WRSG
 
 Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN
 
 THE HISTOBY OF ENGLAND 
 
 Of VERSE.
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND 
 IN VEESE. 
 
 BY 
 
 J. GOMPERTZ MONTEFIORE, 
 
 BARBISTEB-AT-LAW. 
 
 LONDON: 
 WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER, 
 
 WARWICK HOUSE, PATEBNOSTEB BOW.
 
 TOWIN BBOTKEBS, PBJNTEBS BY WATKB POWHK.
 
 PEEFACE. 
 
 I HAVE endeavoured in the following little work 
 to render the acquisition of the material facts of 
 English History more easy and pleasant than it 
 had heretofore heen for the benefit, not solely of 
 Examination Students, but also of all those whose 
 position in society demands from them a general 
 knowledge of this interesting subject. 
 
 It is a matter of common observation that any 
 bare isolated fact makes a far more lasting im- 
 pression on the mind when clothed in simple 
 rhyme than when drily detailed in prose. Nursery 
 books, intended to teach children the rudiments of 
 knowledge, are usually in rhyme : boys at school 
 patch up, as it were instinctively, doggerel verses to 
 commemorate the knotty points of their maturer 
 studies; while, to candidates for the higher ex- 
 aminations, verse, however rough and simple, is 
 an aid which has saved many an over-crammed 
 brain from hopeless confusion. 
 
 1059554
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 It is, therefore, witn a high appreciation of the 
 value of rhyme thus applied that I have written 
 in verse that agglomeration of facts the History 
 of England. 
 
 In the "History of England in Verse/' how- 
 ever, while all the important events are set forth 
 as tersely and clearly as possible, the student will 
 find, running throughout, that connection and 
 sequence of detail which, in my opinion, not only 
 invests them with an ever-increasing interest, but 
 is absolutely indispensable for their firm retention 
 in his memory. 
 
 It has not always been easy to maintain this 
 sequence of thought and idea. I have had to tell 
 of sanguinary wars abroad, while events of para- 
 mount importance were happening at home ; to 
 carry on two different narratives, as it were, simul- 
 taneously ; to keep each perfect and distinct, and 
 yet so to interweave the one with the other that 
 the due sequence of dates should not be destroyed. 
 In some rare cases, however, where the too rigid 
 observance of chronological order must have led to 
 the disjointing and dismemberment of some im- 
 portant and interesting historical anecdote, I have
 
 PEEFACE. vii 
 
 unhesitatingly sacrificed the sequence of dates to 
 the sequence of narrative ; to indicate which occa- 
 sional departure from my general rule I have 
 enclosed the odd, or apparently intrusive, dates 
 within brackets. 
 
 The verses themselves are as simple as possible, 
 and only claim to be rhymes not poeti'y. The 
 whole work has been carefully kept within bounds, 
 so as to admit of its being learned completely by 
 heart by any student of ordinary capacity; and 
 when he has done this, I think he may reward 
 himself with the reflection that there are few 
 public examinations in English History which 
 he would not be able to pass easily, and without 
 further reference to more elaborate prose works. 
 
 If this little book shall in any degree contribute 
 to lighten the labours of the over-worked student, 
 or even to awaken a wider and more general in- 
 terest in the glorious annals of our country, my 
 labours will be amply rewarded. 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 THE TEMPLE,
 
 THE 
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND 
 
 IN VERSE. 
 
 THE jTrs true accounts of the people of Britain, 
 
 Destined for ever as facts to endure. 
 By Julius Cccsar, the Eoman, were written 
 
 Prior traditions are false and obscure. 
 The way in which Ccesar acquired his knowledge 
 
 Be it our duty in VEBSE to expose ; 
 As every pupil in school or in college 
 
 Likes to read Poetry better than Prose. 
 'Tis certain that whether from greed or ambition, 
 
 Whether her riches in Tin to explore, 
 Or whether perceiving her feeble condition 
 
 Julius Ccesar to Britain came o'er. 
 Of tliose who resisted the Eoman invasion 
 
 Cccsar has given a graphic account ; 
 And ere we proceed we shall taJce this occasion 
 
 What he has written to sJwrtly recount. 
 He calls them a hardy, courageous nation, 
 
 Fair of complexion and yellow of hair ; 
 Residing in hovels, without ostentation, 
 
 Thriving on simple and moderate faro. 
 2
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 IN TWN UC " The wneels f tjieir war-cars, with sickles provided, 
 
 Reap'd down the foe through whose masses they tore, 
 And onward with fury impetuous guided 
 
 Left a broad trail of their enemy's gore. 
 But yet these same Britons, so warlike in battle, 
 
 Seeming but fitted to torture and kill, 
 In happier times could attend to their cattle, 
 
 Settle to farming, and peacefully till. 
 Of unprepared skins all their clothing consisted, 
 
 Leaving their limbs without needless restraint : 
 (But scarcely a Briton, however, resisted 
 
 Just a few streaks ornamental of paint /) 
 The natives were formed into tribes or divisions, 
 
 Each of them ruled by an absolute chief, 
 Whose envious quarrels and frequent collisions 
 
 Lent their existence a welcome relief. 
 The Druids, we find, who of youth were the teachers, 
 
 Suffered no taxes, nor went they to war ; 
 And, being the clergy, of virtue the preachers, 
 
 Punished all evil and laid down the law. 
 But still they were victims of gross superstition 
 
 Burnt men and women their idols to please ; 
 And ivhcn they were angered, no siglis of contrition 
 
 Ever sufficed their revenge to appease. 
 The Oak by the Druids was deeply rcs}iected, 
 
 Great was their love for the MisUtoe bough 
 But heathens ivere they, and to idols erected 
 Temples, whose ruins are visible now. 
 
 We've mastered the Britons ! Let that be sufficient ; 
 
 CcBsar himself little more undertook : 
 But if you consider this abstract deficient 
 
 You must refer to the General's book.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. I 
 
 HISTOBY: jj ow ^ e Britons continued thus savage and wild, 
 
 The Koman TT ,.,/-, . , . , .., , .,,, 
 
 Period. Until Caesar a pause in his battles begun d 
 B.C. In projecting a sudden attack on the coast, 
 55 And invading our shores with a great Roman host. 
 But when over the Britons some battles he'd gained, 
 And their pledges of future submission obtained, 
 He retired, and left them in peace for a year 
 54 When a second attack re-awakened their fear. 
 
 Though Caswallon, the Briton, opposed his advance, 
 Against Caesar's great army he had not a chance ; 
 The old town of St. Alban's the conquerors burned, 
 After which to his Gallic wars Caesar returned. 
 
 AiDi But the Romans, long after, on conquest still bent, 
 43 To crush Britain the brave Aulus Plautius sent: 
 
 Though the natives most fiercely opposed his attack, 
 Their undisciplined forces were soon driven back. 
 Of her gallant defenders, however, a few 
 The invaders of Britain found hard to subdue ; 
 Till their leader, Caractacus, basely betrayed, 
 51 By the Romans at length was a prisoner made. 
 59 After Plautius, Suetonius assumed the command, 
 Cl And the conquest of Mona t or Anglesea, plann'd ; 
 "When in vengeance Queen Boadicea uprose, 
 And with valour surprising defeated her foes. 
 But the Romans, undaunted, a fresh battle sought, 
 And with obstinate bravery both parties fought ; 
 Till the heroine vanquished, with fury distraught, 
 C2 Put an end to her life in a poisonous draught ! 
 
 78-85 By Agrlcola next (who for seven years reigned), 
 
 Throughout Britain the power of Rome wus maintained 
 O'er the Britons his rule was so gentle and wise, 
 That at length the two foes became friends and allies.
 
 4 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 ^HISTOBT : N OW the Picts and the Scots (savage tribes from the North ) , 
 * Period? Depredation and slaughter their aim, sallied forth ; 
 
 And their inroads the Britons could ne'er have survived 
 If from Home timely succour they had not derived. 
 A.D. But though Hadrian built a strong rampart of earth, 
 121 Running clear from the Tyne to the great Sohvay firth, 
 With the object of keeping the robbers at bay, 
 The defence wholly failed in obstructing their way ; 
 So another was, nineteen years afterwards, tried, 
 And by Urbicus built from the Forth to the Clyde ; 
 It was named by the architect " Antonine's Wall," 
 And its ruins yet standing we " Graham's Dyke " call. 
 But still further the Picts and the Scots to defy, 
 Old S events, the Roman, determined to try ; 
 So in Hadrian's Wall he contrived such repairs 
 210 That, with slight inconsistence, his own name it bears. 
 Then the bold Saxon pirates, who ruled o'er the seas, 
 On the south coast of Britain attempted to seize : 
 And, to check them, the Romans resolved to elect 
 An official, our sea-coast to watch and protect. 
 To Caramius first was entrusted the post, 
 28G Till, abetting the Saxons, he not only lost 
 
 The good-will of the nation he'd sworn to defend, 
 But was cruelly slain by Allectus, his friend. 
 
 (The brave martyr St. Allan was now put to death, 
 304 Still upholding his faith to the last dying breath : 
 
 Many thousands of Christians incurred the same fate, 
 Hapless victims of fierce persecution and hate.) 
 
 Then the raids of the Picts and the Scots were renewed, 
 For, though often repulsed, they had ne'er been subdued ; 
 Aud the Romans were forced by their battles in Gaul 
 410 The great bulk of their armies from Britain to call.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 5 
 
 HISTOEY: g ^ e Britons, bereft of their powerful aid, 
 Period. By themselves fought the Picts and the Scots, and dis- 
 
 play'd 
 
 A-D . Such invincible pluck in the stress of their woe 
 429 That they conquered and utterly routed the foe. 
 
 But the Picts and the Scots to the fight came again : 
 An appeal to the Romans was made but in vain ; 
 For their own pressing troubles engrossed all their cares, 
 446 And the " Groans of the Britons" fell flat on their ears. 
 
 Now 'tis here the first stage of our History ends 
 With the Britons cut off from the Romans their friends : 
 The events we have mentioned, though simple and few. 
 It will not be amiss if we shortly review : 
 We have witnessed the Britons, rough, savage, and rude, 
 By the Roman invasion refined and subdued : 
 We have seen how the Picts and the Scots were repulsed ; 
 And our south-eastern shores by the Saxons convulsed : 
 And at length, how the Romans, to wage other wart, 
 Were reluctantly forced to abandon our shores, 
 While the Britons, deserted, for help vainly cried, 
 Against foes who beset them on every side. 
 
 Then the British chief, Vortigern, rashly besought 
 
 449 E'en the Saxons themselves, whom so long they had 
 
 fought, 
 
 To unite with the Britons as potent allies, 
 And assist them, the terrible foe to surprise. 
 So the Saxon chiefs, Hengist and Horsa, we find, 
 Their own forces with those of the Britons combined : 
 
 450 All resistance to such an alliance was vain, 
 
 And the Picts and the Scots were soon routed again. 
 But then, having the call of the Britons obey'd, 
 The unprincipled Saxons resolved to invade,
 
 6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: And apportion between them, in parcels or lots, 
 Period. The fair land which they'd saved from the Picts and the 
 
 Scots ! 
 
 Then too clearly brave Vortigern saw the mistake 
 That his ill-advised zeal had induced him to make ; 
 For from Saxony, warriors, arms, and supplies, 
 Were despatched to secure such a glorious prize : 
 But the desperate Britons not tamely would yield, 
 And with soul-stirring war-cry were led to the field 
 By Ambrosius, Vortimer (Vortigern's son), 
 A.D. And Prince Arthur in bravery second to none. 
 455-586 Many years they continued the terrible strife, 
 
 For they all were resolved upon war to the knife : 
 
 Though the Britons had triumph'd if Right had availed, 
 
 The superior might of the Saxons prevailed : 
 
 Overpowered, the former were forced to retreat, 
 
 Till the conquest of Britain was firm and complete. 
 
 Of the conquered, a portion the Welsh mountains gained, 
 
 And a part fled to Gaul ; while a few there remained 
 
 To lament for the glory of Britain, now gone, 
 
 And their home, friends, and kindred, in silence to mourn. 
 
 As the conquest proceeded, at various times, 
 
 Seven kingdoms (their names would encumber our rhymes) 
 
 By the Saxons were founded, each ruling his own, 
 
 Which together are still as the " HEPTABCHY " known. 
 
 (The Pope Gregory now sent Augustine to preach, 
 C07 And the Christian religion in Britain to teach ; 
 Being aided by Ethelbert, monarch of Kent, 
 Much success crowned the mission on which he was sent.) 
 
 Now the Saxons, it might very well be believed, 
 Having safely their bold machinations achieved,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 7 
 
 HISTORY: Q'er their several kingdoms would govern in peace, 
 
 The Saxon . , ,, .. , ,,, ., , 
 
 Period. And the national welfare unite to increase : 
 
 'Twas by no means the case ; for they quarrelled and fought, 
 And to gain the ascendant each petty prince sought ; 
 Until Egbert, of Wessex the powerful king, 
 To submission them all was enabled to bring ; 
 A.D. When he gave the whole country its well-beloved name 
 827 Of Old " ENGLAND " a fact that much adds to his fame ! 
 
 [787] At this time a new trouble arose in the land ; 
 For the Northmen, or Danes (a piratical band 
 Who had settled in Denmark), came over in swarms, 
 And aroused throughout England the gravest alarms. 
 
 Till the death of King Ethelred fierce was the strife, 
 And full many a warrior laid down his life : 
 But the hopes of the Danes were at length overthrown 
 By King Al/rcd the Great, who had come to the throne. 
 Though defeated at first, he opposed them until 
 
 878 By surprise he dispersed them at Ethandune ; still 
 
 He permitted the Danes to make England their home 
 On condition they all would good Christians become. 
 After some years of peace, he was harassed again 
 By the furious onslaught of Hastings, the Dane : 
 
 894 But at Farnham King Alfred defeated the foe, 
 And obliged all the Danes out of England to go. 
 
 (Yet this famous young prince was more noted by far 
 For his wisdom and prudence than knowledge of war : 
 He encouraged all Learning, the Navy improved, 
 Eeadjusted the Law and by all was beloved!) 
 
 We may safely pass over the reigns which succeed 
 (Any fact incidental you elsewhere may read)
 
 S HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HisTony: Till that cause of much bloodshed, the old Danish feud 
 T period. n Was by Ethelred (called the Unready) renewed. 
 A.D. He attempted at first to buy off their attacks 
 991 With large presents of money obtained by a tax 
 
 Known as Dancgelt ; but finding them troublesome still, 
 1002 He resolved all the Danes in his kingdom to kill ! 
 
 But for vengeance the Danish King Sweyn was athirst, 
 And his terrible wrath over England then burst : 
 Into Normandy Ethelred fled for his life, 
 
 1013 And the crowning of Sweyn put an end to the strife. 
 
 1014 His successor, Canute, was a powerful prince, 
 Toward whom such respect did his subjects evince, 
 That, as all will remember, they thought he could stay 
 E'en the rise of the tide by the force of his sway. 
 
 Altogether the Danish kings ruled in the land 
 During twenty-nine years; and contrived to withstand 
 All the efforts (to oust them from that which they'd won) 
 Of King Ethelred, followed by Edmund, his son. 
 But the last of the Danish kings, Hardicanute, 
 Was a violent, drunken, intemperate brute. 
 He fell dead at a feast, and in England's new lord 
 1042 Pious Edward the old Saxon line was restored. 
 
 By the name of " Confessor " King Edward was known, 
 And he owed to Earl Godwin his seat on the throne ; 
 For that nobleman, taking the Danes unawares, 
 Boldly wrested the kingdom from them and their heirs. 
 At the close of a useful and peaceable reign, 
 " The Confessor," perceiving his strength on the wane, 
 Thought it prudent, lest strife should arise at his death, 
 Unto William, the Norman, his Crown to bequeath. 
 But young Harold, the son of Earl Godwin, resolved 
 To be monarch himself ; and he soon was involved
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY: i n a Deadly encounter with William the Duke, 
 Norman Who had sworn such intrusion with force to rebuke. 
 
 g fulfilled) 
 
 A '* For the Saxons were routed and Harold was killed : 
 
 When the duke, who was hence as the "Conqueror" 
 
 known, 
 Took his seat, as King William the First, on the throne. 
 
 How the treacherous Saxons a shameful use made 
 Of the Britons' distress, their domains to invade, 
 And established the seven great kingdoms or states 
 Epoch TWO of our history fully relates : 
 And, moreover, how jealousy led to the fall 
 Of six Saxon kings Egbert subduing them all ; 
 How his son and his grandsons, while kings in the land, 
 Were much harassed at times by tJie Lanes 1 savage band, 
 Until EtJielred reigned ; when, we also have seen 
 How the Danish King Sweyn and his heirs intervene ; 
 And, at length, how the Saxons once more took the throne, 
 While the hopes of the Danes were for ever overthrown; 
 And, at last, how the Norman Duke William renowned, 
 Spite of Harold, his foe, King of England was crowned. 
 
 THE NORMAN LINE. 
 
 1066 WILLIAM I., sur named THE CONQUEROR. 
 
 To a troublesome war his accession gave rise, 
 For the nation perceived, with indignant surprise, 
 That to profit the Normans the Saxons were thrust 
 Out of every office of honour and trust. 
 Edgar Atheling, seeking the aid of the Danes, 
 
 1069 Now invaded the newly-crowned monarch's domains ; 
 Noble Waltheof, sharing the public dissent, 
 His support to the malcontents readily lent ;
 
 10 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOEY : A n d Earls Edwin and Morcar, with Hereicard the Wake 
 Norman All united, revenge against William to take. 
 
 In the strife which ensued many heroes were slain, 
 But the Conqueror triumphed again and again : 
 A.D. With the Conquest of Ely, and Hereward's defeat, 
 
 1071 The subjection of England at last was complete. 
 E'en the monarch of Scotland was forced to submit, 
 
 1072 And the Conqueror's claim to the throne to admit. 
 Yet, although many victories William had won, 
 He had still to encounter Duke Robert, his son, 
 Who, unmindful of duty, was eager to reign 
 Over Nonnandy which was his father's domain. 
 Storming Gerberoy, William was thrown from his horse 
 
 1079 By the duke, who then yielded through shame and 
 
 The New Forest by William was furnished with game ; 
 But his laws against poaching redound to his shame. 
 
 1085 By the old Feudal System, to England now brought, 
 In the tenure of land many changes were wrought : 
 Ev'ry parcel of land (now described as &fief), 
 
 Was enjoyed as a grant from the sovereign, as Chief; 
 But his tenants in turn were allowed to demise 
 Unto other sub-tenants ; this plan giving rise 
 To a series of pacts by which each might depend 
 On his landlord for help, his estates to defend. 
 When in battle, the lord claimed his vassal's support, 
 And in peace, his assistance and counsel at court ; 
 When his daughter was married, his son made a knight 
 Or himself taken captive, he claimed as a right 
 That his vassals a small sum of money should pay, 
 And a part of these heavy expenses defray. 
 
 1086 (Famous Domesday Book now by the king was devised, 
 And a census and survey of England comprised.)
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 11 
 
 HISTORY: ^.11 fa Q leading events of this reign have been told : 
 Norman For the rest, we may note that the Curfew was toll'd 
 Period. ^ g & warn j n g a j. gjght O ' c i oc k every night, 
 
 To extinguish all dangerous fire and light. 
 
 'Twas at Mantes the brave Conqueror met with his fate, 
 And the mode of his death we have now to relate : 
 Certain petty French barons had dared to encroach 
 On the frontiers of Normandy ; William's reproach 
 To King Philip of France for permitting the raid 
 Was unheeded, so France he resolved to invade. 
 A.D. At the burning of Mantes his horse started aside, 
 1087 And so injured the king that soon after he died. 
 He appointed his second son, William, his heir, 
 Who as Rufus was known, from the tint of his hair ; 
 While to Kobert, who dared his displeasure to brave, 
 In his anger he nothing but Normandy gave. 
 On the instant the breath from his body had flown, 
 His son William the Second ascended the throne. 
 
 1087 WILLIAM II., surnamed RUFUS. 
 
 THE new monarch at first was much harassed by strife 
 1090-91 That with Robert, and those who upheld him, was rife: 
 Then the Bishop of Baieux, proud Odo, rebelled, 
 And 'twas only by force the rebellion was quelled ; 
 1093 Then the Scottish King Malcolm invaded the land, 
 But at Alnwick was checked with a resolute hand. 
 1095 ]sj or should e'er we forget the first famous Crusade, 
 Undertaken by Christians of every grade, 
 Whose religious devotion impelled them to go 
 Into Palestine ravaged by Saracen foe, 
 And to succour the Pilgrims who felt it their call 
 To repair to the SEPULCHRE sacred to alt.
 
 12 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: Nothing more of importance occurred in this reign, 
 Norman For the king, while out hunting, soon after was slain 
 
 By the chief of his followers, Tyrrel by name, 
 1100 With an arrow he swore was intended for game ! 
 
 1100 HENRY L, sumamed BEAUCLEKC. 
 
 THE Duke Robert, who now should have come to the throne, 
 Found his hopes by young Henry, his brother, o'erthrown ; 
 For the latter contrived, in his absence, to seize 
 On the now vacant throne : but his wrath to appease 
 'Twas agreed that o'er England Prince Henry should reign 
 While his brother should Normandy's dukedom retain ; 
 But if either should die without issue, then he 
 
 1101 Who survived should the monarch of both domains be. 
 But as Robert his ease to his duty preferred, 
 Depredation and violence daily occurred 
 
 In his dukedom ; and soon 'twas the scene of a strife 
 That deprived him alike of his honours and life ! 
 For King Henry determined to make a good use 
 Of his brother's neglect, and his power reduce ; 
 1106 At the battle of Tenchbrai the duke and his son 
 Were defeated, and Normandy finally won ; 
 And King Henry, exulting with victory's pride, 
 Thrust his brother in prison, where ling'ring he died. 
 
 1120 The dear son of the monarch, Prince William, was 
 
 drowned, 
 
 Or he might, on the death of his sire, have been crowned. 
 Deeply mourning his fate, and o'erpowered by care, 
 The king named his own daughter Matilda his heir. 
 But her hopes of a peaceable reign were dispersed 
 By young Stephen (the grandson of William the First), 
 Who, forgetting the kindness King Henry had shown ( 
 
 1135 To himself and his brother, laid claim to the throne.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. ' 13 
 
 HISTOET: jj e declared that 'twas said by the king ere he died, 
 Norman That his claim should the rights of Matilda o'er-ride ; 
 Period. Q Q ^ o L on( j on jj e gpe^ strong adherents he found, 
 And the crafty usurper was hastily crowned. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1135 STEPHEN OF BLOIS. 
 
 BUT a fierce civil war then arose in the land, 
 And Matilda herself of her force took command : 
 Though her uncle, of Scotland, supported her right, 
 1138 At Northallerton he was obliged to take flight. 
 
 But when Stephen, defeated at Lincoln, was brought 
 From the field as a captive by Gloucester (who fought 
 On Matilda's behalf), and when Gloucester, in turn, 
 Was made captive near Winchester, neither could spurn 
 The device of a treaty, by which 'twas arranged 
 That both captives at once should be freed, and exchanged. 
 
 After many reverses, by each side sustained, 
 The sole monarch of England King Stephen remained ; 
 But the wrath of Matilda was somewhat allay'd 
 
 1153 By the terms of a treaty at Wallingford made : 
 
 That King Stephen should reign till his death, she agreed, 
 When Prince Henri/, her son, to the Crown should succeed. 
 By the barons the prince was acknowledged as heir, 
 For all parties agreed the arrangement was fair ; 
 And not long was his eager expectancy tried, 
 
 1154 For the very next year the king sickened, and died. 
 
 Upon this, once again for a moment we pause, 
 To review these four reigns, with their numerous wars : 
 We remember how William the First gained the croicn, 
 And the fierce opposition he had to put down: 
 How the land icas divided, the Curfew bell rung, 
 And the Domesday Book jinislud we also have swvj:
 
 14 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOBY: We remember how Robert, deprived, of his right, 
 Pianta- With his brother, King William, had many afiglit ; 
 gene s. ^ n ^ the famous Crusade ichich occurred in this reign; 
 And the death of the king, by an accident slain : 
 We have seen, in the reign of King Henri/ the First, 
 How the fortunes of Robert for e'er were reversed : 
 We remember how Stephen by force took the throne, 
 Though the right had devolved on Matilda alone ; 
 And, at last, hew the rivals by treaty agreed 
 That King Stex>hen shouldreign, and Prince Henry succeed. 
 
 THE PLANTAGENET LINE. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1154 HENRY II. 
 
 So Prince Henry, the first of the line which is known 
 
 As the House of Plantagenet, came to the throne. 
 
 He employed the first years of his notable reign 
 
 In a feud with the clergy, who sought to retain 
 
 Uncontrolled jurisdiction o'er clerical torts, 
 
 And to deal with Church scandals in clerical courts ; 
 
 So they firmly refused to be bound by the law, 
 
 And their friends from its vengeance combined to withdraw. 
 
 1162 Now the Archbishop, Thomas a Becket (who owed 
 To the king all his dignities), openly showed 
 That he meant without scruple to leave in the lurch 
 His too generous patron, and side with the Church ; 
 
 1164 But the Council of Clarendon, called by the king 
 This ungenerous priest to his senses to bring, 
 Having gravely debated, saw fit to decide 
 That all clergymen guilty of crime should be tried, 
 Just as laymen, in civil courts not in their oicn, 
 Which to wink at their faults were uncommonly prone ! 
 And that clergy of rank must permission receive 
 From the king, ere they ventured the country to leave:
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 15 
 
 HISTORY: ^ election, without the assent of the king, 
 Fhinta- Any prelate thenceforth into office should bring ; 
 genets. ^ n( ^ g ^ ur j.]j er ^ e wra th O f the king to appease, 
 He was granted the incomes of all vacant sees. 
 And, lest Rome with her Bulls might perchance interlope, 
 It was made an offence to appeal to the Pope. 
 
 But a Becket, who still his submission refused, 
 Was of further misdeeds at Northampton accused : 
 He was straightway condemned, and foreseeing no chance 
 Of attaining his ends, he retreated to France. 
 
 (Now KingDcrmot ofLeinster, expelled from his throne 
 By O'Ruarc of Breffny, to England had flown ; 
 A D And as Henry conceived he might profit thereby, 
 
 1169 He determined the rights of the quarrel to try : 
 So he sent Richard Strongboiv to Ireland o'er, 
 With injunctions the prince to his throne to restore.) 
 
 Still a Becket continued the feud while abroad, 
 And the King was at length by his threats overaw'd : 
 He invited him back when four knights of his suite 
 (In the hope that their master's approval 'twould meet) 
 
 1170 Took this restless and arrogant priest unawares, 
 
 And dispatched him in church, while engaged in his 
 prayers. 
 
 Now, in Ireland brave Strongbow, who went to redress 
 The misfortunes of Dermot, had met with success : 
 But, extending their arms after this had been done, 
 By the English the whole of the country was won ; 
 
 1171 And 'twas thus that the land, with so slight a pretext, 
 Was invaded, and firmly to England auuex'd.
 
 16 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY : Then the sons of the king, with assistance from France, 
 pianta- The discomforts of Henry's old age to enhance, 
 genets. ^y ere go ea g er t re jg n O ' e r the lands to be theirs 
 ^ D On their father's decease, that they asked for their shares 
 1173 ^^ e he yet was alive ; and on being denied, 
 To enforce a compliance the reprobates tried. 
 As King William of Scotland approved their desire, 
 He afforded them aid against Henry their sire ; 
 But he suffered a total defeat in the North, 
 When at Almcick to meet him the English went forth ; 
 1189 And but fifteen years after, through trouble and grief, 
 Poor King Henry in death found a welcome relief. 
 
 1189 RICHAKD I., surnamed C(EUR DE LION. 
 
 THEN his second son, Richard, ascended the throne, 
 And much shame for his conduct is said to have shown. 
 " Coeur de Lion," King Richard was nicknamed, because 
 The brave heart of a lion he showed in his wars ; 
 But of one cruel action the king we accuse 
 'Twas the barbarous murder of thousands of Jews, 
 Who in London and York, the first year of his reign, 
 By command of the king in fierce hatred were slain. 
 Less unworthy pursuits then engrossing his mind, 
 Shortly after in Palestine Richard we find ; 
 For Jerusalem (lost in the last monarch's reign), 
 All the Christians from Saladin vowed to regain. 
 
 1191 So King Richard took arms in the glorious fight, 
 And at Acre and Ascalon fought for the right : 
 But at last, when in sight of Jerusalem's walls, 
 
 He was forced to make peace by the quarrels and brawls 
 In his armies (now eager their homes to regain) 
 
 1192 And in Saladin' s hands let the city remain. 
 
 Against Richard while absent, his brother Prince John, 
 Who desired the Crown, a deep plot carried on :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 17 
 
 Philip, of France, with the prince was in league, 
 pianta- And the Austrian emperor joined their intrigue. 
 genets, -yffale returning through Austria, Kichard, we find, 
 Was detained by his foes and to prison consign'd ; 
 Of which circumstance John and his foreign allies 
 Took advantage their treacherous schemes to devise. 
 A.D. But at length, on a ransom his captors agreed, 
 1191 Which in England was raised, and King Richard was 
 
 freed. 
 
 Having leniently dealt with his brother, the king 
 (Who to Normandy sped in the following spring 
 To take vengeance on France for her share in the plot) 
 While besieging the castle of Chaluz was shot 
 1199 By an arrow, which mortification produced, 
 
 And the death of King Kichard soon after induced. 
 
 1199 JOHN, surnamed LACKLAND. 
 
 THEN his traitorous brother, King John, took the throne, 
 And as Sans terre, or Lackland, is commonly known 
 (Since his father, in natural anger and grief 
 At his conduct undutiful, gave him no fief)* 
 But Prince Arthur of Brittany, nephew to John . 
 (Being first-born of Geoffrey, King Henry's fourth son), 
 Well supported by many French lords of renown, 
 Was induced to assert his own right to the Crown. 
 Even Philip, John's staunchest ally not long since, 
 Left his friend in the lurch and declared for the prince ; 
 But at Mircbcau Arthur was captured, and led 
 1202 As a captive to England ; where John, it is said, 
 
 Stabbed his nephew to death with his own cruel hand, 
 That in peace he might reign o'er the coveted land ! 
 Then the nobles of Brittany, mourning their lord, 
 The all-powerful aid of King Philip implor'd ; 
 3
 
 18 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: And a very few months saw the English expell'd 
 
 The 
 
 pianta- From the noble domains which in France they had held ; 
 
 And as cowardly John now perceived, to his cost, 
 
 genets. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1204-5 All these foreign possessions to England were lost. 
 But his mind was distracted by troubles at home, 
 "Which were caused by a slight to the Pontiff of Home : 
 For a primate, without his consent, had been made, 
 1208 And in wrath, he o'er England an Interdict laid. 
 (He had wished when the bishopric vacant became 
 To appoint his own Cardinal, Lane/ton by name ; 
 But King John, without deigning his sanction to crave, 
 To the Bishop of Norwich the Primacy gave.) 
 Being urged by the Pontiff, King Philip prepared 
 To invade John's dominions : the Pope, too, declared, 
 That as John to submission appeared indisposed, 
 
 1212 As a punishment he should be banned, and deposed ! 
 But the king, in alarm at this terrible threat, 
 
 And with prospects of war and rebellion beset, 
 Thought it prudent no more with the Pope to contest, 
 But at once to comply with his angry request. 
 He made Langton Archbishop ; nor there did he stop, 
 
 1213 But to Innocent gave a large sum as a sop ! 
 Which obsequious bearing so softened the Pope, 
 That he told the French monarch no longer to hope 
 For the friendship of Rome if he still carried on 
 His iniquitous strife against pious King John ! 
 But King Philip (altho' himself prone to deceive) 
 That the Pope was so fickle could hardly believe : 
 
 So the war between France and King John was renew'd, 
 And 'twas not till next year that they ended the feud : 
 No important advantage to either side fell, 
 
 1214 Ere they made peace at Chinon and all ended well. 
 But as soon as John clear of this trouble had steered, 
 His own subjects, by whom he was hated and feared,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 19 
 
 IISTORY: 
 
 Raised an open rebellion, designed to subvert 
 pianta- His contemptible rule and their rights to assert, 
 genets, j,^ r .^ ^^ there was an unpopular king 
 
 It was John who both managed the English to bring 
 Into scorn and contempt with the Powers abroad, 
 And at home was an insolent, tyrannous lord. 
 All the bishops, with Langton the Primate, estranged 
 From the king, on the side of the people were ranged : 
 While the Barons of England united in force, 
 Being fully resolved on a desperate course. 
 They appointed a meeting their wrongs to recount, 
 And declared that the king for his deeds should account. 
 'Twas on Rumiymcad plain that the council was held, 
 And at sight of his foes the king's spirit was quell'd : 
 A.D. To obey their commands he no longer declined, 
 1215 And the famed 3Iagna Charta was drawn up and signed. 
 Now the terms of this charter (which served to appease 
 The whole nation' s disgust) , amongst others, were these : 
 None to prison shall ever be sent without cause 
 (Such committals were common, so weak were the laws) : 
 But be tried by a jury composed of his peers 
 (For much prejudice lay between different spheres) : 
 The Great Council alone shall all taxes impose 
 (That this clause was important we well can suppose) : 
 Speedy justice, impartial and free, ALL shall have: 
 (Which the finishing stroke to our liberty gave !) 
 The Great Charter whose terms the mean monarch appalled 
 Was the " Bulwark of Freedom and Liberty " called : 
 And tho' broken and ratified times and again, 
 As our basis of government e'er will remain ! 
 Now the Pope, when he heard of the charter, refused 
 To approve of the means which the Barons had used 
 To compel their own sovereign to grant them redress 
 And took practical measures his wrath to express. 
 8 *
 
 20 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: JVcm his signature John, by tbe Pope, was absolved, 
 pianta- And on speedy revenge the poor monarch resolved. 
 genets. He proceeded to Eochester, held by the chief 
 
 1215 Of the malcontent Barons : when he, to their grief, 
 Was defeated and captured; and Rochester fell, 
 Striving vainly the onslaught of John to repel. 
 Then the desperate Barons beheld their last chance 
 In that friendly chameleon, Philip of France : 
 
 So to him they agreed for protection to cling 
 And acknowledge Prince Louis, his son, as their king. 
 'Twas arranged : and King Philip an army sent o'er, 
 121G With Prince Louis himself at their head ; but before 
 Either English or French had a chance to oppose 
 The adherents of John, whom they came to depose, 
 A sad accident stood the allies in good stead, 
 As it silenced their foe without blood being shed. 
 For as John (choosing Lincolnshire beach for his road) 
 Was advancing to meet them, the Wash overflow'd, 
 And immersed his whole army, himself, and his train, 
 Ere they managed, by wading, dry land to regain ; 
 But they found when they reached terra firma once more, 
 They had lost all their baggage, munition, and store : 
 And this threatened so gravely their march to impede, 
 That the king was disheartened, and would not proceed. 
 Newark Castle he reached : but then ordered a halt, 
 Nor would suffer his troops to commence the assault ; 
 And a fever, augmented by cold and fatigue, 
 Put an end to his life and the Barons' intrigue. 
 
 1216 HENRY III., of WINCHESTEB. 
 
 His son Henry, who thereupon came to the throne, 
 At the death of his father was not twenty-one ; 
 So the kingdom was ruled by Earl Pembroke, until 
 The young prince could his own kingly duties fulfil.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 21 
 
 HISTORY: Under Pembroke the French from our shores were 
 
 pianta- expelled, 
 
 g ^ n ^ 3 ' And the Barons to give up his cause were compelled ; 
 
 1217 For the battle of Lincoln was Louis' defeat, 
 
 And he vowed ne'er again for the crown to compete. 
 After Pembroke came Hubert de Burgh to the helm ; 
 And then Peter des Roches took command of the realm. 
 Now, though Pembroke and Hubert each governed with 
 
 skill, 
 
 And were, both of them, honest and upright, they still 
 Were disliked and opposed by the Barons, who thought 
 That they all were as good as their masters, in short ! 
 So the nobles kept up a perpetual feud, 
 Giving rise to the wars which thereafter ensued ; 
 And when Henry resolved, in a mood of caprice, 
 
 1232 That the rule of good Hubert should suddenly cease, 
 And assigned it to Peter des Koches in his stead, 
 The disgust of the Barons a new grievance fed : 
 Because Peter des Koches, being foreign by birth, 
 So persuaded the king of his countrymen's worth, 
 That the monarch invited them over in hosts, 
 And installed them in all the most lucrative posts. 
 The king also espoused a young foreign princess, 
 And her subjects he loaded with ev'ry caress ; 
 And had, further, such friendly relations with Rome, 
 That from Italy numbers made England their home. 
 Now the English, of course, at his conduct much vex'd, 
 Were too eager to seize on the slightest pretest 
 To express their dislike and contempt for this course, 
 And if treated with scorn, to resent it with force. 
 Tho', in order some show of good rule to maintain, 
 Magna Charta "was often confirmed in this reign, 
 It was broken as oft and, his oaths having spurned, 
 To his old course of conduct King Henry returned.
 
 22 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOBT: g u t a length it could no more be borne; for 'twas clear 
 pianta- That the state of the country grew worse ev'ry year : 
 genets. g o ar j gi mon fl e M on tfo r t t O f Leicester the lord, 
 
 Went so far as to hint at appeal to the sword ; 
 While the rest of the Barons stirred up such a storm, 
 
 A D That the monarch, in fear, promised instant reform. 
 
 1258 A great council at Oxford was called by the king, 
 
 To which Montfort thought fit all his vassals to bring 
 Clad in armour complete, his demands to enforce, 
 Should the monarch compel him to take such a course ; 
 And this famous Mad Parliament (so called because 
 Of the doubt and confusion attending its laws) 
 First directed the Barons to put up their swords 
 Then decreed that Earl Montfort and twenty-four lords 
 Should assemble, and sit as a council of state, 
 And on government matters confer and debate : 
 Having power such laws to enact or repeal 
 As were for, or opposed to, the national weal. 
 (They ordained that each county four Imights should 
 
 elect, 
 
 And an annual sheriff, its rights to protect; 
 And they further declared that each year it was jit 
 That a session of Parliament always should sit. 
 The " Provisions of Oxford" were many : the chief 
 Are above for the others our space is too brief.) 
 
 The confederate Barons, their ends having gained, 
 For a time undisputed dominion retained ; 
 But they made such a harsh and tyrannical use 
 Of their power, that soon it became an abuse. 
 Both alarm and disgust by their acts were aroused, 
 And great numbers the cause of King Henry espoused : 
 Bitter jealousy, hatred, and envy grew rife, 
 And the ranks of the Barons were weaken'd by strife ;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 2! 
 
 HISTORY Until Henry, supported by Louis of France, 
 pianta- Of asserting his rights as a king saw a chance. 
 
 genets. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1264 So the Barons and he civil war carried on, 
 
 In which each some advantage from time to time won ; 
 When, at length, to refer the dispute, 'twas agreed, 
 To the monarch of France ; who at Amiens decreed 
 That King Henry had been in the right all along, 
 While the malcontent Barons were certainly wrong. 
 So the former at once was relieved and absolved 
 From the " Oxford Provisions," and all they involved. 
 But the Barons were hasty of temper, and proud, 
 And on hearing the verdict their wrath overflow'd ; 
 
 1264 A great battle at Lewes by Leicester was gained, 
 And the king in his hands as a captive remained : 
 Tho' soon after, by treaty, a peace was begun, 
 
 And the captive exchanged for Prince Edward, his son. 
 But De Montfort, rebellious and arrogant still, 
 All the terms of this treaty refused to fulfil : 
 
 1265 He now summoned a council composed of his friends, 
 Whose assistance he needed to further his ends ; 
 And from every county resolved to admit 
 
 Two good knights inihis first House of Commonsio sit : 
 While from every borough, 'tis useful to note, 
 He permitted two burghers as members to vote. 
 But, before he could aught of importance effect, 
 All the schemes of Earl Montfort for ever were 
 
 check' d 
 
 By the gallant Prince Edward (escaped from his foes), 
 Who determined the arrogant earl to oppose. 
 To the forces of Edward resistance was vain 
 1265 At the battle of Evesham Earl Montfort was slain : 
 All his followers yielded, their lives to redeem, 
 And the rule of King Henry once more was supreme.
 
 24 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 
 t jj e now wag approaching the end of a life 
 pianta- Much embittei'ed by care and perpetual strife ; 
 
 For but seven short years his existence dragged on, 
 And the crown then devolved on Prince Edward, hig son. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 127 2 EDWARD L, surnamed LONGSHANKS. 
 
 TEIS young monarch took resolute means to maintain 
 All the rights of the Crown (which long dormant had lain) ; 
 And he promptly began, with the nation's applause, 
 An impartial and thorough revision of laws. 
 By the Statute of Gloucester the Barons were made 
 To account for the dues which had long been unpaid ; 
 And, as nobles, to render their service and aid 
 To the monarch which duty they tried to evade : 
 
 1279 While the Statute of Mortmain was passed in this reign, 
 Keckless presents of land to the Church to restrain : 
 And 'twas thus the king sought to repair all abuse, 
 And the might of the nobles and clergy reduce. 
 
 Now 'tis fit that (omitting all minor details) 
 We should briefly advert to th$ Conquest of Wales. 
 As Llewellyn its prince, when Earl Montfort rebelled, 
 Had declared in his favour, King Edward, impelled 
 By a tardy resentment, demanded his oath 
 Of submission : Llewellyn to grant it was loath 
 Therefore Edward invaded the country with force, 
 And Llewellyn in vain tried to hinder his course. 
 Many battles with obstinate courage were fought, 
 1282 Till the conquest of Wales to completion was brought ; 
 When the king made the young heir-apparent its prince, 
 And the Heirs have been " Princes of Wales " ever since. 
 
 Persecution was fierce against Jews in this reign 
 1290 Many thousands were banished, imprisoned, or slain :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 25 
 
 HISTOUT: B u t f rom them and their sufferings, hardships and cares, 
 pSnta- We must turn for a moment to Scotland's affairs. 
 
 genets. 
 
 Alexander the Third having died, 'twas agreed 
 That his granddaughter then to the Crown should succeed ; 
 But her sudden decease to much trouble gave rise, 
 As a number of candidates strove for the prize. 
 Now, among them were Baliol and Bruce, both allied 
 To the line of the Scottish kings : each of them tried 
 To assert his own right to the now vacant throne, 
 And the land into strife and confusion was thrown : 
 Till, at length, to King Edward the point was referr'd; 
 And as soon as that monarch both parties had heard, 
 A . D . He decided that Baliol o'er Scotland should reign, 
 1292 But a vassal of England should ever remain. 
 
 Now the monarch, who thus as a friend interfered, 
 Had less worthy designs than at first sight appeared : 
 For he treated John Baliol not as a king, 
 But as merely a vassal : contriving to sting 
 His too sensitive spirit by threats and commands, 
 Which the Scot found it hard to endure at his hands. 
 Therefore, wishing his power to further enhance, 
 He contrived an alliance with Philip of France : 
 But King Edward no sooner had heard of their pact 
 Than he marched into Scotland, and Baliol attack'd. 
 1296 At Dunbar the Scotch army was put to the rout, 
 And the valour of England established throughout 
 The entire domain whose weak monarch in fear 
 Was induced his submission to Edward to swear : 
 He was taken a captive, to England sent o'er, 
 And of him, as a monarch, we hear nothing more ;
 
 26 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY: ft^ ^ English Earl Warrenne, at Edward's command, 
 pianta- As a royal lieutenant remained in the land. 
 
 genets. 
 
 Then the king sought by force to recover from France 
 Certain provinces lost hy a petty mischance ; 
 And, in order to levy supplies for the war, 
 He resorted to measures too stringent by far. 
 Both the clergy and laity harshly he taxed, 
 Until stronger and stronger their grievances waxed : 
 The meek clergy declined on their rights to insist, 
 But the nobles and commons resolved to resist ; 
 And, upheld by the two greatest earls in the land, 
 They were able the threats of the king to withstand. 
 They assembled a Parliament, called for redress, 
 A D> And the monarch was forced his misdeeds to confess : 
 1207 He confirmed Magna Charta, and vowed ne'er again 
 To attempt by extortion his wishes to gain. 
 
 Fresh disturbances shortly in Scotland arose : 
 William Wallace, who hated the English,, his foes, 
 With an army of Scots made so fierce an attack, 
 That the English who met him were soon driven back. 
 CambusJcenneth, near Stirling (the scene of the fight), 
 Saw the English repulsed in a terrible plight ; 
 When Earl Warrenne was forced to abandon his trust, 
 And both he and his army from Scotland were thrust. 
 Ketribution, however, was speedy and sure 
 Not a moment of rest would King Edward endure 
 
 1298 Till at Falkirk with Wallace he had a fierce bout, 
 And the whole Scottish army was put to the rout. 
 But 'twas clear that, in spite of this crushing defeat, 
 The subjection of Scotland was not yet complete ; 
 
 1305 For when, hanged as a traitor, brave Wallace was dead, 
 Robert Bruce, a new hero, arose in his stead.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 27 
 
 HISTORY: jje was grandson of Bruce who was formerly known 
 pianta- As the second great claimant, or heir to the throne ; 
 genets. ^^ ^ e possible chance he now eagerly hailed 
 A . D . That himself might succeed where his grandfather failed. 
 
 1306 At the battle of Methven he suffered defeat, 
 With the forces of Edward too weak to compete : 
 
 1307 But at London, the English were bound to confess 
 That the Scots could lay claim to a petty success ; 
 And 'twas then, altho' neither would hear of a peace, 
 That the struggle was stayed by King Edward's decease. 
 
 1307 EDWAED II., of CAERNARVON. 
 
 HE was followed by Edward the Second, his son ; 
 But as soon as this monarch's short reign had begun, 
 He contrived all his subjects' esteem to reduce 
 By the course he pursued against bold Kobert Bruce. 
 For, declaring at once on a mighty attack, 
 He proceeded to Scotland but then he marched back, 
 Having dealt not a blow in that time-honoured cause 
 Which his father for years had upheld without pause. 
 The nobility, highly incensed at this freak, 
 Even ventured their just indignation to speak ; 
 And their anger was further increased by the fact 
 (Which was only too clear) that their sovereign lack'd 
 All the dignity, manners, and grace of a king, 
 While he gave to his pleasures and revels full swing. 
 Now the chief of his favourites, Gaveston called, 
 The affection of weak-minded Edward enthralled ; 
 And, sustained by his patron's protection and love 
 'Twas in vain that his rivals to humble him strove. 
 But his conduct at last was no more to be borne 
 To deprive him of honour the nobles had sworn ; 
 And when, after a long and most obstinate strife, 
 
 1312 He was captured, he paid for his faults with his life.
 
 28 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: -^ ovf the king, being thus of his minion deprived, 
 
 Kama- By his loss such accession of spirit derived, 
 
 genets, rp^f, ^ ven t ure d to brave Robert Bruce once again, 
 
 A D And endeavour his father's prestige to regain. 
 
 1314 But at Bannockburn Bruce got the best of the fight, 
 
 And King Edward himself was compelled to take flight. 
 The event was decisive, and Scotland was free 
 Upon England no longer dependent was she ; 
 And, as fitting reward for that hero renowned, 
 Robert Bruce was at once as her sovereign crowned. 
 
 As a balm for his chagrin the king went in quest 
 Of another dear minion to take to his breast : 
 Huyli Despenser, the only one fit for the part, 
 Was selected, and quickly engrossed the king's heart. 
 Then the nobles again with suspicion beheld 
 Edward's choice of a favourite : discontent swell'd, 
 And remonstrances haughty and loud to the king, 
 Against hated Despenser, they feared not to bring. 
 But the monarch was firm, and refused to abjure 
 His dear friend for the Barons he could not endure : 
 And the difference waxed to so stormy a height 
 That in very few months it had grown to a fight. 
 Now the great Earl of Lancaster, prince of the blood, 
 Was a man of a haughty and turbulent mood ; 
 And perceiving the favourite proof against plots, 
 He assembled an army, and leagued with the Scots. 
 1322 But at Boron ylibridge Lancaster met with his fate 
 Very dearly he paid for his violent hate ; 
 For his army was routed ; and he, being tried, 
 Was condemned, and the death of a traitor he died. 
 
 Yet again were the fears of King Edward aroused 
 By his Queen, Isabella, who warmly espoused
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 29 
 
 HISTORY: ^he defence of the Barons, and heartily shared 
 pianta- The dislike for Despenser they all had declared, 
 genets. ^ Q ^ &s ahseut in France, where she vowed to remain, 
 And to never set foot in this country again, 
 Till Despenser (by Edward far better beloved 
 Than herself) from the court was for ever removed. 
 She was aided and cheered in her traitorous schemes 
 By the young Eoyer Mortimer : he, as it seems, 
 Was a puissant Welsh baron, in love with the Queen, 
 Who returned it not scorning her rank to demean. 
 So these two and the barons assembled a force, 
 And, unmindful of duty, unstruck by remorse, 
 A.D. They set hands on their sovereign, deserted by all, 
 1327 And he soon fell a prey to their shameful cabal. 
 
 In his terror his own abdication he signed, 
 And was then in the Castle of Berkeley confined ; 
 Where his death by slow torture soon after occurr'd, 
 And his son took the throne as King Edward the Third. 
 
 1327 EDWARD III., of WINDSOR. 
 
 THE new monarch now being but fourteen years old, 
 A Protector was chosen the sceptre to hold ; 
 But altho' neither wisdom nor prudence he lack'd, 
 Isabella and Mortimer governed in fact. 
 Now the foremost event in this notable reign 
 Was a battle : for Bruce and the Scots came again ; 
 And, incensed at their desperate raids in the North, 
 The young monarch to meet them himself sallied forth. 
 But a few petty skirmishes, followed by truce, 
 Most decidedly ended in favour of Bruce : 
 And then Mortimer, daring his rights to exceed, 
 
 1328 On the part of King Edward, by treaty agreed
 
 30 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOEY: That the English o'er Scotland should not domineer, 
 pianfa- Nor in choosing her monarch again interfere ; 
 
 Independent in future the Scotch should remain, 
 
 genets. 
 A.D. 
 
 1328 And their rights and their liberties fully retain. 
 
 Great disgust was expressed at this shameful attempt 
 To reduce the king's power to scorn and contempt. 
 At the treaty the king was himself much annoy'd, 
 And, tho' young, yet of spirit hy no means devoid, 
 He resolved all the sway of a king to assert 
 And to humble this insolent lord to the dirt. 
 So at Nottingham Castle the traitor was seized, 
 
 1330 And his just execution the nation appeased. 
 Isabella, the friend of his evil career, 
 Was confined to her castle for many a year : 
 And when thus he had managed his pow'r to regain 
 The young monarch began as a monarch to reign. 
 Fresh disturbance in Scotland demanded his care : 
 Robert Bruce had just died, leaving David his heir, 
 But his claim was by Baliol the younger o'erthrown 
 Who, assisted by Edward, ascended the throne. 
 Yet the reign of this monarch o'er Scotland was short ; 
 For, declaring he needed no further support 
 From the English,who crowned him (as mentioned before), 
 They to England returned : and a year was not o'er 
 Ere by David the heir he was fiercely opposed 
 And (soon getting worst of the battle) deposed. 
 But the monarch of England determined to bring 
 All his forces to aid the discomfited king ; 
 1333 And the battle ofHalidown Hill was a fight 
 In which. Edward evinced his superior might ; 
 For King David was conquered, resistance was vain, 
 And restored to his throne we find Baliol again : 
 Who, desirous of proving his grateful delight, 
 And the friendship of Edward to fitly requite,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 31 
 
 ISTOKS: 11 tue S outh-east of Scotland, unmindful of thrift, 
 iainta- Unto England gave up as a prodigal gift : 
 genets. WhUe the old % QQ fafa no bl e s, so haughty before, 
 
 1333 To the monarch of England their fealty swore. 
 
 (But ere risking the struggle King Edward, no doubt, 
 Had exactly foreseen how events would turn out 1 ) 
 
 Yet another great conflict we have to record ; 
 For no sooner was quiet in Scotland restor'd, 
 Than King Edward took forcible means to advance 
 His pretensions to reign o'er the kingdom of France. 
 The French monarch had died without leaving heirs male, 
 And a female by law could not share the entail : 
 There were no other heirs ; so the Crown was assigned 
 To Prince Philip of Valois ; but Edward opined 
 Of obtaining the throne he had clearly a chance, 
 Through his mother (the Queen Isabella of France). 
 O'er the French, who by no means admitted his claim, 
 Many conquests redound to his glory and fame : 
 1340 He discovered, off Sluys, that the monarch of France 
 Had prepared a great fleet to oppose his advance ; 
 But, allied with the Flemings, such havoc he played 
 With the French men-of-war, that his entry he made 
 Into France without further repulse or attack, 
 And in triumph soon after to England came back. 
 
 But the truce was a short one ; the very next year 
 A discussion in Brittany came to his ear, 
 By DC Montfort and Charles, Prince of Blois, carried on, 
 As to who should succeed on the death of Duke John. 
 Isow, as Edward conceived that by joining the fray 
 He might reign over France at some earlier day, 
 He declared for De Montfort, despatching, of course, 
 A great army, the claims of the Count to enforce.
 
 82 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOEY: B u t the rest of the French took the side of De Blois, 
 pianta- And the consequence was a most desperate war. 
 An important engagement at Crecy was fought, 
 1346 Where, compared with the English, the French were as 
 
 nought ; 
 
 And the former a glorious victory won 
 Under Edward himself and the Black Prince, his son. 
 13 *7 And next, Calais surrendered, unable to stand 
 Any longer the force of his conquering hand : 
 "Twas besieged by the English for nearly a year, 
 But succumbed to their arms and a famine severe. 
 
 While engaged in this siege there were troubles at home ; 
 David Bruce and the Scots having ventured to come 
 
 [1346] Into England, a battle ('twas near Neville's Cross) 
 Saw their armies defeated with serious loss : 
 
 1349 And a terrible plague over England now spread, 
 
 Which took rise in some portion of Asia, 'tis said : 
 The destruction of life filled the nation with awe 
 Which eclipsed for a time e'en the horrors of war. 
 
 To the struggle in France we again must revert 
 Where the King of Navarre tried, by force, to assert 
 His own right to the throne, which now vacant became 
 By the death of King Philip of Valois (the same 
 We have mentioned above, and whose son had pre- 
 
 That the Crown was for him, and the sceptre assumed). 
 Now King Edward no good opportunity lost 
 Of advancing his prospects, whatever it cost ; 
 So, espousing the cause of the King of Navarre, 
 1355 He at once was engaged in another great war. 
 But the greatest event of this famous campaign 
 Was a victory won by the Black Prince again,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 83 
 
 (surprised at Poictiers by a terrible force 
 
 pianta- Of the French, who determined to hinder his course), 
 genets. ^..^ an ^^ ^ gma jj er ^ &n ^^ Q j^g Qeg> 
 
 Showed the latter 'twas vain his advance to oppose ; 
 
 A.I>. By his prudence and skill, and consummate address, 
 
 1356 The French army were forced their defeat to confess. 
 The French monarch himself was a prisoner made, 
 And through London was led in triumphant parade ; 
 But his capture soon after resulted in peace, 
 
 13GO And the truce of Bretigni procured his release. 
 It was farther agreed by the parties, that day, 
 That a ransom to Edward the captive should pay ; 
 And King Edward agreed for his part to pronounce 
 That his claim to the kingdom of France he'd renounce ; 
 And that Noi^nandy, Anjou, with Maine, and Touraine, 
 Should belong to the French ; while some others, again, 
 Of importance, and very much greater extent, 
 Should be given to Edward, who then was content ; 
 And that France should renounce her intrigues with the 
 
 Scots, 
 
 On condition the English would cease their complots 
 With the Flemings ; thus ending this terrible strife 
 Between England and France, which for years had been 
 rife. 
 
 1361 Then the pestilence spread throughout England again : 
 And was followed soon after by troubles in Spain, 
 "Where the brother of Peter, allied with the French, 
 Had been able the Crown from that monarch to wrench. 
 JBut the aid of the English Black Prince was implored, 
 
 13C7 By whose arms at Najara the lyug was restored ; 
 
 Though his triumph was fleeting not long did he reign, 
 Ere another affray saw him captured and slain. 
 Towards England the loosely-bound friendship of Franco 
 This affair of Najara could scarcely enhance ; 
 4
 
 34 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: And, in fact, 'twas not long ere a troublesome feud 
 pianta- Recommenced the great strife at Bretigni subdued. 
 It arose from a tax which King Edward imposed 
 
 *' ' On the Gaseous, who showed themselves aught but disposed 
 To an easy submission, but promptly rebelled, 
 And to crush them the king to take arms was compelled. 
 The French monarch, King Charles, for the Gascons 
 
 declared, 
 
 And to France with great forces the Black Prince repaired. 
 But his pride and his glory now met with a fall 
 His attacks on the French weren't successful at all ; 
 And at last, when he found his attempts of no use, 
 
 1374 He suspended his efforts and called for a truce. 
 
 Nearly all the possessions which England had held 
 Were retaken by France ; and King Edward beheld 
 That the whole of his conquests the French had regained, 
 Except Calais, which still to the English remained. 
 
 1377 With the death of the king (after that of his son, 
 
 The Black Prince) with this notable reign we have done : 
 But the prince left a son, who, when Edward had gone, 
 As King Richard the Second ascended the throne. 
 
 1377 RICHARD II., of BORDEAUX. 
 
 1381 WHEN this monarch had peacefully reigned for some years 
 A disturbance in Kent roused his serious fears : 
 It was caused by a tax on the people imposed, 
 And by Tyler, that trucculent rebel, opposed : 
 He was fit for their leader himself driven wild 
 By an insult the gatherers offered his child ; 
 And, collecting a rabble of friends to assist, 
 He prepared the unpopular tax to resist. 
 On the side of the mob, in this small civil war, 
 Were Wat Tyler, Hob Carter, Tom Miller, Jack Straw :
 
 HISTORY OF EXGLAXD IX VERSE. 85 
 
 HISTORY: They made ravages all over London, and robbed 
 pianta- The abodes of the rich, whom they shamefully mobbed ; 
 But on Tyler's presuming too freely to speak 
 To King Kichard himself, in a moment of jrique, 
 A>I)t He was struck to the ground by the faithful Lord Mayor, 
 1381 And dispatched ere the crowd of his fall was aware. 
 
 Then the rebels, through Richard's great prudence and tact, 
 Thought it safer the struggle no more to protract : 
 But the ringleaders met with the usual fate 
 Which the king did not care to avert or abate. 
 
 1384 (The decease of John Wycliffe, of whom all have heard 
 As the chief of the Lollards, in this year occurr'd.)- 
 
 Now the king had two friends, De la Pole and De Vere, 
 Earls of Suffolk and Oxford, both equally dear ; 
 But the harsh Duke of Gloucester, who wished for a voice 
 In his nephew's affairs, disapproved of his choice : 
 The two favourites Gloucester took every mode 
 Into anger, or rather rebellion, to goad ; 
 And, upheld by the nobles, the duke so contrived 
 That the minions at length were of power deprived ; 
 While he further endeavoured the king to enrage 
 By curtailing his sway on account of his age ; 
 And from Parliament managed permission to gain 
 That himself over England as Regent should reign. 
 (In this year Percy Hotspur in rivalry strove 
 1388 With young Douglas, at Otterburn : each sought to prove 
 The superior worth of his family name 
 And establish in battle his courage and fame. 
 But brave Douglas was slain in this rash escapade, 
 While the fiery Hotspur a captive was made ; 
 And their valour and pluck have for ever a place 
 In the popular poem or song, " Chevy Chase.") 
 
 "
 
 6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: There was passed at this time a remarkable Act, 
 pianta- PrccYnunire called which severely attack'd 
 
 The exorbitant power of Rome through the realm, 
 A.D. Lest the monarch himself it should wholly o'erwheltn : 
 1392 'Twas enacted that persons procuring from Rome 
 
 Any " Bulls" or aggressive injunctions, should come 
 To account for their deeds to a council of State, 
 And perchance become outlawed, or lose their estate. 
 
 The young monarch, though scarce two-and-twenty 
 
 years old, 
 
 Now determined his rights as a king to uphold ; 
 And the arrogant Gloucester was soon made aware 
 Of the change which had come o'er his nephew ; for ere 
 His cabals and his plots were complete, ,he was seized, 
 1397 And his death all the fears of King Richard appeased. 
 
 But a far greater enemy rose in his place 
 Henry Lancaster, banished from court in disgrace, 
 On his father's decease (which occurred at this date) 
 Hurried back to assume the paternal estate. 
 
 Now King Richard was bent on the very same course, 
 And he seized the estates without shame or remorse ; 
 1399 So the young Duke of Lancaster summoned his friends 
 To assist him by force in obtaining amend?. 
 He was joined by the two greatest dukes in the land, 
 And of powerful forces he soon had command. 
 No engagement, however, took place, for the king 
 Was unable his army to battle to bring : 
 They deserted in numbers to Lancaster's side, 
 And the wrath of the impotent monarch defied. 
 He was speedily captured, in prison confined, 
 And, despairing, soon after the sceptre resigned ;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 87 
 
 HISTORY: When, elated with easy success and renown, 
 pianta- The victorious duke turned his thoughts to the Crown. 
 He was son (as he took this occasion to vaunt) 
 Of the fourth son of Edward the Third, John of Gaunt : 
 While his mother, he quite as correctly averr'd, 
 Was no distant relation of Henry the Third. 
 These pretensions appeared very plausible ; yet 
 They were certainly bad, for we must not forget 
 That the grandson of Lionel (Edward's third son), 
 After Richard, had far better rights to the throne ; 
 But as he was a child, and the duke would have brooked 
 No such puny a rival, his claims were o'erlooked ; 
 A D> And, in short, by his daring and promptness alone, 
 1399 The usurper, as Henry the Fourth, took the throne ; 
 While King Richard, soon after, as many suppose, 
 In the Castle of Pomfrct was killed by his foes. 
 
 Here again we must pause ere commencing anew, 
 And the HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET briefly review : 
 Between prelate and prince we remember that strife 
 In the rei(jn of King Henry the Second was rife ; 
 And that Thomas a Bcckct, the troublesome priest, 
 Didn't care for the threats of the king in the least 
 And, in consequence, how a great council was called, 
 Whose decisive enactments the clergy appalled : 
 Hoiv a Becket was slain with officious despatch. 
 And how Henry for Ireland was more than a match. 
 We have read of the monarch for war all athirst 
 That redoubted Crusader, King Packard the First : 
 Of the troubles of John, both abroad and at home, 
 And Jus terrible feud with the Pontiff of Home : 
 His unpopular rule ivhich resulted, in fine, 
 In his being compelled Magna Charta to sign.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 We have seen how tlie Crown to Hie nobles deferred 
 
 HISTORY: 
 
 he House ^ ^ ^.^ ^ the u . ea j., minded fl[ enr y t j ie Third 
 Lancaster. ^.^ ^^ dogged persistence they quarrelled and braided 
 Till De Montfort the first English Parliament called. 
 Under Edward the First we have read the details 
 Of the causes that led to the conquest of Wales : 
 Of the troubles in Scotland, and Edward's decree 
 As to who ic as entitled her monarch to be : 
 Of the subsequent wars with that country maintained, 
 Till the Scottish allegiance at last icas obtained. 
 We remember, however, how bold Robert Bruce, 
 With a bravery nothing but hate could induce, 
 Re- awakened the feud in the very next reign 
 And a glorious victory managed to gain : 
 How the king was deposed by the queen and her friend; 
 And the tragical manner he came to his end. 
 We remember, moreover, how Edward the Third 
 To be king over France a weak title preferred : 
 TJie persistence icith u-hich he supported his claim, 
 And the glorious conquests that brightened his fame. 
 We have read of the prince who by death was struck down 
 Ere his father's decease rendered vacant the Crown : 
 Of King Richard the Second, his son, in whose reign 
 The impertinent rebel Wat Tyler icas slain ; 
 And, at last, how this monarch, the last of the Line, 
 Was by Lancaster driven the Crown to resign. 
 
 THE HOUSE OP LANCASTER. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1399 HENBY IV., of BOLINGBBOKE. 
 
 BUT two years after Henry had come into power 
 
 He was plunged into war with the Welshman Glendower ;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 39 
 
 HMTOUY: And the army he sent with the Welsh to compete 
 6 O f use At the battle of Knyghton sustained a defeat. 
 ir> Then the king, after putting down several plots 
 Which were formed to depose him, made war on the 
 
 Scots. 
 
 When success against these had attended his arms 
 A more serious struggle aroused his alarms : 
 The two Perries (the earl, and young Hotspur, his son) 
 A small victory over the Scotch having won, 
 Were enjoined by the lung, when hostilities ceased, 
 That the captives they'd taken should not be released. 
 The king thought their detention might prove of good use 
 In completing a more advantageous truce ; 
 But the Percies desired their ransoms and swore 
 That this course was opposed to the customs of war. 
 As the king remained firm, the two Percies prepared 
 To resist his authority ; war was declared, 
 A D And the traitorous lords, with Grlendower's support, 
 1103 A great battle with Henry at Shrewsbury fought ; 
 But the king was victorious : Hotspur was slain, 
 And the royal dominion established again : 
 For altho' for some years such rebellions were rife 
 They were checked ere they grew into serious strife : 
 Two conspiracies formed by Northumberland failed 
 (The particulars here need be scarcely detailed, 
 Save to mention that Scrape, the Archbishop of York, 
 1405 Suffered death for his share in the traitorous work) ; 
 1408 While the earl was at Bramham defeated and slain 
 Which event is the last in this monarch's short reign ; 
 And he soon found that peace which on earth was denied, 
 For, a very few years after Bramham, he died ; 
 When his eldest sou Henry, as might be presumed, 
 1413 As King Henry the Fifth the dominion assumed.
 
 40 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY : 
 
 The House HENRY V., of MoNJIOUTH. 
 
 of 
 
 Lancaster. ip HIS y 0un g monarch, although in his youth rather 
 
 wild, 
 
 To his kingly position was soon reconcil'd ; 
 And his subsequent actions most clearly evince 
 That he lacked not the qualities fitting a prince. 
 
 Ere \ve further proceed we must shortly relate 
 How Lord Cobham, the heretic, met with his fate : 
 He was chief of the Lollards, a party or sect 
 Who con! rived hy their preachings much ill to effect ; 
 They were banned by the Church, and with insult pursued, 
 A D0 But continued to thrive till a tumult ensued ; 
 
 1413 When Lord Cobham, their chief, was to prison consigned 
 [1417] And the death of a heretic shortly assigned. 
 
 A great struggle with France fills the rest of this reign ; 
 For, like Edward the Third, so this monarch again 
 (Being eager for fresh acquisitions and fame) 
 
 1414 To the throne of that country put forward a claim. 
 Through the madness of Charles, the French king, there 
 
 arose 
 
 Much disorder and strife, as we well can suppose : 
 For the office of Regent two candidates fought, 
 And, perceiving their struggles, the English king thought 
 That the moment was fitting his schemes to advance 
 And insure a successful invasion of France. 
 After sundry small triumphs, he managed to gain 
 The great battle which ended this famous campaign ; 
 
 1415 On the plains before Agincourt, English and French 
 Were engaged with a fury no bloodshed could quench ; 
 Till, perceiving 'twas vain with the foe to compete, 
 The French army acknowledged their utter defeat ;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 41 
 
 HISTORY: g ^ kj n g g ran ted peace (which in truth was well earned), 
 .he House ^^ then, covered with glory, to England returned. 
 
 This defeat of the French scarce sufficed to assuage 
 Their internal dissensions, which ceased not to rage 
 Altho' Henry made frequent attacks on the coast, 
 And in less than a year was enabled to boast 
 A D That, while France with her struggles'was all in a maze, 
 
 1419 He had conquered Rouen, with Evreux and Falaise. 
 Then the young Duke of Burgundy dared to propose 
 An iniquitous scheme the French king to depose, 
 And to give, by his traitorous efforts alone, 
 
 To the monarch of England the coveted throne. 
 In return for this gift he expressed a desire 
 That the English should help to avenge his dead sire, 
 Who was murdered, 'tis said, by the opposite side, 
 And whose slayer he vowed to pursue till he died. 
 This request was so modest that Henry resolved 
 To accede to his wishes, and all they involved ; 
 
 1420 So the treaty of Troyes was concluded and signed, 
 And the kingdom of France to King Henry resigned. 
 But the Dauphin, on hearing of Burgundy's plots, 
 Being strengthened by opportune aid from the Scots, 
 Made a desperate effort to crush the allies, 
 
 1421 And at Baucje a victory gained by surprise. 
 
 But the scale was soon turned by the duke and his friend, 
 And the Dauphin's defeat brought the war to an end : 
 As it did the king's reign, for a year had but flown 
 Ere his sudden decease rendered vacant the throne : 
 Having chosen a Regent o'er France to preside, 
 
 1422 And another for England, he sickened and died.
 
 42 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY : 
 
 The House HENRY VI. of WINDSOR, 
 
 of 
 
 Lancaster. Hlg successor wag Henry the Sixth, his young son, 
 1422 Who was nine months of age when his reign had hegun ; 
 So the country was ruled by the Regent alone, 
 Till the juvenile king had a will of his own. 
 We at ence must revert to the obstinate feud 
 Between England and France : for the war was renew'd, 
 And the prowess of England for several years 
 Kept alive in the French the most serious fears. 
 The first notable battle, so far as one gleans 
 1128 From authentic accounts, was the siege of Orleans : 
 For some months 'twas exposed to the terrible brunt 
 Of the English assault when there came to the front 
 A remarkable heroine, known as Joan D'Arc 
 Who, inspired, she said, by a heavenly spark, 
 Vowed to save the doomed city, and never to blench 
 From the fray till the victory lay with the French. 
 When the men of Orleans with astonishment saw 
 Their deliverer fully equipped for the war, 
 All their spirits revived, and they swore to defend 
 The dismantled and tottering walls to the end. 
 With a warrior's courage the heroine fought, 
 And with speedy success her devotion was fraught ; 
 For the English, o'ercome with a curious dread 
 Of so novel an enemy, wavered and fled ; 
 Then the French on her banner of victory gazed, 
 1429 And they knew that the siege of Orleans was raised ! 
 But, alas ! the young heroine met with a fate 
 Which arouses our sorrow and pain to relate : 
 Being captured at last in some petty affray, 
 She was tried as a witch and in prison she lay 
 Till, altho' further part in the war she renourced, 
 The iniquitous sentence of death was pronounced :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 43 
 
 HISTORY: In the market of Rouen a fire was laid, 
 The House TQ w j lose fl ameg they consigned the unfortunate maid ! 
 Lancaster. Q> er uer a g 0n j se ^ throes we would fain draw a veil 
 1-131 And conclude this most touching historical tale. 
 
 Bat her death was avenged, for in France, from this date, 
 The success of the English hegan to abate : 
 
 1-135 By a treaty, at Arras, young Burgundy swore 
 
 That he'd lend them his valued assistance no more ; 
 The result of which was that their armies, of course, 
 Lacking Burgundy's aid, were much weakened in force. 
 Charles the Seventh of France saw his country a wreck, 
 And determined the pride of the English to check : 
 A succession of triumphs attended his arms, 
 And aroused in the English well-founded alarms ; 
 Till at length of their conquests but Calais remained 
 (Which since Edward the Third they had always retained) ; 
 And 'twas then, long deprived of the blessings of peace, 
 
 [1453] The two countries agreed that their struggles should cease. 
 
 1445 The young monarch of England was now twenty-three, 
 But of weak understanding, 'twas easy to see ; 
 And this year, through the hated Earl Suffolk's finesse, 
 He espoused Lady Mar/jaret, Anjou's princess ; 
 And surrendered (with singular absence of thrift) 
 To her uncle, the province of Maine as a gift. 
 He made Suffolk a duke ; and connived at the fall 
 Of the good Duke of Gloucester, respected by all ; 
 At which conduct the wrath of the nation found vent 
 In a sudden revolt of the people of Kent : 
 
 1450 At their head was Jack Cade ; who, assuming the name 
 Of John Mortimer, strove their disgust to inflame : 
 He assembled a mob, on Blackheatk they encamped 
 But their ardour for strife and rebellion was damped
 
 44 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: By the downfall of Cade, who (tho' pardoned at first) 
 .he House ^y ag arres ^ e ^ an( j g j am w h en the rabble dispers'd. 
 
 Lancaster. 
 
 ^453 Then the queen by the birth of a son was made glad : 
 Then the never-too-sensible monarch went mad. 
 And his feeble, incompetent rule was the cause 
 (To a certain extent) of the fierce civil wars 
 Which are known as the " Wars of the Roses," and 
 
 raged 
 Thirty years, ere the terrible feud was assuaged. 
 
 We remember that Henry the Fourth took the throne 
 As the heir of his sire, John of Gaunt (the fourth son 
 Of King Edward the Third), thus ignoring the claim 
 Of the grandson of Clarence (the third son), by name 
 Edmund Mortimer : now the usurper's own son, 
 And the son of that son, had each come to the throne ; 
 But the latter (the king on whose reign we're employed), 
 When the ill-gotten sceptre thus long he'd enjoyed, 
 Was obliged for his grandfather's wrong to atone, 
 And defend his own dubious right to the throne. 
 All the males of the Mortimer branch were extinct ; 
 But the last of that line had a sister ; who, link'd 
 At the altar with Richard of Cambridge, begat 
 A son Richard ; and he, when at manhood's estate, 
 Was determined the wrongs of his house to redress 
 And his rival, the king, of his crown dispossess. 
 
 No avenger was ever more fit for the work 
 Than the wealthy and powerful Richard of York ; 
 And, supported by Warwick, the earl, who was known 
 As the King Maker (why, will hereafter be shown), 
 1454 He was chosen Protector of England until 
 
 The poor king his own duties of state could fulfil.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 45 
 
 HISTORY: The result was that, having thus tasted the might 
 e of usa QJ, a k^ ^hi^ moreover, he thought was bis right), 
 3ter> Haughty Eichard refused to relinquish his sway, 
 Or the will of so feeble a king to obey. 
 
 A D But the monarch recovered his wrath was incensed, 
 
 1455 And the Wars of the Roses in earnest commenced 1 
 
 At St. Allan's the king fell a captive 'of war, 
 And the Crown to his rival was forced to give o'er : 
 
 U56 But it soon was restored, and the monarch again 
 Was allowed for a time to continue his reign. 
 Then the strife re-commenced : at Northampton the king 
 
 14CO Being captured again, the duke managed to wring 
 
 From the Peers and the Commons a promise that he 
 On the death of King Henry their ruler should be. 
 But Queen Margaret, eager his pride to rebuke, 
 Took up arms to oppose the victorious duke ; 
 
 UGO When at Wakefield the armies encountered again 
 
 The king's cause was triumphant, and Richard was slain : 
 But his sword was assumed by young Edward, his son, 
 
 1101 Who at Mortimer's Cross a small victory won. 
 Still the resolute queen was a stranger to fear, 
 And, renewing the struggle the very same year, 
 Turned the scales at St. Alban's ; and Henry her lord 
 Once again to his freedom and friends she restor'd. 
 Her available strength was, however, as nought 
 When compared with the forces which Edward now brought ; 
 And, perceiving her efforts must end in defeat, 
 She declined the engagement, and beat a retreat 
 Thus allowing young Edward in peace to proceed 
 Into London ; and there it was gravely decreed 
 That the Crown should be his ; when in sorrow and wrath 
 
 14G1 The late king saw his foe proclaimed Edward the Fourth.
 
 46 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: fj ie Lancastrian rule, in duration tJio' short, 
 o/York? 6 With important events and engagements was fraught : 
 There came first the Welsh battles of Henry the Fourth- 
 Anil his feud with the Percics for braving his wrath : 
 Then the wars of King Henri) the Fifth to advance 
 His unworthy pretensions to reign over France. 
 How the strife by the treaty of Troyes was subdued, 
 Till by Henry the Sixth once again 'twas renewed 
 We have read : while our verses succintly relate 
 How the famous Joan D'Arc met her barbarous fate. 
 We have seen how the rule of the Iting slowly leaned 
 Till at last of his power there nothing remained : 
 How Jack Cade tried the flame of rebellion to fan 
 And, in fine, hoic the Wars of the Roses began : 
 All of this and much more we have read in tlie text, 
 But, as usual, an ABSTRACT thereof is annexed. 
 
 THE HOUSE OF YOEK. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1161 EDWARD IV. 
 
 BUT King Henry had loyal supporters as well ; 
 
 And of many a battle we still have to tell. 
 
 The Lancastrians choose a Red Rose as their sign 
 
 While a White Rose distinguished the new royal line : 
 
 Both the Roses for valour and courage were famed, 
 
 And 'twas thus that the " Wars of the Roses" were named. 
 
 Now the strife was reopened : Queen Margaret sought 
 
 1461 F r revenge and at Towton a battle was fought 
 
 In which York was triumphant ; and Margaret fled 
 With her husband to Scotland ; when Edward 'tis said 
 By the Commons and Peers was again proclaimed lord 
 O'er the whole of the land which he'd won by the sword. 
 But the queen, tho' repulsed, was by no means subdued : 
 With assistance from France the fierce war she renewed ;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 47 
 
 HISTORY: At the battle otHcdgley she met with defeat, 
 of 6 Yorkf And at Hexliam was also obliged to retreat : 
 A.D. Her unfortunate husband was captured again, 
 14G4 And in prison some years was allowed to remain : 
 
 But King Edward now angered proud Warwick, the earl, 
 By espousing Miss Woodville, a beautiful girl, 
 Though (as Warwick declared) of too lowly descent 
 To entitle the match to the nation's consent. 
 The dislike which the queen to himself clearly bore 
 Soon incensed the disgust of the earl more and more : 
 He revoked his allegiance, and offered his aid 
 In support of King Henry : the force thus array'd 
 Against Edward was vast; for besides these two foes 
 His own brother, young Clarence, against him uprose ; 
 While an army by Louis, of France, was despatched 
 Which so strengthened their force that the king, over- 
 matched, 
 
 1470 Fled the country and then, to his joy and surprise, 
 The late king was restored by his friends and allies : 
 He was once more as monarch of England proclaimed, 
 While Earl Warwick and Clarence as regents were 
 
 named, 
 
 Since the health of the king (not to mention his brain) 
 Was too feeble as yet to allow him to reign. 
 
 Thus tho King-maker, Warwick, the throne had procured 
 For two kings (he crowned Edward, and Henry restored) ; 
 But his fall was at hand for King Edward, who burned 
 For revenge, with a powerful army returned ; 
 
 I- 1 " 1 And at Barnet (the scene of a terrible fight) 
 
 Haughty Warwick was slain, and his force put to flight, 
 While Queen Margaret, seeking his loss to repair, 
 
 1471 Fought a buttle with Edward at Tcirl^Jiunj, where
 
 48 H1STOEY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY: By the Yorkists a glorious triumph was won, 
 T of York" 6 -^- n< ^ ^ ne queen taken captive, with Edward her son : 
 A D This young prince suffered death, and his sire was again 
 1471 Thrust in prison ; where either he died or was slain. 
 The Lancastrian party was thus overthrown, 
 And the White Rose in triumph restored to the throne. 
 
 At the rest of this reign we but shortly shall glance, 
 For the only event was a struggle with France 
 Which resulted in nothing except the release 
 Of Queen Margaret one of the terms of the peace 
 
 1-175 Of Pecquigny : while, just ere the close of his reign 
 
 The king's treacherous brother, Duke Clarence was slain, 
 
 J473 Being drowned in a hogshead of malmsey, one reads, 
 As a fitting reward for his traitorous deeds. 
 Then the king, by a fatal distemper borne down, 
 
 1483 Breathed his last, leaving Edward, his son, to the Crown ; 
 But appointing his brother to rule in the land 
 As the prince was too young for the royal command. 
 
 1483 EDWARD V. 
 
 Now the Regent, Duke Gloucester, of hated renown, 
 
 Had in secret determined to seize on the Crown ; 
 
 And, by measures unlawful increasing his sway, 
 
 Put in prison or killed all who stood in his way : 
 
 He ascended the throne when his schemes were mature, 
 
 And, his doubtful position to further secure, 
 
 He procured sonao assassins to smother, 'tis said, 
 
 His two nephews (the king and his brother) in bed ! 
 
 1483 RICHARD III., surnamcd CROOKBACK. 
 
 THE usurper then hastened his friends to reward, 
 And to load them with proofs of his worthy (!) regard :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 49 
 
 HISTORY: B ut foe great Duke of Buckingham, once his best 
 
 The House . , 
 
 of York. friend, 
 
 Now resolved that his power should come to an end : 
 From obsequious courtier to insolent foe 
 The transition was neither uncertain nor slow ; 
 A-I)> And the envious duke, without deigning excuse, 
 1483 Strove his utmost the might of the king to reduce. 
 
 John of Gaunt was4wice married : his second wife bore 
 A son, John, surnamed Beaufort (not mentioned before) ; 
 . ^ And John Beaufort had likewise a son christened John, 
 Who'd a daughter called Maryaret : she had a son 
 By her spouse Edmund Tudor, of Richmond a name 
 "Which the deeds of their son raised to honour and fame. 
 
 Upon him (Henry Tudor) the duke cast his eye 
 As a likely young champion the king to defy 
 Well aware that the latter was hated and feared 
 While the youth had been long to the people endeared. 
 That the moment was fitting young Richmond could see, 
 And resolved that he soon King of England would be. 
 
 1485 Civil war was declared ; but at first the king's arms 
 
 Were successful, and roused his young rival's alarms : 
 Nor did Buckingham aught by his treachery gain, 
 In the first of the fray being captured and slain. 
 But Earl Richmond was stedfast of purpose, and brave, 
 
 1485 And to Richard at Bosworth a fresh battle gave 
 
 When the earl was triumphant, King Richard was killed, 
 And the mission of Henry of Richmond fulfilled : 
 For the Crown was decreed to the victor that day, 
 And, as Henry the Seventh, all bowed to his sway. 
 
 For but twenty -four years did the House of York reiyn, 
 During which (tho* v:y pause to renew them again], 
 5
 
 50 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: g avc fj te Wars of the Roses, which ceased not to rage, 
 o^Tudorf There is little that need our attention engage. 
 
 We have seen how the warlike King Edward the Fourth 
 Left the throne to his son ; and the murderous wrath 
 Of his envious brother, whose malice and hate 
 Were the cause of his children's unmerited fate ; 
 And how soon the usurper was forced to oppose 
 Henry Tudor of Richmond the worst of his foes; 
 And at Bosworth at last icas obliged to atone 
 For the dastardly crime which had gained him the tin one. 
 
 THE HOUSE OF TUDOR. 
 
 1485 HENRY VII., of RICHMOND. 
 
 THROUGHOUT England the joy at his triumph was great, 
 Nor did any mourn Richard's well-merited fate ; 
 And the conqueror married, to strengthen his cause, 
 
 1486 A fair Yorkist princess, with her party's applause, 
 And with that of his own, the Lancastrian side 
 Thus allowing the lingering feud to subside 
 
 Which had burned in the breasts of Red Rose and White, 
 Till by marriage at last 'twas for ever set right I 
 
 But the Crown, thus procured by superior force, 
 Caused the victor some strife to keep sacred, of course : 
 As a monarch by conquest is ne'er without foes, 
 Many serious plots against Henry arose. 
 
 Lambert Simnel, a baker, scarce fifteen years old, 
 But of good education, both cunning and bold 
 (And conceited enough for a monarch at least), 
 Being promoted thereto by one Simon, a priest, 
 Dared to spread a report that young Richard of York 
 (Whose sad fate we have mentioned before in this work)
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 51 
 
 ISTORY: jj at | contrived, when his brother was smothered, to baulk 
 C T?dor. e The revenge of his uncle ; which tale was the talk 
 Of the town but soon after, absurd as it seems, 
 This impostor devised a new turn for his schemes, 
 And declared he was Warwick (the son of renowned 
 George of Clarence, the duke who in Malmsey was 
 
 drowned) : 
 
 This young earl after Bosworth was seized, and confin'd 
 In the Tower ; but somehow a rumour got wind 
 A.D. He'd escaped and the impudent Simnel declared 
 1487 That the earl and himself were the same; and prepared 
 To enforce the pretensions he thus had acquired 
 To the kingdom of England : but Henuy, inspired 
 By a happy device the bold knave to confound, 
 Made the captive parade through the city, and round 
 Old St. Paul's, in full view of the mob for the sake 
 Of a clear demonstration of Simnel's mistake ! 
 'Twas successful ; and England took steps to evince 
 Her disgust at the fraud : but it failed to convince 
 The soft Irish, who still in young Simnel retained 
 Their belief and secure in their land he remained. 
 Besides these, there were others impressed with his worth, 
 And among them, two sisters of Edward the Fourth 
 Who were joined by a German named Swartz, and a 
 
 force 
 
 From that country : but Henry, perceiving their course, 
 Unless checked, would undoubtedly lead to a war, 
 Now resolved all the hopes of the traitor to mar. 
 
 With a powerful army he crushed the allies 
 1137 At the battle of Stoke . but, to Simnel's surprise, 
 He was pardoned, and granted an honest employ 
 In the sovereign's kitchen as scullery- boy! 
 
 5*
 
 52 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: ^ n ^ altho' the king's vengeance no further was pushed, 
 of Tudor. This important rebellion was utterly crushed. 
 Then the king undertook an invasion of France, 
 At the details of which we but shortly need glance : 
 The French monarch, King Charles, of his prowess too vain, 
 The whole province of Brittany sought to obtain : 
 His success gave offence to King Henry, who tried 
 By some taxes (Benevolences) to provide 
 Enough money to make a revengeful attack 
 Upon France ; but his warlike designs seemed to lack 
 Force and energy ever important in war, 
 A D. And his enterprise therefore was not carried far. 
 1492 At Estaples a truce was concluded, by which 
 
 The dispute was made up without trouble or hitch . 
 'Twas agreed that o'er Brittany Charles should hold sway, 
 But a large sum of money to Henry should pay. 
 
 Then another rebellion disturbed the king's peace, 
 And with that of young Simnel was all of a piece ; 
 The report (which we know was not true) again spread 
 That the hapless youth Richard of York was not dead, 
 But preparing his claim to the Crown to put forth 
 As the son of a monarch King Edward the Fourth. 
 Perkin Warbeck, a well-born, respectable youth, 
 Said that he was the duke ; and, accepting as truth 
 His assertion, the Scotch and the Irish, it seems, 
 Gave their hearty assistance to forward his schemes. 
 He proceeded to France, and was there well received 
 For King Charles in his foolish pretensions believed ; 
 - But King Henry took resolute means to put down 
 The rebellion that threatened himself and his Crown : 
 After years of resistance and varied success 
 1499 Perkin Warbeck surrendered but, nevertheless,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 58 
 
 HISTORY: \y aa con fi ne <i j n the Tower, whence, seeking to fly, 
 
 The House TT , ., . , -. . . .. .. 
 
 of Tudor, iie was lortnwitu adjudged as a traitor to die. 
 
 The last years of this reign may be shortly reviewed : 
 With a craving for money the king was imbued, 
 And in Empson and Dudley, two " limbs of the law," 
 Fitting tools for his greed and oppression he saw : 
 Such extortions and fines from the people were wrung, 
 A P That the victims might well to revolt have been stung 
 1509 When the death of the miserly, covetous king 
 
 Some relief to their hardships seemed likely to bring : 
 He appointed his second son, Henry, his heir 
 (Which, as Arthur, the elder, had died, was but fair) ; 
 And, as Henry the Eighth, of uxorious fame, 
 This young prince to the throne of his father now came. 
 
 1509 HENBY VIII. 
 
 THE first year of his reign the king chose as a wife 
 
 The fair widow of Arthur his brother, whose life 
 
 Was cut off, as we've mentioned before ; and then took 
 
 1510 Speedy means to bring Empson and Dudley to book. 
 Then, in order his glory and fame to enhance, 
 
 The young monarch made war upon Scotland and France : 
 1513 At the battle of Guinegate, the French, overaw'd, 
 Made a far better use of the spur than the sword ! 
 While, at Flodden, the English Earl Surrey opposed 
 And defeated the Scots both campaigns were then closed. 
 
 Now the great Thomas Wolsey appeared on the scene : 
 Dean of Lincoln, and chaplain to Henry he'd been ; 
 Then Archbishop of York ; then a Cardinal : next 
 To his titles " Lord Chancellor " Henry annex d; 
 And 'twas now that this truly remarkable man 
 1515 To assert his unlimited power began.
 
 54 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY: ^ho' 'twas neither his glory nor might to enhance, 
 of*Tudor. Shortly after, King Henry returned into France : 
 For, to check the o'erweening ambition of Spain, 
 The French monarch, King Francis the First, sought to gain 
 An alliance with Henry, by asking him o'er 
 A.D. With the whole of his suite to the opposite shore. 
 
 1520 On a field near to Calais they met : and we're told 
 So resplendent they shone in their trappings of gold 
 That the rendezvous since has been known as the " Field 
 Of the Cloth of Gold : " here all the rancour was heal'd 
 Which had harassed their breasts in the recent campaign, 
 And as friends and allies they agreed to remain. 
 
 Now the gi'eat " Reformation," by Luther commenced, 
 The disgust of the Catholic monarch incensed : 
 Against Luther a hostile position he took, 
 And attacked his heretical views in a book. 
 Then the Pope was so pleased with this righteous prince, 
 That, in order his grateful esteem to evince, 
 
 1521 HedubbedHenry " Defender o'th' Faith " towhichname 
 All the subsequent sovereigns of England laid claim. 
 
 Then the king, who was fickle, grew sick of his spouse, 
 152? And he sought to procure a release from his vows : 
 He declared that his marriage with Catherine prey'd 
 On his mind as unholy and seemed much afraid 
 That, in wedding the wife of his brother deceased, 
 He'd committed a sin : while his scruples increased 
 As he saw that the personal charms of his queen 
 Were by no means so great as they'd formerly been ! 
 Having called upon Wolsey the matter to sift, 
 That obsequious statesman, perceiving his drift, 
 Tried his best to obtain the required divorce, 
 Which alone could allay the good monarch's remorse.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 55 
 
 HISTORY: B u t Cam.peggio, Legate of Clement, the pope, 
 of Tudor. So delayed the decision that Henry lost hope ; 
 
 And found vent for his spleen upon Wolsey himself, 
 Whom he forthwith deprived of the whole of his pelf, 
 A.D. And his goods and his chattels, his honours and trust, 
 
 1529 While their quondam possessor in prison was thrust : 
 Then his pardon was granted but soon was reversed, 
 And his character freely condemned and aspersed ; 
 
 He was seized for high treason but death was too quick 
 For his mortal opponents, for Wolsey fell sick 
 
 1530 Ere his trial took place ; and soon afterwards died 
 This unfortunate man, who at least had e'er tried 
 To be true to the monarch who once was his friend, 
 But whose tyrannous vengeance thus hastened his end. 
 
 Still resolved on divorce, the king tried to persuade 
 Thomas Cranmei; the Primate, to come to his aid ; 
 
 1533 And this Churchman, foreseeing how much might be 
 
 gained 
 
 By compliance, decreed it and nothing remained 
 But for Henry at once to the world to proclaim 
 That Anne Boleyn now shared both his Crown and his 
 
 name : 
 
 While poor Catherine, when she was told of her fate, 
 Mourned in silence the slight which no time could abate. 
 
 Now the Pope would not sanction such conduct at all, 
 And he hoped by his anger the king to appal ; 
 But the latter, his Catholic scruples o'ercome, 
 Tried his utmost to hasten a rupture with Home : 
 
 1534 He passed several statutes to lessen the might 
 
 Of the Pope throughout England denying his right 
 To make bishops, send " Bulls," or receive as a due 
 Any taxes from England : confirming anew
 
 56 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: jjj g espousals with Anne, and the prior divorce 
 of Tudor. Just to show that he felt neither fear nor remorse. 
 
 By these steps, at which briefly above we have glanced, 
 Was the cause of the great Reformation advanced ; 
 And when Fisher, the Bishop of Rochester, dared 
 To demur to the marriage, his life was not spared : 
 A D . Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor, also met death 
 
 1535 For presuming to raise a dissentient breath. 
 
 But the monarch was fickle, as mentioned before : 
 He grew tired of Anne ; and a year was not o'er 
 Ere a charge of light conduct against her preferr'd, 
 Was adjudged to be proven and forthwith she heard 
 The dread sentence of death, which was soon put in force, 
 
 1536 And the king took Jane Seymour to wife in due course. 
 
 (Tho 1 'tis scarcely important, a moment we pause 
 Just to say that now Wales was placed under our laws.) 
 
 But this marriage, the rupture with Rome, and the state 
 Of the Church, caused in England much anger and hate : 
 A religious revolt now took rise in the North, 
 1536 "When the Pilgrims of Grace on their mission came forth, 
 And their faith to preserve, the old Church to restore, 
 And to punish all heretics solemnly swore ; 
 But attempting their ends to accomplish by force, 
 Twas determined to check their impetuous course : 
 The chief rioter, Aske, was a prisoner made, 
 And by rigorous means the disturbance allay'd. 
 
 But soon after the monarch resolved to suppress 
 All the convents and houses religious, no less 
 On account of their wealth, which he wished to possess, 
 Than the nation to free from all popish duress :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 67 
 
 ISTORY: 'Twas accordingly done to the sovereign's hands 
 e TKr. 6 Was transferred the great bulk of their riches and lands : 
 Thus the sway of the Pope and his agents was curbed, 
 And the Catholic party dismayed and perturbed ; 
 But the king, ever changeable, vowed to maintain 
 Certain parts of that faith -which was under his bane ; 
 A D> And the Protestant party were no less appalled 
 
 1539 By an Act which was passed, the Six Articles called : 
 As it certainly favoured the Catholic side, 
 
 By the Protestant party 'twas warmly decried : 
 
 Let this statement suffice for our space is too short 
 
 To describe all the terms of this Act as we ought. 
 
 The Queen Consort, Jane Seymour, had died, and the 
 
 king 
 
 To his nature uxorious once more gave swing : 
 Anne of Cleves, a young German princess, was his choice, 
 
 1540 Of whose charms he was told by a flattering voice. 
 
 Ere they met he espoused her ; but what were his shame 
 And resentful disgust when he found that her claim 
 To good looks was a fraud and a hollow deceit, 
 While it now was too late to retract or retreat ! 
 But the wrathful surprise of King Henry was such 
 When he found that his consort could only speak Dutch, 
 That he swore to divorce her and managed so well 
 That 'twas done in less time than it takes us to tell. 
 Thomas Cromwell, Earl Essex, the ill-advised man 
 Who had dared thus to heighten the charms of poor Anne, 
 Suffered death for his fraud, on the usual ground 
 Of high treason, for which a true bill was soon found. 
 Having thus on the flatterer vented his spleen, 
 The king sought for another more suitable queen : 
 He was shortly successful, and took, the same year, 
 Lady Catherine Howard his old age to cheer.
 
 58 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: j}^ a ] ag> ^jg domestic felicity ran, 
 of 6 Tudor. e As on former occasions, a very short span ; 
 
 And the wrath of the monarch now broke out anew 
 A T> When he found that the queen to her vows was not true : 
 1512 He decreed she should pay for her sins with her life, 
 And a year had scarce flown ere he took a new wife. 
 
 Now the Scots had made several obstinate raids 
 On the borders of England, advancing by grades 
 Into Cumberland; ivhen, near the great Solway Moss, 
 They were met by the English and routed irith loss. 
 
 But the sixth and last queen (Lady Catherine Parr) 
 Was of all the king's wives the most prudent by far ; 
 She so flattered the monarch and led him so well 
 That his dangerous temper she managed to quell ; 
 And by yielding a little, yet showing no fear, 
 She survived the fierce monarch by more than a year. 
 
 1644 The remaining events are the capture from France 
 Of Boulogne : and the death (for presuming to glance 
 At the monarch's own daughter as fit for his wife) 
 
 1547 Of Earl Surrey, who paid for his love with his life : 
 Into prominence neither of these we need bring, 
 But may pass on at once to the death of the king, 
 Which took place through il 1-health, by his temper increased, 
 And this year saw the terrible monarch deceased : 
 When the young Prince of Wales, as it mightbe presumed, 
 As King Edward the Sixth the dominion assumed. 
 
 15^7 EDWAKD VI. 
 
 LEST the cares of the state the youngking should o'erwhelm, 
 His own uncle, Duke Somerset, governed the realm.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 59 
 
 HISTORY: j n (jjjg monarch's short reign Reformation progressed, 
 of 6 Tudor. e And to plant it more firmly the king did his best : 
 He was aided by Cranmer, of famous renown, 
 But who died for the cause, as will shortly be shown. 
 
 A great war with the Scots served the king to perplex 
 The first year of his reign, for he sought to annex 
 Unto England their country in union compact, 
 A>D< While that nation determined to keep it intact 
 1547 So at Pinkie they met in a terrible fray, 
 
 When the English by far got the best of the day ; 
 But they did not pursue their advantage this year, 
 For a plot against Somerset came to his ear. 
 
 We must shortly record, ere this plot lie revealed. 
 That the Act of Six Articles now was repealed, 
 By the efforts of Somerset, equally ivarm 
 With King Edward himself in the icork of reform. 
 
 Now the foe with whom Somerset had to compete 
 Was Lord Seymour, his brother, the head of the fleet : 
 He had married the dowager, Catherine Parr, 
 And through envy determined his brother to mar ; 
 But the latter was prompt in his steps to defeat 
 The designs of his brother, who, failing to meet 
 The grave charge of high treason against him prepared, 
 1549 Was condemned and the fate of all traitors he shared. 
 
 Now the zeal with which Somerset pushed the Reform 
 Both in Cornwall and Devon fomented a storm ; 
 While in Norfolk a petty dispute about land 
 J549 Caused the rising of Ket and his vagabond band.
 
 GO HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOBY: 5^ ^he rebel was forced for his deeds to atone 
 of Tudor! 6 With his life after which the revolt was put down. 
 A.D. Then the power of Somerset drew to a close : 
 !549 Many charges against him were laid by his foes 
 By the Catholics, hating Reform, he was feared; 
 While the lords at his love for the populace sneered : 
 He was blamed for the death of his brother ; and next 
 At his great ostentation the nation was vex'd. 
 The complaints of the nobles were angry and loud, 
 And he fell 'neath the bane of the envious crowd ; 
 Till Earl Warwick, of all his opponents the worst, 
 Took the step by which Somerset's hopes were dispers'd : 
 He was sent to the Tower, of office deprived, 
 And, though pardoned at first, but a short time survived ; 
 For Earl Warwick (now Duke of Northumberland 
 
 made) 
 
 Of this fallen, unfortunate man was afraid ; 
 And, in case he should popular sympathy woo, 
 He accused him of treason and felony too : 
 He was tried and condemned on the felony bill, 
 1552 And Duke Somerset perished on old Tower Hill. 
 
 We must mention that France, an ally of the Scotch, 
 Now attempted a treaty with England to botch, 
 For the sale to the French of the town of Boulogne ; 
 Which the English had held for six years as their own. 
 
 And we also must note that Joan Bocher, of Kent, 
 Was consigned to the flames for presuming to vent 
 (In a manner the Primate considered too warm) 
 Her heretical doctrines against the Reform. 
 
 Then the health of King Edward began to decline, 
 And while sick he was tempted his ear to incline
 
 HISTORY OF. ENGLAND IN VERSE. 61 
 
 HISTORY: TO Northumberland's counsel, and e'en to obey 
 T?dor! e His injunctions to nominate Lady Jane Grey 
 A.D. As the heir to the Crown, and, when he should be dead 
 1553 (Quite ignoring his sisters), to reign in his stead. 
 
 (Lady Jane was grand-daughter of Mary and she 
 Was the sister of Henry the Eighth : so we see 
 That the lady Northumberland plotted to bring 
 To the throne, was a cousin in fact to the king. 
 She was staunch in her love for the Protestant cause, 
 Audher sweetness and grace gained the nation's applause ) 
 
 The design was successful : when Edward had died, 
 1553 Lady Jane was proclaimed the new queen far and wide. 
 But her honours were short, Princess Mary uprose 
 With her loyal adherents, the queen to depose. 
 Lady Jane, who the greatest reluctance had shown 
 To be crowned, was o'erwhelmed and surrendered the 
 
 throne ; 
 
 And Northumberland, forced to abandon his scheme, 
 Now acknowledged the right of Queen Mary supreme. 
 But for pardon his crime was considered too high ; 
 He was promptly arrested and sentenced to die. 
 The unfortunate Jane into prison was thrust 
 Until Mary the mode of her fate could adjust. 
 
 1553 MAEY. 
 
 The new queen was the daughter of Catherine, wife 
 Of King Henry the Eighth, who embittered her life 
 By providing a cure for his pious remorse, 
 And appeasing his mind by a cruel divorce.
 
 G2 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: Ljj-g her mother, the queen was a Catholic born, 
 
 The House . , , , 
 
 of Tudor. And to .Protestants e er was the enemy sworn ; 
 
 Wemust therefore remember, through Mary's short reign, 
 That the Catholic faith was triumphant again. 
 Now the queen being clearly to marriage disposed, 
 With the Spanish prince Philip a match was proposed ; 
 But the nation regarded with fear and disdain 
 
 A n Such a scheme as an English alliance with Spain. 
 
 1554 Thomas Wyatt fomented a rising in Kent, 
 
 When the people's disgust in revolt found a vent ; 
 'But at last, having vainly his sovereign defied, 
 He was seized, and the death of a traitor he died : 
 And soon after, her lingering fears to allay, 
 The queen signed the death-warrant of Lady Jane Grey, 
 Who, with Dudley her husband, a slender neck bow'd 
 
 1554 r Jo the axe, in full sight of a pitying crowd 1 
 
 Now the marriage of Mary and Philip of Spain 
 To the Protestant party brought terror and pain ; 
 1555-53 ^' or a fi erce prosecution (the Marian named) 
 
 Was directed against them, by hatred inflamed : 
 Hooper, Latimer, Ridley, all bishops of note, 
 Suffered death for the doctrines they uttered and wrote ; 
 Even Craniner, the Primate, still firm and resigned, 
 1556 To the flames as a martyr was basely consigned : 
 Nor did fierce bishops Banner and Gardiner shirk 
 From their self-imposed shares in this barbarous work ; 
 And the Protestant party were shunned and despised 
 For maintaining the faith which so dearly they prized ; 
 And 'twas thus, in this cruel and bigoted reign, 
 That the cause of the Catholics flourished again. 
 
 A short struggle with France brings this reign loan end, 
 For Prince Philip demanded that Mary should send
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 63 
 
 HISTOHY: g ome assistance, the armies of Spain to enhance, 
 of Tudor. In the war which that country was waging with France. 
 A.D. To comply with his wishes Queen Mary was fain, 
 
 1557 Aud despatched a small army to join the campaign. 
 But the only result of this ill-advised freak 
 
 1558 Was the losing of Calais, besieged for a week ; 
 
 And although it was deemed of impregnable strength, 
 To the French Duke of Guise it surrendered at length. 
 The queen's grief for this loss so affected her mind 
 That she said, " On my heart, when I die, you will find 
 The word Calais engraven" tho' whether 'twas true 
 We are safe in assuming that nobody knew ! 
 A low fever, augmented by sorrow and spleen, 
 Was the proximate cause of the death of the queen 
 When Elisabeth (born of Anne Boleyn) was placed 
 On the throne which her bigoted sister disgraced. 
 
 1558 ELIZABETH. 
 
 HER accession with vast satisfaction was hailed 
 By the nation, who long before Mary had quailed ; 
 But the Protestant welcome was specially warm 
 To the queen, who was known as a friend to Reform. 
 The first year of her reign two great statutes were passed 
 Which restored the old faith to its honours at last : 
 One declared that the queen was the Head of the Church, 
 And might into its wrongs and abuses make search : 
 Number TWO, that the Service by Cranmer arranged 
 Should for no other form of devotion be changed ; 
 Uniformity strict (it went on to decree) 
 
 1559 In the manner of worship thenceforth there should be. 
 
 Now with Scotland and France there was peace, tho' it 
 
 ran 
 But a very short time ; for a quarrel began
 
 64 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: Between Mary of Scots (that unfortunate queen) 
 of Xndor. And Elizabeth why will hereafter be seen. 
 
 Princess Margaret, aunt to Elizabeth bore 
 To her spouse James the Fourth (who the Scottish crown 
 
 wore) 
 
 A son James, who succeeded his sire on the throne, 
 And whose daughter as Mary of Scotland is known. 
 To Elizabeth, therefore, a cousin was she, 
 But much nearer than dear as we shortly shall see. 
 
 Should Elizabeth die, Mary's claim was the best 
 To the Grown which her kinswoman meanwhile possess'd: 
 She had married the Dauphin of France, who was prone 
 To persuade her that England would soon be her own ; 
 And addressed her as queen of that country, while he, 
 As her consort, hoped shortly its monarch to be. 
 
 Now Elizabeth's wrath, as we well can suppose, 
 At this haughty and impudent conduct arose. 
 As the French (who were Papists) had many a storm 
 With the Scots (who wei'e staunch in the cause of Reform), 
 She assisted the latter with England's strong hand, 
 A D In expelling the whole of the French from the land. 
 
 1560 By a treaty, at Edinburgh drawn up and signed, 
 
 All the French further sojourn in Scotland resigned ; 
 And Queen Mary agreed to relinquish her claim 
 To Elizabeth's Crown till the proper time came. 
 Then, from France the dear land where so long she had 
 been, 
 
 1561 Hapless Mary came home to the Scotch as their queen. 
 Tho' despised by John Knox, the great friend of 
 
 Reform, 
 The great bulk of the Scotch in their welcome were warm.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 65 
 
 (By the Thirty-nine Articles, passed in this reign, 
 The Reform was triumphant in England again). 
 
 Now Queen Mary of Scots, to her shame be it said, 
 A . D . Having married Lord Darnley (the Dauphin was dead), 
 
 1567 Was so base as to compass his violent end, 
 
 In revenge for the murder of Pdzzio, her friend. 
 The design was approved by one Bothwell, a lord 
 Of much power and wealth, but of morals abhorr'd ; 
 And three months had but flown after Darnley was 
 
 slain 
 
 Ere his treacherous helpmate was married again. 
 At this match the disgust of the Scotch was aroused, 
 For 'twas actually Bothwell himself she espoused : 
 The Scotch nobles took arms, and at Carberry Hill 
 They compelled the false queen to submit to their will : 
 She was placed in a castle (Locldeven its site), 
 Whence contriving to fly, under cover of night, 
 She assembled her forces, and strove to compete 
 
 1568 With Earl Murray at Langslde but suffered defeat : 
 She escaped into England, expecting to get 
 Consolation and aid from Elizabeth : yet 
 
 All her hopes were in vain, for her cousin refused 
 
 To receive one of cowardly murder accused. 
 
 She was tried for the crime, and to prison consign'd, 
 
 Tho' her judges no verdict conclusive could find ; 
 
 But her pardon was offered provided she vowed 
 
 To relinquish her rights as a queen, or allowed 
 
 Her son James (by Lord Darnley) to rule in her stead 
 
 O'er the people whose just indignation she fled. 
 
 But as Mary these galling proposals disdained, 
 
 She was thenceforth a captive in England detained ; 
 
 1569 And although an attempt to restore her again 
 
 To her freedom was afterwards made, 'twas in vain. 
 6
 
 G6 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: AS f or j\ r or foi] c> the duke who aspired to wed 
 ^Twior! 6 ^ ne ^ r P r i soner > ne to the scaffold was led 
 A D (Tho' not solely for this ; for 'twas said by his foes, 
 1572 That he secretly plotted the queen to depose). 
 
 In this year there occurred, on Bartholomeib's Day, 
 A great slaughter of Huguenots that is to say 
 Of French Protestants : Paris, once smiling and gay, 
 Was the scene of this cruel and bloody affray. 
 Since by Charles, the French monarch's command they 
 
 were slain, 
 
 On his name he has fixed an indelible stain ; 
 But he vowed (Queen Elizabeth's wrath to avert) 
 That the victims had secret designs to his hurt ; 
 And so far did his crafty excuses succeed 
 That he never was called to account for the deed. 
 
 We must mention that Spain was engaged in a feud 
 With the Dutch, whose dominions they seized and subdued ; 
 But a treaty was made by which England prepared 
 To make war upon Spain, if the Dutch were not spared. 
 Francis Drake, the bold seaman, at once was despatched 
 To encounter the Spaniards, whose fleet he o'ermatched ; 
 1577-80 And he then did an act with which none could compete, 
 For he sailed round the world in one voyage complete. 
 
 The High Court of Commission was formed in this reign 
 To repair all abuses the Church might retain ; 
 'Twas a dread inquisition, and probably led 
 To a grea* deal more evil than good, it is said. 
 
 Now Earl Leicester the war against Spain carried on ; 
 '586 But at Zutphen, the Spani-'vls a victory won:
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 67 
 
 Philip Sidney, a hero of famous renown 
 ! 8 For ki s goodness and valour, that day was struck down. 
 
 A.D. Then a plot was discovered the queen to dethrone, 
 
 1586 Which as Babingtoris Plot is in history known 
 The conspirators, numbering three at the least, 
 Being, Babington, Savage, and Ballard (a priest). 
 It took rise in the hatred the Catholics bore 
 
 To the Protestant cause, as we've mentioned before. 
 Queen Elizabeth's murder formed part of their plots, 
 With the rescue and crowning of Mary of Scots. 
 Their design was discovered, the traitors were seized, 
 And their lives were not spared ; but the queen was still 
 
 teased 
 
 By the fear that although she'd prevented this crime, 
 Mary's friends might perchance be more lucky next time ; 
 So the ill-fated captive was taken one day 
 And confined in the castle of Fotheringay ; 
 She was gravely accused of a share in the plot, 
 And the sentence of death soon determined her lot. 
 On the scaffold some words of true pathos she spoke, 
 
 1587 And then bowed her fair head to the terrible stroke. 
 Though from tears at this deed the queen could not re- 
 frain, 
 
 As a blot on her glory 'twill ever remain. 
 
 Now the Spanish campaign was approaching a stage 
 Which for several verses our pen must engage. 
 In revenge for the part the English had played 
 In the war which the Spaniards on Holland had made, 
 The proud monarch of Spain, on reprisals intent, 
 
 1588 An enormous Armada to England now sent. 
 Over thirty-five thousands of soldiers he shipped 
 Jn one hundred and thirty great vessels, equipped 
 
 0*
 
 68 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: j n a manner that Spain, in her pompous conceit, 
 of Tudor W as so told as to characterise as complete. 
 
 The " Invincible Spanish Armada " then sailed 
 For the shores of our country but little availed 
 Its unwieldy extent and superfluous bulk, 
 For each ship in the hands of its crew was a hulk. 
 In, the storm which arose ere they came to a fight, 
 Spanish seamanship showed in the very worst light ; 
 ApD> And the ships of " Old England," in numbers tho' few, 
 1588 Were sufficient the cowardly foe to subdue. 
 
 Under Ejfingham, Frobisher, Hawkins, and Drake, 
 Many ships from the Spaniards they managed to take ; 
 Till the latter retreated, and much to their shame, 
 Half their fleet easy prizes to England became. 
 
 'Twas apparent at once, from this famous defeat, 
 That the Spaniards could ne'er with the English compete ; 
 But the feud was kept up, and soon after again 
 1596 A great sea-fight saw Cadiz surrendered by Spain 
 
 To Lord Effingham ; though there are others who say 
 'Twas the pluck of Earl Essex that gained us the day. 
 
 1598 'Twas this year that the Edict of Nantes was decreed, 
 By which Henry the Fourth (the French monarch) agreed 
 That the Protestants all through his land should be saved 
 From the dread persecution which long they had braved. 
 
 The great statesman, Lord Burleigh, now sickened and 
 
 died; 
 And to match him the queen unsuccessfully tried. 
 
 Then the restless and turbulent Irish rebelled, 
 And 'twas not without blood that the rising was quelled ;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. C9 
 
 [HISTORY:] g u t Earl Essex, who every favour enjoyed 
 or Tudor ^ ^ ne h an ds f his sovereign, on being employed 
 A . D . As her royal lieutenant to rule in the land, 
 1599 "Was so base as to league with the mutinous band : 
 
 He was seized and imprisoned ; but soon was set free, 
 For the queen was too fond to enforce the decree. 
 
 1COO (In East India a company, chartered this year, 
 First established our might and prosperity there.) 
 
 Now Earl Essex, deprived of his Irish command, 
 And alive to the fact that his fall was at hand, 
 Grew so reckless and bold in his sudden disgrace 
 That he dared to insult the good queen to her face. 
 She was wrathful, but still to the favourite kind 
 For her love to his faults was persistently blind ; 
 But so rash was this man, and of temper so hot, 
 That he scorned the queen's grace and connived at a plot 
 To dethrone her ; which instantly being perceived, 
 From his well-deserved fate he not long was reprieved : 
 
 1601 He was led to the scaffold while yet in the prime 
 Of a life of ingratitude, rather than crime. 
 But Elizabeth's sorrow because of the fate 
 Of her insolent favourite ne'er could abate : 
 She but lingered two years, when, from sickness and grief, 
 She discovered in death a most welcome relief. 
 
 1603 On her death-bed, lest others might rake up their claims, 
 She appointed as heir the young Scottish King James: 
 (He was son of Lord Darnley and Mary of Scots, 
 Who by death had atoned for her treacherous plots) : 
 And as soon as his cousin the queen was no more, 
 To assume her dominion King James hurried o'er.
 
 70 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: ^ s fj^ ]fi n g was the first of a line wliich is new, 
 of Tudor, ^or a page ice shall pause and the Tudors review : 
 We remember how Henry the Seventh was croivn'd, 
 When the two rival Roses together were bound ; 
 And how Simnel and Warbeck, that impudent pair, 
 Tried to make themselves out such as never they were : 
 And how Henry the Eighth took six wives to his heart, 
 But ivith none of them seemed very sorry to part ! 
 We have read of poor Wolsey his rise and his fall : 
 Of the growth of Reform throughout England, and all 
 The religious disturbance it raised in the land ; 
 And the rupture with Rome that by Henry was planiid. 
 We have read of King Edward the Sixth of whose reign 
 No particulars here need be mentioned again : 
 Of Queen Mary : the efforts she made to restore 
 The old Catholic faith ; and the hatred she bore 
 To the Protestants making their lives but a curse, 
 And their deaths, in some instances, very much worse. 
 Of the sad execution of Lady Jane Grey 
 Our rhymes have, moreover, had something to say : 
 Of the taking of Calais from England by France, 
 And how Mary lamented that grievous mischance. 
 We have seen how Elizabeth came to the throne, 
 And endeavoured for Mary's harsh rule to atone : 
 How the Protestants loved to acknowledge her sway 
 E'en the victims who died on Bartholomew's Day : 
 We remember the famous exploits of Drake, 
 And the voyage his daring induced him to make : 
 We have read of both Norfolk's and Babington's plots ; 
 And the terrible fate of Queen Mary of Scots : 
 Of the Spanish Armada, which lumbered the seas 
 By the ships of Old England defeated with ease : 
 While the Edict of Nantes and Earl Essex' disgrace 
 In our verses have each found a prominent place.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 71 
 
 HISTORY: THE HOUSE OF STUART. 
 
 The House 
 
 of stuart. JAMES I. 
 
 A>D ; His accession, though welcome to many, gave rise 
 
 To two plots called the "Main" and the "Bye" or 
 
 " Surprise : " 
 
 la the former of these Walter Eakii/h combined 
 The new king to dethrone ; for the traitor opined 
 That the cousin of James, Arabella by name, 
 To be crowned in his stead had a plausible claim. 
 
 She was daughter of Charles, Duke of Lenox and he 
 Was the grandson of Maryaret Douglas and she 
 Was the daughter of Henry the Eighth so we see, 
 Some excuse for the plot there might possibly be. 
 But her father was brother to Darnley, whose wife 
 Was the monarch's own mother : and therefore the strife 
 As to whether King James or his cousin should reign 
 (Seeing Darnley was older than Lenox) was vain. 
 The fair Stuart (for such was her family name) 
 For this plot to enthrone her was scarcely to blame ; 
 But it soon was found out: Walter Raleigh was tried, 
 And in prison for years was compelled to abide. 
 
 Plot the second, by Broke and two priestly allies, 
 Was to seize and imprison the king by surprise ; 
 But it came to the ears of Lord Cecil, 'tis said, 
 And Lord Broke, with his friends, to the scaffold was led. 
 
 A dispute with the Church, which the Puritans waged, 
 The attention of James shortly after engaged ; 
 And he showed all his powers of logic and wit 
 IGOi Ai a council he summoned at Hampton to sit : 
 But the litigants failed their dispute to decide, 
 And the friendly attempts of the monarch defied
 
 72 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: From the Church few concessions the Puritans won, 
 of Stuart ^ n ^ ^ e counc il broke np without aught heing done. 
 But the Catholic party, who found that their claims 
 To complete toleration were slighted by Jaines, 
 Formed a plot, in its nature enough to appal 
 The most traitorous heart. 'Tis familiar to all : 
 The whole object and scope of their wicked design 
 Was to blow up the Parliament House, by a mine 
 Formed of barrels of gunpowder, meant to ignite 
 "When the Parliament met on the opening night. 
 But a hint of the plot was by letter convey'd 
 To a lord called Monteayle who, being afraid 
 Lest his silence some dreadful disaster might bring, 
 Lost no time in submitting the news to the king. 
 The wise monarch no sooner the letter had seen, 
 Than he felt what its ill-defined warning might mean : 
 He commanded a diligent search to be made, 
 And discovered the place where the powder was laid : 
 Near the barrels stood Guy Fau-kes, with lantern in 
 
 hand 
 
 The unfortunate tool of the traitorous band : 
 He was promptly arrested, and though he concealed 
 All the names of his friends, the whole plot stood 
 
 revealed; 
 
 The conspirators Catesby and Percy were slain, 
 And the rest of the gang found resistance was vain ; 
 They were taken and hanged, 'midst the nation's applause, 
 1605 "Worthy victims of such an iniquitous cause. 
 
 In this reign many Englishmen, loving to roam, 
 In the north of America took up their home : 
 1611 The wild province of Ulster was colonised, too, 
 And a peaceful and civilised county it grew.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 73 
 
 [HISTORY:] An authentic translation (still used in the land) 
 ^MBtuartT ^ as now mac ^ e of the Bible by James's command. 
 
 A most barbarous murder was planned in this reign 
 By the Countess of Somerset, jealous and vain : 
 Robert Carr, a young man whose good breeding and 
 
 birth 
 
 Gave the king an exalted idea of his worth, 
 Fell in love with the wife of Earl Essex, and tried 
 To procure her divorce, and then make her his bride. 
 He was aided by James in his shameful attempt, 
 For they both were from decorous scruples exempt ; 
 But the tutor of Carr, a good virtuous man, 
 Used his strongest endeavours to frustrate their plan : 
 He implored his young pupil the scheme to abjuiw, 
 And to shun all ideas that were base and impure : 
 But the good Thomas Ovcrbury preached in vain, 
 For the youth was determined his wish to obtain ; 
 And at length, with no feeling of shame or remorse, 
 He succeeded in gaining the lady's divorce ; 
 When the king, lest the marriage her rank should degrade, 
 Him the Earl, her the Countess of Somerset made. 
 They were married at once but unsatisfied still, 
 A.D. They resolved, in revenge, the poor tutor to kill : 
 1613 He was poisoned by inches so skilfully too, 
 
 That the verdict was poisoned by no one knows who I 
 But suspicions arose which were not to be hushed, 
 And a vigorous search for the culprit was pushed : 
 1616 The vile plot was disclosed, their accomplices fell 
 
 'Neath the sentence of death ; but it grieves us to tell 
 That the Earl and his Countess far diff'rently fared, 
 For their lives with unmerited kindness were spared : 
 Their free pardon was granted ; but could not assuage 
 The remorse that pursued them through bitter old age ;
 
 74 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: ^nd j n q uarre ls and bickerings, hatred and strife, 
 'of sttuurT Tli e contemptible pair spent the rest of their life. 
 
 In this year Walter Raleigh, a prisoner still, 
 Made a promise, which haply he thought to fulfil : 
 'Twas to find out a gold-mine of lucrative store 
 
 A p. In Guiana (discovered a few years before). 
 
 1G17 He was furnished with ships to pursue his device 
 
 And success of his freedom was named as the prico ; 
 But the venture was fatal he dared to attack 
 Certain obstinate Spaniards who threatened him back ; 
 And as this had been strictly forbidden by James, 
 To his pardon he found he no longer had claims : 
 
 1G18 He was forthwith beheaded for once on a time 
 Such a wilful mistake was accounted a crime. 
 
 Shortly after the downfall of Raleigh took place 
 Yet another great statesman was brought to disgrace : 
 Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor, greedy of gain, 
 Against oft-pi*offered bribes had long struggled in vain ; 
 He accepted from litigants many a gift 
 Of which none were so blind in perceiving the drift. 
 Being called to account, he was forced to confess, 
 1G21 And was fined and imprisoned ; but, nevertheless, 
 From regard to his talents and general worth, 
 He was soon from the Tower allowed to come forth : 
 All his fines were remitted, and lest he should want, 
 The kind monarch allowed him a small yearly grant. 
 
 In this year the king's power was sought to be 
 
 curbed 
 
 By the Commons, who vowed they would not be disturbed 
 In their own jurisdiction o'er matters of State, 
 Or their coveted freedom of speech in debate :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IA f VERSE. 75 
 
 HISTORY: 'Yis important to notice, since to it they owed 
 
 The complete independence they afterwards showed; 
 
 A.D. And although the king vented his spleen on a few, 
 1621 Their authority yearly more powerful grew : 
 
 But the monarch unwisely ignoring this fact, 
 And displaying remarkable absence of tact, 
 Used unlawful devices his ends to attain, 
 And regarded their solemn rebukes with disdain. 
 Enforced loans, bartered honours, extortionate fines, 
 Of his royal contempt were the ominous signs ; 
 And 'tis certain their anger had openly burst, 
 Had not death of his enemies turned out the worst : 
 1625 By his timely decease all their troubles were solved, 
 
 And the Crown on his son Charles the First then devolved. 
 
 1625 CHARLES I. 
 
 By King Charles's accession the slumbering feud 
 Between Commons and King was by no means subdued ; 
 He discovered this fact the first year of his reign, 
 While engaged in a harassing war against Spain 
 The result of his breaking a promise to wed 
 The In/anta of Spain, and espousing instead 
 (Through forgetfulness, wilfulness, love, or mere chance) 
 Henrietta, the daughter of Henry of France. 
 He required supplies, which the Commons refused, 
 As the right to demand them had long been abused : 
 They declined wasteful acts of the Crown to condone, 
 So the monarch, in wrath, raised the money by loan. 
 He dissolved this first Parliament, sorely perplex'd 
 By their obdurate conduct and summoned the next ; 
 1626 Whose impeachment of Buckingham led to their fall, 
 Since the monarch, to save him, decided to call
 
 76 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: ^ new Parliament (being the third of his reign), 
 ^stuartT ^ u & fr m them the required supplies to obtain. 
 
 But he reckoned in vain, as will shortly be seen : 
 They were fully as firm as the others had been, 
 And declared that no money the monarch should have 
 Till his solemn assent to their wishes he gave ; 
 A D> So, despairing at last, or in spirit contrite, 
 1628 He consented to grant the Petition of Right. 
 
 Being framed all the fears of his subjects to ease, 
 The chief terms of this notable statute were these : 
 That no loan should be levied without the consent 
 Of the Parliament ; none should to prison be sent 
 For refusing unauthorised loans to provide 
 (A persuasion the king very frequently tried) : 
 That no soldier or sailor should tlienceforth intrude 
 On tlie king's private subjects for lodgings or food 
 (For the billeting laws were enough to appal 
 The most generous host if his income were small) ; 
 And, in fine, that the law of the land should alone 
 Be employed to make all for their actions atone 
 (Since the martial-law, oft by Commissions dispensed, 
 By its frequent injustice the people incensed). 
 After passing the Act of which this is the gist, 
 The victorious Commons by Charles were dismiss'd 
 Ere they well could their newly-born power assume, 
 Or the censure of Buckingham's conduct resume. 
 
 But the Duke was reserved for a deadlier fate 
 Than a solemn reproval, perhaps, in debate ; 
 For this noble, so arrogant, haughty, and vain, 
 By the hand of a common assassin was slain. 
 A lieutenant, John Felton, for vengeance athirst 
 (Being baulked of promotion), resolved on the worst :
 
 HISTORY OF EXGLAXD IN VERSE. 77 
 
 HISTORY: jje considered severe retribution was meet 
 ^ sSart? So ke stabbed his commander (the duke) in the street. 
 
 Now the rule of the king was each day growing worse, 
 Though it chiefly affected his subjects in purse ; 
 He raised money by loans, without Parliament's aid, 
 And, in terror of punishment, thousands were paid. 
 A D, But a new tax called " Ship-money " being imposed, 
 1637 By the famous John Hampden 'twas firmly opposed ; 
 And, refusing to meet so unjust a demand, 
 He resolved to abide by the law of the land. 
 Though the judges were puzzled and could not agree, 
 On the whole they decided to make a decree : 
 That the tax known as " Ship-money " clearly was just, 
 And so pay it the people were bound to and must. 
 But the zeal patriotic that Hampden displayed 
 In opposing the powers against him arrayed 
 (Notwithstanding he failed in attaining his end) 
 Made his memory famous as Liberty's friend. 
 
 An attempt by the king at religious reform 
 In the land of the Scots, raised a regular storm : 
 They united their forces the scheme to resist, 
 
 1G38 And a COVENANT signed of which this was the gist 
 That the Pope they'd renounce, and for ever oprjose 
 AIL religious reforms which the king might propose. 
 So he summoned an army his will to enforce, 
 And convince the bold Scotsmen how vain was their 
 
 course ; 
 
 But perceiving that grave disaffection was rife 
 In the ranks of his men, he avoided the strife, 
 
 1639 And agreed to make peace which at Berwick was signed, 
 And the Scots for a time further contest resigned.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: ^he fourth Parliament summoned was shortly dis- 
 
 The House Rn i vp j . 
 
 of Stuart. 
 
 A.D. And the king in new strife with the Scots was involved : 
 1640 They defeated his army at Newbiirn which led 
 To the Treaty of Hlpon ; by which the king said 
 That a weekly allowance to Scotland he'd pay, 
 For so long as they kept from revolt or affray. 
 
 Then the famous fifth Parliament, known as tho 
 
 "LONG," 
 
 With its four predecessors was equally strong : 
 They impeached the Lord Straffbrd, chief Minister then, 
 Whose position enraged these impetuous men. 
 Being charged with high treason in solemn debate 
 They condemned him to suffer the usual fate. 
 1641 They abolished the terrible " Star Chamber" next, 
 And all courts whose existence the nation had vex'd ; 
 And 'twas now that their might had so vastly increas'd 
 That they cared not for Charles's commands in the least. 
 They determined to limit the number of men 
 In the king's standing army of Ireland but then 
 There arose a revolt in that country, which led 
 To disastrous results, and much good blood was shed. 
 Roger More, a bold Irishman, thought 'twould be well 
 If the whole of the English he thence could expel; 
 And in pushing his scheme such a tumult ensued 
 As could only by resolute steps be subdued. 
 But the Commons considered this danger the less 
 Because England's affairs were in far graver stress ; 
 And, in fact, they devoted the whole of their zeal 
 To a Solemn Remonstrance, or urgent appeal, 
 Which was made to the people no less than the king, 
 A true sense of their wrongs into notice to bring.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 79 
 
 HISTORY: ^ e whole nation uprose : some, whose pride could 
 
 The House , , , 
 
 of Stuart. not brook 
 
 Democratic alliance, King Charles's side took, 
 And were called Cavaliers, in distinction to those 
 Whom they branded as Roundheads their monarch's 
 dread foes. 
 
 Now the king, in the heat' of his wrath, did an act 
 That displayed very little of prudence or tact ; 
 He accused of high treason five members, well known 
 For their zeal democratic and scorn for the throne ; 
 A.D. And, in order his power remaining to test, 
 1^2 He repaired to the House to demand their arrest 
 
 But to Charles's surprise, these Jive members renowned 
 Had discreetly withdrawn, and were not to be found ; 
 While the Speaker, it seems, little eagerness show'd 
 To find Hazleng, Hollis, Pym, Hampden, and Strode ! 
 
 Thus, the only result of this rash escapade 
 Was to strengthen the faction against him arrayed ; 
 And it soon became clear that the day was not far 
 When the slumbering flame would break out into war, 
 An attempt to evade, or refuse his assent 
 To a Bill which the Commons on passing were bent, 
 Gave the crisis impending a finishing stroke, 
 And a fierce civil war over England now broke. 
 (And yet, how could the Commons have hoped that a Bill 
 Which subjected the army itself to their will, 
 And allowed them to place all their friends in its ranks ; 
 Would have met with the monarch's acceptance and 
 thanks ?) 
 
 1642 First, fit Xuttini/hatn Charles made a resolute stand, 
 And, collecting around him his Cavalier baud,
 
 80 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY : Raised his Standard iu open defiance of those 
 ^sSart 8 . 6 Who had ventured so firmly his will to oppose. 
 
 We may sum up the causes that led to the strife 
 In the following words : the disgust which was rife 
 Against Popery (favoured by Charles and Jtis queen, 
 Who endeavoured the Papists from insult to screen): 
 A conspiracy formed by the friends of the king 
 Up to London his loyal adherents to bring 
 With the object of keeping the Commons at bay 
 And compelling the traitors to bow to his sway ; 
 And, in fine, the king's error in trying to seize 
 On the famous Five Members, his wrath to appease. 
 
 Thus the struggle began on the one side the King, 
 On the other the Parliament, eager to wring 
 From the monarch, whom folly had brought to this stress 
 A D Any traces of power he still might possess. 
 
 1642 The first open encounter at Edgehill took place, 
 But resulted in neither opponent's disgrace : 
 
 It was quite indecisive to nothing it led, 
 
 Although more than twelve hundred were killed, it is 
 
 said, 
 
 And Prince Rupert (whose name is familiar, of course) 
 On the side of King Charles took command of the horse. 
 Shortly after the armies encountered again : 
 
 1643 Chalgrove Field was the scene and here Hampden was 
 
 slain ; 
 
 But 'twas only a skirmish, and, save for his death, 
 It would scarce have been honoured by history's breath. 
 Then at Atherton Moor, and at Roundaway Dovon, 
 And at Bristol, the victories lay with the Crown ; 
 But from Gloucester the king was obliged to retreat, 
 And at Newbury also sustained a defeat :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 81 
 
 HISTORY: Then the winter approached from which natural cause 
 e stuart. e The opponents were fain in their struggles to pause. 
 
 But the monarch, at Oxford, to further his ends, 
 A - D - A new Parliament summoned, composed of his friends : 
 When the Scots entered England in aid of his foes, 
 And obliged him their forces combined to oppose. 
 He applied to the Irish for help in this strait, 
 And the army they sent him in numbers was great ; 
 But at Nantwich the Parliament, nevertheless, 
 By the valour of Fairfax, obtained a success 
 Followed up shortly after by such a defeat 
 Of the King as he ne'er had expected to meet : 
 Under Rupert and Newcastle, Cavaliers all 
 Having bravely responded to loyalty's call 
 10-14 Met the foe before York Marston Moor was the spot, 
 And the struggle on both sides was terribly hot ; 
 But the genius of Cromwell (of whom more anon) 
 A triumphant success for the Parliament won. 
 
 This defeat to the King was a serious blow, 
 And it threatened for ever his hopes to o'erthrow. 
 Though the trusty adherents whom still he retained 
 Some advantage at Cropredy Bridge had obtained, 
 Still the balance, soon after, at Newbury turned, 
 "Where a petty success by the Roundheads was earned. 
 But of all the encounters that mark the fierce war 
 
 1645 We must call that at Naseby the gravest by far ; 
 For 'twas here the king suffered such utter defeat 
 That no longer he cared with his foes to compete. 
 He surrendered himself to the Scots, who in force 
 
 1646 Had assembled at Newark believing this course 
 Would ensure him protection, at least till his foes 
 Had considered the terms which they meant to impose : 
 
 7
 
 82 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY: jj,-^ ^i ie treacherous Scots, who were greedy for gold, 
 
 The House mi r- u 
 
 of Stuart * " e P oor monarch at once to his enemies sold 
 A.D. He was seized by the army (whose power we find 
 1647 Was supreme at this time), and to prison consign'd : 
 In the castle of Carisbrooke, tortured by fear 
 For his Crown and his life he remained for a year. 
 
 But meanwhile many changes had come o'er the scene ; 
 And the Commons, who once had all-powerful been, 
 Found their might by the Army so thoroughly curbed 
 That, in spite of their boasts, they were gravely perturbed. 
 Crafty Oliver Cromwell assumed the command 
 Of the whole of the forces, and carefully plann'd 
 To usurp for himself all the rights of a king, 
 And the Parliament under subjection to bring. 
 Opposition was vain to his vigorous will, 
 As he firmly resolved all his hopes to fulfil : 
 1643 Colonel Pride ' ' purged ' ' the House by excluding all those 
 Who seem'd likely his truculent chief to oppose ; 
 And the rest (the Sump Parliament), thoroughly cowed, 
 Before Cromwell's authority silently bowed. 
 
 They declared 'twas a crime of a nature most grave 
 To make war on the Parliament therefore they gave 
 The command for a High Court of Justice to sit 
 And determine what fate for the king might bo fit. 
 Then to Wesminster Hall the poor monarch was brought 
 And for mercy in vain from his j udges he sought : 
 He was tried and condemned, and three days had but sped 
 1649 Ere he lost on the scaffold his Crown and his head. 
 
 1C 9-CO THE COMMONWEALTH. 
 
 CHAELES THE SECOND, his son,was at once proclaimed king, 
 But the Commons declared they would have no such thing :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 83 
 
 HISTORY : They required no king (so enlightened their state), 
 
 The House ,,,.,,,, i 111 
 
 of Stuart. And abolished the office m solemn debate. 
 
 After which, being equal, and needing no head, 
 They appointed a council to govern instead. 
 
 Now the Irish, it seems, for King Charles had declared, 
 
 And to check such presumption the Commons prepared ; 
 
 A.D. Cromwell, Ireton, and Jones to the scene were despatched, 
 
 1649 And the Irish in fight after fight overmatched. 
 
 Then the Scotch, who endeavoured tho king to assist, 
 "Were compelled from their loyal attempts to desist ; 
 For the valorous Cromwell, all eager for war, 
 
 1650 Put the whole of their armies to flight at Danbar. 
 But as Charles was determined to come to the throne, 
 Ho was formally crowned as a monarch at Scone ; 
 And, proceeding to England, on conquest resolved, 
 Was at once in a tussle with Cromwell involved. 
 
 1651 But at Worcester he get far the worst o' the fight, 
 And, despairing, thought best to take refuge in flight : 
 He escaped into France and for many a year 
 Nothing more of the hapless young monarch we hear. 
 
 Now the Commons, who sought to intrigue with tho 
 
 Dutch, 
 
 Having failed, passed an Act whose provisions were such 
 As to gravely affect the Dutch merchants who lived 
 On the gains which from carrying goods they derived. 
 It precluded all nations from sending their wares 
 To the markets of England, in vessels not theirs; 
 The effect of which sudden enactment the Dutch 
 (Being yencral earners) felt very much ; 
 And believing that England had trespassed too far 
 
 1652 On their powers of patience they boldly made war. 
 
 7*
 
 84 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY : g \fo e p eace then existing they managed to break 
 T ^ e s j^ t se When the Dutchman Van Tramp met the Englishman 
 A.D. Blake. 
 
 1652 (On the side of the Dutch, no details to omit, 
 
 Were Van Tromp, and De Euyter and, lastly, DeWitt.) 
 But a sea-fight off Dover resulted at length 
 In establishing England's superior strength- 
 While a battle off Plymouth, soon afterwards fought, 
 With but little advantage to either was fraught. 
 After sundry successes by each of them gained, 
 
 1653 A great triumph off Portland the English obtained ; 
 And defeated the Dutch off the Foreland again, 
 
 And off Texel where Tromp, the brave Dutchman, was 
 
 slain ; 
 
 But the valour he showed, though exerted in vain, 
 In the annals of history e'er will remain. 
 
 Now the Commons grew jealous of Cromwell's 
 
 prestige, 
 
 And impatient of bowing to him as their liege ; 
 So, perceiving the danger that threatened his sway, 
 He resolved to compel them his will to obey. 
 1C53 He dissolved the " Rump " Parliament calling the aid 
 Of his soldiers (of whom they were justly afraid) ; 
 Then he summoned another, which sometimes is known 
 As the " Little," and sometimes the " Praise-God-Bare- 
 
 lone ! " 
 
 He dissolved them soon after, from anger or whim, 
 When they yielded the whole of their power to him 
 And declared him PROTECTOK of England a name 
 Which he once had considered the summit of fame. 
 
 But a subsequent Parliament gave him some hops 
 That his ardent ambition might widen its scope :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 85 
 
 HISTORY: Having managed his friends into office to bring, 
 fsuSr He was solemnly offered the title of King. 
 A . D> But the army (in which all his safety reposed) 
 1C57 This astonishing measure with vigour opposed ; 
 
 And, well-knowing their courage and resolute mind, 
 The too-tempting proposal was firmly declia'd : 
 He was suffered to name a successor, and call 
 What, in fact, was a new House of Peers that was all. 
 
 (Under Cromwell, w T hose vigilance never had ceased, 
 England's maritime greatness had vastly increased : 
 1655] From the Spaniards Jamaica and Dunkirk we gained, 
 1658J And supreme on the ocean the English flag reigned.) 
 
 But the end of his life was embittered by fear, 
 And distressing suspicions of all who drew near : 
 Disaffection prevailed in his army, and led 
 To a number of plots to destroy him, 'tis said : 
 He wore armour concealed, and was e'er on the watch 
 For the schemes which some traitor against him might 
 
 hatch ; 
 
 And, at length, in the height of his glory and pride, 
 1G58 The Protector fell ill of a fever and died. 
 
 His son, Ricliard, succeeded him: on.y to find 
 That events had much altered the national mind : 
 The cabals in the army (whose powerful sway 
 Under Fleetwood and Lambert grew stronger each day) 
 1C59 Soon obliged Pilchard Cromwell his post to resign 
 And in hopeless obscurity thenceforth to pine. 
 
 The whole power now lay with a Council composed 
 Of the chiefs of the army, who firmly opposed 
 All the acts of the Parliament hoping, no doubt, 
 That the latter would soon be compelled to "go out ! "
 
 8G HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: ^nd, in fact, when the Parliament dared to protest 
 ofStuMt! 6 Against general officers (then their great pest), 
 A.D. The whole House was expelled by the army, we read, 
 
 1659 And a Council of Safety appointed instead. 
 
 Open war, as it might be expected, ensued 
 Between Army and Parliament : fierce was the feud, 
 Until General Monk for the latter declared, 
 And to humble the army with vigour prepared. 
 By his efforts the whole of the members expelled 
 Were restored to their places the army was quelled, 
 And then Monk, who concealed his intentions before, 
 1C60 Clearly showed 'twas his mission King Charles to restore. 
 He sent over to Charles (who at Breda sojourned 
 And in silence his bitter adversity mourned) 
 A strong hint that tho nation would welcome him home 
 If he could but his feelings revengeful o'ercome : 
 He enjoined him to frame a political note 
 (Which the king in his gratitude instantly wrote), 
 And to offer a general pardon to those 
 Who had formerly ventured his will to oppose ; 
 And to promise to pay the enormous arrears 
 Which were due to the army (the king, in his fears, 
 Being only too happy to promise galore 
 Since his subjects appeared to expect nothing more). 
 
 That the Parliament (called the " Convention ") received 
 This epistle with pleasure, can well be believed : 
 The sad state in which England had been for years past 
 Made them eager to welcome their monarch at last. 
 
 1660 So the king was recalled : when to London he came 
 He found all were prepared his true rank to proclaim ; 
 And, in fine, having long been deprived of his own, 
 Charles the Second was crowned, and ascended the throne.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 87 
 
 HISTORY: CHARLES II. 
 
 The Houco 
 
 of stuart. WITH the nation's consent he condemned, ere too late, 
 A.D. Ten of those who had plotted his father's sad fate 
 
 1660 (For his own " Declaration from Breda " absolved 
 
 All besides) ; and he then the " Convention " dissolved. 
 The new Parliament (nicknamed "the Pension") decreed 
 Many things of importance ; but scarcely we need 
 Recapitulate all their enactments indeed 
 If we were to, our space we should vastly exceed. 
 But perhaps 'twould be well, in their order, to name 
 Just the chief of them rather than forfeit our claim 
 To completeness of detail, which (not to be vain) 
 We have hitherto carefully tried to maintain : 
 
 1661 First, the great Corporation Act, passed with the view 
 Of compelling all corporate officers true 
 
 To renounce the old " Covenant " Sacrament take, 
 And to swear " No Resistance " to Charles they would 
 make : 
 
 1662 The next Act (Uniformity being its name), 
 Tho' applied to the clergy, in terms was the same : 
 These additional clauses, however, remained 
 
 That the clergy thenceforth should be duly ordained ; 
 That the old Common Prayer-Book alone should be used 
 By the clergy and none of its doctrines refused : 
 
 1664 The third Act we shall mention (Conventicle called) 
 By its harshness all prayer-loving subjects appalled : 
 It decreed that whenever Jive persons or more 
 (Above those of the household) should meet to adore, 
 Or engage in devotion and worship divine, 
 They should all be imprisoned or suffer a fine ! 
 
 Now the Dutch were our rivals in commerce and trade 
 And to out-do them every effort was made :
 
 88 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: r ' i i\ } at length, frequent quarrels and envy unwise 
 oflstuart 86 ^ fr^l man y & n obstinate battle gave rise. 
 A.D. A great sea-fight off Loicestoft was lost by the Dutch 
 1665 So in braving the English they gained nothing much ; 
 Bat before we relate the events of this war 
 We must notice the Plague, which now raged wide and far 
 O'er the City of London, and swiftly destroyed 
 Countless victims who erewhile good health had enjoyed ; 
 For, so prompt was the stroke, and the issue so dread, 
 That, before one could utter a cry he was dead. 
 
 To the Acts above cited another is owed 
 To complete what is known as the " Clarendon Code ;" 
 
 1665 'Twas the famous Five Mile Act and had for its aim 
 The preventing of those who rejoiced in the name 
 
 Of Dissenters from even approaching the place 
 
 Where they ever had preached; andjfa^wiZeswasthe space 
 
 Within which they were never to come in such case, 
 
 Under penalties leading to certain disgrace : 
 
 Nor might suchbecome schoolmasters (this they could bear!) 
 
 If they did, they were fined, or con-fined half a year. 
 
 Now the war with the Dutch was proceeding apace, 
 When the English unluckily met the disgrace 
 
 1666 Of a signal defeat off the Foreland a blot 
 
 On their glory which soon (on the very same spot) 
 They prepared to remove and succeeded in fact, 
 Tho' the Dutch neither prudence nor bravery lack'a 
 (We must note that the French had declared on the siue 
 Of the Dutch and two fleejts were against us allied). 
 
 1666 The great Fire of London occurred at this date, 
 And the ruin it caused through the City was great :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 89 
 
 ISTORY: Many streets were burnt down, and much money was lost* 
 
 "stuart* 9 But tne 00<i ifc effected was wel1 worfc k the cost ' 
 
 Tho' ascribed to the Papists, no proofs could be got 
 That theyplann'd it: ourselves, we believe they did not. 
 
 A.D. Now the Dutch, having ventured to penetrate far 
 1667 Up the Mcdicay, destroyed many vessels of war ; 
 And insulted our coasts without being repulsed, 
 So completely the English by fear were convulsed. 
 If King Louis of France had not far deeper schemes, 
 With his aid the Dutch fleet might have gone to ex- 
 tremes 
 
 And invaded the country with fatal effect 
 Which the English, in fact, fully seemed to expect : 
 He desired, however, that neither the Dutch 
 Nor the English should strengthen their power too much ; 
 And, proposing this year that the struggle should cease, 
 1667 All the parties at Breda concluded a peace. 
 
 But the English were not to be pacified so ; 
 And they called on the Government promptly to show 
 Why the war was begun why conducted so ill 
 Why the fleet had thus failed England's hopes to fulfil. 
 The Prime Minister, Clarendon, tried to explain 
 And defend his own conduct but all was in vain: 
 The bad payment of seamen, the Medway affair, 
 The disgraceful conclusion all fell to his share ; 
 While they raked up old grievances : asking him why 
 [1662] He had suffered the French, as in market, to buy 
 [1658] The old town of Dunkirk, which the English had won 
 
 From the Spaniards a thing he should never have done. 
 The poor scapegoat, upbraided on every side, 
 To account for his deeds unsuccessfully tried :
 
 90 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: jji s h^ o f ce was cancelled, his fall was at hand, 
 of stuart. And, on being impeached, he was sent from the land. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1667 Now the Ministry formed after Clarendon's fall, 
 
 From the names of its members, was called the Cabal : 
 Firstly, C-lifford; then A-rlington ; B-iicltinyham third, 
 Who, with Ashley and Lauderdale, made up the word. 
 
 They acquired a somewhat notorious fame, 
 For their actions were cleai'ly deserving of blame ; 
 But of this more anon we must keep to our dates 
 Or confusion will follow : avoid it, ye Fates ! 
 
 Then King Louis of France, who was subtle of heart, 
 Showed his reasons for taking so gentle a part 
 In the recent campaign with the Dutch (as we know 
 He persuaded the latter no further to go, 
 But at Breda agree to a peace) : for this year 
 His designs for so acting were only too clear. 
 He invaded the Netherlands, hoping to gain 
 That important and flourishing country from Spain ; 
 And no doubt this long-standing design was the cause 
 Of his asking the Dutch in their triumph to pause : 
 Had they pushed their advantage o'er England too far, 
 Their success might have helped them his wishes to mar : 
 As it was they beheld his intentions with fear, 
 And decided 'twas best not to have him so near 
 If he conquered the Netherlands, what could prevent 
 His ambition from rising to any extent ? 
 Their own country, perchance, he might wish to have 
 
 next 
 
 (And the Dutch at this thought were severely perlex'd) : 
 So they broached the idea that the English and they 
 Should conclude an alliance, and keep him at bay.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 91 
 
 [ISTOKY: They were joined by the monarch of Sweden, and hence 
 f stuart? Formed the Triple Alliance, at Louis' expense ; 
 A.D. And, perceiving their spirit, he thought 'twould be well 
 1668 To agree to the treaty of Aix-la-Cliappclle, 
 
 By which France was to keep all her conquests in peace, 
 On the terms that his schemes against Flanders should 
 
 Now King Charles thought the Triple Allian ce was wrong ; 
 And, aware that his royal prestige was not strong, 
 He conceived that his power he well might enhance 
 By a secret intrigue with the monarch of France. 
 As the latter was willing, at Dover was sign'd 
 1670 An agreement by Charles, of the following kind : 
 His whole heart to the Catholic cause to devote, 
 And to aid the French monarch his schemes to promote : 
 While the latter contracted to pension his friend, 
 And assist him his person and rights to defend. 
 
 The result of this treaty was war with the Dutch, 
 For whom Louis and Charles were together too much : 
 1G72 Southwold Bay was the scene of an obstinate fight, 
 
 When the Dutch, overpowered, were forced to take flight; 
 And, the English at sea, with the French on the land, 
 Pushed their triumphs so far that the Dutch were un- 
 
 mann'd. 
 
 The renowned Prince of Orange (who afterwards wore 
 James the Second's lost crown) bravely strove to restore 
 The prestige of his country ; but signally failed 
 Nought but fear and confusion through Holland prevailed. 
 The Dutch prayed the allies their revenge to forego 
 And some traces of generous pity to show ; 
 But the terms of the victors "were all too severe 
 For the Dutch to accept, notwithstanding their fear :
 
 92 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY: g 0> despairing, a fatal expedient was tried 
 of Stuart. I'hcj threw open their flood-gates that kept back the tide, 
 In the hope that the waters might check the advance 
 Of their obstinate enemy, Louis of France. 
 The experiment certainly proved of some use, 
 For the monarch decided to grant them a truce : 
 He retired to France where we'll let him remain 
 While we turn for a moment to England again. 
 
 There, the Parliament, highly indignant to find 
 Too much love for the Catholics filled the king's mind, 
 Passed a statute intended to act as a test 
 A D Of the faith which each public official possess'd : 
 1673 By the Test Act such persons were ordered to swear 
 
 Certain oaths, which need scarcely be dwelt upon here : 
 Its effect was to suddenly leave in the larch 
 All officials who did not belong to the Church. 
 (The king's brother, a 'Catholic, even thought meet 
 To resign his position as head of the fleet.) 
 Then the Parliament tried to persuade the rash king 
 To a climax the war against Holland to bring ; 
 And refused him supplies till the struggle should cease 
 (Unless Holland, indeed, should refuse to make peace). 
 Their dismissal soon followed, and led to the fall 
 1673 Of the Ministry mentioned above the " Cabal," 
 
 Whose pernicious advice had so warped the king's mind 
 As to make him to England's true interests blind : 
 They no doubt had a share in the underhand course 
 Which the monarch pursued with King Louis a source 
 Of regret and disgust to the nation at large, 
 Tho* by no means the sole offence laid to their charge. 
 
 The new Parliament none the less warmly proposed 
 That the struggle with Holland at once should be closed ;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 93 
 
 HISTORY: Until Charles was compelled their demands to obey, 
 of stuart. ^ u ^ concluded a truce without further delay. 
 
 The next stirring event was a shameful attempt 
 ("Which should only have met with indignant contempt) 
 To convict all the Papists of plotting the fall 
 Of King Charles with the view of extending the thrall 
 Of the Pope throughout England : a scheme so absurd 
 
 ji.T>. That, to fitly describe it, we pause for a word ! 
 
 1C78 Titus Gates was the villain who spread the report, 
 
 Till the mind of the people with fear was distraught : 
 They had hated the Jesuits ever but now 
 This was more than their patience could justly allow. 
 The whole thing was a fraud, a most cowardly scheme, 
 But for years it continued the popular theme ; 
 And the Catholics, feared and suspected by all, 
 Led a life which indeed was as bitter as gall. 
 
 1679 The third Parliament passed a great statute, designed 
 To enable all prisoners wrongly confined 
 To be brought into court and make public complaint 
 Of thus being unlawfully kept in restraint. 
 Lest the gaoler, however, this freedom should grudge, 
 'Twas secured by a writ, issued out by a judge, 
 And commanding the former to promptly escort 
 'E'en the body itself of the captive to court : 
 Which advantage to prisoners wrongly accused 
 (Save to traitors or felons) must ne'er be refused : 
 Even these, 'twas decreed, must be tried without fail 
 At the very next court or admitted to bail; 
 And that, none who had once made a valid defence 
 Should again be confined for the self -same offence: 
 Nor should any be sent beyond seas for their crimes 
 (Which was often the case in those dangerous times) :
 
 94 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: Heavy penalties (which.you need scarce recollect) 
 of^tuart 8 . 6 ^ ere imposed on all those who the Act should neglect ; 
 'Twas the Habeas Corpus Act, justly renown'd, 
 And by some of its terms to this day we are bound. 
 A.D. 
 
 1079 Now the Parliament sought to exclude from the throno 
 The king's brother, whose Catholic faith was well known ; 
 And 'tis clear that their prompt dissolution alone 
 Was the reason that led them this step to postpone. 
 
 A religious revolt then in Scotland arose, 
 Which young Monmouth was sent by the king to oppose : 
 1679 Bothwett Bridge was the scene where his laurels were earned 
 And in triumph the duke into England returned. 
 
 Then one Dangerfidd swore that the Papists again 
 Were intriguing their evil designs to attain ; 
 And as some of the papers detailing the plot 
 In a tub were discovered, the name it thence got 
 1C79 Of the Meal-tub plot : little of truth could be found 
 
 In the story which therefore soon fell to the ground. 
 1C30-81 The two subsequent Parliaments vainly renewed 
 
 Their endeavours the brother of Charles to exclude 
 From the throne : for the king was as firmly resolved 
 To defeat them and twice they were promptly dissolved. 
 
 But the country was now in a terrible state, 
 Which the conduct of Charles did not tend to abate : 
 So despotic his government lately had grown 
 As to gravely endanger his life and his throne. 
 Two great parties or factions for victory fought 
 One the Papists (whose cause was upheld by the Court), 
 And the other their enemies, cruel and strong, 
 Who took care that the feud should prove bitter and long.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 95 
 
 ISTORY : Certain traitors conspired the king to waylay 
 f^tuart. As he passed by a farm called the Rye House, one day, 
 A D And to ruthlessly kill him it being their aim 
 1683 That the nation a new Constitution should frame. 
 Of the principal traitors he suffered but one 
 To escape 'twas Duke Monmouth, his natural son ; 
 But Lord Russell and Algernon Sidney were tried, 
 And, convicted of treason, as .traitors they died. 
 
 But two years after this Charles was seized with a fit, 
 Which compelled him the scene of his troubles to quit : 
 As if mocking the schemes of his cowardly foes, 
 1C85 Sudden death brought his notable reign to a close ; 
 When his brothei , of York, though a Papist avowed, 
 To succeed, as the Second Kiug James, was allowed. 
 
 1685 JAMES II. 
 
 THE new monarch, however, found little of peace 
 On the throne which he won by his brother's decease : 
 His whole reign was a struggle, a long list of woes, 
 From the day he was crowned till he fled from his foes. 
 
 The first year of his reign he was forced to oppose 
 1685 The great Earl of Aryyle, who in Scotland uprose : 
 When success against him had attended his arms 
 The rebellion of Monmouth (who valued the charms 
 Of the regal position far dearer than life) 
 Plunged the monarch again into serious strife. 
 For the duke, having ventured an army to bring 
 Into England, at Tuunton proclaimed himself king: 
 1685 And advanced towards Sedyemoor but there he was 
 
 check'd 
 By the forces of James, who could not but object
 
 96 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY : ^ g uc h haughty and traitorous conduct of one 
 ^Stuart. 6 Who was nougat but a king's illegitimate son. 
 The duke's army was routed in terrible plight, 
 And young Monmouth himself courted refuge in flight ; 
 He was captured, however, and soon being tried, 
 Was condemned and the death of a traitor he died. 
 
 Many others accused of disloyalty shared 
 The same fate ; for the monarch in anger declared' 
 That, his rights to maintain, he intended to push 
 
 A.D. His revenge to the last, and all treason to crush. 
 
 1C85 Then Judge Jeffreys, that cruel and bloodthirsty man, 
 His notorious reign of injustice began ; 
 And the nation regarded with horror and awe 
 The unlimited power usurped by the law. 
 Many innocent men he condemned without trial, 
 Too ferocious to wait for excuse or denial ; 
 And he loaded with insult and ruffianly gibes 
 All but those who were able to offer him bribes. 
 
 1G8G Then the monarch declared that with tests he'd 
 
 dispense, 
 
 Keep a large standing army, at England's expense, 
 And grant every Papist his aid and defence 
 All of which gave the nation the deepest offence : 
 For, so strong was his love for the Catholic cause, 
 That he boldly repealed all restrictions and laws 
 Then enacted against them ; and, further, decreed 
 That the clergy his royal Indulgence should read 
 1688 In the Churches : which seven good bishops refused, 
 . And were promptly of libel and treason accused : 
 
 They were Lloyd, Turner, Ken, White, Trelaivney, and 
 
 Lake, 
 Who with Bancroft (the Primate) the full seven make :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 97 
 
 HISTORY: But the judges acquitted them all of the charge, 
 
 Verv much to the Jy of the nation at 
 
 Still the rule of the king grew more reckless and bold, 
 Till the wrath of the people burst forth uncontroll'd : 
 A.D. For the monarch they felt nought but fear and disgust, 
 1688 And determined that James from the throne should be 
 
 thrust. 
 
 Now Prince William of Orange (referred to before) 
 At this juncture a faithful adherent sent o'er, 
 Just to see if the people were all of one mind, 
 And to have a new king say himself were inclin'd. 
 His ambassador managed the matter so well 
 That their answer for James and his rule was a knell : 
 1G88 They invited the prince to regard them as friends, 
 And assist them in promptly obtaining amends 
 From the king, who so gravely his trust had abused 
 And compliance with England's good laws had refused. 
 
 When tho terrible news reached the ears of the king 
 lie determined to try what repentance would bring : 
 But remorse was too late to the nation 'twas clear 
 That this sudden improvement came only from fear ; 
 And his popular rival, in warlike array, 
 1688 Disembarked with a powerful force at Torbay. 
 He was speedily joined by allies of all ranks, 
 Who were eager to tender him welcome and thanks ; 
 And Lord Churchill, who every favour enjoyed 
 At the hands of King James, all his talents employed 
 In persuading the English no longer to wait, 
 But desert to the prince and leave James to his futo. 
 
 The unfortunate monarch looked vainly around 
 For a fricud in whose face some regard might bo found : 
 8
 
 98 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTOBY: Qn all sides were his foes ; but the worst blow of all 
 The House w t f j tbat hig cll i ldren re j iced in his fall : 
 
 of Stuart. 
 
 Princess Mary, the wife of his rival the prince, 
 Was against him of course ; nor did Anne e'er evince 
 Any filial affection, or grieve for his woes, 
 For she left him alone to encounter his foes. 
 
 The poor monarch his danger perceived at a glance, 
 And concluded to make his escape into France ; 
 Ho was captured, but treated with scorn and neglect, 
 Nor, indeed, was his personal freedom much check'd : 
 A D He was almost permitted to make his retreat 
 
 1688 Into France a sad blow for his kingly conceit ! 
 While the prince was enjoined by the nation to call 
 A. Convention which gravely decreed that the fall 
 
 Of their late monarch James, whose misdeeds were well 
 
 known, 
 
 Should result in the prince being placed on the throne : 
 But, aware of the power a monarch could wield, 
 They required him certain concessions to yield ; 
 And, as William his full acquiescence declared, 
 
 1689 The renowned Declaration of Pdylits was prepared 
 (All the terms and conditions of which shall appear 
 When we come to the Bill of Higlitt, passed the same 
 
 year) : 
 
 It was gravely decided that he and his wife 
 Should hold sway undisputed o'er England for life ; 
 After which, if they died without heirs, 'twas agreed 
 That the daughter of James, Princess Anne, should suc- 
 ceed : 
 
 And 'twas thus, by the will of the nation alone, 
 That King William, and Mary, ascended the throne.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 99 
 
 HISTORY : 
 
 The Housa WILLIAM AND MARY. 
 
 orange. -p UT ^ e ] ia pi esg King James was determined to make 
 
 A strong effort from William the Crown to retake ; 
 A-D- And, assisted by Louis the Fourteenth of France, 
 He now landed in Ireland, and made his advance 
 Into Dublin, where Talbot, who governed the land, 
 Placed an army of Catholics at his command. 
 But King William sent Schomberg to keep him at bay, 
 And soon followed, himself, in full battle array, 
 His own army with that of brave Schomberg to join 
 
 1690 And defeated King James at the battle of Boyne : 
 When the latter, perceiving how slight was his chance 
 Of success against William, returned into France. 
 Many spirited battles were afterwards fought 
 
 By the Irish supporters of James, but were fraught 
 With defeat to the Jacobites (one of the names 
 Of the Catholic friends and adherents of James) : 
 Till at length, finding all their endeavours in vain, 
 They decided to close such a futile campaign, 
 
 1691 And by treaty, at Limerick, gladly agreed 
 
 To the peace of which Ireland was sadly in need. 
 
 Now King William, on pleasing the nation intent, 
 [1639] TO the great Bill of Rights had expressed his assent: 
 It decreed 'tiuas illegal for Icings to pretend 
 13 y their power alone any laws to suspend ; 
 Or to levy harsh taxes just when they thought fit ; 
 Or to summon High Courts of Commission to sit : 
 That the right to petition the Idng should ne'er cease ; 
 Nor should large standing armies be kept up in peace 
 That all Protestant subject* such weapons might wear 
 As would serve for defence and keep robbers in fear 
 That all members of Parliament freely might speak, 
 Without dread of rebuke or of hostile critique: 
 8*
 
 100 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTOKY: That inordinate punishments, merciless fines, 
 "o^o^nge 6 ^ n ^ extort i nate penalties (ominous signs 
 
 Of tyrannical rule to which England had bowed) 
 
 Should in future by no means be used or alljwed ; 
 
 And that Parliament (either to help or defeat 
 
 The designs of the monarch) should frequently meet. 
 
 The above are the terms of this notable Act 
 
 In a form which, we hope, is complete and compact. 
 
 Now King James had retired to France, but his cause 
 Was maintained by the French for some years without 
 A . D . pause ; 
 
 [1G90] And off Beacliy Head, much to their joyful surprise, 
 They defeated the English and Dutch now allies. 
 Two years after, however, the scales were reversed 
 1692 Off La Hogue, when the French men-of-war were dis- 
 persed, 
 
 And King James once again was obliged to return 
 Into France, and there hope that his fortunes might 
 turn. 
 
 1692 Now the haughty Macdonalds, of Scottish renown, 
 Having dared to deny William's right to the Crown 
 Of their country and scorning submission to show, 
 Were dispatched in cold blood in the Vale of Glencoe. 
 
 1692 England's National Debt was established this year 
 (Of its use ev'ry boy from his father may hear) : 
 
 1G94 And then, also, the Bank, that important stronghold 
 Of some millions of notes, copper, silver, and gold. 
 
 1G94 And now William of Mary his queen was bereft, 
 By whose death to rule England alone he was left.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 101 
 
 WILLIAM III. 
 
 The House 
 
 of orange. AND the task was not easy, that obstinate strife 
 A . D . Between England and Louis of France being rife : 
 1695 A decisive engagement at Namur was fought, 
 And with utter defeat to the latter was fraught ; 
 But the other great Powers of Europe concurred 
 In advising that truce should no more be deferred : 
 And soon after, too glad that their struggles shoul,! 
 
 cease, 
 1697 The opponents at Ryswick' agreed to make peace. 
 
 For a moment we pause, into notice to bring 
 [1696] A great plot now discovered to murder the king : 
 
 The chief traitor was, Barclay, a Scotchman, employed 
 By King James (who with hopes of the Crown was sliil 
 
 buoyed) 
 
 To promote a revolt which might possibly lead 
 To his reigning once more over England indeed. 
 But the murderous scheme through the country soon 
 
 rang, 
 
 And the just execution of six of the gang 
 Put an end to the plot, and reminded his foes 
 Of the power the king could exert if he chose. 
 
 But perhaps the most noted event of this reign, 
 And the one that our strictest attention should gain, 
 1701 Was the passing this year of the Settlement Act 
 To define the Succession and keep it intact. 
 It provided that Anne to the throne should succeed 
 At the death of King William : and further decreed 
 That the heirs of the latter (if Anne should have none) 
 On her death were entitled to come to the throne : 
 But, on failure of heirs, the succession should test 
 In Sophia, Grand-Duchess of Hanover lest
 
 102 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: Any Catlwlic claimant a right should prefer, 
 The House yyjjgjj a f^sh revolution no doubt would occur. 
 
 of Stuart. 
 
 This great statute contained other clauses as well, 
 All the details of which would take pages to tell : 
 Their effect was to limit the sway of the Crown, 
 Which for several reigns too despotic had grown ; 
 And to settle such other small matters of State 
 As had suffered neglect, or perversion, of late. 
 
 Ere the death of the king left the throne to Queen 
 
 Anne 
 
 , The great war of the Spanish Succession began ; 
 But we think 'twill be better the cause to explain 
 When we come (as in due course we shall) to her reign; 
 For, this year, as the monarch was taking a ride, 
 His too spirited charger grew restive, and shied 
 Throwing William to earth, with such fatal effect, 
 That his mortal career prematurely was check'd ; 
 A D After fifteen short days of suspense had but flown 
 1702 He expired, and Anne then ascended the throne. 
 
 1702 ANNE. 
 
 THIS young queen (by the Act of Succession preferr'd 
 To her brother, who else would have been James the Third) 
 Was employed through her short but yet notable reign 
 In conducting the war against Louis and Spain. 
 'Twill be asked how the struggle commenced, and we fear 
 We must go back a little the cause to make clear : 
 
 Charles the Second, of Spain, being blessed with no 
 
 heirs, 
 Many claimants contended the throne should be theirs,
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 103 
 
 Tho' this king was induced, when approaching his death, 
 
 g randson of Loais tlie Crown to bequeath : 
 But the Emperor Leopold strongly desired 
 That his son should be crowned when King Charles had 
 
 expired ; 
 
 A D And the claimants, in fact, were so eager to reign 
 [1698] That King William advised a partition of Spain 
 
 By which simple arrangement the strife was subdued 
 
 Till by Charles's decease it again was renewed : 
 
 The heir, Philip of Anjou, ascended the throne 
 
 (By the will of his dead predecessor alone) : 
 
 But the Emperor Leopold, seeking the aid 
 
 Of King William of England, a compact was made 
 
 Between them and the Dutch, with the resolute aim 
 
 Of supporting by forcible measures the claim 
 
 Of the German Archduke (Charles), the Emperor's 
 
 son, 
 
 Tho' till many years after no war was begun. 
 But the treaty still held all was ripe for the fray 
 That was sure to break out at some subsequent day ; 
 And, in fact, having welcomed Queen Anne to the throne, 
 To her subjects it soon became very well known 
 That she meant the identical course to pursue 
 Which her brother-in-law had so clearly in view : 
 He intended that Philip no longer should reign, 
 But that Charles, the archduke, should be monarch of 
 
 Spain : 
 
 And, of this well aware, his successor, Queen Anne, 
 1702 The great war of the Spanish Succession began. 
 
 The renowned Duke of Marlborongh (he who had been 
 But a page of the Court) was now made by Queen Anne 
 Captain-General over the whole of the force 
 Which was shortly to run such a glorious course.
 
 104 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: After war was declared and was raging amain 
 The House 
 
 took the fort of Gibraltar from Spain : 
 Then at Blenheim a terrible battle was fought, 
 Which the greatest by far of them all has been thought : 
 'Twas by Marlborough's genius we triumphed that day 
 1704 O' er * ae French and Bavarian hostile array ; 
 
 But he was not content with this signal defeat, 
 1706 And the French at Ramilies he forced to retreat : 
 1708-9 Then at Oudenarde, then at Malplaquet, the foe 
 
 Were compelled the white flag of submission to show ; 
 
 And all over the Continent Marlborough's name 
 
 A rebuke to the foes of Old England became. 
 
 He was ably supported on land and at sea 
 
 By some heroes of war no less valiant than he : 
 
 Such as General Stanhope, George Rooke, Prince Eugene, 
 
 Who at various times had appeared on the scene ; 
 
 They won several battles of minor import, 
 
 And efficient assistance to Marlborough brought. 
 
 While the war is thus raging, a moment we turn 
 (That our claim to completeness we fairly may earn) 
 To what happened in England, where peace reigned 
 
 supreme 
 Save for many a crafty political scheme : 
 
 Between England and Scotland a union compact 
 [1707] Was by statute achieved which remarkable act, 
 Having settled the Crown on the Protestant line 
 Of Sophia and heirs then went on to define 
 All the rights and the duties that each should retain 
 And the benefits all by the union would gain: 
 It decreed that they both should have freedom of 
 
 trade ; 
 And that Church-loving Scotchmen need not be afraid
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 105 
 
 That their Church then established would be overthrown, 
 
 of Stuart. 
 
 lse For, as England had hers, so might they keep their o 
 
 'Twas provided that Scotland should also preserve 
 Her municipal laws and her courts ; but, observe, 
 That one Parliament was to suffice for the two, 
 And that forty-five members for Scotland must do; 
 Tho' she might, if she chose, have a voice in the Lords, 
 A.D. And send sixteen Scotch peers to give weight to her words. 
 [1707] The first true British Parliament, therefore, soon met 
 And this notable fact we must never forgot. 
 
 Dr. Sacheverell, that nnruly divine, 
 1710 Was convicted this year of a wicked design 
 To set men of dissimilar faith by the ears 
 By seditious discussions and libellous sneers : 
 His suspension was ordered, his sermons were burnt, 
 As from them it was thought little good could be learnt ; 
 But the mob in his cause was so warmly devout 
 That the sentence was ne'er to the full carried out. 
 
 Ere reverting again to the war, we must pause 
 To reflect on the folly of human applause : 
 Here was Maryborough doing his utmost to raise 
 The prestige of the English for glory and praise : 
 And attempting his lowly descent to erase 
 From the mind of the nation for glory and praise : 
 And exhibit his courage and pluck to the gaze 
 f Of the vulgum prqfanum for glory and praise : 
 
 And enjoining his duchess to study the ways 
 Of her sovereign's temper for glory and praise : 
 And to humour and truckle to every phase 
 Of that soft-hearted lady for glory and praise : 
 Till at last she had got the good queen in a maze 
 Of propitious affection for glory and praise !
 
 106 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 HISTORY: ^11 his efforts were vain: the bright star which had 
 
 The House r 
 
 of Stuart. Shone 
 
 For so long o'er his head was at last overthrown : 
 Mrs. Masham, another great lady at Court, 
 With a woman's strategical courage had wrought 
 The esteem of the queen for the duchess to lower, 
 With the object of bringing the Tories in power. 
 Being one of that party, and true to the core, 
 She determined to office her side to restore ; 
 But the duke, with the duchess, and most of their 
 
 friends 
 
 Were strong Whigs so, to serve her political ends 
 (And the love of Queen Anne for the duchess reduce), 
 Mrs. Masham descended to every ruse : 
 At her instance the duchess was banished from Court 
 And the Tories at once into office were brought. 
 Now the duke was engaged in the struggle abroad, 
 And in every battle his foes overaw'd ; 
 But the English were anxious for peace, and declared 
 That the French from their hostile attacks should be 
 
 spared : 
 
 On the other hand, Marlborough wished to pursue 
 His triumphant career, with the laudable view 
 Of completing the work he so bravely began 
 And augmenting the glory and might of Queen Anne. 
 
 Still the Tories were in, and refused their consent 
 To more money and blood on the war being spent : 
 They were jealous of Marlborough envied his rise, 
 A D And regarded his deeds with inimical eyes : 
 1711 He was even accused of accepting a bribe 
 
 From a member of Judah's long suffering tribe, 
 Who contracted to furnish the army with bread, 
 And gave Marlborough some of the profits, 'tis said :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 107 
 
 HISTORY: Being fully convicted of conduct so base 
 
 The House 
 of Stuart. 
 
 136 'Twas in vain that he tried to avert his disgrace : 
 
 Pie retired to Antwerp ; and there for a time 
 We shall leave him alone to reflect on his crime. 
 
 A-D . Then all parties agreed that the struggle should cease, 
 
 1713 And by treaty at Utrecht concluded a peace 
 Which was not to the honour of England at all, 
 Being rather the end of a sneakish cabal ; 
 In this treaty of peace it was specially urged 
 That the French in the Spanish Crown ne'er should be 
 
 merged ; 
 
 And that Louis of France should no longer object 
 To the English Succession, in any respect : 
 But 'tis worthy of note that it did not contain 
 Any clauses affecting King Philip of Spain ; 
 And, in fact, it appeared to completely o'erlook 
 The sole cause for which Anne this great war undertook. 
 
 17: -1 Now Sophia, Electress of Hanover, died 
 So the sceptre of England to her was denied ; 
 But more serious news throughout England now ran 
 When (the very same year) she was followed by Anne ; 
 And Prince George (the first English king bearing that 
 
 name) 
 
 To the throne, which was thus rendered vacant, now came : 
 He was son of Sophia : grand- daughter was she 
 To the first of the Stuarts, and therefore we see 
 That, although he was foreign by birth, he could claim 
 Some connection with England's great kings all the same. 
 
 Having finished tlie Stuarts, u-e pause for awhil* 
 The chief facts to review, in our usual style :
 
 108 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOBY: We have seen how the first of the line took the throne, 
 
 ^Stuart 9 And tjius added anotlier domain to his own : 
 
 How the "Main" and the "Bye" and the " Gun- 
 powder " plots 
 
 Were attempted against that most canny of Scots : 
 Of the downfall of Raleigh we also have read, 
 And of Bacon, by fatal temptation misled. 
 We have witnessed the hapless King Charles in sad plight 
 With his Parliaments: read the Petition of Right ; 
 And have seen how the power to tax was abused 
 But how " Ship-money " was by John Hampden refused : 
 We have read of the old Scottish " Covenant " too ; 
 And perceived how the might of the Parliament grew, 
 Till at length the fierce stnfe between Commons and King 
 Made the country with civil commotion to ring : 
 The great battles they fought, and the terrible fate 
 Of King Charles, our rhymes very fully relate. 
 How the hopes of the second King Charles were overthrown, 
 And how Cromwell usurped all the rights of the Crown, 
 But for England's prestige, nevertheless, did so much 
 In his famous and obstinate wars with the Dutch : 
 How the nation obeyed him and bowed to his thrall, 
 Till his death made them glad the true king to recall. 
 We have read of the second King Charles thus restored, 
 And his statutes, and notable battles abroad : 
 Of tJie Plague, and the Fire of London, and all 
 The notorious members who formed the " Cabal: " 
 We have seen how religion bred strife through the realm, 
 And gave rise to dark schemes the poor king to o'er- 
 
 u-helm : 
 
 How the Habeas Corpus Act granted relief 
 To all prisoners, also we've noted in brief. 
 We remember how Charles was succeeded by James, 
 And how Monmouth put forward his impudent claims;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 109 
 
 How religion again was the cause of much strife 
 
 ^"^ embittered the ill-advised sovereign's life : 
 
 And how William of Orange was called to protect 
 
 England's rights, and King James from the throne to eject : 
 
 Of the efforts of James to recover his Crown, 
 
 That by William (then William the Third) were put 
 
 down : 
 
 Of the great Bill of Rights, which ivas passed in this reign ; 
 And the Settlement Act: how the struggle with Spain 
 (On account of the Spanish Succession) began, 
 And was carried on during the reign of Queen Anne. 
 We have read of great Marlborough's famous campaign 
 And the glorious triumphs he managed to gain : 
 How tlie sceptres of England and Scotland were merged ; 
 And how Sacheverell on profanity verged : 
 And, in fine, how the death of Sophia, the heir, 
 And of Anne shortly afterwards, left all the care 
 Of the regal estate to Sophia's own son 
 For already his reign (in the text) has begun. 
 
 THE HOUSE OF HANOVEE. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1714 GEORGE I. 
 
 Now the second King James in obscurity died, 
 But his son to recover the Crown had long tried : 
 He was called the Pretender (his name being James), 
 Tho' to England's dominion his birth gave him claims. 
 A revolt in his favour in Scotland arose 
 Which King George was obliged to take arms to oppose : 
 Of young James's adherents the bravest by far 
 Were the Jacobite Earls Dcrwcntwatcr and Mar ; 
 
 1715 But at Shciiifmuir Mar was compelled to retreat, 
 And at Preston his side also met with defeat :
 
 110 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY: The Pretender, despairing, to France hurried o'er, 
 The And determined to brave the king's vengeance no more. 
 
 House of 
 Hanover. 
 
 A.D. (The Septennial Act now decreed it was fit 
 
 1716 That o'er seven years Parliament never should sit.) 
 
 Then, in order to check the ambition of Spain 
 (Of whose power her statesmen were terribly vain), 
 1718 The Quadruple Alliance was formed, to maintain 
 
 Throughout Europe the peace which all wished to retain. 
 
 Against Sicily Spain was preparing for war, 
 
 The intentions of which 'twas important to mar ; 
 
 So these four England, Germany, France, and the 
 
 Dutch, 
 
 Being friends, made a solemn alliance, as such. 
 But when Admiral Byng, by the English despatched, 
 Off Passaro the fleet of the Spaniards o'ermatched, 
 The rash rulers of Spain to their senses were brought, 
 And for some years no further engagement was fought. 
 
 1720 (The renowned South Sea Company, founded this year, 
 Was empowered the debt of the nation to bear 
 On a mercantile system, to City men clear, 
 Though 'twould only be useless to treat of it here. 
 Ne'ertheless we must say, without doubt it would seem 
 That the project was nought but a rascally scheme : 
 Quite a mania for stock of the company spread 
 Throughout England ; and many a man lost his head 
 At the thought of the riches he surely would earn 
 By investing his money in such a concern : 
 But the bubble soon burst and away flew the gold, 
 Leaving thousands of dupes unmistakably " sold ! " 
 While the credit of England remained in a state 
 Which all Walpole's endeavourscouldhardlyputstraight.)
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. Ill 
 
 HISTORY: Ere tho death of thfl ^fag, the Pretender again 
 House of Tried to forward his claims to the throne ; but in vain. 
 
 Bishop Atterbury, for the treason he plann'd 
 172 3 In the Jacohite cause, was dismissed from the land. 
 
 Now, omitting some riots of minor import, 
 To a close the events of this reign we have brought : 
 Apoplexy this year the poor monarch struck down, 
 1727 And his son, as the second King George, took the Crown. 
 
 1727 GEORGE II. 
 
 THE first ten or twelve years of the new monarch's reign 
 No occurrence of any importance contain : 
 But the course of events made it evident soon 
 That the friendship of Spain was no longer a boon, 
 And must terminate shortly, whatever the cost, 
 Or the prestige of England would surely be lost. 
 For a Spanish official had shamefully used 
 A sea-captain of England, and even abused 
 The king's name ; and in England the popular wrath 
 In demanding revenge against Spain now burst forth. 
 'Twas determined the insult with force to resent, 
 1739 And to humble the Spaniards brave Vernon was sent : 
 He soon took with his fleet Porto Hello from Spain, 
 And successful he certainly was, in the main. 
 
 While this war was proceeding another arose, 
 And the English were forced to encounter new foes : 
 For the Austrian Emperor Charles having died, 
 To his daughter the Crown was unjustly denied ; 
 But Maria Theresa discovered a friend 
 la King George, who resolved his assistance to lend 
 To discomfit her rival (Bavaria's prince) 
 Who for her little gallantry cared to evince.
 
 112 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 STOBY: JJ QW ^ ie c ] a j m O f th e p r i nce was supported by France 
 Hou*e or And ky Spain against whom she had clearly no chance 
 Hanover. Were it not for the help of King George who declared 
 A . D . That no efforts of his in her cause should be spared. 
 1743 He was good as his word, and defeated the French 
 Before Dettingen nor from the fray did he blench 
 Tho' the thunders of war raged on every side 
 And his pluck and endurance severely were tried. 
 
 1745 But at Fontenoy France was triumphant, altho' 
 
 'Twas the fault of the Dutch that the fight ended so ; 
 For the cowards deserted their English allies 
 And took flight to the latter's disgust and surprise. 
 (Three years afterwards offers of peace were renewed, 
 
 [1748] And at Aix-la-Chapelle the fierce strife was subdued.) 
 
 Now another rebellion in Scotland arose, 
 To enthrone the Pretender and George to depose ; 
 
 1745 And at Preston Pans Charles (the Pretender's own 
 
 sou), 
 
 With a Jacobite force, o'er the Royalists won 
 A great triumph : and followed it up the next year 
 With another at Falkirk : but, scorning all fear, 
 Valiant Cumberland cheered on his men to the fray, 
 
 174G And the English at Culloden Moor gained the day. 
 
 This defeat was so crushing that Charles was compelled 
 To take flight and this famous rebellion was quelled. 
 
 We must try to explain (though to do so in rhyme 
 Is not easy) the " New Style," arranged at this time : 
 Cffisar thought (and he'd great astronomical pow'rs) 
 That three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours 
 Was the length of a year and accordingly framed, 
 In this learned belief, his own Calendar famed :
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 113 
 
 HISTORY: j> u t fa e deeper research, through an interval long, 
 House of Of Pope Gregory, showed that great Caesar was wrong : 
 Hanover. Tj(at ^ t j iird ^ Septe)nber the fourteenth should be 
 
 (The importance of which it is easy to see) ; 
 While, instead of occurring in March (as of erst), 
 New Year's Day should of January be the first! 
 So these changes were made they are recognised yet, 
 As you 'know : but the cause you must never forget. 
 
 Then the war between England and France wasrenewed, 
 For their enmity ne'er had been wholly subdued : 
 And the wrath of the English could not be appeased 
 A D When the French on Minorca soon afterwards seized 
 
 1756 Now the Austrians lent their assistance to France, 
 While the Prussians to England made friendly advance, 
 And for seven long years the fierce struggle had raged 
 Ere the feelings that prompted the war were assuaged. 
 
 But King George's attention was called at this time 
 To the urgent affairs of a far-distant clime, 
 Namely India where Surajah Dowlah had seized 
 On Calcutta, and all its inhabitants squeezed 
 Into what very aptly was called the Black Hole, 
 Without water or food by which nearly the whole 
 Died a lingering death an iniquitous deed 
 Which made England so wrathful that war was decreed, 
 And the courage of Clive, inexhaustible quite, 
 Throughout India established our glory and might ; 
 
 1757 For at Flossy he put the Surajah to rout, 
 And of England's superior force left no doubt. 
 
 While this war was proceeding, the English and French 
 Were engaged with a fury which nothing could quench ; 
 9
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOEY: But a t Minden the French were defeated ; and next, 
 House of To the English possessions Quebec was annex'd, 
 Hanover. g e j n g ca pt ure( j by Wolfe from the French a success 
 
 1759 Which was marred by the death of Wolfe : nevertheless 
 The result was that, having so bravely begun, 
 
 17GO The whole province of Canada England soon won. 
 
 This important event was the last of the reign ; 
 For as George the First, so George the Second, again, 
 Was deprived of his life and his regal estate 
 By a sudden though perfectly natural fate : 
 And his son having died before him, it was meet 
 That Ms son should succeed to his grandfather's seat ; 
 And, accordingly, George the Third came to the throne 
 Which for sixty long years he retained as his own. 
 
 1760 GEOKGE III. 
 
 Now the war with the French was proceeding apace : 
 To describe it in full we have hardly the space : 
 The engagements were many and nine out of ten 
 Were great victories won by the English ; and then 
 Spain united with France as her friend and ally 
 
 1762 And proceeded the strength of their union to try : 
 
 But the English were dauntless, and ne'er did they cease 
 From the straggle till all had agreed to make peace. 
 By the Treaty of Paris the seven years' feud 
 
 1763 Between England and France now, at last, was subdued, 
 And the conquests they each had attained, 'twas arranged, 
 Should be kept by the victors, or fairly exchanged. 
 
 'Twas this year that John Wilkes, who had ventured to 
 
 poke 
 His indecorous fun at the Premier, and joke
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 115 
 
 HISTORY: At the Treaty of Paris, was called to account 
 House of For presuming so freely his libels to flount. 
 Hanover. J Q ^ e f amous North Briton " his views were expressed, 
 And this paper was therefore condemned and suppressed : 
 But the people, it seems, well supported his cause 
 And such persons enjoy democratic applause 1 
 At the order, however, of those he besmirched 
 His own house hy a General Warrant was searched, 
 To discover what papers (if any) remained 
 In his keeping and similar libels contained ; 
 And his case is remarkable more from this fact 
 Than from anything else ; for he fiercely attack'd 
 The legality (which had been questioned before) 
 Of a General Warrant to break a man's door ! 
 The opinion of eminent lawyers was had, 
 "Who declared that all General Warrants were bad : 
 After which, although Wilkes was reluctant to stop 
 His attacks, the vex'd question was suffered to drop. 
 
 Now the cost of the recent campaign against France 
 Was so great that, the national funds to enhance, 
 The Prime Minister, Grenville, most foolishly thought 
 That to share the expenses America ought. 
 At that time we had many large colonies there, 
 And that they should contribute, he said, 'twas but fair : 
 A.D. So he taxed them, by making the Stamp Act (in force 
 1705 Throughout England) apply as a matter of course 
 To America little foreseeing the feud 
 'Twould occasion and which, in good earnest, ensued : 
 For the Colonists thought themselves sorely abused, 
 And to help the Old Country they flatly refused : 
 Many serious riots and tumults occur'd, 
 Of which England with fear and anxiety heard ; 
 Till the measure by Pitt was so fiercely attack'd 
 In the House, that he gained a repeal of the Act. 
 9*
 
 116 i: I STORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: p or a ti me was the wrath of the Colonists lulled : 
 House of But against those of England their interests pulled : 
 They were ripe for revolt, and before many years 
 They had realised England's most terrible fears. 
 They were ready to catch at the slightest pretence 
 To take umbrage ; and soon they discovered offence 
 A.D. In a tax upon tea, which was laid by Lord North, 
 1773 When their slumbering rage against England burst forth. 
 The harsh taxes they paid, their commercial restraints, 
 "Were two prominent points of the rebels' complaints : 
 Their non-representation in Parliament too 
 Made them feel that with England they'd nothing to do. 
 They renounced their allegiance, and war was declared, 
 For which England was then very badly prepared : 
 
 1775 The king's forces at Lexington suffered defeat ; 
 And at Bunker's Hill only just managed to beat 
 Their determined opponents, who vowed to maintain 
 
 1776 Independence, and ne'er be subjected again. 
 Though the English were able some battles to gain 
 They were making their desperate efforts in vain ; 
 And when Burgoyne was forced to surrender his arms 
 
 1777 (Having failed to defend Saratoga), the charms 
 Of a full Independence grew more and more dear 
 As the rebels perceived it was drawing so near. 
 The defeat of Burgoyne was decisive, and led 
 To the coveted freedom for which they had bled. 
 
 The remainder of George the Third's wonderful reign 
 Was a scene of fierce battles with France and with 
 
 Spain ; 
 
 For the French had acknowledged, to England's disgust, 
 That America's title to freedom was just : 
 While the Spaniards, perceiving the hostile intent 
 Of the English, to France their assistance no\v lent;
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 117 
 
 HISTORY: off St. Vincent brave Rodney a victory won 
 House of O'er the Spaniards, soon after the war had begun ; 
 Ha " ver ' Then at Guadaloupe he was successful again, 
 
 1782 And the French to acknowledge his prowess were fain ; 
 While Gibraltar, besieged for four years was relieved 
 Which success by the gallant Lord Hoive was achieved. 
 
 But America, now independent and free, 
 Was disposed towards England more friendly to be : 
 And when this to the Spaniards and French became clear, 
 They agreed to make peace, which was signed the next year 
 
 1783 At Versailles and the conquests each side had obtained 
 Were arranged some returned and some others retained. 
 The complete Independence America sought 
 
 Was moreover acknowledged by England : which brought 
 
 The American war to a definite end, 
 
 And allowed the two nations in friendship to blend. 
 
 While the heroes of England were wielding the sword 
 We must note that George Gordon, a scatter-brained 
 
 lord, 
 [1780] Had incited a riotous mob to attack 
 
 All the Catholic chapels rich mansions to sack, j 
 
 And break open the prisons his ill-advised zeal 
 Against Catholics seeming his senses to steal. 
 He was sent to the Tower, and there kept confined, 
 While the chief of the rebels to death were consigned. 
 
 Now the rule of the English in India provoked 
 Many powerful natives, whose wrath was invoked 
 By their helpless condition (which irksome they found) 
 And the numerous fines which to pay they were bound 
 'Twas not easy, indeed, to keep all going well, 
 And the Governor had many tumults to quell ;
 
 118 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HIRTORY: But the slightest mistake, the most trivial flaw 
 HOU) of In his judgment, was fatal and called for the law 
 Hanover. ^ j nves tjg a ^ e . Suc j 1 wag fo & course -which this year 
 
 1787 England brought upon poor Warren Hastings to bear. 
 He had governed in India with prudence and skill 
 For some time, as by all was admitted but still 
 He at last was accused of misrule in the land 
 Over which he was given entire command. 
 His impeachment resulted in seven years' trial, 
 Though to all the grave charges he gave a denial : 
 He was fully (and justly) acquitted at last, 
 And in peaceful seclusion his old age he past. 
 
 1789 The great French Eevolution commenced in this year, 
 But we only think fit to allude to it here 
 Because England was forced to take part in the strife 
 Which cost Louis the Sixteenth bis crown and his life. 
 Nearly every power in Europe comhin'd 
 Against Buonaparte : all of them seemed of one mind, 
 And determined to crush that adventurous man 
 Whose victorious armies all Europe o'erran. 
 The renown of the English was bravely maintained 
 
 1794 By Lord Hoice, who off Brest a great victory gained : 
 
 Then the Dutch and the Spaniards, with France making 
 
 friends, 
 
 Declared war against England to serve their own ends : 
 Thus the English had France, Spain, and Holland to fight, 
 But their victories proved they were "up to it" quite : 
 Under Jerris, and Duncan, and Nelson, their fame 
 As a conquering nation a bye-word became. 
 Sir John Jervis attacked and defeated the foe 
 
 1797 Off St. Vincent : at Camperdown Duncan could show 
 As complete a success ; while, in glorious style, 
 
 1798 Valiant Nelson defeated the French at the Nile.
 
 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 119 
 
 HISTOR?: And when Buonaparte tried to storm Acre, he found 
 House of Sidney Smith was quite able to stand his own ground : 
 Hanover. ^i exan ^ r f at ^ 00> was the scene of a fight 
 A.D. In which England soon proved her superior might : 
 
 1801 While before Copenhagen brave Nelson once more, 
 Gained a glorious triumph and though there were four 
 Very powerful nations against him array'd, 
 
 Of them all put together he was not afraid 
 
 And the Russian, the Prussian, the Sivede, and the Dane, 
 
 Were convinced that to Nelson resistance was vain. 
 
 Shortly after,"the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch 
 
 1802 Made a treaty at Amiens which meant nothing much, 
 Being merely a truce, not an end of the feud, 
 Which the very next year by the French was renew'd. 
 
 But the moment is fitting to edge in a versa 
 About Ireland, the state of which country grew worse 
 Every year ; and to show how Great Britain and she 
 One united and prosperous realm came to be. 
 For an Irish revolt, which was promptly suppress'd, 
 Led the statesmen of England to think 'twould be best 
 (As such tumults seemed likely enough ne'er to cease) 
 To unite the two countries in friendship and peace. 
 [1800] As the Irish agreed, 'twas accordingly done 
 
 And Great Britain and Ireland thus became one ; 
 
 With one national Church which might serve for the two, 
 
 And but one representative Parliament, too. 
 
 1803 Now the war with the French recommenced, from no 
 
 cause 
 
 Of sufficient importance to lead us to pause 
 And explain it : suffice it to state, as a fact, 
 That the war recommenced and that Buonaparte, back'd
 
 120 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 BISTORT: B V hj g W0 nderful genius and warlike prestige, 
 
 House or Had persuaded the French to appoint him their liege, 
 
 ' vcr ' And conducted in person the terrible strife 
 A D Against England, which cost him his freedom and life. 
 1805 At Trafalgar brave Nelson faced danger and death, 
 But rejoiced at his triumph with last dying breath ; 
 And then Wellesley (who very soon after became 
 The renowned Duke of Wellington) brightened his fame 
 By the glorious triumphs he managed to gain 
 O'er the French, who were now making war against Spain. 
 
 As these battles were many, their names will be all 
 To which space will allow us attention to call 
 (Nor can accent nor metre, we're sadly afraid, 
 In the following verses be carefully weighed) : 
 1808-9 Vimiera (by "Wellesley) Comnna (by Moore) 
 1809-10 Talavera and Busaco (Wellesley) make four : 
 
 1811 Then Fuentes cVOnora (by Wellington gained) 
 1811-12 And Albuera ; Cuidad Radrigo remained 
 
 To be conquered and was by this hero of fame ; 
 
 1812 As was Badajoz : then Salamanca became 
 
 1813 The great scene of his glory : Vittoria next ; 
 
 1814 Then Toulouse on which Buonaparte, harassed and vex'd 
 By repeated discomfiture, gave up the throne, 
 
 Which he held by his courage and daring alone. 
 He retired to Elba; and France had again 
 A legitimate king o'er her people to reign ; 
 
 1814 While by treaty at Paris the struggle was stay'd, 
 And the peace so much needed was joyfully made. 
 
 It but lasted a year : and then Buonaparte fled 
 
 1815 From his irksome confinement at Elba, and sped 
 O'er to France, his opponents to fitly requite 
 
 For withholding the crown which he thought was his right
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 121 
 
 HISTORY: r^e old feud was awakened the watchful Allies 
 House of Were resolved to prevent him from seizing the prize ; 
 A D- '. And a glorious battle, at Waterloo fought, 
 1815 To despair this unhappy adventurer brought : 
 On a far distant isle, St. Helena, he spent 
 His last days in a restless and sad discontent : 
 And thus ended at length this remarkable strife 
 With the French, which for twenty-two years had been rife. 
 
 (You must know that this reign for great men was 
 
 renown'd, 
 
 And their names in due order are here to be found : 
 Among Statesmen the foremost was Pitt, the great son 
 Of Lord Chatham, who much for his country had done : 
 And then Grenville and North both inferior far 
 To young Pitt who provoked the American war. 
 Among Warriors Wellington holds the first place, 
 And no time the renown of his deeds can efface : 
 Then John Moore, Sidney Smith, Abercrombie all three 
 Valiant heroes whose names ne'er forgotten will be. 
 When for glorious " Sons of the Ocean " we look, 
 Nelson, Keppel, Hood, Rodney, Howe, Duncan, and Cook 
 Stand pre-eminent all but the last being famed 
 For great sea-fights and he the great honour has claimed 
 Of completing three tours round the world, with the view 
 Of discovering oceans and continents new. 
 There were Lawyers and Poets and Authors as well, 
 But of these there is scarcely occasion to tell ; 
 So this notable reign to an end we shall bring, 
 By adverting at once to the death of the king : 
 After nine years' affliction of mental disease 
 1820 This great monarch in death found a welcome release ; 
 And his eldest son George, of unworthy renown 
 For gallantry and foppishness, then took the crown.
 
 122 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VEESE. 
 
 HISTORY : 
 
 The GEORGE IV. 
 
 House of 
 
 Hanover. THE first year of his reign the queen, Caroline, fell 
 mo 'Neath the monarch's displeasure ; and sad 'tis to tell 
 Of her trial for misconduct, abandoned, indeed, 
 But which broke her too sensitive heart, as we read. 
 
 Now both Turkey and Egypt made war upon Greece, 
 With the view that her free independence should cease ; 
 But the English, the French, and the Russians combin'd 
 
 1827 To save Greece from her foes : Navarino, we find, 
 Was the scene of a glorious victory, won 
 By these friendly allies : other wars there were none 
 Of importance : in fact with this reign we have done 
 For soon after this dissolute king, having run 
 O'er the threescore and ten of a mortal career, 
 
 1830 To long-standing disease fell a victim this year 
 
 And his brother, King William the Fourth (the third son 
 Of his sire, George the Third), then ascended the throne. 
 
 1830 WILLIAM IV. 
 
 THERE is little that need our attention engage 
 
 In his reign for no bloodthirsty wars did he wage, 
 
 But devoted his mind to the national weal, 
 
 And for England's true interests laboured with zeal. 
 
 1832 In this year the Reform Bill was passed, and decreed 
 That a number of specified towns had no need 
 To send members to Parliament : others, again, 
 Of superior size, might the franchise retain ; 
 And, in fine, that the king's poorer subjects might vote 
 Which provision is very important to note.
 
 HISTOEY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 123 
 
 HISTOHT: As important, perhaps, is the statute which gave 
 House of Consolation to many an over-worked slave ; 
 
 Hanover. 
 
 1833 Were by statute relieved from their barbarous thrall. 
 
 Then, by natural causes, the king was borne down, 
 And he died in this year leaving vacant the Crown 
 For his niece, the great Queen of whom still we are proud- 
 To whose rule for so long we have joyfully bow'd ! 
 
 1837 VlCTOEIA - 
 
 QUEEN VICTORIA, William's illustrious niece, 
 To the throne of her uncle succeeded in peace : 
 But the very first year of her reign she was grieved 
 By a rising of Chartists rash men, who believed 
 That the " Commons " required reform a belief 
 Which, however well-fcnnded, soon brought them to grief. 
 They proposed a reorganisation complete 
 Of the old House of Commons : maintaining with heat 
 That all classes by ballot should vote; while 'twas fit 
 That in future each year should a Parliament sit; 
 That its members should all be rewarded, or paid, 
 For affording the nation their counsel and aid ; 
 And, in fine, the possession of riches, they thought, 
 Should be held, in electing the members, as nought. 
 This reform, it is clear, was too sweeping but yet 
 The Five Points of the Charter you must not forget. 
 Many riots took place, and some persons were killed, 
 But the hopes of the Chartists were never fulfilled : 
 The ringleaders were tried and condemned without 
 
 pause, 
 1840 And the rest were compelled to abandon the canse.
 
 124 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOBY: (Ere this date to send letters much money it cost 
 House of Bat this year was established the first Penny Post.) 
 
 Hanover. 
 
 Now in India the fierce native princes of Scinde 
 And of Gwalior, too, against England combined : 
 AiD> But with Napier they found it was vain to compete, 
 1843 And at Hyderabad they were forced to retreat : 
 They were also defeated by Grey and by Gouyh, 
 Till of this sort of thing they had had quite enough. 
 
 1845 Two years after, the English with terror beheld 
 That the terrible Sikhs still remained to be queli'd : 
 
 1846 gut, a t Aliwal, Smith a great triumph obtained, 
 And by Gough, at Sobraon, a battle was gained 
 Which convinced the bold Sikhs that the struggle must 
 
 cease, 
 E'en should England dictate all the terms of the peace. 
 
 1848 But the strife recommenced : at Ramnugyur was fought 
 
 1849 A drawn battle : at Chilianwallah they brought 
 
 All their forces to bear on Lord Gough but in vain : 
 While at Goojerat he was triumphant again ; 
 After which the Punjab was to England annexed 
 Nor with further attacks of the Sikhs was she vexed. 
 
 While these wars were proceeding the Irish rebelled 
 By a wish for " Repeal of the^Tnion " impelled ; 
 [1844] And their leader, one Daniel (fConnell, was tried 
 For conspiracy base and sedition beside : 
 But the sentence his judges pronounced, it appears, 
 Was (no doubt for good reasons) reversed by the Peers. 
 
 Now the duty on Corn was a source of complaint 
 To the hard-working classes, who felt this restraint
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 125 
 
 HISTORY : Qn the free importation of all kinds of wheat 
 House of More severely than those who had plenty to eat. 
 Richard Cobdcn did much to procure the Repeal, 
 For which ohject he worked with a praiseworthy zeal ; 
 Till at last a great famine in Ireland arose 
 Which determined the powers no more to oppose 
 A . D> The despairing and heart-rending cry for " Repeal " 
 [1846] And a bill for that purpose was carried by Peel. 
 
 [1848] Then a great revolution in France which soon led 
 To the Emperor, Louis Napoleon (now dead) : 
 
 1851 Then the first Exhibition of Commerce and Trade, 
 And of Science and Art in all branches arrayed : 
 Both these facts may lay claim to a cursory glance, 
 Though the former might seem to concern only France. 
 
 Now the Turks, being threatened by Kussia, prepared 
 
 1853 To resist her encroachments, and war was declared : 
 But the English and French (who perceived with disgust 
 The designs of the Russians) agreed 'twas but just 
 
 To assist the brave Turks in their hour of need, 
 And to check by strong measures the emperor's greed. 
 
 Therefore England and France, with this friendly idea, 
 
 1854 Sent their armies and fleets to invade the Crimea : 
 Many battles they fought, at a terrible cost, 
 Although nearly the whole by the Russians were lost. 
 
 ,, At the Alma the latter turned tail, to a man ; 
 
 Then the siege of Sebastopol fairly began : 
 
 Balaclava was stormed : here Lord Cardigan made 
 His redoubtable "Charge of the Light Horse Brigade;" 
 
 ft Then the Russians from Inlcermann strove to expel 
 
 1855 The Allies but in vain : then Sebastopol fell ;
 
 126 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTOBY: "Which event brought the terrible war to an end 
 House of For now Austria showed in the light of a friend, 
 
 And advised the opponents their struggles to cease, 
 To let bygones be bygones and settle a peace. 
 A D> This advice was accepted ; and, shortly, we find 
 1856 That at Paris the requisite treaty was sign'd 
 
 By which Eussia agreed to leave Turkey unharmed, 
 And Sebastopol open or, rather, unarmed. 
 
 The next stirring event was a mutiny dread 
 
 1857 Of the Sepoys in India the cause, it is said, 
 Being merely the use of a cartridge prepared 
 
 For the " Enfield " but greased (as the natives declared) 
 In a manner their faith could by no means allow 
 With untouchable fat of the pig and the cow ! 
 They believed, if they handled a cartridge so greased, 
 That the wrath of their gods could be never appeased ; 
 And, in short, from a cause so absurd there arose 
 A most fearful revolt : for we well can suppose 
 That a native who fancied his caste was at stake 
 Would brave every danger, e'en death, for its sake. 
 1867 The insurgents stormed Delhi and captured it too, 
 
 With its stores and munitions : at Cawnpore they slew 
 Many hundreds of English : when HavelocJcs name 
 To these bloodthirsty rebels a terror became. 
 Colin Campbell, of glorious fame, was sent o'er, 
 And his valour and prudence did much to restore 
 The prestige of the English in India although 
 We lack space into details more fully to go : 
 And, at last, by his resolute measures, the foe 
 Were compelled their rebellious designs to forego : 
 The revolt was suppressed, and a year was not o'er 
 
 1858 Ere our rule throughout India was firm as before.
 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 127 
 
 HISTORY: ^ Q succee ^[ D g events of Victoria's reign 
 
 House of In the minds of our readers quite fresh must remain : 
 
 Hanover, -pirai the war in America which was decreed 
 
 "When the Southern States sought from the North to 
 
 secede : 
 
 Then the death of Prince Albert who ever had been 
 As revered by the nation as loved by the Queen : 
 Then the marriage (to Denmark's well-gifted princess) 
 Of our own Prince of Wales and long may he possess 
 Through the course of a happy and prosperous lifo 
 Such a worthy, accomplished, and beautiful wile ! 
 Then the English o'erran Abyssinian soil, 
 And in brilliant success found reward for their toil : 
 Then the terrible war between Prussia and France 
 Was commenced (at its details we pause not to glance) : 
 Then the Irish Church Disestablishment Bill : 
 Then the war of the Carlists in Spain raging still : 
 Then the great Alabama Claims, settled at length ! 
 Then the war in Ashanti which showed England's 
 
 strength 
 
 A - I) ' To the African tyrant : there nought happened since 
 TsTl } Save the marriage of Alfred, our gallant young Prince 
 To the Eussian Grand -Duchess Marie whose great 
 
 worth 
 'Twere presumption in us to attempt to set forth ! 
 
 Of these facts just the outlines are all we have shown 
 To the lu'k of our readers their details are known : 
 For the epoch in which they occurred is our own, 
 And Victoria still holds her seat on the throne : 
 Many years may she- reign, 'midst the blessings of 
 
 peace 
 And of health and prosperity ne'er may they cease
 
 128 HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN VERSE. 
 
 HISTORY: Until Death claims bis own : and then all we desire 
 House of Is that Albert of Wales to her fame may aspire 
 Hanover. ^^ ^^ ^ngland as happy, respected, and free 
 As it ever has been in her life : and if he 
 Strive as well for the national welfare as she 
 To be envied indeed all his subjects will be ! 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 UKWIN BBOTHERS, PIUNTEIIS, CniLWOBTH AND LONDON.
 
 LONDON, 
 Warwick House, Paternoster Row. 
 
 Jtoofes anir gefa Wilton 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 WARD, LOCK, & TYLER. 
 
 FOR FAMILY READING AND REFERENCE. 
 
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 WARD. 
 
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 5. Hood's Whims and Oddities. Illustrated. 
 
 6. Wit and Wisdom of Douglas Jerrold and Thomas Hood. 
 
 7. Lowell's Biglow Papers, and Saxe's Poems. 
 
 8. Pusley, and Back Log Studies. By CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER. 
 
 9. Riddles and Charades. 
 
 10. The Jumping Frog, and Screamers. By MARK TWAIN. 
 
 11. Artemus Ward's Letter to Punch, and Mark Twain's 
 
 Practical Jokes. 
 
 12. Mark Twain's Eye Openers, and Holmes' Wit and Humour. 
 
 13. Josh Billings' Sayings, and Mr. Sprouts' Opinions. 
 
 14. Little Breeches, and Babies and Ladders. 
 
 15. Bailey's Danbury Newsman, and Kerr's Mystery of Mr. 
 
 E. Drood. 
 
 1 6. Hook's Ramsbottom Papers, and Mr. Brown on the Goings 
 
 on of Mrs. Brown. 
 
 17. Awful Crammers, and Shaving Them. By TITUS A. BRICK. 
 
 in Jftagnt Jkib's 
 
 I. The Headless Horseman. A New and Cheap Edition. By 
 
 Captain MAYNE REID. as. 6d. f 
 
 Two SHILLING VOLUMES. 
 
 2. The Scalp Hunter*. 
 
 3. The Rifle Rangers. 
 
 4. The Karoon. 
 
 5. The White Chief. 
 
 6. The Wild Huntress. 
 
 7. The White Gauntlet. 
 
 8. The Half Blood. 
 
 9. The Wood Rangers. 
 
 0. The Tiger Hunters. 
 
 1. lostlenore. 
 
 2. The Hunters' Feast 
 
 3. The Cliff Climbers. 
 
 4. The Boy Slaves. 
 
 5. The Giraffe Hunters. 
 
 6. Ocean Waifs. 
 
 7. Afloat in the Forest. 
 
 Published by Ward, Lock, and Tyler.
 
 Neiv Books and New Editions. 2 1 
 
 ' Jfabxmrite 
 
 Price 33 . 6d. each, Illustrated 
 
 Soys love in read the records tf adventurous deeds, 1o tract the careers of brave 
 and good lads who have attained to imitience, and to be told cf wenderjitl natural 
 objects. The volumes in this series furnish the literary Jood most accef table t 
 intelligent and spirited boys, and most calculated to develop their lest qualities. 
 
 1. The Wonders of the World, in Earth, Sea, and Sky. As 
 
 related to his Young Friends by UNCLE JOHN. 
 
 2. Fifty Celebrated Men : Their Lives and Trials, and the Deeds 
 
 that made them Famous. Illustrated with numerous Wood Engravings. 
 
 3. The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of 
 
 York, Mariner. By DANIEL DEFOE. With a Biographical Sketch of the 
 Author. Embellished with a great number of Engravings on Wood. 
 
 4. The History of Sandford and Merton. By TIIOMAS DAY. 
 
 Illustrated with 100 Engravings by the Brothers DALZIEL. 
 
 5. A Boy's Life Aboard Ship, as it is Told by Himself. Full of 
 
 Adventure and Daring Deeds. 
 
 6. Life in a Whaler ; or, Perils and Adventures in the Tropical Seas. 
 
 By SAILOR CHARLEY. 
 
 7. Great Inventors : The Sources of their Usefulness, and the Re- 
 
 sults of their Efforts. Embellished with numerous Engravings. 
 
 8. Household Stories. Collected by the Brothers GRIMM. To 
 
 which is added, "The Caravan" : An Eastern Talc. By WILLIAM HAUFF. 
 Profusely Illustrated with Wood Engravings from Designs by Eminent Arlists. 
 
 9. The Marvels of Nature ; or, Outlines of Creation. liy KLISHA 
 
 NOYCE. With 400 Engravings by the Brothers DALZIEL. 
 
 10. The Boy's Book of Industrial Information. By ELISHA 
 
 NOYCE. With 365 Engravings by the Brothers DALZIEL. 
 
 11. Famous Boys, and How they Became Famous Men. By ihc 
 
 Author of " Clever Boys." Numerous Engravings. New Edition. 
 
 12. The Triumphs of Perseverance and Enterprise. By THOMAS 
 
 COOPER. Fully Illustrated. New Edition. 
 
 13. Edgar's Crusades and Crusaders. With numerous Illustrations. 
 
 New Edition. 
 
 14. The Merchant's Clerk ; or, Mark Wilton. A Book for Young 
 
 Men. By the Rev. C. B. TAYLER, M.A. 
 
 15. Sailor Hero; or, The Frigate and the Lugger. By Captain F. 
 
 C. ARMSTRONG. With Illustrations. 
 
 16. Cruiso of the Daring: A Tale of the Sea. By Captain F. C. 
 
 AKMSTRONG. With Illustrations. 
 
 Published by Ward, Lock, and Tyler.
 
 22 New Books and New Editions. 
 
 THE BOYS' FAVOURITE LIBRARY, continued. 
 
 17. Pyrotechny; or, The Art of making Fireworks at little Cost, 
 
 and with complete Safety and Cleanliness. With 124 Illustrations of Forms 
 and Diagrams for Manufacture and Exhibition. 
 
 18. Mont Blanc, A Boy's Ascent of. By ALBERT SMITH. Illus- 
 
 trated. With a Memoir of the Author by EDMUND YATKS. 
 
 19. Poe's Tales of Mystery, Imagination, and Humour. 
 
 20. Ballads and Poetical Tales, Selected from PERCY, RITSON, 
 
 EVANS, JAMIESON, SCOTT, &c. &c. 
 
 ftttton's J) enng 
 
 The sale of this very Popular Series of Useful Penny Books is enormous. 
 
 All these Books are most carefully written, and contain complete information upon 
 
 every subject within their province. 
 
 1. Life of the Prince of Wales, comprising all the events Jin the 
 
 Career of His Royal Highness, from his Birth to the Present Day. 
 
 2. Beeton's Penny Cookery Book. 
 
 3. Beeton's Penny Song Book (Popular Collection). 
 
 4. Beeton's Penny Song Book (National Collection). 
 
 5. Beeton's Penny County Court Book. 
 
 6. Beeton's Penny Gardening Book. 
 
 7. Beeton's Penny Doctor's Book. 
 
 8. Beeton's Penny Ready Reckoner. 
 
 9. Beeton's Penny Watts's Songs for Children. 
 
 10. Beeton's Penny Landlord, Tenant, and Lodger. 
 
 1 1. Beeton's Penny Poultry Book. 
 
 1 2. Beeton's Penny Domestic Service Guide. No. 1. For Lady's 
 
 Maid, Upper and Under Nurse. 
 
 13. Beeton s Penny Domestic Recipe Book. 
 
 14. Beeton's Penny Stamps and Taxes. 
 
 15. Beeton's Penny Nine Hours Wages Book. 
 
 1 6. Beeton's Penny Letter Writer. 
 
 17. Beeton's Penny Domestic Service Guide. No. 2. For General 
 
 Servant, Laundry and Dairy Maid. 
 
 1 8. Ditto. No. 3. For Cook and Housemaid. 
 
 19. Ditto. No. 4. For Butler, Housekeeper, Footman, Valet, Coach- 
 
 man, and Groom. 
 
 20. Beeton's Penny Cab Fares. 
 
 Published by Ward, Lock, and Tyler.
 
 New Books and New Editions. 23 
 
 (girls' Jabmirite fCibrarji. 
 
 Price 3-r. 6d. each, Illustrated. ' 
 
 These are all books which have gained a refutation for containing deep 
 interest and amusement with pleasantly conveyed instruction. They are really 
 "favourites" ; books which Girls will read and preserve as indispensable to the 
 Library of the School or the Home. 
 
 1. Fifty Celebrated Women : Their Virtues and Failings, and the 
 
 Lessons of their Lives. Illustrated with numerous Engravings on Wood. 
 
 2. Evenings at Home ; or, The Juvenile Budget Opened. Con- 
 
 sisting of a variety of Miscellaneous Pieces, for the Instruction and Amuse- 
 ment of Young Persons. By Dr. AIKEN and Mrs. BARBAULD. 
 
 3. Fern Leaves from Fanny's Portfolio. First and Second Series, 
 
 Complete. Beautifully Illustrated with page and other Engravings. 
 
 4. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (from this World to that which 
 
 is to Come;. A New Edition, with a Memoir. Illustrated with 100 Engrav- 
 ings by the Brothers DAL2IEL. 
 
 5. Orange Blossoms. A Book for all who have worn, are wearing, 
 
 or are likely to wear them. Edited by T. S. ARTHUR. With Illustrations. 
 
 6. Julamerk; or, The Converted Jewess. By the Author of 
 
 " Naomi." With numerous Illustrations. 
 
 7. Martyrs of Carthage ; or, The Christian Converts. A Tale of 
 
 the Times of Old. 
 
 8. Margaret Catchpole, the Suffolk Girl. By the Rev. R. COBBOLD. 
 
 9. Modern Accomplishments ; or, The March of Intellect. By 
 
 CATHERINE SINCLAIR. 
 
 10. Mary Bunyan, The Dreamer's Blind Daughter. By SALLIE 
 
 ROCHESTER FORD. 
 
 11. Aunt Jane's Hero, and Stepping Heavenward. By E. 
 
 PRENTISS, Author of " The Flower of the Family." 
 
 12. Faith Gartney's Girlhood, ard a Summer in Leslie Gold- 
 
 thwaite's Life. By the Author of "The Gayworthys." 
 
 13. Little Women, and Good Wives. Being Stories for Girls. By 
 
 Miss L. M. ALCOTT. 
 
 14. The Lamplighter ; or, An Orphan Girl's Struggles and Triumphs. 
 
 Miss GUMMING. Illustrated. 
 
 15. Queechy. By the Author of " The Wide, Wide World." 
 
 1 6. The Wide, Wide World. By Mi.ss WETHERELL. Illustrated. 
 17. Uncle Tom's Cabin ; or, Life Among the Lowly. By Mrs. 
 
 HARRIET BEECHER STOWE. Illustrated. 
 1 8. Maternal Counsels to a Daughter. By Mrs. PULLAN. 
 
 19. The Mothers of Scripture. Showlog their Influence on their 
 
 Sons. 
 
 20. The School-Girl in France. By Miss MCCRINDELL. 
 
 Published by Ward, Lock, and Tyler.
 
 24 New Books and New Editions. 
 
 "(Star pttle Ones'" 
 
 Price 3*. (>d. each, Illustrated. 
 
 AN ENTIRELY NEW WORK BY SUSAN COOLIDGE. 
 
 1. Little Miss Mischief, and other Stories. By SUSAN COOLIDGE, 
 
 Author of "Ihe New Year's Bargain," "What Katy Did," &c. With 
 Illustrations by ADDIE LBDYARD. 
 
 2. Moral Nursery Tales for Children. By the Author of ' ' The 
 
 Golden Harp." " 
 
 3. Holiday House. By CATHERINE SINCLAIR. Illustrated. 
 
 4. Story of Stories (The); or, Bible Narratives for the Yourg. By 
 
 Mrs. LBATHLBY, Author of "Chickseed without Chickweed." Beautifully 
 Illustrated with full-page Engravings. 416 pages. 
 
 5. The Child's Own Book of Country Pleasures. Sixteen 
 
 Coloured and numerous other Illustrations. 
 
 6. Fanny Fern's New Stories for Children. By the Author of 
 
 "Fern Leaves." Illustrated. 
 
 7. Good Old Stories and Fairy Tales. Told for the Hundredth 
 
 Time by H. W. DULCKEN, Ph,D. Eight Coloured and numerous other 
 Illustrations. 
 
 8. Old Nursery Tales and Famous Histories. Re-told by II. \V. 
 
 DULCKBN, Ph.D. Illustrated with Eight Coloured and numerous other 
 Illustrations. 
 
 9. Harry's Ladder to Learning. Numerous plain Engravings, and 
 
 Sixteen Coloured Plates. 
 
 10. Songs for the Little Ones at Home. Coloured and other Illus- 
 
 trations. 
 
 11. Half-Hours with the Bible ; or, Scripture Scenes and Characters : 
 
 described in a simple and attractive form, suitable for Young People. Beauti- 
 fully and profusely illustrated with Engravings. 
 
 12. Brave Old Ballads (The Book of). With Sixteen Coloured 
 
 Illustrations, from designs by JOHN GILBERT. 
 
 13. Nursery Songs and Ballads. Uniform with "Harry's Ladder." 
 
 Eight Coloured Cuts and numerous Plain Illustrations. 
 
 14. Little Mary's Nursery Story Book. Imperial i6mo, numerous 
 
 Illustrations. 
 
 15. Nursery Tales and Stories. Uniform with "Songs for the 
 
 Little Ones." Eight Coloured Cuts and numerous Plain Illustrations. New 
 Edition. Just published. 
 
 1 6. Papa's Pretty Gift-Book for all Good Little Boys and Girls. 
 
 Enriched with numerous clever Engravings. 
 
 16. Nursery Rhymes, Old and New. A Collection of all the most 
 
 Favourite Nursery Rhymes, Jingles, and Stories ; also many new ones now 
 for the first time printed. Imperial 3zmo. Numerous clever Illustrations. 
 
 17. Short Stories and Poems for Children. Original and select, 
 
 with numerous Wood Engravings. New and Revised Edition. 
 
 Published by Ward, Lock, and Tyler.
 
 ifiiiiHi 
 
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