon after very bene-
ficial effects to the nation.
10. In the progress of the war the forces of the con-
tending powers of Europe were now drawn out in the
following manner. England opposed France in America,
Asia, and on the ocean. France attacked Hanover on the
continent of Europe. This country the king of Prussia
undertook to protect; while England promised him troops
GEORGE II,
345
Death of Admiral Byng.
and money to assist in the operations. Then ; again, Austria
had her aims at the dominions of Prussia, and drew the
elector of Saxony into the same designs. In these views
she was seconded by France and Sweden, and by Russia,
who had hopes of acquiring a settlement in the west of Europe.
11. The east was the quarter in which success first
began to dawn upon the British arms. The affairs of the
English seemed to gain the ascendency by the conduct of
Mr. Clive. This gentleman had at first entered the com-
pany’s service in a civil capacity ; but finding his talents
more adapted to war, he gave up his clerkship, and joined
amoDg the troops as a volunteer. His courage, which is
all that subordinate officers can at first shew, soon became
remarkable ; but his conduct, expedition, and military skill
soon after became so conspicuous as to raise him to the first
rank in the army.
12. The first advantage that was obtained from his ac-
tivity and courage was the clearing of the province of Arcot.
Soon after, the French general was taken prisoner; and the
nabob, whom the English supported, was reinstated in the
government of which he had formerly been deprived.
13. The prince of the greatest power in that country
declared war against the English from motives of personal
resentment ; and, levying a numerous army, laid siege to
346
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
.Calcutta, one of the principal British forts in that part of
the world; but which was not in a state of strength to
defend itself against the attack even of barbarians. The fort
Iwas taken, having been deserted by the commander; and
jthe garrison, to the number of a hundred and forty-six per-
sons, were made prisoners.
14. They expected the usual treatment of prisoners of
'war, and were therefore the less vigorous in their defence;
but they soon found what mercy was to be expected from a
isavage conqueror. They were all crowded together into
a narrow prison, called the Black Hole, of about eighteen
feet square, and received air only by two small windows to
the west; which by no means afforded a sufficient circula-
tion. 15; It is terrible to reflect on the situation of these
'unfortunate men, shut up in this narrow place, in the burning
climate of the east, and suffocating each other. Their first
ieflorts, upon perceiving the effects of their horrid confine-
ment, were to break open the door of the prison; but as
it opened inwards, they soon found that impossible. They
inext endeavoured to excite the compassion or the avarice of
the guard, by offering him a large sum of money for his
'assistance in removing them into separate prisons ; but with
this he was not able to comply, as the viceroy was asleep
4 and no person dared to disturb him. 16. They were now,
therefore, left to die without hopes of relief; and the whole
prison was filled with groans, shrieks, contest, and despair.
jThis turbulence, however, soon after sunk into a calm still
more hideous! their efforts of strength and courage were
fover, and an expiring languor succeeded. In the morning,
when the keepers came to visit the prison, all was horror,
jsilence, and desolation. Of a hundred and forty-six who
had entered alive, twenty-three only survived, and of these
,'the greatest part died of putrid fevers upon being set free.
1. 17. The destruction of this important fortress served to
interrupt the prosperbus success of the English company;
but the fortune of Mr. Clive, backed by the activity of an
English fleet under admiral Watson, still turned the scale
in their favour. Among the number of those who felt the
power of the English in that part of the world was the
famous Tullagee Angria, a piratical prince, who had long
infested the Indian ocean, and made the princes on the
coast his* tributaries. He maintained a large number of
galleys, and with these he attacked the largest ships, and
almost ever with success. 18. As the company had been
GEORGE II.
347
greatly harrassed by bis depredations, they resolved to sub-
due such a dangerous enemy, and attack him in his own
fortress. In pursuance of this resolution, admiral Watson
and colonel Clive sailed into his harbour of Geriah; and
though they sustained a warm fire as they entered, yet they
soon threw all his fleet into flames, and obliged his fort to
surrender at discretion. The conquerors found there a large
quantity of warlike stores, and effects to a considerable value.
Questions for Examination.
1. Who was sent out to the relief of Minorca ?
2, 3. What was the conduct of admiral Byng ?
4. What was the consequence ?
5. What afterwards followed ?
6. What treatment did Byng experience ?
7. What was the result ot the court-martial ?
8. 9. Relate the manner of Byng’s execution ?
10. In what manner were the contending powers opposed to each other?
11. In what quarter did success first attend the British arms ?
From whoso condujt ?
12. 13. What were the first operations ?
14—16. Relate the terrible situation of the prisoners confined in the
Black Hole at Calcutta.
17, 18. What are the particulars of the success which attended colonel
Clive and admiral Watson ?
SECTION X.
Pelham his place and life resigns ;
Clive, erst unheard of in the nation,
Saves India, brightest star that shinCs
In our commercial constellation. — Dibdin.
1. (A. D. 1757.) Colonel Clive proceeded to take revenge
for the cruelty practiced upon the English. About the
beginning of December he arrived at Balasore, in the king-
dom of Bengal. He met with little opposition either to the
fleet or army, till they came before Calcutta, which seemed
resolved to stand a regular siege. As soon as the admiral,
with two ships, arrived before the town, he received a furious
fire from all the batteries, which he soon returned with still
greater execution, and in less than two hours obliged them
to abandon their fortifications. By these means the English
took possession of the two strongest settlements on the banks
of the Ganges; but that of Geriah they demolished to the
ground.
2. Soon after these successes, Hoogly, a city of great
trade, was reduced, with as little difficulty as the former,
and all the viceroy of Bengal’s storehouses and granaries
were destroyed. In order to repair these losses, the barba-
rous prince assembled an army of ten thousand horse and
348
HISTORY OF ENGLAND
fifteen thousand foot, and professed a firm resolution oi
expelling the English from all their settlements in that part
of the world. 3. Upon the first intelligence of his march,
colonel Clive obtained a reinforcement of men from the
admiral’s ships, and advanced with his little army to attack
these numerous forces. He attacked. the enemy in three
columns, and though the numbers were so disproportionate,
victory soon declared in favour of the English.
4. The English, by these victories, having placed a viceroy
on the throne (for the Mogul had Isng lost all power in
India), they took care to exact such stipulations in their
own favour as would secure them in possession of the
country whenever they thought proper to resume their
authority. They were gratified in their avarice to its ex-
tremest wish ; and that wealth which they had plundered
from slaves in India, they were resolved to employ in mak.
ing slaves at home.
5. From the conquest of the Indians, colonel Clive turned
to the humbling of the French, who had long disputed em-
pire in that part of the world, and soon dispossessed them of
all their power and all their settlements.
6. In the meantime, when conquest shone upon us from
the east, it was still more splendid in the western world.
But some alterations in the ministry led to those successes
which had been long wished for -by the nation, and were at
length obtained. The affairs of war had hitherto been
directed by a ministry but ill supported by the commons,
because not confided in by the people. They seemed timid
and wavering, and but feebly held together, rather by their
fears than their mutual confidence. 7. When any new
measure was proposed which could not receive their appro-
bation, or any new member was introduced into government
whom they did not appoint, they considered it as an infringe-
ment on their respective departments, and threw up their
places with disgust, with a view to resume them with greater
lustre. Thus the strength of the crown was every day
declining, while an aristocracy filled up every avenue to the
throne, intent only on the emoluments, not the duties, of
office.
8. This was at that time the general opinion of the
people, and it was too loud not to reach the throne. The
ministry that had hitherto hedged in the throne, were at
length obliged to admit some men into a share of the govern-
ment, whose activity at least would counterbalance their
GEOftGE II
349
timidity and irresolution. At the head of a newly intro-
duced party was the celebrated Mr. William Pitt, from
whose vigour the nation formed very great expectations, and
they were not deceived.
9. But though the old ministers were obliged to admit
these new members into their society, there was no lemal
penalty for refusing to co-operate with them ; they, there-
fore, associated with each other, and used every art to make
their new assistants obnoxious to the king, upon whom they
had been in a manner forced by the people. His former
ministry flattered him in all his attachments to his German
dominions, while the new had long clamoured against all
continental connexions, as utterly incompatible with the
interest of the nation. These two opinions, carried to the
extreme, might have been erroneous ; but the king was
naturally led to side with those who favoured his own senti-
ments, and to reject those who opposed them.
10. Mr. Pitt, therefore, after being a few months in office,,
was ordered to resign by his majesty’s command; and liis
coadjutor, Mr. Legge, was displaced from being chancellor
of the exchequer. But this blow to his ambition was but
of short continuance ; the whole nation, almost to a man,
seemed to rise up in his defence; and Mr. Pitt and Mr.
Legge being restored to their former employments, — the one
secretary of state, and the other chancellor of the exche-
quer, — began to act with vigour.
11. The consequence of the former ill-conducted counsels
still seemed to continue in America. The generals sent
over to manage the operations of the war loudly accused
the timidity and delays of the natives, whose duty it was
to unite in their own defence. The natives, on the other
hand, as warmly expostulated against the pride, avarice,
and incapacity of those sent over to command them. 12.
General Shirley, who had been appointed to the supreme
command there, had been for some time recalled, and re-
placed by lord Loudon ; and this nobleman also soon after
returning to England, three several commanders were put at
the head of separate operations. General Amherst com
manded that designed against the island of Cape-Breton ;
the other was consigned to general Abercrombie, against
Crown Point and Ticonderoga; and the third, still more to
the southward against Fort du Quesne, commanded by
brigadier-general Forbes.
13. Cape-Breton, which had been taken from the French
350
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
during the preceding war, had been returned at the treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle. It was not till the English had been put
in possession of that island that they began to perceive its
advantageous situation, and the convenience of its harbour
for annoying the British trade with, impunity. It was also
a convenient port for carrying on their fishery, a branch of
commerce of the utmost benefit to that nation. The wrest-
ing it, therefore, once more from the hands of the French
was a measure ardently desired by the whole nation. 14.
The fortress of Louisbourg, by which it was defended, had
been strengthened by the assistance of art, and was still
better fortified by the nature of its situation. The garrison
also was numerous, the commander vigilant, and every
precaution taken to oppose a landing. An account of the
operations of the siege can give but little pleasure in abridg-
ment; be it sufficient to say, that the English surmounted
every obstacle with great intrepidity. Their former timidity
and irresolution seemed to vanish, their natural courage and
confidence returned, arid the place surrendered by capitula-
tion. The fortifications were soon after demolished, and
thus rendered unfited for future protection.
Questions for Examination
1. What further successes attended Colonel Clive?
2, 3. What victory did he obtain over the viceroy of Bengal?
4. What was the consequence of these victories ?
6. How did colonel Clive treat the French ?
6, 7. What was the conduct of the ministry ?
8. Who was at the head of the newly introduced party?
9. What was the conduct of the old ministry ?
For what reasons was the king favourable to his former ministers?
10. What followed the resignation of thenew ministers?
12. What generals commanded the American operations?
13 Why was Cape Breton considered an advantageous situation?
14. Relate the particulars of the capture of Louisbourg ?
SECTION XI.
His country’s glory fired him as he died ;
Her love still sounded in his fait'ring breath.
“ O bless her arms!” the falling conqueror cried:
Heav’n heard, and victory adorn’d his death.
Elegy on the death of Wolfe . —
1. (A.D. 1758.) The expedition of Fort du Quesne was
equally successful, but that against Crown Point was once
more defeated. This was now the second time that the
English army had attempted to penetrate into those hideous
wilds by which nature had secured the French possessions
GEORGE II.
351
in that part of the world. Braddock fell in the attempt,
a martyr to his impetuosity : too much caution was equally
injurious to his successor. Abercrombie spent much time
in marching to the place of action, and the enemy were
thus perfectly prepared to give him a severe reception. 2.
As he approached Tieonderoga, he found them deeply in-
trenched at the foot of the fort ; and still farther secured by
fallen trees with their branches pointing against him.
These difficulties the English ardour attempted to surmount;
but as the enemy, being secure themselves, took aim at
leisure, a terrible carnage of the assailants ensued ; and the
general, after repeated efforts, was obliged to order a retreat.
3. The English army, however, was still superior, and it
was supposed, that when the artillery were arrived, some-
thing more successful might be performed; but the general
felt too sensibly the terrors of the late defeat, to remain in
the neighbourhood of the triumphant enemy. He therefore
withdrew his troops, and returned to his camp at Lake
George, from whence he had taken his departure.
4. But though, in this respect, the English arms were
unsuccessful, yet upon the whole the campaign was greatly
in their favour. The taking of Fort du Quesne served to
remove from their colonies the terror of the incursions of
the Indians, while it interrupted that correspondence which
ran along a chain of forts, with which the French had envi-
roned the English settlements in America. This, therefore,
promised a fortunate campaign the next year, and vigorous
measures were taken to ensure success.
5. Accordingly, on the opening of the following year, the
ministry, sensible that a single effort carried on in such an
extensive country could never reduce the enemy, were re-
solved to attack them in several parts of the empire at once.
Preparations were also made, and expeditions driven for-
ward against three different parts of North America at the
same time. 6. General Amherst, the commander-in-chief,
with a body of twelve thousand men, was to attack Crown
Point, which had hitherto been the reproach of the English
army: General Wolfe was at the opposite quarter to enter
the river St. Lawrence, and undertake the siege of Quebec,
the capital of the French dominions in America; while ge-
neral Prideaux and sir William Johnson were to attempt a
French fort near the cataract of Niagara.
7. The last-named expedition was the first that succeed-
ed. The fort of Niagara was a place of great importance.
352
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
and served to command all tlie communications between the
northern and the western French settlements. The siege was
begun with vigour, and promised an easy conquest; but
general Prideaux was killed in the trenches by the bursting
of a mortar, so that the whole command of the expedition
devolved upon general Johnson, who omitted nothing to
push forward the vigorous operations of his predecessor, to
which also he added his own popularity with the soldiers
under him. 8. A body of French troops, who were sensi-
ble of the importance of this fort attempted tc relieve it;
but Johnson attacked them with intrepidity and success; for
in less than an hour their whole army was put to the rout.
The garrison, soon after perceiving the fate of their coun-
trymen, surrendered prisoners of war. The success of general
Amherst was less splendid, though not less serviceable:
upon arriving at the destined place, he found the forts, both
of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, deserted and destroyed.
9. (A.D. 1759.) There now, therefore, remained but one
grand and decisive blow to put all North America into the
possession of the English ; and this was the taking of Que-
bec, the capital of Canada, a city handsomely built, popu-
lous, and flourishing. Admiral Saunders was appointed to
command the naval part of the expedition; the siege by
land was committed to the conduct of general Wolfe, of
whom the nation had great expectations. This young sol-
dier, who was not thirty-five, and distinguished himself on
many former occasions, particularly at the siege of Louis-
bourg, a part of the success of which was justly ascribed to
him, who, without being indebted to family or connexions,
had raised himself by merit to his present command.
10. The war in this part of the world had been hitherto
carried on with extreme barbarity, and retaliating murders
were continued without any one’s knowing who first began.
Wolfe however, disdaining to imitate an example that had
been set him eVen by some of his associate officers, carried
on the war with all the spirit of humanity which it admit3
of. 11. It is not our aim to enter into a minute detail of
the siege of this city, which could at best only give amuse-
ment to a few ; it will be sufficient to say, that when we
consider the situation of a town on the side of a great river,
the fortifications with which it was secured, the natural
strength of the country, the great number of vessels and
floating batteries the enemy had provided for the defence of
the river, the numerous bodies of savages continually hover-
GEORGE II.
353
ing round the English army, we must own there was such a
combination of difficulties as might discourage and perplex
the most resolute commander. The general himself
seemed perfectly sensible of the difficulty of the undertaking.
After stating, in a letter to the ministers, the dangers that pre-
sented, “I know*” . said he, “ that the affairs of Great Britain
require the most vigorous measures. But then the courage
of a handful of brave men should be exerted only where
there is some hope of a favorable event. At present the
difficulties are so various, that I am at a loss how to deter-
mine.” 13. The only prospect of attempting the town with
success was by landing a body of troops in the night below
the town, who were to clamber up the banks of the river,
and take possession of the ground on the back of the city.
This attempt, however, appeared peculiarly discouraging.
The stream was rapid, the shore shelving, the bank above
lined with sentinels, the landing-place so narrow as to be
easily missed in the dark, and the steepness of the ground
such as hardly to be surmounted in the day-time. All these
difficulties, however, were surmounted by the conduct of
the general, and the bravery of the men. 14. Colonel How,
with the light infantry and the Highlanders, ascended the
woody precipices with admirable courage and activity, and
dislodged a small body of troops that defended a narrow
pathway up to the bank; thus, a few mounting, the general
drew the rest up in order as they arrived. Monsieur de
Montcalm, the French commander, was no sooner apprized
that the English had gained these heights, which lie had
confidently deemed inaccessible, than he resolved to hazard
a battle, and a spirited encounter quickly began. This was
one of the most furious engagements during the war. 15.
The French general was slain; the second in command
shared the same fate. General Wolfe was standing on the
right, where the attack was most warm j as he stood con-
spicuous in the front line, he had been aimed at by the ene-
my’s marksmen, and received a shot in the wrist, which,
however, did not oblige him to quit the field. Having
wrapped a handkerchief round his hand, he continued giving
orders without the least emotion, and advanced at the head
of the grenadiers, with their bayonets fixed ; but a second
ball, more fatal, pierced his breast ; so that, unable to pro-
ceed, he leaned on the shoulder of a soldier that was next
him. 16. Now struggling in the agonies of death, and just
Y
354
HISTORY OP ENGLAND
Death of General Wolfe.
expiring, he heard a voice cry, “ They run ! ” Upon which
he seemed for a moment to revive, and, asking who ran, was
informed the French. Expressing his wonder that they ran
bo soon, and unable to gaze any longer, he sank in the sol-
dier’s breast, aud his last words were, “I die happy!”
Perhaps the loss of the English that day was greater than
the conquest of Canada was advantageous. But it is the
lot of mankind only to know true merit on that dreadful
occasion when they are going to lose it.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the success against Fort du Quesne?
2. What difficulties had Abercrombie to encounter?
3. To what place did ho withdraw his troops?
4. What was the general success of the campaign ?
5. What vigorous measures were adopted the following year?
6. By whom w r ere the different expeditions commanded?
7. 8. What are the particulars of the expedition which first succeeded?
9. What was the next decisive blow?
T’o whom was intrusted the command of the expedition against
Quebec?
10. In what manner did Wolfe carry on tho war?
11. What was tho situation and strength of Quebec ?
12. What was tho opinion of the general?
13. 14. Relate the particulars aud success of the siege?
15. In what manner was General Wolfe wounded ?
16. Relate his heroic conduct in the agonies of death?
GEORGE II.
355
SECTION xn.
Fresh laurels graced the victor’s brow
On Minden’s gory plains;
But wliat avail those laurels now? —
Imaginary gains '.—Anon.
1. (A.D. 1759. The surrender of Quebec wa3 the con-
sequence of this victory, and with it soon after the total
cession of all Canada. The French, indeed, the following
season, made a vigorous effort to retake the city ; but by
the resolution of Governor Murray, and the appearance of
an English fleet under the command cf Lord Colville, they
were obliged to abandon the enterprise. 2. .The whole
province was soon after reduced by the prudence and acti-
vity of General Amherst, who obliged the French army to
capitulate ; and it has since remained annexed to the British
empire. To these conquests, about the same time, was
added the reduction cf the island of Guadaloupe, under
commodore More and General Hopson; an acquisition of
great importance, but which was restored at the succeeding
peace.
3. These successes in India and America were great,
though achieved by no very extensive efforts. On the con-
trary, the efforts the English made in Europe, and the
operations of their great ally, the king of Prussia, were
astonishing, yet produced no signal advantages.
4. England was all this time happily retired from the
miseries which oppressed the rest of Europe; yet, from her
natural military ardour, she seemed desirous of sharing those
dangers of which she was only a spectator. This passi<?n
for sharing in a continental war was not less pleasing to the
king of England, from his native attachment, than from a
desire cf revenge upon the plunderers of his country. 5. As
soon, therefore, as it was known that prince Ferdinand had
put himself at the head of the Hanoverian army, to assist the
king cf Prussia, his Britannic majesty, in a speech to
his parliament, observed that the late successes of his ally in
Germany had given a happy turn to his affairs, which it
would be necessary to improve. The commohs concurred
in hio sentiments, and liberally granted supplies both for the
service cf the King of Prussia, and for enabling the army
f rmed in Hanover to act vigorously in conjunction with
him.
G. From sending money over into Germany, the nation
began to extend their benefits; and it uas soon considered
that men would be a more grateful supply. Mr. Pitt, who
356
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
had at first come into popularity and power by opposing
such measures, was now prevailed upon to enter into them,
with even greater ardour than any of hi3 predecessors. 7.
The hope 3 of putting a speedy end to the war by vigorous
measures, the connections with which ho was obliged to co-
operate, and perhaps the pleasure he found in pleasing the
king, altogether incited him eagerly to push forward a con-
tinental war. However he only conspired with the general
inclinations of the people at this time, who, assured by the
noble efforts of their only ally, were unwilling to see him
fall a sacrifice to the united ambition of his enemies.
8. In order to indulge the general inclination of assisting
the king of Prussia, the duke of Marlborough was at first
sent into Germany, with a small body of British forces, to
join Prince Ferdinand, whose activity against the French
began to be crowned with success. After some small suc-
cesses gained by the allied army at Crevelt, the duke of
Marlborough dying, the command devolved upon lord George
Sackville, who was at that time a favourite with the British
army. 9. However, a misunderstanding arose between him
and the commandcr-in-chief; which soon had an occasion of
being displayed at the battle of Minden, which was fought
soon after. The cause of this secret disgust on both sides
is not clearly known ; it is thought that the extensive geniu 3
and the inquisitive spirit of the English general were by no
means agreeable to his superior in command, who hoped to
reap some pecuniary advantages the other was unwilling to
permit. 10. Be this a3 it will, both armies advancing near
the town of Minden, the French began the attack with great
vigour, ^ and a general engagement of the infantry ensued.
Lord George at the head of the British and Hanoverian
horse, was stationed at some distance on the right of the in-
fantry, from which they were divided by a scanty wood that
bordered on a heath. The French infantry giving ground,
the prince thought that this would be a favorable opportu-
n.ty to p )ur down the horse among them, and accordingly
sent lord George orders to come on. 11. These orders
were but ill-observed ; and whether they were unintelligible
or contradictory, still remains a point for posterity to debate
upon. It is certain that lord George shortly after wa 3 re-
called, tried by a court-martial, found guilty, and declared
incapable of serving in any military command for the future.
12. Ihe enemy, however, were repulsed in all ther at-
tacks with considerable loss, and, at length, givin" way were
GEORGE II.
357
pursued to the very ramparts of Mmden. The victory wa 3
splendid, but laurels were the only advantage reaped from
the field of battle.
13. After these victorie-, which were greatly magnified
in England, it was supposed that one reinforcement more of
British troops would terminate the war in favour of the allies,
and a reinforcement was quickly sent. The British army
in Germany, now, therefore, amounted to above thirty thou-
sand men, and the whole nation was flushed with the hopes
of immediate conquest. But these hope3 soon vanished, in
finding victory and defeat successively following each other.
The allies were worsted at Corbac, but retrieved their ho-
nour at Exdorf. A victory at Warbourgh followed shortly
after, and another at Zironburg ; but then they suffered a
defeat at Compen, after which both sides went into winter-
quarters. 14. The successes thus on either side might be
considered as a compact, by which both engaged to lose
much and gain little ; for no advantage whatever followed
from victory. The English at length began to open their
eyes to their own interest, and found that they were waging
unequal war, and loading themselves with taxes, for con-
quests that they could neither preserve nor enjoy.
Questions for Examination .
1, 2. What consequence followed this victory ?
4. What passion operated for sharing in a continental war ?
5. What observation did his majesty make to the commons? and how
did they concur in his sentiments ?
6. 7. What was Mr. Pitt’s conduct; and what were the general inclina-
tions of the people ?
8. What English commander was first sent to Germany?
9. What caused the misunderstanding which took place between the
commanders?
10, 11. How did lord G- Sackville act at the battle of Minden?
12. What was the success of it?
13. What foilowed these victories?
14. In what light might the events of this war be considered?
SECTION - XIII.
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth, ere gave,
Await alike tb’ inevitable hour:
The path of glory leads but to the grave. — Gray.
1. (A.D. 1759.) It must be confessed, that the efforts of
England at this time over every part of the globe, were
amazing, and the expense of her operations greater than had
ever been disbursed by any nation before. The king of
358
niSTORY OP ENGLAND.
Prussia received a subsidy; a large body of her forces com-
manded the extensive peninsula of India ; another army of
twenty thousand men confirmed their conquests in North
America; there were thirty thousand men employed in
Germany, and several other bodies dispersed in dilierent
garrisons in various parts of the world ; but all these were
nothing to the force maintained at sea, which carried com-
mand wherever it came, and had totally annihilated the
French power on that clement. 2. The courage and con-
duct of the English admirals had surpassed whatever had
been read in history ; neither superior force nor number,
nor even the terrors of the tempest, could intimidate them.
Admiral Hawke gained a complete victory over an equal
number of French slup3, on the coast of Bretagne, in Qui-
beron Bay, in the midst of a tempest during the darkness
of night, and, what a seaman fears more, upon a rocky shore.
3. Such was the glorious figure the British nation appear-
ed in to all the world at this time. But while their arms
prospered in every effort tending to the real interests of the
nation, an event happened which for a time obscured the
splendour of her victories. On the twenty-fourth of Octo-
ber, the king, without having complained of any previous
disorder, was fouud by his domestics expiring in his cham-
ber. 4. He had arisen at his usual hour, and observed to
his attendants, that, as the weather was fine, he would take
a walk in the garden of Kensington, where he then resided.
In a few minutes after lii3 return, being left alone, he was
heard to fall down upon the floor. The noise of this bring-
mg his attendants into the room, they lifted him into bed,
wnere he desired, with a faint voice, that the princess Ame-
lia might be sent for ; but, before she could reach the apart-
ment, he expired. An attempt was made to bleed him, but
without effect ; and afterwards the surgeons, up m opening
liim, discovered that the right ventricle of the heart was
ruptured, and that a great quantity of blood was discharged
through the aperture.
5. (Oct. 25, 17G0.) George the second died in the se-
venty-seventh year of his age, and thirty-third of his ream,
.amented by his subjects, and in the midst of victory. °If
any monarch was happy in the peculiar mode of his death,
and the precise time of its arrival, it was he. 6. The uni-
versal enthusiasm for conquest was now beginning to sub-
side and sober reason to take her turn in the administration
o affairs. The, factions which had bccn.nursing during his
GEORGE II.
359
long reign had not yet come to maturity ; but threatened,
■with all their virulence, to afflict his successor. He was
himself of no shining abilities ; and while he was permitted
to guide and assist his German dominions, he intrusted the
care of Great Britain to his ministers at home. However,
as we stand too near to be impartial judges of his merits or
defects, let us state his character, as delivered by two wri-
ters of opposite opinions :
1 . “On whatever side,” says his panegyrist, “we look
upon his character, we shall find ample matter for just and
unsuspected praise. None of his predecessors on the throne
of England lived to so great an age, or enjoyed longer feli-
city. His subjects were still improving under him in com-
merce and arts ; and his own economy set a prudent example
to the nation, which, however, they did not follow. He
was in temper sudden and violent; but this, though it influ-
enced his conduct, made no change in his behaviour, which
was generally guided by reason. 8. He was plain and
direct in his intentions, true to his word, steady in his favour
and protection of his servants, not parting even with his
ministers till compelled to it by the violence of faction. In
short, through the whole of his life he appeared rather to
live for the cultivation of useful virtues than splendid ones;
and satisfied with being good, left others their unenvied
greatness.”
9. Such is the picture given by his friends, but there
are others who reverse the medal. “ As to the extent of
his understanding, or the splendour of his virtue, we rather
wish for opportunities of praise than undertake the task
ourselves. His public character was marked with a predi-
lection for his native country, and to that he sacrificed all
other considerations. 10. He was not only unlearned him-
self, but he despised learning in others ; and though genius
might have flourished in his reign, yet he neither promoted
it by his influence nor example. His frugality bordered
upon avarice ; and he hoarded not for his subjects, but him-
self.”
Which of these two characters is true, or whether they
may not in part be both so, I will not pretend to decide.
If his favourers are numerous, so are they who oppose him.
Eet posterity, therefore, decide the contest.
360
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Questions for Examination.
1. What astonishing efforts did Britain make to carry on the war!
2. In what manner was the courage of the English admirals shown"
3. What important event obscured the lustro of these victories?
4. What circumstances preceded the king’s death?
What was the cause of his death ?
6. What was his a”;e, and how long did ho reign?
6. What was tho situation of tho country at that time?
7, 8. What is tho character of the king as given by his friends?
9, 10. What as givon by his enemies?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A. D.
Benedict XIII 1724
Clement XII 1738
Benedict XIV 1740
Clement XIII 1758
Emperors of Germany.
Charles VI 1711
Charles VII 1740
Francis Stephen 1745
Emoerors and Empresses of
Iiussia.
Peter II 1727
Anne 1730
John 1740
Elizabeth 1741
King of Franco.
Louis XV 1715
Kings of Spain.
Philip V (restored). . 1724
Ferdinand VI 1745
Emperors of the Turks.
A. D.
Achmet III 1703
Mahomet V 1730
Osman II 1764
Mustapha III 1757
Kings of Portugal.
John V 1707
Joseph 1750
Kings of Denmark.
Frederick IV 1699
Christian VI 1730
Frederick V 1746
Kings of Sweden.
Frederick 1720
Adolphus 1750
Kings of Pnissia.
Frederick JI 1713
Frederick HI 1740
GEORGE III.
361
EMINENT PERSONS.
■William Pitt, earl of Chatham; Admiral Hawke; General Wolfe;
Alexander Pope ; James Thomson;* Dr. Young; John, lord Carteret;
Philip, earl oi Hardwick; Henry Pelham, H. lord Hyde and Cornbury
Horatio, lord Walpole; George Booth, earl of Warrington; J. Hamil-
ton, earl of Abercorn, &c., &c., &c.
CHAPTEE XXXYI.
GEORGE HI
Born 1738. Died 1820. Began to reign 1760. Reigned 59 years.
SECTION I.
Hail, monarch! born the pledge of happier days.
To guard our freedom and our glories raise.
Given to the world to spread religion’s svav,
And pour o’er many a land the mental day.— Mickle.
1. (October 25, 1760.) Thofgh the health of George II.
had been long declining, his death was totally unexpected,
and the ministry, being unprepared fur such an event, felt
not a little embarrassed when they first waited on their new
sovereign. George III., who succeeded, was the son <J
Frederick, prince of Wales, and Augusta, princess of Saxe-
Gotha. In consequence of the premature death of his
•The encouragement given to literary exertion during the reign of
queen Anne, was altogether withdrawn by her successors. Pope and
Swift, indeed, still continued to be patronised bj their former friends,
but rising merit was entirely neglected. Frederick, prince of W ales,
during his brief career, was an ostentatious rather than a generous
patron of letters ; but after his death, even the semblance of encourage-
ment was laid a c ide. The ministry had even the incredible meanness
to deprive poorTbomson of a miserable pittance settled on him by Fred-
erick. After enduring great distress, this poet at length obtained a
email place, through the interest of lord Lyttleton, but he did not live to
enjoy; its advantages; to the disgrace of the nation and its rulers, he
died in difficulties and debt.
3G2
niSTORY OF ENCLAXD.
father who died without ascending the throne, his education
had devolved upon his mother, by whom he was brought up
in the strictest privacy. She had unfortunately quarrelled
with the late king, and the prince, though now in his twenty-
second year, had been consequently such a stranger to the
court of his grandfather, that he was unacquainted even with
the persons of the ministers. 2. His first address to the
council was gracious and conciliatory : the only remarkable
occurrence that distinguished the opening of the new reign
was the elevation of the earl of Bute to the office of privy
councillor. 3. The parliament was assembled in November
and the king’s first speech gave universal satisfaction to the
country. The civil list was fixed at the annual sum of
800,000? and liberal supplies w'ere voted for the mainten-
ance of the war in which the country was engaged. The
king, in return f r this instance of affection on the part of the
people assented to a bill for farther securing the indepen-
dence of the judges, by providing that their offices should
not be vacated on the demise of the crown.
4. (A.D. 1761.) The act of settlement prohibiting the
sovereigns of Britain from intermarrying with Roman Ca-
tholics, his majesty was precluded from seeking a consort in
the great families of Europe ; he therefore selected as liis bride
a daughter of the house of Mccklenburgh Strelitz, a small
principality in the north of Germany ; the marriage was
celebrated on the 8th of September, and on the 22nd of the
same month the ceremony of the coronation was performed
with great pomp and magnificence.
5. The war, which had been carried on with great spirit
and success under the auspices of Mr. Pitt, continued to be
supported with unabated vigour; prince Ferdinand, at the
head of the allies, pursued his victorious career in Germany;
and Belleisle was captured by a British force under the
command of Admiral Keppell and general Hcdgson. The
French court, terrified at these losses, made an abortive at-
tempt to obtain peace ; but having failed in this, a successful
application for assistance was made to the king of Spain
and a secret treaty called the Family Compact, °wa< made
between the two powers. G. This transaction, though care-
fully concealed, did not escape the penetration of Mr. Pitt-
he warned his colleagues of the insidious designs of Sp dm
and urged them to send out a fleet to intercept the Spanish
flota, or strike some other decisive blow before the hostile
projects of that court were ripe for execution. This proposal
GEORGE III.
363
was very coolly received by the other members of the cabinet j
they were not in possession of all the information which
their colleague had obtained, and they were besides jealous
of the influence which Mr. Pitt’s superior popularity conferred.
The project was finally rejected, and Mr. Pitt immediately
resigned. As a mark of gratitude, however, for his eminent
public services, a pension of 3000Z. a year was settled on
him for three lives, and his wife was created baroness
Chatham.
7. The retirement of this popular minister was generally
attributed to the secret influence of the earl of Bute, who
was supposed to have obtained complete ascendency over the
mind of his royal master. The suspicion created general
displeasure among the people ; on the lord mayor’s day, when
his majesty and suite proceeded to dine in the city, the king
and queen were received with coldness and silence, the earl
of Bute was grossly insulted, but Mr. Pitt was welcomed with
the loudest acclamations.
8. In a few months the wisdom of Mr. Pitt’s anticipa-
tions was fully established ; the hostile designs of Spain
could no longer be concealed, and when the British ambas-
sador remonstrated, he received nothing but evasive answers,
or flat refusals to all his demands. He was in consequence
recalled ; and in a short time after, a declaration of war was
published against Spain.
9. A new parliament being assembled, the consideration
of a provision fur the queen, in the event of her surviving
his majesty, was recommended from the throne. An annu-
ity of 100,00(H was settled on her for life, together with
the palace of Somerset house (afterwards exchanged for
Buckingham house), and the lodge and lands of Richmond
park.
10. (A.D. 1762.) No change of importance had hitherto
been made in the cabinet, except the appointment of the
earl of Bute to the office of secretary of state ; but a more
important alteration had long been meditated, one that in-
volved a most complete revolution in the domestic policy
of England. Since the accession of the house of Bruns-
wick, the administration of the public affairs had been prin-
cipally confided to some of the great families, by whose
exertions that race of sovereigns had been placed upon the
throne. Their power had been considerably strengthened
by the suppression of the two rebellions in 1715 and 1745,
%nd the two former kings, more attached to their German
364
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
dominions than to their British kingdoms, surrendered the
government of these countries to their ministers without
reluctance. The new sovereign of Britain was eutirely
free from German predilections ; in the court of his mother
he had been taught to dislike the politics of his grandfather,
and he had no longer any reason to dread dangers from the
change, for the claims of the young pretender had long since
sunk into total insignificance. Unfortunately, the Earl of
Bute, to whom the management of such an important change
was confided, did not possess abilities equal to the task.
His domestic virtues, his refined taste, and generous liberality
had made him deservedly beloved in private life ; but his
reserved habits, his coldness of manner, and his total igno-
rance of state affairs, made his public career odious to the
people, painful to himself, and injurious to the popularity of
his sovereign.
11. It was resolved to get rid of the Pelham family,
which had so long been at the head of affairs ; the duke of
Newcastle was made so uneasy in his situation, that he
resigned his post as first lord of the treasury, and was suc-
ceeded by the earl of Bute ; the greater part of the ministers
imitated the duke’s example ; and even the duke of Devon-
shire, whose exertions in behalf of the Hanoverian succes-
sion had been rewarded by the place of lord chamberlain,
found it necessary to resign his situation. A furious paper-
war ensued, and party spirit, which had slept during the
triumphant administration of Mr. Pitt, was revived, and
raged with unparalleled fury. National prejudices contri-
buted to fan the flame; the earl of Bute was a Scotchman,
and the old jealousy between the natives of the northern and
southern divisions of the country was made a formidable
engine of party hostility.
12. The war was carried on with equal vigour and suc-
cess by the new administration. The French and Spaniards
having in vain endeavoured to detach the Portuguese from
their alliance with England, sent an army to invade the
country; but an English body of auxiliaries was imme-
diately despatched to Portugal, and the progress of the in-
vaders was soon checked. At first, indeed, the bigoted
Portuguese refused to unite cordially with their heretical
allies; but when count de la Lippe was appointed to the
command of their armies, he entered cordially into the views
of the English general, and the Spaniards were defeated
in two decisive engagements. Spain suffered still more
GEORGE III.
365
severely in other quarters of the globe ; Havana, -with
plunder to the amount of three millions sterling, was taken
by the earl of Albemarle and Admiral Pococke ; the city
of Manilla surrendered to general Draper and admiral Cor-
nish; it was ransomed for the stipulated sum of one million,
hut the Spaniards violated their engagements, and the ran-
som was never paid. Two valuable treasure-ships, con-
taining property to the amount of two millions sterling,
were about the same time captured by British cruisers.
(August 12, 1762.) While the waggons that conveyed the
treasure taken from the Spanish vessels to the Tower were
passing in front of the palace, the cannon in the park an-
nounced the birth of a prince of Wales, and this coincidence
not a little increased the public joy at this happy event.
13. While the arms of England were thus triumphant in
various quarters of the globe, the king of Prussia, her prin-
cipal, and, indeed, her almost only ally, after a series of
brilliant exploits, which have immortalized his name, seemed
to have been brought to the very brink of ruin by the junc-
tion of the Russians with his inveterate enemies. At the
very moment, however, that his destruction seemed certain,
he was rescued by one of those sudden revolutions which
baffle all human calculation. Elizabeth, empress of Russia,
dying, was succeeded by her nephew, Peter III., who was
an enthusiastic admirer of the Prussian king ; he not only
concluded a peace with Frederick, but even joined his arms
to those of that monarch, and began to act hostilely against
his former allies. Peter was, however, soon dethroned by
his subjects ; Catharine H., his consort, then became em-
press of Russia ; she withdrew her forces from those of the
king of Prussia, and resolved to maintain a strict neutrality.
Frederic was not slow in availing himself of these favour-
able circumstances, and soon amply retrieved his former
losses.
14. All parties were now seriously anxious for the resto-
ration of peace. France was deprived of her colonial pos-
sessions, and saw her commerce on the brink of ruin; Spain
had suffered still more severely ; the Austrians and Prus-
sians were wearied of campaigns, which left the armies at
their close nearly in the same situation they occupied at the
commencement; and England, notwithstanding her triumphs,
felt that a continuation of such exertions would soon ex-
haust her resources. The seven years’ war was terminated
by a general peace, by which England was permitted to re-
366
HISTORY OP ENGLAND
tain Canada and several other conquests, receiving also from
Spain, Florida, in exchange for the Havana. 15. Though
the terms of the peace were very favourable to the interests
of the English, yet the nation, intoxicated by success, re-
gretted the termination of the war. The articles had been
signed several months before the city of London could be
prevailed upon to present a tardy and reluctant address of
congratulation ; and on the day of its presentation, the lord-
mayor (Beckford) refused to attend, and the bells of the
different churches rung muffled peals during the procession.
Questions for Examination.
1. By whom was George II. succeeded?
2. Did anything remarkable occur at the first meeting of the privy
council?
5. What proceedings took place in parliament?
4. To whom did Georgo 111, unito himself in marriage?
6. Did any circumstances tend to show hostile dispositions in the Spanish
court?
6. Under what circumstances did Mr. Tift resign his ofiico?
7. What wero tho consequences of his resignation?
8. Wero Mr. Pitt’s suspicions of tho Spanish court well founded?
9. What dowry was settled on tho queen ?
10. What groat chango took place in tho administration?
11. Did any evil consequences result from tho chango of ministry?
12. How was the war conducted? whattiiumphsdi Mho E..glisli obtain?
13. By what means was tho king of Prussia rescued from Ins Uihicuiwos?
14. Why were all parties anxious to terminate the war?
15. Was the peace popular in England ?
SECTION II.
Like smoko emitted from Vesuvius' top
(Dread harbinger of tne volcano’s powers),
So brearhotho tires of rlncontent, nor stop
Till all around is wrapt in burning showers.— Drown.
1. (A. D. 1763.) Tranquillity might naturally have
been expected at the conclusion of a glorious war, but tins
was prevented by the domestic dissensions which party
spirit produced. The carl of Bute’s unpopularity still con-
tinued, but his influence was apparently unabaleJ ; f ,r not-
withstanding the most vigorous efforts of the opposition, lie
prevailed upon parliament to impose a tax upon c:dcr
which, without producing any great revenue, gave infinite
dissatisfaction to the nation. Immediately afeer tiii Umimph,
his lordship, to the great surprise of every one, resumed his
post, and retired into private life. 2 . He was succeeded by
Mr. George Grenville. The press soon teemed with the
most virulent libels from the partisans of the several factions
that divided the country. In these productions the person
GEORGE II
367
of the sovereign was not always spared, until at length the
ministry was roused by the appearance of No. 45 of the
North Briton, a periodical paper conducted by Mr. Wilkes,
the member for Aylesbury, in which it was stated that the
king had uttered a deliberate falsehood in his speech to par-
liament. This was an offence which could not be passed
over, and a general warrant was issued for the arrest of the
author, printers and publishers of that paper. Mr. Wilkes
was arrested and sent to the Tower ; several innocent per-
sons were taken into custody, and the ministry found that,
in their eagerness to punish a delinquent, they had uofortu-
nately raised a great constitutional question, which must of
necessity be decided against them.
3. The printers taken up under the warrant, brought
actions against the messengers by whom they had been
arrested, and recovered heavy damages. Mr. Wilkes, also,
having been brought by habeas corpus before the court of
common pleas, was liberated, the judges being unanimously
of opinion, that privilege of parliament extended to the cause
of writing a libel. The house of commons gave a different
decision. They voted that No. 45 of the North Briton
was a false, scandalous, and seditious libel, and that the
author of such was not protected by privilege of parliament.
Soon after, Mr. Wilkes fought a duel with Mr. Martin,
whom he had libelled, and was severely wounded ; he had
scarcely recovered from its effects when he thought fit to
retire to France. (A.D. 1764.) During his absence, he was
expelled the house of commons, and driven to an outlawry
in the court of king’s bench for not appearing to stand his
trial. The only advantage that resulted from this struggle,
was the declaration of the illegality of general warrants by
a resolution of both houses of parliament.
4. (A. D. 1765.) The immense expenditure incurred
during the late war had involved the country in considerable
difficulties, and it wa3 considered only just that the Ame-
rican colonies, whose interests had been most regarded in
the treaty of peace, should bear their proportion of the
public burdens j accordingly, a bill for imposing stamp
duties on all mercantile transactions in the colonies was in-
troduced by Mr. Grenville, and passed into a law with but
little opposition, The Americans had been for some time
previously very indignant at the treatment they had received
from the mother country j their profitable trade with the
Spanish colonies had been destroyed by new fiscal regula-
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
b»38
tions ; the Indians had harassed their back settlements, and
no royal forces were sent to check the progress of the bar-
barians; when, therefore, news arrived that taxes were
about to be imposed on the colonies by a parliament in
which they were not represented, public indignation knew
no bounds, and the colonial legislatures sent remonstrances
couched in very strong language to the parliament and the
throne. 5. The progress of these dissensions was, however,
arrested by the downfall of the Grenville administration.
The minister having omitted the name of the king’s mother
in the bill for providing a council of regency in case of any
emergency, so displeased his majesty, that he was compelled
to send in his resignation. A new ministry was formed,
principally by the exertions of the duke of Cumberland, at
the head of which was placed the marquis of Rockingham,
a nobleman conspicuous for his public, and private virtues,
•but not distinguished by super-eminent abilities.
6. (A. D. 1166.) The chief business of the new ministry
was to undo all that their predecessors had done ; the stamp
act, which had excited so much dissatisfaction in America,
and the cider tax, which was equally unpopular in England,
were both repealed, and these judicious measures were fol-
lowed by a brief interval of tranquillity.*
7. (A. D. 1767.) The Rockingham administration was
so weakened by the death of the duke of Cumberland, that
it wa3 broken up, and a new cabinet formed under the aus-
pices of Mr. Pitt, who was created earl of Chatham, and
the duke of Grafton was placed at its head, as first lord of
the treasury. The attention of government was first directed
to the affairs of the East India company, which had been
thrown into confusion by the avarice and rapacity of their
servants. Lord Clive wa3 sent out to India, with full powers
to remedy these evils, and under his administration the com-
pany soon recovered its former prosperity, and laid the
foundations of future greatness. 8. The unfortunate design
of taxing America was again revived; an act was passed
for granting duties on all glass, paper, painters’ colours, and
tea imported into the British colonies ; which the Americans
resisted by petitions, remonstrances, and agreements not to
use British manufactures until the obnoxious duties were
repealed. An act was also passed enjoining the colonies to
provide his majesty’s troops with necessaries in their quar-
ters; the colonial house of assembly in the state of New
York peremptorily refused obedience, and another act was
• The old Pretender died at Rome in this year, at the age of 76.
GEORGE It §69
passed restraining the assembly from making laws until
they had complied with the terms of the former statute.
9. (A.D. 1768.) The natural date of the parliament
having nearly expired, it was dissolved, and writs issued
for the election of a new one. Wilkes embraced the op-
portunity of returning from exile which a change of minis-
try afforded ; he offered himself a candidate for Middlesex,
and was elected by an overwhelming majority. He then
surrendered himself to the court of king’s bench, and pro-
cured the reversal of his outlawry ; he was, however, sen-
tenced to pay a fine of a thousand pounds, and to be im-
prisoned for twenty-two months. As he was esteemed a
martyr in the cause of liberty, a subscription was opened
for paying his fine, supporting him while in prison, and
compounding his debts, which amounted to more than
twenty thousand pounds. 10. The disturbances in America
still continued to increase, and the states of New England
were particularly remarkable for their determined hostility
to the new duties. Descended from the puritans and re-
publicans who had left England after the restoration of
Charles n., and sought in the wilds of America the liberty
of conscience denied to them at home, the New Englanders
possessed in no ordinary degree the spirit of independence,
and the obstinate resolution, which had characterised the
soldiers of Fairfax and Cromwell. In Boston the commis-
sioners of customs were so severely handled, that they were
forced to take refuge from the fury of the populace in fort
William; and to preserve the peace of the town, it was
deemed necessary to send thither two regiments of foot
from Halifax, and as many from Ireland.
11. The situation of Ireland began also to give the
minister considerable uneasiness. By Poyning’s law, passed
in the reign of Henry YH., and extended by several sub-
sequent statutes, the legislature of that country had been
made so completely dependent on the British government,
that it was become a mere nullity. An unwise and unjust
spirit of commercial jealousy induced the English to abuse
the advantages which they had obtained, and several im-
politic restrictions were imposed on Irish commerce and
manufactures. These measures produced little or no ad-
vantage to the English, while they crushed the rising ener-
gies of the sister kingdom ; but they were obstinately main-
tained, for the .age was not yet sufficiently enlightened to
discover that the prosperity of the one country was intimately
z
History op England.
370
connected with that of the other. A strong party liady
however, been formed in Ireland to achieve the legislative
independence of their country, and they gained no small part
of their object by the passing of the octennial act which
limited the duration of Irish parliaments to eight year.-, for
they had been previously dissolved only on the demise of the
crown.
12. In the East Indies, the English were assailed by an
enemy more formidable than any the}' had hitherto met in
that quarter. Hyder Ally, who had raised himself from the
rank of a common sepoy to that of a sovereign prinee ; com-
menced hostilities against the company’s settlements, and
for several years kept them in a state of incessant alarm.
13. When the new parliament met, the people imagined
that Mr. Wilkes would be liberated to take his seat, and
therefore assembled in great numbers in St. George’s fields,
round the king’s bench prison, in order to conduct him to
the house of commons. The Surrey justices took the alarm,
and read the riot act, but the multitude, refusing to disperse,
the military were called out, and unfortunately ordered to
lire. One man was killed on the spot, and a great number
were wounded, several mortally. It happened that a Scotch
regiment had been employed in this lamentable affair, a
circumstance which not a little increased the public indig-
nation. Verdicts of wilful murder against the soldiery
were returned by the different inquests, and on the sub-
sequent trials several of the soldiers were found guilty of
murder.
14. The government by no means participated in the
popular feeling; not only were pardons granted to those
who had been convicted, but the secretary of state, lord
Weymouth, sent a letter to the justices thanking them for
their spirited conduct. This document was^ublished by Mr.
Wilkes, with an indignant commentary, in which he termed
the affair “a horrid massacre,” and added a virulent invec-
tive against the entire conduct of the government. 15. For
this publication, Mr. Wilkes was expelled the house of com-
mons, and, with strange inconsistency, the causes assigned
for his expulsion included not only his late offence, but" the
former acts for which he had already atoned by undergoing
judicial punishment- This complication of charge afforded
just grounds of complaint, and not a little tended to give
meat 8 , decided superiority over his opponents. (A.D.
1709.) The freeholders unanimously re-elected him, but
GEORGE III.
371
the house considered the election void, and issued a new
writ. The same proceedings were twice repeated; until at
length colonel Luttrel was prevailed upon to offer himself
as candidate. Wilkes was once more returned by an im-
mense majority, the votes for him being 1143, while those
for his opponent amounted only to 2GD ; the house of com-
mons, notwithstanding, declared that Luttrel was and ought
to be thg sitting member.
16. .This was considered, with some show of justice, a
fatal blow to the liberties of the subject; petitions and re-
monstrances of the most daring nature poured in from all
parts of the kingdom: the press teemed with the most
virulent attacks on all constituted authorities ; some went
so far as to deny the legality of the present parliament, and
the obligation of the people to obey its laws. An anonymous
writer, named Junius, was particularly distinguished by the
fierce severity of his attacks on the ministry, and by the
superior brilliancy of his style, which still preserves his
celebrated letters from the oblivion into which party pro-
ductions usually fall. Meantime the disputes with the
colonists continued to be maintained with unabated zeal ;
and the Irish parliament showed such a determination to
throw off the yoke, that it was found necessary to elude their
demands by a prorogation.
Questions for Examination.
1. How was the tranquillity ef the country disturbed ?
2. What circumstances took place respecting No.45 of the North Briton?
3. How did the affair terminate ?
4. What circumstances led to disunion between England and the Ameri-
can colonies?
6. How was the Grenville ministry overthrown?
6. By what means was tranquillity restored ?
7. What was the first measure of the Grafton administration?
8. By what act was the discontent of the Americans revived?
9. How did Wilkes behave on the change of ministry ?
10. In what manner did the Americans conduct themselves?
11. Was any important change made in the Irish legislature?
12. Did any new power appear in the East Indies?
13. What unfortunate event took place in St. George’s fields?
14. How was Wiikes involved in a new contest with government?
15. What was the decision of the house of commons respecting the
Middlesex election?
16. Did this decision produce any unpleasant results?
372
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
SECTION Iir.
No self-subjecting force of soul is theirs,
That public toils as noblest honour bears. — Sterling.
1. (A.D. 1770.) The health of the earl of Chatham had
been long in such a state as to prevent him from exerting
his energies for the benefit of his country ; he^ had the
mortification to find that his influence was lost in the
cabinet, and his popularity forgotten by the nation; lit
therefore resigned his office, and his example was imitated
by the duke of Grafton. Lord North succeeded the latter
as first lord of the treasury, and some trifling changes
were made in the inferior departments of government.
2. Foreign nations seemed to have lost all respect for a
country whose councils were subject to such sudden vicis-
situdes, and the subjects of the realm were no longer
willing to pay that respect to the laws which is necessary
to the well-being - of a state. The new ministry seemed ill
calculated to retrieve the honour cf the country; they per-
mitted France to acquire the island of Corsica without ven-
turing to interfere, and tamely submitted to an insult offered
by Spain to the British flag in the affair of the Falkland
islands. The spirit of the nation however forced the
ministry to make some exertions in the latter instance, and
the matter was finally adjusted by a convention.
3. (A.D. 1771.) The debates in parliament had been
hitherto printed surreptitiously, as their publication was
deemed a breach of privilege. The interest felt by the
public in the debates on the Middlesex election induced
the printers to act more daringly than before, and at length
a formal complaint was made in the house, and a messenger
was sent into the city to arrest the most notorious of the
offenders. One printer, having been seized by the mes-
senger, sent for a constable, who carried both before the
lord Mayor, Mr. Crosby. That gentleman, with the aider-
men, Wilkes and Oliver, not only discharged the printer,
but threatened to send the messenger to prison unless he
found bail to answer for his appearance on a charge of
illegal arrest. The house of commons received the news
of these proceedings with the most violent indignation: the
lord mayor and Oliver were sent to the Tower, and Wilkes
was summoned to appear at the bar of the house. But an
unexpected difficulty was soon raised; Wilkes refused to
appear unless permitted to take his place for Middlesex,
GEORGE III.
373
and the house at length compromised its dignity, by ordering
him to attend on the 8th of April, and then adjourning to the
9th. Since this event no attempt has been made to check
the publication of the parliamentary debates, which now
constitute the most important, as well as the most interesting
feature in the periodical press.
4. (A.D. 1772.) The marriage of the king’s brothers,
the dukes of Cumberland and Gloucester, with subjects of
the realm, led to the enactment of the royal marriage act,
which prohibited any of the descendants of George II.
from marrying before the age of twenty-five without the
consent of the king in council. An act was also passed to
abrogate the law by which felons, who refused to plead,
were pressed to death ; it was enacted that, for the future,
those who did not plead should be held guilty of the crimes
laid to their charge.
5. The continent of Europe was the scene of an atrocious
act of injustice committed by three crowned heads j the first
dismemberment of Poland was effected by an iniquitous
confederacy between the Emperor of Germany, the empress
of Russia, and the king of Prussia ; they left the unfor-
tunate monarch of the country little more than a nominal
sovereignty, and even of this he was subsequently deprived
by the royal robbers, and the name of Poland blotted from
the list of nations. 6. About the same time the king of
Sweden, in violation of the most solemn obligations, abro-
gated the free constitution of his country, and made himself
despotic. 7. In Denmark, on the other hand, the royal
power was overthrown by a vile faction, who deprived the
king of his authority, murdered his ministers, and drove his
queen, Matilda, sister to the king of England, into exile,
where grief soon terminated her sufferings.
8. The planters in the island of St. Vincent had grossly
ill-treated the Caribs, or native inhabitants, who had been
allowed to possess their lands in quiet while the colony
remained under the dominion of the French. A civil war
ensued, and the planters, notwithstanding all their advan-
tages, were worsted. Application for assistance against the
rebellious savages, as they thought fit to designate men
who refused to submit tamely to open robbery, was made
to the British parliament ; but the opposition was so strong,
that the advocates of the planters were forced to yield, and
peace was subsequently restored on equitable conditions.
9. (A.D. 1773.) Ireland and Scotland were, about this
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
time, drained of a large portion of their peasantry, driven to
emigration by the cruel rapacity of the landlords ; the exiles
sought an a-ylum in America, and supplied that country,
at the moment it was about to commence its great struggle
fur independence, with a hardy population, animated by the
most bitter feelings of resentment against the countrv which
they had been forced to abandon.
10. The voyages of discovery undertaken during the
early part of this reign were very creditable to the adminis-
tration by which they were sent out. Captain Phipps
made an ineffectual effort to discover a north-west passage
to the East Indies; Byron, Wallis, Carteret, and Cook suc-
cessively navigated the globe, and discovered several new
islands in the Pacific Ocean. The last-named navigator was
killed, during his third voyage, at Owhyhee, in an unfortu-
nate dispute with the natives.
11. The determination of the Americans to use no
articles on which a duty was levied by the British parlia-
ment was still obstinately maintained, and the presence of
the British troops in Boston kept alive those feelings of ani-
mosity which more conciliatory conduct might have extin-
guished. In resisting a violent act of aggression, a party
of the military were compelled to fire on the populace, of
whom three were killed and five dangerously wounded.
The townsmen assembled on the following night, and were
with- much difficulty prevented from proceeding to extremi-
ties ; but on the day that the unfortunate victims were in-
terred, most of the shops in Boston were closed, the bells of
all the churches in the town and neighbourhood run^
muffled peals; and the funerals were escorted by all the
citizens, of every rank, in mournful procession. Captain
Preston, who had commanded the party, was tried for mur-
der; and it is highly creditable to the American character
that Ins defence was intrusted to Adams and Quincy the
most violent advocates of freedom; and that a jury com-
posed of townsmen acquitted the prisoner without hesitation
Id. These proceedings were naturally considered by the
provincial governors as strong evidences of a rebellious
spirit, and in themselves almost acts of treason; they con
frequently, in their public and private letters, described them
in no measured terms. Mr. Hutchinson, the governor of
Massachusetts, and his lieutenant, Mr. Oliver, had written
fceveral letters, in which they severely condemned the
American leaders, called for the adoption of the most vigor-
GEORGE III.
375
ous measures, and even recommended the “taking off” of
the most active opponents of government. Of these letters
Dr. Franklin obtained possession, and he immediately laid
them before the provincial assembly of Massachusetts.
The perusal of these documents excited violent indignation;
it was unanimously resolved, “that the tendency of the
said letters was to overthrow the constitution of this govern-
ment, and to introduce arbitrary power into the province ; ”
and it was further voted, “ that a petition should be imme-
diately sent to the king, to remove Hutchinson and Oliver
forever from the government of the province.” The peti-
tion was immediately transmitted, and Franklin came over
to England to support it in person before the privy council.
Id. (A.D. 1774.) On the day appointed for hearing the
petition, Mr. Wedderburne, the solicitor-general, appeared
on behalf of the governor, and assailed Franklin for the
treachery of publishing a private correspondence, in one of
the most elaborate invectives ever uttered. Less fervid elo-
quence would have been sufficient to sway the determination
of the council ; the petition was declared to be scandalous
and vexatious, and Franklin was dismissed from the office
which he held of postmaster-general of the colonies.
14. The refusal of the Americans to purchase tea had
led to a vast accumulation of that article in the storehouses
of the East India company ; in order to afford them some
relief, a drawback of the import duty was allowed them on
all tea that should be exported; and the ministry believed
that the colonists would gladly pay the small tax of three
pence per pound on an article which they could only pro-
cure by smuggling, and at an enormous expense. But those
who had formed such expectations had sadly miscalculated
the spirit and firmness of the Americans ; resolutions were
adopted in the several provinces, declaring that all who aided
or abetted in the landing or vending of the expected tea,
should be deemed enemies of their country ; and the majo-
rity of the consignees, terrified at these proceedings, sent
back the cargoes. In Boston, the agents of the company
were dependents on the governor, and, trusting to the pro-
tection of the military, resolved to persevere; but during the
night the leading patriots, disguised as Indians, boarded the
vessels, and emptied the tea-chests into the water.
15. The news of this proceeding was received by the
British ministry with unmixed pleasure ; they thought that
Boston, the great focus of American sedition, having been
376
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
guilty of a flagrant delinqeney, was now completely at their
mercy, and they prepared to visit it with exemplary punish-
ment. A bill for shutting up the port of Boston, and another
lor annulling the charter of Massachusetts, were passed with
little opposition ; and these harsh measures were soon fol-
lowed by a third, of a still more dangerous tendency. It
enacted, “if any person were indicted for murder or
any capital offence, committed in the province ef Massachu-
setts, in aiding the magistracy, such person or persons might
be sent by the governor to some other colony or to Great
Britain for trial.” It was in vain that Colonel Barr6 and
some others, showed that this measure directly tended to
sanction military outrage by the hope of impunity : it passed
through both houses with overwhelming majorities and
immediately received the royal assent.
16. Nothing could exceed the burst of indignation with
which the first intelligence of these harsh measures was
received in the New England states. They sternly refused
to obey laws which deprived them of their natural and
chartered rights, and made active preparations to resist their
enforcement. All the other colonies, except Georgia, zeal-
ously adopted the cause of the people of Massachusetts, and
agreed to discontinue their commerce with Great Britain until
the obnoxious statutes should be repealed. To give greater
effect to their remonstrances, an assembly of delegates from
the different states was organized by Franklin and other
provincial leaders, which, under the name or a congress,
met in Philadelphia. The congress promised every assist-
ance to the New Englanders, and prepared a spirited peti-
tion to be laid before his majesty soliciting a redress of
grievances. They also published addresses to the British
people, to the Canadians, and to the West Indian colonies
vindicating the purity of their motives, and declaring their
fixed resolution not to submit to oppression. °
Questions for Examination.
1. Were any changes made in the ministry?
2. Did any remarkable events occur abroad 5 '
3. By what train of events was the right of printing the narliamoni
ary debates established ? v ® parliament-
4. What remarkable acts of parliament were passed ?
«' w‘h a . Dy ° w? European powers combine to ruin Poland’
6. What revolution took place in Sweden ?
7. Did anything remarkable occur in Denmark?
»• What were the circumstances of the Carib war’
*• what account did emigration to America increase’
GEORG II III.
377
10. Were any remarkable voyages of discovery undertaken?
11. What military outrage created a great sensation in Boston?
12. How was the Assembly of Massachusetts placed in open hostility to its
governor ?
13. How was the Massachusetts remonstrance treated bythe privy council ?
14. How did the Americans treat the tea exported from England?
15. What vindictive measures were sanctioned bythe British parliament.
16. How did the Americans act in consequence ?
SECTION IV.
The hostile storms but rage awhile,
And the tired contest ends :
But ha ! how hard to reconcile
The foes who once were friends!— Whitehead.
1. (A. D. 1775.) An opportunity of retracting their steps
was afforded to the British ministers by the presentation of
the petition from the congress at Philadelphia ; especially
as a new parliament had been summoned in the room of that
which had sanctioned the late severe measures of coercion.
It was reported that his majesty had received the petition
most graciously, ,and the public consequently indulged in
expectations of reconciliation between the colonies and the
mother country. These hopes were destined to be disap-
pointed ; the house of parliament, in their address to the
king at the opening of the session, stated that “a rebellion
actually existed in the province of Massachusetts,” and in
the usual style offered to assist in its suppression with their
lives and fortunes. A few members, justly anxious to avert
the hazards of war, laboured hard to change the determina-
tions of the minister ; in particular Mr. Burke proposed a
plan for conciliating America, in a speech of unrivalled elo-
quence ; these efforts were vain, and nothing now remained
but an appeal to the sword. Franklin also, having been
long employed in a kind of treaty with the ministers, finding
them ‘determined to persevere in their insane resolutions,
broke off the conference, and sailed for America, resolved to
share the fortunes and hazards of his fellow-citizen3.
2. The New Englanders were determined to attack the
royal forces as soon as ever they should march out of Bos-
ton, and their adherence to this resolution was soon put to
the test. On the night of the eighteenth of April, a detach-
ment was sent from Boston to seize some military stores,
which the insurgents had collected at Concord. In spite of
every precaution, the country was alarmed ; and when the
advanced guard arrived early on the following morning at
Lexington they found a small body of provincials prepared
373
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
to oppose them. A brief skirmish ensued, in which the
Americans were defeated with some loss, and the detach-
ment, proceeding to Concord, destroyed all the stores that
they found. But they were not permitted to return unmo-
lested; the militia, assembling in force, furiously assailed
their flanks and rear ; a constant fire of rifles was maintained
from every hedge and every wall which skirted the road;
and had not a regiment under the command of lord Percy
been sent from Boston to cover their retreat, the entire de
tachment would have been destroyed. It was late in the
evening when the British forces arrived at last within the
lines of their own fortifications, having lost 65 killed, 180
wounded, and 28 prisoners.
3. Blood having been thus drawn, the whole of the dis-
contented colonies boldly prepared to maintain the inevita-
ble contest. Volunteers enrolled themselves in every pro-
vince, and the king’s stores were everywhere seized and
appropriated to the use of the insurgents. The fortresses of
Ticonderoga and Crown Point were surprised by a body of
militia, and the Americans thus obtained possession of 100
pieces of cannon and a proportionate quantity of ammunition.
The towns and villages in the neighbourhood of Boston were
garrisoned, and that city thus placed under a strict
blockade.
4. General Gage, who commanded the garrison, soon re-
ceived reinforcements from Great Britain, under the corns
m and of generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Clinton. He resolved
therefore to commence active operations ; but before com-
mitting himself to the chance of war, he issued a procla-
mation, offering pardon to all who should lay down their
arms, except Messrs. Hancock andAdams. The Americans
treated the proclamation with contempt, and soon after
elected Mr. Hancock president of congress.
5. In Charlestown, a place situated in the North of Bo*stcn,
is an eminence called Bunker’s hill, which in some degree
commands the harbour ; this post the Americans resolved to
occupy; and a party was sent over from , Cambridge to in-
trench themselves on the height. This they effected with
such rapidity and silence during one of the short nights of
June, that the appearance of their works at daybreak was
the first notice of their presence. The importance of dis-
lodging the enemy was evident to the British generals, and
a detachment under the command of Howe was pent to the
peninsula in boats. A tremendous cannonade was opened
GEORGE III.
379
on the provincials from the ships and floating batteries in the
harbour, and from Cop’s-hill in Boston, but the provincials
maintained their post with undaunted resolution. They re-
served their fire until the royal forces had advanced within
sixty yards of their line, and then poured in so close and
murderous a discharge, that the assailants were broken, and
fled to the water’s edge. A second assault was again de-
feated by the well-aimed and steady fire of the provincials-;
but when Howe rallied his men to the third attempt, the
ammunition of the Americans began to fail, and, after an ob-
stinate resistance, they were compelled to retreat. In this
fierce contest the provincials kst about 450 killed, wounded,
and missing; but the victors suffered still more severely;
their loss amounted to more than a thousand killed and
wounded, of whom 79 were officers. The unusual number
uf officers that fell is attributed to the fatal aim which the
provincials took with their rifles, and to the belief generally
prevalent in America, that the war was odious to the great
body of the English people, and only supported by the no-
bility and gentry, from which classes the British officers are
generally selected.
6. Another effort to avert the horrors of war was made
by the congress, and a seeond pathetic petition forwarded
to his majesty. It was entrusted kr presentation to Mr.
Penn, a descendant of the great founder of Pennsylvania, and
one of the chief proprietors in that province. But public
and private remonstrances were equally ineffectual ; the peti-
tion was not even honoured with an answer.
7. The Americans were far from confining their exertions
to the pacific means of petition and remonstrance : with a
happy unanimity, they elected George Washington, esquire,
commander-in-chief of all their forces ; and sent two bodies
of militia, under generals Montgomery and Arnold, to drive
the English from Canada. After a brief but brilliant career,
Montgomery was killed in an attempt to storm Quebec ; and
the cruelties perpetrated by the infamous Arnold so alien-
ated the Canadians, that no hope remained of its uniting
with the revolted provinces.
8. (A.. D. 1776.) Boston was closely blockaded hy Wash-
ington, and the garrison was soon reduced to the greatest
distress. Howe, who had succeeded Gage in the command,
though a general of great ability, found himself unequal to
the difficulties of his situation. The inhabitants of Boston,
as well as the garrison, had to sustain the horrors of famine
380
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
during the winter : and early in the spring the Americans
opened batteries on the neighbouring hills, which swept the
town and harbour. Under these circumstances, the town
was evacuated by the English, and Washington entering it,
was hailed by the citizens as their deliverer. 9. An expe-
dition undertaken by the British against Charlestown, in
South Carolina, signally failed. The General (Clinton) was
unable to second the naval operations directed by sir Feter
Parker; and, after a useless exhibition of bravery, the ad-
miral was forced to retire with the loss of a ship of war,
which he burned, to prevent its falling into the hands of the
enemy.
10. The Americans, and the greater part of their leaders,
had hitherto entertained hopes of peacefully accommodating
their disputes with England ; but the intelligence that the
British minister had hired a body of German mercenaries
for their subjugation, wrought so powerfully on their excited
feelings, that they determined to renounce their allegiance,
(July 4th, 1776.) On the motion of Richard Henry Lee,
member for Virginia, the congress published their declara-
tion of Independence, and elected the colonies into free and
sovereign states. At the very time that this resolution was
adopted, a British fleet was hovering round their coast, a
British army was preparing to invade their territories, and
symptoms of discouragement and disaffection were percep-
tible in their own soldiery. Still the congress refused to
despair, and prepared to support with spirit the independ-
ence which they had so courageously asserted.
11. General Howe did not long remain idle at Halifax,
whither he had retired after the evacuation of Boston; ho
sailed for New York, and being there joined by his brother,
lord Howe, with a considerable fleet, he made himself mas •
ter of that city and Long Island. Following up his tri-
umphs, he expelled the provincial army from the Jerseys
and compelled them to take refuge beyond the Delaware.
This rapid success raised the hopes of the British to the
highest pitch ; the immediate conquest of America was
looked upon as absolutely certain, and little seemed wanting
to complete so desirable a consummation. 12. But they
soon found that Washington, though defeated, was not sub-
dued, and that his knowledge of the country in a great
degree compensated for his inferiority of numbers. Cross
ing the Delaware in the middle of December, he attacked a
body of Hessians at Trenton, and made 900 prisoners ; and
GEORGE III.
381
then while lord Cornwallis was advancing to recover Tren-
ton, the indefatigable Americans suddenly appeared in his
lordship’s rear, and destroyed or captured the greater part
of a detachment under colonel Mawhood.
13. A very extraordinary incident took place, about this
time, in the East Indies. The council of Madras had plunged
the company into an unjustifiable war with the rajah of
Tanjore, whom they attacked and took prisoner. Lord
Pigot was sent out as a governor, with positive orders to re-
store the rajah, but he had scarcely effected this object,
when he was seized and thrown into prison by certain
members of the council. This indignity worked so bitterly
on his feelings that he sickened and died, leaving behind
him a higher character for honour and integrity than most
of those who have made fortunes in the East. His perse-
cutors were subsequently brought to trial and punished, but
not with severity proportioned to their deserts.
14. (A.D. 1777.) The caution of Washington prevented
any decisive engagement in the early part of the new cam-
paign ; but the march of Howe towards Philadelphia induced
the American general to hazard a battle. The armies met
near the Brandywine river, and after a long and fierce battle
the English obtained a decisive victory. Philadelphia was
immediately surrendered, and occupied by the English
forces : a second attempt made by Washington to retrieve
his losses was defeated ; and by the aid of the fleet, Howe
reduced the fortifications which the Americans had con-
structed on the banks of the Delaware, and opened free
communication with his supplies.
15. But the successes of the English in the southern states
were more than counterbalanced by the disaster they expe-
rienced in the northern. Early in the year, general Bur-
goyne, with an army of 7000 men, and a large body of
Indians, received orders to advance from Canada into the
state of New York, and co-operate with a body of troops
which Howe was to send to his assistance. This plan, if
successful, would cut off the New England States from the
rest of the union, and expose them to be overrun and con-
quered in detail. Burgoyne’s part in this expedition was
executed with equal skill and intrepidity ; he marched
boldly through the country, bearing down all opposition.
But the Americans soon assembled an army in his front, and
as he had advanced to a distance from his supplies, his
situation soon became very hazardous. The operations ol
282
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
the army, whose assistance he expected, were miserably
conducted: sir Henry Clinton did not leave New York till
October, and even then, instead of hastening forward to his
destination, he employed his troops in burning the unre-
sisting towns and villages, and in devastating the country .
Whether this tardiness is to be a°cribed to the weakness of
the general, or to the insufficiency of the orders sent out by
the ministry, is not easily ascertained, but, from whatever
cause, it proved the ruin of the entire expedition. On the
14th of October, general Vaughan, with the van of Clintons
army, could have rescued Burgoyne from all his difficulties ;
but Vaughan stopped to plunder and burn the little town of
y.qopns ’ and before he was again prepared to advance,
Burgoyne and his army were prisoners of war to the Ameri-
can army under the command of general Gates.
16. Burgoyne, depending on the advance of the army
from New York, had allowed himself to be cooped up in
Saratoga; his provisions were exhausted, his ammunition
beginning to fail, his troops dispirited, and his lines inca-
pable of long defence. He therefore surrendered on the
condition that his troops, after having laid down their arms
should be sent home, provided that they should not serve
again in America during the present contest. Burgoyne
returned to England on his parole only to experience greater
mortifications ; the leaders of administration threw all the
blame of a failure, attributable solely to themselves, on the
unfortunate general ; he was refused admittance into the
presence of the sovereign, denied the justice of a court
martial, and subjected to a series of petty persecutions
infinitely more disgraceful to the ministry than to their
victim. It. General Gates, after his victory, advanced to
check the outrages committed by Clinton’s soldiers; sir
Henry retreated to New York before the victorious army ;
and the American general was consequently enabled to send
such a reinforcement to Washington’s army, as made it
once more a match for that of Ilowe, and sufficient to
protect the province of Pensylvania from the ravages of
the enemy.
Questions for Examination.
L How wore the hopes of the friends of peace disappointed?
2. What were tho circumstances of the aifair at Lexington?
3. Did the Americans beem the war vigorously ?
f- Mow was the proclamation of general O a;;e treated?
o. What were the circumstances of the battle of Bunker’s hill?
GEORGE III.
383
6 . Were any efforts made to restore peace?
7. How did ttaeinvasion of Canada terminate?
8. Why wa3 Boston evacuated by the British?
9. Hid the expedition against Char'eston succeed?
10. Under what circumstances did the Americans publish the declaration
of independence?
11. What successes did general Howe obtain?
12. Was Washington dispirited by his losses?
13. Hid any remarkable circum-tance occur in the East Indies?
14. Where was Washington defeated?
15. What led to the surrender of Burgoyne’s army?
16. How was Burgoyne treated?
17. How did Gate's use his victory !
SECTION V
Shall Chatham die, and be forgot? Oh no !
Warm from its source let grateful sorrow flow;
His matchless ardour fired each fear-struck mind.
His genius soared when Britons droop’d and pined. — Garrick.
1. (A. D. 1778. The event of which ministers had been
vainly warned from the commencement of the unfortunate
contest into which they had rashly precipitated the country,
at length took place. France acknowledged the independence
of the United States, and entered into a close alliance with
the revolted colonies. Before the news of this treaty could
reach America, lord North introduced two conciliatory bills
into the British parliament, granting the provincials every
thing that they had demanded before their declaration of
independence. In the debates that ensued, the minister
found some of his former supporters more virulent antago-
nists than the opposition — they taunted him for deserting
the high principles of prerogative and British supremacy
which he had hitherto maintained, and complained bitterly
of the deception by which he l^d gained their support. The
bills, however, passed the lower house, but their progress
through the upper was marked by an incident that must not
be carelessly passed over. It was known that the duke of
Richmond was ’of opinion that peace should be purchased
even by acknowledging the independence of America, and
that he intended to propound these sentiments during the
discussion. 2. The venerable earl of Chatham, sinking
under the weight of years and bodily infirmities, attended
in hip place for the purpose of protesting against the dis-
memberment of an empire to whose greatness he had so
largely contributed, and deprecated such a proceeding with
great warmth and eloquence. The duke of Richmond hav-
ing answered this speech, the earl rose to reply ; but the
powers of nature were exhausted ; be fell on the floor of the
384
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
house in the attempt to utter his sentiments, and being
removed to his favourite country-seat, expired in a short
time after. 3. The parliament paid merited honour to the
memory of the most successful and able minister that Eng-
land had hitherto produced; the sum of twenty thousand
pounds was granted for the payment of his debts, a pension
of four thousand pounds settled on his heirs; lus remains
were interred with great pomp in Westminster Abbey, and
a monument erected to his memory at the public expense.
4. Commissioners had been sent out to propose measures
of reconciliation to the Americans when it was too late. Of
course, their mission signally failed ; the congress would
not even listep to terms unless the recognition of their inde-
pendence formed a preliminary article, and the commis-
sioners, having made an unsuccessful attempt to bribe some
of the American deputies, were dismissed with mingled
contempt and indignation.
5. The first hostile collision between France and England
took place at sea ; admiral Keppel attacked a French squa-
dron under the command of D’Orvilliers, but being badly
supported by sir Hugh Palliser, the second in command,
obtained no decisive success. Advantage was taken of this
circumstance by the ministry to crush Keppel, who had
been long their political opponent, and, at their instigation,
Palliser preferred a charge of misconduct against his com-
mander. But the verdict of the court-martial disappointed
their expectations; Keppel was honourably acquitted, and
Palliser, being subsequently brought to trial for disobedience
to orders, was partially condemned ; and, but for the interpo-
sition of the entire power of the ministry would have been
subjected to a more ignominio#% verdict.*
6. (A.D. 1779) The Americans, having now obtained so
powerful an ally as France, fondly hoped that the war would
be terminated in a single campaign. Great, therefore, was
•This year a bold adventurer of the name of Paul Jones kept all tho
western coast of the island in alarm. He landed at Whitehaven, where
he burned a ship in tho harbour, and even attempted to burn the town.
He afterwards landed in Scotland, and plundered the house oftheeari
of Selkirk He sometime after fought a bloody battle with captain Pear-
son, ot the Serapis, whom he compelled to submit; and so shattered was
lus own ship in tho engagement, that he had no sooner quitted her.in order
to take possession ofhis prize, than she went to the bottom. Captain
farmer, too, of tho Quebec, fought a no less desperate battle with a
french ship of greatly superior force. He continued the engagement
remitted fury, till his own ship accidentally took fire? and was
blown mto the air, together with himself and most of the crew
GEORGE II
385
their mortification to find the English superior during the
entire year. Clinton maintained his defensive position in
New York, and baffled all the attempts of Washington to
force an engagement; while in the southern states, Georgia
was subdued by colonel Campbell, aided by admiral Parker,
and the attempts made to recover it bv the American general,
Lincoln, and the French admiral, D’Estaing, were signally
defeated.
7. But the honour of England was not similarly main-
tained in other quarters : several islands of the West Indies
were captured by th.e French ; and the united fleets of France
and Spain, for the latter country was now united to the ene-
mies of Britain, swept the channel, and insulted the coasts
with impunity. Lord Sandwich, the first lord of the admi-
ralty, was a man notoriously unfit lor his situation ; but his
colleagues, with the blind obstinacy which characterised all
their measures, determined to retain him in office ; even
though they were aware, that, by his neglect, Plymouth was
left in such a defenceless state, that its dockyards and arsenal
were only saved from destruction by the ignorahbe of the
admirals of the combined fleet. v
8. In Ireland an important revolution commenced, which,
though it terminated bloodlessly, threatened at one period
to have caused a separation between the two oountries.
The greater part of the army necessary for the defence of
that country had been withdrawn to assist in the subjugation
of America ; and when the French and Spanish fleets
menaced the island with invasion, there were no preparations
made for its defence. The people, left to themselves, showed
spirit worthy of the crisis. Companies of volunteers were
embodied in every town and district; arms were at first
cheerfully supplied by the government; officers were chosen
by election ; and the patriotic earl of Charlemont appointed
commander-in-chief of the independent companies. When
England recovered her wonted superiority by sea, the fear
of invasion was removed, but the volunteers retained their
arms and preserved their organization. They had learned
the secret of their strength, and were determined to. effect the
regeneration of their country, by establishing the independ-
ence of her parliament and the freedom of her commerce.
This was a new and unexpected difficulty to the ministry;
but, pursuing consistently their steady course of narrow and
illiberal policy, they refused to make any concession, and
thus brought Ireland to the very brink of a revolution.
386
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
9. (1780.) Holland was soon added to the enem'cs of
England. Mr. Laurens, who had been president of con-
gress, was taken by a British cruiser, and the papers fouvd
in his possession fully proved the existence of a treaty be-
tween the Dutch and the Americans. War was therefore
declared, and thus was England engaged with a fourth
enemy without a single ally. About the same time the
northern powers of Europe joined in a confederation called
the armed neutrality, which was aimed against the mari-
time claims of England. Its avowed design was to pro-
tect the trade of neutral vessels with the several belligerent
powers.
10. But the spirit of the English nation sunk not in the
apparently unequal contest. Admiral Rodney captured
a Spanish convoy, defeated the enemy’s fleet, though forced
to engage under very disadvantageous circumstances, and
relieved Gibraltar, which the Spaniards had begun to be-
siege. Sailing thence to the West Indies, he dispersed a
French fleet far superior to hi3 own. In America, South
Carolina was subdued by sir Henry Clinton ; and the
American general Arnold, believing the independent cause
almost hopeless, abandoned his country’s cause, and entered
into the royal service. The acquisition of this worthless
deserter cost the life of one of Britain’s best and bravest
officers. Major Andr6, adjutant-general of the royal army,
having been sent to conduct the negotiation with Arnold,
wa3 seized within the American lines, and hanged as a spy,
by a rigid interpretation of the laws of war.
_ 11- The ministry had hitherto found the parliament well
disposed to support their measures; but the number of pe-
titions presented from the counties and leading towns against
the administration, soon raised up a formidable opposition.
(April 7th.) At length Mr. Dunning moved his celebrated
resolution, “ that the influence of the crown has increased,
is increasing, and ought to be diminished,” which was car-
lied by a majority of twenty-eight votes ; but a second re-
solution, designed to give effect to the former, was rejected
by a majority of fifty-one, and the ministry soon after re-
covered their wonted superiority.
12. Some of the penal laws against the Roman catholics
were wisely repealed by the parliament ; but in consequence
of the exertions of some misguided bigots, these measures
were Lllswed by the most formidable riots that ever dis-
GEORGE III.
387
graced the metropolis. (June 2.) An immense multitude
assembled in St. George’ s-fi elds, to petition for a repeal of
the laws that had been passed in favour of the Roman
catholics, and, after adopting several resolutions, proceeded
in large parties to the avenues leading to the house of com-
mons, where they insulted several of the members. Lord
George Gordon, a visionary enthusiast, came out and made
a violent harangue to the multitude, informing them that
their petition had been rejected. The irritated mob at once
proceeded to acts of violence ; they destroyed all the Romish
chapels in and about town; they burned the prisons of
Newgate, the Ring’s Bench, and the Fleet, together with
several private houses ; they even threatened the bank,
which was preserved with difficulty. At length the military
were called out, and the rioters dispersed, though not until
two hundred and twenty of their number had been killed or
mortally wounded.
13. (1781.) The campaign which decided the question
of American independence seemed at its commencement
to promise a far different termination: Washington’s army
was so distressed that 1500 troops deserted his lines; but
though they had thus shown their resentment, they refused
to listen to any offers from the British generals, and the
emissaries sent to seduce them were given up and hanged.
Congress, however, exerted itself so successfully, that the
distresses of the army were finally relieved, and Washing-
ton enabled to commence decisive operations. He at first
designed to besiege New York, but, being baffled by the
superior forces of sir Henry Clinton, he suddenly resolved
to march into the southern states, and overpower lord
Cornwallis before Clinton’s army could move to his as-
sistance. 14. This decisive operation was crowned with
complete success ; lord Cornwallis was attacked in York-
town, by the combined armies of France and America ; his
lordship made a gallant defence, but two redoubts in his
front were carried by storm, his works ruined, his lines
swept by the fire of the enemy’s batteries, and the effective
strength of his garrison diminished by sickness. Under
these circumstances, nothing remained but to propose
terms of capitulation. He accordingly surrendered to
general Lincoln with the same formalities that he had pre-
scribed to that officer eighteen months before at Charleston ;
and it is remarkable, as a second coincidence, that the
383
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
articles were drawn up by lieutenant-colonel Laurens, whose
father was still detained as a close prisoner in the Tower of
London. , ,
15. These losses were in some degree compensated by
the success of our arms in the East Indies, where sir Eyre
Ooote defeated Hyder Ally, and restored the company s
ascendancy. In the West Indies, the island of St. Eustatius
was taken from the Dutch, but subsequently re-captured by
the French. A desperate engagement also took place off
the Dogger Bank between an English squadron, commanded
by admiral Parker, and a Dutch squadron, under admiral
Zoutman. After a fierce battle, which lasted three hours, the
victory remained undecided, and both returned to their res-
pective harbours.
Questions for Examination.
1. What measure did the British ministry propose ?
2. Is there anything remarkable in the circumstances of lord Chatham's
death ?
3. What honours were paid to his memory?
4. How were lord North’s commissioners treated by the Americans?
5. In what disgracelul manner was admiral Keppel treated?
6. Did' the results of the campaign answer the expectations of the
Americans?
7. How was the English navy neglected?
8. What important events took place in Ireland?
9. By what new enemies was England assailed?
10. Did the British obtain any triumphs?
11. What remarkable resolution was carried in parliament?
12. Did any formidable riots occur in London ?
13 Jiow was Washington baffled in the beginning of the last campaign?
14. What great triumphs did the Americans obtain?
15. Did the English obtain any successes?
SECTION VI.
For thee, sweet peace, abundance leads along
Her joyous train, and bards awake to song.
Jiland's Anthology.
1. (A.D. 1782.) The American war was now virtually
at an end ; all rational hopes of reducing the country again
under the subjection of Great Britain were abandoned by
the great majority of the nation; but the ministry at least
manifested the virtue of perseverance, and declared their
resolution to carry on “ a war of posts.” The nation at
large was opposed to his insane project ; and parliament,
yielding to the voice of the people, gradually withdrew its
support from the administration. At length, on the motion
of general Conway, the house of commons voted “ that
GEORGE III.
389
whoever advised his majesty to the continuation of the
American war, should be considered as a public enemy.”
This of course led to the resignation of lord North ; and
a new ministry was formed under the auspices of Mr. Fox
and the marquis of Rockingham.
2. Negotiations for peace were immediately commenced,
nor were any of the belligerent powers disinclined to an
accommodation. The United States, having secured their
independence, had nothing to gain by a continuance of the
war; the navy of France, after being severely crippled
during the contest, was at its close almost annihilated by
a victory which admiral Rodney gained over count de
Grasse, in the West Indies, on the 12th of April; and the
Spaniards, after having besieged Gibraltar, and wasted
before its walls an incredible quantity of blood and trea-
sure, had the mortification to find all their efforts fail, their
grand attack signally defeated, and the floating batteries,
which they had deemed irresistible, burned to the water’s
edge, by a tremendous storm of hot balls and shells poured
on them by the gallant garrison.
3. Wilkes took advantage of the altered spirit of the
times, and procured the removal of all the resolutions con’
cerning the Middlesex election from the journals of the house
of Commons ; after which this celebrated demagogue sunk
into complete insignificance. In Ireland, the parliament,
roused by the fervid eloquence of Mr. Grattan, obtained
from the new ministry the concession of their legislative in-
dependence. Immediately after which, the Irish house of
commons voted a sum of £50,000 to purchase an estate for
Mr. Grattan, as a reward for the services which he had ren-
dered his country.
4. But while the new administration was exerting itself
for the reformation of abuses at home and the establishment
of peace abroad, it was suddenly dissolved by the death of
the marquis of Rockingham. The earl of Shelbourne was
appointed premier, which so displeased Mr. Fox and his
friends that they immediately resigned. The noble lord did
not long retain his place. Mr. Fox, to the utter astonish-
ment of the entire nation, entered into a coalition with lord
North, whom he had so long and so bitterly opposed. Then-
united parliamentary influence was irresistible; and they
forced themselves into the royal councils in spite of the
secret dislike of the king and the open disgust of the nation.
5. (A. D. 1783.) The success of the coalition was of short
390
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
duration. Immediately after concluding the peace with
France and America, Mr. Fox introduced a bill for regu-
lating the government of India, which his influence carried
through the house of Commons, notwithstanding the most
vigorous efforts of the company and its servants. But in
the lords the opposition was more effectual, the king him-
self avowed his hostility to the measure, and it was finally
rejected by a considerable majority. The ministry, appear-
ing unwilling to resign, were summarily dismissed, and a
new administration formed, of which Mr. William Pitt, the
second son of the earl of Chatham, was the most conspi
cuous member.
6. (A. D. 1784.) Parliament at its meeting exhibited the
unusual spectacle of ministers in a complete minority. To
carry on the public business under such circumstances was,
of course, impossible, and no sooner were the supplies voted
than the parliament was dissolved. The coalition had given
such general offence to the nation, that the new ministry
obtained a decisive majority in the new house of Commons.
Mr. Pitt’s India Bill, which was less violent, but also less
effective, than that of Mr. Fox, was passed triumphantly;
and an act for restoring the Scotch estates forfeited in 1745,
went through both houses without opposition, and received
-the royal assent.
7. (A. D. 1785.) Mr. Pitt, pursuant to the promises he
had so often made, brought forward his motion for a reform
in parliament. His plans were very judicious and well
arranged, but they were rejected by a considerable majority,
not, as was generally suspected, without his tacit consent.
8. (1786.) The south-western coast of New Holland afford-
ing several favourable spots for colonization, it was resolved
to transport convicts thither, and give them an opportunity
< f retrieving their characters and reforming their manners in
another hemisphere. About the same time a maniac, named
Margaret Nicholson, made an effort to assassinate the king
as he was alighting from his carriage. She was immediately
seized; and, her insanity being fully proved, she was sent
to Bethlehem hospital, where she remained safely guarded
but unmolested. ’ ”
9. (1787.) Mr. Sheridan, aided by Mr. Burke, Mr. Fox,
and several others, brought forward a motion for the im-
peachment of W arren Hastings, late governor-general of
India, for high crimes and misdemeanours in the execution
of his office, which passed with but little opposition. The
GEORGE III.
391
consequent trial before the house of lords lingered out during
the seven succeeding years, and ended in the acquittal of the
accused.
10. A strong party in Holland, secretly supported by the
French court/ violently opposed their stadtholder, the prince
of Orange, and disregarded the remonstrance made by
England in his favour. The dispute would probably have
rekindled a general war, had not the king of Prussia, en-
raged at an insult offered to his sister, sent a large army into
Holland, which soon restored the authority of the stadt-
holder, and crushed the powers of his opponents.
11. (1788.) While the nation was enjoying profound re-
pose, and silently repairing the losses incurred in the Ame-
rican war, the country was suddenly astounded by the news
that his majesty had been attacked by a severe illness, which
incapacitated him for discharging the duties of government.
Mr. Fox insisted that the regency of right belonged to the
prince of Wales ; Mr. Pitt as vehemently asserted that par-
liament alone could provide for such an emergency. (1789.)
After some very warm debates, it was finally resolved that
the prince of Wales should be declared regent, subject, how-
ever, to certain restrictions, and the custody of the king’s
person should be intrusted to the queen, assisted by a coun-
cil. The parliament of Ireland came to a very different de-
cision : they decreed the regency of their country to the
prince of Wales, without any restrictions whatsoever. This
difference between tho two parliaments would probably have
led to fatal consequences but for the unexpected recovery of
the king. His majesty’s restoration to health diffused uni-
versal joy through the kingdom, and was celebrated by more
universal and splendid illuminations than any previously
known.
12. (1790.) A dispute took place between England and
Spain about the possession of Nootka Sound, on the north-
west coast of America, where the English had planted a
small colony, which the Spaniards had seized, and made the
settlers prisoners. An armament was prepared with asto-
nishing rapidity, but at the expence of three million sterling:
Spain, however, was unprepared for war, and all disputes
were finally adjusted by an equitable convention.
13. While the country was thus respected abroad, and
enjoying profound peace at home, events were occurring in
a neighbouring nation which soon involved England in a
long, expensive, but not inglorious war; and produced a de-
392
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
cisive change in the aspect of Europe, all whose effects are
probably not yet developed.
Questions for Examination.
1. How was the American war finally terminated ?
2. Why were all parties inclined for peace ?
3. What circumstanceshowed the altered spirit of the times r
4. How was the ministry broken up ?
6. Did tho coalation ministry long continue 1
6. How was Mr. Pitt’s power strengthened ?
7. What important motion made by Mr. Pitt was defeated ?
8. Was any attempt made on the king's life ?
9. Is there any thing remarkable in the trial of Warren Hastings r
10. What disturbances took place in Holland ?
11. To what disputes did his majesty’s illness give rise ?
12. What arrangements were made respecting Nootka Sound ?
13. What was tho state of the country at this time t
SECTION VII.
Religion— freedom — vengeance— what you will,
A word’s enough to raise mankind to kill ;
Some factious phrase by cunning caught and spread,
That guilt may reign, and wolves and worms be led. — Byron.
1. No event of equal importance with the French revolu-
tion is recorded in history, and there is no subject which
has given rise to such diversity of opinion. Its causes, its
consequences, even the simple facts that occurred in its pro-
gress, are to this hour matters of keen and violent debate,
nor can an impartial narrative be expected while many of the
actors are still alive, and while the impulse theu given con-
tinues to be felt in every part of Europe. It is undeniable
that the form of government established in France sadly re-
quired amelioration ; the privileges of the nobles were tyran-
nical and oppressive, and they were exercised with strict
severity ; the conduct of the clergy was far from being in
accordance with the principles of that holy religion which
they professed ; the prodigality of the court was extreme ;
the criminal laws were unjustly constituted, and worse admin-
istered ; the government placed in the hands of nobles equally
ignorant and indolent; nor was there a single office, civil or
military, open to the most superior merits, unless aided by
the po.-session of high birth and titled name. These were
evils poorly compensated by the private virtues of the hap-
less sovereign, who came to the throne of France at the mo-
ment when the accumulated evils of centuries had nearlv
reached their consummation. 2. While the higher classes
were sunk in luxury and sloth, the lower ranks, in a state
GEORGE III.
393
of ignorance and degradation, and goaded on by misery,
were rendy to second every movement, and to join in every
excess. In the middle classes, the elements of strife were
even more thickly sown; they were irritated at the con-
tempt shown them by their haughty superiors, they were
indignant at seeing the doors of preferment closed against the
exertions of honourable ambition, and their minds were
debauched by the perusal of the speculative treatises on
“the rights of man,” which, despite of every restriction,
daily issued from the press, and which, with very few excep-
tions, advocated principles subversive of all religion, and
consequently of all good government.
3. The American war precipitated a revolution, which
probably could not have been much longer delayed. The
French soldiers, while fighting in the cause of American
freedom, naturally imbibed the principles of their allies,
and diffused them over the country on their return home ;
the royal exchequer, which had been nearly exhausted by
the profligate extravagance of the former reign, was totally
ruined by an expensive war, and the country was on the
very eve of a national bankruptcy. When a variety of
expedients, most of, which made matters worse, had been
tried in vain, the king determined to convoke the states-
general, which had not been assembled since 1614, aud they
accordingly met at Versailles on the 5th of May, 1789.
4. After some angry debates, it was determined that the
three orders of the clergy, the nobles, and the commons,
should meet in one body, an arrangement which threw all
the power into the hands of the popular party. They as-
sumed the name of the national assembly, and immediately
commenced a total change in the constitution of their coun-
try. Feudal privileges and titles were abolished ; local divi-
sion set aside; and the country distributed into depart-
ments instead of provinces, for the purpose of adopting a
uniform system of taxation; monastic institutions were
suppressed, and the English system of trial by jury sub-
stituted for the administration of justice by the old provincial
parliaments.
5. Such an extensive alteration naturally disgusted the
court and the nobility. Unable to conceal their hostility to
the new measures, they exposed themselves to popular in-
dignation, and, dreading the consequences, the Count d’ Artois
(afterwards Charles X.), the prince of Conde, and. several
others, emigrated. But this flight aggravated the jealousy
394
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
of the people ; the Parisian mob stormed the fortress of the
Bastile, the state prison of France, and levelled it with the
ground ; they next formed a national guard, composed
entirely of citizens, at the head of which was placed M. de
la Fayette ; and at length a furious mob advanced to Ver-
sailles, and brought the king and royal family in triumph
to the capital.
6. (1791.) The progress of the revolution in France was
anxiously watched by two powerful parties in England, who
viewed it with very different feelings. While one party
looked upon it as the triumph of liberty, the administration
and a large portion of the aristocracy regarded it as the
triumph of anarchy over all legitimate authority. Nor
were such feelings confined to the higher classes : the popu-
lace shared largely in the hatred to the new politics of
France. A dinner to celebrate the capture of the Bastile was
adjourned in London through dread of popular resentment;
but in Birmingham a festive meeting to commemorate the
same event was dispersed by a furious mob, which sub-
sequently proceeded to destroy the dissenting chapels, and
the houses of all who were supposed favourable to the
French revolution.
7. (1792.) The principal powers on the continent having
entered into a treaty to check the progress of the French
revolution, it was obvious that war could not long be de-
layed ; but the interference of the monarchs precipitated the
events which they wished to prevent. The duke of Bruns-
wick, as commander-in-chief of the allied armies, issued an
ill-judged and sanguinary manifesto, which, with some sus-
picious circumstances in the conduct of the king and queen,
so exasperated the French, that all the power of the state
was thrown into the hands of the jacobins, as the most
violent republicans were called. The consequences were
dreadful: the. palace of the king was stormed, his guards
massacred, himself and family confined as close prisoners
and royalty finally abolished in France. Ere yet the world
recovered from its astonishment at these events ; it learned
with equal surprise and indignation, that the unfortunate
king had been brought to trial by his subjects, and con-
demned to death by a majority of votes. This iniquitous
sentence was executed on the 21st January, 1793.
8. While France was thus distracted, England was
quietly enjoying the blessings of peace, and the parliament
engaged in the advancement of measures equally salutary
GEORGE III,
395
The Duke of York at the surrender ofV alenciennes.
and judicious. Several taxes that were pressed on commerce
and industry were repealed ; a bill introduced by Mr. Fox to
make juries in cases of libel judges of law as well as fact,
was passed ; some further concessions were made to the
Roman catholics ; but Mr. Wilberforce’s motion for the
abolition of the slave-trade was lost by a considerable ma-
jority. 9. In the East Indies, Tippoo Saib (son of Hvder
Ally), who seems to have inherited his father’s hostility to
England along with his dominions, was completely subdued
by lord Cornwallis, and forced to purchase peace by the
cession of a large portion of his dominions, and the pay-
ment of an enormous sum, for the performance of which
his sons were given as hostages.
10. (IMS.) The atrocities committed by the French
jacobins completed the alienation of the British people from
the cause of the new revolution ; and the ministry, now
certain of popular support, adopted several measures which
left their hostility no longer doubtful. The national con-
vention immediately declared war against the king of
Great Britain and the stadtholder of Holland, intimating by
this artful phraseology that the people of these countries
had an interest distinct from their respective sovereigns.
11. It is certain that this declaration of war, if not directly
provoked, was by no means unacceptable to the British
ministry, and the great body of the aristocracy by which it
was supported. Immediately after its appearance, the duke
396
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
of York was sent to join tlie allied armies in the invasion
of France ; but the invaders, though at first successful,
having taken Valenciennes, soon suffered some severe
checks ; and at the end of the second campaign were totally
defeated by the republicans. The fortified harbour of Tou-
lon having been surrendered to the English, the French
government made the most strenuous efforts for its recovery.
These proved for a time abortive, until the direction of the
siege was intrusted to Napoleon Bonaparte, who now for the
first time appeared on that scene where he afterwards played
so conspicuous a part. By his exertions the English were
compelled to evacuate the town, leaving the greater portion
of the citizens exposed to the sanguinary vengeance of the
irritated republicans.
12. (1794.) To compensate for this ill success by land,
the British navy established its wonted pre-eminence in a
victory gained by earl Howe over the French fleet in the
West Indies; and several of the colonies belonging to
France were about the same time conquered with little
trouble. 13. The domestic occurrences of this period,
though not very numerous, were not deficient in import-
ance; Messrs. Hardy, Horne Tooke, and others, were
brought to trial at the Old Bailey on a charge of high-trea-
son, and acquited, after a patient investigation, which lasted
several days. That they desired to effect a great change in
the constitution of the country was acknowledged by the
prisoners themselves; but it was clearly proved that they
wished to obtain reform only by legal and constitutional
means, and that they were opposed to violence and insur-
rectionary movements. The ministers succeeded better with
similar prosecutions in Ireland and Scotland, where several
persons were found guilty of sedition, and sentenced to several
degrees of punishment.
14. (1795.) The ill success of the war induced many of
the continental sovereigns to make peace with the French
republic. The grand-duke of Tuscany set the example,
and was followed by the king of Spain, the Swiss cantons,
and the regent of Sweden. The king of Prussia only
waited until he had received the English subsidy, and then
signed a treaty with the power he had been paid to oppose
I he people of Holland expelled the stadtholder, and, erect-
ing m their country what they called a Batavian republic
became virtually a province of France. In short, England
had scarcely an ally remaining but Austria, and the°con-
GEORGE III.
397
tinued friendship of that power was never a matter of cer-
tainty. 15. The English navy obtained some triumphs,
especially a brilliant victory under lord Bridport, at Port
F Orient; but an expedition undertaken by the French emi-
grants, under the auspices of the British ministry, was
signally defeated.
16. Symptoms of discontent, almost amounting to dis-
affection, began to be manifested in various parts of the
empire ; the successes of the war had been few and of little
value, but had they been still more decisive they would
not have compensated for the distress occasioned by
unprecedented taxation. The people of London suffered
severely from the interruption of commerce ; and some of the
lower class, irritated by their protracted misery, assailed
the king’s carriage when his majesty went in state to the
house of lords. This outrage served, however, to strengthen
the administration; for the parliament, indignant at the out-
rage offered to the sovereign, sanctioned several bills for the
suppression of sedition, — bills perhaps rendered neccessarv
by the peculiar circumstances of the period, but which
greatly diminished the limits of British freedom. 17. The
prince of Wales, in order to procure the payment of his
debts, married his cousin, the princess Caroline of Bruns-
wick. We must once again refer to this unfortunate union ;
it is sufficient to say here, that a daughter was born in the
beginning of the following year, soon after which the parents
were finally separated.
18. (1796.) The Dutch and Spaniards, having joined their
forces to those of the French, were now become enemies
of Great Britain ; and this country, from being an accessory,
was now a principal in the war. Several of the Dutch set-
tlements in the East Indies were subdued, but England lost
the island of Corsica, which had been formally placed under
British protection a few years previously. The Austrians
were almost driven out of Italy by the French under Napo-
leon Bonaparte, whose brilliant career began now to excite
the attention of Europe. A fruitless effort to terminate the
war by negotiation was made by the British ministry. It
failed because probably it never was intended to succeed.
19. (1796.) The enormous expenses which Great Britain
had to sustain were found to have exhausted the resources
of the country so much, that at length the bank stopped
payment ; and an issue of paper-money was of course the
consequence. Two alarming mutinies broke out in the
398
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
navy : that at Spitliead was settled by giving the seamen
additional pay, but that at the Nore was not quelled without
bloodshed, and the execution of some of the ringleaders.
20. But England still maintained her naval renown ; a bril-
liant victory was gained by Sir John Jarvis over the Spanish
fleet, of Cape St. Vincent, and an equally glorious triumph
was obtained over the Dutch by admiral Duncan, at Cam-
perdown. 21. Our ally had not equal fortune : Austria was
everywhere defeated, and to escape total ruin was obliged
to submit to the terms of peace, which Bonaparte dictated at
Campo Formio.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the state of France at the commencement of the revolution ?
2. In what dangerous circumstances were the different orders of society ?
3. How did the American war precipitate a revolution ?
4. What triumphs were gained by the popular party at the meeting of
the states-general ?
6. Did these alterations produce any important results ?
6. In what manner was tho French revolution regarded in England ?
7. What consequences were produced by the duke of Brunswick’s procla-
mation ?
8. What was the state of England at this time ?
9. Were any important advautages gained in the East Indies ?
10. How did tho war commence '( ■
11 What reverses did the English experience ?
12. By what naval triumphs were theso compensated ?
13. Did any important trials occur at this time ?
14. How did the allies of England behave 1
15. Where was lord Bridport victorious ?
16. How did the people of England show their discontent ?
17. What royal marriage was contracted at this time ?
18. In what manner was the war conducted ?
19. Did any dangerous events occur in England ?
20. How did tho English navy behave ?
21. Where was peace made between France and Austria ?
SECTION m.
O Frantic thirst of glory and of fame ! — Mickle.
1. (A. D. 1798.) The restoration of tbe legislative inde-
pendence of Ireland in 1782 was far from satisfying the ex-
pectations formed by a considerable party in that country.
Reform in parliament, and a repeal of the remnant of the
penal laws against the Roman catholics, were rather de-
manded as a right than craved as a boon ; and when the
government refused to make concessions, the majority re-
mained sullen and discontented, while a few wilder spirits
GEORGE III.
399
meditated a total separation from England, and the esta-
blishment of an Irish republic after the example of France.
The lower classes were easily induced to adopt schemes
that flattered their national pride ; and though government,
having received timely information, arrested the principal
leaders, disaffection was too extensive to be thus checked,
and several counties broke out into open insurrection. After
a sanguinary struggle, disgraced by several atrocities on both
sides, the revolters were everywhere defeated ; and on the
surrender of a small body of French who had been sent to
aid the insurgents, peace was finally restored by the judi-
cious and merciful measures of lord Cornwallis.
2. In the meantime, Napoleon, with a large fleet and
army, proceeded to Egypt, and on his voyage obtained pos-
session of Malta by the treachery of the knights. The ca-
reer of the French invader was sufficiently triumphant in
Egypt, but his hopes of permanent success were sadly
blighted by the loss of his fleet, over which admiral Nelson
obtained one of the most complete victories recorded in the
annals of war. 3. This brilliant triumph was obtained in
Aboukir Bay, one of the mouths of the Nile, on the first of
August ; nine sail of the line were taken j two more and a
frigate either burnt or blown up during the action, and only
two escaped, which, however, were subsequently captured.
Soon after, Bonaparte was repulsed before Acre’ chiefly by
the heroic exertions of Sir Sidney Smith ; and having at the
same time received news from France that seemed to open
safer and brighter objects, he secretly returned home, and
soon effected a revolution, by which he placed himself at
the head of the government, with the title of first consul.
4. The first measure taken by Napoleon after his eleva-
tion, was to send a letter to the king of England offering
peace. This was instantly rejected j for a new and powerful
coalition had been formed against France, from which the
most splendid success was anticipated. But this coalition
soon fell to pieces ; the Russian emperor withdrew his
forces ; the duke of York was forced to quit Holland with
his army on finding the population indisposed to second his
efforts ; and the French, under the new government, display-
ed even more energies.
5. In the East Indies the English waged a successful war
against their old enemy Tippoo Saib ; his capital was taken
by storm, himself slain, and all his treasures divided among
the conquerors. Since that period the entire peninsula of
400
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
India has been virtually subjected to the authority of the
English.
6. (A. D. 1800.) Austria had again commenced war
against France, and was maintaining it with characteristic
obstinacy, when Napoleon brought it to a sudden close by
one of those master-strokes of genius which baffle ordinary
calculation. He led his army across the Alps into Italy in
despite of the most appalling difficulties, and obtained a
complete victory at Marengo. A subsidy from England
induced the Austrian emperor to continue his resistance ; but
the battle of Hohenlinden placed him completely at the
mercy of the conqueror, and he was forced to solicit terms
of peace.
7. The question of a legislative union with England)
which had been previously negatived in the Irish house of
commons, was finally carried by the ministry. It was deter-
mined that from the 1st of January, 1801, there should be
but one imperial parliament for the British Islands, in which
Ireland should be represented by four spiritual peers, taken
in rotation every session, twenty-eight temporal peers
chosen for life, and one hundred commoners elected in the
usual manner.
8. (1801.) Paul, emperor of Russia, not satisfied with
deserting the alliance of England, became her bitter enemy,
and persuaded the other northern powers to revive the
hostile confederation, called the armed neutrality. After
negotiation had been tried ineffectually, a fleet was sent
against Copenhagen, under the command of admiral Parker,
assisted by lord Nelson. After having passed the Sound
with little difficulty, Nelson attacked, and almost annihilated
the formidable lines of the Danish defence ; but some of
his own ships having grounded in a situation exposed to the
fire of the hostile batteries, he took advantage of his previ-
ous success to offer terms of accommodation, which were
immediately accepted. It is probable that the war might
have been again renewed, had not intelligence been received
of the deposition of the emperor Paul, who had been the
head of the confederacy. His son and successor, Alexan-
der, was anxious to be on good terms with Great Britain ;
and the minor states found themselves obliged to imitate his
example.
9. An expedition, under the command of Sir Ralph
Abercrombie, was equally successful in expelling the French
from Egypt ; but that distinguished officer fell in the arms of
GEORGE III.
401
victory. The French, having been defeated at Alexandria,
offered terms when general Hutchison was preparing to
besiege them in Cairo, and evacuated the country pursuant
to the articles of capitulation. 10. Before the news of this
success arrived in England, the country had been threatened
with an invasion. Troops were collected along the coasts
of France and Holland, and vessels prepared for their trans-
portation in the harbours along the channel. Lord Nelson
was sent with a flotilla to attack Boulogne, the enemy’s
principal rendezvous, but failed after two brilliant efforts.
The bravery, however, displayed by the British sailors, and
the manifest superiority of England by sea, convinced Na-
poleon that the enterprise was hopeless, and the project was
soon laid aside.
11. Both the belligerent powers were now heartily tired
of a war, which exhausted their resources, and conferred
advantages on neither. In deference to the general wish,
a change of ministry was effected in England •, Mr. Adding-
ton (afterwards lord Sidmouth) became premier in place of
Mr. Pitt, and negotiations instantly commenced. (1802.)
The terms were soon arranged, and a peace was concluded
at Amiens, which cannot be better described than by the
words of an eminent statesmen, “it was a peace at which
everybody rejoiced, but of which nobody could be proud.”
12. From the moment in which the treaty of peace was
signed, jealousies and discontents daily arose in France and
England, which threatened to produce fresh hostilities at no
very distant period. Bonaparte, having been appointed first
consul for life, used every exertion to enlarge dominions of
which he was in now all but name the sovereign ; he aggran-
dized France by the annexation of Piedmont to its territories,
and had given even greater offence by invading Switzer-
land. On the other hand, the first consul complained that
England still retained possession of Malta, which, by the
terms of the late treaty, should have been restored to the
knights, and remonstrated against the virulent libels on his
character, which were published in the English newspapers,
as he believed, with the connivance of government. (A.D.
1803.) These mutual bickerings soon produced more angry
demonstrations. Lord Whitworth, the English ambassador,
having been treated with unmerited indignity, withdrew
from France, and war was soon after proclaimed.
13. A short time previous to the recommencement of hos-
tilities, a conspiracy for the subversion of the government
2 §
402
HISTORY OF ENGtANl).
was detected in England. It was formed by a colonel DeS'
pard, who fancied that government had treated him with
unjust neglect; his associates were desperate men of the
lowest ranks, and nothing could be more wild or inadequate
than the means by which they proposed to execute their
insane projects. 14. The execution of the principal con-
spirators restored public confidence; but in a few months
the alarm was again renewed by the account of an insur-
rection having broken out in Dublin. The leader ol the
revolt was Robert Emmet, a young man of the most amia-
ble qualities, but a wild and visionary enthusiast. The
insurgents were badly armed and worse disciplined; they
were consequently subdued with little difficulty, but not
before lord Kilwarden and his nephew had been murdered
by the infatuated mob.
15. Napoleon recommenced the war with great vigour ;' his
troops overran Hanover, and compelled the princes in the north
of Germany to close their ports against the English. On the
other hand, the British navy blockaded the mouths of the
principal rivers from which British traders were excluded ;
and they captured several French colonies. The English
having made prizes of many French merchantrships and
treated their crews as prisoners, Bonaparte seized on all the
English visitors who were travelling in France and detained
them as hostages. 16. About the same time, the French
army, which had been employed to suppress the revolt of
the negroes in St. Domingo, being cut off from all supplies
by the British cruisers, was forced to surrender, and the
island has since remained an independent state, under the
name of Hayti. The threats of invading Britain were re-
peated ; but after a vain display of force on both sides, no
efforts were made to put the threats in execution.
Questions for Examination.
1. What calamitous event occurred in Ireland ?
2. Whither did Napoleon lead his new armament?
3. How was the progress of the French in Egypt checked ?
4 . What was Napoleon’s first attempt when appointed consul*
6. Did the English obtain any triumph in the East Indies ?
6. Where was the power of Austria overthrown?
7. What important change was made in the government of Ireland ?
8 ‘ tnility ? Eng and esCftpe the dan 8 ers threatened by the armed nou-
s' By whom were the French driven from Egypt *
10. What events were produced by the threats of invasion?
}}■ How was a peace effeoted ? °
a*. J~>ia the peace promise to be permament ?
GJ50HGE lit.
403
13. What Conspiracy was discovered in England ?
14. Was there not a new attempt at insurrection in Ireland ?
16. How did the war commence !
16. Of what island were the French deprived 1
SECTION IX.
Aye, at the hour of utmost need
Thy statesmen fall, thy warriors bleed ,*
The vigorous mind, the valiant hand,
Desert at once the mourning land. — Cook ,
1- (A.D.) 1804). The administration of Mr. Addington
having failed to give satisfaction to the nation, he resigned,
and was succeeded by Mr. Pitt, who immediately devoted
all his energies to the formation of a new coalition, against
France. In this labour he was not a little assisted by the
general indignation which was excited by the unprincipled
murder of the duke of Enghien. This unfortunate young
prince was seized by the emissaries of Bonaparte in a
neutral territory, dragged to the castle of Vincennes, sub-
jected to the mockery of a trial before a military tribunal,
and shot in the ditch of the castle by torch-light. Immedi-
ately after the perpetration of this crime, Bonaparte was
proclaimed emperor of the French and king of Italy; but
the assumption of the latter title gave great offence to
Austria, whose claims on Italy were thas contemptuously
disregarded.
2. One ally, however, was ensured to France by an act
of questionable policy on the part of England. Spain hav-
ing entered into a treaty with Napoleon, the British minister
determined to intercept the treasure-ships from South
America, without waiting for the formality of a declaration
of war. Three of these vessels were intercepted by the
British squadron, two were taken, but the third unfortu-
nately blew up, and the greater part of the crew perished.
The Spanish court, on hearing the news, immediately pro-
claimed itself the enemy of Great Britain.
3. (A.D. 1805). The naval triumphs of England were
consummated by the almost total annihilation of the hostile
fleets. The French ships of war in Toulon, having baffled
the vigilance of the blockading squadron, effected a junction
with the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, and sailed for the West
Indies. Hither they were pursued by lord Nelson ; but hav-
ing heard of his approach, the allied admirals returned to
Europe. Nelson soon followed, and, after several disap-
pointments, had at length the satisfaction to discover the
404
History of England.
French, under Villeneuve, and the Spaniards, under Gravina,
on the morning of October 21st, drawn up in a double line
of battle off Cape Trafalgar. The British navy attacked
in two columns, the windward line being led by Nelson, in
the Victory, the leeward by admiral Collingwood. After a
terrible engagement, which lasted three hours, the English
obtained a decisive victory. Nineteen sail of the line, with
Villeneuve, and two other flag-officers, were captured; the
remainder, under admiral Gravina, fled, but several of them
w’ere subsequently taken by a squadron under sir R
Strachan. 4. This victory was dearly purchased by the
death of Lord Nelson, who had long been the pride of the
English navy. He was mortally wounded by a musket-ball
in the middle of the action, and died a little before its close.
5. The grief of his country was shown by the honours paid
to his memory ; his brother was raised to the peerage ; a
liberal pension settled on his widow ; his remains were
deposited in St. Paul’s cathedral, accompanied by a proces-
sion more splendid and magnificent than England had ever
witnessed on a similar occasion, and a monument erected at
the public expense as a lasting testimony of national grati-
tude. Rewards were also voted to the companions of his
victory ; admiral Collingwood was raised to the peerage, and
a liberal provision was made for the wounded, and for the
families of the slain.
GEORGE III.
405
6. The triumphs of France by land amply compensated
for her losses by sea. The Austrians were everywhere
defeated ; the archduke Charles was driven from Italy by
Massena ; Ulm was surrendered «to Napoleon by general
Mack, under circumstances that led to strong suspicions of
treachery ; and, finally, Vienna itself submitted to the con-
queror. The junction of the Russians gave a temporary
confidence to the Austrian emperor ; but his hopes proved
fallacious ; on the 2nd of December, Napoleon totally de-
feated the allied armies at Austerlitz, and Austria was
necessarily compelled to submit to whatever terms the con-
queror thought fit to dictate.
7. (A.D. 1806.) The failure of a coalition which he had
taken so much pains to form, and the mortification of seeing
his colleague, lord Melville, impeached by the house of
commons, preyed on Mr Pitt’s health, and, to use a com-
mon but expressive phrase, broke his heart. He was ho-
noured with a public funeral, and a monument erected to his
memory at the national expense. A new administration
was formed under the auspices of lord Grenville and Mr.
Fox, one of whose first measures was the final abolition of
the slave-trade. Mr. Fox did not long survive his great
political rival ; he died in the course of the same year.
8. During the late struggle the conduct of the king of
Prussia had been marked by singular indecision. Scarcely,
however, had Austria been crushed, than, to the great asto-
nishment of the world, it was announced, that Prussia, in a
moment of chivalrous enthusiasm, had determined singly to
cope with the victorious arms of France. The war was
decided in a single campaign ; the Prussians were irretriev-
ably ruined at the battle of Jena; fortress after fortress sur-
rendered to Napoleon, and the unfortunate king, stripped of
the greater part of his dominions, had now no hope but in
the assistance of Russia. 9. (A.D. 1807.) Even this last
hope failed, an indecisive battle being fought atEylau; but
the Russians having failed in an attempt to relieve Dantzic,
and suffered a total defeat at 'Friedland, solicited terms of
peace. A treaty was concluded at Tilsit, by which the
Prussian king was stripped of half his dominions, and had
the further mortification to learn that the remainder was
spared only in deference to the wishes of the young emperor
of Russia.
10. This decisive success enabled Bonaparte to execute
the projects which he had so long formed against the com.
406
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
raerce of England. By the celebrated Berlin decrees, all
the continental ports were closed against British manufac-
tures, and Denmark, though long in alliance with England,
was forced to comply with the imperious mandate. This
led to the adoption of measures by the British government,
which could only be justified by the most stern necessity.
11. An expedition, under the command of admiral lord
Gambier, and general the earl of Cathcart, was sent to
compel the surrender of the Danish fleet, in order that it
might be retained as a deposite by England until the con-
clusion of the war, as Napoleon notoriously designed to
have employed it in restoring the navy of France. The
demand was peremptorily refused; but the English having
bombarded Copenhagen for three days successively, his
Danish majesty, to save his capital from total destruction,
agreed to the proposed terms ; and the whole fleet, consisting
of eighteen ships of the line, fifteen frigates, and thirty-one
smaller vessels, was given up, together with an immense
quantity of naval stores.
12. But the other foreign expeditions undertaken by the
English were unusually unsuccessful ; Buenos Ayres, after
its capture by sir Home Popham, was recovered by the
inhabitants, and an armament sent out for its recovery under
general Whitelocke failed signally and disgracefully : a
fleet under admiral Duckworth forced the passage of the
Dardanelles, but, being unable to make an impression on
Constantinople, was compelled to retire with loss : Alexan-
dria, in Egypt, was captured by general Fraser, but he was
soon compelled to evacuate his conquest ; and an expedition
undertaken to assist the king of Sweden had an equally
inefficient termination.
13. The Grenville administration, which had been very
popular at the outset, had now declined considerably in
public favour ; and it probably had never possessed the full
confidence of the king. The ministers having brought for-
ward some measures of concession to the Roman catholics,
which his majesty disapproved, were compelled to resign,
and Mr. Pitt’s friends were recalled to the cabinet.
14. Portugal was now the only part of the continent
open to Great Britain, and Napoleon determined that her
manufactures should be excluded from this country also.
The prince-regent of Portugal, alarmed by the appearance
of a powerful French army on his frontiers, promised obe-
dience to the demands of the French emperor ; but finding
GEORGE III.
407
that ever}' compliance was insufficient to conciliate the
invaders, and that the annihilation of his kingdom was
intended, he embarked on board the English fleet, and was
conveyed to the Brazilian settlements in South America.
Immediately after his departure, the French occupied Lisbon
without opposition.
Questions for Examination.
1. How did Napoleon excite the resentment of the European monarchs?
2. Why did the Spaniards support the French with all their might?
3. What great naval victory did the English obtain?
4. By what event was the joy for this viotory diminished?
5. In what manner did the English nation show its respect for Nelson and
his companions ?
6. Did the French gain any advantage on land?
7. Why was there a change made in the British ministry?
8. What success had the Prussians in their war against France ?
9. By what events was a peace precipitated?
10. What use did Napoleon make of his victory?
11. How did the English act under these circumstances ?
12. In what expeditions were the English successful ?
13. What circumstances brought about a change in the British ministry ?
14. What remarkable events took place in Portugal ?
SECTION X.
First from his trance the heroic Spaniard woke,
His chains he broke,
And, casting off his neck the treacherous yoke,
He called on England. — Southey .
1. (A. D. 1808.) The unprincipled occupation of Portu-
gal was followed by a series of transactions still more iniqui-
tous in Spain, which, though at first apparently successful,
blighted for ever the character of Napoleon, and contributed
not a little to his final overthrow. Seldom have the annals
of any country presented such a picture of vice and imbe-
cility as was displayed by the court of Spain at the period
which now occupies our attention ; the king was a weak and
irresolute monarch, destitute of abilities for managing the
affairs of state, even in the most tranquil times ; and,
consequently, wholly unfit to rule at a period when all
Europe was convulsed by the consequences of the French
revolution. Hie prime minister, and the virtual ruler of
Spain, Was Godoy, whom the illicit attachment of the queen
had raised from the rank of a private gentleman to guide the
national councils, under the proud title of the Prince of the
Peace. But Godoy was by no means fitted to discharge the
duties of the station to which he had been raised. Possess-
ing neither talent nor principle, he pursued a selfish and
4QS
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
vacillating course of policy, which wasted the resources of
Spain, and made the country contemptible in the eyes of
all the surrounding nations. 2. Godoy was of course unpo-
pular ; the nobility despised him as an upstart ; the people
regarded him as the author of all the calamities by which
they were oppressed ; and, at length, reports having been
circulated that he intended to remove the royal family to
South America, a furious insurrection broke out, which
terminated in stripping Godoy of all his authority. _ De-
prived of his only reliance, the imbecile Charles resigned
the crown to his son Ferdinand, prince of Asturias, who was
at once proclaimed king, to the universal delight of the
people. 3. When Napoleon received intelligence _ of this
revolution, he immediately proceeded to Bayonne, in order
to be nearer the scene of action, and directed the numerous
army, which he maintained in Spain, to occupy Madrid.
By means of some obscure intrigues, Charles was induced
to withdraw his abdication, and claim the assistance of the
French emperor against his rebellious son ; while at the
same time assurances were privately conveyed to Ferdinand
that Napoleon was 'attached to his cause, and would, if an
appeal was made, certainly decide in his favour. 4. By
such representations the entire Spanish royal family was
induced to cross the frontier ; and no sooner were they in
the power of the French emperor, than they were severally
compelled to abdicate their claims to the crown, which Na-
poleon was determined to transfer to his brother Joseph.
5. When the iniquitous 'transactions at Bayonne became
known, they filled the mind of every Spaniard with feelings
of the deepest indignation ; one sentiment seemed to per-
vade the entire nation, — a determination to maintain the
independence of their country, and submit to none but their
legitimate sovereign. The [French were able to suppress
the insurrection at Madrid after a fearful massacre, which
is the deepest stain on the character of Murat, by whom the
garrison was commanded ; but in the provinces, provisional
juntos were formed, armies levied, and every preparation
made for a vigorous resistance to the usurpers. The gar-
rison of Gibraltar, and the British fleets in the Mediterra-
nean, lent their assistance to the efforts of the patriots, and
by their aid the important city of Cadiz was secured, and
the French fleet, which lay in the harbour, forced to sur-
render. 6. The armies of France also met some severe
' hecks •, Dupont, with a force of 15,000 men, was forced
GEORGE III.
409
to surrender to the patriot general Castanos; Moncey was
compelled to retreat from Valencia; and, lastly, a Spanish
army, which had been employed by Bonaparte in the north
of Germany, revolted, and was conveyed by a British squad-
ron to the peninsula.
7. The flame of insurrection soon spread to Portugal;
and though the French generals in that unhappy country
endeavoured to suppress the revolt by. cruelly massacring
all suspected of having shared in the efforts for the libera-
tion of their country, this detestable policy only engendered
a more determined spirit of resistance, and a fiercer thirst
for vengeance.
8. The news of the events in the peninsula was received
in England with the greatest enthusiasm. The Spanish
deputies were welcomed with the utmost warmth ; all the
Spanish prisoners released, clothed, armed, and sent to aid
the efforts of their countrymen; munitions of war were
supplied to the patriots from the British arsenals; public
aids and private subscriptions were liberally contributed for
the supply of their exhausted resources ; and a well-appointed
army under the command of sir Arthur Wellesley, sent to
assist in the liberation of Portugal.
9. On the first of August the British troops landed in
Mondego Bay, and soon commenced active operations. On
the seventeenth, the French were defeated at Rolica ; but on
the twenty-first, a still more decisive battle was fought at
Vimiera, and the English were completely victorious. 10.
Unfortunately at this important moment, sir Arthur Welles-
ley was superseded in his command by sir Harry Burrard,
who gave immediate orders to stop the pursuit, thus sacri-
ficing all the fruits of this brilliant victory. On the following
morning, sir Hew Dalrymple arrived to take the supreme
command, and he entered into negotiations with the French
commander. 11. A convention for the evacuation of Portu-
gal was concluded at Cintra, on terms so favourable to the
French that they excited universal dissatisfaction. One
article provided for the security of the Russian fleet then
lying in the Tagus ; but this the English admiral, sir Charles
Cotton, peremptorily refused to ratify; and the ships were
surrendered to him on the condition of being restored in six
months after the conclusion of peace with Russia.
12. Portugal being now free from the invader, sir John
Moore, who had been appointed to the command of the
British army, was directed to advance into northern Spain,
410
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Death of Sir John Moore.
and aid the exertions of the patriots. The instructions sent
to the gallant general had been prepared on the faith of the
representations made by the Spanish deputies in London;
it was not discovered, until too late, that these were wholly
unworthy of credit. 13. The resolute spirit of hostility to
the French in the lower ranks of the Spaniards was indubita-
ble; but the upper ranks, at the same time ignorant and
conceited, were slow to make any exertion, and thought
more of securing for themselves some petty authority than
joining in efforts for the liberation of their country. Like
all weak and vain-glorious men, they were great boasters ;
they told of countless armies and exhaustless resources ; but
when the moment of trial arrived, their armies were found
to be an undisciplined rabble, and even sometimes to have
existed only on paper; their magazines were discovered to
be empty, and their boasted preparations to have consisted
in doing nothing. Even before sir John Moore had entered
Spain, the principal forces with which he had been destined
to co-operate were defeated and dispersed, in a great degree
by the sheer incapacity of their generals. When sir John
Moore found that all the expectations which he had been
led to form were utterly groundless, he resolved to return
to Portugal ; the British minister to the Spanish junta, how-
ever, prevailed on him to change his resolution and to hazard
an advance into the heart of the country. 14. In the mean
ime Napoleon himself had arrived to take the direction of
he invading army, and the promptitude of his movements
GEORGE III.
411
soon left the British general no other choice but retreat.
The Bufferings of the army during this retrograde movement
transcend the power of description ; discipline was for the
most part at an end, and the country they had come to
protect was treated by the famished soldiers, as if it had
belonged to an enemy. 15. (A.D. 1809.) At length, when
they reached Corunna, the enemy was found to have pursued
them so close that nothing but a victory or a convention
could secure their embarkation. Sir John Moore at once
decided to risk the chances of battle : he obtained a victory
so glorious as to shade the calamities of the retreat ; but
unfortunately the success of the army was purchased by the
life of its gallant commander.
16. (A.D. 1809.) Taking advantage of the withdrawing
of the French troops from Germany to recruit the armies in
Spain, the emperor of Austria again determined to encounter
the hazards of war, and endeavour to retrieve his former
fortunes. But the same fatality which had hitherto attended
the military operations of this power, still counteracted its
efforts. Napoleon, in a brief but decisive campaign, made
himself master of Vienna; and though his army met a
severe check at Asperne, he soon after obtained a decisive
victory at Wagram, which prostrated the Austrian empire
at his feet.
17. But while this contest remained as yet doubtful, the
English were fast retrieving their tarnished honour in the
peninsula. Sir Arthur Wellesley was sent again to the
scenes of his former glory, and succeeded in expelling the
French from Oporto, and several other acquisitions which
they had made in Portugal after the retreat of Sir John
Moore. He even advanced into Spain, and obtained a bril-
liant victory at Talavera; but being unsupported by the
Spanish authorities, he was obliged to relinquish his con-
quests, and terminate the campaign without obtaining any
decisive advantage. For the skill and bravery, however,
which had been displayed at Talavera, Sir Arthur Wellesley
was elevated to the peerage, with the title of viscount Wel-
lington.
18. To create a diversion in favour of Austria, an expedi-
tion was sent to -the coast of Holland, under the command
of the earl of Chatham and sir Richard Strachan. The
fortress of Flushing and the island of Walcheren, were
subdued ; but the unhealthiness of the climate forced the
conquerors to evacuate these acquisitions after the sacrifice
412
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
of many valuable lives. It must be confessed that the
unfortunate enterprise was badly conceived and badly exe-
cuted 5 the armament did not reach the coast of Holland
until Austria had been irretrievably ruined ; and the main
objects of the expedition, the destruction of the French
fleet in the Scheldt, and the occupation of Antwerp, were
scarcely attempted.
19. There were, however, some gallant exploits per-
formed during the year by the British navy, which contri-
buted to maintain the national courage. A French squadron
lying in Basque Roads was attacked by lords Gambier
and Cochrane ; four ships of the line and three frigates
were burned, and several others disabled. Lord Collingwood
destroyed, in the bay of Rossa, three sail of the line, two
frigates, and twenty transports ; Sir James Saumarez cap
tured a Russian convoy in the Baltic ; and several important
islands were wrested from the French in the West Indies.
20. At home the attention of the public was directed, in
no ordinary degree, to a parliamentary investigation into
the conduct of his royal highness the duke of York, as
commander-in-chief. After a laborious inquiry, the royal
duke was acquitted by a great majority, but he deemed it
right to resign his situation immediately after. On the 25th
of October, a jubilee was celebrated with great splendor
through the kingdom on account of his majesty’s having
entered the fiftieth year of his reign.
1 .
2 .
3 .
4 .
5 .
6
7 .
8 .
9 .
10 .
11 .
12 .
18 .
14 .
16 .
16 .
17 ,
18 ,
19
29
Questions for Examination.
What was the condition of Spain at this time ?
What were the consequences of Godoy’s proceedings?
How did Napoleon act under these circumstances?
In what manner were the Spanish king and prince treated by their
ally?
Did the Spanish people show their indignation ?
Were any triumphs obtained by the Spanish patriots?
What was the situation of Portugal at this time?
How was the intelligence of these events received in England ?
In what manner did sir A. Wellesley commence his victorious career
in the peninsula?
How were the fruits of his victory lost?
What was the convention of Cintra?
To what expedition was sir John Moore appointed?
\V ith what difficulties had he to struggle?
How was he compelled to retreat?
By what means was the embarkation of the aftny secured ’
. V\ hat success had the Austrians in their new war against France?
. 1 or what victory was sir Arthur Wellesley raised to the peerage’
. In vi hat unfortunate expedition did the English engage’ K
. « as this Joss compensated by any victories? 6 "
, M hat delicate investigation took place in England »
GEORGE lilt
413
SECTION XL
United let each Briton join.
Courageously advance ;
We’ll bailie every vain design,
And check the pride of France.— E. Thompson.
1. (A.D. 1810.) The peace with. Austria enabled Napo-
leon to send forth armies into the peninsula, and the patriots
sustained a series of reverses which seemed to have decided
the late of Spain. But it was not in the regular field of
battle that the hostilities of the Spaniards were most to be
dreaded ; their bands of guerillas, that cut off all stragglers,
intercepted convoys, and harassed every march, were more
formidable than any regular army that could be assembled.
The presence of the British in Portugal was justly deemed
the principal impediment to the tranquillity of the French
in Spain ; and Napoleon therefore despatched Massena
with overwhelming lorces to expel the British from the
entire peninsula. The French ruler deemed himself at this
time secure on the side of Germany, for he had married
the archduchess Maria Louisa, the daughter of the emperor
of Austria, having previously divorced Josephine, the faith-
ful companion of ail his fortunes.
2. On the approach of Massena, lord Wellington deter-
mined to act on the defensive, and resisted every temptation
to abandon this cautious line of policy. He retreated lei-
surely before the enemy until attacked at Busaco, when he
turned on his pursuers, and inflicted on them a severe de-
feat. His lordship then continued his retreat to the impreg-
nable lines of Torres Yedras, where he determined to remain
until famine should compel Massena to retire. Nothing
could exceed the astonishment of the French marshal, who
firmly believed that the British were retreating to their
ships, when he found them halted in a position which it
would have been madness to attack : he was at once reduced
to inactivity, and forced to spend the rest of the campaign
in watching the English lines.
3. While the war thus lingered, the death of the princess
Amelia, the favourite daughter of the king, spread a gloom
over the royal family, and brought on a return of that ma-
lady by wdiich his majesty had been previously attacked.
The remainder of his life was spent in a state of mental
imbecility, and the government of the country was thence-
forth intrusted to the prince of Wales, who acted as regent.
4. A little before this event, a strange revolution took place
in Sweden, the king was deposed, and his family excluded
414
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
from the throne ; his uncle was elected in his stead, And as
he was childless, the succession was settled on Charles
John Bernadotte, one of Napoleon’s generals.
5. (A.D. 1811.) The ability displayed by lord Wellington
in selecting the lines of Torres Vedras, and the patience
with which he waited the progress of events in that formi-
dable position, received at length their merited reward.
Hunger and disease made more havoc in the French army
than the sword, and Massena soon found that nothing but
instant retreat could save him from destruction. In this
retrograde movement the French marshal fully maintained
his former character for talent ; but in every other respect
his conduct merits the universal reprobation of posterity.
Every crime to which lust and rapine could prompt an un-
principled soldiery, was committed with impunity; the
claims of age or sex afforded no protection from murderous
outrage ; mangled corpses and smoking ruins marked the
tract by which these ruffian- warriors retreated from the land
where their hopes had been baffled and their pride tamed.
6. After this success, the campaign lingered without any
very decisive operation. An attempt was made to recover
Badajoz, which the Spaniards had surrendered to the French
under very disgraceful circumstances. Soult advanced to
relieve the place, and was engaged by general Beresford at
Albuera. The battle was fierce and bloody; the English
purchased their victory at a very dear rate, and their losses
were so great that they were unable to continue the siege
which they had undertaken. Massena, to recover his lost
fame, attacked the English at Fuentes d’Honore, but met
with a severe repulse ; he was soon after recalled, and Mar-
mont appointed in his stead. 7. The management of the
Spanish armies continued to be intrusted to men, for the
most part, ignorant of the first rudiments of their profession.
They were frequently defeated in the course of the cam-
paign ; but they were incapable of being instructed even by
adversity. The English, under general Graham, obtained
a brilliant victory at Barossa ; but the obstinacy and igno-
rance of their allies prevented them from reaping the fruit
of their success.
8. (A.D. 1812.) The restrictions which had been im-
posed on the prince-regent being removed, it was expected
that some important changes would be made in the adminis-
tration ; none, however, took place at that time ; but a sad
event in the middle of the year produced a new modification
GEORGE III.
415
in the ministry. The premier, Mr. Percival, was assassi-
nated in the lobby of the house of commons by a merchant
named Bellingham, who fancied that his just claims had
been neglected by government. The murderer was tried at
the Old Bailey, and executed ; but he seemed to feel little
remorse for the horrid crime which he had committed.
Lord Liverpool was appointed first lord of the treasury, and
Mr. Yansittart chancellor of the exchequer, in the room of
the ddfceased minister.
9. Marmont _was even a lpore unsuccessful rival of lord
Wellington than his predecessor Massena; the important
fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz were besieged
and stormed before the French marshal could move to their
relief, and the forts erected to secure the fords of the Douro
were taken almost in his presence. The two armies were
several days within sight of each other near Salamanca,
without coming to a general engagement: the forces were
nearly equal, and the leaders anxiously waited to take ad-
vantage of any blunder that might be made by their oppo-
nents. At length Marniont made an injudicious movement
to his left, in hopes to cut off the British from Ciudad
Rodrigo ; his line was thus necessarily weakened, and
Wellington instantly seized the opportunity to make his
attack. The consequence was the total rout of the French,
with the loss of fourteen thousand men, killed, wounded,
and prisoners. The number of killed and wounded, on the
part of the victors scarcely exceeded five thousand.
10. Naturally expecting that the intelligence of this glo-
rious victory would stimulate the Spaniards to more vigorous
exertions, and relying on the promise of the British ministry
to create a powerful diversion by sending an expedition
from Sicily to the south-eastern coast of Spain, Wellington,
who had been lately created an earl, resolved to advance
into the centre of Spain, and drive the enemy from the
capital. This brilliant and hazardous enterprise succeeded ;
the English were received with enthusiasm in Madrid, and
joy was diffused throughout the entire peninsula. 11. But
the hopes which were thus inspired proved delusive; the
Spaniards made no exertion to second the efforts for their
liberation; Ballasteros, one fo their generals, refused to re-
ceive any instructions from a foreigner ; the force sent from
Sicily was, by some blunder of the British ministry, late
in time and miserable in amount; the French were, there-
fore, enabled to threaten Wellington with armies three times
416
SlStfORtf 6ti ENGLAND.
Constitution and Guerriere.
more numerous than his own. Under these circumstances
the English general resolved to transfer the scene of his
operations to the north of Spain; but having failed in an
attack on Burgos, he was compelled to retire to the frontiers
of Portugal During the retreat, the British soldiers sullied
their laurels by several outrages, which were severely re-
pre hendedby Wellington, and measures taken for their' Pre-
vention in future. v
. 12 : J n n th ® t meantime the ambition of Napoleon had
hurried him into a war with Russia, which, though success-
ful m the outset, ended in lamentable ruin. The French
army advanced in spite of every resistance to Moscow the
ancient capital of the kingdom; but there their triumphs
ended. The Russians set tire to the city; the invaders de-
prived of quarters, were forced to retreat; a severe winter
set in, cold and famine destroyed them by thousands and
only a miserable relic of the finest army which ha,?’
been assembled in Europe escaped across the frontiers
* 3 - Some unfortunate disputes between the governments
of Great Britain and the United States led to
two countries, which similarity of lantual 3 ^
connexion ought to hove kept If £“lv T&
Americans unsuccessfully invaded Cana,t a v . . y ‘ ^ .
<r, gates obtained eotne
GEORGE in.
417
The first of this series of victories was the capture of the
British frigate Guerriere, by the American frigate Constitu-
tion, commanded by captain Hull.
14. (A. D. 1813.) The Spanish Cortes became at length
convinced of the necessity of giving the command of their
armies to the British general, and a complete change in the
fortunes of the war followed this judicious measure. By a
series of brilliant operations, the French were driven from
their several positions on the Ebro and the Douro, com-
pelled to abandon the capital, and at length reduced to the
alternative of abandoning the country, or. fighting a pitched
battle to preserve their conquests. Joseph adopted the
latter course, and drew up his forces near Vittoria, which
had been made the French depot in the northern provinces.
In this position he was attacked by lord Wellington, on the
21st of June, and after a severe contest utterly overthrown.
The artillery, baggage, and military chest of the fugitives,
fell into the hands of the victors ; and so complete was the
rout, that the remnants of the defeated army scarcely deemed
themselves safe until they had escaped beyond the frontier.
Before pursuing them into France, it was necessary to reduce
the fortresses of St. Sebastian and Pampeluna, which were
immediately invested. The former, after a frightful loss,
was taken by storm : the latter surrendered sometime after
by capitulation.
15. The reverses of the French in the north of Europe
were equally signal. Prussia and Sweden joined their
armies to Russia; Austria subsequently joined the alliance,
and their united forces obtained a decisive victory over those
of the French emperor at Leipsic. The retreat of the defeated
army was disastrous in the extreme; the Germans every-
where joined the pursuers, and, after suffering the most severe
calamities, Napoleon’s army wa3 driven across the Rhine;
and it became evident that the next campaign would com-
mence with the invasion of France both on her. eastern and
western frontier.
Questions for Examination.
1. How was Ponaparte enabled to give liis undivided attention to the
affairs of the peninsula '!
2. In what manner did Wellington act ?
3. tV'hat remarkable event took place at this time in lingland .
4 Did any revolution take place in Sweden '!
How did Mas-ona conduct bis retreat from Torres Vedras .
0. Were there any other remarkable events in the campaign ■
2o
418
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
7. How did the Spanish government behave ?
8. What event caused a chango of ministry in England r
9. What great victory did Wellington gain over Marmont 7
10. How did Wellington endeavour to improve his triumph r
11 By what circumstances were Wellington’s hopes irustrated r
12! In what new war did Bonaparte engage ?
13. What new enemy assailed the English ? ,
14. What great victory did Wellington gam over Joseph Bonaparte-?
15. Did Napoleon meet any other reverses ?
SECTION XII.
Oh, more or less than man— in high or low,
Battling with nations, flyiDg from the field ;
Now making monarch’s nocks thy footstool, now
More than thy meanest soldier taught to yield.— Byron.
1. (A. D. 1813.) The operations of the allied armies in
the south-eastern provinces of Spain were singularly ill con-
ducted. Sir John Murray, to whose guidance they were
intrusted, proved totally unfit for his situation. He precipi-
tately commenced the siege of Tarragona, and then abandoned
his works and guns with still more disgraceful rapidity;
after which lie returned to a state of inactivity. 2. But the
vigour of Wellington more than atoned for these deficiencies;
he° crossed the Bidassoa in October, and on the 10th of Nov-
ember defeated Soult’ s army on the Nivelle. 3. (A.D. 1814.)
Winter did not interrupt the operations of the armies.
Soult, continually pushed by the British forces, assumed a
strong position at Orthes, from which he was driven with
severe loss, and Bordeaux was consequently exposed to the
invading army. In the meantime the duke d’Angouleme,
the representative of the ancient line of French monarchs,
had arrived in Wellington’s camp; to him the inhabitants
of Bordeaux opened their gates, and received with the utmost
enthusiasm the descendant of their former kings. Welling-
ton, pursuing his victorious career, again defeated Soult at
Toulon -e ; but while preparing to follow up his victory, news
arrived from Paris that Napoleon had abdicated, and the
war was it an end.
4. In January, 1814, the allied armies had crossed the
Eli me, and advanced into the heart of France; negotiations
for peace were indeed commenced at Chatillon, but the in-
sincerity which marked the conduct of the French commis-
sioners prevented them from corning to any conclusion.
Napoleon’s great object was to recover Holland, which had
achieved its independence after the battle of Leipsic, by the
aid of England, and had recalled the stadtholder to his
ancient dominions. The French emperor had strong hopes
GEORGE III.
419
that one great victory would restore him to his former pre-
eminence. 5. Never in his proudest and most palmy days
did Napoleon display more energy and ability than in this
his time of difficulty; but he had beaten his enemies into
the art of conquering. While he was manoeuvring in their
rear, the Prussians and Austrians made a rush on Paris,
which fell almost without resistance. On the 6th of April,
Bonaparte signed the instrument of abdication, and Louis
XVIII. was recalled from exile to ascend the throne of his
ancestors. The fallen emperor received the island of Elba
as an independent sovereignty ; the duchies of Parma and
Placentia were settled on his wife and son.
6. The return of peace was celebrated with general rejoic-
ings throughout England; and the metropolis was illumi-
nated during three successive nights. Immediately after,
the emperor of Russia, the king of Prussia, and a numerous
train of other distinguished foreigners came over to England,
and met a most magnificent reception. After a short but
gratifying visit, they returned to the continent, leaving behind
a favourable impression of their urbanity, and of the respect
they shewed for the institutions of this country.
7. The American war was soon after terminated; the
triumphs and losses on both sides were nearly balanced by
land, but the superiority of English courage and discipline
at sea was made clearly manifest in every engagement in
which ships of equal force on both sides were opposed to
each other. The treaty of peace was not signed before
December, 1814.
8. (A. D. 1815.) A congress of ambassadors from the
leading powers of Europe had assembled at Vienna to settle
the 8tate of the continent, when they were astounded by
intelligence which threatened to render all their deliberations
useless. Bonaparte, wearied of his exile, and invited by
numerous partisans in France, sailed from Elba, and, having
escaped the vigilance of the cruisers, landed once more in
the country which had so long acknowledged his sway. 9.
The army everywhere declared in his favour ; no effectual
resistance was attempted ; Louis, with a few friends escaped
beyond the Belgian frontier; and in an incredibly short time
Bonaparte once more ascended the imperial throne. The
allied sovereigns took immediate measures to dethrone a
usurper whom experience had shewn to be the common
disturber of nations, and a violator of the faith of treaties ;
and preparations were made for a second invasion of France.
420
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Battle of Waterloo.
10. The English and Prussians began rapidly to concen-
trate their forces in the newly formed kingdom of Belgium,
when Bonaparte, trusting to that activity which had before
produced so many triumphs, determined to become the
assailant, and rapidly advanced against the Prussians. After
a severe contest, Blucher was forced to retire from Ligny;
but he accomplished his retreat in good order, and left no
trophy to the enemy but the field of battle. This caused a
corresponding movement in the English forces, which had
advanced to Quatre-bras, and fought a furious but indecisive
battle with the enemy. Wellington halted his troops on the
memorable plains of Waterloo, and rode across the country
to Blucher, in order to concert a plan for their mutual
operations.
11. On the 18th of June was fought the memorable battle
which may be said to have decided the fate of Europe.
Napoleon, believing the Prussians completely broken, hoped,
by forcing the British lines, to open a passage to Brussels,
and then overwhelm the allies in detail: the object of the
duke of Wellington was to maintain his ground until the
arrival of the Prussians should give him a decided superi-
or ty over his opponents. The efforts of the French to
force the British positions were met with most undaunted
firmness ; the fire of an immense park of artillery, the
GEORGE III.
421
charges of the cuirassiers, the attacks of immense columns,
tailed to break any of the squares which the English had
formed ; and at length, when night approached, the heads
of the Prussian columns were seen advancing to share in
the combat. Napoleon assembled his guards for one last
and desperate effort j but instead of heading them himself,
he gave the command to marshal Ney. The English wings,
which had rather declined from the field at the commence-
ment of the flight, had, after the defeat of the former charges
gradually come forward, until they formed a concave front
to the French. They now poured a dreadful storm of
musketry on the heads of the advancing columns ; the im-
perial guards were unable to deploy into line under the
heavy fire ; they made the attempt and fell into confusion-
At this moment the duke of Wellington gave the word to
charge, the soldiers rushed forward with resistless impetu-
osity ; some battalions, which Ney had rallied, were broken
in an instant ; it was no longer a battle, but a rout. The
Prussians, who were comparatively fresh, continued the
pursuit, and the army of Napoleon was virtually annihilated.
12. The victorious armies now advanced towards Paris
without meeting any serious obstacle. On the 22d of June,
Napoleon once more abdicated the throne, and fled to the
sea-coast, in hopes of making his escape to America. But
finding that it was impossible to baffle the vigilence of the
English cruisers, he surrendered himself to captain Mait-
land of the Bellerophon, and was conveyed, with his retinue
to an English harbour. When the allies were informed of
this event, they decided that he should be sent' as a prisoner
to the Island of St. Helena, in the Southern Atlantic, and
there detained under the strictest observation. In this little
island the illustrious exile died on the 5th of May, 1821.
13. Louis XYHI. was restored to his tlyrone without op-
position : a few of Napoleon’s most zealous partisans, of
whom the chief were marshal Ney and colonel LabSdoyere,
suffered the penalties of treason ; but the greater part of
the delinquents escaped with impunity. The long wars
which had distracted western and central Europe were now
terminated, and a tranquillity promising to be of long dura-
tion, was established.
Questions for Examination.
1. How were operations conducted in the south of Spain ?
2. Did Weliington obtain any success in France ?
8. Was not the victory of Toulouse followed up f
422
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
4. What operations were undertaken at the north-east side of France f
6. How was the war terminated ?
6. In what manner was the return of peace celebrated in Jingiand r
1. How was the American war terminated ?
8. By what news was the congress of Vienna disturbed r
9. Did Napoleon again become master of France ?
10. How was the war recommenced ? .
11. What particulars of the battle of Waterloo are mentioned *
12 . What became of Bonaparte ?
13. How was the war finally ended ?
SECTION XIII.
The deeds of those chiefs who fell covered with glory,
Still beam on our record of triumphs and tears :
While the memory of Nelson and Waterloo's story
Are blended by fame with the fall of Algiers.— Fitzgerald.
1. (A.D. 1816.) It had been hoped, rather than expected,
that the exertions made by the people in the different Euro-
pean nations to overthrow the power of Napoleon, would
have been rewarded by the sovereigns conceding to them
free constitutions. But the monarchs terrified at the evih
which the French revolution had produced, Were firmly
resolved to extend rather than abridge the royal authority.
2. The restored king of Spain, whose slavish weakness
had been the first cause of his own imprisonment and his
kingdom’s degradation, treated with the greatest ingratitude
those whose blood had been shed like water to effect liis
restoration. The inquisition was revived, and every despotic
custom, which made the government of Spain infamous,
and the country miserable, were re-established in full force.
The Spaniards, who entertained liberal opinions, and who
had been the most zealous opponents of the French power,
were bitterly persecuted, and either brought to the scaffold
or driven into exile.
3. This aspect of affairs by no means contributed to allay
the dissatisfaction, which pervaded Britain at the termination
of the war. The channels of trade, which were only opened
by a long- course of warfare, were suddenly closed; the
manufacturers had no demand for their goods, the prices of
agricultural produce were seriously diminished, and all the
evils which attend a sudden transition from war to peace
were felt the most sensibly on account of the tremendous
addition which the expenditure requisite to support such un-
paralleled exertions hud made to the national debt.
4. The marriage of the princess Charlotte of Wales, with
Leopold, prince of Saxe-Cobourg, and that of the duke of
Gloucester, with his cousin the princess Mary, for a time
GEORGE III.
423
averted the gloom which seemed fast spreading over the
nation; and a brilliant victory obtained by lord Exmouth
over the Algerines, diverted public attention from intestine
calamities. 5. Though Algiers was defended by a thousand
pieces of cannon, it could not resist the intrepidity cf British
seamen ; its defences were destroyed, its fleet burned in the
harbour; and at length, to save it from total destruction,
the dey offered terms of peace. He was pardoned on the
conditions of liberating the Christian slaves, more than a
thousand of whom were received on board the British fleet;
of abolishing slavery forever in his dominions; and making
reparation to the powers who had been the more immediate
objects of his barbarous aggressions.
6. (A. D. 1817.) But even naval glory, always the most
pleasing to Englishmen, failed to allay the discontent that
pervaded the lower ranks of society ; alarming riots occurred
in many parts of the kingdom, and meetings were held in
the metropolis, where the most threatening discourses were
pronounced. The parliament in the crisis passed laws to
increase the powers of government, especially the suspension
of the Habeas Corpus Act, and several of the popular leaders
were arrested. Some were brought to trial in London, and
acquitted ; but in Derby several were found guilty, and suf-
fered the penalties of high-treason, which had not been
inflicted for seventy years before. These vigorous measures,
followed by a revival of commerce, and an improved har-
vest, restored public tranquillity ; but the gloom which hung
over the nation was not dispelled, and a new event served to
deepen it still further. 7. The princess Charlotte of Wales,
the pride and darling of England, died, with her child, who
would have been heir apparent to the throne. Never was
grief more universal — never was a nation’s sorrow so deeply
felt, and so generally manifested. The day of the funeral
was voluntarily observed as a day of fasting and humiliation
throughout the three kingdoms ; and a stranger, witnessing
the affliction on every countenance, might have supposed
that every family in the realm had been deprived of one of
its most beloved members.
8. (A. D. 1818.) To supply the chasm which this lament-
able event had occasioned in the succession to the crown,
several of the royal family formed matrimonial alliances.
The dukes of Cambridge, Kent, and Clarence, and the prin-
cess Elizabeth were united to branches of different princely
families in Germany, and such an increase was made in
424
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
their revenues by parliament as might enable them to sup-
port the additional expenses which they necessarily incurred.
These arrangements had not been long concluded, when the
royal family suffered a second loss by the death of queen
Charlotte, who expired at Kew, on the 17 th of November, in
the seVenty-fifth year of her age.
9. (A. D. 1819.) The extensive colonies which Spain had
recently possessed in South America, wearied by the tyranny
to which they had been subjected, threw off the yoke, and
commenced a successful struggle for independence. The
king of Spain, however, imagined that their subjugation was
still possible, and assembled an army at Cadiz, in the isle of
Leon, to form an expedition against the revolted provinces.
But the soldiers who had been thus collected to crush the
rising freedom of America, disappointed the hopes of their
despotic sovereign. 10. * They unanimously refused to em-
bark ; and directing their attention to the miserable condition
of their own country, they demanded the establishment of a
free constitution, which Ferdinand was compelled to concede.
Similar revolutions subsequently took place in Portugal,
Naples, and Piedmont; but in the two latter countries the
old despotic governments were restored by the Austrians,
who have ever been strongly opposed to liberal institutions.
11. The public mind in England continued to be agitated
by projects for effecting reform in parliament, and other
changes in the constitution. Public meetings, attended by
immense multitudes, were held in different parts of the
country. One in particular, at Manchester, was attended
with lamentable consequences. The magistrates having
determined to arrest the leaders, especially Mr. Hunt, sent
a party of yeomanry to aid the officers of polioe; unfortu-
nately, in passing through the immense assembly, some
confusion took place, which led to a serious affray ; several
of the multitude were killed, and a still greater number
wounded by the sabres of the yeomanry, or severely crushed.
Hunt and his friends were taken into custody on a charge
of high treason ; bnt this was soon abandoned, and they
were ordeied to find bail on a charge of sedition. 12. This
event produced great diversity of opinion, and very an^ry
debates within and without the walls of parliament ; but the
sentiments of government were expressed unequivocally in
year ; but are
* Tliese events did not take place until the following
placed here to preserve the continuity of the narrative.
GEORGE III.
425
a letter of thanks addressed to the magistrates and yeomanry
of Manchester, for their prompt and spirited conduct. At
the following assizes the grand jury threw out the bills
charging the yeomanry with murder 5 but Hunt and his
associates, being found guilty of sedition, were sentenced to
different periods of imprisonment. Sir Francis Burdett,
also, who had. denounced the conduct of the magistrates and
the ministry in very severe terms, in a letter addressed to
his constituents, was brought to trial, and found guilty of a
libel on his majesty’s government. Finally, parliament was
assembled in the end of the year, and six restrictive acts
passed for the prevention of seditious meetings, for prohi-
biting training and arming, for checking blasphemous and
seditious writings, and to impose a tax on cheap periodical
publications.
13. (A. D. 1820.) On the 23rd of January his roval
highness the duke of Kent died at Sidmouth, in the 53rd
year of his age, leaving behind him an only daughter,
the princess Victoria Augusta, now the presumptive inheritor
of the British throne. On the 29th of the same month,
George HI died at Windsor Castle, at the advanced age
Windsor Castle.
of eighty-one, after a reign of fifty-nine years seven months
and three days ; the longest and most memorable in the an-
nals of England. We are still too near the time in which
this event occurred, and too much swayed by the opinions
and prejudices resulting from personal feelings, to draw an
impartial character of this venerable sovereign. But what-
ever diversity of opinion there may be respecting the politics
of the monarch, none can deny the virtues of the man.
426
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Amiable, merciful, benevolent, he was an affectionate hus-
band, a tender father, and a faithful friend ; no prouder epi-
taph needs to be inscribed upon his tomb.*
Questions for Examination.
1. In what manner were the hopes of the people of Europe disappointed t
2. How did the restored king of Spain behave?
8. What was the state of England after the war?
4. By what circumstances were the hopes of the people raised?
6. What victory was obtained at Algiers?
6. Howdid the governmentendeavour to check the progress of sedition?
7. What fatal event filled the nation with sadness?
8. Did any other remarkable circumstance occur in tho royal family?
9. What colonics revolted against the parent state?
10. How was a constitution established in Spain?
11. What unfortunate circumstance took place at Manchester?
12. What were the consequences of this event?
13. What deaths took place in tho royal family ?
Clement XIV
Pius VI
Pius VII
Emperors of Germany.
J oseph II 1705
Leopold 1790
Francis II 1792
Assumed the title of emperor
of Austria 1804
Emperors of the Turks.
Mustapha III 1757
Achmet IV 1774
Selim III 1789
Mahmoud II 1808
Emperors and Empresses of
Russia.
A. D.
Peter III 1762
Catharine II 1763
Paul 1 1797
Alexander 1801
Sovereigns of France.
Louis XVI 1774
Republic 1793
Napoleon, consul 1799
emperor 1804
Louis XVIII 1814
Kings of Spain.
Charles III 1759
Charles IV 1788
Ferdinand VII 1808
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes.
A. X).
1769
1775
1800
* The following lines form part of a poetic tribute to the memory ol
George III. from thepenof tho Itev. Georgo Croley. Somemayconsider
them too laudatory; but the world is so accustomed to hearing flattery
poured at the feet of kings, that it would misunderstand a candid ac-
knowledgement of their virtues, unless made in tho grave style of history;
Raise we his monument ! what giant pile
Shall honour him t o far posterity ?
His monument shall bo his ocean-islo,
Tho voice of his redeeming thunders be
His epitaph upon tho silver sea.
And million spirits from whose neck he bore
The fetter and made soul and body free ;
And unborn millions, from .earth’s farthest shore
Shall bless the Christian king till the last sun is o ! or
GEORGE IV.
427
Queen and King of Portugal.
Maria
A. D.
1777
Divided between Russia,
Prussia, and Germany. .
John VI '
Kings of Prussia.
Frederick II
r. 1740
Kings of Denmark.
Christian VII
Frederick VI
Frederick IV
. 1/oG
1797
Kings of Sweden.
Kings of Poland.
Stanislaus
. 1786
Gustavus III
Gustavus IV
Charles XTIT
Augustus IV
. 1786
i Charles XIV
A. D,
1808
During this long reign, a very large number of persons distinguished
^nTilo worldV 110 hterary * clerica] ’ political, naval, military, and mer-
CHAPTER XXXVII.
GEORGE IV.
Bom 1762. Died 1830. Began to reign 1820. Reigned 10 years.
SECTION I.
No sirs— my regal claim, my rightful crown.
The honour’d title of your sovereign’s wife.
No bribe shall e’er induce me to lay down,
Nor force extort it, savo but with my life.— Eltham.
1. (A. D. 1820.) The accession of a monarch, who had
been actually in the possession of sovereign power for so
many previous years, produced no important political
changes. George IV was publicly proclaimed on the
31st of January in London and Westminster, and matters
went on for some time in their ordinary course. On the
23rd of February, the metropolis was astounded by intelli-
gence of a plot being discovered for the assassination of
his majesty’s ministers. 2. The Cato-street conspiracy,
as it was called, from the little street near the Edgeware
road, where the conspirators used to assemble, was planned
by Thistlewood, who had been before acquitted on a charge
of treason, and by some other men of desperate fortunes.
Their design was to obtain, on some pretence, admission to
lord Harrowby’s, when the ministers were assembled at a
428.
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
cabinet dinner, and there murder the entire party. 3. But
all their plans were betrayed to government by a spy, and a
strong body of police, accompanied by a detachment of the
guards, burst into their rendezvous at the moment that they
were preparing for the execution of their designs. After
some resistance, in which Smithers, a police officer, was
killed, they were overpowered, and the greater part made
prisoners. Thistlewood made his escape, but was subse-
quently taken at a house in Moorfields. Such was the
poverty and misery of these wretched madmen, who pro-
posed to subvert a powerful government, that, when they
were searched, not even a shilling was found among the
whole party. They were 60 on after brought to trial : This-
tlewood and four others were executed, some more trans-
ported, and government, satisfied with these examples, gave
up the prosecution against the rest. 4. Preparations were
now commenced for the coronation of his majesty, when
they were suddenly suspended by an event which excited
more public interest and more angry feelings than any other
that had occurred for a long period. This was the return
of queen Caroline to England, and her subsequent trial be-
fore the house of lords — matters over which the historian
would willingly cast a veil, but which are far too important
to be omitted.
5. We have already mentioned the formal separation be-
tween the prince of Wales and his consort, soon after their
marriage ; some years after, her conduct was made the sub-
ject of a secret investigation, which, after a long and dis-
gusting inquiry, terminated in her acquittal. After being
subject to such au indignity, the unfortunate princess quitted
England, and spent her time iu travelling, especially in
visiting the most celebrated spots on the coasts of the Me-
diterranean. She visited Jerusalem, and several other
towns of Palestine, and afterwards took up her residence in
that part of Italy which is subject to the Austrian emperor.
Reports very injurious to her character began to be circulated,
and a secret commission of eminent lawyers was sent out
to Milan to investigate their truth.
6. On the king’s accession to the throne, the evidence
collected by the Milan commission was made the pretext
for omitting the queen’s name in the liturgy, and at the
same time the honours due to her rank were refused by
foreign powers. Deeply irritated at these results, she de-
GEORGE IV.
429
termined to return to England, though aware that her land-
ing would be the signal for the commencement, of a rigorous
prosecution, and although she had been offered an annuity of
fifty thousand pounds on condition of her remaining abroad.
1 . She landed at Dover on the fifth of June, and was re-
ceived with the greatest enthusiasm by the populace. Equal
honours were paid to her along the road to the metropolis,
and her reception in London was still more gratifying.
8. On the very day of the queen’s arrival in London, a
message was sent to both houses of parliament, requesting
that her conduct should be made the subject of investigation,
and that the evidence collected at Milan should be taken
into consideration. Some delay was occasioned by a use-
less effort of the house of commons to effect a compromise ;
this having failed, “a bill of pains and penalties,” todepiive
the queen of her rights and dignities, and to divorce her
from her husband, was introduced into the lords. 9. The
trial soon commenced, and lasted forty-five days, after which
the bill was read a second time by a majority of twenty-
eight; but on the third reading, the ministers could only
command a majority of nine, and the bill was therefore
abandoned.
10. During these proceedings the agitations of the public
mind knew no bounds ; cavalcade after cavalcade was seen
proceeding out to Hammersmith, where the queen resided,
with addresses containing the warmest expressions of affec-
tion for herself, and hatred of her opponents; the press
teemed with virulent libels on all who were conspicuous in
either party: disunion even reached the domestic circle, and
the question of the queen’s guilt or innocence was debated
furiously in every society and in every family within the
British seas. The abandonment of the bill was hailed by
the queen’s friends as a complete acquittal, and their delight
was testified by a pretty general illumination, though it
must be confessed that many who exhibited this outward
sign of joy were forced to the display through dread of
popular violence. ,
11. (A. D. 1821.) The heats and animosities produced
by the queen’s trial continued to rage with unabated fury
through the remainder of the life of that unhappy lady ; it
was even supposed that the rejection of her claim to par-
ticipate in the coronation would have led to some serious
commotion. But that august ceremony was performed
without interruption: the queen, indeed, presented herself
430
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
at the doors of, Westminster Abbey, and was refused ad-
mittance, but no serious display of popular displeasure
followed. 12. This last event produced a fatal effect on
her health, which had been long declining ; and her death,
which followed soon after, was generally attributed to a
broken heart. The fatality which attended this unfortunate
woman seemed to follow her very remains. Her funeral
was a scene of outrage and violence. It had been intended
that the procession should not pass through the metropolis ;
but the populace attacked the military escort, and, after- some
loss of life, succeeded in forcing away the hearse; the fu-
neral array then passed through the city to Whitechapel,
where the corpse was restored to the constituted authorities,
and then allowed to pass quietly to Harwich, whence it was
transferred to Brunswick, to repose with the ashes of her
illustrious ancestors.
13. Immediately after the coronation, his majesty paid
a visit to Dublin, and was received by the Irish people
with a burst of loyal affection such as was probably never
before witnessed. After a short visit, he embarked at
Kingstown in the presence of a countless multitude, who
rent the air with acclamations, and with blessings on the
head of the first English sovereign who had visited Ireland
without hostile intentions. Shortly after his return, the
king made an excursion to Hanover, the cradle of his race;
and after a brief stay, returned to England.
14. Great distress was experienced throughout the British
island by the depreciation of agricultural produce, and con-
sequent difficulty of paying rents. In Ireland, the mutual
discontents of the land-holders and the peasantry led to several
outrages on the part of the latter, perfectly disgraceful to a
civilized country. By a little vigorous exertion, however,
these violences were repressed, and comparative tranquillity
restored. 1 lie distress of the lower classes, which indeed
almost exceeded credibility, was relieved by a general and
generous subscription in England, which arrested the pro-
gress of a pestilential disease, produced by famine and
distress.
Questions for Examination.
1. By what event were the minds of the people disturbed a* the com-
mencement of the new reign?
2. What were tho designs of the Cato street conspirators?
3. How were the plans of tho conspirators defeated ?
4 . What event caused the coronation to be postponed?
GEORGE IV.
431
5. How did tho queen become exposed to suspicion ?
6. On what occasion were the effects of these suspicions manifested?
7. How was the queen received in England ?
8 What measures were taken by tho ministry ?
9. How did the queen’s trial terminate ?
JO- What effect did this lamentable occurrence produce in the country?
11. Was the ceremony of tho coronation disturbed ?
12. Did any remarkable circumstances attend the queen’s death and
burial?
13. How was the king received in Ireland ?
14. Was any distress experienced in the country?
section n.
O ! heard they but the avenging call
Their brethren’s murder gave.
Dissension ne’er their ranks had mown,
Kor patriot valour, desperate grown,
Sought refuge in the grave. — Scott.
1. A time of profound peace furnishes but few incidents
worthy of being recorded by the historian ; during such
a period a nation is silently employed in improving its re-
sources and repairing the injuries which had been inflicted
by war on its finances. The unparalleled contest in which
England had been so long engaged, imposed on her rulers a
task of no ordinary difficulty ; the immense debt which had
been accumulated, required a large taxation to pay its inter
est; and though many exertions have been made to relieve
the country from such pressure, no extensive reduction can
reasonably be expected for a very long period. (1822.) 2.
After the termination of the parliamentary session, the king
proceeded to visit the Scottish capital, and was received by
his northern subjects with the utmost enthusiasm. The
festivities were, however, soon interrupted by the melancholy
news of the death of the marquis of Londonderry, the sec-
retary for foreign affairs, who had committed suicide in a
fit of temporary insanity. After an interval of more than a
month, Mr. Canning was appointed his successor, and re-
ceived the seals of office at a time when a minister possessing
his talents and energy was most, wanting to the country.
3. The European sovereigns had entered into a league
to check the progress of revolution, and chose to call their
union the holy alliance. A congress w r as held at Verona,
and a resolution taken to subvert the constitution, and restore
despotism in Spain. The duke of Wellington, on the part
of England, refused to sanction the design, the execution of
which was intrusted to the king of France. (1823.) 4.
Early in the following year, the duke of Angouleme, at the
head of a powerful arrriy, entered Spain, and soon compelled
432
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
the constitutionalists, wholly unprepared for resistance, to
unqualified submission. Ferdinand, restored to the exer-
cise of despotic power, persecuted all whom he suspected
of liberal principles with extreme severity, and revived all
the cruel institutions by which the government of Spam
has been so long disgraced, with even more than ordinary
rigour.
5. The feelings of the great majority of the English peo-
ple were powerfully excited by this outrage on the liberties
of a neighbouring nation ; but the ministers had determined to
maintain a strict neutrality, though they severely condemned
the principles and conduct of the French government. But
while despotism was thus re-establishing its iron reign in
Europe, freedom had obtained signal triumphs in America;
the revolted colonies of Spain had now completed their
emancipation, and their independence was acknowledged by
England and several other European powers.
C. A sanguinary struggle for the liberation of Greece
from the Turkish yoke had commenced some time previ-
ously, but had long produced no result but terrific massacres.
The principal members of the holy alliance viewed the
insurrection of the Greeks with secret dislike; but the
sympathies of the greater part of the people of Europe
were awakened in their favour, and several volunteers from
England and other countries tendered their assistance to the
insurgents. (1824.) 7. Lord Byron, whose poetry had
created a powerful feeling in favour of the Greeks, proceeded
to aid them by his personal exertions, but unfortunately fell
a victim to a fever at Missolongld, in Western Greece.
8. The British colonies in Africa and India were severely
harassed by the assaults of barbarous enemies ; in the
former, the governor, sir C. McCarthy, was defeated and
cruelly murdered by the Ashantees ; but his death was sub-
sequently avenged, and these savage warriors forced to
submission. V. In Hindostan, the Burmese were totally
del bated, their strongest fortifications captured, and their
territories placed at the mercy of the British troops; they
were consequently forced to solicit peace, which was granted
on terms that tend greatly to increase the security of the
Briti-h possessions in the East.
10. From the time that the union between England arid
Ireland had been ei'iected, attempts were annually made fbr
the repeal of the remaining restrictive laws against the Ro-
man catholics ; repeated failures by* no means diminished
GEORGE IV.
433
the hopes of the Catholic leaders and their friends 5 and in
Ireland they formed a permanent association for the further-
ance of their objects. (1825.) The members of the Catholic
Association were not always very measured in their lan-
guage or temperate in their attacks on government, and it
was judged expedient to suppress meetings which seemed
pregnant with danger. 11. A bill for extending the law in
Ireland against illegal societies was introduced into parlia-
ment, and as it was expected that catholic emancipation would
immediately follow, it passed with but little opposition.
This hope was, however, doomed to be disappointed : the
catholic question was indeed carried in the lower house, but
it was lost in the lords, principally on account of the exertions
made by his royal highness the duke of York.
12 . Speculations and joint-stock companies of every
description had lately multiplied so fast, that the nation
seemed infected with a species of insanity ; but the bubbles
soon burst, and a terrible reaction ensued. The confusion
of the money market, and the commercial embarrassments
thus created, did not entirely disappear for the next two or
three years.
13. (A. D. 1826.) The state of Portugal, the oldest ally of
England, began now to attract the attention of the public.
On the death of John VI., the succession devolved on Don
Pedro, who resided in Brazil ; he, however, satisfied with
the imperial crown which he had acquired in South America,
abdicated the Portuguese throne in favour of his daughter
Donna Maria, and, to prevent any domestic commotion,
betrothed her to his brother Don Miguel. Before taking
this decisive step, he prepared a constitution, securing the
blessings of civil and religious liberty to the Portuguese,
who, unfortunately, could neither appreciate the one nor the
other. 14. A strong party resolved to make Don Miguel
absolute king, and, under the secret sanction of the Spanish
government, began to assemble forces on the frontiers.
Under these circumstances, application was made to England
for assistance ; and an expedition was sent out with a
promptitude that excited the admiration of Europe. To
preserve the continuity of the narrative, we must complete
the account of the transactions in Portugal, before we again
return to the affairs of England. 15. In September, 1827,
Don Miguel was appointed regent by his brother, and imme-
diately proceeded to assume the reins of power. In the
?T>
434
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
following year, after the departure of the English troops, he
usurped the crown in defiance of the claims of his niece,
and immediately after abrogated the constitution and pro-
claimed himself absolute. The young queen of Portugal
had, in the mean time, arrived in England ; but finding her
friends not sufficiently strong to overthrow the usurper, she
returned to her father’s court at Rio Janeiro.
j
Questions for Examination.
1. By what circumstances had the English ministers been long embar-
rassed?
2. What event caused a change in the ministry?
3. For what purpose was the holy alliance formed ?
4. How was the Spanish constitution overthrown ?
6. What revolutions occurred in South America?
6. Did any European nation make a fierce struggle for freedom?
7. What remarkable English nobleman died while aiding the Greeks?
8. Did any wars take place in the British colonies ?
9. How did the Burmese war terminate?
10. What remarkable circumstance occurred in Ireland ?
11. Did parliament adopt any measure in consequence?
12. What pecuniary embarrassments occurred in England ?
13. How was public attention directed to the affairs of Portugal ?
14. In what manner did the English government behave ?
16. What was the final termination of the struggle in Portugal ?
SECTION m.
We cannot walk, or sit, or ride, or travel,
But death is by to seize us when he lists.— Scott.
1. (A. D. 1827.) Death and disease, among the great and
noble of the land, produced some important changes in the
councils of Great Britain. On the 5th of January, his royal
highness the duke of York died, sincerely and generally
lamented, more especially by the army ; for his conduct eyer
since his restoration to the office of commander-in-chief, had
deservedly procured for him the endearing appellation of
“the soldier’s friend.” 2. On the 17th of February, the
earl of Liverpool, prime minister of England, was seized
with a fit of apoplexy, which terminated his political exist-
ence, though his natural life was prolonged to the close of
the succeeding year. He was succeeded by Mr. Canning,
whose commanding eloquence and enlightened views had
made him almost irresistible in the house of commons. 3.
But the additional fatigues imposed upon the highly-gifted
statesman, and the fierce opposition he had to encounter
proved too much for a constitution already enfeebled by
neglected disease; he died on the 8th of August, in the
GEORGE IV.
435
fifty-eighth year of his age. 4. Mr. F. Robinson, having
been elevated to the peerage, by the title of lord Goderich,
was next appointed premier ; but his administration was
loose and unsettled, and the cabinet which he had formed
soon fell to pieces. The duke of Wellington was then
called by his majesty to preside over the councils of Britain,
and, aided by Mr. Peel, he succeeded in forming a ministry
promising more firmness and stability than that which it
succeeded.
5. The atrocities which marked the warfare between the
Greeks and Turks were so shocking to humanity, that the
sovereigns of Europe felt themselves bound to interfere,
and a treaty for the pacification of Greece was signed, in
London, on the 6th of July, 1827, by the representatives
of England, France, and Russia. 6. In consequence of
this, the allied fleets in the Mediterranean prepared to force
the combatants to consent to an armistice, and blockaded
the Turkish fleet in the harbour of Navarino. Ibrahim
Pacha, the Turkish commander in the Morea, paying but
little attention to the remonstrances of the allied admirals,
the united fleets sailed into the harbour, on the 20th of Oc-
tober, under the command of sir Edward Codrington, to
intimidate him into submission. 7. A shot fired by a
Turkish vessel was the signal for a general engagement,
which lasted four hours. It terminated in the almost utter
annihilation of the Turkish fleet, with comparatively little
loss to the allied squadrons. The independence of Greece
was virtually achieved by this brilliant victory, and was
further secured by the arrival of a small military force from
France; the Turkish government, however, refused sub-
mission, and war was commenced against Russia. 8. The
events of this war, though not properly belonging to Eng-
lish history, demand a brief notice. In the first campaign
the Turks made an obstinate resistance, and gained some
advantages over their opponents ; but in the following year
(1829), the Russian arms were everywhere successful ; the
passages of the Balkan were forced ; Adrianople, the second
city in the empire, was captured, and the sultan forced to
consent to terms of peace, dictated almost at the gates of
Constantinople. 9. The demands of Russia were, how-
ever, less exorbitant than might have been expected under
the circumstances; but there is reason to believe that this
moderation was inspired by a dread of provoking the jea-
lousy and resentment of England.
436
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
10. (A. D. 1828.) After the resignation of lord Goderich,
Mr. Hu 8 ki 880 n and some other friends of the late Mr. Can-
ning, had joined the duke of Wellington’s administration,
but they soon found that little harmony could exist in such
a coalition. At length Mr. Iluskisson, having voted against
ministers, tendered his resignation, which to his great sur-
prise and mortification was accepted, nor could all his sub-
sequent efforts alter the inflexible spirit of the duke of Wel-
lington. The time of the house of commons was wasted
in the discussion of this and similar petty disputes, but one
act of the session made an important change in the forms
of the constitution. The test and corporation acts, which
required the receiving of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper,
according to the rites of the church of England, as a neces
sary qualification for office, were repealed after a brief par-
liamentary struggle ; and the hopes of the Roman catholics,
for the repeal of the laws by which they were excluded
from parliament, were greatly raised by this event. A mo-
tion in their favour was made by sir Francis Burdett, and
carried by a majority of six ; but it terminated ineffectively,
as a similar motion was negatived in the house of peers.
11. The country continued to be agitated by the catholic
question during the remainder of the year; on the one
hand, Brunswick clubs were formed by the advocates of
protestant ascendency, to resist all further concession ; on
the other side, the catholic leaders and their friends strenu-
ously exerted themselves to render the cause of emancipa-
tion popular. In Ireland, the agitation was so violent that
there was reason to apprehend a civil war: the most in-
temperate harangues were made at Brunswick meetings and
in the Catholic Association ; it was manifest that nothing
but promptitude and decision on the part of government
could avert the effusion of blood.
12. (A. D. 1829.) The commencement of the ensuing
session of parliament was expected by all parties with the
utmost anxiety; and it was not without surprise, that both
parties found catholic emancipation recommended in the
speech from the throne. A bill to give effect to this re-
commendation passed both houses by triumphant majorities
though not without encountering a vigorous opposition, and
received the royal assent on the 1 3th of April.
13. From the date of this important change in the con-
stitution, to the close of the reign, nothing of great import-
ance occurred in England ; but m France the dissatisfaction
437
GEORGE IV.
bt the people with their rulers became daily more manifest.
An expedition was undertaken against Algiers, probably
with the hope of diverting the attention of the French peo-
ple from politics, to what had been so long their favourite
passion,— military glory. (A.D. 1830.) The expedition
was eminently successful; Algiers was captured, and the
entire presidency subjected to the power of France; but
the discontents of the French people continued to rage with
as much violence as ever.
14. The illness of the king in the commencement of the
year 1830 threw a damp on public affairs, and, as its fatal
tendency became more apparent, speculations were rife on
the probable political conduct of his successor. After a
tedious sickness, which he sustained with great fortitude
and resignation, George IY died at Windsor Castle, on the
25th of June. The reasons already assigned for omitting
a sketch of the character of George m. are in the present
instance still more forcibly applicable ; we shall only say
of him as a distinguished writer has said of Henry IV. of
France,
Oh ! be his failings covered by his tomb,
And guardian laurels o’er his ashes bloom.
Questions for Examination.
1. What death occurred in the royal family? [nistry?
2. By what circumstance was Mr. Canning placed at the head of the mi-
3. What is supposed to have caused Mr. Canning’s death?
4. What changes took place in consequence of Mr. Canning’s death?
6. In what manner did the European sovereigns endeavour to effect the
pacification of Greece?
6. Wnat caused the battle of Navarino?
7. What were the oonsequences of the battle?
8. How did the Russian war with Turkey terminate ?
9. Why was Russia moderate in her demands ? [of 1828 ?
10. What remarkable circumstance occurred in the parliamentary session
11. Was the British nation disturbed by the agitation of any important
12. How was the catholic question finally settled? [question ?
13. Did tho French government engage in any important expedition ?
14. When did George IV. die?
CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.
Popes, A.D.
Leo XU 1823
Emperor qf Austria.
Francis II 1792
King qf Bavaria.
Louis Charles Au-
gustus 1825
King and Electorate qf
Bohemia. A.D.
Francis II 1792
King qf Denmark.
Frederick VI 1808
King of France.
Charles X 1824
King of Hanover. A . d .
George IV. king of
Great Britain.
King of Naples and
Sicily.
Ferdinand IV.rest.1824
Francis Janiver
Joseph 1825
HISTORY Of ENGLAND.
438
King of the Nether-
lands. A.D.
William I 1813
King of Poland.
Nicholas 1. see Russia.
Queen of Portugal.
Donna Maria da
Gloria 1826
King of Prussia, a.d.
Frederick IV 1797
“ Emperor of Russia.
Nicholas 1 1825
King of Sardinia,.
Charles Felix 1821
King of Saxony.
Anthony Clement. 1827
King uf Spain. a.d,
Ferdinand VII 1808
King of Sweden and
Norway.
Charles XIV 1818
Grand Seignior of
Turkey.
Mahmoud II 1808
King of Wirtemburg.
Frederic William. .1816
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
WILLIAM IV.
Born 1765. Began to reign 1830. Died June 20, 1837.
SECTION I.
The love of liberty with life is given,
And life itself the inferior gift of heaven .— Dry den.
1. Rarely lias the accession of a n.ew sovereign afforded
such general satisfaction as was manifested by all classes
when the duke of Clarence ascended the throne, with the title
of William IV. Unlike his predecessors, his habits were
economical and his manners familiar ; he exhibited himself
to his people, conversed with them, and shared in their tastes
and amusements; within a few weeks he attained an unpre-
cedented degree of popularity, and was reverenced by his
subjects as a father, and loved by them as a friend. 2. No
change was made in the ministry ; but as his majesty was
connected by marriage with some of the leading whigs, it
was generally believed that the policy which rigidly excluded
that party from office during the two preceding reigns,
would not be maintained in full force. The hopes of a coali-
tion between the Wellington administration and the whigs
were, however, soon dispelled ; the opposition to the minis-
try, which had been almost nominal during the preceding
sessions, was more than usually violent in the debate on the
address ; and though the formal business of both houses was
hurried through with all possible despatch, the whigs were
pledged to a virtual declaration of war against the cabinet
before the prorogation of parliament.
3. The parliament was dissolved on the 24th of July ; but
before it could be again convened, a revolution in a neigh-
WILLIAM IV.
439
bouring country produced important effects on the public
mind, and in some degree convulsed all Europe. Charles X;
in defiance of the wishes and feelings of the great majority
of the French people, was eager to restore the royal and sa-
cerdotal power to the eminence which both possessed before
the revolution. He found in prince Polignac a minister able
and willing to second his projects, and he placed him at the
head of the cabinet. Polignac thought that, by gratifying
the national vanity of the French, and indulging their pas^
sion for military glory, he might be able to divert their atten-
tion from domestic exploits : previously to dissolving the
chamber of deputies, he therefore proclaimed war against the
dey of Algiers, who had committed several outrages on the
subjects of France. But the expectations of the prince were
miserably disappointed. His cabinet was assailed with a
ferocity and violence to which the annals of constitutional
warfare furnish no parallel ; and as the actions of its mem-
bers afforded no opportunity for crimination, their opponents
made amends by attacking their presumed designs and inten-
tions. When the chamber of deputies met, an address, hos-
tile to the ministry, was carried by a large majority. 4. The
king instantly prorogued the chambers ; and when the reduc-
tion of Algiers had, as he fondly hoped, gratified the nation
and restored his popularity, he once more hazarded the
perilous experiment of a dissolution. The new chamber of
deputies was still more hostile than the preceding. Polignac
and his colleagues saw that they could not hope to retain
their power by constitutional means, and in an evil hour they
prepared three ordinances by which the French charter was
virtually annihilated. The first dissolved the chambers
before they assembled, the second disfranchised the great
body of electors, and the third imposed a rigid censorship
on the press.
5. When these ordinances first appeared on Monday, the
28th of July, they excited astonishment rather than indigna-
tion; a number of persons, however, connected with the
journals of Paris, assembled, and issued a manifesto, in
which they declared their resolution to resist, by all the
means in their power, the enforcement of the ordinance im-
posing restrictions on the press. Several of the daily jour-
nals were not published on the following morning, and the
printers and compositors engaged in their preparation, being
left without employment, formed a body of active rioters.
They were joinwl by the workmen from several manufac-
440
ttlStORlT OP INGtANDi
tories, the proprietors of which had agreed to suspend then'
business during the crisis, thus throwing into the streets an
Insurrectionary force, whose ferocity was more formidable
than military discipline. Some disturbances took place at
the oifices of two journals, the proprietors of which persisted
in publishing appeals to the populace; but they seemed to be
of so little importance, that Charles went to enjoy his favourite
amusement of hunting, and his ministers, with similar in-
fatuation, neglected to strengthen the garrison of Paris.
6. In the evening of Tuesday, the appearance of the military
to reinforce the police became the signal for the commence-
ment of a contest. Several lives were lost, but the soldiers
succeeded in dispersing the riotous mobs ; and when they re-
turned to their barracks, Marshal Marmont, the military
commander of Paris, wrote a letter to the king, congratulat-
ing him on the restoration of tranquillity ; and the ministers
prepared their last ordinance, declaring the capital to be in a
state of siege.
7. But the apparent triumph of the royalists was delusive;
scarcely were the troops withdrawn when all the lamps in
Paris were broken, and the citizens, protected by darkness,
made energetic preparations for the struggle of the ensuing
day ; barricades were erected, arms were procured from the
shops, the theatres, and the police-stations, and the arsenal
and powder magazine were seized by the populace. When
the morning of Wednesday dawned, Marmont beheld with
alarm the tri-coloured flag, the banner of insurrection, wav-
ing from the towers of the cathedral, and the preparations
made on all sides for an obstinate struggle. He instantly
wrote to the king, recommending conciliatory measures ; but
receiving no answer, he prepared to act on his previous in-
structions. Dividing his troops into four columns, he direct-
ed them to move in different directions, and made circuits
through the principal streets occupied by the insurgents. A
series of sanguinary conflicts took place, in all of which the
royalists were worsted ; the troops of the line manifested the
greatest reluctance to fire upon their countrymen ; some of
them disobeyed orders, and others went over to the insur-
gents. When evening closed, the soldiers had been beaten
at every point, and they returned to their barracks wearied
and disappointed. No provision was made for their refresh-
ment after the toils of the day, while all the houses in Paris
were freely opened to the insurgents, and the citizens vied
WILLIAM IV.
441
with each other in supplying them with everything that they
needed.
8. The struggle was renewed with great fury on the
morning of the third day ; Marmont and the ministers, now
convinced of their danger, proposed a suspension of arms ;
but before anything decisive could be effected, two regiments
of the line unfixed their bayonets, and went over to the in-
surgents in a body. The populace reinforced by these
rushed through the gap thus opened; carried the Louvre by
storm, and opened from this position a terrible fire on the
column of the royal army. Under this new attack the sol-
diers reeled ; their assailants saw them waver, and charging
with resistless impetuosity, drove them to a precipitate re-
treat. Marmont and his staff escaped with great difficulty,
his scattered detachments were taken or cut to pieces ; before
three o’clock Paris was tranquil, and the victory of the peo-
ple complete.
9. The members of the chamber of deputies, who hap-
pened to be at Paris, met at the house of M. Lafitte, and organ-
ized a provisional government; and on the following Friday
they proclaimed the duke of Orleans lieutenant-general of
the kingdom. On the 3rd of August the chambers met, pur-
suant to the original writs of convocation, and the national
representatives raised the duke of Orleans to the throne,
under the title of Louis Philippe I., king of the French.
Charles X. was dismissed to exile with contemptuous hu-
manity ; but the efforts of the new government to protect the
obnoxious ministers almost produced a new civil war. Four
of these unfortunate men, arrested by individual zeal, were
brought to trial ; an infuriated mob clamoured for their blood,
"but their judges had the firmness to sentenoe them to perpetual
imprisonment ; and soon after their removal to their destined
place of confinement, public tranquillity was restored.
10. The revolution of Paris was closely followed by that
of Brussels. The union of Belgium with Holland by the
treaty of Vienna was an arrangement which contained no
elements of stability, for the Belgians and the Dutch were
aliens to each other in language, religion and blood. The
arbitrary measures of the king of Holland’s prime minister
provoked a formidable riot in Brussels, on the night of the
25th of August, which the indecision, cowardice, and stu-
pidity of the Dutch authorities fostered into a revolutionary
war. The prince of Orange made some efforts to mediate
between the contending parties, but he only exposed himself
442 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
to the suspicious of both ; and, after a brief struggle, Bel-
gium was severed from the dominions of the house ol
Nassau. .
11. Several insurrectionary movements took place in Ger-
many; the duke of Brunswick was deposed, and replaced
by his brother ; the king of Saxony was forced to resign in
favoitr of his nephew, and the elector of Hesse was compelled
to grant a constitutional charter to his subjects. Poland
next became the theatre of war ; its Russian governor, the
archduke Constantine, was expelled, and the independence of
the country proclaimed ; but after a long and sanguinary
struggle, the gallant Poles were forced to yield to the gigan-
tic power of Russia.
12. In England, the rural districts, especially Kent and
the northern counties, exhibited alarming signs of popular
discontent ; but the agitation in Ireland was of a still more
dangerous character, and seemed to threaten the dismember-
ment of the empire. Great anxiety was felt for the opening
of parliament, and the development of the line of policy
which the ministers would adopt at such a crisis. It was
with surprise that the people learned from the premier, on
the very first night of the session, that not only he was un-
prepared to bring forward any measure of reform, but that
he would strenuously oppose any change in parliamentary
representation. 13. The unpopularity which the duke of
Wellington seemed almost to have courted by this declara-
tion, was studiously aggravated by the acts of his opponents :
and when the king had accepted the invitation of the Lord
Mayor to dine with the citizens on the 9th of November, a
letter was sent to the duke of Wellington by a city magis-
trate, warning him that he would be insulted, perhaps in-
jured, by the mob, if he did not come protected by a military
escort. The ministers in alarm resolved to put a stop to the
entire proceedings ; and on the 8th of November, to the great
astonishment of the public, it was announced, not only that
the king’s visit would be postponed, but that there would be
neither the usual civic procession in honour of the new Lord
Mayor, nor the dinner in the Guild-hall, for which great
preparations had been made, in consequence, as was alleged,
of some seditious conspiracy. The first effect of the an-
nouncement was a general panic; the funds fell four per
cent, in one day, and the whole country was filled with
anxiety and alarm. But when it was discovered that no
serious grounds existed for the apprehensions which had
WILLIAM IV. 44 H
been excited, all who had a share in exciting it were assailed
with a tempest of indignant ridicule, which even a stronger
cabinet than that of the duke of Wellington could not have
resisted. 14. When the ministerial measure for the arrange-
ment for the civil list was introduced, Sir Henry Parnell
moved a resolution whieh implied that the ministers no longer
possessed the confidence of parliament. After a calm de-
bate, marked by unusual moderation on both sides, the reso-
lution was carried in a full house by a majority of twenty-
nine votes; the duke of Wellington and his colleagues
instantly resigned, and earl Grey received his majesty’s
commands to form a new administration.
15. Earl Grey’s ministry was formed of the leaders of
the old whig party and the friends of the late Mr. Canning ;
the most remarkable appointment was that of Mr. Brougham
to the office of Lord Chancellor, as a very few days before
his elevation he had declared “ no change that may take
place in the administration can by any possibility affect
me.” His immediate acceptance of a peerage and office
consequently excited surprise, and provoked harsh comments.
Parliament adjourned for a short time to give the new minis-
ters an opportunity for maturing their plans, which were
stated by the premier to include economy and retrenchment
at home, non-interference in the affairs of foreign states, and
a reform in the commons’ house of parliament.
16. Great anxiety was felt about the nature of the reform
which the ministers would ' propose. Their measure was
developed to the house of commons by lord John Russel, on
the 1st of March, 1831, and it was found to include a
greater amount of change than had been anticipated either
by friends or enemies. All boroughs not containing two
thousand inhabitants were totally disfranchised, those that
had less than four thousand were restricted to returning one
member, and the rights of representation of which these
were deprived were given to large manufacturing towns,
four districts of the metropolis, and to divisions of the large
counties. Similar changes were proposed in the representa-
tion of Scotland and Ireland.
17. A measure which involved so important a change in
the constitution, was one which naturally provoked pro-
tracted discussions. The debate on its introduction lasted
seven nights ; the second reading of the bill was only carried
by a majority of one. The ministers were subsequently de-
feated on two divisions, and were compelled either to resign
444
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
their situations or dissolve their parliament. His majesty
carried his resolution into effect to support the cabinet by
dissolving the parliament in person, and an appeal was then
made to the people, on the most important constitutional
question that had been raised since the accession of the
house of Hanover.
18. The event of the elections more than answered the
expectations of the most ardent reformer. When the new
parliament met, it appeared that fully two-thirds of the repre-
sentatives were pledged to support the minister. The pro-
gress of the Reform Bill through the house of commons
though slow was certain, and on the 22nd of September it was
sent up to the lords. Its fate in the upper house was very
different; it was rejected on a second reading by a majority
of forty-one. This decision produced violent and even dan-
gerous excitement ; but the promptitude with which the house
of commons, on the motion of lord Ebrington, pledged itself
to the support of the ministers and their measure, calmed the
agitation in the metropolis and the greater part of the coun-
try. Serious riots, however, took place at Derby and Not-
ingham, which were not quelled until considerable mischief
had been perpetrated; Bristol suffered still more severely
from the excesses of an infuriate mob, and the disturbances
were not suppressed until an immense quantity of public and
private property had been wantonly destroyed.
19. In the midst of this political excitement the country
was visited by a pestilential disease called the Asiatic cho-
lera, which proved very destructive, though its ravages were
not so great in England as in some parts of the continent.
This must, under Providence, be attributed to the judicious
measures adopted by the government, and to the zealous ex-
ertions of all the gentlemen connected with the medical pro-
fession throughout the empire. In Ireland, agrarian insur-
rections were added to the horrors of pestilence the pea-
sants, driven to desperation by famine and oppression on the
one hand, and stimulated by the violent harangues of itiner-
ent demagogues on the other, committed several atrocious
outrages, which could not be restrained by the ordinary
operations of constitutional law. France and Italy were
also disturbed by insurrectionary movements, which were,
however, soon suppressed ; and the revolution of Belgium
was completed, by its being formed into a monarchy under
prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg, whose chief recommenda-
tion was his connection with the royal family of England.
WILLIAM IV.
445
20 . These circumstances induced the ministers to convene
parliament for the third time within the year 5 the Reform
Bill was again introduced, and, after the second reading, had
been carried by a decisive majority; the houses adjourned till
the commencement of the following year. When they re-
assembled, the Reform Bill was carried steadily through its
remaining stages in the lower house, and once more brought
into the house of peers, where its fate was regarded with
great anxiety. Several of its former opponents, called wa-
verers, had resolved to vote for the second reading, with the
hope that the measure might be greatly modified in com-
mittee, and by their aid the bill pased this important stage
by a majority of nine. But the ministers had no reason to
boast of this success ; more than twenty of those who had
supported the second reading were pledged to resist the most
important clauses, and, by their aid, a motion for instruction
to the committee on the bill, which virtually took all control
over the measure out of the hands of its proposers, was
carried by a majority of thirty-five. Lord Grey, in con-
junction with hiB colleagues, proposed to the king a new
creation of peers, his majesty refused his assent to so
extreme a measure, and all the members of the cabinet
instantly resigned. The king th en applied to the duke of
Wellington to form a new administration, and his grace un-
dertook the task under circumstances of greater difficulty
than had yet been encountered by a British statesman. Op-
posed by the bulk of the nation and by a large majority of
the house of commons, the duke soon discovered that it
would be out of his power to form a ministry ; he therefore
resigned the commission, and advised the king to recall his
former advisers. Lord Grey returned to power, having se-
cured the success of the Reform Bill by a compromise with
its opponents. It was agreed that the ministers should not
create peers, but that the leaders of the opposition should
secede from the house until the Reform Bill became the law
of the land. Under these circumstances the measure was
passed without any impediment through its remaining stages,
and on the 7th of June it received the royal assent.
Questions for Examination.
1. How was the accession of William IV. received?
2. What was the state of parties at the commencement of the -new reign?
3. With what design did tnejFrench ministers declare war againstAl giers ?
446
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
4. What ordinance* were issued by Polignac?
6. How were they received in Paris ?
6. When did the contest between the citizens of Paris and the royal
troops begin?
7. In what condition was the royal cause alter theseoond day’s struggle
in Paris?
8. How was the contest in Paris terminated ?
9. Was any change made in the government of France?
10 Did the French Revolution produce any effect in Belgium?
11. Were there any insurrectionary movements in any other parts of the
continent?
12. What remarkable declaration was made by the duke of Wellington?
13. Why was the king’s visit to the city postponed ?
14. How was the Wellington administration dissolved?
15. On what principle was lord Grey’s ministry constructed?
16. What was the general nature of the Reform Bill P
17. How was it received on its first introduction into the house of com-
mons?
18. What was the fate of the Reform Bill in the new parliament?
19. In what condition were Great Britain and the continent at this crisis?
20. How was the Reform Bill ultimately carried ?
SECTION II.
The palace sounds with wail,
The courtly dames are pale,
A widow o’er the purple bows, and weeps its splendour dim;
And we who clasp the boon,
A king for freedom won,
Do feel eternity rise up between our thanks and him. — Anon.
1. (A.D. 1833-7.) The revolution in France, tlie ex-
citement attending the agitation of the Reform Bill in Eng-
land, the difficulty which impeded the arrangement of the
affairs of Belgium, and the war in Poland, threatened con-
sequences fatal to the peace of Europe : it was only by slow
degrees that the agitated waves were stilled, and appearances
more than once seemed to threaten a renewal of the storm.
Louis was zealously supported by the middle classes in
France, but he was exposed to the plots of the Carlists ^nd
republicans, who were equally hostile to the continuance of
a government so adverse to their favourite schemes. A Car-
list insurrection in the south of France, and a republican riot
at the funeral of General Lamarque in Paris, threatened to
involve the nation in the perils of a civil war ; but the
republicans were unable to withstand the firmness of the
national guard, and the capture of the duchess of Berri put
an end to the war in the south of France.
2. Don Pedro had resigned the crown of Portugal when
be was chosen emperor of Brazil ; but when he was deposed
by his South American subjects, he resolved to support his
WILLIAM IV.
447
daughter’s claims to the throne of Portugal. Having se-
cretly organized a considerable force of English and French
adventurers, he effected a landing near Oporto, and took
possession of that city. He expected an insurrection, but
none took place ; and he was closely besieged in the city by
the usurper Miguel. A desultory war ensued, distinguished
by no remarkable events, until Miguel’s fleet was captured
by Admiral Napier with a very inferior force ; after which
Lisbon was surprised by the constitutional forces, and the
usurper driven into exile. Don Pedro’s death, which soon
followed his victory, did no injury to the constitutional cause,
and his daughter, Don Maria da Gloria, remains in undis-
turbed possession of the crown of Portugal.
3. The influence of Russia was exercised in resisting the
progress of liberal opinion in Germany, but was more alarm-
ingly displayed in the east of Europe. Mahommed Ali, the
pacha of Egypt, threw of his allegiance to the sultan, and
sent his son Ibrahim to invade Syria. The superior disci-
pline of the Egyptian troops rendered their victories easy,
and Ibrahim might have advanced to the suburbs of Constan-
tinople, and perhaps have taken that city, had not the sultan
sought protection from the Czar. A Russian armament de-
livered the Ottoman empire from the impending peril, but
the acceptance of such aid rendered the sultan a dependent
on the court of St. Petersburg.
4. Such was the state of Europe when the British parlia-
ment was dissolved, and a new election held pursuant to the
provisions of the Reform Bill. In England and Scotland the
ministers had very large majorities ; but in Ireland a new
party mustered in considerable force, consisting of members
pledged to support the repeal of the union. 5. One of the
earliest measures which engaged the attention of the re-
formed parliament, was a coercion bill for suppressing the
agrarian disturbances in Ireland, and checking the political
agitation by which these tumults were in some measure en-
couraged. The bill passed the lords without difficulty ; but
in the lower house it encountered so fierce an opposition, that
the ministers were compelled to abandon some of the most
obnoxious clauses. With the coercion bill a measure for the
regulation of the Irish church was very closely connected.
The Irish church stands in the unpopular predicament of
possessing a wealthy national establishment, while the great
majority of the people belong not merely to a different, but
to a hostile faith ; impediments have consequently been of-
448
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
fered to the collection of its revenues, and there has scarcely
been any popular disturbance in Ireland during the greater
part of a century, which has not been more or less remotely
connected with the tithe-question. Under these circum-
stances, the conservative party generally supported the claims
of the church in their full efficiency j the moderate reformers
proposed, that after provision had been made for all neces-
sary ecclesiastical uses, the surplus should be applied to some
object of public utility, such as national education ; and a
third party, stronger in zeal than numbers, regarded the pro-
perty of the church as a fund that might be seized for the
purposes of the state. The ministers steered a middle course
between the extreme parties, and of course gave perfect satis-
faction to neither ; they abolished ten bishoprics, but they
abandoned the clause for applying the surplus to purposes
not 'purely ecclesiastical, in order to facilitate the passage of
the bill through the house of lords. The motion was ren-
dered more agreeable to the Irish clergy, than it would other-
wise have been, by the grant of a million sterling as a loan,
in lieu of the arrears of tithes which they were unable to
collect.
6. The renewal of the charter of the bank of England,
led to some important discussions on the financial state of
the country; but much more important was the change made
in the constitution of the East India Company. While that
body was secured in its political rights over the vast empire
which it had acquired in Hindostan, it was deprived of its
exclusive privileges of commerce, and the trade with India
and China was freely opened to all the subjects of the British
crown. Equally great was the change made in the constitu-
tion of the British West India colonies by the total abolition
of negro slavery ; the service of the negro was changed into
a compulsory apprenticeship for a limited time, and a com-
pensation of twenty millions sterling was granted to the pro-
prietors of the slaves.
7. Nothwithstanding the importance and value of these
changes, the reform parliament was far from satisfying the
expectations which had been rather too sanguinely formed
by the people. Some dissatisfaction was expressed at the
limited amount of the reductions of taxation, the continuance
of the corn laws, and of military flogging, and the impress-
ment of seamen. It was also suspected that the cabinet was
itself divided on more than one question of public policy.
8. In the United States some discussion arose, in which
WILLIAM IV.
449
the interests of England as a commercial country, were ma-
terially involved. The tariff sanctioned by Congress, im-
posing heavy duties on the import of manufactured goods,
was strenuously opposed by the Southern states, especially
the Carolinas, and an appeal to arms was threatened. With
some difficulty a compromise was effected, but the attack
thus made on the permanence of the union is still felt in
America. The hostility of the American president to the
banking system induced him to withdraw the public de-
posits from the bank of the United states, and a violent
shock was thus given to commercial credit, which produced
injurious results on both sides of the Atlantic.
9. The agitation in Ireland for the repeal of the union
was continued during the recess ; and soon after the meeting
of parliament, Mr. O’Connell introduced the subject into the
house of commons. His motion was rejected by a majority
of five hundred and twenty against fifty-eight, but at the
same time parliament pledged itself u to remove all just
cause of complaint to promote all well considered measures
of improvement.” But on the nature of these measures the
cabinet was divided ; and the majority having evinced a dis-
position to appropriate the surplus ecclesiastical revenues to
secular purposes of general, utility, the earl, of Ripon, the
duke of Richmond, Mr. Stanley, and sir James Graham, re-
signed their offices. Their places were soon supplied ; but
the changes were very distasteful to the house of lords, and
the new Irish tithe bill was rejected by a decided majority.
10. Another Irish question led to further changes in the
ministry. In the discussion on the renewal of the coercion
bill, it appeared. that some members had agreed to certain
compromises with its opponents of which their colleagues
were ignorant. The disclosure of these negotiations led to
the resignation of lords Althorp and Grey, the former of
whom, however, returned to office when lord Melbourne
was appointed premier. These ministerial dissensions and
the opposite views of the majorities in the house of lords
and commons greatly impeded the progress of legislation ;
almost the only important measure of the session was a bill
for the reform of the poor-laws, which, though it effected
very great changes, was not much connected with party
politics.
11. The anomalous position _ of the government gave
general dissatisfaction ; the cabinet was assailed with equal
violence by the conservatives and ‘he extreme section of the
2e
450
HISTORY Or ENGLAND.
reformers, and the king soon began to show that he was by
no means satisfied with the conduct of his ministers, espe-
cially the lord chancellor, who, during a tour in Scotland,
had made some inconsistent and extraordinary speeches at
various public meetings. On the death of earl Spencer, lord
Altliorp was obliged to vacate his otiice of chancellor of the
exchequer, and the king took this opportunity of dismissing
the Melbourne administration. Sir Robert Peel was appoint-
ed premier; but, as he was absent on the continent, the duke
of Wellington undertook the management of public affairs
till his return.
12. After Sir Robert Peel’s return, and the formation of
his cabinet the parliament was dissolved, and a new election
brought the strength of parties to a very severe test. In
England the partisans of Sir Robert Peel’s administration had
a small majority ; but in Ireland, an unfortunate affray at
Rathcormack, arising from an attempt to enforce the pay-
ment of tithes, so exasperated the catholic population, that
the ministerial candidates were almost everywhere unsuc-
cessful. When the parliament assembled, the ministers were
beaten at the very outset in the choice of a speaker ; Mr.
Abercromby, the opposition candidate, having been preferred
to the ministerial candidate, Sir Charles Sutton, by a majority
of ten. Several other motions were decided against the
ministers, but none that involved a necessity for resignation,
until lord John Russell proposed a resolution, that any mea-
sure introduced regarding Irish tithes should be founded on
the principle of appropriating the surplus revenue to purposes
of general utility. The motion was carried by a majority of
twenty-three ; Sir Robert Peel and his colleagues immediately
resigned, and the Melbourne cabinet was restored, with the
remarkable exception of lord Brougham, whose place, as
chancellor, was supplied by lord Cottenham.
13. A bill for reforming the corporations of England,
founded on the report of commissioners appointed to investi-
gate the condition of these bodies, was immediately intro-
duced by the Melbourne administration, and passed without
difficulty through the house of commons. Some important
changes were made in the measure during its progress
through the house of lords, bnt the ministers deemed it better
to accept these modifications than to risk the loss of the bill.
A law for regulating the marriages of dissenters was also
passed by both houses ; but the ministerial measures for regu-
lating the Irish church were again rejected by the house of
lords.
WILLIAM IV.
451
| f; -^ ie state of Canada began to occupy a large share of
public attention during the latter part of the session : the
colonial house of assembly opposed the measures of govern-
ment, and went to the extreme of withholding the supplies.
Commissioners were sent to arrange these differences ; but
the Canadians of French descent made claims, not only in-
consistent with the continuance of British dominion, but with
the fair claims to protection of the British emigrants who
had settled in the country, and their demands were conse-
quently rejected.
15. During the struggle Ijetween the nicely balanced par-
ties in England, the aspect of continental affairs was favour-
able to the continuance of peace. An attempt was made on
the life of the king of the French, and various plots were
formed by enthusiastic republicans to effect a revolution ; but
the friends of order rallied . round the throne, and the only
result of these attacks was to increase the strength of the
government. Spain was distracted by the horrors of a dis-
puted succession. A little before the death of Ferdinand
VII., the Salic law, which had been introduced by the Bour-
bon dynasty, was set aside in favour of that monarch’s infant
daughter; and she succeeded to the throne after her father’s
decease, (1833). Don Carlos and his partisans protested
against this arrangement, and they took advantage of the
unpopularity of the regent to kindle the flames of civil war.
To prevent the necessity of again returning to this subject,
we may mention here that this war still continues ; that the
queen regent, though aided by a British auxiliary legion, has
failed to establish her authority over the northern provinces,
and that so completely disorganized is the entire condition of
society in the peninsula, that there is no present prospect of
its being speedily restored to a state of order and settled gov-
ernment. Though the civil war in Portugal has not been
renewed, the country continues to be distracted by contests
between rival parties, whose struggles are too often decided
by open force, rather than constitutional means.
16. The commencement of the parliamentary session in
1836, showed that the differences between the majority of
the lords and the majority of the commons were far from
being reconciled. They were at issue principally on the line
of policy that ought to he pursued towards Ireland, and on
the measures for regulating the established church in Eng-
land and Ireland. It was proposed that the Irish corporations
Bhould be reformed according to the plan which, in the pre-
452
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
ceding year, had been adopted for similar bodies in England,
and a bill embodying this principle received the sanction of
the lower house ; the lords, however, insisted that the state
cl' society in Ireland was such that municipal institutions
were not adapted to that country, and resolved that the cor-
porations should be altogether abolished : to this amendment
the commons refused to agree, and the bill was consequently
lost. A similar fate awaited the Irish tithe bill ; the lords
rejected the appropriation clause, and the commons would
not accept the measure without it. Laws, however, were
passed for the commutation of tithes in England, for the
registration of births, deaths, and marriages, and for regulat-
ing episcopal see -, the opposing parties having each yielded
a little to ensure unanimity.
17. In Upper Canada the refractory house of assembly
was dissolved, and at the new election a majority of members
favourable to the British government was returned. But in
Lower Canada the demands of the French party were not
only renewed but increased : and the governol’, after a vain
effbrt to conciliate the house of assembly, put an end to the
session.
18. In America the progress of the contest between Presi-
dent Jackson and the Bank of the United States, greatly em-
barrassed all commercial transactions. In spite of ail legis-
lative prohibitions, the country was inundated by an over
issue of paper money ; and the government, to cheek the
evil, decreed that specie alone should be received in payment
tor public lands. The small notes were immediately depre-
waled, several banks faileJ, and many of the leading mer-
chants and traders were unable to discharge their engage-
ments. The crisis was sensibly felt in England, where it
greatly checked the speculation in railroads, which were
beginning to be carried on to a perilous extent ; the manu-
facturing districts suiiered most severely from the temporary
pressure ; but the crisis was soon over, and trade again
tLwed in its accustomed channels.
19. The parliamentary session of 1S37 produced few
measures of importance; on Irish measures the houses
maintained their opposite opinions, and of course nothing
was done; in matters of ecclesiastical policy the result was
precisely the same; the only matter in which there was an v
appearance ot unanimity, was in the adoption of resolutions
lor administering the government of Lower Canada in oppo-
sition to the refractory house of assembly. A gloom was
Victoria.
453
thrown over these and other discussions by the increasing
illness of the king, whose disease at an early period prog-
nosticated its fatal termination. His majesty died on the
morning of the 20th of June, sincerely regretted by every
class ot his subjects. During his reign of nearly seven
years, the nation enjoyed tranquillity both at home and
abroad ; it was the only reign in the annals of England
during which there was -no execution for treason and no
foreign war.
Questions for Examination.
1. What was the condition of France after the Revolution ?
2. Did any civil war arise in Portugal ?
3. How was Turkey forced into dependence on Russia ?
4. What was the state of parties in the first reformed parliament ?
5. To what measure of domestic policy was the attention of parliament
directed ?
6. What change was madein the Fast and West India colonies ?
7. Did the reformed parliament satisfy expectations ?
8. To what danger was the American union exposed '!
9. On what question was lord Gray’s cabinet divided ?
10. What circumstances led to further change in the ministry ?
11. On what occasion was the Melbourne cabinet dissolved ?
12. How was sir Robert Pool compelled to resign ?
13. With what measure did the Melbourne ministry succeed ?
14. In what condition was Canada
15. Can you state the circumstances of the civil war in Spain ?
16. On what subjects were the majorities of the lords and commons at
* variance ?
17. What was the progress of Canadian discontent ?
18. What commercial crisis occurred in America ?
19. Why was the session of 1837 unproductive of important events ?
CHAPTER XXXIX.
VICTORIA.
Bom 1819. Began to reign 1837.
SECTION I.
They decked her courtly halls :
They reined her hundred steeds ;
They shouted at her palace gate—
A noble queen succeeds. — Anon.
1. Victoria, tbe only daughter of Edward, duke of Kent,
succeeded her late uncle, and her accession to the throne was
hailed with more than ordinary enthusiasm. All parties
vied with each other in testifying their affectionate allegiance
454
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
to tlieir youthful sovereign, called, at the early age of eighteen,
to rule over the destinies of a mighty empire. The formal
business of parliament was completed with all possible
despatch, and, at the close of the session, parliament was dis-
solved. Although there was a keen trial of strength between
the rival political parties, the elections were unusually tran-
quil ; and, at their close, it appeared that the triumphs of
the opposing parties were nearly balanced. Public atten-
tion was next directed to the preparation made for enter-
taining her majesty at a civic banquet on the 9 th of November,
they were on a scale of unrivalled magnificence, and her
majesty’s procession to the Guild-hall was one of the most
pleasing pageants ever displayed in England. No change
was made in the cabinet ; and when parliament assembled
towards the close of the year, it appeared that the ministers
retained their majority in the house of commons, and that
the opposition to them in the house of lords had become more
moderate.
2. The state of Lower Canada was one of the most pressing
subjects for the consideration of the legislature ; the oppo-
nents of the government had taken up arms, and raised the
standard of rebellion. But it soon appeared that their mea-
sures were ill-concerted; after a brief struggle most of the
leaders abandoned their followers, and sought shelter in the
United States. Immediately after the re-assembling of par-
liament in January, 1838, measures were introduced forthe
temporary government of Canada, its constitution having been
suspended by the revolt ; and the earl of Durham was ap-
pointed governor of all the British colonies in North America,
with power, as lord commissioner, to arrange the differences
between her majesty’s government and her discontented sub-
jects. The result of his mission was that the two provinces
were consolidated into one, under a joint political administra-
tion ; by which wise policy, party interests were dissolved, and
tranquillity soon restored. Beyond the Canadian question, the
parliamentary session was chiefly occupied with various mea-
sures of Irish policy, particularly the introduction of a Poor-
law into that country ; there were, however, a few enactments
of general interest which obtained the sanction of the legisla-
ture ; the parliamentary qualification was extended, arrest for
debt on mesne process was abolished, and the administering
of oaths in courts of justice dispensed with in respect to
Quakers, Moravians, and others.
3. The 28th of June of this year (1838) witnessed the
VICTORIA.
455
coronation of the young queen, which took place amidst
universal rejoicing ; many foreign princes and ambassadors
were present, who also took great interest in the imposing
ceremony. Soon after parliament was prorogued by the
queen in person. The internal energies of the kingdom were
now developing themselves in the construction of vast works
of public benefit, among which the completion of several im-
portant railways was the most conspicuous.
4. The foreign policy of the country, however, was dis-
graced by a proceeding which ended in the most lamentable
results. U nder the erroneous impression that Russia contem-
plated some aggressive movement against the stability of the
British Indian empire through the instrumentality of Persia,
an Anglo-Indian army was marched into the wild and distant
country of Afghanistan. Sir John Keane was appointed to
the command of the expedition, and proceeded with vast
resources of men and means into the heart of the country.
Candahar was occupied ; and no difficulty was opposed to has
career until his arrival at the fort of Ghuznee. This strong
position he at once stormed and took ; and the way being
thus opened to Cabul, he hastened on to the capital. Dost
Mohammed, the reigning prince, was deposed, and Shah
Soojah, a monarch more friendly to British interests, was sub-
stituted in his place. Sir John Keane having left a strong
force in Cabul with Maenaughten and Burnes, as the chief
officers of the mission, Hastily returned to India, and from
thence to England, where, in honour of his brilliant successes,
he was raised to the peerage.
5. Difficulties now began to manifest themselves in con-
nexion with China, which ended in an open rupture with that
empire. The West Indian colonies also broke out into insu-
bordination, particularly Jamaica, in consequence of the inter-
ference of the legislature in the subject of West India slavery.
The difficulties, however, were eventually compromised, and
tranquillity restored. _
6. The internal state of the kingdom was somewhat dis-
turbed by Chartism, the grand desideratum put forward by
the working classes as a remedy for their supposed wrongs :
it required, 1st, universal suffrage ; 2nd, vote by ballot; 3rd,
annual parliaments ; 4th, paid members ; and 5th, no property
qualification. The Chartists broke out into open riot to-
wards the close, of the year 1839, at Newport, Monmouth-
shire. Frost, Williams, and Jones, the fomentors of these
disturbances, were captured, tried, and sentenced to death;
456
HISTORY. OP ENGLAND.
Sir Robert Peel.
but their sentence was ultimately commuted to transportation
for life.
7. The first great event of the new year (1840) was the
marriage of her majesty with Prince Albert, of Saxe-Coburg
Gotha, which was solemnized in St. James’ Chapel, on Feb-
ruary 10th. The day was celebrated throughout the kingdom
by a general holiday and great rejoicing. The chief points
of interest connected with the foreign policy were the advance
of an expedition against China, to obtain indemnity for the
past, and better security for British commerce for the future;
and the successes of the navy on the coast of Syria, in support
of the power of the sultan of Turkey, against his rebellious
pacha, Mohammed All.
8. The following year brought with it a cessation of hos-
tilities in China, by the occupation of Canton, which was ran-
somed by the payment of six millions of dollars to the British
by way of indemnity for the expenses of the war. The paci-
fication of the Levant was also a matter of congratulation . The
government, however, did not seem to possess the confidence
of the country ; and although the parliament was dissolved
and an appeal made to the people, yet lord Melbourne was
forced to resign. Sir Robert Peel came into office as leader
of the new administration.
9. The success of the British arms, in the beginning of
VICTORIA.
457
the year, were now more than counterbalanced by the sad
disasters which befell their army in Afghanistan. A fierce
rebellion broke out on November 2nd at Cabul ; Burnes and
MacNaughten, the British ministers, with other civil and mil-
tary officers, were successively murdered, and the whole coun-
try rose in arms under the treacherous Akbar Khany the son of
the deposed king Dost Mohammed, who determined on the
massacre of the whole British force. Pusillanimity and inde-
cision in the councils of the general-in-chief, led to an imme-
diate evacuation of the country ; 4,500 fighting m^n, together
with about 12,000 camp followers, besides women and chil-
dren, set forward, through ice and snow, on their lamentable
retreat ; and no sooner had they cleared out of their canton-
ments, than the blood-thirsty Afghans began to plunder the
baggage and fire upon the soldiery ; they continued without
ceasing their revengeful assaults upon the bewildered and
desponding multitude, till there was nothing left to plunder,
and none left to kill. Out of a host of about 26,000 human
beings, only a few hundreds were rescued from death by cap-
tivity. The ladies and the wounded had been given up to the
enemy early in the march, and Di». Brydon was the only officer
who made good his retreat. In the following year, however,
on the appointment* of lord Ellenborough to the governor-
generalship of India, in the place of lord Auckland, the British
national character was repaired, the honour of their arms
retrieved, and the unfortunate prisoners rescued. General
Pollock was despatched into Afghanistan with an invading
army ; he advanced on Cabul with all possible rapidity ; while
on the other side general Nott, who had held out at Candahar
during the recent difficulties, brought his forces also to bear
on the capital. Victory everywhere attended the British
arms 5 and the British officers and ladies, who had been taken
prisoners, were also rescued, at Bameean, on the road to
Turkistan. The late disgraces having now been so gloriously
redeemed, it was determined to evacuate a country which
ought never to have been entered. The fortifications and other
works of Cabul having been destroyed, the British troops set
forward on their return home, and, after a march of about ten
weeks, arrived safely on the banks of the Sutledge, December
17 th, 1842.
1-0. The war in China had broken out afresh, in consequence
of the continued differences between the English and Chinese
authorities ; but it was renewed with so much vigour on the
part of the British government, that the haughty Chinese were
458
History of England.
compelled to solicit the establishment of peace. A treaty tvas
entered into by sir Henry Pottinger, on August 29th, 1842,
off Nankin, by which lasting peace and friendship were to
exist between the two nations. China was to pay twenty-one
millions dollars, several of her ports were to be thrown open
to the British merchants, and the island of Hong-Kong to
be ceded in perpetuity to the British empire, with other im-
portant commercial advantages.
11. At home a few slight disturbances arose in the manu-
facturing districts from commercial depression ; the repeal of
the corn-laws had become a great sourceof political agitatioftj
and questions of Irish policy continued to absorb much olthe
attention of government. Wales, usually so tranquil, now
exhibited scenes of popular violence, originating in the op-
pressive system of Turnpike-tolls. Government appointeua
commission in October, 1843, to enquire into the operation of
the turnpike laws, which ended in an amelioration of the
burden and the cessation of all outrage.
12. The Afghan war had no sooner been terminated, than
the treacherous conduct of the Ameers of'Scinde towards the
British troops in their late" difficulties in Afghanistan, and
their subsequent attempt to break off their engagements with
the British Indian government, brought down upon them an
armed British force, under Sir Charles Napier. A desperate
battle was fought near Hydrabad, which resulted in the dis-
comfiture of the Ameers, and the annexation of their country
to the British possessions. The Malirattas also displayed
similar treachery j but they met a severe chatisement in the
battles ofMaharajpoor, andofPunniar, in the neighbourhood
of Gwalior, which forced them to submit to the demands of
the Indian government. These great actions closed the year
1843. In the next year circumstances occurred in the govern-
ment of the British Indian empire, which led to the recall of
lord Ellenborough, who was succeeded by Sir Henry Har-
dinge as governor-general of India. It was not long after
Sir Henry’s arrival, before his military skill was called into
active exercise. The Sikh chiefs were making formidable
preparations for invading the British territories ; the attempt
had been some time anticipated; but it was the desire of
government to acton the delensive, rather than on the offen-
sive ; so that no great advances were made to check their
crossing the Sutledge, which separated us from the Punjaub.
The day at length arrived, when these lawless soldiers crossed
VICTORIA.
459
the river, and bade defiance to the British Indian, armies.
The_ first encountei took place at Moodkee, on December 14,
1845 ; the struggle was most desperate, but victory decided
in favour of the British. The terrible battles of Ferozeshah,
Aliwal, and Sobraon, followed in quick succession, the Sikhs
incurring great losses in each engagement : in the last battle,
the most terrific carnage took place ; men were mowed down
by hundreds; and hundreds upon hundreds were drowned
in attempting to cross the Sutledge. The success of the
British was complete ; but it was not achieved without an im-
mense sacrifice of officers and men ; in the battle of Sobraon
the Sikhs lost 10,000 men in killed and wounded, and the
British 2383. The British army immediately marched upon
Lahore, and entered the capital without opposition ; the re-
maining Sikhs submitted : a treaty was concluded, and in-
demnities were to be paid to the British government. Thus
closed one of the most eventful and fearful struggles that
ever called into action the strength and valour of the Anglo-
Indian army, February 10th, 1846.
13. During these martial proceedings abroad, affairs at
home were assuming a more cheerful aspect ; domestic tran-
quillity was restored, commerce greatly improved, and the
revenue sustained by the imposition of an income-tax. The
duties on articles imported from abroad were considerably re-
duced and great advances made in the principles of free-trade.
The repeal of the corn-laws now continued to be a matter of
universal discussion, which was considerably promoted by
the formation of an anti-corn-law league, provided with im-
mense funds for the dissemination of its principles throughout
the country by means of lecturers. The moral and intellectual
welfare of the working-classes was also.a matter of considera-
tion with the government. Annual grants of money were
allowed by parliament to provide for the education of the
people ; and a committee of the privy council was appointed
to manage their disbursement, under the appellation of the
Committee of council on Education.
14. In Ireland, political disquietude was on the decline ;
many measures were passed by the legislature to improve its
position and ameliorate the condition of the people ; means
of academical instruction were also considerably extended by
grants from parliament. The failure of the potato crop, how-
ever, in 1845, and the deficiency of the harvest, earned
extreme misery and want through the whole of Ireland.
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
400
To this failure may be ascribed tlie hasty settlement of tne
corn-law question. The universal cry for food quickened the
government into an unflinching consideration of the subject;
and consequently a measure was brought before parliament
for the repeal of the corn-laws. After great discussion, this
important bill was passed ; Sir Robert Peel and his col-
leagues immediately resigned ; and soon after, the anti-corn-
law league was dissolved'. The formation of a new minis-
try devolved on lord John Russel. The failure of the pota-
to crop again in 1846, combined with a deficient harvest
throughout Europe, produced great and general distress ;
and in the west of Scotland, but especially in Ireland, oc-
casioned intense suffering; in the latter country, multitudes
perished from famine and disease. Every effort, however,
was made by public munificence and private liberality to
arrest the progress of these calamities; and, by the good-
ness of the Almighty, a most bountiful harvest following the
year of scarcity, the nation u r as once more blessed with
plenty and abundance.
Questions for Examination.
1. IIow was the accession of Victoria received?
£ subjects occupied tho attention of her first parliament?
j. w hen did the coronation of thoqueen take place?
4 ' Indi an army ? ^ 40 the Occu i« liou of Afghanistan by an Anglo
6 ' period? tUe Stat6 ° f f ° eIinS in China > and tlle West Indies, at this
6. What demand of the Chartists disturbed the public peace''
i. W hat were tho chief events of tho year 1810 ?* P
o' w° h 'L W r r0 1 10 dl 1 ' T 't rt iV C0S witl > China settied?
‘ were they retrieval r th ® BritisU a ‘ m7 iu Afghanistan? and how
10. On what terms was peace finally ostabli-:hed with China?
L U ubUes? e mattCrS at 1101116 I ,roccetll ng at this period, particularly in
12> W *!.iLf ri ° ,lS cuvrgernr.rifs occurred on tho Indian frontier with
\vV ? her0, f allR ' s > immediately after the Afghan war ™ “
13 ‘ measures were effected by Sir Robert feel’s e-overn-
Soted? y means was tho repeal of tho corn-laws pro-
14 ‘ W i l !r, wa i tho state of Ireland at this period’ What imnortant
political measure was hastened on by tho laiiure of the lianTt f ‘
VICTORIA.
481
SECTION n.
The stately homes of England,
How beautiful they stand !
Amidst their tall ancestral trees,
O’er all the pleasant land. — Mrs. Jlemans.
1. The opulent dwellers in what Mrs. Hemans styles 11 the
stately homes of England,” — the nobility and gentry, as well
as. the wealthy middle class, — experienced a new call upon
their wonted liberality in the year 1847, when another defi-
cient harvest, and the utter failure of the potato crop, created
a recurrence of the sad scenes of famine and destitution in
Ireland and the west of Scotland. Benevolent persons in the
United States of America also contributed liberally to the
relief of the suffering poor in Ireland, by sending over cargoes
of provisions from their own abundant harvests. Numbers,
nevertheless, perished from famine and its attendant diseases.
2. The Orleans dynasty was not of long continuance. All
462
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
was much regretted ; and to liim the nation is indebted for
many improvements in their commercial and domestic poli-
cy. His death occurred July 2nd, 1850.
4. In 1851, the fairy palace, erected in Hyde Park, was
opened to the public. It was, in every respect, a triumph;
and people flocked to the “Great Exhibition ” from all parts
of the globe. The content^ of the mammoth fabric were of
wonderful variety. It contained colossal statuary, and the
miniature needle ; the fur dress of the Greenlander, and the
silken robe of Persia ; the Damascus blade, and the stone
hatchet used in the islands of the Pacific ; the golden altar of
extraordinary value from Spain, and the rude idols from
Australia. In this “ Crystal Palace,” productions from every
part of the globe were collected; and amongst these, the fruits
of native industry occupied an honourable position. The
building was in the form of a Gothic cathedral, and some of
the tallest elms in tlie park were sheltered under its roof.
5. The electric telegraph between France and England was
completed. This new and important invention was now in
general use, both in England and the continent of Europe.
Duke of Wellington,
ra 6 - tlo Ar S Ur ’ d u ke n °f Wellington, died suddenly at Walmer
Castle December 14th, 1852. He was one of England’s
greatest generals, and, although he had fought many battles,
VICTORIA.
463
yet he never experienced a defeat. Deep and sincere was the
lamentation of the English people at his decease. He was
buried in St. Paul s cathedral with, much solemnity ; and. all
classes vied in paying honours to thistruly noble and great man.
7. After repeated defeat, and resignation, lord John Rus-
sell s weak administration retired from office in February,
1852, and was succeeded by a conservative government.
. On the 7 th of November, 1852, a senatus consultum was
issued by Napoleon to the French nation, proposing the re-
establishment of the empire. The people having by an im-
mense majority, expressed their desire for the change, the
empire was proclaimed on the 2nd of December.
9. The financial measures of lord Derby’s administration
met with considerable opposition ; and a hostile vote in the
house of commons led to the resignation of mi nisters. They
retired in December, 1852, after a short tenure of office cf
nearly ten months’ duration. A coalition cabinet, composed
of Whig, Peelite and Radical legislators, under the premier-
ship of lord Aberdeen, succeeded to power. As many of the
new ministers were not only men of recognized ability, but
had, at various periods, held office, great expectations were
formed respecting them.
10. For many years a dispute had raged at Constantinople
between the Latin and Greek churches, with reference to the
guardianship of the holy places in Jerusalem. France
espoused the cause of the Latin, and Russia that of the Greek
church. In November, 1852, the czar Nicholas first put for-
ward that claim to a protectorate of the Greek Christians in
Turkey, which lord John Russell afterwards so injudiciously
admitted. The preposterous demand was based upon a forced
interpretation of certain passages in the treaty of Kainardji,
concluded between Russia and Turkey in 1771. The rather
acrimonious discussion that took place between France and
Russia, respecting the key of the church of Bethlehem,
brought the matter fully before the public. In the course of the
dispute, both parties threatened hostile measures; and, while
the Russian army on the Pruth was reinforced, and put in
readiness for an advance, the French fleet in the Mediter-
ranean approached the Bosphorus. Early in 1853, a favourable
change occurred; and as the rival powers seemed willing to
make reasonable concessions, hopes were entertained of an
amicable solution of the difficulty. These were suddenly dis-
pelled by the arrival at Constantinople, in February, 18o3,
of Prince Menschikoffj on an extraordinary mission. The real
464
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
nature of bis mysterious errand did not transpire until May,
when bis demands were found to be altogether incompatible
with the dignity of the sultan as an independent sovereign.
11. These demands were of course rejected ; and, in spite
of the anxiety of the sultan and his ministers to make every
reasonable concession, the Russian troops crossed the Pruth
early in July, and proceeded to occupy the principalities of
Moldavia and Wallachia. After this act of aggression, various
attempts were made to settle the matter by negotiation, but
they all failed; and on the 5th of October, the Porte formally
declared war. On the 14th, the combined fleets of France
and England passed the Dardanelles, at the request of the
sultan.
Battle of Sinope.
12. The Turks rushed to the rescue of the principalities,
and, under the judicious guidance of Omar Pasha, gained
many brilliant victories. The Russians, defeated on land, de-
termined to strike a blow at the Turkish navy, and committed,
the unparalleled outrage at Sinope, which at once excited the
VICTORIA.
465
indignation of Europe. The Turkish fleet, riding in fancied
security, almost within sight of the armaments of the western
power 3 , was ruthlessly attacked by an overwhelming force,
and destroyed. This wanton assault by the stronger on the
weaker state, showed that nothing but the most vigorous
measures could bring Russia to submission.
13. The English government displayed an unfortunate re-
pugnance to resist force by force, but events hurried them on;
and, in March, 1854, a royal message was communicated to
both houses of parliament, proclaiming war against Russia.
Even after this, English ministers clung to diplomacy, and
talked loudly of pacific measures, while they pretended to be
preparing for an energetic prosecution of the contest.
. 14. The emperor Napoleon III., having been duly recog-
nized by foreign powers, looked out for a partner to share his
throne. Instead of seeking an alliance with a royal house,
he selected Eugenie de Montejo, countess of T6ba, for his
bride. The marriage was solemnized in January, 1853 ; and
the romantic manner in which the whole affair had been ar-
ranged, rendered it particularly interesting to the French
people. During this eventful year, a fusion between two
branches of the Bourbon family was effected, and the duke of
Bordeaux acknowledged by all, except the duchess of
Orleans, as the rightful heir to the French throne.
15. The queen of Portugal died on the 15th of November,
1853, and was succeeded by her eldest son, under the title of
Don Pedro V. Several ministerial changes occurred in Spain,
in which country the despotic interference of the queen-
mother, Christina, produced discontent and led to rebellion. In
February, an attempt was made upon the life of the emperor
of Austria, but the assassin was disarmed and captured be-
fore he could effect his purpose, and soon afterwards suf-
fered the extreme penalty of the law.
16. Afire broke out in Windsor Castle, March 19th, 1853,
but it was happily extinguished before much damage had been
done to that noble residence, endeared to the country by so
many association?.
17. The year 1854 was, in many respects, a memorable one.
While the much-despised Turks were gaining renown in ex-
pelling the Prussians from the principalities, France and Eng-
land were engaged in making preparations to take part in the
contest. Lord Raglan wa3 appointed to command the English
army, which reached Gallipoli in the spring. The Turks pur-
sued their victorious career on the banks of the Danube ; the
2a
466
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
Russians, having been defeated in many desperate attempts,
abandoned the siege of Silistria, and virtually withdrew from
the contest in that direction. In the meantime the allied
fleets had not been altogether idle. The Russians violated
the laws of honourable warfare by firing upon a flag of truce;
and soon after the commission of this outrage, the allied squad-
rons bombarded Odessa. The attack lasted the whole day,
April 22d. All the batteries erected for the defence of this
commercial city were silenced — some of them having been
materially damaged, and others entirely destroyed.
18. Ths crowning event of the year was the expedition,
composed of French, Turkish, and English soldiers, which
sailed from the Turkish shores in the autumn. Its departure
had been delayed by the terrible ravages of the cholera
amongst the troops, and from the destruction of stores, caused
by a disastrous fire which broke out in a mysterious man-
ner at Yarna. The Russians did not attempt to dispute the
landing of the expeditionary force; but retreated to a strong
position on the Alma, from whence they were driven, with
great slaughter, by the French, English, and Turkish armies,
on the 20th of September. Although the Russians fought oh
stinately at first, they were so awed by the determined man-
ner in which the English troops carried the heights — for
their men advanced up to the terrible batteries — that they
fled in utter confusion, from a position which their com-
mander had just before boasted he could hold against any
assailant for several days. There can be little doubt that, if
the allied army had possessed a proper cavalry force, or its
leaders had known the real condition of the enemy, the
Russians might have been completely subdued, and Sebas-
topol gained, without further trouble. But the expedition
was, in too many respects, a (< leap in the dark ” ; hence, its
numerous failures, and the disappointment and suffering that
ensued.
19. The first bombardment commenced October 17th, but
the results were unsatisfactory. In the meantime the Rus-
sian government sent large reinforcements to their army in
the Crimea, determined, if possible, to expel the allies. The
battle of Balaklava was fought October 25th, when the Eng-
lish cavalry made that celebrated charge, so disastrous and
yet so glorious. The Russians quailed before their band of he-
roes, who rode gallantly forward to almost certain destruction.
20. The. occupation, by the Austrians, of the Danubian
principalities, released a large portion of the Russian army,
VICTORIA.
467
which wag at once dispatched to the relief of Sebastopol.
Having been harangued by the grand duke, excited by mili-
tary and religious ceremonies, and well primed with intoxi-
cating beverages, these troops advanced in overwhelming
numbers upon the English lines. In the dense fog of a
November morning, they swarmed through the valley of
Inkerman, surprised, and carried the English outposts, and
commenced the battle with every advantage. But for seven
hours, on that terrible 5th of November, the small band of
English soldiers maintained their ground against their nume-
rous assailants. It was truly a soldier’s battle. The general
determination was victory or death. At length, General Bos-
quet arrived at the scene of the struggle, with the gallant
French allies, and, from that moment the issue was no longer
doubtful. The Russians were driven into Sebastopol with
-fearful loss, and that victory terminated the first campaign.
The Muscovite hordes, naturally enough, felt unwilling to
face men who would not yield an inch of ground, but fought
even against hope.
21. A violent storm committed sad havoc amongst the
shipping, riding at anchor outside the little harbour at Balak-
lava, in which the Prince Resolute, and several other noble
vessels, foundered. The catastrophe of the 14th No-
vember will long occupy a prominent place in the annals of
disasters at sea.
22. Lord Aberdeen’s government did not realize the high
expectations that had been formed respecting it. In home
legislation it was particularly unfortunate; and its feeble
direction of the war. created alarm and disquietude. Lord
John Russell’s loudly-heralded reform bill proved a failure;
and this minister’s attempt to repeal the parliamentary oaths
was defeated by a majority of five.
23. On the 20th of June, 1854, the Queen opened the
Crystal Palace, at Sydenham, with great solemnity. She
was attended by her ministers and foreign ambassadors, and
about forty thousand persons were present at the ceremony.
24. Towards the close of 1853, the cholera again mani-
fested itself in the north of England. It reached the me-
tropolis early in the following year, and committed fearful
ravages. But the visitation ofl853 and 1854 was not so fatal
in its effects as that of 1849 had been.
25. In the midsummer of 1854, Madrid became the theatre
of an insurrection. The flight of the queen-mother, Chris-
tina, the dismissal of her favourites, and the formation of
468
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
a constitutional government under Espartero, had the effect
of quelling the storm, and saved the young queen’s throne.
26. The year 1855 opened gloomily enough. The sad con
dition of the army in the Crimea excited general indignation;
so terrible were the evils of mismanagement, that hundreds
of brave soldiers perished from the effects of exposure. Mr.
Roebuck brought forward a motion for inquiry, which on the
29th of January, was carried by a majority of 157. Thus fell
the Aberdeen administration, just two years after it had ob-
tained power. After some delay lord Palmerston succeeded
in forming a second coalition; but a slight difficulty having
occurred respecting the Sebastopol committee, the Peelites
soon after seceded, and left lord Palmerston sole master.
27. On the 3rd of March, the public were surprised by the
announcement of the sudden death of the real author of the
war, the emperor Nicholas. The adhesion ofSardiniatothe
western alliance, and the visit of the emperor Napoleon and
his empress to England, and their enthusiastic reception, in
some degree restored public confidence. During the sum-
mer, Victoria returned the visit, and was received at Paris
with general rejoicing.
28. It was supposed by many that the death of the Czar
would ensure the restoration of peace ; and the conferences,
re-opened at Vienna during the year 1855, were watched with
considerable interest. Although the English plenipotentiary,
lord J ohn Russell, made the most disgraceful sacrifices, and
actually abandoned every point which he had been sent out to
maintain, the arrogance of Russia was such that she would
make no concessions. Lord John Russell’s vacillation raised
a storm In the country, and he was afterwards compelled to
resign his post as minister of the crown.
29. Meanwhile the war was waged w r ith renewed vigour.
The second bombardment of Sebastopol commenced on the
9th of April; and several expeditions were organized in the
Crimea, most of which were completely successful. After the
third bombardment, which opened on the 6th of June, the
French gained possession of the Mamelon, whilst the English
won the Quarries. On the 18th (the anniversary of Waterloo),
the French assailed the Malakoff— and the English the
Redan ; but the gallantry and devotion of the troops were not
rewarded with success. The failure preyed on lord Raglan’s
nuncl; and he was soon after attacked by disease, which ear-
ned him off on the 28th of June. His mild and gracious
behaviour at the council-board and in the private circle, as
VICTORIA.
463
well as his coolness in the field of battle, won the admiration
of all. He will ever be remembered as the good lord Raglan.
His gentle nature shone like a star amid the elements of strife
and contention. But he was not the man for the emergen-
cies in which he was called to act a leading part.
30. On the 16th of August the Russians crossed the Tcher-
naya, and made a desperate effort to relieve the doomed for-
tress of Sebastopol, but were repulsed by the French and
Sardinians with great loss. This was their last effort. The
French gained possession of the Malakoff on the 8th of Sep-
tember, on which occasion the English again failed in an at-
tack upon the Redan ; but on the following day, the Russians
evacuated the southern portion of Sebastopol. Thus, within
twelve months of the landing of the allied armies in the
Crimea, the “ standing menace” had been wrested from the
foe ; and the fleet which committed the outrage at Sinope,
totally destroyed.
31. While these events were in progress in Europe, war
had been waged in the Asiatic dominions of the sultan.
General Williams was sent by the English government to the
Turkish army, and, by his efforts, order and discipline were
established. On the 29th of September, the garrison of Kars,
under the direction of this gallant British officer, repulsed the
Russians, who assaulted it with immensely superior forces.
But no succour reached the heroic garrison; and, although the
Turks endured their sufferings with great constancy, and
fought like lions whenever the enemy appeared, they were
finally compelled to surrender, and Kars fell on the 28th of
November. An expedition despatched from the Crimea, in
October, to the entrance of the Bug and the Dnieper, obtain-
ed signal success. Kinburn was captured, and a French
and English force established there. Some naval operations
in the sea of Azoff were in every respect successful; and,
with these, the campaign of 1855 closed.
32. This triumph led to the revival of negotiations. Aus-
tria proposed an ultimatum, which was eventually accepted
by Russia, and conferences were opened at Paris early in the
year. Russia, having learned wisdom from adversity, made
certain concessions ; and, on the 30th of March, 1856, the
treaty of Paris was signed, which restored tranquillity to
E ^Meantime, Great Britain became involved in a serious
dispute with China. It arose out of a trifling incident. A
Chinese lorcha (a small vessel) was fired upon by the Chinese
470
HISTORY OP ENGLAND,
for some infraction of their police regulations. She was said
to have borne the British Mag, and the act of the Chinese
authorities was resented as a national insult, though it has
never been proved that she was under English colors. The
commissioner, Yeh, was called upon for reparation, which he
refused. This led to actual hostilities, during which the na-
val force of the United States became involved ; and France
also took part in the conflict by sending out a strong arma-
ment. Great Britain deputed lord Elgin as ambassador to
negotiate a settlement of the difficulties, and he was accom-
panied by a large force to support his pretensions. France
also despatched thither an ambassador: and Mr. William B.
Reed was sent out on the part of the United States. The
English bombarded and took Canton. Yeh was made pris-
oner, but the Emperor showed no disposition to yield. The
real object of all these operations was to compel the
Chinese to open their ports to foreign nations, on a more lib-
eral policy than hitherto.
Questions for Examination.
1. What is said of the famine?
2. Of the French revolution?
3. Of Sir Robert Feci?
4. Of the Crystal Falace?
5. Of the telegraph?
6. Of the duke of Wellington ?
7. Of lord John Russell’s administration?
8. Of Louis Napoleon?
9. Of lord Derby’s administration?
10. Describe tho origin oftho war between Russia and the allied powers?
11. What countries did the Russians invado?
12. What followed?
13. What was done by England?
14. By the emperor Louis Napoleon?
1 L What transpired in Portugal?
16. What happened at Windsor?
17. What were the first military events of 1854? [of the Alma.
18- What expedition was undertaken by the allies? Describo tho battle
19. What is said oftho first bombardment? Of the Russians? Of
20. Of the Austrians ? Oflnkerman? TBalaklava?
21. Of the storm of November 14th ?
22. Of lord Aberdeen’s government?
23. Of the Crystal Palace?
24. Of the cholera?
25. What took place in Spain ?
26. What were the early events of 1855?
27. What is said of the Czar?
28. Of tho attempts to make peace?
da 9,U h0 mi ! ita, T operations in tho Crimea? Of lord Raglan?
30. Of operations in the Crimea? 6
31. What military operations took place in Asia?
33'. Chi 0 na? li8hed ' “ d Wh6n WM
472
HISTORY OF ENGLAJNU.
The New Houses of Parliament.
VICTORIA.
473
SECTION in.
no is como to ope the testament
Of bleeding ■vtai.—Shalcspaare .
1. The war with Russia xiad greatly increased the burden
C! taxation in Great Britain, and had impaired its military
strength. But it was soon followed by another war which
was not less expensive, and impaired far more seriously -the
military strength of the empire. We refer, of course, to the
destructive war which was kindled by the mutiny of the
sepoys in India. This is so serious an affair, that we shall
give its incidents more particularly than in ordinary cases.
2. In the spring of 1856, lord Dalhousie ceased to be
governor-general of India, and was succeeded by viscount
Canning.
3. Secured from all apprehensions of foreign enemies, and
ruling an apparently prosperous and happy people, lord Can-
ning entered upon the government of India with fairer pros-
pects than any governor-general since the first conquest of
that country. Not many months, however, elapsed before a
naval and military expedition was on its way from Bombay to
Bushire, and war was publicly declared against the Shah-
in-Skah. After two or three slight actions, in which the Per-
sians were immediately put to flight, the ‘‘kingof kings” was
constrained to sue for peace, and to accept the easy conditions
which were imposed upon him. The British troops were
recalled to India, and arrived only in time to encounter the
most imminent peril that ever menaced the Eastern empire
of Britain.
4. It had long been notorious that the Mohammedans of
tipper India were discontented with their subordinate position,
and that their idle and sensual habits rendered them insolent
and fractious. This feeling of unquiet was not a little embit-
tered by the decision arrived at with regard to the titular
dignity of the king of Delhi. The court of directors had
authorized lord Dalhousie, on the death of the heir-apparent
in 1849, to u terminate the dynasty of Timour, whenever the
reigning king should die.” But as these instructions had
been issued with great reluctance, the governor-general had
recourse to a compromise, and agreed to recognize the king’s
grandson as heir-apparent, on condition that he quitted the
fortress at Delhi for the royal palace at the Kootub. The
royal family had no choice but to submit, though the humilia-
tion to which they were about to be subjected rankled in their
474
HISTORY OF ENGLAND,
bosoms, and in those of the Delhi Mohammedans generally.
They were too sensible, however, of their weakness, to
attempt any opposition to the powerful British government,
until an opportunity presented itself in a quarter where,
perhaps, it was least expected.
5. From the time when lord Hastings created the Nawab
of Oude an independent king, and freed him from his alle-
giance to his rightful suzerain, the king of Delhi, there had
been a feud between those two houses, inflamed by their dif-
ference in religious matters — the one being a bigoted Soon-
nee, the other as fanatical a Sheeah. But the dethronement of
Wajid Ally Shah, and the annexation of his kingdom, gave
deep offence to a large portion of the Bengal army, who were
natives of Oude, and drew togther in one common cause the
Mohammedans of both sects. Still it was clear that, from
their numerical inferiority, the Mohammedans alone could not
hope to break the English yoke from off their necks, so long
as the Hindoo soldiery remained true to their salt. Unfortu-
nately circumstances occurred toYemove this obstacle. From
various causes, which it would be tedious to enumerate, a sus-
picion had seized the credulous and childish mind of the
Hindoos that their religion, and, above all, their caste, were
in danger. It had been sedulously spread abroad that the
British government, relying on its power, had resolved to
compel all its subjects to embrace the Christian religion ; and,
to render this the more easy, had devised a means for defiling
the whole of their Hindoo sepoys. This notable device was
no other than to issue cartridges greased with pigs and bul-
lock’s fat for the Enfield rifles, the ends of which must be
bitten off before they could be used. Thus every Hindoo
soldier would become unclean and an outcast, and have no
other resource than to join the religion of his deceitful masters.
Mohammedan emissaries carefully fanned the latent sparks of
disaffection, and presently the smouldering fire burst forth,
into a fierce, devouring conflagration.
6. The first symptoms of a mutinous spirit manifested
themselves in the 19th and 34th regiments, both of which
were disbanded, and one man of the 34th hanged for wound-
ing the adjutant and serjeant-major. Their example was fol
lowed by the 3rd Oude irregular infantry, stationed at Luck-
now, who where compelled by Sir Henry Lawrence to laydown
their arms, and their ringleaders were punished. On the 6th o e
May, eighty-five men of the 3rd light cavalry at Meerut refused
to use the new cartridges, and other symptoms of discontent
VICTORIA.
were evinced, but disregarded. On the 10th the troops broke
out into open mutiny, killed many of the officers and other
Europeans (men, women, and children), at the station, and
finally went off to Delhi. This course was dictated by the
fact that there was in the neighbourhood, at the time, ample
means for cutting the mutineers off, but for the culpable inac-
tivity of general Hewitt, commander of the station.
7. On the 11th of May, the mutineers from Meerut entered
Delhi, and were instantly joined by the native troops there,
who proclaimed the titular king of Delhi to be emperor of
Tuolia, massacred all the European residents they could find,
and even plundered the stores and dwellings of wealthy
natives. A handful of determined men, however, under the
command of lieutenant Willoughby, succeeded in blowing up
the arsenal, and thus prevented an immense amountof ammu-
nition from falling into the hands of the mutineers. It has
been observed by the author of an article in the Edinburgh
Review, referring to the mutinous occupation of the Monghol
capital on the morning of the 11th of May, that, “ If all the
movements of the revolt had been pre-arranged, there could
have been no better stroke of tactics than this : Delhi is the
chief city of Mohammedan India; the ‘imperial city/ the
1 city of the Mogul ’; it had been the home of those mighty
emperors who had ruled so long in Hindostan — of Sir Shah,
of Akbar, and of Aurungzebe ; and was still the residence of
their fallen successors, the titular kings of Delhi, whom fifty
years ago, our armies had rescued from the grasp of the Mah-
rattas. Beyond the palace-walls these remnants of royalty
had no power; they had no territory, no revenue, no authority.
In our eyes they were simply pensioners and puppets. Vir-
tually, indeed, the Mogul was extinct. But not so in the
minds of the people of India. Empty as was the sovereignty
of the Mogul, it was still a living fact in the minds of the
Hindoos and Mohammedans, especially in Upper India.”
8. The rebellion now spread rapidly through the presidency
of Bengal, as well as in other parts of India. At Umballah,
the rebels, between the 26th of March and the 1st of May,
kindled fifteen incendiary fires, by which an immense amount
of ammunition, government stores, and private property were
‘destroyed, but the garrison was saved from destruction by the
timely arrival of a reinforcement of European troops from
Kussowlee. The whole kingdom of Oude, with the exception
of Lucknow, its capital, was soon in the hands of the insur-
gents. Benares and Allahabad witnessed the revolt of many
VICTORIA.
477
■egiments and were saved from capture only by a frightful
expense of bloodshed and havoc. Similar outbreaks took
mace at Juanpore, Sultanpore, Agra, Bareilly, and other
nations.
9. The mutiny had now become very widely extended;
E d the situation of the British posts, still holding to their
elity, was becoming daily more perilous.
10. At Luckilow, sir Henry Lawrence attacked and defeat-
H a numerous body of insurgents, but, was soon afterwards
gpnself besieged in his residency. Here he bravely held out
[ ga inst overwhelming numbers until the beginning of July,
[men he was mortally wounded in a sally, and the heroic
pile band compelled to retire into a smaller fort.
11. At Cawnpore a terrible disaster befell the British arms.
|ir Hugh Wheeler, a veteran officer of approved bravery, had
intrenched himself in the barracks with a fdrce of less than
KO fighting men, and upward of 500 women and children,
■fe wives and families of officers and civilians, and of the
gjieen’s 32nd regiment then besieged at Lucknow. The insur-
gents were commanded by Nena Sahib, or rather, Dhandoo
Pant, Rajah of Bhitoor, the adopted son of the late Peishwah
pajee Rao. This man, under the mask of kindly feeling to-
ward the English nurtured a deadly hatred against the govern-
ment which had refused to acknowledge his claims as the
Peishwah’s successor. He had long been addicted to the
Ijtost revolting sensuality, and had lost all control over his
passions. Wearied and enraged by the desperate resistance
of this handful of brave men, he offered them a safe passage to
Allahabad if they would give up their guns and treasure.
The place, indeed, was no longer tenable ; and the survivors,
diminished in number, were exhausted by constant vigils and
want of food. In an evil moment, then, they accepted the
terms of their perfidious enemy, marched down to the river,
and embarked on board the boats which had been prepared
for them. Suddenly a masked battery opened a fire upon
them, and crowds of horse and foot soldiers lined either bank.
Many were shot dead, still more were drowned, and alx>ut
150 taken prisoners : four only escaped, by swimming. The
men were instantly put to death in cold blood ; the women
and children were spared for a few days longer.
12. All this time the main body of the rebels, frequently
Strengthened by fresh arrivals, had their head quarters at
Delhi. On the lower plateau that commands that city wa3
frncaroped a British force burning for revenge, but too weak
478
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
to venture upon an assault. On every occasion, however,
they repulsed the repeated sorties of the enemy, and drove
them with great slaughter, within the walls. A strange mor-
tality deprived them of their commanders at brief intervals.
Gen. Anson died of cholera at Kurnaul, on his way down
from the hills. His successor, sir Henry Barnard, was
carried off by the same disease before the walls of Delhi.
The third was general Reid, whose health also failed him, and
compelled him to resign the command to Brigadier Wilson.
13. No sooner had the sad tidings of the massacre at Delhi
reached Calcutta, than the governor-general instantly dis-
patched a vessel to Ceylon to intercept the troops proceeding
to China in support of lord Elgin’s mission. At the same-
time he telegraphed to Madras and Bombay for all the Euro-
pean troops that could be spared ; and on the death of
general Anson, appointed sir Patrick Grant commander-in-
chief of the forces in India, pending the confirmation of the
appointment by the home government. Large reinforce-
ments were also drawn from Mauritius and the Cape; and
as the mutiny assumed still more formidable dimensions, the
European residents in Madras and Calcutta were enrolled
into voluntary corps of horse and foot militia.
14. Never, perhaps, did greater excitement prevail in
England than when the first intelligence arrived of the revolt
of the Bengal army, and of the fiendish atrocities perpetrated
by soldiers whose loyalty had become proverbial. As each
successive mail brought the narrative of additional horrors,
indignation at such unparalleled treachery and brutality
almost surpassed the natural feelings of sympathy for those
who had suffered such cruel wrongs. The government was
urged on all sides to send out immense armies of retribution,
and to pause at no amount of expenditure necessary to re-
cover the lost position. Volunteers from all ranks and
classes of society spontaneously came forward to tender their
services, and, through the initiation of the lord Mayor of
London, whose brother, colonel Finnis, was one of the first
victims of the mutiny, a relief fund was instituted for the aid
of the many hundreds so suddenly reduced to destitution.
15. By the middle of October, upwards of £150,000 were
subscribed for this purpose, and the fountain of charity still
gave no signs of drying up. It was in the latter end of June
that the news of the Meerut revolt and massacre was first re-
annnn 7 1 mmistr ^ and three months, more than
30,000 excellent troops had left the British shores, and regi-
Mona Sahib on the Banks ot the Ganges.
VICTORIA. 481
ment after regiment continued to be dispatched in the same
direction.
16. Within forty-eight hours of the notification of general
Anson’s death, sir Colin Campbell was on his way to the
East to assume the chief command ; and a steady fixed deter-
mination was evinced throughout the British Island to recon-
quer the revolted provinces at any cost of blood or treasure.
But before Sir Colin could reach his destination, the tide
had already turned, and the victories of British troops had
begun to supersede the massacre of defenceless women and
children.
11. Gen. Havelock, taking the command at Allahabad of
the 78th Highlanders, the Queen’s 64th, the 1st Madras fusi-
liers, and Ferozepore regiment of' Sikhs had set out in
the hope of arriving at Cawnpore in time to release sir Hugh
Wheeler and his devoted comrades. After marching 126
miles, fighting four actions, and capturing a number of guns
of heavy calibre, in eight days, and in the worst season of
an Indian climate, he was yet too late to avert the terrible
catastrophe. The day before he entered Cawnpore, Nena
Sahib foully murdered the women and children, who alone
survived at the Cawnpore garrison, and caused them to be
flung, the dead and the dying, into a well of the courtyard
of the assembly rooms.
18. The indefatigable Havelock followed the treacherous
Mahratta to Bhitoor, which he captured and dismantled.
Then collecting some boats, he crossed the Ganges, and,
thrice forcing the enemy from strong positions, arrived with-
in a day’s march of Lucknow. But encumbered with his
Sick and wounded, — cholera having broken out in his little
camp, — he was compelled to retrace his steps towards the
river.
19! On the banks of the Ganges, for the eighth time, he de-
feated the enemy, and captured his guns ; and a few days-
afterward, the 15th of August, he parched out from Cawn-
pore, and again drove them from Bhitoor. His approach had
enabled the°garrison of Lncknow to sally forth and secure
many head of cattle; and, a little later, having undermined
a house, they blew up over a hundred of the insurgents and
disabled their two heaviest guns- Thus relieved, they in-
formed general Havelock that they could hold their own
until he received the reinforcements that were coming up
from Calcutta. They would have arrived at Cawnpore some
482
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
weeks sooner than they actually did, had not general Lloyd
proved unequal to the occasion at Dinapore.
20. Until the 25th of July, three regiments of native in-
fantry stationed at that place had continued faithful ; but cir-
cumstances having occurred to create suspicion, the general
was advised to disarm them. Instead of doing so, he mere-
ly ordered them to give up their percussion caps before a
certain hour; by which time they were making the best of
their way to the river Soane. When it was too late to be of
service, the 10th and a battery of artillery were sent in pur-
suit, but failed to inflict much loss. Subsequently a detach-
ment under captain Dunbar was dispatched to relieve
Arrah, a civil station closely invested by the Dinapore muti-
neers- Marching without taking proper precautions, these
troops fell into an ambush, and were driven back to their
boats, with the loss of 150 killed and wounded. The glory
of relieving Arrah was reserved for major Eyre, of the
Bengal artillery, who, with three guns and 150 men of the
5th fusiliers, dispersed the insurgents, captured Jugdeespore,
and restored the communication .betwen Calcutta and the
upper provinces.
21. With rare exception^, the native chiefs preserved their
engagements with the British government during this criti-
cal period. The contingent forces, indeed, of Scandiah and
Holkar joined the mutineers, but those princes do not ap-
pear to have been in any way accessory to the movement.
The Sikh states, and especially the rajahs of Jlieend and
Puttiala, rendered signal service ; and both the Nepaulese
government and the Maharajah Goolab Sing of Cashmere
(who died on the 2nd of August) sent considerable bodies
of auxiliary troops to the aid of the British. Still more
significant is the fact that the villagers, almost invariably,
exhibited more sympathy for the British than for their own
countrymen. It is true that they oftentimes plundered un-
armed fugitives, but they showed still less mercy to the rebel
sepoys when not in sufficient force to protect themselves.
It thus appears evident that the revolt of the Bengal army
was actually a mutiny, and not a popular insurrection.
22. Meanwhile the mutterings of disaffection began to be
heard also in the Bombay presidency. The 27th N. I. broke
outintoopen mutiny at KoLxpore, and, shortly afterwards, the
21st N. I. conspired at Kurracheeto massacre the European
-nhabitants ; but their projected villany being discovered, they
w ere promptly disarmed, and the ringleaders justly punished.
VICTORIA.
483
’The Joudpore legion was not more faithful to its colours than
other contingent forces ; and the trifling successes which at-
tended their first movements, encouraged the enemies of the
British government throughout Rajpootana to take up arms
and join their ranks.
23. The Madras troops, with the exception of the 8th light
cavalry, exhibited a rare and honourable example of fidelity
amid such wide-spread treachery and rebellion. But on the
north-eastrfrontier of Bengal, the Assamese, displayed a rest-
lessness that boded no good ; and their vicinity to the Bur-
mese on the one hand, and to the Santhals on the other, ren-
dered it necessary to adopt energetic measures to keep them
in awe.
24. U nhappily, the governor-general of India, lord Canning,
too Tarely manifested the decision of character demanded in
such an emergency. Of personal courage there was no
want, but he was deficient in quickness of conception and in
moral hardihood. His councillors were even more timid
than himself. And thus the mutineers were encouraged, and
the European residents in Calcutta, in the same proportion,
disheartened, by the habitual vacillation of the government.
25. At one time, during the advent of the great Moham-
medan festival of the Mohurrum, a panic prevailed through-
out all classes of the Christian inhabitants; and was only
allayed by' the unexpected arrival of Lord Elgin, with the
Shannon and the Pearl.
26. At a later period, lord Canning converted this feeling
of distrust into one of disgust and indignation, by appointing a
lieutenant-governor of the central provinces, with two Mo-
hammedan assistants, to supersede martial law, and to tie
the hands of the military leaders upon whose promptness
and resolution depended the safety both of individuals and
the state. In pursanoe of the same impolitic line of con-
duct, an act was passed by the legislature rendering it a
misdemeanor to possess arms or ammunition, without first
obtaining a license to that effect. As his lordship had pre-
viously returned an ungracious answer to a petition of the
European community praying that the native population
might be disarmed, it was felt that this was at least an
intimation that the European settlers were no more truso
worthy than the people of the country.
27. While these dissensions reigned at the Presidency, sir
James Outram, who had succeeded general Lloyd at Dina-
pore, hastily collected what forces he could muster, and pushed
484
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
on to reinforce general Havelock at Cawnpore.. With
characteristic magnaminity, however, he first disclaimed all
intention of plucking the nobly-earned laurels from the grasp
of his junior officer, and intimated his desire to accompany
him solely in liiseivil capacity of chief commissioner of Oude.
His march upward from Allahabad, however, was much im-
peded by the heavy rains, and at one point a small body of
the enemy attempted to harass his flank but being vigor-
ously attacked by a detachment under major Eyre, they were
destroyed almost to a man. It was thus the 19 th of Septem-
ber before general Havelock was in a position to cross the
Ganges for a third time, and to advance with an efficient
force to relieve the long-beleaguered garrison at Lucknow.
28. On that day the army of relief crossed the river by a
bridge of boats, and encamped on the other side. General
Havelock’s force consisted of about 2000 European infantry,
the Sikh regiment of Ferozepore, three batteries of field artil-
lery, and a handful of volunteer cavalry. The rebels mus-
tered about 40,000 strong, but their numerical superiority
only served to enhance the prowess of their conquerors. The
first engagement took place on the 21st of September, at the
village of Mongarwar, and resulted in the total defeat
of the mutineers. Five-field pieces and two guns in position
were taken ; two of the former being captured by the volun-
teer cavalry, led on to the charge by general Outram in
person.
29. From this point the army pushed on by forced marches
without encountering any organized opposition, until it
arrived before the city of Lucknow. Skirting the suburbs of
that one stately capital, General Havelock forced his way
through every obstacle, and by the evening of the 25th, had
relieved the heroic garrison. '
30. The relief was opportune. Two mines had already been
driven under the chief works, and, in a few hours more, would
have been loaded and sprung. The besieged would thus have
been at the mercy of those who knew no mercy.
31. The city, however, had still to be subdued. From sev-
eral advantageous positions, the enemy continued to fire upon
the fort, and were only finally dislodged after a series of
determined assaults.
32. In these operations the loss of the British was very
severe. General Neil, the brave and energetic saviour of
Benares, and the inexorable avenger of the massacre ofCawn-
pore, was among the slain. With him fell major Cooper, in
VICTORIA.
485
command of the artillery, and many other gallant spirits.
HWn Q ° W Tf hremain i d t0 be done - T ^ing courage P from
the enem y soon closed again
around the army of dehverance, and cut off their Tommuni-
cations with Cawnpore. Encumbered with not less than
1000 women and children, and sick or wounded men, it would
nave been hazardous, if not impossible, to have attempted a
retrograde march across a difficult country, harassed on all
sides by an active and desperate enemy. Under these circum-
stances, sir James Outram, who had now assumed the chief
command, determined on remaining at Lucknow, and await-
ing the arrival of reinforcements. His position, indeed, was
critical, but events in another quarter were in the meantime
operating in his favour.
33. Until the latter end of August, the British troops before
Delhi are rather to be considered as an army of observation,
than as a besieging force. Their inferiority in numbers and
artillery was barely counterbalanced by their superior disci-
Pj ir * e > courage, and physical strength. These advantages ena-
bled them, indeed, to maintain their ground, but not to assume
the offensive.
34. Toward the close of August, however, a reinforcement
of European and Sikh troops, under brigadier Nicholson,
arrived from the Punjab, and, on the 25th of that month, the
rebels were defeated at Nujufighur, with great slaughter and
the loss of thirteen guns. A few days later, a heavy siege-
train was received from Ferozepore, and breaching batteries
were constructed on the north side of the city. The siege
may be said to have commenced on the 7th of September ;
and, by the evening of the 13th, the engineers reported two
practicable breaches, — one near the Cashmere, the other
near the Water bastion. Arrangements were, therefore, at
once made for an assault to take place at daybreak on the
following morning.
35. The first column, commanded by brigadier Nicholson,
advanced under a tremendous fire, and applying their scaling-
ladders, carried the Cashmere bastion, and established them-
selves in the main-guard. Almost simultaneously, the second
column, under brigadier Jones, stormed the Water bastion,
and effected a junction with their comrades inside the walls.
36. A third column, under colonel Campbell, awaited the
blowing open of the Cashmere gate to join in the assault.
They had not long to wait. Lieutenant Salkeld and Home,
of the engineers, accompanied by three sergeants carrying
486
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
the powder-bags, walked up to the gateway in broad day-
light, and, while exposed to a heavy fire of musketry, coolly
fastened The bags to the iron spikes of the gate. In the
performance of this heroic exploit, lieutenant Salkeld was
severely wounded, and two of the sergeants killed upon the
spot ; but the train was lighted, and the gate blown open
with a tremendous crash.
37. As the smoke cleared away, the storming party sprang
through the ruins with a British cheer ; and, the three col-
umns uniting, made themselves master of the whole line of
works, fronthe Water bastion to the Cabul gate; and before
nightfall were in possession of Skinner’s house, the Church,
the College, and the adjacent grounds. This brilliant success,
however, was not achieved without great loss of life.
38. Of the European soldiery, eight officers and 162 rank
and file were killed, with fifty -two officers and 510 rank and
file wounded; of the sepoys, 413 were placed hors decom ■
bat, of whom 103 were slain outright. The total number
of casualties thus amounted to 1 145, or one-third of the en-
tire assaulting force. Among the mortally wounded was
brigadier Nicholson, whose death was justly deplored as a
national calamity.
39. Simultaneously with these main attacks, a diversion
was made by a fourth column, consisting of Sikhs, Gfhoorkas,
and Cashmerians, on the suburbs of Kishengunge and Paha-
reepore. But, in spite of their most strenuous efforts, these
troops failed to overcome the desperate resistance offered by
the enemy ; and, in the end, were compelled to retreat, though
not ingloriously.
40. The day following, the assault was consumed in shell-
ing the palace and in battering the magazine. A breach
was effected ; and, at daylight on the 16th, a storming party
dashed forward with such impetuosity that the rebel artillery-
men dropped their lighted port-fires and fled, leaving undis-
charged six guns of large calibre commanding the breach
and loaded with grape. On the 17th, the British troops be-
came masters of the Bank, formerly the palace of the Begum
Sumroo, and, shortly afterward, ofthe JummaMusjid, or prin-
cipal mosque. Heavy guns were now brought to play upon
the palace and the bridge of boats ; and by the evening of
the 20th, the rebels entirely evacuated the city and its sub-
urbs. Ihen was seen the extent of the damage sustained
by the former capital of the Moghul dynasty. Whole streets
had been laid in ruins ; dead , bodies tainted the air in all
VICTORIA.
487
directions 5 the inhabitants, reduced to beggary, were crouch-
ing, terror-stricken, in obscure lurking places. But the Bri-
tish soldier is merciful in victory, as he is irresistible in battle.
To armed rebels, no mercy was shown ; but women and
children, and the defenceless citizens, were spared and pro-
tected.
41. The venerable descendant of Timour — venerable only
by reason of his gray hairs and extreme old age — had fled,
with his principal Begum, two sons, and a grandson, to the
tomb of his ancestor, Hoomayoon, son of the mighty Baber.
Here he was discovered and seized by Captain Hodson, of the
2nd European fusiliers. His own life and that of his queen
were respected ; but the princes were led out and shot, and
their dead bodies publicly exposed at the Kotwalee, or mayor’s
court.
42. Gen. Wilson, whose health failed him in the hour of
victory, now resigned the command to brigadier Penny,
C.B., a veteran of approved gallantry. Colonel Burn, whose
father so gallantly defended Delhi against Jeswunt Rao Hol-
kar in 1803, was appointed military commandant within the
city, and measures were successfully taken to re-establish
order, and to afford protection to well-disposed and peaceful
citizens. Two moveable columns, consisting each of 1600
infantry, 500 cavalry, three troops of horse artillery, and 18
guns, were told off, and ordered to follow up the retreating
enemy without delay. One of these, commanded by Colonel
Greathed, of the 84th, came up with a rebel force stroDgly
posted near Bolundshuhur, and, after a spirited engagement,
utterly discomfited them, with the loss of two guns, a vast
quantity of ammunition, and 100 men.
43. On the same day the other column overtook the mu-
tineers at Muttra, and inflicted severe chastisement. The
security of Agra was thus assured, and a direct road laid open
into Oude. Reinforcements from England were at the same
time arriving at Calcutta, and each successive day fresh
troops were rapidly pushed up the country. The tide had
turned. The mutineers had lost their opportunity. .
44. Since June, 1857, a large body of Europeans, including
many women and children, had been held beleaguered in the
residency at Lucknow. Towards the close of September,
general Havelock attempted to relieve them. He had pene-
trated through the enemy’s numerous forces to the resi-
dency just in time to prevent its fall. His force not being
sufficient to protect the retreat of the women and children to
488
HISTORY OP ENGLAND,
VICTORIA.
489
Cawnpore, he remained at the residency, the garrison of
which was strengthened by a portion of the troops, the rest
falling back upon Cawnpore.
. 45. Lucknow was held by 50,000 rebels, who pressed the
siege of the residency with great vigour, and the position of
the defenders was extremely critical.
46. Sir Colin Campbell, the commander-in-chief, left
Cawnpore with a strong force, on the 9th of November, to
relieve Lucknow. He succeeded, by a well-conceived stra-
tagem, on the 12th, in bringing away the garrison, with the
women and children, and marched for Cawnpore.
47. On the third day after leaving Lucknow, general
Havelock died from the effects of dysentery, brought on by
excessive fatigue and anxiety.
48. In December, Cawnpore was attacked by 25,000
rebels with 50 guns, and Sir Colin Campbell was summoned
from the neighbourhood of Lucknow for its defence. He
arrived in season to save the place, after a severe action with
the enemy.
49. Sir Colin remained at Cawnpore, collecting a large
force for the final siege of Lucknow. During the time which
was thus oocupied, several actions of minor importance took
place; but it was not till the 17th of March that Lucknow
was recovered, after a short but active siege. After its fall,
the kingdom of Oude, of which it was the capital, was
speedily restored to obedience and comparative tranquillity.
50. Since, the fall of Lucknow, the war has assumed a
guerilla character in various parts of India ; and no other
event of equal importance has transpired.
Questions for Examination.
1. What is said of the war with Russia? Of the Sepoy mutiny?
2. Of lords Dalhousic and Canning ?
3. Of the Persian war ?
4. Ofthe Mohammedans of Upper India? Of the king of Delhi?
5. Ofthe Mohammedans and Hindoos? Of the greased cartridges?
6 . What took place in Oude ? In Lucknow? At Meerut?
7 ! At Delhi ? What was said by a writer in the Edinburgh Review
8. What is said ofthe spread ofthe rebellion?
9 Ofthe situation ofthe British posts?
10. W hat took place at Lucknow ? „ .
11. At Cawnpore? What is said of Nena Sahib?
12. ' What was occurring at Delhi?
13. At Calcutta?
14. In England ?
15. What force was sent out to India ? .
16. Who was appointed commander-in-cniet?
17! What was done by general Havelock? By
Nena Sahib?
?
490
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
18. By Havelock at Bhitoor?
19. On the banks of the Ganges?
20. What took place at Arran ?
21. What is said of the native chiefs ?
22. What took place in the Bombay presidency?
23. What is said of the Madras troops ? Of the Assamese?
24. What is said of lord Canning?
26. Of the Mohurrum?
26. Of lord Canning’s measures respecting the central provinces?
27. Of Sir James Outram? Of Havelock?
28. Of the battle of Mungarwar?
29. Of Havelock at Lucknow?
30. Of the relief?
31. Of the city?
32. Of the losses? Of Outram?
33. Of the British troops before Delhi?
34. What events followed?
35. What was done by Nicholson? By Jones?
36. By Campbell ? B / Salkeld and Home?
37. By the storming party ?
38. What is said of tlio losses?
39. W hat was dono in the suburbs of Delhi ?
40. What was done on the 16th of September? The 17th?
41. What is said of the king of Delhi?
42. Of generals Wilson and Penny? Of Greathed?
43. What events followed?
44. What took place at Lucknow?
45. What is said ofthe siege?
46. Of Sir Colin Campbell?
47. Of general llaveiock?
48. What took place at Cawnpore?
49. At Lucknow?
50. After the fall of Lucknow?
PROGRESS OP LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ETC. 491
CHAPTER XL.
SKETCH OP THE PROGRESS OP LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND
THE ARTS, DURING THE PRESENT CENTURY.
Calmly they show us mankind victorious
O’er all that’s aimless, blind, and base ;
Their presence has made our nature glorious.
Unveiling our night’s illumined face.— Sterling.
1. In the middle of the last century, science, and litera-
ture in England were fast losing all traces of originality -
invention was discouraged, research undervalued, and the
examination of nature proscribed. It seemed to be generally
established, that the treasures accumulated in the preced-
ing age were quite sufficient for all national purposes, and
that the only duty which authors had to perform was to re-
produce what had been thus accumulated, in a more elegant
shape, adorned with all the graces of polished style. Tame-
ness and monotony naturally result from a slavish adher-
ence to established rules, and every branch of literature felt
this blighting influence. History, perhaps, was in some de-
gree an exception ; for Hume, Robertson, but more especially
Gibbon, exhibited a spirit of original investigation which
found no parallel amongst their contemporaries. 2. The
American war first broke the chains that had thus fet
tered the public mind; passions were excited, party zeal
kindled; and, in the keen encounters ofrival statesmen, an ex-
ample was set of bidding defiance to all arbitrary rules. Parlia-
mentary-eloquence was the first result of the change, and the
principal cause of its further extension. While Burke, Fox,
Sheridan, and, at a latter period, Pitt, spoke as their peculiar
habits of thought prompted them, not as the rhetoric of the
schools taught, Cowper and Burns made vigorous efforts for
the emancipation of poetry, and substituted the suggestions
of nature for the dictates of art. Their success, however,
would scarcely have been decisive, had not the American
war beenjfollowed by a still more terrible convulsion. 3. The
French revolution shook everything that had been morally
as well as politically established in Europe to the very foun-
dation. There was no principal, however sacred, no in-
stitution, however sanctioned by long experience, no rule of
conduct however tried and proved, — that was not rudely
questioned and fiercely assailed. Hopes were entertained
by some, that a new era of social happiness _ was about to
dawn upon the world; others feared that society was about
492
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
to be rent in sunder, and every sign of civilization destroyed.
It is not our purpose to say anything of the political effects
produced by the French revolution : its literary consequences,
as has been the case with every period of great excitement,
were decidedly beneficial. A total change was wrought in
every branch of literature, a change which demanded from
every writer, vigorous thought instead of eloquent expression.
4. Crabbe, the poet of rustic life in England, derived his im-
pulse from the American war ; but it is to the struggle with
France that we owe Coleridge, W ordsworth, and Southey,—
men alike in their devotion to nature, but different in their
modes of testifying that homage, because each has followed
the bent of his own mode of thought. The enthusiasm with
which these eminent poets hailed the dawn of freedom in
France, embittered their disappointment when they saw the
evil uses to which the name of liberty was perverted; they
became vehement opponents of the political developement of
the French revolution, but they clung fondly to its intellec-
tual principles, and maintained the right of genius to explore
untraveiled paths, though its course might not be that pointed
out by critics. Their example was followed by Montgomery,
Byron, Scott, and Campbell ; and by a host of other writers
whose works have enriched modern literature. The female
mind also felt the influence of this mighty revolution, and
some of the hoblest productions in modern poetry have been
written by ladies. We may mention the names of Miss
Joanna Bailie and Mrs. Hemans.
5. There was, however, one species of poetry, the drama,
which had little or no share in the success which we have
described ; in fact, it was almost destroyed by that very
means. It is at the moment when a nation is wakening into
intellectual life, that the drama most flourishes; men are
then eager to receive instruction, and the theatre affords it
in the most pleasing as well as the most forcible form. But
as civilization advances, other and more efficient means of
instruction are provided; the drama loses its influence over
the improved generation, just as the picture-books of child-
hood cease to be valued in youth ; it sinks into a mere means
of entertainment, and its strength is lost with its high pur-
pose. The periodical press now holds the position that the
stage did in the time of queen Elizabeth. That the drama
might advance, it would be necessary for civilization to retro-
grade, and that would be far too high a price to pay even for
another Shakspeare.
Progress of literature, science, etc. 493
6. The great extension and excellence of our periodical
press, both ] iterary and political, is one of the most striking
characteristics of the age. Not merely the reviews and
magazines, but even the common newspapers, display lit-
erary merits of a very high order. Men of the most eminent
abilities and exalted stations contribute to our journals ; and
they consequently hold a high rank in the literature of the
age. Reviews, especially, have risen into unexampled emi-
nence, and have maintained their stations by a succession
of articles that tend at once to improve the taste and enlarge
the understanding. Some of the periodicals have a circula-
tion which, in a past age, would not have been credited. This
is owing to the more general diffusion of education among
all classes.
7. The importance of affording useful instruction to every
class of the community, is now universally acknowledged ;
and the progress of education has become so rapid, that
there is every prospect that its blessings will soon become
universal. And not only is the quantity of instruction in-
creased, but its quality is greatly improved, as might easily
be shown by a comparison of our present school-books with
those of the last century. It is no exaggeration to state, that
the elements of a really useful education may be more
easily obtained by the poor of the present day, than by the
richest of past generations.
8. History, which used to be a mere repetition of what
had been previously narrated by others, has called criticism
to its aid. Instead of a slavish adherence to authority, we
now see writers carefully examine facts, compare evidence,
and investigate the motives which might have led original
authors to conceal or disguise the truth. Lingard, Hallam,
Turner, Southey, and sir James Mackintosh, have been es-
pecially conspicuous for their critical sagacity, in eliciting
the truth from conflicting statements ; but notwithstanding
their exertions, the English school of historical criticism
may still be regarded as in its infancy.
9. Perhaps we may asoribe this deficiency m our histo-
nes to the unexampled progress and popularity of romantic
iterature, owing chiefly to the labours of Sir Walter Scott,
vho was among the first to unite in works of fiction the high-
est flights of imagination with the realities of life. Novels
Lnd romances have ceased to be dangerous and absurd,
Rough they were both in a period not very remote. Historical
finances are to this age what the historical plays of Shaks-
494
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
peare were to a former period, — vivid pictures of our ances-
tors : representing them, if not exactly as they thought and
acted, yet so nearly what they might have been, that they
become to us a kind of acquaintance, and seem brought
within the sphere of our personal knowledge.
10. Periodical criticism supplies the place of what used to
be termed general literature ; hence formal works on mental
and moral philosophy and the belles lettres are rare. Blair
and lord Kames were the guides of our fathers in matters of
taste : we have rejected their authority, and defer more to the
principles maintained by the leading reviews. These princi-
ples, however, are scattered in different essays over a multi-
tude of volumes, and no one has yet appeared of sufficient
snthority to be entrusted with the task of collecting them
into a new code. 11. Reid, Stewart, and Brown, were the
last great writers on metaphysics. Their fame will probably
long remain uneclipsed, for the science of mind seems to have
lost its hold on public attention, as indeed have almost all
merely speculative studies. What is chiefly desired in the
present day, is something practical and immediately useful.
12. Political economy and statistics have occupied the
position which was once held by metaphysics. Adam Smith
was in some measure the founder of the former science,
from his investigating the nature and causes of a nation’s
wealth. Since his day, the subject has engaged the atten-
tion of several eminent writers, especially Ricardo, Malthus,
and Macculloch. The cultivation of statistics must be the
source of all future improvement in the science of political
economy, because it is to the table of the statistician that the
economist must look for his facts ; and all speculations not
founded upon facts, though they may be admired and ap-
plauded when first propounded, will, in the end, assuredly
be forgotten.
13. The abstract sciences have made great progress in
England during the last few years ; principally owing to the
-great exertions of Airy, Ivory, Peacock, and Hamilton, who
have greatly extended the domain of mathematical calcula-
tion. In the mixed and applied sciences, also, much has
been done, though no very conspicuous discovery can be
mentioned. 14. Astronomy owes much to the great im-
I 13,9 received from the discovery of a new planet by
Sir William Herschellj and it has not been less benefittedby
the labours of his son and successor, Sir John Herschell,
whose investigations into the nature of the displacements
PROGRESS OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ETC. 495
observed among the fixed stars, have led to many, and will
lead to more important results. The science of optics has
become almost wholly new from the improvements effected
by Sir David Brewster and Dr. Young. But above all, dy-
namics have been enriched by a series of discoveries,
amounting to a complete revolution in our knowledge of
motive powers. It will be sufficient to mention one of these,
— the application of steam to machinery.
15. Chemistry, electricity, and electro-magnetism, may
be almost regarded as new sciences, in consequence of the
numerous discoveries of Davy, Dalton, and Farraday. It
would be impossible to enumerate all the practical advan-
tages that have resulted from the improvements in chemical
science ; but we may mention the use of gas to light our
cities and public buildings, and the invention of the safety-
lamp, by which the dangers to be dreaded from the explosion
of the fire-damp in mines have been in a great degree
averted.
16. The progress of maritime and inland discovery was
very great during the early part of the reign of George III.
It has since made less advance, because the first navigators
left little for their successors to explore. The interior of
Africa has, however, at length been penetrated b> the Lan-
ders, and Burnes has found a practicable route from the
British possessions in Northern India to Central Asia. The
value of these researches has been fully proved by the fact
that many of the places discovered in the reign of George
III. by Cook, Wallis, Carteret, Vancouver, &c., have al-
ready become colonies, or valuable depots of British com-
merce.
17. Only one speculative science, it seems, has enjoyed
popularity, — we mean geology. Perhaps part of its success
is owing to its connection with the practical science of min-
eralogy? Geology makes us acquainted with so many sin-
gular facts tending to prove that the world was once tenanted
by a race of beings different from those now found in it,
that we cannot be surprised at the delight with which it is
studied. Indeed, a much less agreeable subject might become
popular, if recommended by men of such ability as Cony-
beare, Smith, Buckland, Sedgwick, Mantell, and Lj ell.
18. Physiology, anatomy, and natural history, have re-
ceived very remarkable improvements. Hunter’s example
has stimulated many to exert themselves in the same field
of science ; and the result has been a perceptible increase of
496
HISTORY OP ENGLAND.
the average duration of human life. The investigation of
the nervous system by Sir Charles Bell, is among the most
recent and brilliant of the additions that have been made to
the medical science.
19. Statiscal science may almost be regarded as the
creation of this age. The word “ statistics ’ ’ was invented in
the middle of the last century by a German professor, to ex-
press a summary view of the physical, moral, and social
condition of states. He. justly remarked, that a numerical
statement of the extent, density of population, imports, ex-
ports, revenues, &c., of a country, more perfectly explained
its social condition than general statements, however graphio
or however accurate. When such statements began to be
collected and exhibited in a popular form, it was soon dis-
covered that the political and economical sciences were like-
ly to gain the position of physical sciences ; that is to say,
they were about to obtain records of observation, which
would test the accuracy of recognized principles and lead to
the discovery of new modes of action. But the great object
of this new science is to lead to the knowledge of human
nature; that is, to ascertain the general course of operation
of man’s mental and moral faculties, and to furnish us with
a correct standard of judgment, by enabling us to deter-
mine the average amount of the past, as a guide to the aver-
age probabilities of the future. This science is yet in its
infancy, but has already produced the most beneficial
effects. The accuracy of the tables of life have rendered
the calculations of rates of insurance a matter of much
greater certainty than they were heretofore ; the system of
keeping the public accounts has been simplified and im-
proved and, finally, the experimental sciences of medicine
and political economy, have been fixed upon a firmer foun-
dation than could be anticipated in the last- century. Even
in private life this science is likely to prove of immense
advantage, by directing the attention to the collection and
registration of facts, and thus preventing the formation of
hasty judgments and erroneous conclusions.
20. Political economy, though an older science than sta-
tistic-, must be regarded a3 intimately connected with that
branch of knowledge. Its object is to ascertain the laws
which regulate the distribution of wealth, and the relation of
demand and supply in the production and consumption of
both natural and artificial commodities. Such a science is
consequently of the highest importance to a commercial and
PROGRESS OP LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ETC. 497
manufacturing community ; and the increased attention paid
to it of late years, has led to a removal of many severe re-
strictions, which, under a false notion of protection, were
imposed on British trade. At first, political economy was
regarded with great suspicion, being looked upon as one of
those idle speculations, which, under the false designation of
social sciences, were broached in France during the frenzy
of the revolution, at the close of the last century. But its
importance is now so fully recognized, that professorships of
the new science have been established in the principal uni-
versities.
21. Even in this slight sketch it would be unpardonable
not to mention the great, the almost miraculous increase of
machinery inour manufactories ; an increase consequent upon
the cultivation of the sciences and their practical application.
The use of steamboats, of locomotive engines, and of count-
less machines for superseding manual labour, has placed Bri-
tain far in advance of.all other manufacturing countries, and
proportionably increased the comforts of every class of the
community.
22. Great as the progress of British industry, arts, and
sciences was, under the three preceding reigns, it has recently
received a new impulse by the formation of the British Asso-
ciation for the promotion of science, which promises to pro-
duce the most beneficial results. The meetings of this socie-
ty are held annually at some one or other of the great towns of
the empire. Its objects are, to give a strong impulse and
more systematic direction to scientific enquiry ; to promote the
intercourse of those who cultivate science in the different
parts of the British empire, with each other, and with foreign
philosophers ; to obtain a more general attention to the objects
of science, and a removal of any disadvantages of a public
kind which might impede its progress. _ Tiie Association
has had a meeting in each of the following places: York,
Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Dublin, Bristol, and Liver-
pool. It is divided into 6even sections : 1, Mathematics and
Physics ; 2, Chemistry and Mineralogy ; 3, Zoology and
Botany ; 4, Anatomy and Physiology ; 5, Geology ; 6, Sta-
tistics : and 7, Mechanical Science. In all these departments,
but especially the last two, the greatest benefits have result-
ed from bringing practical men into immediate contact with
the theoretical cultivators of science. Magnetical observa-
tories have been established in consequence in various parts
498
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
of the empire, and several series of observations have been
made to determine the direction and intensity of the mag-
netic force. The attention of the Association has also been
directed to experiments tending to illustrate the nature ofthe
connection between electricity and magnetism ; and since its
formation, meteorology has been so extended as to become a
new science. The attention of the statistical section has
been recently directed to the state of public education, and
to the condition of the working classes, both in the manufac-
turing and agricultural districts. It is to be hoped that these
investigations will point out the evils which require to be
remedied, and the means by which society in Great Britain
may be elevated and improved.
23. Turning from the useful to the elegant arts, we must
first remark the great revival of architectural taste during
the last two reigns, especially as displayed in the many im-
provements of the metropolis. Inconvenient and narrow
passages have been removed to make room for Begent Street,
one of the finest lines of communication in Europe ; the
Begent’ s Park and the new squares in Pimlico, occupy spaces
which were recently unsightly wastes ; and the Strand, from
being an inconvenient thoroughfare, has been widened into a
street which, for its beauty, combined with its adaptation to
business, has few if any rivals. The erection of those two
magnificent structures, Waterloo and London Bridges, has
led to the opening of new lines of communication, which
promise to be equally ornamental and useful. Becent cala-
mities have also given an impulse to architectural skill. The
destruction of both houses of Parliament and the Boyal Ex-
change by fire, have rendered the erection of new edifices
necessary ; and judging from the excellence of the designs
which have been tendered for the erection of new houses for
the legislature, there is every reason to believe that the new
building will be worthy of an enlightened age and nation.
24. Though painting and sculpture have not been unpa-
tronized, it must be confessed that they have not advanced
with the same rapidity and steadiness as the other arts, though
England possesses professors of both who deserve to be
ranked among the ornaments of their country. Many causes
may be assigned for this inferiority, but the principal is the dis-
continuance ofthe use of pictures and statues for religious pur-
poses since the time of the Beformation. Notwithstanding this
disadvantage, however, the English school of art has recently
made such great advances, that it bids fair at no distant day
PROGRESS OF LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ETC. 499
to rank as the first in Europe. The National Gallery, which
has been recently completed in Trafalgar Square, will pro-
bably be found one of the best aids to the encouragement of
excellence in statuary and painting, and to the formation of
the public taste for appreciating the beauties of art.
25. The great additions made to the British Museum, and
the freedom with which its treasures are opened to the public,
must tend greatly to inspire a taste for contemplating the
wonders of nature and art. The department of Natural
History must be taken in connection with the Zoological
Gardens, which have been recently established, not only in
the metropolis, but in various parts of the empire ; thus
viewed, it is unrivalled in the world. The Elgin marbles
contain specimens of Athenian sculpture belonging to an age
when that art had attained the summit of its glory, and, though
unfortunately mutilated, they furnish models to the young
aspirants, which cannot be studied without the most advan-
tageous results. In the gallery of Egyptian antiquities, the
historical student has an opportunity of seeing the advances
made in civilization by a powerful nation three thousand years
ago, and for consulting the strongest evidences of the truth
of Biblical history.
26. In this rapid view of literature, science, and the arts,
space has only allowed the mention of a few leading features ;
but there is one circumstance more, too important to be
omitted, — the growing and marked connection between reli-
gion and every department in which human intelligence is
exercised. The discoveries of the traveller are combined
with the labours of the missionary ; the studies of the natu-
ralist are directed to elucidate the wonders of creative power ;
our best poets have dedicated no small portion of their works
to celebrating the praises of their God ; and in other depart-
ments of literature few traces can be found of the levity,
the profaneness, and the sneers at things sacred, which so
often sullied the writings of the past generation. It is now
deeply felt and strongly enforced, that all researches, whether
mental or material, directly tend to give new proofs of the
power, the wisdom, and the beneficence of that Almighty
Beino' who has called into existence, and so wonderfully
adapted to each other, the universe of matter and the universe
27. But it is not in reference to Engjand alone that this
beneficial change in the character of our national literature
demands our thankfulness a,nd admiration. The langua 0 e of
500
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
England girdles the globe : it is spoken in every climate and
every quarter of the earth ; her colonies are laying the foun-
dations of future states ; the descendants of her colonies
have already become one of the foremost nations in rank
and influence. England has thus obtained great influence in
the future progress of civilization, and on her is thrown the
responsibility of moulding the character of countless gener-
ations. While tve thus perceive that she lias been called
by the dispensation of Providence to fulfil a higher destiny,
we should at the same time feel how important is the trust,
and earnestly desire that its performance should be such as
to promote the honour of God and the welfare of mankind
establishing everywhere the principles announced at the
advent of our blessed Redeemer, “ Peace on earth, good will
toward men.”
10 .
n.
12 .
13 .
14 .
15 .
16 .
17 .
18 .
19 .
20 .
21 .
•a.
23 .
21 .
25 .
26 .
27 .
Questions for Examination.
In what state was British literature about the middle of the last
century 7
By what political event was a change effected?
What consequences resulted from the French revolution?
Were those effects exhibited in our poetical literature?
How did the drama Jail to share in the general improvement?
What circumstances connected with the periodical press are pecu-
liarly characteristic of the present age?
Has much been effected for the causes of national education?
Are histories, written tn the present day, remarkable for anything that
was rare in the last century ?
What branch of literature has flourished to the probable iniurv of
history? J J
Why are works on general literature rare?
Have metaphysics lcceived much attention?
What advantages may result from the cultivation of political eco-
nomy and statistics?
Have any advances been made in the mathematical sciences?
W hat improvements have been effected in the physical sciences?
Have any sciences been so much improved that they may almost be
regarded as new? J J
^inland discover ? aVe resulted from the progress of maritime and
Why ha3 geology become popular?
I)id the medical sciences share in the general improvement?
\Y hat are the nature and objects of statistical science *
J n what condition is the new science of Political Kconomv?
i ‘ B r eat inventions have- been made in the useful arts*'
hat is tho design of the British Association?
Have any improvements been made in architecture?
sculpTure'? 16 pru6eut 6tate and futlu ' e prospects of painting and
What benefits result from the British Museum?
1 ^hemuref 1CU “ H ' taUCe pcculiarly gratifying in the view of modem
W England? Cre peCUliarly importact the present condition of
THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION.
501
CHAPTER XLI.
THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION.
1. Evert government is instituted to secure the general
happiness of the community; and especially to protect the
person and property of every individual. Constitutions are
establi -bed to secure the good administration of the govern-
ment, by giving the people some direct or indirect control
over their rulers, and also a share in the formation of the
laws. 2. The British constitution differs from most others
in its formation. It was formed very gradually. Checks
against the abuses of power were not devised until the evils
were actually felt, and consequently its details, though some-
times cumbrous, and perhaps inconsistent, are the results of
long experience, and have been rendered, by old habits,
exactly suited to the peculiar circumstances of the nation.
3. The government established in England by the Nor-
man conqueror was a feudal despotism. The land was divi-
ded into fiefs, which were for the most part given to the
Norman lords or barons, who were invested with absolute
power over the lives and fortunes of their vassals. There
were no written limitations to the power of the king over
the barons ; but Henry I. eager to secure partisans in his
usurpation of the crown from his brother Robert, granted a
charter of privileges to his nobility, which contained also a
few stipulations in favour of the great body of the people.
4. The conditions of this charter were flagrantly violated ;
until at length, in the reign of John, the barons, with a
powerful body of their adherents, appeared in arms against
the king, and forced him to sign Magna Charta, the great
foundation of English liberty. Though this charter was
principally designed to protect the nobles from the encroach-
ments of royal power, it contained some important provi-
sions in favour of general liberty j a clear proof of the
growing power of the commons.
5. When the importance of commerce began to be under-
stood, it was found necessary to secure the trading towns and
communities from the exactions of their powerful neighbours ;
for in the middle ages piracy and highway robbery wore
deemed honourable professions by most of the feudal nobles
in Europe. To protect trade, charters of incorporations were
502 HISTORY OF ENGlANfi.
granted to several cities and towns, by which they were
released from dependence on a feudal lord, and permitted
to enjoy a government of their own choosing- A gradual
change took place through the country in consequence of
the adventurous and reckless spirit of the Norman barons.
Some sold their fiefs to raise money for joining the crusades;
others wasted them by piecemeal to support tjieir riot and
dissipation ; and thus from various causes a body of small
landholders began to be formed, independent of the great
barons, and looking to the crown for protection against
them. 6. When the earl of Leicester took up arms to re-
strain the capricious tyranny of Henry HI. he summoned a
parliament to sanction his designs ; and, that the voice of the
nation might be more clearly expressed, he invited the coun-
ties to elect knights of the shire, and the cities and towns to
send deputies, to aid in these consultations. This appears
to have been the first attempt to form a house of commons ;
but the origin and early progress of that branch of the legis-
lature is involved in great, not to say hopeless, obscurity.
7. The commons were generally courted by the king as a
counterbalance to the power of the nobility. Until the civil
wars between the rival houses of York and Lancaster, hav-
ing thinned the ranks of the barons, extinguishing many
noble houses, and almost annihilating the influence of the
rest, the royal power became supreme, and so continued
during the reigns of the four sovereigns of the house of
Tudor. 8. But the commons during t^iis period had been
silently collecting their strength, and, on the accession of
James I. they insisted on their privileges wkh a pertinacity
which led to a long struggle between the king and the par-
liament. In this contest the majority of the house of lords,
which had been reinforced by the elevation to the peerage
of some of the heads of the old English families, espoused
the cause of the commons. At length Charles I. was co-
erced into granting the petition of right, which secured many
valuable constitutional privileges to the people. But pas-
sions had been excited in the struggle which brought on a
civil war, that ended in the overthrow of the monarchy.
9. During the reign of Charles II. the celebrated habeas
corpus was passed, by which personal liberty is secured to
the subject; but the perfection of the British constitution was
completed in 1688, when James H. was hurled from the
throne for his arbitrary principles, the right of parliament to
regulate the succession to the crown established, and the
$HE BRITISH CONSTITUTION.
503
liberties of the people secured by the Bill of Rights and
the Act of Settlement. 10. After that period no important
change was made in the constitution until the passing of the
recent Reform Bill, by which the decayed and deserted
boroughs have lost their right of sending members to parlia-
ment, and the privilege has been transferred to the larger
counties and more important towns.
11. The legislative power of England is placed in the
parliament, which consists of three parts, — the king, (or
queen,) the lords and the commons.
12. The crown of England is hereditary, but parliament
has a right to alter the line of succession. After the abdica-
tion of James II., the right of succession was limited to
protestants, and on the impending failure of protestant heirs
to Charles I., the settlement was extended to the protestant
line of Jame3 I., viz. to the princess Sophia of Hanover, and
the heirs of her body, being protestants. The present reign-
ing family is descended from the princess Sophia, and
holds the throne in right of her parliamentary title.
13. The duties of the sovereign are described in the co-
ronation oath. They are, first, to govern according to law;
secondly, to execute judgments in mercy; and thirdly, to
maintain the established religion. 14. The prerogatives of
the king, by which is meant those privileges which belong
to him in consequence of his high station and dignity, are
either direct or incidental. The chie of his direct preroga-
tives are, the power of making war and peace ; of sending
and receiving ambassadors ; of pardoning offences ; of con-
ferring honours and titles of dignity ; of appointing judges
and subordinate magistrates ; of giving or revoking commis-
sions in the army or navy ; and of rejecting bills proffered to
him by the other branches of the legislature. He is the
head of the national church, and nominates to vacant bish-
oprics and other ecclesiastical preferments.
15. But the king can only exercise his prerogatives
through ministers, who are responsible to the nation for
every act emanating from royal authority. Hence, arises
the aphorism that the “ king can do no wrong,” his ministers
being alone answerable.
16. The incidental prerogatives of the king are various.
A few alone need be mentioned : no costs can be recovered
against him ; his debt shall be preferred before that of a
subject ; no suit or action can be brought against him, but any
504
History of England.
person having a claim in point of property on the king must
petition him in chancery.
17. There are certain privileges also conceded to the
royal family ; the queen retains her title and dignity even
after the death of ber husband; she has authority to buy
and sell in her own name, and to remove any suit in which
she is concerned to whatever court she pleases, without any
of the usual legal formalities. The king’s eldest son is Lv
his birth prince of Wales, and, by creation, duke of Cornwall
and earl of Chester. All the king’s children receive the
title of “ royal highness.”
18. The house of lords is sometimes called the upper
house of parliament. Its members are either temporal peers,
whose dignities are hereditary, or spiritual peers, who sit
only for life. The Scottish representative peers sit only for
one parliament, the Irish representative peers sit for life.
A peer may vote by proxy ; but each peer can hold the
proxy for one absent peer only. The house of lords can alone
originate any bills that affect the rights or privileges of the
peerage, and the commons are not permitted to make any
alteration in them. Peers can be tried by the house of
lords only ; and this house constitutes the court in which offi-
cers of state are tried on impeachment by the house of
commons ; it is also the last court of appeal from inferior
jurisdictions. Each peer may enter his protest on the jour-
nals when a vote passes contrary to his sentiments, and
assign the reasons of his dissent in writing. When sitting
in judgment, his verdict is given “ on his honor.” The same
form is observed in his answers on bills in chancery, but in
civil and criminal cases he must be sworn.
19. The house of lords
Princes of the blood royal (all
dukes)
Other dukes*
Marquesses
Earls
Viscounts ” ”
Barons
(A.D. 1836) consists of—
Peers of Scotland IS
4 Peers of Ireland 28
21 English bishops 26
19 Irish bishops 4
Making in all 426
IL» in 1385. conferred the title of marauis on
Thte is sunnofed tfh t°)f 0x . fo r d ’ by making }lim Marquis of Dublin
F .l r P ^- ed - to bo the or, 9 m of the title in England.
Saxon ancestors 8 * TnThna C1 +- nt havin g been in use among our
oaxon ancestors. In those times it was an official dignity, baivng a
THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION.
505
20. The house of commons consists of members chosen
by counties, cities, boroughs, and universities. The mem-
bers for counties, commonly called knights of the shire, must
possess a real estate of £600 a year, and members for cities
or boroughs of £300 a year. The sons of peers and mem-
bers for the universities are not required to produce these
qualifications.
21. Aliens, clergymen, judges, returning officers in their
respective jurisdictions, officers of the excise, &c., those
who hold pensions of limited duration, contractors with
government, and some others exposed to external influence,
are uneligible to parliament.
_ 22. The right of voting for members of parliament is
given by the late reform act to leaseholders in counties
seized of lands or tenements worth ten pounds a year, to
tenants at will, farming lands at a rent of fifty pounds a year,
and to holders in fee simple of lands or tenements of the
yearly value of forty shillings. In cities and boroughs the
right of voting is given to resident householders whose tene-
ments are worth an annual rent of £10, but the rights of
freemen in the old constituency are preserved for the term
of their natural lives.
23. The house of commons contains —
English county members. 143
Universities 4
Cities and boroughs 324
Welsh county members. . 15
Cities and boroughs 14
Scotch county members. . 30
Cities and boroughs 23
| 471
} 29
| 53
Irish county members. ... 64 )
Universities 21 105
Cities and boroughs 39 )
Making in all 653
24. In order to understand the manner in which the public
business is transacted in parliament, we insert a brief ac-
count of the usual forms, and an explanation of the terms
generally used. Discussions generally arise on a motion
jurisdiction over the place from which the title took its name. Soon after
the Norman conquest, we find that William created several earls, allot-
ting to each the third penny arising from the pleas in their respective dis-
tricts. That grant, has, however, longsince ceased, and in lieu of it the
earls now receivo a small annuity from the exchequer.
Viscouxt. — The title of viscount is of much more recent date; the
first we read of being J ohn Beaumont, who was created viscount Beau-
mont by Henry VI. in the year 1439.
Bakon.— In English history we often find the word Baron used to
denominate the whole collective body of the nobility. When, after the
Norman conquest, the Saxon title of Thane was disused, that of baron
succeeded, and being the lowest title among the nobles, was very generally
applied as the term lord is now ; with which indeed, it appears to be
synonymous.
506
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
being made by a member, seconded by another and then
put from the chair in the shape of a question. On each of
these every member is entitled to be heard once ; but he may
rise again to explain, and the member who originates a
motion is allowed to reply.
25. Committees are, first, those of the whole house,
which may be to consider of certain resolutions in respect
to the nature of which considerable latitude prevails : or the
house resolves itself into such committee to consider the
details of a bill, the principle of which is never discussed
unless on its several readings; or there may be committees
for financial purposes as those of “ supply,” or “ ways and
means.” Secondly, there are select committees, chosen by
.ballot or otherwise, for some specific purpose, — the numbers
composing such bodies seldom exceed twenty or thirty mem-
bers; occasionally these are declared committees of secrecy.
Thirdly, election committees, which are strictly judicial tri-
bunals, and whose duty it is to try the merits of controverted
elections, — these are always chosen by ballot. Fourthly,
committees on private bills.
26. When the whole house is in committee, the speaker
vacates the chair, some other member is called on to preside,
and he sits in the seat of the senior clerk. The mace is
then placed under the table. For committees of supply and
ways and means, there is a chairman, who receives a salary.
27. The prorogation of parliament is an act of the crown j
but either house may adjourn its sittings to the next or any
future day, as of course it may adjourn any debate. Motions
of adjournment may be made at any time, and repeated at
the pleasure of any member.
28. When a motion has been made upon which the house
happens to be unwilling to come to a vote, there are formal
modes of avoiding a decision, among which are passing 11 to
the other orders,” or moving 11 the previous question.” The
former means, that the house should — casting aside and
taking no further notice of the matter then before it — pro-
ceed to the other business appointed for that day ; the latter,
that a vote be previously taken as to the expediency of their
coming to any decision on the question raised. If u the pre-
vious question ” be decided in the negative, the motion on
which it bears is only gotten rid of for the time, whereas a
direct negative to the motion itself would be a proscription
of it for the remainder of the session, as well as a denial of
its principle.
THU BRITISH CONSTITUTION.
507
29. With respect to a bill, moving that it be “ read this
day six months” is a mode of throwing it out without coming
to an express declaration against the principle of the
measure.
30. An acceptance of “ the Cbiltern hundreds” is a form
which has now no other meaning than that the member
accepting resigns his seat. By an express act of parliament,
no office having emolument attached, can be conferred by
the crown on a member of the house of commons without
his thereby vacating his seat, and it is only thus that a mem-
ber can rid himself of the duties which any body of consti-
tuents may impose even without his consent. The crown,
therefore, as an accommodation to the house at large, is
always ready to confer on any member “ the stewardship of
his majesty’s Chiltern hundreds,” which office, when it has
served his purpose, he immediately resigns.
31. The King, we have already said, is the fountain of
executive justice. Law, whether criminal or civil, however,
is administered by the judges, who, with the exception of
the lord chancellor, hold their places during good behaviour.
No man can be tried for any offence until the grand jurors
of his country have decided that there is reasonable ground
for the accusation. He is then given in charge to a jury of
his equals, and their verdict is final. No man can be tried
twice for the same offence ; and when a person is convicted
by a jury, there is no appeal but to the mercy of the king.
32. The administration of civil law could not be described
within our narrow limits. It must suffice therefore to state,
that the civil and common law courts are open to every
suitor ; and that justice is freely administered to all, what-
ever may be their rank or station.
Questions for Examination.
1. What is the use of a constitution?
2 Whence arises the peculiar excellence of the British constitution .
3’. Bv whom was the first charter granted to the English people.
4. What circumstances led to the concession ot Magna Chartar
c" Why were corporations established?
6 What was the origin of the house of commons?
7 ' Did the kings favour the house of commons. _
8* When did the authority of the king come into collision with tb
authority of parliament?
9. What led to the revolution of 1688?
10 What change was made by the Refonn Bill .
ll’ Into what branches is the British legislature divided.
12 How is the inheritance of the crown regulated?
13. Where are the king's duties prescribed ?
508
HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
14. Whht are the king’s direct prerogatives?
15. How are these prerogatives exercised?
16. What are the king’s incidental prerogatives?
17. Aro any privileges conceded to tho royal family?
18. Can you describe tho privileges of tho peerage?
19. How are tho members ofthe'liouse of lords classed?
20. What arc thec|ualilication.y for a member of parliament?
21. Are any persons excluded from tho lower house of parliament?
22. How is tho right.ot voting for members of parliament regulated?
23. How aro tho members of the liouso of commons classed?
:!4. In whatmanner do discussions arise?
25. Can you describe the committees of the house of commons?
23. What iorm is used on going into committee?
27. Ilow docs prorogation of parliamentdiiTer from adjournment?
23. How docs the liouso avoid coming to a decision?
29. How may a bill be rejected without prejudice to the principle it
involves?
30. What is meant by accepting the Chiltern hundreds?
31. Ilow is the criminal law administered?
32. Has due provision been made forthe administration of common and
civil law?
APPENDIX.
The following Tables are extracted from a very ingenious and valuable
Engraving, entitled » HISTORY MADE EASY, or a Genealogical
Chart of the Kings of England,” by E. Reynard; to which we
beg to refer the reader for further useful information.
MONARCHS BEFORE THE CONQUEST.
'H
No.
MONARCHS.
Began
to
Reign.
Reign’d]
Years.
A. D.
N
1
Egbert* * * §
827
10
H
2
Ethelwolf.
838
20
1
3
Ethel bald
857
,2
4
Ethel bel t
860
6
6
Ethelred 1. 1
866
5
r §
6
Allred
872
29
7
Edward the Elder
901
24
ii
8
Athelstan
925
15
9
Edmund I. §
940
6
La
10
Edred
946
9
11
Edtvay
955
4
12
Edgar
959
16
13
Edward II *.
975
3
14
Ethelred 11. ||
978
87
I
15
Edmund Ironside II
1016
1
8
16
Swevn
1014
3
i§ J
17
Canute
1017
19
18
Harold I
1036
3
jq
19
liardicanute
1039
2 l
20
Edward III, or the Confessor
1041
-0
WB
21
Harold II., son of Godwin, earl of Kent..
1066
_u
* Egbert descended from Cerdic, the first king of Wessex, a Saxon
General, who in the year A. D. 405, arrived in Britain. It is said in the
Saxon annals, that ho was descended from Woden, the root of the
Saxon families : and by his conquest which he made in Britain, he may
bo considered as one of tho firstlounders of the English monarchy. The
kings of England descend from him in tho male line to Edward the Con-
fessor, and in the female line to tho illustrious princess who now sits
upon the throne.
t Eiiled in battle against the Danes, in 871.
t Introduced trial byjury, divided England into shires and hundreds,
and founded the University of Oxford.
§ Was killed by Eeoll, a notorious robber.
|| In 1014, Swevn, king of Denmark, raado himself master of England,
and was crowned king; and Ethelredfled into Normandy. On the death
of Sweyn, whichhappened in 1015, thecrown was contested by Edmund
Ironside (tho lawful successor ot Ethelred). and Canute, the descendant
of Sweyn, whoat length agreed to divide the kingdom among them; but
Edmund, being murdered shortly after this treaty was entered into;
Canute (surnamed the Great) was declared king of all England in 1017.
MON ARC HS SINCE THE CONQUEST.
* Son of Robert, Duke of Normandy.
t Son of Adela and Count of liiois ; hence the house of Blois.
t Son ofMatilda andGeoffreyPIantagenet ; hence the Plantagenet race.
§ Son of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster ; hence the h. of Lancaster.
II Son of Richard, duko of York, lineally descended from Lionel, dukeof
Clarence, tho6econd eon of Edward tho’Third ; hence thehouse of York.
If Was the 60n of Margaret and Edward Tudor. Margaret was a lineal
descendant from John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster; Edmund Tudor
was tho eon of Owen Tudor, who married the widow of Henry V ; hence
the house of Tudor.
** Son of Mary, queen of Scots, and Henry Stuart, Lord Damley;
hence the race of Stuarts.
tt Elector of Hanover; hence the race of Brunswick.
APPENDIX.
511
DIVISION OF ENGLAND
■At the time of the Roman invasion.
England, including Wales, was, at the invasion of the
Romans, divided into the following seventeen states.
Called bij the Romans Consisting of
1. The Dammonii. .Cornwall and Devon.
2. Dcrotriges Dorsetshire.
3 . Belgce Somersetshire, W ilts, and parts of Hants.
4. Attrebatii Berkshire.
5. Begni Surrey, Sussex, and remaining part.of
Hants.
6. Cantii Kent.
7. Dobtjni Gloucester and Oxfordshire.
8. Cattieuchlani . .Bucks, Bedford, and Hearts.
9. Trinobantes Essex and Middlesex.
10. Iceni Suffolk, Norfolk Huntingdon, and
Cambridge.
11. Cobitani... .... .Northampton, Leister, Rutland, Lin-
coln, Nottingham, and Derby.
12. Cornavi Warwick, Worcester, Stafford, Chester,
and Shropshire.
13. The Silures Radnor, Brecon, Glamorgan, Mon-
mouth, and Hereford,
14. Demetce Pembroke, Cardigan, and Caermarthen.
15. Ordovices Montgomery, Merioneth, Caernarvon,
Flint, and Denbigh.
16. The Brigantes. .York, Durham, Lancashire, Westmore-
land, and Cumberland.
17. Ottadini Northumberland to the Tweed.
KINGS OF ENGLAND.
From the invasion of Julius Ccesar to the departure of the Romans.
A.D.
6. Marius 15
7 Coilus 175
8. Lucius 207
9. Severus (em) — 211
10. Bassianus 218
11. Carausius 225
anno a.o.
1. Caseivelaunus — 83
2. Theomantius. 50
3. Cymbeline 24
A.D.
4. Guiderius 45
5. Arviragus 73
From the departure of the Romans till the introduction of the
Saxons by Vortigern.
A.D.
12. Alectus 232
13. Asclepiodorus. .262
14. Coilus JI 289
15. Const’ntius(em)310
16. Const’nt’ne(emj329
Octavius
Maxuninianus
A.D.
..383
..391
A.D. A.D
Gratian 431 Constantius. 446
Constantine 1 446 Vortigern. 460
512
APPENDIX.
INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY.
According to Bede, and other authentic historians, the
kingdoms of the Heptarchy embraced Christianity in about
the following order :
Wessex
Mercia
South Saxons.
a.d.
Kent 593
East Saxons 604
Northumberland 628
East Anglia 636
Began,
The kingdom' of Kent 457
East Saxons, or Essex 627
N orthumberland 547
East Anglia 675
West Saxons, or Wessex 519
Mercia 582
......South Saxons 490
A.D.
. 636
.. 669
. 686
Ended. Capital.
823 Canterbury.
746 London.
792 York
783 Duiwich.
1066 Winchester.
847 Leicester.
600- -Chichester,
THE BRITISH MINISTRY.
September, 1841,
Sir Robert, Peel Bart First Lord of the Treasury. . . .?£lfooo
Lord Lyndhttest Lord High Chancellor 14,000
Lord Wharnclieee Lord President of the Council. . .2,000
JDuke of Buccleuch Lord Privy Seal 2,000
Sir James It. G. Graham Secretary of State — Home Dep. . . 5’000
Earl of Aberdeen Secretary of State — Foreign Dep. 5,000
Lord Stanley Secretary of State— Colonial Dep. 5,000
lit. Hon. Henry Goulbourn. . .Chaucelier of the Exchequer.. 5 000
Earl of HADDiNGTON First Lord of the Admiralty .Y 5 OO
Sir Edward Knatchbull Paymaster-General 21500
Earl of Hipon President of Board of Control. . . .2,000
lit. Hon. W. E. Gladstone President of the Board of Trade. .
Sir Thomas Freemantle Secretary at War 2,580
Duke of Wellington Commander of the Forces!’.'” .
REVENUE.
The total income of the year ending January 6, 1844, was £50,071,943
END,
* D/9 32 , 7
i &&>&
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D/9 32,/7
I (o(z>
C ^Ltl re h €
K n the SoudM,
ANNA 1 , SAStlEB.
Holds' y^syaiswCTiwiipa stake.
See in d uskt, Omni columns
Heathen foes come on apace.
Soldiers, ye were wont to meet (hem.
Sternly, face to face.
Soldiers, see, the night clouds creeping.
Slowly o’er the destert waste :
Stars are gleaming, darkness falling;
Soldiers, hasten ye, O haste !
Nearer come those Moslem legions.
Swartly, dark-browed, sworn to slay:
Soon the amber, tropic morning
Shows them in-their dread array.
Soldiers, whence this shadow settling
O’er your faces gray and chill.
Gone the flush of kindling ardor.
High hearts now forever still
Soldiers, see, the day nigh breaking.
Rise, 0 rise, your weapons take,
Ood, can this be death that checks them.
Can it be such hearts could break ?
Soldiers, yesterday departing,
Te have left home, country, all.
Tell us not the desert gave you
Nameless graves— a common pall.
Gallant hearts, the foe is coming.
See th’ advancing lines, the Are,
Beck ye not of fearful charges.
Forlorn hopes and vengeance dire.
Silent yet, white faces gazing
Upwards to these alien starsy
Lips set coldly, pulses nerveless-
warriors of pfaftr wars.
See. your useless words are lying
Where your Bands relaxed their hold.
Oh, what fiery courage bade ye
Gird them on in days of old.
Soldiers, in your homes of mourning, k
Eves grown wan with tears are preoseu
On the lineB whose deadly import
Few who read have fully guessed:
War lists, with the dead and missing.
Bf feres ~and mothers, wherefore
Far. where desert sands are burn^HL <
Heroes Ue in glorigus sleep 1 TS®
Soldiers, see, the Nile’s BtrangeK«fif II
Death ! 8
MnsilffiffiSEDRAMA.
* D/9 32.’ 7
re H £
jget..as ^s oon as possi-
ble. “On be*fflMp|EOWr. Ga^on to
name a day te'aPw no an effort ^
to present the
is not probable thathe wail be able to do tbis, r
however, as he ranh jWAf f is? that tfce ofdinar y
duties of his offlbe tafa? tip every moment of
his time. While oh this topic it may tws
mentioned' that the Conservatives <x*m-
dentlv expect a surplus for the present fiscal
j-ear, owing to the increased subsidy from
the Federal Government granted them last
year.
■ MOtfHCEAt. StLEOtOBAi DltlSlOtf.
The House next went into committee upon
Mr. Taillon’s motion with respect to the
West and Centre divisions of Montreal.
There was no opposition. Mr. MeShane stat-
ing he was not prepared to discuss the ques-
tion at the moment, but would reserve his
remarks for a later stage, pi consequence,
(he bill was reported and ordered to be read
k third time to-day, after which the House
adjourned. When the bill comes up for its
third reading Mr. MeShane. will move, if - he
can get the concurrence of the Bouse, that
the bill be recommitted to the committee -of
the whole to enable him to move an amend-
ment that the representation of Montreal be
increased to seven members in the manner
laid down in his speech of Wednesday.
THE DEFICIT.
It is impossible to gather from the state-
ment presented by the Treasurer an exact
idea of the amount of the deficit between the
revenue and normal expenditure of the
f trovince for the last fiscal year, because !
oans and other moneys received and spent
on capital account are placed together With
the receipts and disbursements on revenue j
account. There will be much dispute as to
which account many items should be
charged, but even the ministry admit a deficit
ranging from two hundred to two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars. Among the rank
and file the amount la variously stated* all
. the way up to $800,000, and there are ru-
mors of cooked accounts. If the accounts be
• indisputable the defioib cannot reach *
j larger sum than $830,000; If so much. How-
ever. the budget debate will dear up the
whole mystery, and until then It Is hteffessi-
ble for any one to insist upon a
figure. * • . a- ■ r -” .
L »om. •
be granted them the site of the Dfo&ofted
asylum, and in a&lUou.
$ 20 , 000 . , „ ,
l The Public AoOMStt Oo&mfe&e met yes-
morning, and elected Mr. G»vn^
#'D/ e >32.<7
I %/o(&
c_k,^Ld- re m C
r.
THIS “ AWETO."
The oddest ineeot In existence — so od<^ H»t
unless It were vonehed for and explained Mpenti-
finally would tie considered a hoax — athesweM
It is not easy to decide whether it ought; fe m
classed under the f anna or flora of New ZeahMl
for it iB as much vegetable as anim a l . an£'ih
final stage, it is a vegetable and nothing nn.
This is the vegetable caterpillar, called by
naturalists Hipialis viresems. It is a perfect
caterpfllar, and a fine one also,, growing
and a half inches. Unto it is fall ponl it
conducts itself very much like any ofim
insect, except that it hi never found any-
where bat u> the nsighbonhtod of the Bata
tree, a large scarlet-flowered myrtle, and that
it habitnauy buries itself a few inches wader
ground. Then, when the Awsto is folly
Dtf32.<7
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C-k-Ud. re t i £
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K.-Ov l T RA' ' B
CAl.KoT.
LOVELLS PERILS OF SCHOOL BOOKS
i: 1
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bi jtfd the n*c 4 wfty
• umT"
*"t»l»l> ’ll *v
Ill- Books havil ••
existing for * SK1{IE8 OF EDI ( A*
AuKl Ji, t>- -a red and i \ jtp«»Iv adapted f*'» f ‘ ur
< U(M>i.s, Mi P oiisher w»n induced to nt tempt lh«
jut Uvt Tort* thus f»r have boon crowned with *'ic«eMi:
U'-cn o«i generally welcomed in Die School#, Mil
m. r, - o.tnb) , noticed by li e i’rew, ol Brit into Norti. AnjerlC*.
1 •« t. - rre.it uktur.ire in calling attention to the following. fr
(fan.
■IJ iiilMPK.jpHPP I .OO
rfiii« Book is ‘.specially adnpted tor. nnd worthy ol
introduction into, every Otiose. Academy, trd
School in the British Province*. WST' Parent*
Hhnu: ' «ee that it is in thftlr Children"* hands. |
ICVS\ i.FSSONSIN IFNIiltU UiOiVlMPHY! with
Map* and Illustratii, *; being Intrnductpty to I.oveli VOeuemi
( e .Tnphv. B’ HjO <ttllO ,. ............
a nirn iu »k <>a iv a i*a ,«*«<* «i ti»e
other I’JrUls. » I*rn vliirc**, with EJuitr#ticii(i,
tty Dip same • • • • • l- •
The School Npc.iker u»ul Reciter, l.ytho same • ■ • • <
\».j<mai Arithmetic, in fheory "fd Practice . adapted '0
Decimal Currency. By *T. Ki Saiw» 81 TR, M A..M.D • •
Key to V nt'ii n 21 1 Arithmetic. Bytbes.me ....
ICIi-iiieufnry t rfl itrnetle,. u Decimal < urr -ncy By the same
Key 10 t lie Kirnter.rary *rlthm«Uf. l’.y the same
Kl"i:w'iiinry TTresillw on tljftira. B ildrame ...
*i«*y to i ^mrt.tarv o!» By > t
Nnittinl I’hiliMophy, I»»rt I, including 4 >:uLc«, Hydrosta
• i:s. fee., fee. By the seme • • • • • • •••••■• • •
>«t iirnl ' 'fttloHonhy, .’art II, bi'ins '■ H. ijd-book of t lit
m it • 'tar; , - ..’3 Phyaio of 1 1 -at. Li? M. atid Electricity
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Ait K<t«r lloileot »va-Uict.if Rudiment* of* Latin
BratiHUur to BeattiiteiN. By Pho^as J vpkiiev Ho
Mi.;T60X, i ,»H . .M A 20
Treat.*.*- or i'l-rii’ I»r.umuei*»tloo aid GeiMlera.
By .1. B. A.o.i.tv . Lapost, Esq., l roiicli j<a>ter, GramiiiPr
1.1 . Pcutral M liiJtila. Hamilton. Ont ^ o 0
Pinuoi-U’N r iprovod Edition »|' Goldamit ID m iiio
* ovy of 1 il-iiid. IfUcoml Ctinmh'in Etlihon.) By W.
. Tayloi*. 1 . ...»*.. T.C D. . , <r.
Klein, nt* of * iot niton. By .1, UARne.B, M.U.C.S, 6*‘
Clasdi B?n' By Bor. Wm. Haviltos, _D.D. .
tfi'itKIi An.v 1
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of Rotik-Uccplii^. by Sln-
H| '• "* 11 .Iohnm.k,
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Sim oil Bed, rnd Reading Made Easy to thet'uiia-
ittle Chi'dren. By G. O. Vtsar
J0P\*
STontreal, .hiniiarv, 1571.
LOVELL . T'.'inter nnd Publinh <
KVCII.KAWEHIIIIt tJtOVPTKV.