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If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Child's Pictorial History of England - -Author: Julia Corner - -Release Date: March 23, 2021 [eBook #64905] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Brian Coe, John Campbell and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net and the Online - Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This - book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHILD'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF -ENGLAND *** - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - Some minor changes to the text are noted at the end of the book. - - - - -THE - -CHILD’S PICTORIAL - -HISTORY OF ENGLAND. - - -[Illustration: DEATH OF LLEWELLYN.] - -[Illustration: DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.] - - - - - THE CHILD’S - - PICTORIAL - - HISTORY OF ENGLAND; - - FROM THE - - EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME. - - - BY MISS CORNER, - - AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND, GREECE, ROME, FRANCE, - SPAIN, AND PORTUGAL. - - - From the Thirteenth London Edition. - - - PHILADELPHIA: - HENRY F. ANNER’S, - 48 NORTH FOURTH STREET - 1853. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by - - H. F. ANNERS. - - In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, - in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. - - - PHILADELPHIA: - STEREOTYPED BY GEORGE CHARLES, - No. 9 Sansom Street. - - - - -PREFACE - -TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. - - -A juvenile history of England has long been needed in our primary -schools. - -Those already prepared, and in use, are written in a style entirely -beyond the capacities of young children, and too comprehensive in -detail. - -“History for children ought to be told in their own simple language, -or it fails to interest them; while all that is unfitted for childish -ears, or unsuited to a childish understanding, should be carefully -omitted; at the same time, it is essential to avoid making false or -imperfect impressions by an injudicious brevity.” - -_Philadelphia_, 1853. - - - - -The Publisher invites the attention of those engaged in tuition, to -the following reviews, selected from a large number, recommendatory -of Miss Corner, as an historian for the school-room: - -“Miss Corner is an excellent historian for the school-room; she -narrates with fluency and clearness, and in a concise and lively -manner.”--_London Spectator._ - -“It is written with clearness and simplicity, the principal events -are accurately and briefly described, and the whole is well adapted -to the comprehension of young persons.”--_London Atlas._ - -“Miss Corner is concise in matter, yet perspicuous in style, delicate -in narration, yet accurate in record, comprehensive in reference, yet -simple in arrangement.”--_Devonport Independent._ - -“Miss Corner writes intelligently and fluently, with much ease and -winning grace.”--_London Magazine of Arts and Sciences._ - -“The beauty of composition throughout the writings of Miss Corner is -singular and fascinating.”--_London Sun._ - -“This meritorious work is written in a very easy and agreeable style, -perfectly adapted to the capacities of the young persons for whom it -is intended.”--_London Times._ - -“Miss Corner has acquired a deserved celebrity for the -singularly-attractive and intelligible manner she has in narrating -history.”--_London Critic._ - - - - - Contents. - - - CHAPTER I. - PAGE - THE ANCIENT BRITONS, 9 - - - CHAPTER II. - - THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN, 16 - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE SAXON HEPTARCHY, 24 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - MANNERS OF THE SAXONS, 33 - - - CHAPTER V. - - THE DANES AND ALFRED THE GREAT, 41 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - FROM THE DEATH OF ALFRED TO THE NORMAN CONQUEST, 50 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE NORMAN CONQUEST, 59 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE NORMAN PERIOD--1087 TO 1154, 68 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - HENRY THE SECOND, RICHARD THE FIRST, AND JOHN--1154 - TO 1216, 82 - - - CHAPTER X. - - FROM THE DEATH OF KING JOHN TO THE ACCESSION OF - RICHARD THE SECOND--1216 TO 1377, 95 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - FROM THE ACCESSION OF RICHARD THE SECOND TO THE - WAR OF THE ROSES--1377 TO 1422, 110 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE WARS OF THE ROSES--1422 TO 1461, 119 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - FROM THE BATTLE OF BOSWORTH, TO QUEEN ELIZABETH--1461 - TO 1558, 128 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - QUEEN ELIZABETH--1558 TO 1603, 140 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - THE STUARTS. FROM THE UNION TO THE REVOLUTION--1603 - TO 1689, 150 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - THE REVOLUTION--1689 TO 1714, 168 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - HOUSE OF HANOVER--1714 TO 1830, 175 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - FROM THE DEATH OF GEORGE THE THIRD, 1830, TO THE - PRESENT TIME, 190 - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE ANCIENT BRITONS. - - -[Illustration: ANCIENT BRITONS.] - -1. Would you not like to read about your own country, and to know -what sort of people lived in it a long while ago, and whether they -were any thing like us? Indeed, they were not; neither was England, -in ancient times, such as it is now. - -2. There were no great cities, no fine buildings, no pleasant -gardens, parks, or nice roads to go from one place to another; but -the people lived in caves, or in the woods, in clusters of huts, -which they called towns. - -3. The country was not then called England, but Britain; and its -inhabitants were called Britons. They were divided into many tribes; -and each tribe had a king or chief, like the North American Indians; -and these chiefs often went to war with one another. - -4. Some of the tribes lived like savages, for they had no clothes but -skins, and did not know how to cultivate the land: so they had no -bread, but got food to eat by hunting animals in the forests, fishing -in the rivers, and some of them by keeping herds of small hardy -cattle, and gathering wild roots and acorns, which they roasted and -eat. - -5. But all the Britons were not equally uncivilized, for those who -dwelt on the south coasts of the island, had learned many useful -things from the Gauls, a people then living in the country now called -France, who used to come over to trade with them, and with many -families of Gauls who had at various times settled amongst them. - -6. They grew corn, brewed ale, made butter and cheese, and a coarse -woollen cloth for their clothing. And they knew how to dye the wool -of several colors, for they wore plaid trowsers and tunics, and dark -colored woollen mantles, in shape like a large open shawl. - -7. Perhaps you would like to know what they had to sell to the Gauls; -so I will tell you. Britain was famous for large dogs; and there -was plenty of tin; and the South Britons sold also corn and cattle, -and the prisoners which had been taken in war, who were bought for -slaves; and you will be sorry to hear that many of the ancient -Britons sold their children into slavery. - -8. They carried these goods in carts, drawn by oxen, to the coast of -Hampshire, then crossed over to the Isle of Wight, in light boats, -made of wicker, and covered with hides or skins, in shape something -like half a walnut shell. - -9. The merchants from Gaul met them in the Isle of Wight; and as they -brought different kinds of merchandise to dispose of, they managed -their business almost entirely without money, by exchanging one thing -for another. - -10. The Britons were very clever in making things of wicker work, in -the form of baskets, shields, coated with hides, boats, and chariots, -with flat wooden wheels. - -11. These chariots were used in war, and sharp scythes were fixed -to the axles of the wheels, which made terrible havoc when driven -through a body of enemies. - -12. But I shall not say much about the wars of the ancient Britons, -or their mode of fighting; as there are many things far more pleasant -to read of, and more useful to know. - -13. At that time, which is about one thousand nine hundred years ago, -the country was almost covered with forests; and when the people -wanted to build a town, they cleared a space for it by cutting down -the trees, and then built a number of round huts of branches and -clay, with high pointed roofs, like an extinguisher, covered with -rushes or reeds. - -14. This was called a town; and around it they made a bank of earth, -and a fence of the trees they had felled; outside the fence, they -also dug a ditch, to protect themselves and their cattle from the -sudden attacks of hostile tribes. - -15. As to furniture, a few stools or blocks of wood to sit upon, -some wooden bowls and wicker baskets to hold their food, with a few -jars and pans of coarse earthenware, were all the things they used; -for they slept on the ground on skins, spread upon dried leaves, and -fern, or heath. Their bows and arrows, shields, spears, and other -weapons, were hung round the insides of their huts. - -16. The Britons were not quite ignorant of the art of working in -metals; for there was a class of men living among them who understood -many useful arts, and were learned, too, for those times, although -they did not communicate their learning to the rest of the people. - -17. These men were the Druids, or priests, who had much more -authority than the chiefs, because they were so much cleverer; -therefore the people minded what they said. - -18. They made all the laws, and held courts of justice in the open -air, when they must have made a very venerable appearance, seated in -a circle on stones, dressed in long white woollen robes, with wands -in their hands, and long beards descending below their girdles. - -19. The ignorant people believed they were magicians, for they knew -something of astronomy, and of the medicinal qualities of plants and -herbs, with which they made medicines to give the sick, who always -thought they were cured by magic. - -20. Some of the Druids were bards, that is poets, and musicians; -others taught young men to become Druids; and some of them made a -great many useful things out of the metals that were found in the -mines. - -21. You will perhaps wonder where the Druids gained all their -knowledge. I cannot tell you; but many learned men think that the -first Druids came from India or Persia, as the religion they taught -was very similar to that of the Persians and Hindoos. - -22. They did not believe in the true God, but told the people there -were many gods, and that they were in trees and rivers, and fire, -which they worshipped for that reason. - -23. They had no churches, but made temples, by forming circles of -large stones, of such immense size that nobody can guess how they -were carried to the places where they stood, for there are some of -them still remaining. - -24. They used to hold several religious festivals in the course of -the year, when all the people made holiday, and the bards played on -their harps and sang, and there was plenty of feasting, and merry -making; and they used to light bonfires, and make an illumination by -running about with torches in their hands, for they believed that a -display of fire was pleasing to their gods; and so you see that our -custom of having fireworks, and illuminations, and bonfires, on days -of public rejoicing, is as old as the time of the ancient Britons. - -25. The Druids had a great deal to do on those days; for they used -to go to their temples and say prayers, and sacrifice animals for -offerings to their false gods; and on New Year’s Day, they walked in -procession to some old oak tree to cut the mistletoe that grew upon -it, for this was one of their religious ceremonies; and the oldest -Druid went up into the tree to cut the plant, while the rest stood -below singing sacred songs, and holding their robes to catch the -boughs as they fell; and crowds of men and women stood round to see -them. - -26. But I must make an end of this chapter about the ancient Britons, -and tell you how the Romans came and conquered the country, and made -quite a different place of it. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 3. What was England called in ancient times? - - 4. How did the Britons resemble the American Indians? - - 5. Describe the tribes that were most civilized. - - 7. With whom did they trade, and in what commodities? - - 8. How and where was their trade carried on? - - 10. For what manufacture were the Britons famous? - - 13. How did they build a town? - - 15. Describe the furniture of their habitations. - - 17. Who were the Druids? - - 18. Tell me what you know about them. - - 19. Mention the different employments of the Druids. - - 21. Where is it supposed the first Druids came from? - - 25. Describe their temples. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE ROMANS IN BRITAIN. - - -[Illustration: LANDING OF JULIUS CÆSAR.] - -1. The Romans, about the time of the birth of Christ, were the -richest, the most powerful, and the cleverest people in the world. -Rome was a grand city, and there were many other fine cities in Italy -belonging to the Romans, who knew how to build handsome houses, and -make beautiful gardens, besides being excellent farmers. - -2. They had elegant furniture, and pictures, and marble statues; and -they were well educated, and wrote a great number of books in Latin, -for that was their language, and many of those books are used in our -schools to this day. - -3. They had large armies, and had conquered a great many countries, -when Julius Cæsar, a great Roman General, brought an army to Britain, -about fifty years before the birth of our Saviour, to try to conquer -the Britons also; but thousands of British warriors went down to -the sea shore, by Dover cliffs, to fight the Romans as soon as they -landed; and they took a great many war chariots with them, and fought -so bravely, that after two or three battles, Cæsar offered to make -peace with them, and go away, if their princes would pay tribute to -the Roman government; which they consented to do. - -4. However, the Romans thought no more about Britain for nearly a -hundred years, when they came again, and went to war in earnest -with the natives, who at length were obliged to submit to them; and -Britain became a part of the Roman Empire, just as India is at this -time a part of the British Empire. - -5. Now this was a good thing for the Britons, although they did not -then think so; for as soon as they left off fighting, the Romans -began to teach them all they knew, and to make a much better place -of Britain than it had ever been before. - -6. As soon as a part of the country was conquered, some great man was -sent from Rome to govern it, and to make the people obey the Roman -laws. - -7. Then other great men came to live here, and brought their families -and furniture and plate from Rome; and built fine houses, and planted -gardens, with flowers and fruit trees, and vegetables, that were -never seen here before, for they brought the roots and seeds and -young trees with them. - -8. At first, the Roman governors made the Britons pay very heavy -taxes; not in money, for they had none; but they were obliged to give -a part of their cattle, and corn, and metals, or any thing else they -had; and to work with the Roman soldiers at building, making roads, -draining the watery lands, and cutting down trees, to make room for -houses and gardens. - -9. They did not like this, and one of the tribes, named the Iceni, -who lived in that part of Britain which is now called Norfolk and -Suffolk, determined to make another effort to drive the Romans out of -the country. - -10. You will be surprised to hear that they were headed by a woman; -but there were queens among the Britons as well as kings; and the -king of the Iceni being dead, his widow Boadicea governed in his -stead. - -11. She encouraged her people to rebel against their new rulers, and -led them to battle herself, mounted in a chariot, and armed like a -warrior; but the Romans won the battle, and the brave but unfortunate -queen put an end to her own life. - -12. After this, there was another long war, which lasted till all -the South British tribes were subdued, and the Roman government -established all over the country, except the north part of Scotland. - -13. It was lucky for the Britons that a very good Roman, named -Agricola, was made governor about this time, for he behaved so kindly -that they began to like the Romans, and to wish to live as they did, -and to know how to do all the clever things they could do. - -14. I should tell you that all the Roman soldiers were educated as -engineers and builders, surveyors, and cultivators of land, and when -not actually engaged in fighting, they were employed daily for four -hours in some such out-of-door labour or occupation; so, when the -war was over, they were set to work to improve the country, and the -Britons had to help them. - -15. They made good hard broad roads, paved with stones firmly -cemented together, and set up mile stones upon them. - -16. The Romans had built London during the war, and given it the name -of Augusta, but the houses were almost all barracks for the soldiers -and their families, so that it was not nearly so handsome as York -and Bath, and many other cities that they built in place of the old -British towns. - -17. The Britons, who had never seen any thing better than their -own clay huts, must have been quite astonished at the fine houses -constructed by the Romans; who also built, in every city, temples, -theatres, and public baths, with large rooms for people to meet in, -like a coffee house. - -18. Then, in each town, was a market place for people to buy and sell -goods, and the Romans taught the Britons generally to use money, -which was more convenient than taking things in exchange. - -19. The Romans were excellent farmers, as I said before; so they -shewed the natives how to manage their land better than they had -done, and how to make many useful implements of husbandry. - -20. By cutting down the forest trees, which they used in building, -they obtained more land for cultivation, and grew so much corn that -there was more than enough for the people in Britain, so that a great -deal was sent every year to the Roman colonies in Germany. - -21. By degrees, the Britons left off their old habits, and those -above the lowest rank wore the Roman dress, spoke the Roman language, -and adopted the manners and customs of their conquerors, who treated -them as friends and equals. - -22. There were schools opened in all the towns, where British and -Roman boys were instructed together, and the former were all brought -up to serve in the Roman armies; for there were no more wars among -the British princes; who held the same rank as before, but paid -tribute to the Roman governor, and were under his authority, as many -of the princes of India are now under the authority of the English -Governor General in India. - -23. The Britons had to pay a great many taxes, but they likewise -enjoyed many rights, for the Roman laws were much better laws than -those of the Druids, which were made for barbarians, and not for -civilized people, such as the Britons had now become. - -24. You will, perhaps, wonder what the Druids were about all this -time. The Romans did not approve of their religion, so they put an -end to it very soon, after they came here; but what became of the -Druids, is not exactly known. - -25. It is supposed that many of them were killed by the Romans in the -isle of Anglesea, where the chief Druid always resided; and that all -the rest fled to Scotland, or the Isle of Man. - -26. The Romans, however, were themselves heathens, when they first -settled in Britain, and worshipped a number of false gods; but their -gods were different from those of the Druids, and the rites and -ceremonies of their religion were different too. - -27. But, in course of time, many of the Romans became Christians, and -Christianity was taught in Britain, where the heathen temples were -converted into Christian churches, and the Britons, as well as the -Romans, at length learned to worship the one true God. - -28. The Romans had kept possession of Britain for more than three -hundred years, when it happened that great armies of barbarians went -to fight against Rome, and all the soldiers were sent for, to try to -drive them away again; so that this country was left unprotected, for -it was the Roman soldiers who had kept enemies from coming here. - -29. The Britons hoped they would come back again, as they did more -than once; but affairs got worse and worse at Rome, so the rulers -there sent word to the British princes, that they did not wish to -keep the island any longer, therefore the Britons might consider -themselves a free people. But was freedom a blessing to them? I think -we shall find it was not. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 3. By whom was Britain first invaded? - - 4. When did the Romans again appear? - - 5. Was this conquest a good or bad thing for the Britons, and why? - - 8. What occasioned the revolt of the Iceni? - - 10. Who headed the insurrection, and what were its consequences? - - 13. Who was Agricola? - - 14. How were the Roman soldiers employed in time of peace? - - 15. Tell me of the improvements made in Britain by the Romans. - - 25. What became of the Druids? - - 28. When and why did the Romans leave Britain? - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE SAXON HEPTARCHY. - - -[Illustration: A SAXON SHIP.] - -1. It is now time to tell you something about the Picts and Scots. -They were the people of Scotland, and were called by the Romans -Caledonians, which meant men of the woods, because they were very -rude and fierce, and lived among woods and wilds. - -2. They had always been sad enemies to the Britons; but the Romans -had kept them away, and the good governor Agricola built a row of -strong forts, all across their country, and placed soldiers in them, -to make the Caledonians keep on the other side. - -3. However, they sometimes managed to break through; so the Emperor -Severus, who was here from the year 207 to 211, had a stone wall -built across that narrow part, where Northumberland joins Cumberland, -and it was so strong, that parts of the banks and forts are still -remaining. - -4. But when all the Roman soldiers were gone, the Picts and Scots -began to come again, and robbed the people of their corn and cattle, -and stole their children for slaves, and did a great deal of mischief. - -5. Now, if the British princes had agreed among themselves, and -joined together to drive out these terrible foes, things might have -gone on very well; but they were foolish enough to quarrel, and go to -war with one another; while some of the captains, who wanted to be -princes, got a number of soldiers to help them, and took possession -of different places, where they called themselves kings, and made the -people obey them. - -6. They did not continue the good Roman laws; nor elect magistrates -to keep order in the cities, as used to be done while the Romans were -here; and tillage was neglected, because the farmers were afraid -their crops would be destroyed, so that numbers of people died of -famine. - -7. There were still many Romans in Britain, who were not soldiers but -were settled here, most of them having married into British families; -and there were a great number of people who were Britons by birth, -but whose ancestors had been Romans; and all these were desirous that -the country should still be governed by the Roman laws, and formed -what was called the Roman party. - -8. But there was a British party also, that wanted to do away with -the Roman laws altogether, and not to let the Romans have any thing -to do with ruling the country; so each of these parties elected a -king. - -9. The Britons chose a prince named Vortigern; and the Romans chose -one called Aurelius Ambrosius; and there was war between them. - -10. Then Vortigern, the British king, thought it would be a good -thing to get some other brave people to join his party, that he might -be able to overcome his rival, as well as to drive away the Picts and -Scots; so he proposed to some of the British chiefs that they should -ask the Saxons to come and help them, and they thought it would be -a good plan. - -11. The Saxons inhabited the north of Germany, and parts of Holland -and Denmark, which were then poor and barren countries. - -12. Many of their chiefs were pirates, that is, they lived by going -out on the seas to fight and plunder; nor did they think it wicked so -to do; but, on the contrary, imagined it was brave and noble. - -13. Two of them, Hengist and Horsa, happened to be cruising near -the British coast, when they received a message from Vortigern; who -made a bargain with them, and offered to give them the little island -of Thanet, if they would come with all their men, to assist him in -driving out the Picts and Scots. - -14. Thanet is that part of Kent where Margate is now situated, but -was then separated by an arm of the sea, so that it was a small -island, standing alone, nearly a mile from the coast. - -15. The Saxons were very ready to come, for they knew that Britain -was a pleasant, fertile country, and hoped to get some of it for -themselves; but they did not let the Britons know they thought of -doing so. - -16. Hengist and Horsa were very brave, and their men were well armed, -so they soon forced the Picts and Scots to retreat to their own -country; and shortly afterwards they went to the Isle of Thanet, -which they fortified, and many more Saxons came there to them. - -17. I cannot tell you how the affairs of the Britons went on, or what -became of Vortigern; but this I can tell you, that the Saxons soon -began to quarrel with the people of Kent, and fought with them, and -having driven most of them away, took the land for themselves, and -began to live there. - -18. The chief who made this conquest, was Esca, the son of Hengist, -who called himself king of Kent, which, from that time, was a small -Saxon kingdom, for the Britons never won it back again. - -13. Then other chiefs, hearing how Esca had succeeded, got together -bands of soldiers, and landed in different parts of the country, to -try to gain kingdoms also; but they did not all come at once, and -their conquests were made by such slow degrees, that the wars lasted -more than one hundred and fifty years; so you may guess how hard the -Britons fought in defence of their liberty. - -20. We can learn but very little about those unhappy times, for the -few histories that were then written were mostly destroyed in these -long wars; and though songs were composed by the bards or poets, -which the people used to learn and teach to their children, these -songs were not all true. - -21. They were mostly about the wars, and the brave British chiefs who -defended the country against the Saxons; and if you should ever hear -anybody speak of king Arthur, and the knights of the Round Table, you -may remember that he is said to have been one of those chiefs; and, -if we may believe the tale, killed four hundred Saxons with his own -hand in one battle. - -22. Those who made the story about him, say that the nobles of his -court were all so equal in bravery and goodness, that he had a large -round table made for them to feast at, that no one might sit above -another; so they were called knights of the Round Table. But let us -return to our history. - -23. The Saxons went on making one conquest after another, till, at -last, they were in possession of the whole country; where very few -of the natives were left, for most of those who had not been killed -in the wars, had fled into Gaul, or taken refuge among the Welsh -mountains; so from this time we shall hear no more of the Britons, -but must look upon the Saxons as the people of England. - -24. I told you how Esca had established the little kingdom of Kent. -Well, in the course of the wars, six more kingdoms had been formed -in the same manner, by different Saxon chiefs, so that, by the time -the conquest was completed, there were seven kingdoms in Britain, -namely, Kent, Sussex, Essex, and East Anglia, Northumbria, Wessex, -and Mercia; and this division of the country among seven kings, was -called the Saxon Heptarchy. - -25. The Saxons were not clever people, like the Romans, but were -rough and ignorant, and cared for nothing but fighting; so while the -wars were going on, they ruined and destroyed all the beautiful and -useful works that had been done in the Roman times; for they did -not understand their value, and only thought it was a fine thing to -destroy all that belonged to their enemies. - -26. But the works of the Romans were very strong; for even now, when -workmen are digging in London, and different parts of the country, -they sometimes find Roman walls, and pavements, and foundations of -houses, that show what good architects the Romans were. - -27. When the Saxons had got possession of the whole country, you -may perhaps suppose they would be quiet and contented, but this -was not the case; for as long as there were separate kingdoms, they -were continually at war with each other, and the principal cause of -disagreement was, that, among the kings, there was always one called -the Bretwalda, or ruler of Britain, who had some degree of authority -over the rest; but as any one of them might be raised to this -dignity, it was a constant source of quarrels and warfare, until, at -length, the weaker kingdoms were overcome by the more powerful ones, -and there was but one king over the whole country, which then took -the name of Angleland or England, from a particular tribe of people -called the Angles, who came here in great numbers with the Saxons. - -28. I dare say you did not know before how Britain came to be called -England; and you would be very much amused to hear how many of the -places in it, came by their present names. - -29. We will take for example Norfolk and Suffolk, which, with -Cambridge, formed the kingdom of East Anglia, and was conquered by -the Angles. Now these Angles consisted of two tribes, who divided -their conquest between them, one tribe settling in the north part, -the other in the south; so that they were called North folk, and -South folk, and thus came the names of the two counties. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. Who were the Caledonians? - - 4. How did they molest the Britons? - - 6. What was the state of the country at this time? - - 7. What was the Roman party? - - 8. What was the British party? - - 10. Who was Vortigern, and what did he do? - - 11. Tell me something about the Saxons. - - 16. Who were Hengist and Horsa, and how did they assist the Britons? - - 23. What did the Saxons do after this? - - 24. What was the Heptarchy? - - 25. How was the country changed by the wars? - - 27. How was the Heptarchy destroyed? - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -MANNERS OF THE SAXONS. - - -[Illustration: ANCIENT SAXONS.] - -1. I am now going to tell you what sort of people the Saxons were, -and how they lived after they were quite settled in England; for you -ought to know all about them, as they were our own ancestors, and -made a great many of our laws; and their language was English too, -although it has so much altered that you would hardly know it for the -same. - -2. The Saxons were not Christians when they first came here; but -their religion was different from that of both the Druids and heathen -Romans; for they worshipped great images of stone or wood, that they -made themselves, and called gods; and from the names of their gods -and goddesses, our names of the days of the week are derived. - -3. At length, the bishop of Rome, who was called the Pope, sent some -good men to persuade the Saxons to leave off praying to wooden idols, -and to worship the true God. - -4. These missionaries first went to Ethelbert, king of Kent, who -was then Bretwalda, and reasoned with him, so that he saw how wrong -he had been, and not only became a Christian himself, but let the -missionaries go and preach among the people, who were baptized in -great numbers, and taught to believe in God and Jesus Christ. - -5. The missionaries were all priests or monks; and some of them lived -together in great houses called monasteries, which they built upon -lands given them by the kings and nobles, on which they also raised -corn, and fed sheep and cattle. - -6. They had brought from Rome the knowledge of many useful arts, -which they taught to the people, who thus learned to be smiths and -carpenters, and to make a variety of things out of metal, wood and -leather, which the Saxons did not know how to make before. - -7. Then the priests could read and write, which was more than the -nobles, or even the kings could do; and they used to write books, and -ornament the pages with beautiful borders, and miniature paintings; -and the books, thus adorned, are called illuminated manuscripts. - -8. Still the Saxons, or English, as I shall henceforth call them, -were very rough and ignorant as compared with the Romans. - -9. Their churches and houses, and even the palaces of the kings, were -rude wooden buildings, and the cottages of the poor people were no -better than the huts of the ancient Britons. - -10. The common people were almost all employed in cultivating the -land, and lived in villages on the different estates to which they -belonged; for the Saxon landlords were not only the owners of the -land, but of the people also; who were not at liberty, as they are -now, to go where they pleased; neither could they buy land for -themselves, nor have any property but what their lords chose. I will -tell you how it was. - -11. The Saxon lords had divided all the land amongst themselves, and -had brought from their own countries thousands of ceorls, or poor -people, dependent on them, to be their labourers. - -12. Each family of ceorls was allowed to have a cottage, with a few -acres of land, and to let their cattle or sheep graze on the commons, -for which, instead of paying rent, they worked a certain number of -days in each year for their lord, and, besides, gave him a stated -portion of those things their little farms produced; so that whenever -they killed a pig, they carried some of it to the great house; and -the same with their fowls, eggs, honey, milk and butter; and thus the -chief’s family was well supplied with provisions by his tenants, some -of whom took care of his sheep and herds, cultivated his fields, and -got in his harvests. - -13. Then there were always some among them who had learned useful -trades, and thus they did all the kinds of work their masters wanted. - -14. Yet, with all this, the poor ceorls generally had enough for -themselves, and some to spare, which they sold at the markets, and -thus were able to save a little money. - -15. Their cottages were round huts, made of the rough branches of -trees, coated with clay, and thatched with straw. They had neither -windows nor chimneys; but a hole was made in the roof to let out the -smoke from the wood fire, kindled on a hearth in the middle of the -room; and they used to bake their barley-cakes, which served them for -bread, on these hearths, without any oven. - -16. They made a coarse kind of cloth for clothing from the wool of -their sheep, a part of which was also given to their lord, and was -used to clothe the servants of his household, for the rich people got -a finer cloth for themselves, which was brought from other countries. - -17. Great men usually wore white cloth tunics that reached to the -knee, with broad coloured borders, and belts round the waist. They -had short cloaks, linen drawers and black leather shoes, with -coloured bands crossed on their legs, instead of stockings. The -common people wore tunics of coarse dark cloth, and shoes, but no -covering on the legs. - -18. But I must tell you something more about these country folks, -who, at the time, formed the great mass of the English population. -They were, strictly speaking, in bondage, for they could not leave -the place where they were born, nor the master they belonged to, -unless he gave them their freedom; they were obliged to serve as -soldiers in war time, and when the land was transferred to a new -lord, the people were transferred with it. - -19. All they had might at any time be taken from them, and their sons -and daughters could not marry, without consent of their lord. - -20. Yet these people considered themselves free, because they could -not be sold like the slaves; for I ought to tell you there was a -lower class of bondmen, called thralls, and there were regular slave -markets where they were bought and sold. - -21. A landowner could sell a thrall just as he could sell an ox; -but he could not sell a vassal tenant, or, as they were called in -the Saxon times, a ceorl, or churl, without the estate to which he -belonged. The thralls were employed to do the hardest and meanest -work, and had nothing of their own. - -22. The houses of the great men were very like large barns, and each -house stood on an open space of ground, enclosed by a wall of earth -and a ditch, within which there were stacks of corn, sheds for the -horses and cattle, and huts for the thralls to sleep in. - -23. The principal room was a great hall, strewed with rushes, and -furnished with long oak tables and benches. - -24. The windows were square holes crossed with thin laths, called -lattices, and the fire-place was a stone hearth in the middle of the -earthen floor, on which they used to burn great logs of wood, and let -the smoke go out at a hole in the door. - -25. But the great people often had merry doings in these halls, -for they were fond of feasting, and used to sit at the long wooden -tables, without table cloths, and eat out of wooden platters or -trenchers with their fingers. - -26. Boiled meats and fish, usually salted, were put on the table in -great wooden dishes, but roast meats were brought in on the spits -on which they were cooked, and handed round by the thralls, to the -company, who helped themselves with knives which they carried at -their girdles. - -27. There was plenty of ale, and among the richest, wine also, which -they drank out of horn cups; and when the meats were taken away, they -used to drink and sing, and play on the harp, and often had tumblers, -jugglers, and minstrels to amuse them. - -28. Then the visitors used to lie down on the floor to sleep, covered -with their cloaks; for very few people had bedsteads, and the only -beds were a kind of large bags, or bed-ticks, filled with straw, and -blocks of wood for pillows. - -29. Such were the rough manners of our Saxon forefathers, who were, -however, in some respects a good sort of people, and you will be -sorry for them by and by, when you read how the Normans came, and -took away their lands, and made slaves of them. But I must first tell -you what happened in the Saxon times, after the Heptarchy was broken -up, and there was only one king of England. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 4. How were the Saxons converted to Christianity? - - 6. By what means did they learn many useful arts? - - 8. What was the condition of the common people? - - 15. Describe the cottages of the poor. - - 16. How did the Saxons dress? - - 21. What were ceorls? and what were thralls? - - 22. Describe the house of a Saxon chief. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE DANES AND ALFRED THE GREAT. - - -[Illustration: ALFRED THE GREAT.] - -1. It was nearly 380 years after the first Saxons came here with -their two pirate chiefs, Hengist and Horsa, that England began to -have only one king. - -2. There were still some other princes, who bore that title, but they -had so little power, that they could hardly be called kings; so that -a brave prince, named Egbert, who conquered the last kingdom of the -Heptarchy, is usually called the first king of England. - -3. The civil wars were thus, for a time, ended; but it seemed as if -the English were never to be long at peace, for they now had some -terrible enemies to contend with, who kept the country in constant -alarm. - -4. These were the Danes who came from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, -and were almost the same people as the Saxons; for they spoke the -same language, followed the same customs, and lived by piracy, as the -Saxons did in former times. - -5. I have not room to tell you of half the mischief they did in -England. Sometimes they would land suddenly from their boats in the -night, when the affrighted people were awakened by a cry of, “the -Danes! the Danes!” and, starting up, perhaps, beheld their villages -in flames; and, as they ran in terror from their cottages, were -either killed or dragged away to the pirate vessels, with the cattle -and any thing else that could be found, and made slaves. - -6. Egbert had fought a battle with them in Cornwall, and forced them -to depart; but, during the reign of Ethelwulf, the next king, and -three of his sons, they not only attacked the towns and villages -on the sea-coast, but used to seize the horses and ride about the -country in search of plunder. - -7. They broke into the monasteries, where the people often put their -money and jewels for safety; and if the inmates made any resistance -they would set the building on fire. - -8. Then they set up fortified camps, in many places; that is, a -number of tents, arranged together, like a town surrounded with -a wall and ditch; and thus a great many of the Danes established -themselves in the country, and conquered all the northern part of it. -This was the sad state of affairs when Alfred the Great came to the -throne. - -9. I dare say you have heard of this good prince, who was the -youngest and favorite son of king Ethelwulf, for he was the cleverest -and best. His mother, being an accomplished lady, tried to teach all -her sons to read; but none of them would learn except Alfred, who -afterwards went to Rome to study Latin, and learn to write, so that -he was a good scholar for those times. - -10. His three brothers had all reigned in turn, and were all dead -by the time he was twenty-two years old, therefore he was then heir -to the crown; but, instead of being able to think about the best -way of governing the country, he was obliged to get together as many -soldiers as he could, and go out with them to fight the Danes. - -11. There was no regular army then, as there is now; but, when the -king wanted soldiers, he sent to all the noblemen and landholders -in the kingdom, who were obliged to come themselves and bring so -many men with them, according to the size of their estates, some on -horseback, some on foot, and all well armed. - -12. You must remember that people could not buy land then for money, -nor have it for paying rent; but large estates were given to the -thanes and nobles by the king, on condition that they should perform -certain services for him; and you have already seen how the vassals -of the nobles held their little farms on similar terms. - -13. This was called the feudal system, which means, holding land for -services instead of rent; and the person holding the land was called -the vassal of him to whom it belonged, whether rich or poor; so the -nobles were the vassals of the king, and the ceorls were the vassals -of the nobles. - -14. I think you now understand what the feudal system was, therefore -I shall proceed with the history of Alfred the Great. - -15. The war had gone on for several years, and the king was so -unfortunate that, at last, he was obliged to hide himself in a woody -marsh in Somersetshire, called the Isle of Athelney, because it was -surrounded by bogs and rivers. - -16. The Danes were then in pursuit of him; and, one time, fearing to -be taken prisoner, he got some man to let him keep his cows, or pigs, -I do not know which; so that, if the Danes happened to see him, they -might not guess who he was. - -17. I dare say, you have heard the story of this peasant’s wife -scolding Alfred one day, for letting some cakes burn, which she had -left to bake on the hearth, whilst she was out; but she did not know -that he was the king, or, of course, she would not have taken that -liberty. - -18. At last, Alfred heard there were many chiefs and noblemen, with -their vassals, ready to join him again; so he determined to try -another battle, but thought it would be prudent first to learn what -was the real strength of the enemy. - -19. Now the Danes, like the Saxons, were fond of good cheer, and -liked to have songs and music to make them merry while they were -feasting; and this put it into Alfred’s head to go into their camp -disguised as a harper, for he could play the harp and sing very well. - -20. So away he went, with his harp at his back, and, when he came -there, the Danish chiefs had him called into their tents, and made -him sit down and play to them, and gave him plenty to eat and drink. - -21. Then he heard them talking about king Alfred, and saying, they -supposed he was dead, as he did not come to fight them, so they need -think of nothing but enjoying themselves; and thus he discovered they -were not prepared for a battle, and were almost sure to be defeated, -if taken by surprise. - -22. He, therefore, left the camp as soon as he could, and sent -a message to his friends to meet him in Selwood Forest, also in -Somersetshire, with all the men they could muster; and, when they -were all come, he put himself at their head, and, marching suddenly -down upon the Danes, fought and won a great battle at Ethandune, a -place in Gloucestershire, now called Woeful Danes’ Bottom, from the -terrible slaughter of the Danes there. - -23. But there were a great many Danes in England who had not been -engaged in this battle, and who had possession of almost all the -northern part of the country; so the king wisely considered that -it would be much better to induce them to settle peaceably in the -country as friends, rather than prolong those dreadful wars, which -had already caused so much misery. - -24. He therefore proposed to the Danish chief that, if he would -promise to keep at peace, he should have a wide tract of country, -which had been desolated by these wars, all along the east coast, -from the river Tweed to the river Thames, for himself and his people, -to be called the Dane land; so Guthrun, the Danish chief, accepted -the offer, and parcelled the land out amongst his followers, who -settled there with their vassals, and lived the same manner as the -Saxons. - -25. You may think how glad the people were that the wars were over, -and the king was very glad too, for he now had time to do what was -more pleasant to him than fighting, which was, to do all the good he -could for the country. He thought the best way to defend it against -its enemies was to have good ships to keep them from landing; but, -as the English did not know much about ship-building, he sent for -men from Italy to teach them, and also had models of ships brought -that they might see how they were constructed, and men were taught to -manage them, so that England, for the first time, had a navy. - -26. These ships were called galleys, and were worked both with oars -and sails; they were twice as long as those of the Danes, and stood -higher out of the water. - -27. While some workmen were making ships, others were employed in -rebuilding of the towns and villages that had been burned down by -the Danes; and the king ordained that there should be schools in -different parts of the kingdom, where noblemen’s sons might be -educated, for he had found the benefit of learning himself, and -thought it a sad thing that all the great men should be so ignorant -as they were. - -28. You may, perhaps, wonder why so good a man as Alfred should only -think of having the great people taught to read; but reading would -have been of no use to the common people, as the art of printing was -unknown, and there were no books but those written by the monks or -nuns, which were so expensive that none but very rich people could -afford to have even two or three of them. - -29. The principal school founded by king Alfred was at Oxford, which -was then a small, poor place, with a monastery, and a few mean wooden -houses for the scholars to live in, very different from the present -grand university, and the masters, who were all churchmen, and called -learned clerks, resided in the monastery. - -30. Alfred, with the help of some good and clever men, whom he -consulted in every thing, made some very wise laws, and obliged -the people to obey them, by having courts of justice held in the -principal cities, regularly once a month; for nobody had thought much -about law or justice either, while the wars were going on, so that -there was need of some very strict regulations to restore good order, -without which there can be neither happiness nor comfort any where. - -31. Under the good government of Alfred the Great, England enjoyed -more peace and prosperity than it had known since the days of the -Romans; and as his son and grandson both endeavoured to follow his -example, the influence of his wisdom was felt long after his death, -which happened when he was about fifty years old, in the year 900. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 2. Who was called the first king of England? - - 4. Who were the Danes? - - 8. How did they establish themselves in the country? - - 10. Who went to war with them? - - 11. How was an army raised in those times? - - 12. What was the feudal system? - - 15. What happened to Alfred? - - 22. What was the battle of Ethandune? - - 24. How did Alfred make friends of the Danes? - - 26. How was a navy first formed? - - 29. Which of our universities was founded by Alfred the Great? - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -FROM THE DEATH OF ALFRED TO THE NORMAN CONQUEST. - - -[Illustration: CANUTE AND HIS COURTIERS.] - -1. Alfred was succeeded by his son Edward, who was a very good king, -though not so clever as his father. He built walls round a great -many of the towns, to defend them in case the Danes should come -again; for, although so many of them were living quietly in the -country, those who did not live here were still enemies, and the -resident Danes were always ready to join their countrymen. - -2. But they could not do much mischief while Edward was king, or -in the reign of his brave son Athelstan, who was almost as great a -prince as Alfred himself. - -3. He knew that commerce was one of the best things in the world for -any country, so he had more ships built, and sent them to trade with -foreign countries; and he said that, when any man had made three -voyages in a vessel of his own, he should be made a Thane; which was -the same as knighting a gentleman in these days. - -4. There were no stores in England at this time, but the people -bought every thing they wanted at markets and fairs; and they used to -salt a great deal of their meat and fish, that it might keep a long -time. - -5. In buying and selling, they sometimes used slaves and cattle, -instead of money, a man slave being worth a pound of silver, and an -ox worth a quarter of a pound, which was called five shillings, as a -shilling was the twentieth part of a pound in weight. - -6. If a nobleman, therefore, wanted to buy any thing of two pounds -value, he could pay for it with two of his thralls, or eight oxen, -and the seller was obliged to take them; but he could sell them again -directly; for I am sorry to say there were slave markets in England -till some time after the Norman Conquest. - -7. Athelstan had a good deal of fighting to do, for the people of -the Daneland revolted, and he was obliged to lead his soldiers into -their territory, to bring them to order; and then he had to march -against Howel, the Prince of Wales, who was defeated in battle, when -Athelstan nobly gave him back his dominions, saying, “There was more -glory in making a king than in dethroning one.” - -8. I shall not mention all the kings that reigned after Athelstan, -because there were many of them who did nothing that is worth telling -about; but I must speak of a great churchman, named Dunstan, who was -Archbishop of Canterbury, and, for several reigns, ruled the whole -country, for the kings and nobles were obliged to do just as he -pleased. - -9. He was a very clever man, and so good a worker in metals that he -made jewellery and bells, and gave them to some of the churches, -which was considered an act of piety; for it was about this time -that bells began to be used in England, and they were highly valued. - -10. Dunstan persuaded the kings and rich noblemen, to rebuild the -monasteries that had been plundered and destroyed by the Danes, and -endow them with lands; so that, at last, nearly one-third of all the -landed property in the kingdom belonged to the clergy. - -11. There was a king named Edgar, the fourth after Athelstan, who did -many useful things for the country; and, among others, he thought -of a plan to destroy the wolves, which were so numerous in all the -forests, that the people were in constant alarm for the safety of -their sheep, and even of their little children. - -12. Edgar, therefore, ordered that each of the princes of Wales, who -had to pay tribute to the kings of England, should send, instead of -money, three hundred wolves’ heads every year; so they were obliged -to employ huntsmen to go into the woods to kill those dangerous -animals, which were so generally destroyed in a few years that they -have seldom been found in England ever since. - -13. Then Edgar kept the Danes away by having as many as three hundred -and sixty vessels always ready for service; but, when he and Dunstan -were dead the navy was neglected; and the country was again overrun -with those terrible enemies, who fought with the English every where, -robbed them of their property, took their houses for themselves, and -acted just as if they were the conquerors and lords of the land. - -14. At last, the Danish king, Sweyn, landed with a great army, and -began a dreadful war with Ethelred, who was then king of England, -that lasted about four years, in the course of which he and Ethelred -both died; but the war was continued by Canute, the son of Sweyn, and -with such success, that, in the end, he was crowned king of England. - -15. It was lucky for the English that Canute happened to be a wise -and good prince; for he said to himself, “As I am now king of these -people, I will behave kindly to them, that they may love me, and -then we shall go on comfortably together.” So he began to repair the -mischief that had been done in the late wars, by setting people to -work to rebuild the towns that had been destroyed; which was soon -done in those days, when the houses were so roughly built, and only -of wood. - -16. He also made a law that the Danes should not rob and insult the -English, as they had been in the habit of doing; and ordered that -they should obey the other laws of the country; which he did not -alter in the least; neither did he interfere with the estates of the -nobles, nor with their rights over their vassals; and he consulted -with the Witanagemote, or Parliament, in all affairs of importance. - -17. This Parliament was composed of the great nobles and the bishops, -so that it was like our House of Lords; and, when the king made a -new law, the people were not obliged to obey it, until it had been -approved by the Witanagemote. - -18. As long as Canute reigned, which was nineteen years, there were -peace and plenty, and the poor people were much happier than they -had been for a long time, for they could stay at home and mind their -farms, or work at their trades, without being called away continually -to fight the Danes. - -19. The king, it is true, kept a large army of Danish soldiers, and -the people had to pay heavy taxes to support them; but this was -better than seeing them come as enemies into the towns and villages -to destroy or take every thing. - -20. After the death of Canute, his two sons reigned in succession, -but they were neither very good nor very clever, and both died -within six years. - -21. All this while there was a Saxon prince, named Edward, son of -king Ethelred, living at the court of the Duke of Normandy, who was -his uncle, and had afforded him shelter and protection whilst his -enemies were ruling in England. - -22. He was now restored to the throne, and the English people thought -themselves happy in having again a king of their own nation; but they -little foresaw the terrible consequences of placing over them one who -had formed so close a connection with the Normans. - -23. Edward was attached to the Normans, for they had been kind to -him in his misfortunes; but it was neither wise nor just to bring -a great number of them to his court, and set them up above his -own countrymen, by giving them the highest appointments in the -government, which, of course, gave offence to the English noblemen. - -24. Edward was called the Confessor, because he spent much of his -time in devotion. He rebuilt Westminster Abbey, which was founded -during the Heptarchy; but this building was pulled down about 160 -years afterwards, by Henry the Third, who erected the present edifice -in its place. - -25. But I was going to tell you what happened in consequence of the -king’s attachment to the Normans. His uncle was dead, and his cousin -William, a bold spirited prince, who was now Duke of Normandy, came -over to England to visit the king, and see what sort of a place it -was. - -26. He brought a great many noblemen with him, and it seems they all -liked the country so much that the Duke thought he should like to -be its king, and his friends thought they should like to get good -estates here; so king Edward was persuaded to make a will, or give -his promise, that, when he died, his cousin William, who was more -than twenty years younger than himself, should be his successor. -The English lords knew nothing about this at the time, but they had -reason enough to know it afterwards, as you will presently find. - -27. Edward the Confessor died at the beginning of the year 1066, -when Harold, his wife’s brother, a brave and popular nobleman, took -possession of the throne, with the consent of the chief nobles and -clergy. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. Who succeeded Alfred? - - 2. Who was the next king? - - 3. How was trade encouraged by him? - - 5. Tell me the way of making purchases at this period. - - 7. Were there any wars in the reign of Athelstan? - - 8. Who was Dunstan? - - 14. Who was Canute, and how did he obtain the throne? - - 16. What were the chief acts of Canute? - - 18. How long did Canute reign? - - 19. What was the general state of the country under his government? - - 20. Who succeeded Canute? - - 21. How was the Saxon government restored? - - 23. How did the king displease his subjects? - - 24. Why was Edward called the Confessor? - - 27. When did Edward die, and who succeeded him? - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE NORMAN CONQUEST. - - -[Illustration: DEATH OF HAROLD.] - -1. As soon as the Duke of Normandy knew that Edward the Confessor -was dead, and Harold made king, he called his friends together, and -promised to bestow lands and honors in England on all who would -assist him to win the crown; which, he said, was his by right, and -that Harold was an usurper. - -2. Now this is a doubtful question; for, although the king could -appoint a successor, if he thought proper; yet it was necessary -that his choice should have the approval of the Witenagemote, -which had not been given in this case; so the English said that, -notwithstanding king Edward’s will, the Duke of Normandy had no right -to the throne. - -3. I cannot pretend to say which was right; but, as it is of more -consequence to know how the dispute ended, we will proceed to the -history of the conquest. - -4. The Normans were great warriors; so that even many of the clergy -would sometimes put on armour under their robes, and lead their own -vassals to battle; and they had as much interest in the dispute as -the nobles, for they expected to come into possession of some of the -Bishops’ sees and rich abbey lands, provided Duke William should -succeed in his enterprise. - -5. While all this was going on in Normandy, Harold’s brother, Tosti, -had raised a rebellion in the north of England, and was joined by the -king of Norway, who landed with an army in Yorkshire: so Harold had -to go and fight with them, and there was a great battle at Stamford -Bridge, where the king gained a complete victory. - -6. Two or three days after this he was enjoying himself at a great -feast, at York, when news was brought to him that the Normans had -landed in Sussex, where they were doing all manner of mischief, -driving the people away from the towns and villages, and taking every -thing they could lay their hands on. - -7. The king made all the haste he could to get his soldiers together, -and began his march to oppose the invaders, but it took nearly a -fortnight to get to where they were; and all that time the invaders -were making dreadful havoc for miles round their camp, so that the -terrified people fled to the woods, or shut themselves up in the -churches, for fear of being killed. - -8. At last, Harold came, and a battle was fought near Hastings, on -the 14th of October, 1066, where the king and two of his brothers, -with a great many of the English nobles, were slain, and the -conqueror from that day looked upon himself as the master of the -country. - -9. But the English had seen enough of the Normans to know that -they should be very badly treated if they once suffered a Norman -government to be established, so they resolved to do their utmost to -prevent it, and thus the Normans had to fight for every town, and -castle, before it was given up to them. - -10. William had marched to London, and laid siege to it, soon after -the battle of Hastings, and the people having submitted to him, he -was crowned in Westminster Abbey, on Christmas day. - -11. A few of the English nobles went to offer their submission, that -is, they agreed to obey him as their king, since he had promised that -all who did so should be permitted to enjoy their rank and property -undisturbed. - -12. But it was only a few who trusted to these promises, and they -were deceived in the end, for it is almost certain that the Conqueror -intended, from the first, to take every thing from the English to -give to the Normans. - -13. I mean the English lords; for he meant to make the common people -remain on the estates to which they belonged, that the new masters -might have vassals and slaves to cultivate their lands. - -14. Now the poor people did not like this any more than the nobles -themselves, so they fought bravely for their masters in many places; -but it was all to no purpose; for, at the end of seven years, the -Normans were in possession of all the land in the country, and most -of its former lords had either been killed, or were reduced to such -a state of poverty and wretchedness that it is melancholy to think of. - -15. I will not attempt to describe the sufferings of the people -during that long period, but you may imagine how very miserable they -must have been, for the Normans got the better of them all over the -country, and took delight in robbing and insulting their unhappy -victims. - -16. I told you that the design of the Conqueror was to take all the -land, and divide it among his followers, except what he chose to keep -for himself, as crown lands. - -17. Now there were many Saxon ladies who possessed estates, in -consequence of their fathers or brothers having been killed at the -battle of Hastings; and most of these heiresses were compelled, -against their will, to marry Norman lords, who thus gained lands as -well as brides. - -18. Then the estates of all those who had not submitted to the king -were declared to be forfeited, and William gave them to the Normans, -or, more properly speaking, he gave the Barons leave to take them by -force; so the English lords had to fight for their houses and lands, -and many were killed, and many fled to other countries. - -19. The rustics, on these forfeited estates, would fight for their -lord to the last; but, when he was forced to yield, they had no -choice but to submit to the new lord, or to see their cottages set -on fire, and their wives and children perhaps murdered before their -eyes. - -20. Some of the English nobles hid in the forests with their -families, and as many of their vassals as would go with them, where -they made habitations, and supported themselves by robbery and -hunting; and this was the origin of the numerous bands of robbers -that, in after times, were the terror of the country. - -21. The famous Robin Hood, who lived in the reign of Richard the -First, is supposed to have been a descendant of one of these -unfortunate English nobles. - -22. The Bishops’ sees and abbey lands were seized in the same violent -manner, as the estates of the nobles, and given to the Norman clergy; -and many of the monasteries, after being broken open and plundered, -were taken for the abode of monks who came over from Normandy in -great numbers. - -23. The Normans built a great many castles in different parts of -the country; and, if they wanted to build one on a spot where there -happened to be houses, they thought nothing of turning out the -inhabitants, and pulling down the houses, to make room: and they -pressed the poor people, both men and women, to do all the labour, -without pay, and treated them very cruelly besides; for, if they did -not work hard enough, these unfeeling taskmasters would urge them on -with blows. - -24. Then wherever the Norman soldiers stayed, they went and lived in -the houses of the people, took what they pleased, and made the family -wait upon them. - -25. The king, himself, cruelly laid waste different parts of the -country in revenge for the opposition made to his progress by some of -the English earls, especially in the north, where, about three years -after the battle of Hastings, such a scene of desolation was made by -fire and sword, that, from York to Durham, the houses, the people, -and all signs of cultivation, were utterly destroyed. - -26. The last stand made against the Normans was in a little island, -formed by bogs and lakes, in Cambridgeshire, and still called the -Isle of Ely. There, a brave chief, named Hereward, set up a fortified -camp, and was joined by other noblemen, and many of their dependents, -who, with the ceorls, or tenants, belonging to the Abbey of Ely, made -quite an army. - -27. It was a secure place of refuge, because the only safe paths into -the island were unknown to the Normans, who would most likely have -been lost in the bogs, if they had ventured to approach. - -28. But they had built a castle close by, at Cam Bridge, and they -brought boats and tried to make causeways by which they might get -into the camp of refuge; but the English would go out in bands -at night and destroy all that their enemies had done, and kept -constantly on the watch for straggling parties, who were often -attacked unawares, and many of them killed, while the English could -always retreat to their camp, where they were safe from pursuit. - -29. At last the Normans established a blockade of boats round the -island, and provisions began to get scarce within it; so two or three -bad selfish men, who lived in the abbey, went to the Normans at Cam -Bridge, and said, they would show them the way into the island, if -they would promise not to meddle with the abbey. - -30. These men led the Normans secretly into the island, and a -terrible battle was fought, in which almost all the English were -killed. - -31. When Hereward saw it was useless to fight any longer, he made his -escape, and went to his own castle of Bourn, in Lincolnshire; where I -believe, he afterwards made peace with the king, and was allowed to -keep his estate. - -32. I have given you a long history of the Conquest, because it -was the most important event that ever occurred in the history of -England, and was the last sudden and violent change made in this -country by foreign invasion. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. Explain the cause of the Norman invasion. - - 8. What was the battle of Hastings, and where was it fought? - - 9. Did the English make any further resistance? - - 14. How long was it before the conquest was completed? - - 18. How did many of the Norman lords obtain their estates? - - 20. What became of the English nobles? - - 23. How were the English treated by the Norman soldiers? - - 26. What was the Camp of Refuge, and by whom established? - - 31. What became of Hereward? - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE NORMAN PERIOD.--1087 TO 1154. - - -[Illustration: DEATH OF WILLIAM RUFUS.] - -1. The Normans were a cleverer people than the English, and lived -in a superior manner. They were better acquainted with the arts of -agriculture and architecture, and they knew a great deal more about -useful gardening; for all the convents in Normandy had good gardens, -planted with vegetables and herbs; and the monks brought over plenty -of seeds and roots to sow or plant in gardens here. - -2. The Normans built stone castles, and strong houses of timber, -with upper stories, so that their dwellings, in general, were -higher and more substantial than those of the Saxons; and one great -improvement was that they had chimneys; but their furniture was as -rough and clumsy as the furniture used in the Saxon times, and their -way of living was almost the same, except that they did not care so -much about feasting, but preferred spending their time in hunting, -hawking, and fighting in sport, for pastime. - -3. I should here tell you that William the Conqueror made the first -game laws, and very severe they were, and very hard upon the poor -people, who used to be at liberty to kill game in the forests; but, -after these new laws, they dared not so much as take even a hare or -partridge in their own fields. - -4. It was not only the English, who were forbidden to hunt on the -royal domains, but the Normans also, unless they had special leave to -do so; and, if any one was bold enough to kill a deer in the king’s -forests, he was punished in the most cruel manner, by having his eyes -put out, or his hands cut off. - -5. The king’s palace was at Winchester, and he wanted to have a -forest close by for hunting, so he ordered that all the towns and -villages should be pulled down for about thirty miles, and the land -planted with trees; and, what was worse, he gave nothing to the poor -people for turning them out of their homes; and this is still called -the New Forest. - -6. In imitation of this bad example, many of the nobles began to make -large parks, enclosed with walls to keep deer, and they cared no more -than William had done about taking away the fields and pasture lands -of the poor cottagers, who dared not complain, and were even obliged -to run to their doors with refreshments to offer to the Norman lords -and their followers when they were out hunting, although they often -saw them riding over their corn, and breaking through their hedges. - -7. It was not till after several reigns that the descendants of the -Norman Conquerors began to consider themselves Englishmen, and to -treat their vassals more like fellow countrymen. - -8. The first hundred years after the conquest is therefore usually -called the Norman period, and includes the reigns of William the -Conqueror, William Rufus, Henry the First, and Stephen. - -9. I have already told you that the Feudal system was brought into -England by the Saxons, and I explained what it was; but I must now -mention that this system was carried much farther by the Normans, -that is, their feudal laws were stricter, and the nobles themselves -were bound by them as well as the common people. - -10. I should wish you to understand this as clearly as possible, -because the manners and customs of the age were governed entirely by -those laws. - -11. First, then, the king was lord of the land, and kept a great -portion of it for himself, which made what were called crown lands; -and all the people, who lived on the crown lands, whether in burgh, -town, or country, were his tenants, and paid him rent, or taxes, -both in money and produce, besides being obliged to furnish him with -soldiers at their own expense. - -12. For example, if a town had to find two or more horse-soldiers, -the inhabitants were, besides, obliged to pay the expenses of their -arms, horses and maintenance, for the time they were on service. - -13. The Manors and Abbey lands were held of the king on the same -conditions; and every man, who had a certain quantity of land, was -bound either to serve as a soldier himself, or send a substitute. - -14. The rest of the country was divided by the king amongst the great -barons, who agreed, in return, that whenever he went to war they -would go with him, and take with them so many men, properly armed -and trained for warfare, perhaps fifty or a hundred, or even more, -according to the extent of lands they held. - -15. These great Baronies were called Feods, and the king was the -feodal or feudal lord of the barons, who were called crowned vassals; -and, when any one of them died, the king took the lands again until -the heir paid him a large sum of money to redeem them. - -16. Some of the kings behaved very ill in this, in making the heirs -pay a great deal more than was just; and, if a baron died, and left -a daughter only, she was obliged to marry any one the king chose, or -he would not let her have her inheritance at all. - -17. The feudal laws were therefore very bad, because they gave men -the power of being tyrants to each other; for the nobles had the same -power of oppressing their vassals that the king had of oppressing -them. - -18. You must understand that the great Barons, who held very -extensive domains, gave small estates out of them to men who were -not so high in rank as themselves, on the same conditions as the king -had given the large baronies to them, so that the lesser nobles were -the vassals of the great ones, and were bound to aid them with men -and money when required. - -19. Then all the nobles, from the highest to the lowest degree, were -the absolute lords of all the common people that dwelt on their -lands, and could make them do just whatever they pleased, as I told -you they could in the Saxon times; but then the Norman lords treated -them, at first, a great deal more harshly than the Saxon lords did, -and took a great deal more from them. - -20. After the Norman conquest they were called villeins, which meant -villagers, and they lived in the same manner, and had the same kind -of duties to perform for their lords, as in the Saxon times; but -there were many new feudal customs brought here by the Normans; as -for example, a mill was set up on every estate, to which all the -poor people were obliged to take their corn to be ground, instead of -grinding it at home with hand-mills, as they used to do; and, out of -each measure, a part was taken for the baron, which was a very hard -tax upon them, especially if they had large families. - -21. Another feudal custom was this; a duty was laid on every thing -sold at the fairs and markets; that is, if a man went to the market -to buy a sheep, he must pay so much for the sheep, and so much for -duty, the duty being for the baron, or lord of the manor. - -22. There were a great many other customs which I have not room to -mention, but I think I have said enough to show you what the feudal -system was in the first ages after the Norman conquest; so now I will -tell you something about the first Norman sovereigns. - -23. William the Conqueror died in 1087, and was succeeded by his -eldest son, Robert, in Normandy, and by his second son, William -Rufus, in England; but after a time Duke Robert wanted money to -go to the Holy Wars, which I will tell you about presently, so he -mortgaged his duchy of Normandy to his brother William, who thus -became sovereign of both countries, as his father had been. He was a -sad tyrant, and so rude in his manners that nobody liked him. - -24. I told you what strict game laws were made by the Conqueror, -but William Rufus made them more severe still, and so displeased -the noblemen, by forbidding them to hunt without his leave, that -some of them formed a conspiracy to dethrone him; but the plot was -discovered, and the Earl of Northumberland, who was at the head of -it, was taken prisoner, and confined in Windsor Castle all the rest -of his life. - -25. There was another great lord, the Count d’Eu, who was accused -of being engaged in this plot, by a knight called Geoffrey Bainard, -so the king had him arrested. The Count, however, denied having any -thing to do with it, and said he defied his accuser, and was ready to -fight with him, and that God would give the victory to whichever of -them was in the right. - -26. So they fought with swords, in the presence of the king and -court, when Bainard was victorious, and the Count being thus -convicted, was condemned to have his eyes torn out. - -27. This was a strange way for a man to prove his innocence of any -crime, but it became a common custom in England, and was called -“Wager of battle.” Even law-suits, respecting right of property, were -often thus decided; and, if a lady had a quarrel or a lawsuit, she -might get a man to do battle for her, and he was called her champion. - -28. It was the fashion for many ages, not only in England, but all -over Europe, for young men of noble birth to roam about the world in -search of adventures; and, as they were generally poor and depended -chiefly on their swords for subsistence, they would engage in -anybody’s quarrels; fight in the cause of women or children who were -either injured or oppressed, and enlist in the service of princes and -barons who were at war. - -29. This was called chivalry, and these knights errant, or wandering -knights, were made welcome wherever they went, and treated with -hospitality at the castles of the great. - -30. Numbers of them went to the Holy Wars, but, as I suppose you do -not know what the Holy Wars were, I will tell you about them. - -31. Many pious Christians in those days thought it a duty to make a -journey, or pilgrimage as it was called, to Jerusalem, once in their -lives, to say their prayers at our Saviour’s tomb; but Jerusalem -had been conquered by the Mahomedans, who hated the Christians, and -behaved very cruelly to the pilgrims; so the Pope, who you know is -the great Bishop of Rome, and at that time had more authority over -all the countries of Europe than the kings had, said that it was the -duty of all Christian warriors to go to Palestine, or the Holy Land, -to fight against the Saracens, and try to drive them from Jerusalem. - -32. Then a religious man, called Peter the Hermit, went about -preaching a crusade, that is, exhorting the princes and nobles in -France, Germany, and Italy, to undertake this war, which was called -a crusade, or _croisade_, because the ensign on their banners was to -be the Cross. - -33. Robert, Duke of Normandy, was among the first crusaders, and, as -he wanted money to keep himself and all the fighting men he took with -him, he pledged his duchy to his brother, William Rufus, for a very -large sum. - -34. The English did not join in these wars, at first, but after a -time there was scarcely a knight or noble in the land that did not -go to the Crusades, for they were continued, in all, more than two -hundred years; and, during two hundred years; and, during that time, -great numbers of the lower order of people in England were freed from -bondage, in consequence of being allowed to purchase their liberty to -supply their lords with money for these wars. - -35. William Rufus, who was killed by accident as he was hunting -in the New Forest, was succeeded by his brother, Henry the First, -surnamed Beauclerk, because he was a learned man, who behaved much -better to the Saxon English than the two former kings had done, -and restored to some of the old families a part of their ancient -possessions. - -36. He likewise altered the forest laws, which had given so much -discontent, and gave the citizens of London leave to hunt in Epping -Forest, which then reached very nearly to the walls of the city. - -37. Winchester was then the capital of England, but London was one -of the best cities and the richest, as many of its inhabitants were -merchants who traded with foreign countries; yet the houses were only -mean wooden buildings, with no glass in the windows, and thatched -with straw. - -38. Westminster was quite a separate city, and divided from London -by country houses, fields and a village. The king had a palace at -Westminster, and William Rufus built Westminster hall adjoining it, -for his Christmas feasts. - -39. A curious privilege was granted by Henry the First to the -citizens of London, which will serve to show you what grievances the -people were subject to in those times. - -40. There were a great number of persons who were employed in various -ways about the court, and who followed the king wherever he went; for -great men, when they travelled, were obliged to take every thing they -wanted with them, there being no public accommodation to be had any -where; so they carried with them waggon loads of furniture, plate, -wine, cooking utensils, and I do not know what besides; with their -domestics and retainers of all descriptions, who formed a numerous -retinue. - -41. Now, the inhabitants of any city, where the king happened to be -holding his court, were obliged to give board and lodging, at free -cost, to all these people, who generally behaved very ill; for they -would insist upon having the best rooms, order whatever they chose, -and treat the family just as if they were their servants. - -42. It was, therefore, a very good thing for the Londoners when king -Henry released them from this heavy burthen, but all other towns had -to bear it for a very long period. - -43. In this reign the first manufactory for woollen cloth was -established in this country, by some weavers from Flanders, where the -best cloth was made from English wool, which was the staple commodity -of England at that period; I mean, the thing of which they had most -to sell; for quantities of sheep were reared on every estate. - -44. England had no manufactures then, so there were no employments -for the lower classes but agriculture, and the few useful arts, that -were but very imperfectly understood. - -45. Henry the First died in the year 1135. He left the crown to his -daughter Matilda, who had been twice married; first, to the Emperor -of Germany, and again to Geoffrey Plantagenet, Earl of Anjou, who was -dead also, therefore she was again a widow. - -46. But there was a nephew of the late king, named Stephen, who was -rather a favorite among the Barons, and was quite willing to take -advantage of their good will; so, before Matilda could reach England, -her cousin Stephen had mounted the throne. - -47. Then there was a civil war in this country, which was carried on, -at times, for fifteen years, for a great many French noblemen came -here with Matilda to fight for her; and some of the English Barons, -who had become dissatisfied with Stephen, because he had not done -all they expected he would do, joined the other party, and there was -fighting all over the country. - -48. Wherever there is civil war, there is sure to be famine and -misery of all kinds, and there never was more misery in England than -during the reign of king Stephen; for, in order to keep as many of -the Barons on his side as he could, he let them do just as they -pleased; and he gave titles and estates to a great many bold and bad -men, who built castles and kept bands of ruffians, who went at night -to rob and plunder the towns and villages; so that the people, when -they shut up their houses at night, used to kneel down and pray that -God would protect them from robbers and murderers. - -49. At last, it was settled that Stephen should keep the crown as -long as he lived; but that Matilda’s son, Henry Plantagenet, should -succeed him; and, soon after this arrangement, he died, having -reigned nineteen years. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. How did the Normans improve the country? - - 3. What is the origin of the game laws? - - 5. How was the New Forest made? - - 8. Which reigns are called the Norman period? - - 15. When a baron died, how were his lands disposed of? - - 18. How did the lesser barons become vassals of the great ones? - - 21. What new feudal customs were brought here by the Normans? - - 23. Who succeeded William the Conqueror? - - 28. What was chivalry? - - 31. Give some account of the Crusades. - - 35. Who succeeded William Rufus? - - 36. How did he gain popularity? - - 43. What was the first manufacture in England? - - 45. To whom did Henry leave the crown? - - 46. Who usurped the throne? - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -HENRY THE SECOND, RICHARD THE FIRST, AND JOHN.--1154 TO 1216. - - -[Illustration: JOHN SIGNING THE MAGNA CHARTA.] - -1. As soon as Henry the Second came to the throne, he began to set -things to rights again. He had all the new castles pulled down, and -made the bad men who had lived in them, leave the country; then -he set people to work to rebuild the towns that had been burned -down in the late wars; and ordered that the judges should go on -circuits; that is, travel to all the cities, and hold assizes, two or -three times a year, as they do now, to see that justice is done to -everybody. - -2. But it was not quite so easy to do justice then; for, as long as -the feudal laws lasted, the rich could always oppress the poor, and -every great man had an army of his own vassals, who would do any -thing he bade them, whether it was lawful or not. - -3. Now the king wisely thought that the best thing in the world for -the country would be to give more freedom to the people, so that the -Barons might not have quite so much power. - -4. He, therefore, granted charters to some of the cities, which made -them a little more independent; but it was by very slow degrees that -the people of England became free, although this happy change was -beginning to take place. - -5. Another thing the king wanted to do, was to make the clergy -answerable to the judges for any bad acts they might commit, instead -of having particular laws and judges for themselves; and, I am sorry -to say, they sometimes did very wicked things, for which they were -not punished half so severely as other people would have been for -similar offences, which certainly was unjust. - -6. But the bishops were unwilling to let the king have any thing to -do with church affairs, and the Pope encouraged them to oppose him, -in this respect; for the Pope, in those days, had more power over all -Europe than the kings themselves, who seldom dared to disobey him. - -7. The person who quarrelled most with Henry about these things was -Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, a very proud man, who -wanted to rule both king and state his own way. - -8. The king was so much annoyed at the opposition he constantly met -with from the archbishop, that one day, in a fit of passion, he said -he wished that troublesome priest was dead; on which some persons, -who heard these incautious words thinking to get into favor, rode off -to Canterbury, and killed the archbishop in his Cathedral. - -9. But they gained nothing by this wicked deed; for the king was -shocked when he heard of it, and sorry for what he had said; which -shows how wrong it is for people to use violent expressions when they -feel angry. - -10. One very remarkable event which occurred in this reign, was the -conquest of Ireland. That country had been, for many years, divided -into several small kingdoms, and the disputes of the chiefs had often -given rise to warfare among themselves; but it now happened that the -king of Leinster, having been deposed by another prince, went direct -to the king of England, to beg his assistance, which Henry readily -promised, on condition that, if he were restored, he should hold his -kingdom as a vassal of the English crown. - -11. Dermot, that was the name of the Irish prince, agreed to these -terms, and several English knights and noblemen undertook the -enterprise. After a great many interesting adventures, which are told -in the history of Ireland, Dermot was replaced on his throne; but -other quarrels arising among the chiefs, the English continued the -war, and, after some time, the Irish chiefs acknowledged the king of -England as a lord and master of Ireland, which has been under the -authority of the English government ever since. - -12. Henry the Second died in 1189, and was succeeded by his son -Richard, who was called Cœur-de-lion, because he was very brave, so -that everybody said he had the heart of a lion. - -13. Now it is a very good thing for men to be brave, for I do not -know what we should do without brave men for soldiers and sailors, -to fight for us; but it is not the most useful quality a king can -possess; and I think you will agree with me, when I tell you that -Richard the First, instead of staying at home to make good laws, and -take care of his subjects, went away to fight, or gain glory, as -fighting was then called, in the Holy Land, while all things were -going wrong in England, for the want of somebody to keep order. - -14. But there was some excuse for him, as everybody in those days -thought that the most praiseworthy act princes and nobles could do, -was to fight for their religion against all persons who believed -differently from themselves; so Richard was very much admired by his -people, although he did nothing for their real benefit; but, on the -contrary, caused them very much misery, and great distress. - -15. Another evil was that the Barons, who went with him to the -Crusades, took all their own money as well as all they could get from -their tenants, to support themselves and their fighting men abroad, -so that the generality of the people were left very poor. - -16. A great number, indeed, obtained their freedom, by giving up -all they had to their lords; but then they were left without money -or employment, and many turned robbers, to save themselves from -starving; therefore, you see, it was not always a good thing, at -first, for the bondmen to be set at liberty; but it was good in the -end, for their children were born free, and, as times got better, the -free middle classes began to be of some consequence, and have gone -on gradually increasing in wealth and importance, till they have now -become the best safeguard and support of the country. - -17. While Richard was gone to the wars, his brother John, who was a -very bad man, wanted to make himself king in England, and there were -some of the nobles who encouraged him, while others defended the -rights of the absent monarch; so that there was great confusion, and -the laws were sadly disregarded. - -18. At last, Richard heard of all these bad doings, and left the Holy -Land, intending to come home as fast as he could; but, unfortunately, -he was made prisoner, on his way, by the Duke of Austria, and -confined in a castle in Germany for some time before the English -people knew what had become of him. - -19. Richard knew this duke was his enemy, because he had affronted -him when in the Holy Land, so he had taken the precaution of -disguising himself in passing through his dominions, and took with -him only a single page; but, one day, being tired and hungry, he -stopped to rest at a village near Vienna, and sent his page into that -city to buy some provisions. - -20. The youth, foolishly, hung a pair of handsome gloves in his -belt, and as gloves were, in those days, only worn by persons of -the highest rank, this circumstance excited suspicion, and he was -arrested, and obliged to confess the truth. - -21. The duke immediately sent a band of soldiers to seize the king, -whom they found busy turning some meat that was roasting at the fire. - -22. He started up, drew his sword, and fought valiantly, but was -captured, and sent to a strong fortress, where he had remained a -prisoner some months, when he was discovered, it has been stated, by -a wandering minstrel, who heard him singing in his prison, and knew -his voice. But this is a fabulous tale. - -23. A large sum was raised in England, by taxes, for his ransom, -and he came back; but he did not stay long at home; for he had -quarrelled, while in the Holy Land, with the king of France, and went -over to Normandy for the purpose of going to war with him, where he -was killed by a poisoned arrow, aimed at him from the walls of a -castle he was besieging, in the year 1199, having reigned ten years. - -24. Prince John was now made king of England, but he had no lawful -right to the throne, as prince Arthur, the orphan son of an elder -brother, was living, and was the true heir, according to the rules of -succession. - -25. But this unfortunate prince was made prisoner, in Normandy, by -his wicked uncle, and most people believe he met with a violent death. - -26. It was a very serious misfortune for the country when the king -happened to be a bad man, because the government was, at that time, -despotic; that is, the king made the laws himself, and had the power -of doing whatever he pleased; whereas, now, the laws are made by the -parliament; so that, before any new act can be passed, a great many -good and clever men must agree to it, which is a great protection to -the people. - -27. However, king John was compelled much against his will, to make -some very good laws, and the reason of this was, that his tyranny -was felt by the nobles even more than the common people, for their -estates were often unjustly seized, and they were obliged to give -him large sums of money to get them back again; then he would not -let them marry unless they paid him for leave to do so; and if any -person wanted to go out of the country, they were obliged to buy -his permission. In short, no one was free to do any thing till the -consent of the king was obtained by a handsome present. - -28. At length, his tyranny was carried to such a height that the -chief nobles resolved to make him act more justly, or dethrone him; -so they wrote down, on parchment, all the things they wished to have -done, or altered, and agreed with each other that, if he refused to -sign it, they would go to war with him, and they took care to have -all their vassals armed, and in readiness. - -29. John was very much frightened when he found the barons were in -earnest, and agreed to meet them at a place called Runnymede, between -Staines and Windsor, where, after a great deal of disputing, he was -obliged to sign his name to what they had written, which thus became -the law of the land. An ancient copy of this parchment is now in the -British Museum. - -30. It is called Magna Charta, which is the Latin name for ‘the Great -Charter;’ and it was framed with a view to take from the king the -power of doing unjust things, and to make him govern according to the -laws, and not to be able to make new laws, or impose new taxes, at -his pleasure. - -31. This famous act is generally regarded as the beginning of the -liberty which all Englishmen are so justly proud of; but the laws it -contained were, in many respects often broken by the sovereigns of -England, for a very long period. - -32. The Barons of England still lived in their castles, on their own -estates, in the midst of their vassals and serfs. Their castle-halls -were crowded with knights, squires, pages, and military dependents, -for it was their pride to have as many of such retainers as they -could possibly maintain. The pages were boys of high rank, generally -the younger sons of noblemen, whose profession was to be knight -errantry. - -33. Now, in order to obtain the honour of knighthood, they were -obliged to serve some great baron, first as pages, then as esquires, -for several years, and to be very obedient and respectful in their -conduct, and do all that was required of them readily and cheerfully. - -34. While pages, they had to wait upon their lords and his guests at -dinner and supper, to carry messages, and perform little services for -the ladies of the family; but they were themselves waited upon by the -domestic slaves, and, when they had finished their day’s duties, -were allowed to mix with the company. - -35. They were taught to use the sword and lance, and to manage a -horse skilfully, and were instructed in religious duties by the -priests of their lord’s household. - -36. When old enough, they were made esquires, and then their duties -were to take care of the horses and armour, and to attend their lords -on all occasions; which services he usually rewarded by making them -knights, when they were free to go wherever they pleased; and you -have already been told what their mode of life was afterwards. - -37. The great people were very fond of hunting and hawking, and -fighting at tournaments; but, perhaps, you do not know what a -tournament was, so I will tell you. - -38. There was a place built up, something like a large theatre, -with galleries for the ladies and gentlemen, to sit and see the -combats in the open space below, and this was called the lists. -Then the gentlemen, who wished to exhibit their valour, used to -come in armour, and fight with each other on horseback till one was -conquered, when the victor received a prize from the greatest lady -present. - -39. When only two knights fought, it was called a tilt; but if there -were several on each side, it was a tournament; and, although these -combats were held for sport, the combatants were often dangerously -wounded, and sometimes killed. - -40. When John had signed Magna Charta, the Barons went home to -their castles, to enjoy their usual pleasures; but the king had no -intention of behaving any better than before, and secretly sent -agents to Flanders, to raise troops of foreigners, promising that -they should be allowed to plunder the estates of the Barons, if they -would enlist in his service. - -41. Thus he soon appeared at the head of an army, and went to war -with the nobles, who, in revenge, did a very wrong and foolish thing, -which was, to offer the crown to Louis, the son of the king of France. - -42. Louis soon came over with a French army, and, after having in -vain tried to take Dover Castle, he entered London in triumph, whilst -John was obliged to retreat; but the Barons began to think they -had done wrong, and, as John died suddenly, in the midst of this -confusion, they turned their arms against Louis, and forced him to -leave the country. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. What were the first acts of Henry the Second? - - 7. Who was Thomas à Becket? - - 8. How was the death of Becket caused? - - 10. What conquest was made in this reign? - - 12. When did Henry die, and who succeeded him? - - 13. How did Richard employ the chief part of his reign? - - 17. What occurred in England during his absence? - - 22. What happened to the king on his way home? - - 23. State the date and manner of his death. - - 24. Who was the next king? - - 27. How did the king act towards the nobles? - - 30. What was Magna Charta? - - 40. What did the king do after he had signed that Charter? - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -FROM THE DEATH OF KING JOHN TO THE ACCESSION OF RICHARD THE -SECOND.--1216 TO 1377. - - -[Illustration: DEATH OF LLEWELLYN.] - -1. The reign of Henry the Third, who was only nine years of age when -he succeeded his father, was a very long and a very unhappy one. - -2. At first, things went on very well, because the king had a good -guardian, the Earl of Pembroke, who managed the government wisely; -but he, in a few years, died, and others came into power who did -not act so well, and the king was too young to know what was right -himself. - -3. It was a pity the good earl died, for, if Henry had been fortunate -enough to have had a wise instructer, he might have been a better -sovereign, but, as it was, he was a very bad one. - -4. The great mischief was this. He married a French princess, who had -no more wisdom than himself; and they were both so extravagant that -they spent a great deal more money than they could afford; and, then, -to get fresh supplies, the king ordered the people to pay more taxes, -and began to do all the unjust things that had caused so much misery -in the time of his father. - -5. Sometimes the Barons assembled and obliged him to promise he would -abide by the terms of Magna Charta; but he soon forgot his promises, -and went on the same as before, so that the people were worse and -worse off every year, and many men became robbers on the highways, -because they could not support their families by honest industry. - -6. This was the state of affairs for many years, till at last, there -was a civil war again, and, after a great deal of fighting and -bloodshed, the king and his eldest son, Edward, were made prisoners -in a battle, fought at Lewes, in Sussex, in 1264, and the Earl of -Leicester, the king’s brother-in-law, took the government upon -himself. - -7. This was an important event, because the earl summoned a -parliament to consult as to what it would be best to do under these -circumstances; and he desired that, besides the nobles and bishops, -there should come to this parliament knights, or gentlemen from -every county, and citizens and burghers, from every city and burgh -to state what the condition of the people really was, and to help -to advise what could be done for them; so that the commoners were -now, probably, for the first time, admitted to some share in the -government of the country, which was a great step gained by the -people, who, before this, had no representatives in the national -council, or parliament, to take their part; and this was the -beginning of our House of Commons, so it is worth remembering. - -8. Prince Edward, after this, escaped from Hereford, where he had -been kept a prisoner, and gained a great victory over the Barons, and -replaced his father Henry on the throne; after which, he went on a -crusade to the Holy Land. - -9. He had married a Spanish princess, named Eleanor, who was the -first person, in England, that had a carpet, which she brought from -Spain, for the floors of the best apartments in the palace were -strewed with rushes; and, in houses, where they could not get rushes, -they used straw. - -10. Henry the Third died about seven years after his restoration, -in the year 1272, having reigned fifty-seven years; and, although -the news was sent to his son as soon as possible, it was nearly two -years before he returned to England; such was the difference between -travelling then and now; for the journey to and from the Holy Land -may now be accomplished in a few weeks. - -11. Edward the First was a much wiser and better prince than his -father, but he was too fond of war, and too anxious to be renowned as -a conqueror, which was the cause of the long wars in Scotland, for -his great ambition was to conquer that country. - -12. But, the first thing he thought of, when he came home, was to -make such regulations as were most likely to protect the people from -robbery; so he had watchmen and patrols appointed in all the cities, -and ordered that nobody should be abroad in the streets of London, -nor any taverns kept open, after the curfew bell had tolled. - -13. The curfew was instituted by William the Conqueror, to prevent -fires, which were very frequent, when houses were in general built -of wood, and thatched; so, when this bell tolled at eight o’clock, -the people, for a long time after the conquest, were obliged to put -out their fires and candles; but the custom of tolling the bell was -continued after that of putting out fire and candle was done away -with, and even to this day, in many places. - -14. Edward the First took care that the magistrates should do their -duty, and punished those who broke the laws, which the kings had been -afraid to do in the last two reigns, because their lives would have -been in danger if they had. - -15. I must also tell you that this wise monarch did not alter what -the Earl of Leicester had done about the parliament; but he made it -a rule that the people should continue to send their members, and -every freeholder of land in the counties, and, in general, all men, -in the cities and burghs, who paid taxes, had a right to vote at the -election of members of parliament. - -16. I should be glad to have nothing to say about warfare in this -reign; but the Scottish wars form so large a portion of the history -of the times, that you ought to know something about them. - -17. First, however, the king invaded the northern part of Wales, -which had never been conquered by the English, and was then governed -by a prince, named Llewellyn. - -18. This chief made a gallant resistance, but he was killed, and the -whole country was then united to England, and afterwards, in the -reign of Henry the Eighth, divided into shires. - -19. The queen, Eleanor, of Castile, Edward’s first wife, went to -visit Wales soon afterwards, and her son Edward was born there, so -the king said he should be called prince of Wales, and that is the -reason why the eldest son of the English sovereign has since had that -title. - -20. After this, there were a few years of peace, before the wars with -Scotland were begun; so I will fill up the time by saying a little -about the manners and customs of the English at this period. - -21. The nobles lived in, what we should think, a very rough way -indeed. Their large comfortless rooms, and floors without carpets, -unglazed windows, and clumsy furniture, would not suit our modern -notions, either of comfort or convenience. - -22. They had their dinner at ten o’clock in the morning, in the -great hall of the castle; lords, ladies, knights, esquires, priests, -dependents, and strangers, all together; for, when there were -no inns, it was usual for travellers to stop at any castle, or -monastery, on the road, where they were never refused lodging and -entertainment. - -23. There were no table cloths, and the dishes and cups were mostly -of wood, but they were well filled with meat, game, fish, or poultry, -which, with bread and ale, constituted the rude, but substantial fare. - -24. The Baron, with his friends, sat at an upper table, which was -served with wine; and, sometimes he would have his hounds lying at -his feet, and his favorite hawk, upon a perch, beside him. - -25. The supper, at five o’clock, was just like the dinner, and these -were the only regular meals at that period. - -26. I said there were no inns in those days, which reminds me to -speak of the difficulty and danger of travelling. The roads were very -bad and lonely, often running through forests and across wide heaths, -infested with robbers. - -27. Then there were no public conveyances of any kind, nor any way of -making a journey, but on horseback, or on foot; and, as to stopping -at the country towns, there was very little accommodation to be had -there, for they were poor places, the houses in them being very -little better than wooden sheds. - -28. There were no shops, so that every thing was bought, as formerly, -at the markets and fairs. - -29. A great many merchants, from London, France, and Flanders, used -to bring goods to the fairs for sale, and they were obliged to pay -tolls and duties to the lord of the manor, which came to a great deal -of money, because they brought a quantity of valuable merchandise, -as the nobles themselves purchased their wearing apparel, jewellery, -spices, and many other commodities, at the fairs, which sometimes -lasted fifteen days. - -30. The dress of the great nobility, in the fourteenth century, was -very handsome, for they wore mantles of satin or velvet, with borders -worked in gold, over jackets highly embroidered; and their velvet -caps were often adorned with jewels. - -31. The middle classes wore close coats of cloth, with leather belts -round the waist, such as the Blue-Coat Boys now wear, and they had -tight pantaloons, short boots, and cloth caps. - -32. The clothing of the working people was made of very coarse wool, -sometimes undyed, and all spun and woven at home by the women, who -had nothing else for their own wearing, as there were no cottons or -stuffs made in England then, nor any of the nice comfortable things -that the poor people can get so cheap now. - -33. The country towns were at this period inhabited chiefly by free -artisans, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, and others, of different -trades; but there were still a great many villeins and serfs, on all -the cultivated lands, for slavery was never abolished in England by -any act of parliament, but gradually died away with the feudal laws. - -34. The armies were not raised then as they were at an earlier -period, by feudal service, but soldiers were hired and paid by the -day; but there was no standing army, as there is at present; for, as -soon as the wars were over, the men were all discharged, which was a -bad thing, as it often happened they had no homes or employment to -return to, and so formed themselves into bands of robbers. - -35. However, fighting men had plenty of occupation during the reign -of Edward the First, of whose wars in Scotland I am now about to -speak. - -36. The king of Scotland died about this time, and as he left no -son, and his grand-daughter and heiress, Margaret, died soon after, -unmarried, there were two princes, who each thought he had a right -to succeed to the throne; so they agreed to let the king of England -decide the dispute, which he readily took upon himself to do. One -prince was named Robert Bruce, the other, John Baliol. - -37. Edward said Baliol ought to be king, and he was crowned -accordingly; but the English monarch soon began to find fault with -him, and at last went to war, for he made up his mind to try to unite -England and Scotland into one kingdom, and to be the king of both -countries himself; but he did not succeed, although he dethroned -Baliol, and was at war with Scotland for nearly eleven years. - -38. I dare say you have heard of a renowned Scottish chief, called -Sir William Wallace. He fought bravely for his country in these wars, -but he was taken prisoner at the battle of Falkirk; and, I am sorry -to say, king Edward was so cruel and unjust as to have his head cut -off. - -39. But this did not put an end to the war, for another chief, Robert -Bruce, grandson of him before-mentioned, took the place of Wallace, -gained several victories, and was crowned king. - -40. The two sovereigns then prepared for a long war, and Edward was -on his way to Scotland, with his army, when he was taken ill, and -died in the year 1307, having reigned thirty-four years. - -41. His son, Edward the Second, was so careless of every thing but -his own pleasure, that he neglected the affairs of both England and -Scotland, so that the Scots recovered all they had lost; and when, -at last, the king was persuaded to renew the war, he met with such -a terrible defeat at the battle of Bannockburn, that the Scots are -proud of it to this very day. - -42. There is nothing more worth telling about the reign of Edward -the Second, whose misconduct caused many of the barons to rebel, and -he was, at last, made prisoner by them, and cruelly murdered, in -Berkeley castle, in 1327, having reigned about twenty years. - -43. His son, Edward the Third, was scarcely fifteen, at the time of -his father’s death; but he was a very clever prince, and soon began -to manage the affairs of the country himself. - -44. He married a Flemish princess, named Philippa, who was much -beloved by the English people, as, indeed, she deserved to be, for -she was both good and beautiful, as well as one of the cleverest -ladies of her time, and she employed her talents in doing all the -good she could for England. - -45. She knew that the people of her own country, which was Flanders, -had grown rich by their trade and manufactures, so she did all in -her power to increase the trade of England, and paid a number of -Flemish weavers to come over here and settle at Norwich, that they -might improve the people there, in the art of making woollen cloth -and stuffs, for which a manufactory had been established by Edward -the First. - -46. She also founded several schools, and was a friend to those who -distinguished themselves by their learning. - -47. I must not forget to tell you that Chaucer, the first great poet -that wrote in English, lived at this time, and received much kindness -from the king and queen. - -48. The English language was now beginning to be spoken by the higher -classes, instead of French, and was not very unlike the English -spoken now, as you might see, if you were to look at the poems -written by Chaucer. - -49. Edward the Third was, unfortunately, as fond of war as his -grandfather. He renewed the war with Scotland, but his great wars -were in France, for his ambition was to be king of that country, and -he pretended he had a right to the throne, because his mother was -the sister of the late king. - -50. But the French thought otherwise, and chose another prince for -their king, so Edward invaded France, where he commenced a long and -destructive war, which lasted nearly forty years, and was carried on, -for a great part of that time, by his eldest son, who was called the -Black Prince, because he wore black armour. - -51. He made great conquests in the south of France, and, at the -celebrated battle of Poictiers, took the French king prisoner, and -brought him to England, where he remained a captive for the rest of -his life, but was treated with so much kindness and respect, that he -had little to complain of but the loss of his liberty. - -52. The Black Prince was not only a brave warrior, but was a good and -clever man; therefore, his death, which happened a few months before -that of his father, was a great grief to the English people. - -53. Edward the Third died in 1377, after a long reign of fifty years. -He had been a pretty good king, had made the people obey the laws, -and, in general, observed them himself. - -54. When he wanted money for the French wars, he had allowed the -villeins and serfs, on his manors, or crown lands, to buy their -freedom, so that there were now, comparatively, but few of the lower -orders remaining in bondage; and the agricultural labourers were paid -for their labour, as well as the artisans and mechanics. - -55. Their wages were, in general, from twopence to threepence a -day, but you must remember that twopence, at that time, was equal, -in purchasing the necessaries of life, to about one shilling and -eightpence of our money, and would buy much more than sufficient food -for a whole family. - -56. They lived chiefly on meat, brown bread, and ale; for there were -no vegetables for the table, cultivated by the people in England, -till the time of Henry the Eighth; nor any potatoes, till that of -queen Elizabeth; and then they were considered a dainty dish, and -only seen at the tables of very rich people. - -57. However, there were gardens, orchards, and vineyards, belonging -to the monasteries, and to persons of high rank and fortune. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. Who succeeded king John? - - 2. What were the consequences of the king’s misconduct? - - 7. What great change was made in parliament, and how? - - 9. Who first brought a carpet into England? - - 10. How long did Henry the Third reign? and by whom was he - succeeded? - - 11. What was the character of Edward the First? - - 12. Mention some of his first acts. - - 15. How did he regulate the parliament? - - 18. How was Wales united to England? - - 37. What gave rise to the Scottish wars? - - 38. Who was the great Scottish chief and patriot; and what was his - fate? - - 39. Who was made king of Scotland? - - 40. When did Edward die? and who succeeded him? - - 41. What became of Edward the Second? - - 43. Who was the next king? - - 44. Whom did he marry? - - 47. Who was the first great English poet? - - 49. Why did Edward the Third invade France? - - 53. When did the death of Edward take place? - - 54. How did Edward the Third raise money for the wars? - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -FROM THE ACCESSION OF RICHARD THE SECOND TO THE WAR OF THE -ROSES.--1377 TO 1422. - - -[Illustration: ABDICATION OF RICHARD.] - -1. Richard the Second, the son of Edward, the Black Prince, was -but eleven years old when, by the death of his grandfather, he -became king of England. His uncles governed the country till he was -old enough to act for himself; but they did not teach him to be a -wise, nor a just man, and this injustice was the cause of all his -misfortunes. - -2. One of the first things he did on his own account, was to break a -promise he made to the people; and this was how it happened. A new -tax had caused great discontent among the labouring classes, and -their unwillingness to pay it was increased by the insolence of the -collectors, who, one day, in the house of a man called Walter, or -Wat Tiler, behaved so ill to his daughter, that he gave one of them -a blow on the head with his hammer, which unluckily killed him. - -3. Now the neighbours knew that if Walter should be taken, he -would be put to death for the offence, and as they all had cause -to complain of the tax-gatherers, they assembled in front of his -cottage, and declared they would protect him. - -4. This was at Deptford, and they all proceeded to London, being -joined by thousands of men from different towns, and a dreadful riot -there was; so that it was thought necessary for the king to take some -means of pacifying the rebels. - -5. Accordingly he went, with the lord mayor and some nobles and -gentlemen, to meet them in Smithfield, and whilst Tiler, their -leader, was talking with the king, the mayor came behind him, and -struck him on the head with his mace, and stunned him, and he was -killed by Richard’s party; and then the king, fearing the rioters -would kill him in return, asked them what they wanted, saying, he was -ready to do any thing that was right and just. - -6. They said they desired that the poll tax should be taken off; -slavery and villeinage abolished by law; so that all who were still -in bondage should be made free; and that the old feudal custom of -paying duties on goods, at all the markets and fairs, should be done -away with. - -7. All this Richard promised to do; but no sooner had the men -dispersed and gone back to their homes, than he sent out a military -force to seize all who had been concerned in the rebellion; and I -grieve to say that, although he had given his word that they should -all be pardoned, he ordered the judges to have every one of them -executed. - -8. After such conduct as this, you will not expect to hear much good -of Richard the Second, whose selfish extravagance led him to do all -kinds of unjust things, for the purpose of raising money to spend -on his own pleasures; so that it might truly be said that he was -constantly robbing his subjects; as, for instance, he once wanted -to borrow a large sum of the citizens of London, which they would -not lend him, because they knew very well he would never return it; -so he took away their charter, that is, the grant which gives them -the right to elect a lord mayor, and to manage the affairs of the -city independently of the king; and they were obliged to give him ten -times as much to get it back again, as they had refused to lend. - -9. The citizens of London were very rich at this period, many of -them being great merchants, and it was in this reign that the famous -Whittington was Lord Mayor. - -10. He had made a large fortune in the coal trade, which was then a -new branch of commerce, for coals were very little used for firing -till the time of Edward the Third. - -11. King Richard had unjustly banished his cousin Henry, Earl of -Hereford, and on the death of Henry’s father, the Duke of Lancaster, -had taken possession of his estates. - -12. This nobleman was a grandson of Edward the Third, and was much -liked by the English, who would rather have had him for their king -than the unworthy sovereign they had got, although he would have had -no right to the throne, even if Richard had been dead. - -13. However, he came back to England, and finding most of the nobles -as well as the people willing to make him king, Richard was obliged -to resign the crown, and was imprisoned in Pomfret castle, where -it is supposed he died by unfair means; but as this is not quite -certain, we will hope it was not so. He had reigned twenty-two years, -when he was deposed, in 1399. - -14. This usurpation of Henry the Fourth was the cause of the long -civil wars in England, called the Wars of the Roses, which began in -the time of Henry the Sixth, whose right to the throne was disputed, -although his father and grandfather had been suffered to reign -without opposition. - -15. Henry the Fourth was, on the whole, a popular monarch, and under -his government things went on pretty well with the generality of the -people. - -16. There was an insurrection in Wales, headed by a gentleman, named -Owen Glendower, who wished to restore the Welsh to their former -independence, and to be their prince, as he was of the ancient royal -family; and he was joined by the powerful Earl of Northumberland, and -his son Henry Percy, better known by the name of Hotspur, who was -one of the bravest knights of the age. - -17. These noblemen had a quarrel with the king, and wanted to depose -him; but he gained a victory over them in a battle fought near -Shrewsbury, where Hotspur was killed. These events are not of much -importance, but I tell them because when you hear any celebrated -characters spoken of, you ought to know who they were, and when they -lived. - -18. The prince of Wales, afterwards Henry the Fifth, was also -celebrated for his valour, but not for his good behaviour in his -youth; for his conduct was sometimes so disgraceful that his father -was quite ashamed of him, and nobody would have supposed he was the -son of a king. - -19. One thing he used to do was to go out at night, with some idle -companions, and rob people on the highway, for amusement; yet he had -not a bad disposition, for once one of the judges sent him to prison -for trying to rescue one of his wicked companions; and he not only -submitted to the punishment, but when he came to be king, he treated -that judge with great respect and attention, because he knew he was a -just man, and would punish the rich as well as the poor, if they did -wrong. King Henry the Fourth died in 1413, in the fourteenth year of -his reign. - -20. Henry the Fifth is famed as the conqueror of France. He went to -war with that country, on the same pretext that Edward the Third did -before; and with better success, for the French king was at last glad -to make peace by agreeing that Henry should be king of France after -his death. - -21. The greatest victory gained by the English, was at the battle of -Agincourt. King Henry married the French king’s daughter, but he died -soon afterwards, in 1422, having reigned nine years; and leaving an -infant son; and in a little while the king of France died too, and he -also left a son. - -22. Then there was a dispute which of these princes should be king of -France, and a new war was begun which lasted many years, during which -the English lost all that the armies of Henry the Fifth had won. - -23. In the mean time the young king, Henry the Sixth, grew up so -weak in mind and sickly in body, that he was not able to govern the -country; therefore, his ministers and the queen, a French princess, -named Margaret of Anjou, had to manage every thing for him. - -24. But many people did not like the queen, and began to say that -her husband had no right to the throne as his grandfather was a -usurper; but that Richard, Duke of York, ought to be king of England; -while others said that, as the Parliament had consented to let the -family of the Duke of Lancaster reign, it was lawful for them to keep -the crown; and that although king Henry was not fit for a ruler, the -rights of his son, prince Edward, ought to be protected. - -25. The Duke of York was then governor of Ireland, but when he heard -of these disputes, he came back, and was placed at the head of the -government here, instead of the queen. - -26. I think you will now quite understand why there was a civil war -in England. Every nobleman in the country took one side or the other, -and the friends of the Duke of York wore a white rose or ribbon -rosette; while those who supported the king, or House of Lancaster, -wore a crimson one; as people now wear different colored ribbons at -an election, to show which party they belong to; and this is why -these wars are called the Wars of the Roses. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. Who succeeded Edward the Third? - - 2. Who was Wat Tiler, and how was his rebellion occasioned? - - 4. How did the rebels proceed? - - 5. What means were taken to quell the insurrection? - - 6. What were the demands of the rebels? - - 7. What was the conduct of Richard on this occasion? - - 12. Who was the Earl of Hereford? - - 13. How was Richard dethroned, and what became of him? - - 16. What battle was fought in this reign, and why? - - 17. Who was killed in this battle? - - 18. Who succeeded Henry the Fourth? - - 20. How did Henry the Fifth distinguish himself? - - 23. What was the character of Henry the Sixth? - - 24. What gave rise to the Wars of the Roses? - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE WARS OF THE ROSES.--1422 TO 1461. - - -[Illustration: EDWARD IV.] - -1. The civil wars may be said to have lasted thirty years, from the -first battle at St. Alban’s, in 1455, to the battle of Bosworth, -in 1485; for although there were intervals of peace, the quarrel -between the house of York and Lancaster was not finally settled -till the two families were united by the marriage of Henry the -Seventh, who was heir of the House of Lancaster, with Elizabeth, the -grand-daughter of Richard, Duke of York, and heiress of that family. - -2. During that thirty years, the country was, as you may suppose, in -a very unhappy condition. Every Baron wanted to collect as many men -around him as he could, to defend his castle in case of siege; so the -countrymen left their rural labors and went to enlist in the service -of this or that nobleman, because they were sure of getting plenty to -eat and drink. - -3. Thus the castle halls were crowded, but the fields were left -without sufficient laborers to plough and sow them, consequently the -crops were generally bad, and bread was at times, so dear, that many -poor families could get none at all, but were obliged to eat herbs -and berries that they found in the woods, which did not nourish them, -so that numbers died of want. - -4. Many battles were fought in different parts of England, and the -queen was present at some of them, for it was she who conducted the -war, as the king was incapable of so much exertion, and Margaret -could not bear to see her young son Edward deprived of his birthright. - -5. Three victories had been gained by the Duke of York, when he was -killed at the battle of Wakefield; but this event did not put an -end to the contest, for his son Edward, who succeeded to his title, -continued the war and, in the end, became king of England, while poor -king Henry was kept a prisoner in the Tower, where he died in 1471. - -6. Edward owed his success chiefly to the Earl of Warwick, the -richest and most powerful nobleman in England, and considered as the -last of the great feudal Barons, for it is said that he maintained no -less than thirty thousand people at his own expense, who were ready -to devote their lives to his service. - -7. He had a great many castles in different parts of England, and a -noble mansion in Warwick lane, London, which still bears that name, -although it presents a very different appearance from what it did -when this mighty Earl lived there like a sovereign prince, and the -place was crowded with his armed retainers. - -8. Edward had been very well received by the citizens of London, and -crowned, with their consent, long before the death of king Henry. - -9. Two battles were fought soon after his accession to the throne, -one at Towton the other at Hexham; and it was after the latter, -that a story is told how queen Margaret wandered about in a forest -with her little boy, till they were both half dead with hunger and -fatigue, when she met with a robber, and instead of trying to avoid -him, told him who she was, and begged he would protect her child. - -10. The man took them to a cave, and gave them food and shelter, -until he found an opportunity of getting them on board a vessel that -was going to Scotland. - -11. People were now in hopes there would be peace; but the new -sovereign was so unwise as to quarrel with the Earl of Warwick, who -became his enemy, and resolved to deprive him of the crown he had -helped him to win. - -12. Then the war was begun again, and went on for several years -longer, till Warwick was killed at the battle of Barnet, on Easter -Sunday, 1471, just ten years after the battle of Towton. - -13. On the day of this battle, queen Margaret, and her son, prince -Edward, then a youth of eighteen, landed in England, for they had -lived in France some years, and were sadly grieved at the news of -Warwick’s defeat and death; but as they had a great many friends, -the queen determined upon trying another battle, which was a great -pity, for both herself and her son were made prisoners, and the young -prince was killed in king Edward’s tent, for making a spirited answer -to some insulting question put to him by the haughty monarch. - -14. The miserable mother was sent to the Tower, where her husband -had just died; but she was afterwards released, and ransomed by her -father; and she returned to live with him in France, her native -country. - -15. And now, that we have done with the wars, we may begin to think -of something more pleasant. Have you ever heard it was in the reign -of Edward the Fourth that books were first printed in England? - -16. The art of printing, which enables us to have so many nice books -to instruct and amuse us, had lately been invented in Germany, and -was brought here by an English merchant, named William Caxton, who -went to Cologne, on purpose to learn how to print, and when he came -back, he set up a printing-press in Westminster Abbey, which, at that -time, was a monastery. - -17. We ought to be very much obliged to the clever person that -invented printing; for only think how very ignorant we should be, -and how much pleasure we should lose, if there were no books to tell -us any thing. - -18. There were books, certainly, before that time; but they were -all written, and it took so long to copy them, that they were very -expensive, so that none but very rich people could have even a few -volumes. - -19. Printed books were also, for a long time, much too dear to be in -general use, but people of rank soon began to be much better educated -than in former times, and their habits and manners became much -improved in consequence. - -20. Then a great many of the old Norman castles had been destroyed -in the wars, which put an end, after a time, to the customs of -chivalry; and the nobles, instead of sending their sons to be brought -up for warlike knights, sent them to Oxford, or Cambridge, to become -scholars; or to Eton College, which had been founded by Henry the -Sixth. - -21. King Edward died in 1483, when his eldest son, who is called -Edward the Fifth, although he never was really king, was only -thirteen years old; and he, and his younger brother, the Duke of -York, were under the guardianship of their uncle Richard, Duke of -Gloucester, who was a very bad man. - -22. Instead of protecting the fatherless children entrusted to his -care, he only thought how he might take advantage of their youth to -obtain the crown himself; so he sent them both to the Tower, but not -as prisoners, for it was then used occasionally as a royal residence, -especially in times of public disturbances; so Richard told the -people the boys would be safe there; but in a little while it was -reported that they were dead, and it was thought he had caused them -to be murdered, which was most likely the truth, although some people -think they were not put to death, but were kept there as prisoners -for some years. - -23. Richard the Third was not a very bad king, for he made some -laws that were very useful to the merchants who traded with foreign -countries, and he was the first who thought of having postmen, or -couriers, to carry letters, so that, wicked as he was, we cannot say -he did no good as a sovereign. - -24. The post was, at first, only for government letters, and it was -a long time before any arrangements were made for private persons to -correspond by the same means; but this was done by degrees, and in -the time of Oliver Cromwell, the General Post Office was established, -when everybody had the benefit of this excellent institution, which -adds so much to people’s happiness; for who could possibly be happy -now, if they could not hear from their absent friends? - -25. Richard the Third reigned only two years, for he was disliked by -the nobility, and a conspiracy was formed against him by the friends -of the House of Lancaster, who were desirous of placing on the throne -the heir of that family, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. - -26. This young nobleman was living in exile, at the time, in France. -But he was soon informed of what was going on, and told the French -king, who lent him forty ships, and about five thousand soldiers, -with which he sailed directly for England, where he found friends -ready to join him with more troops. - -27. The battle of Bosworth was fought on the 22nd of August, 1485, -when Richard was killed, and the conqueror proclaimed king on the -field; and thus ended the Wars of the Roses. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. What was the duration of the civil wars? - - 2. Describe the general state of the country. - - 4. Who conducted the war for the king? - - 5. How did the Duke of York lose his life? - - 6. To whom did Edward owe his success? - - 9. Name the battles that were fought after Edward became king. - - 11. Why was the contest renewed? - - 12. Where was the Earl of Warwick killed, and when? - - 13. What happened after this battle? - - 14. When were books first printed in England? - - 16. Where was the art of printing invented? - - 20. Who founded Eton College? - - 21. Who obtained the crown on the death of Edward the Fourth? - - 22. Relate the circumstances. - - 23. What was the origin and progress of the Post Office? - - 25. How was the reign of Richard soon terminated? - - 27. Name the date of the battle of Bosworth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -FROM THE BATTLE OF BOSWORTH, TO QUEEN ELIZABETH.--1461 TO 1558. - - -[Illustration: LADY JANE GREY REFUSING THE CROWN.] - -1. Henry the Seventh was not an amiable man, but he had many -qualities that were good and useful in a sovereign, and the country -prospered greatly under his government. - -2. One of the conditions on which he succeeded to the throne, was -that he should marry the princess Elizabeth, daughter of Edward -the Fourth, and thus secure peace by uniting the families of York -and Lancaster:--the princess Elizabeth was a lady much beloved by -every body, and her many acts of benevolence were long remembered in -England, so that she was generally called the good queen Bess. - -3. The king wished to increase the wealth and prosperity of the -nation, and he took the best means of doing so by promoting commerce. -He made commercial treaties, that is, agreements about trade, with -foreign princes, by which he obtained many advantages for the English -merchants, just as our government has lately made a treaty with the -emperor of China, about our trade in his country. - -4. No English ship had ever been to China then, nor even to India; -and America had not yet been discovered; but in the time of Henry -the Seventh, the Spaniards and Portuguese made longer voyages than -had ever been made before, and the celebrated Christopher Columbus, -whom I dare say you have often heard of, found out by study, that -there was an unknown land on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, -and although people laughed at him, he at last persuaded the king -and queen of Spain to let him have ships, and sailors, and money, to -go in search of it, so he was the first that found out the way to -America, which, for a long time, was called the New World. - -5. Soon after this, the Portuguese found out the way to India by sea; -and then the English began to make voyages of discovery also, and -to find that the world had more countries in it than they had ever -dreamed of before. - -6. Maps and charts, which had been known to the Greeks and Romans, -now began to be much improved, though they were still incorrect, as -you may suppose. - -7. However, all these new discoveries, together with the invention -of printing, made people think more about learning, and less about -fighting than they used to do; especially as the nobility were -beginning to live more in the way they do now, and to have handsome -houses in London, instead of living always in their gloomy old -castles. - -8. Their domestics were no longer slaves, but hired servants; their -tenants were not villeins, but free farmers, who paid rent for their -land; and the poor peasantry, no longer in bondage, were at liberty -to go where they pleased, and were paid for their daily labour. - -9. You remember that in the feudal times all the land in the country -belonged to the king, the nobles, the knights, and the bishops, and -abbots. - -10. But Edward the First made a law in favour of the sale and -purchase of all lands except those held immediately of the king; and -Edward the Third gave his own vassals leave to sell their estates. - -11. Other laws were afterwards made, by which landed property was -made liable to seizure for debt, and might be given by will, or sold -at the pleasure of the owner. And Henry the Seventh, by another law, -further encouraged the sale of land, and the consequent division of -large estates. - -12. Then many of the nobles, who had more land than they wanted, sold -some of it to wealthy merchants and others, who built large mansions, -to which they often gave their own family name, as for instance, if -the name of the proprietor happened to be Burton, he would probably -call his residence Burton Hall. - -13. These country gentlemen formed quite a new class of people in -England, and they have ever since that time continued to increase in -wealth, rank, and importance. - -14. A strange thing happened in the reign of Henry the Seventh, which -has made some people think the sons of Edward the Fourth were not -put to death in the Tower, as is generally believed, but you shall -hear the story. - -15. A young man, called Perkin Warbeck, came to Ireland from -Flanders, and declared he was the younger of those two princes, and -the lawful heir to the throne, as his brother was dead. - -16. He told a wonderful tale, how he had escaped from the Tower, -and related many adventures which he said had befallen him; so the -Irish people said they would fight for him, and try to take the crown -from king Henry; but as they could not raise a sufficient force by -themselves, Warbeck applied to the king of France, who also promised -to help him, and then he went to the Duchess of Burgundy, who was -Edward the Fourth’s sister, and, strange to say, that lady declared -she believed the young man was her brother’s son, and persuaded the -Flemings to lend him their aid. - -17. But the king of France changed his mind; and made a treaty of -peace with king Henry, who ordered the English merchants not to carry -on any trade with Flanders while the Flemings continued to favour the -cause of Perkin Warbeck, so they deserted him too. - -18. I have not the room to tell you the rest of his adventures, but -they ended in his being taken prisoner by the king, who had him put -to death as a traitor. Henry the Seventh reigned twenty-four years, -and was succeeded in 1509 by his son, Henry the Eighth. - -19. The young king was married to Catharine of Arragon, the daughter -of the king of Spain, a beautiful and talented woman, who deserved a -better husband, for Henry was a sad tyrant in his family, as well as -over the nation. - -20. The greatest man in the kingdom next to the king, was his -minister, Cardinal Wolsey, who governed the country for many years, -and was so rich, that he not only lived in as much splendour as the -king, but he built the palaces of Hampton-court and Whitehall, and -founded the College of Christ Church at Oxford. - -21. A Cardinal is a priest of high dignity in the Catholic Church, -being next in rank to the Pope. - -22. Wolsey was clever and learned; but he was very proud, so he had -many enemies, and at last fell into disgrace with the king, and died -of grief. - -23. Soon after this Henry chose to be separated from his good wife, -Catharine, because he had seen a young lady named Anna Boleyn, whom -he thought he should like to marry; so he sent the queen and his -daughter Mary, away from court, and made Anna Boleyn queen; but he -soon began to dislike her, and said she had done some very wicked -things, as an excuse for sending her to the Tower, where he had her -head cut off; and then he married another young lady, named Jane -Seymour, who soon died. She left a little baby, who was king Edward -the Sixth; and Anna Boleyn also had a baby, who was queen Elizabeth. - -24. I must now tell you of a great change made by Henry the Eighth, -with regard to religion, and called the Reformation. - -25. The church of England had, till this period, been the same as -that of Rome, and the people were Roman Catholics; but there were a -good many people in Germany, and in England also, who thought that -some of the forms of the Catholic religion were not right, and ought -to be altered, and these persons were called reformers, and all who -adopted their opinions took the name of Protestants, because they -protested against certain things. - -26. Now Henry the Eighth had a disagreement with the Pope, about his -second marriage; so he determined to abolish the Catholic religion, -to seize on and destroy the monasteries and nunneries, and to have -Protestant clergymen to preach and read the prayers in the churches. - -27. It would be too long a story to tell you how he accomplished all -this; but it was done. There were nearly a thousand religious houses, -that is, convents, abbeys, and priories, in England, inhabited by -monks and nuns, clerks and friars, of different orders, who had no -other homes, nor any means of living, but on the property of the -establishments to which they belonged; and these were all suppressed, -together with many colleges and hospitals, which also supported a -great many poor people. - -28. The poor were very sorry the convents were broken up, for they -had been accustomed to go there when they were in distress, for food, -clothing, or medicine; and now they did not know where to get relief, -as there were no workhouses; the hospitals, and all other charitable -institutions, except some alms-houses, having been destroyed; nor was -it till almost the middle of the reign of queen Elizabeth that any -provision was made by law for the destitute poor. - -29. The manufactures of England were now fast increasing. -Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, were beginning to be known -as manufacturing towns; the first, for woollens and cottons; the -others, for cutlery and hardware. - -30. Pewter plates and dishes were made in large quantities, for they -were now used in the most respectable families instead of wood; hats -were also made in England in this reign; and a clock, the first ever -manufactured in this country. - -31. But nothing was more useful than the improvements made in -gardening, for which we are indebted to the Flemings and Dutch, who -were the best gardeners in Europe, and who brought here many kinds of -vegetables for the table, such as cabbages, lettuces, &c., and many -fruits that had not been cultivated in England since the time of the -Romans, particularly cherries and currants. - -32. Potatoes were not known until the reign of queen Elizabeth, when -Sir Walter Raleigh brought some from America, and planted them, first -in Ireland, little thinking, perhaps, that this root would, at a -future time, be almost the only food of the Irish people. - -33. Henry the Eighth had three more wives, Anne of Cleves, whom he -divorced; Catherine Howard, whom he had beheaded, like poor Anna -Boleyn; and Catherine Parr, who outlived him. - -34. He reigned thirty-eight years, and was succeeded by his son, -Edward the Sixth, who was only nine years old, and died before he -was sixteen; so that he can scarcely be reckoned among the kings of -England. - -35. He was a pious and amiable prince, fond of learning, and -extremely charitable. He founded St. Thomas’s Hospital, for the sick -poor; and Christ’s Hospital and School, for the education of boys who -had lost their fathers. - -36. He had a cousin, Lady Jane Grey, whom he was very fond of, for -she was about his own age, gentle and beautiful, and being fond of -study, was educated with him; so that it was no wonder he liked her. - -37. They were both Protestants; but Edward’s eldest sister, Mary, was -a Catholic; and as some of the great noblemen were Protestants, they -did not like to have a Catholic queen; so when the young king was -dying, they persuaded him to make a will, leaving the crown to Lady -Jane Grey, which was not right, because his father had ordered, and -the parliament confirmed his will, that, if he died, Mary was to be -queen. Edward the Sixth died in the seventh year of his reign. - -38. Lady Jane was married to young Lord Guildford Dudley, and knew -nothing about king Edward’s will till after he was dead, when her -husband’s father told her she was to be queen. - -39. At first she refused, but was, at length, persuaded or compelled -to allow herself to be proclaimed; and very unhappy it made her, so -that she was very glad, at the end of ten days, to give up the title -of queen to her who had a better right to it. - -40. Now Mary was a woman of a morose temper; and, unfortunately, at -that time, and long afterwards, people who differed in religious -opinions were very cruel to each other; so she would not forgive poor -Lady Jane Grey, but sent her and her husband to the Tower, where they -were both beheaded. - -41. The reign of queen Mary lasted only five years, and there is -little to tell about it, except that she did all she could to -restore the Roman Catholic religion, and re-established some of the -monasteries; but they were suppressed again, after her death, by her -sister Elizabeth, who had been brought up in the Protestant faith. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 2. How did Henry the Seventh secure peace? - - 3. How was the prosperity of the country increased? - - 4. What great discoveries were made in his reign? - - 7. What changes may be noticed in the mode of living? - - 8. How was a new class of people formed? - - 15. Who was Perkin Warbeck? - - 18. Who succeeded Henry the Seventh? - - 19. To whom was he married? - - 20. Who was Cardinal Wolsey? - - 23. Why did the king put away his first queen? - - 25. What was the Reformation? - - 26. How was this change accomplished? - - 29. Which towns had become famous for their manufacture? - - 33. How many wives had Henry the Eighth? - - 34. How long did he reign, and who succeeded him? - - 36. Who was Lady Jane Grey? - - 37. What is chiefly remarkable of queen Mary? - - 41. By whom was she succeeded? - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -QUEEN ELIZABETH.--1558 TO 1603. - - -[Illustration: QUEEN ELIZABETH REVIEWING HER TROOPS.] - -1. Elizabeth is one of the most celebrated of our sovereigns, for she -was a remarkably clever woman, although, like her father, she was -harsh and tyrannical. - -2. It was a merry day in England when she was crowned, for great -numbers of the people had not liked queen Mary. The citizens of -London testified their joy by decorating the outsides of their houses -with draperies of silk and satin; and by having shows and pageants in -the streets, as was customary, at that time, on all joyful occasions. - -3. In one place, a fountain ran with wine; in another, a boy, dressed -to represent an angel with wings, descended from the top of an arch, -as the queen’s chariot was passing under, and presented her with a -bible; then was drawn up again by a cord, to look as if he flew away; -and there were many other things of the same kind, which I have not -room to tell of. - -4. The ladies and gentlemen who attended the queeen rode on -horseback, for coaches were not used in England till some years -afterwards, when a gentleman, from Holland, brought a carriage over -here, and then the English soon began to build coaches, and ladies -of rank left off riding on horses, as they used to do, seated on a -pillion, behind their husbands. - -5. Elizabeth was a good queen in many respects, for she was a friend -to learning, commerce, and all useful arts; and she chose able -ministers, who ruled the country with wisdom and prudence; but she -behaved very cruelly about religion, for although numbers of the -people were still Catholics, she made a law that everybody should go -to Protestant churches; and those who did not were put in prison, or -made to pay such large sums of money, that they were quite ruined. - -6. In other countries, particularly the Netherlands, the Protestants -were as ill-treated as the Catholics were here, so that a great many -of them came to England, and were very useful in teaching the English -several arts and manufactures they did not know before. - -7. Pins, needles, and paper, were now first made in England, and the -cotton and other factories were greatly improved, so that there was -more employment for the working classes. - -8. Then workhouses were established for the destitute, and all -householders, for the first time, were obliged to pay a tax, called -the poor rate, to support and find the poor in food and clothes, so -that they might not be driven, by want, to beg or steal. - -9. The middle classes became more wealthy, and lived in better style -than at any former period, especially the citizens of London, many -of whom were rich merchants, living like noblemen, and among these -was Sir Thomas Gresham, who built the first Royal Exchange, at his -own expense, and gave a grand dinner there to the queen, in the year -1570. - -10. English merchants now began to think of trading to the East -Indies: but as it required a great deal of money to fit out ships, -to make so long a voyage, for it took about four times as long then -as it does now, a number of rich merchants joined together, and for -a sum of money, obtained a charter from the queen, which made it -unlawful for any other persons to carry on any trade with that part -of the world. - -11. It is very interesting to read how this East India Company first -were only permitted just to land in India, and buy and sell a few -goods; then, how they obtained permission of the emperor, for there -was an emperor of India then, to build some warehouses on the sea -coast, and form a little settlement, called a factory; then how they -gradually established more factories, and took soldiers to protect -them, and gained possession of lands, where they built towns, so that -many English families went to live there. - -12. Such was the beginning of the British empire in India; and, I -dare say, that if the emperor could have foreseen the consequences, -he would not have consented to have an English factory built on his -coast. - -13. In the reign of Elizabeth, Captain Francis Drake made a voyage -all round the world, though he was not the first navigator who did -so, but he was the first English one. - -14. This was a grand exploit, as few people had believed, then, that -it was possible, or that the world was really a round body; so you -see how these voyages tended to increase knowledge, as well as to -improve commerce. - -15. When Drake returned, the queen went to dine with him on board his -ship, and made him a knight, after which he was called Sir Francis -Drake, and he soon became an admiral. - -16. In the mean time, several voyages had been made to America, and -Sir Walter Raleigh, who was one of the great men of the time, had -taken possession of a tract of land for the queen of England, which -he called Virginia, and it still bears that name. - -17. The Europeans behaved very unjustly about America, for although -the natives were savages, they had no right to take away their lands. - -18. But they did so in every place they went to; and if they were -Spaniards, they set up the Spanish flag, and the commander of the -ship said, “I take this country for the king of Spain;” and then -would fight with the poor natives, and kill them or drive them away; -and, I am sorry to say, the English used to act much in the same -manner. - -19. The Spaniards who had taken some of the West India Islands, and -settled colonies in South America, wanted slaves to work in the gold -mines, and their sugar plantations; so an English captain took out -some ships to Africa, and carried off a great many negroes, whom -he sold in the West Indies, for a large price; and from that time -this trade was carried on to a great extent, and was permitted, by -government, until the beginning of the present century. - -20. But we must now think of what was going on in England. Elizabeth -had a cousin, named Mary, who was queen of Scotland, and was next -heir to the English crown. - -21. She was young and beautiful, and had been married to the king of -France, who was now dead; so she had returned to Scotland, and, after -a time, married lord Darnley, and had a son, who was our king James -the First. - -22. Lord Darnley was murdered, and Mary married another lord, who was -disliked by the Scots, so that there was a civil war, and she was -obliged to resign the crown, and after much ill-treatment, escaped to -England, and begged the protection of queen Elizabeth. - -23. Now the queen had always been jealous of her, and she was now -cruel enough to shut her up in a castle, and, after keeping her a -prisoner for eighteen years, in different places, gave orders for -her execution, and the unfortunate queen of Scots was beheaded in -Fotheringay castle. - -24. Soon after this event, news arrived that a large fleet was -coming to invade England. The king of Spain, Philip the Second, had -been married to our queen Mary; and had offered his hand to queen -Elizabeth, but she had resolved not to marry at all, and at any rate, -she would not have had Philip, for she did not like him. - -25. He was, therefore, offended; and was also angry because the queen -had been kind to the Protestants who had fled to England from the -Netherlands, for he was king of those countries as well as of Spain; -and her admirals having attacked some of his settlements in America, -he determined to invade England, and make himself king there too, if -he could. - -26. He got ready the largest fleet that was ever known, and called -it the Invincible Armada; but it did not prove to be invincible, -although the English had but a very small navy at that time, not more -than fifteen ships of war; but the merchants lent their ships, and -manned them at their own expense; and people of all classes gave -money to pay soldiers, to defend the country, in case the Spaniards -should effect a landing. - -27. But they never did land; for the English vessels, though so much -smaller than Spanish ships, were lighter, and more manageable, and -kept them from coming near the shore; and when they anchored off -Calais, the English admiral sent fire ships among them, and burnt -some of them, which created such terror, that they sailed away as -fast as they could, some one way and some another, and the English -ships chased them and disabled a great many; while others were -wrecked by a violent storm; and thus the Armada was nearly destroyed. - -28. Small handbills were printed and sent about the country, to let -the people know that the danger was over. - -29. Many more books were now published, and there were many clever -authors in this reign, especially Shakespeare, who wrote a number of -beautiful plays. - -30. The queen was a great admirer of Shakespeare’s plays, and used -to go to see them acted; but the theatres were then not much better -than the shows at a country fair, and the performance was in the day -time. - -31. People of fashion, in those days, dined at eleven o’clock; the -merchants and tradespeople, at twelve; and laborers, at one; and all -public amusements were between dinner and supper, which was taken -about six. - -32. These amusements did not show very good taste, for gentlemen and -ladies of rank used to go and see cock fighting, and bull and bear -baiting, which are cruel disgusting exhibitions, and I only mention -them to show you the difference between the manners at that time and -this. - -33. I will now give you an idea what kind of dress people used to -wear in the time of queen Elizabeth. The gowns were open before, -with a stiff bodice, just like a pair of stays, laced in front, and -a large ruff round the neck. - -34. In the street, most ladies used to wear a little black velvet -mask, and shoes with such high heels they could scarcely walk in -them. Gentlemen wore short jackets, reaching a little below the -waist, with a belt and sword, a cloak, and a high-crowned hat. - -35. One great improvement was made in dress in this reign, by the -invention of stockings, which, for a long time, were all knitted; -but they were found much more convenient than the cloth hose, that -everybody used to wear, till then. - -36. Queen Elizabeth died, after a long, prosperous and peaceful -reign, of forty-five years, in 1603, having named for her successor, -her cousin, James Stuart, king of Scotland: and thus the two kingdoms -of England and Scotland came to be united, and took the name of Great -Britain. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. What was the character of queen Elizabeth? - - 4. What was the fashion of riding at this period? - - 5. Mention the good and bad features of Elizabeth’s government. - - 6. How were new manufactures brought into England, and what were - they? - - 8. What provision was made for the poor? - - 9. When was the Royal Exchange built, and by whom? - - 10. What was the origin of the East India Company? - - 13. Who was the first English captain that sailed round the world? - - 15. What honors were bestowed on him on his return? - - 19. How was the slave trade begun? - - 26. What was the Spanish Armada? - - 29. What celebrated author lived in this reign? - - 36. When did Elizabeth die? - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE STUARTS. FROM THE UNION TO THE REVOLUTION.--1603 TO 1689. - - -[Illustration: CROMWELL EXPELLING THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.] - -1. The people of Scotland did not like the union of the two kingdoms, -at first, because the king and many of the nobility went away to -live in London, which, as there was little trade, left Scotland in -a very poor condition; and it was a long time, indeed, not before -the people had experienced the great benefits of British trade and -commerce, that they began to feel as a part of the English nation; -but now that the English and Scots have become like one people, it is -certainly much happier and better for both. - -2. James had not been king two years, when a conspiracy was formed -against the government, called the Gunpowder Plot. I cannot tell you -for certain by whom it was contrived, but it was a wicked scheme -to blow up the houses of parliament, when the king, and most of -the lords and commons were there assembled; but, happily, it was -discovered a short time before the meeting of parliament, and all the -greatest men in the country were saved from a dreadful death. - -3. James the First was not a good king, for he had a mistaken -notion that a king ought to do whatever he liked; and that, if he -wanted money he had a right to make new taxes, without the consent -of parliament, and, in fact, he thought it unnecessary to have any -parliament at all, and he taught his son Charles to be of the same -opinion, which was the cause of that monarch’s untimely fate, and -the civil wars that you will presently read about. - -4. In the reign of James the First, there were such severe laws -against those who did not conform to the church of England, that -hundreds of people emigrated to America, and settled themselves -in colonies in a wild country, where at first they suffered many -hardships and privations; but these colonies, and others, afterwards -formed, gradually improved, till they became large flourishing -states, now called the United States of America. - -5. James the First reigned twenty-two years, and was succeeded, in -the year 1625, by his son Charles, whose bad education led to all the -miseries of a long civil war, and to misfortunes that fell upon his -own head. - -6. The quarrels between Charles and the parliament, arose from his -taking upon himself the power of raising money by taxes, without the -consent of the House of Commons; and in other things he chose to act -by his own will, although it might be quite contrary to the laws of -the country. - -7. Many people were put in prison because they would not lend him -money when he desired it; and, at last, he dissolved the parliament -altogether, and said he would govern without one, and then the -people had no protection from his tyranny. - -8. Those who were treated the worst were the Puritans, a religious -sect, whose form of worship was very similar to that of the present -Scottish Church, which is different from the English, as they have -no bishops, do not use prayer books, and have particular rules about -choosing their own clergymen. - -9. The Scots who hold these opinions are called Presbyterians. The -Puritans dressed very plainly, like quakers, and had their hair cut -close, and on that account they obtained the name of Roundheads; and -those who took part against the king in the civil war, generally -adopted that fashion, and were distinguished by that name. - -10. After a time, the king began to find that, if he continued to -govern by himself, there would certainly be a serious rebellion; so -he consented to have a new parliament, and there was an election -directly, and as many of the new members were Puritans, they perhaps -wanted the king to yield too much, and thus provoked him not to give -up so much as he ought. - -11. I cannot tell how this might be; but a great many people at -length began to think it would be better to have a Republic, that is, -a government without a king, and many of the Puritans were of that -opinion. - -12. Charles had undoubtedly brought all his troubles upon himself, -but it was now evident he must either give up his authority as -a sovereign, or fight to maintain it; so he chose the latter -alternative, and a war was commenced between the king and the -parliament. Each party raised a large army. - -13. The queen, who was sister to the French king, went to France, to -raise money to pay soldiers to fight for her husband, and to bring -arms for them. He was supported by most of the English nobility, -while the principal commoners sided with the parliament. - -14. The first general for the parliament was the Earl of Essex, who -resigned in favor of general Fairfax, but the greatest general of the -parliamentary army was a country gentleman named Oliver Cromwell, who -was very clever, both as a military officer and a statesman; and, -after the death of Charles, he became the ruler of England. - -15. The war caused a great deal of unhappiness in private families; -for, although it was principally the soldiers who fought, everybody -was interested in the question whether there should be a king, or -not; and such violent quarrels arose, that the nearest relatives, -even fathers and sons, and brothers often became enemies, and many -young men went to join one army, or the other; so that sometimes two -brothers might be on different sides; and then think how dreadful it -was, when a battle took place, that they should be fighting against -each other. - -16. The Royalists, who were called Cavaliers, were known from the -Roundheads by their handsome style of dress, for they wore colored -doublets made of silk or satin, with lace collars falling over them, -and a short cloak over one shoulder. Their hair was curled in long -ringlets, and their broad hats adorned with long feathers. - -17. There was as much difference in dress between the ladies as the -gentlemen, for the female Roundheads were very plain and prim in -their attire, while the Royalists were dressed in the gayest fashion. - -18. I shall not enter into the particulars of the war. It is enough -to say that after it had gone on three years, the king was totally -defeated, at the battle of Naseby, in Northamptonshire, and soon -afterwards was made prisoner. - -19. The Republicans then had it all their own way. The king was -brought to trial on a charge of having broken the laws of the -country; was condemned to death, and beheaded at Whitehall, January -30th, 1649. - -20. But the civil war did not end with the death of Charles the -First, for his son, prince Charles, who was in Holland at the time, -went to Scotland, where the generality of the people were not -disposed to have a republican government, so they made the prince -promise not to interfere with their religion, but to join the -Presbyterians, and then they proclaimed him king, and soon raising an -army, he marched into England. - -21. A battle was fought at Worcester, where Cromwell gained a great -victory, and the young king had to make his escape, in disguise, -with a few friends, who were anxious to get him safely out of the -country; and many curious adventures they met with, for parties of -the republican soldiers were sent off in all directions in pursuit of -the fugitive prince, who was several times very nearly caught. - -22. His escape was chiefly owing to the fidelity of five brothers, -named Penderel, farmers and woodmen, who were tenants of a gentleman -that was warmly attached to the Royal family. They lent him a -woodman’s dress, called him Will Jones; and rode about with him, -to show him what houses he might safely go to for shelter and -entertainment. - -23. On the third day after the battle, he was obliged to hide in a -wood, in Boscobel, on the borders of Staffordshire, where he met with -a friend, Major Carlis, who was hiding himself. - -24. They heard soldiers about the wood, so they both got up into an -old oak tree, with some bread and cheese and beer, that one of the -Penderels had brought to Charles, and while they were there, they -heard the soldiers talking close under the tree, and saying how glad -they should be to find the king, and that they were sure he must be -somewhere thereabouts. - -25. The tree was afterwards called the Royal Oak; and there is a tree -now on the same spot, raised from an acorn of the original one, which -is still distinguished by that name. - -26. One time he travelled with a lady, as her groom, and when they -stopped at an inn, he went into the kitchen, where the cook told him -to wind up the jack, which he did so awkwardly, that she scolded him. - -27. He made an excuse, saying that where he came from, they did not -have roast meat very often, and never used a jack; but I dare say, he -laughed heartily afterwards, for he was always merry in the midst of -his troubles. - -28. At last, after being at hide and seek for nearly two months, he -embarked at Shoreham, and reached the continent in safety. - -29. Great Britain was now not a kingdom, for there was no king, but -it was a Republic, or Commonwealth, which is a government managed by -the people, or their representatives in parliament. - -30. But Oliver Cromwell was an ambitious man, and wanted to have all -the power in his own hands; so he got the soldiers on his side, and -then told the members of parliament that it was time for them to -go out of office, that there might be a new election; and on their -refusal, he went to the House of Commons with a regiment of soldiers, -turned out the members, locked the doors, and took away the keys. - -31. He soon formed a new Parliament of men who were devoted to his -interest, and he was made chief ruler of the state, under the name of -Protector of the Commonwealth; but he might as well have been called -king, for he was almost as absolute a sovereign as any that had yet -reigned. - -32. However, he made a good use of his power by promoting trade, and -foreign commerce, besides which, he had an excellent army, and a good -navy, so that England was considered of more importance, by other -nations, than it had ever been before. - -33. The English Admiral, Blake, gained some great victories over -the Dutch at sea; and some conquests were made both in the East and -West Indies, particularly that of Jamaica, which was taken from the -Spaniards. - -34. The English people obeyed Cromwell more from fear than love, -yet he had so many great qualities that he was respected, as well -as feared. Milton, the poet, was one of his secretaries, and was -much attached to him, as I believe most people were, who belonged to -his domestic circle, for Cromwell was kind and mild in his family, -although severe and determined in his public character. - -35. There was not much merriment in England, while he was its ruler, -for the Puritans thought it sinful to dance, or feast, or sing, or -play at any games; so all the theatres and other places of public -amusement were ordered to be shut up, even at Christmas, which had -previously been a very gay time, when everybody, rich or poor, used -to make holiday for twelve days; and in every country mansion, there -was a good Christmas dinner, and plenty of fun afterwards, old and -young playing at forfeits, blindman’s buff, and other Christmas -gambols, in the great hall. - -36. But these frolics were forbidden in Cromwell’s time, and if any -merry-hearted folks indulged in such doings, it was by stealth, and -they kept it secret. - -37. The prim dress, and hats with high crowns, were worn by both -sexes; for if any persons had dressed in a gayer fashion, they would -have been taken for Royalists. Cromwell died six years after he was -made Protector, and ten from the death of Charles the First. - -38. A great many improvements were made during the Commonwealth; for -instance, coffee, sugar, and India muslins, were first brought to -this country. - -39. When Oliver Cromwell was dead, his son Richard was made -Protector; but he liked a quiet life, and soon gave up the -troublesome task of ruling the country; and as most people were now -of opinion it was better to have a king than not, the parliament -resolved to recall Charles, who was residing in Holland, and -messengers were sent to tell him that he would be restored to the -throne, on condition that all persons should have liberty to follow -their religious belief, and that no one should be punished for -having taken part against him, or his father, before. - -40. He returned to England, and entered London in great state, on the -29th of May, 1660, on which day, every year, you may always hear the -bells ringing, to commemorate the restoration of Charles the Second. - -41. But the rejoicing is because the old form of government was -restored; for Charles was not, by any means, a good sovereign, nor -had he one quality to be admired, except that he was good natured to -those about him, and liked to make fun of every thing. However, I -must not forget to say that he rewarded the Penderels, who had been -so kind to him in his misfortunes. - -42. England was now quite a different place from what it had been. -Every body might be as merry as they chose; the theatres were -re-opened; holidays kept; the villagers danced round their may-poles -as they used to do, and were not afraid to laugh and sing; while -the towns-people had their pleasant social meetings, and the London -citizens their grand feasts, and fine shows, as in the days of -Elizabeth. - -43. During the Commonwealth, there were no bishops, nor any music -allowed in the churches; but now, the bishops were restored to their -former dignity, and beautiful church music was again heard. - -43. But, I am sorry to say, the king did not keep his promise to let -all persons enjoy their own religion, which caused a great deal of -unhappiness, for numbers of families, to escape being put in prison, -or having their property taken from them, left their comfortable -homes, and went to settle in the new American colonies, where they -had to endure many hardships, for it is a long time before the people -in new settlements can obtain the means of living in any degree of -comfort. - -44. About five years after the return of king Charles, the plague -broke out in London, and continued to rage for many months with -fearful violence. - -45. The streets were, at that time, narrow and dirty; the houses -mostly of wood, and not airy; nor was the city so well paved -or cleansed, nor so well supplied with water, as at present, -consequently it was not so healthy; and then, the doctors were not -so clever as they are now, so that many died, who perhaps might have -been saved. - -46. It was a melancholy time. The houses were all shut up; no -business was transacted, and scarcely anybody was to be seen in the -streets, which were sad and silent, for death was in almost every -house. - -47. The king and queen, and most of the great people, went out of -town, but some of the clergymen and other benevolent persons, stayed -to do what good they could, and some of them caught the infection, -and died. - -48. At last, when the heat of the summer was over, the plague began -to abate, and those who had survived it, returned to their usual -occupations; but with sorrowful hearts, for most of them had to mourn -the loss of their dearest friends. - -49. The plague had often raged in London before, but had never been -so bad; and perhaps the great fire that followed it, tended greatly -to remove the cause of this dreadful distemper. - -50. The memorable fire of London happened September, 1666. It began -at a baker’s shop, near London-bridge, and spread rapidly from street -to street, till almost all the town was in flames. - -51. It continued to burn for three days, and destroyed nearly the -whole city, with most of the churches and public buildings; but there -were very few lives lost, as the people fled from their houses when -they saw the fire approaching the street in which they lived. - -52. Many, however, were ruined by the loss of their property, and all -were left houseless, so that they had to set up tents in the fields, -to shelter themselves till they could find some place to go to; and -subscriptions were made for the relief of those who were most in -need, for generally the respectable citizens had saved their plate, -jewels, and money. - -53. The fire put an end to the pestilence, and so far proved a -benefit, in the end; for the city was rebuilt with wider streets; the -houses were built of brick or stone, and altogether it was handsomer -and more healthy; one proof of which is, that the plague has not been -known in London since. - -54. The visitation of the cholera, in 1829-30, although partaking -somewhat of the character of a plague, was a different disease, and -yielded to cleanliness and medical treatment. - -55. It was about this time, that tea was first brought to England, -from China, by the East India Company; but it was so very dear, that -a pound of tea was thought a handsome present, and it was a very long -while before people drank it as they do now. - -56. Except in London, Liverpool, and some of the principal towns, -nobody had ever heard of such a thing as tea; for there was but -little intercourse between London and the country towns at that -time, as the roads were still bad, and there were no stage coaches -till a few years after the death of Charles the Second, and then only -on three or four of the principal roads. - -57. The rich country gentlefolks lived in a plain homely way, and -their daughters were brought up to assist in domestic duties, such as -washing, ironing, cooking, knitting, and many other useful things; -but they seldom had any other accomplishments, and very few could -read or write. - -58. Charles the Second died in 1685, twenty-five years after his -restoration, and was succeeded by his brother James, who was a -Catholic, and tried to restore the Catholic religion, although he had -promised not to do so. - -59. The people soon began to feel that he did not mind breaking the -laws to accomplish this object; so a great many Protestant noblemen -and gentlemen agreed that it would be better to take the crown from -him, and to place on the throne a prince of another family, for -they said, the laws would never be rightly observed so long as the -Stuarts, or a Catholic king, reigned; so they sent to William, prince -of Orange, who was married to the king’s daughter, Mary, and asked -him to become king of England, and he consented. - -60. He came, with a large army, to Torbay, in Devonshire; but there -was no fighting, for king James, with his wife and infant son, fled -to France, where he was kindly received by the French king, Louis the -Fourteenth, who promised to try and replace him on the throne; but -the attempt was unsuccessful, as you will presently see. - -61. James the Second had only reigned in England three years, and -during that time the Protestants were so cruelly treated in France, -that thousands of industrious artisans came over here, chiefly silk -weavers, but also watchmakers, cutlers, and manufacturers of glass, -writing paper and many other things; from whom the English learned to -make all these things as well as the French. - -62. The middle classes were much better off than at any former time, -on account of the increase of trade; but the lower orders were not so -well off, for wages were less, in proportion to the prices of bread -and meat, than they were at earlier periods of our history. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 2. What was the gunpowder plot? - - 3. What was the opinion of the new king with regard to sovereignty? - - 4. How were the American States first colonized? - - 5. Who succeeded James the first? - - 6. What gave rise to quarrels between the king and parliament? - - 9. Who were the Roundheads? - - 11. What sort of government was desired by the people? - - 14. Who was Oliver Cromwell? - - 16. What were the Cavaliers? - - 17. What was the ultimate fate of king Charles? - - 19. Name the date of his death. - - 20. Did this event put an end to the war? - - 21. What was the battle of Worcester? - - 30. How did Cromwell obtain sovereign power? - - 31. What was his title? - - 33. What conquests were made in his time? - - 37. How long did Cromwell rule? - - 38. What improvements were made in his time? - - 39. What followed the death of Cromwell? - - 40. Name the date of the restoration. - - 44. What calamities befel London in this reign? - - 60. In what year was the fire of London? - - 63. Why did it eventually prove a benefit? - - 65. When was tea first brought to England? - - 58. How long did Charles the Second reign? - - 59. Why was James disliked by many of the people? - - 61. How were the useful arts improved in England, about this time? - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE REVOLUTION.--1689 TO 1714. - - -[Illustration: DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.] - -1. The changes made in the government by taking the crown from James -the Second, and giving it to William the Third, was called the -Revolution, and was a good thing for England, as it was then settled -that no sovereign, in the future, should follow his own will, or act -contrary to the laws of the country; that all new laws should be -proposed by the parliament, and not by the king; who was only to -have the power of giving or refusing his consent to them; which is -very different from being able to make laws without asking any one, -as the kings and queens of England had hitherto often done. - -2. The way, now, is this:--when a gentleman of the House of Commons, -or a nobleman of the House of Lords, thinks of any thing that will be -good for the nation, he mentions it to the rest and they all consult -about it, every one giving his opinion whether he thinks it good or -not; and if the greater number think it will be good, it is settled -that it shall be done, if both Houses of Parliament and the sovereign -agree to it; for whichever House of Parliament begins and agrees to a -measure, it is sent to the other House for approval:--this is called -passing the bill. - -3. When both Houses have done what they consider good and necessary, -it is submitted to the queen or king, who generally approves of it -also; and then it becomes a law. - -4. Another rule made at the Revolution was, that the parliament -should meet every year, and that there should be a new election at -least once in three years, to give the people an opportunity of -choosing other members, if they had not approved the votes of the old -ones; but, in the reign of George the First, this arrangement was -altered to seven years, and so it has continued ever since. - -5. It was also agreed that none but a Protestant should ever be king -or queen of England; and all these, with many other regulations, were -written down, and signed by king William, and this is called the Bill -of Rights. - -6. No one was to be persecuted on account of his or her religion; -but the Catholics were not allowed to hold landed property, or to -be members of parliament; and it was not till the reign of George -the Fourth that people of the Catholic faith were restored to their -ancient rights and privileges. - -7. Soon after William was made king, he had to go to Ireland, to -fight against James the Second, who had landed there with a French -army, thinking the Irish would assist him to recover the throne. But -he was defeated in a battle fought on the banks of the river Boyne, -and obliged to go back to France, where he lived in retirement for -the rest of his life. - -8. His daughter, Mary, the wife of king William, was a very amiable -woman, and much beloved by the English. It was she who induced the -government to convert the palace at Greenwich into an asylum for -poor old sailors; and the king gave money for the purpose. - -9. The East Indian trade was very much increased during this reign, -so that all things that came from China and India, such as tea, silk, -cotton, spices, porcelain or china ware, and many other beautiful and -useful things, became more easy to be procured in this country. - -10. I must also tell you that the Bank of England was now first -established, for the purpose of raising money for the government to -carry on war against Louis the Fourteenth, of France; and this was -the beginning of what you will sometimes hear called the National -Debt; for when people put money into the bank, it is the same as -lending it to the king or the government; and as long as they choose -to lend it, they are paid so much a year for doing so, and this is -called their dividend, which they go to the Bank twice a year to -receive. - -11. The war in which king William was engaged, had nothing whatever -to do with the English, but was only for the sake of helping the -Archduke of Austria, to fight out his quarrels with the king of -France; yet, after William’s death, these wars were carried on during -the whole reign of queen Anne, who succeeded William the Third, in -the year 1702, after he had reigned thirteen years. - -12. These wars caused great distress in England, where the taxes were -increased, to pay the expenses of the soldiers, and trade was much -injured, as we were at war with both France and Spain. - -13. There was a duty, for the first time, laid upon many things that -people have to use every day, such as soap, starch, and paper, so -that all these articles became much dearer. - -14. The meaning of a duty is this:--The parliament says, no person -may make any paper, unless he give to the government so much money -for every ream he makes; so the paper-makers pay the money, and -charge more for their paper to the shopkeepers, who buy it of them; -then you and I, and everybody who uses paper, must pay more for it -than if there was no duty; and the same with all things on which -there are duties. So you see the expenses of war fall upon every one, -in some way or other. - -15. Queen Anne was a daughter of James the Second, but as she was -a Protestant, no objection was made to her accession, although her -brother was excluded from the throne, as being a Catholic. - -16. The most important event that took place in the reign of queen -Anne, was the complete union of England and Scotland, for although -they had been governed by one king, since the time of James the -First, they had separate parliaments, and different laws; but it was -now settled that a certain number of the Scottish lords and commons -should sit in the English houses of parliament, and that all the laws -about trade, and every thing that did not interfere with the habits -or religion of Scotland, should be the same. - -17. This union of the parliaments took place in 1707, from which time -England and Scotland have been one country, called Great Britain. - -18. There was a celebrated General, the Duke of Marlborough, who -won some famous battles in Germany in the reign of queen Anne; and -there was a brave Admiral, Sir George Rooke, who took the fortress -of Gibraltar, which was a conquest of some importance to England, -because it stands at the entrance of the Mediterranean sea, and may -be said to command the passage taken by ships trading to the Grecian -islands, Egypt, Turkey, &c. Queen Anne died in the year 1714, having -reigned twelve years. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. What was meant by the Revolution? - - 2. What were the changes made in the government? - - 4. How was the duration of parliaments settled? - - 5. What was the Bill of Rights? - - 7. What was the battle of the Boyne? - - 8. Who was the wife of William the Third? - - 10. When was the Bank of England established, and why? - - 11. What was the object of the wars, and how long did they last? - - 16. What union was effected at this time? - - 17. When did it take place? - - 18. When did queen Anne die? - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -HOUSE OF HANOVER.--1714 TO 1830. - - -[Illustration: DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE.] - -1. When queen Anne died, the crown of England went to a German -prince, named George, the elector or sovereign of Hanover, whose -mother was grand-daughter of James the First. - -2. He was rather advanced in age, and being a stranger to the manners -of the people, and to the language and laws of the country, was not -likely to become a popular monarch; yet it was thought better that he -should succeed to the throne, than to let the son of James II., who -was now about six-and-twenty, be king of Great Britain. - -3. But there were a great many people in Scotland who wished to see -the family of their ancient kings restored, and some of the great -men, there, raised an army, and invited prince James Stuart, who is -usually called the Pretender, to place himself at the head of it, and -go to war with George the First. - -4. The Pretender went to Scotland, and two battles were fought, one -near Dumblane, and the other near Preston, in Lancashire; but the -English troops gained the victory at both places, and the prince was -glad to get back to France again. - -5. A great many English had joined in this rebellion, for, as I said -before, the new king was not very generally liked; and it was mostly -the English party that fought for the Pretender at Preston, and, I am -sorry to say, all who were made prisoners were very cruelly treated. -The leaders were put to death, and those who had fought under their -command, were mostly sent to America, and sold for slaves. - -6. You remember how the American colonies were first settled. Well, -they had now become large populous places, and cities had been built -there; but the people were cultivators, and had no manufactures -of any kind, for they were obliged to have all they wanted of -manufactured goods, either for clothing, or any other purpose, from -England, which was a great advantage to this country, by furnishing -employment for English manufactures. - -7. Perhaps you will say, why could they not have things from other -countries, as well as from England?--but you must bear in mind that -the American states were then under British government, and remained -so till the reign of George the Third, when the Americans established -a government of their own, and went to war with Great Britain, as -you will presently read, and with the assistance of France, made -themselves independent of this country. - -8. George the First died in 1727, having reigned nearly thirteen -years, and he was succeeded by his son, George the Second. - -9. There had been a great change in the mode of dress since the -time of the Stuarts, for queen Anne had introduced a fashion of -setting out the gowns with hoops; and gentlemen wore coats with broad -square-cut tails, waistcoats with long flaps, colored stockings -drawn up over the knee, lace ruffles, large shoe buckles, wigs with -rows of stiff curls, three-cornered hats bound with gold-lace, and -swords. - -10. Towards the close of the eighteenth century this formal -inconvenient style of dress was altered gradually; swords were left -off; the hair which, in the early part of the reign of George the -Third, was frizzed out, pomatumed and powdered, was dressed in a more -natural manner; round hats came into fashion, and people began to -look something like what they do now. - -11. The reign of George the Second, which lasted thirty-three years, -was on the whole rather a prosperous one, the greater part of it -being spent in peace. There was no war for about twelve years, and -during that time improvements were going on all over the country. - -12. Most of the great towns were made larger, and new manufactories -built, for the trade of England was increasing every year, and great -quantities of manufactured goods were sent out to foreign countries; -besides which, new roads were opened, waste lands cultivated, canals -formed, and new harbors made for shipping, so that there was plenty -of employment for the laboring people. - -13. We had a good navy at this time, and the first war that broke -out was carried on entirely at sea. It was with the Spaniards, who -had taken possession of a great part of South America, and, as they -chose to keep all the trade to themselves, they had ships constantly -sailing about, to prevent the ships of other nations coming there, -which was all very fair; but not content with guarding their own -possessions, they interfered with British merchants, who were going -to or from other places, plundered some of their vessels, and behaved -so ill, that the British government was obliged to declare war, and -sent out a great many ships to fight the Spaniards. - -14. I dare say you have heard stories about press-gangs taking away -poor men against their will, to make sailors of them. This cruel -expedient for getting plenty of sailors, was resorted to in all the -wars during the reigns of George the Second and George the Third, -when many a poor fellow, in going to or returning from his daily -labor, was met by a party of armed men, called a press-gang, and -carried off, by force, to a ship, without being allowed to go home, -or take leave of his family. Such things ought not to be done in a -free country, and I hope they never will be done again, even if we -should have the misfortune to be at war. - -15. At this time, the French had large possessions in India, as well -as the English, and it seemed doubtful which of the two nations -would, in the end, be masters of the country; but this question was -decided in the reign of George the Second, for, while the war with -Spain was going on, a war broke out between France and England, about -the affairs of Germany, where our king himself commanded the army, -and fought at the battle of Dettingen; but the fighting between the -French and English in India, was of more consequence, as several -great victories were gained by a brave commander, named Clive, by -which the superiority of the English in India was quite established, -and ever since that time, we have gained one place after another, in -that extensive and rich country, until a large portion of India has -become a province of the British empire. - -16. While these wars were going on abroad, there was another great -rebellion in Scotland; for prince Charles Edward Stuart, the son of -the old Pretender, being now a man, had come there to make another -attempt to recover the throne for his father; and being joined by -some of the Highland chiefs, and numbers of Scotch people, as well as -by many English who were discontented with the government, he went -to Holyrood house, the old palace of his ancestors, at Edinburgh, -where he held a court, and behaved as if he had been sovereign of the -country. - -17. Of course, an army was sent from England, to put down this -rebellion, which caused a great deal of misery; for, besides the -numbers of brave men that were killed in the several battles which -took place, many were afterwards executed as traitors, which must -have been more dreadful for their families than if they had fallen in -battle. - -18. If Charles Edward had any good feeling, I think he must have been -very sorry for the mischief he caused. He was finally defeated at the -battle of Culloden, and obliged to escape, like Charles the Second, -after the battle of Worcester, and his adventures are very similar, -but more full of suffering, than those of the merry monarch. This is -usually called the Rebellion of ’45, because it was in the year 1745. - -19. There is only one thing more of importance to mention in the -reign of George the Second, and that is the conquest of the large -country of Canada, in North America, which had belonged to the -French, who had settled there as the English had in the United -States, and built several good towns, one of which was Quebec. - -20. There had frequently been quarrels between the French and -English in America, respecting their possessions, which, at length, -occasioned a war there, and soldiers were sent out both from France -and England, the French wanting to conquer the British states, the -English to gain possession of Canada. - -21. This war had lasted about five years, when the renowned General -Wolfe gained a great victory at the battle of Quebec; after which, -the French gave up Canada, which has belonged to England ever since, -and is a very useful possession, supplying abundance of fine corn, -and timber for building. - -22. General Wolfe was killed on the field of battle, just as the -victory was won, and his death was much lamented in England, where -the news of the conquest arrived a few days before the death of -the king, which happened in October, 1760, after he had reigned -thirty-three years. - -23. The eldest son of George the Second was dead, but he had -left a son, named George, who succeeded his grandfather, and was -about twenty-two years old. He was a very good man and was highly -respected, although many people say he was more fitted for a country -gentleman than a king. - -24. He married a German princess, whose name was Charlotte, and they -had many children, some of whom are yet living. Our queen is the -grand-daughter of George the Third. - -25. About two years after the new king came to the throne, peace was -made with France and Spain, and there were no more wars for thirteen -years, when the Americans became dissatisfied with the English -government, and resolved to have a government of their own. - -26. But let us see what useful things were done in England during -that thirteen years of peace. First of all, the manufacture of China -ware was begun in Staffordshire, by a gentleman, named Wedgewood, who -built large factories and employed a great number of people in this -new branch of art. Then a machine was invented for spinning cotton, -by which we were enabled to manufacture cotton goods in much larger -quantities than before, and as they could be sold abroad, this was a -great benefit. - -27. It was also discovered how very useful steam engines might be -made; but I fancy nobody then imagined that we should ever travel by -steam, or print by steam, or do many other wonderful things, that are -now done by that means. - -28. Turnpike roads were established all over the kingdom, and -travelling thus rendered safer and more expeditious. People were in -general much better educated than in the preceding century, and all -arts and sciences were greatly improved. - -29. And now I will tell you something about the American war. The -quarrel began about some taxes which the British government imposed -on the Americans, to help to pay the expenses of the wars with France -and Spain, which the Americans thought they had nothing to do with; -and considered it unjust that they should have to find money towards -paying for them. - -30. British troops were sent out, to force them to obey the orders of -the government; but instead of complying, all the colonies agreed to -join together and fight for their liberty; and a very brave and good -man, named General Washington, took the command of the American army. - -31. This war lasted many years, and the French and Dutch assisted the -Americans with troops, ships, and money. - -32. There were many gentlemen in the English parliament who wanted to -put an end to the war, by giving up all control over the Americans; -but others would not consent, the king was unwilling to do so, till, -at last, finding there was little chance of success, the English -government gave up the contest, and the American colonies became -independent of England, and took the name of the United States. - -33. This event took place in 1783, after which, there were a few more -years of peace, and then the long wars with France were begun, which -lasted above twenty years, and were ended by the famous battle of -Waterloo. - -34. The cause of the war was this. There had been a great revolution -in France. The people rose up against king Louis the Sixteenth, -who was made prisoner, and beheaded; just as Charles the First was -treated here, and for much the same cause. Then a number of persons -took the government into their own hands, and governed without a -king, and declared war against the king of Great Britain, and also -against the stadtholder of Holland, and the king of Spain, for -disapproving of what the French people had done. - -35. The Spaniards and Dutch were afterwards obliged to join the -French, and many battles were fought both on land and at sea, and -some naval victories were gained by the British Admirals Duncan, -Howe, and Nelson, and other officers. - -36. The greatest man in France at this time was Napoleon Bonaparte, -an artillery officer, who raised himself to the head of the state, -just as Cromwell did here, by getting the soldiers to side with him. -He was called consul, at first, but afterwards he was made emperor, -and he conquered a great part of Europe, and he made the governments -of those countries which he did not conquer do just as he pleased, -except England, for he had the largest armies of any sovereign in the -world. - -37. The most celebrated of our generals in the war against Bonaparte, -were Abercrombie, Sir John Moore, and the Duke of Wellington, the -last of whom won a great many battles in Spain, and at last, with the -assistance of the Prussians, gained the great victory at Waterloo, -near Brussels, on the 18th of June, 1815, after which, Bonaparte -surrendered to the English, and was banished to a small island, -called St. Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean, where he died in a -few years. The fall of Bonaparte was followed by a general peace. - -38. George the Third was still living, but he had been out of his -mind, and blind, for some time, so that his son George, prince of -Wales, had been made regent in the year 1810, and conducted the -government with that title, till his father’s death, which happened -in the year 1820, he having reigned above fifty-nine years, when -George the Fourth became king, instead of regent. - -39. But I must now go back some years to tell you of something that -was done at the beginning of this century. You have been told that -Ireland had been subject to England, ever since the time of Henry the -Second; but there had constantly been quarrels and warfare between -the native Irish, and the new Irish, who were the descendants of the -English, who had settled there, after the conquest. - -40. Then the new Irish were just as ready to quarrel with new English -settlers, as the old Irish were with them; and, till the last fifty -years, little had been done to make the people of Ireland a better or -a happier race. They had a parliament of their own, but it did not -encourage the people to be industrious, so they were, of course, very -poor. - -41. A few years after the war with France began, there was a great -rebellion in Ireland, and soldiers were sent from England, to put a -stop to it, which I am afraid was not done without a great deal of -cruelty; but it was in consequence of this rebellion that the English -government resolved that the parliament and country of Ireland should -be united to that of England; as the parliament and country of -Scotland had been, and this union took place on the first of January, -1801, which you will easily remember, because it was the first day of -the nineteenth century. - -42. Many good laws have been made since then, for the benefit of -Ireland, and much been done to improve the country; but numbers of -the Irish people still remain in a very distressed condition, and -some of them wanted to have a separate Parliament again; and this is -what is meant by Repeal of the Union; but this feeling is now fast -dying away. - -43. In the reign of George the Third, there were National and Sunday -schools established in almost every part of England, so that the poor -people might be able to have their children taught to read and write, -which was a great blessing to them; for although there had long been -charity schools in London, there were few in the country, and many of -the shopkeepers in country towns, who had become quite respectable -people by their industry, were so ignorant that they could not even -make out their own bills, or keep their own accounts. - -44. There were two more great improvements before the death of George -the Third; the one was the invention of gas lights, which make the -streets much lighter at night than the dim oil lamps that were -formerly used; and the other was the introduction of steam boats, -which had lately been invented in America. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. Who succeeded queen Anne? - - 3. Who was the Pretender? - - 4. What was the Rebellion? - - 5. How did it end? - - 6. What was the state of the American colonies at this period? - - 8. Who succeeded George the First? - - 12. How was the country improved in this reign? - - 13. With whom did the English go to war, and why? - - 14. How were sailors forcibly obtained? - - 15. Were there any other wars in this reign? - - 16. What was the Rebellion of ’45? - - 18. Where was the final battle fought? - - 19. What great conquest was made in this reign? - - 20. What gave rise to the war? - - 21. What battle decided the contest? - - 22. Which of our Generals was killed in the moment of victory? - - 23. Who succeeded George the Second? - - 29. What was the cause of the American war? - - 30. Who was the leader of the Americans? - - 32. How did the war terminate? - - 34. What gave rise to the last war with France? - - 36. Who was Bonaparte? - - 37. What victory put an end to the war? - - 38. Who ruled in England at this time? - - 41. When did the Union with Ireland take place? - - 42. What other improvements took place during the reign of George - III.? - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -FROM THE DEATH OF GEORGE THE THIRD, 1830, TO THE PRESENT TIME. - - -[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA’S VISIT TO THE CITY OF LONDON.] - -1. George the Fourth, who had been regent ten years, reigned as a -king from 1820, to 1830. During that time, every improvement that -had been begun was carried to a greater extent. The education of -all classes of people was conducted on a better system, and greater -numbers of cheap books were published for the instruction of the -working classes. - -2. London was greatly improved by the building, in some parts, -of wide handsome streets, in the place of narrow, dirty, crowded -ones, and the manners of the English were improved also, by their -intercourse with foreign nations; for after the peace, people began -to visit France, Italy, and other parts of Europe, while a great -number of foreigners came here, and we adopted such of their customs -as were superior to our own; for people may always improve from each -other. - -3. The French, German, and Italian languages began to be more -generally studied in England: and the arts and sciences, especially -painting and music, were more highly cultivated. - -4. But I am sorry to say that, amid all these benefits, there was a -great deal of distress among the laboring people, for the expenses -of the war had been so heavy that it was some years before the -blessings of peace could be felt; and thus all the necessaries of -life continued to be very dear, and wages, in proportion, very low, -which occasioned riots in many parts of the kingdom; for the poor -people had expected that, as soon as there was peace, most of the -taxes pressing on them would be taken off. - -5. But the government thought it right first to take off the -property tax, and then found they could not do without the money -the other taxes produced. Then the people, not getting relief from -the taxation, thought some alterations in the laws might remedy -their distress, and sent petitions to parliament praying that these -alterations might be made. The principal thing they wanted was, what -you have perhaps heard called the Reform Bill. - -6. This was a law to give the right of voting for members of -parliament to a greater number of people, and also to make -alterations with regard to the places that were allowed to send -members to parliament; for there were many old boroughs that were -formerly important places, but now had scarcely a house left -standing, yet still were represented by two members in parliament; -which was ridiculous, because the object of sending a member to -parliament is, that he may do all the good he can for the people of -the place he represents, as well as for the nation; then there were -many large towns, such as Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, &c., that -had grown into importance since the time when it was settled what -places should have representatives, and these had none at all. - -7. Another thing desired by the people, was an alteration in the -Corn Laws, so that bread might be cheaper; and this alteration was to -be made by letting corn be brought from abroad without paying duty. -Neither of these points were gained while George the Fourth was king; -but the Reform Bill was passed during the reign of his successor, -William the Fourth; and, in the year 1846, some important alterations -were made in the corn and provision laws. - -8. William the Fourth was the brother of George the Fourth, and on -the death of that monarch, in 1830, succeeded to the throne. - -9. That same year is memorable for the opening of the first Railway -for travelling, which was that between Manchester and Liverpool; a -circumstance that may be mentioned as the commencement of one of the -greatest changes of modern times, and when we consider the number and -extent of the railways now in use, we cannot but admire the immense -works of the kind that have been performed in so short a space of -time. - -10. The speed with which we can now travel, both by sea and land, -would astonish our good old ancestors, who used to think it a great -and dangerous undertaking to set out on a journey of twenty or thirty -miles. - -11. In the time of Charles the Second, the poet Cowley, who had -a country house at Chertsey, which is only twenty-two miles from -London, invited a friend in town to pay him a visit, saying in his -letter, that as he could not perform the whole journey in one day, he -might sleep at Hampton. - -12. I think he would have been glad of a railway, which would have -taken him all the way before breakfast. In 1706, the stage coach -from York was four days coming to London; and so late as 1763, there -was only a coach once a month from Edinburgh to London; and it was a -whole fortnight on the road; so I think you will see the advantages -of our present mode of travelling. - -13. The custom of buying and selling negroes had been abolished by -parliament during the reign of George the Third, but there were many -thousands of slaves in the West India islands, belonging to the -British planters there. - -14. During the reign of William the Fourth, the British government -gave twenty millions of money to buy all the slaves of their masters -and then set them free. The day when the negroes became free people -was the first of August, 1838. - -15. I told you that the Reform Bill was passed in this reign. One -consequence of this measure was, the lessening of the duties, or -taxes, on many articles of necessity, thereby reducing their prices, -so that the poor people could live much better than they had formerly. - -16. The harvests were also plentiful for several years, so that bread -was very cheap, and the prices of all kinds of clothing were less -than in previous years. - -17. Upon the whole, there had never been a better time in England -than the seven years that William the Fourth occupied the throne. -He died in 1837, and was succeeded by her present Majesty, queen -Victoria, who was the daughter of his deceased brother, the Duke of -Kent. - -18. In 1840, she married her cousin, Prince Albert, of Saxe Coburg -and Gotha. Their family now consists of eight children, four princes, -and four princesses. - -19. The most remarkable events that have yet happened in the reign of -queen Victoria, are the wars in China and India: but I ought to have -mentioned an alteration made in the last reign, with regard to the -East India trade, which you, perhaps, remember was carried on solely -by the East India Company, according to a charter granted by queen -Elizabeth, and renewed, from time to time, by other sovereigns. - -20. In 1813, however, it was made lawful for private merchants to -trade to India; but this right was not extended to the trade with -China, which was still confined to the Company till 1833, when a new -law was made with regard to that also, and any person then was at -liberty to go to China for tea, silk, and other commodities, which -have since been much cheaper in consequence. Tea is little more than -half the price it used to be, which is a great benefit and comfort to -the poor. - -21. But this had nothing to do with the war in China, which arose -from a dispute about the British merchants selling opium to the -Chinese, who were forbidden by their emperor to buy it, because it -injures the health of those who take it, like drinking spirits. - -22. Still the merchants continued to carry opium to China, and the -people to buy it; so the governor at Canton, the only Chinese town -in which foreigners were allowed to trade, seized and burnt some -ship-loads of opium, for which he would not pay the owners; and this -was the cause of the war. - -23. There were several battles fought, in which the Chinese were -always defeated, for they were not much acquainted with the present -art of war; but, at last, after three years of warfare, peace was -made with the British; and the Chinese emperor agreed to pay a sum -of money, and to cede, or give up, to the British government, the -Island of Hong Kong; besides agreeing that English ships might land -goods for sale, at five ports, instead of one only, and that British -merchants might have warehouses, and reside at those places. A treaty -to this effect was signed in August, 1842. - -24. The war in India, was much more serious, and lasted a great deal -longer. It was begun for the purpose of restoring to his throne an -Indian prince, the king of Caboul, who had been deprived of his -kingdom by another prince. - -25. The wars occasioned by this usurpation being likely to endanger -the safety of the British possessions, the Governor General thought -it necessary to interfere; and from the year 1839 to that of 1846, -the British armies in India were engaged in terrible and destructive -wars with the Affghans, and other nations in the north and west of -India. - -26. These calamitous strifes were happily ended by two great -victories gained on the banks of the Sutlej, at the beginning of -1846, the one by General Sir Harry Smith, the other, by General Sir -Hugh Gough. By the conquests made during these wars, the British -empire is extended over the greater part of India. - -27. Among the important inventions of this reign, may be mentioned -that of the Electric Telegraph, by means of which communications can -be made between places a hundred miles apart in one moment, or indeed -to any imaginable distances. - -28. I have already mentioned the distressed condition of great -numbers of the Irish people; and am sorry to have now to say that -their misery has been greatly increased in the last three years, by -the failure of the potato crops, on which the lower orders in Ireland -depend for their subsistence. - -29. This food they can, with two or three months labor in the year, -grow for themselves; and as they are, unfortunately, contented with -such poor living, it is a very sad thing for them when a bad season -occurs, and the potatoes are spoiled; which happens generally once in -six or seven years. - -30. But there have now been three bad seasons following each other; -and this calamity has caused so much distress, that thousands have -died of fevers and other diseases, occasioned by want of wholesome -and sufficient food. - -31. The Parliament expended several millions of money in relieving -their distresses, and providing them employment. Large sums of -money were also subscribed by individuals in England, Scotland, and -America, for the relief of the people in Ireland; and charitable -committees were formed in many parts of that country to receive the -money, and distribute the food and clothing purchased with it. - -32. New poor laws have also been made by the government, to afford -greater relief to the destitute; and every thing has been done, that -humanity could suggest, to better their condition and relieve their -wants. - -33. The year 1848 will ever be memorable for the revolutions that -have taken place in France and other parts of the continent. Louis -Philippe, the French king, was dethroned on the 24th of February, -1848, and fled with his family, to England. - -34. At Berlin, the capital of Prussia, there was also an insurrection -in March, 1848, when a frightful battle was fought in the streets, -between the soldiers and the people. - -35. Great numbers of persons were killed on both sides, and many -houses were destroyed; and although peace was restored by the king -granting the demands of his subjects, yet that could not bring back -happiness to those who had lost their fathers, husbands, or brothers, -in the fatal conflict. - -36. Besides those already named, revolutions, attended with great -loss of life and destruction of property, have taken place at Vienna, -the capital of Austria, and other parts of Germany. Italy, too, has -shared in the spread of revolution; Naples, Milan, and Venice, having -been scenes of fearful tumult and destruction of life. - -37. In most of the places I have mentioned, the people having been -fighting for a constitutional form of government, similar to that of -our own happy united kingdom; conveying the strongest proof that we -ought not to wish for a change. Yet there have been some attempts -made to disturb the peace of this country, by ill-informed or -worthless persons. - -38. Perhaps the desire for some increase in the number of the -electors, and in the places represented in parliament, by uniting the -adjacent towns to the small boroughs, is not unreasonable. - -39. But when we think of the dreadful state of things in France, -Italy and Germany, where so many thousands of people have lost their -lives, where trade is ruined, where the middle classes are reduced to -poverty, and the working people, in consequence, starving, for want -of employment, we cannot be too thankful for the peace, the liberty, -and prosperity, we enjoy in this more favored and happier country. - - -QUESTIONS. - - 1. Who succeeded George the Third? - - 6. What was the Reform Bill? - - 8. Who succeeded George the Fourth, and in what year? - - 9. When was the first Railway opened? - - 13. When was slavery abolished in the West Indies? - - 17. When did William the Fourth die? - - 17. When did Victoria ascend the throne? - - 18. Who did Victoria marry? - - 19. Name the principal events of her reign. - - 22. What gave rise to the war in China? - - 23. How did it end? - - 24. Why was the war in India commenced? - - 26. What has been the result? - - 28. What has caused great misery in Ireland? - - 31. What has been done for the relief of the Irish people? - - 33. What has taken place in France? - - 36. Where have other Revolutions taken place? - - -THE END. - - - - -CATALOGUE - -OF - -MISCELLANEOUS, POETICAL - -AND - -JUVENILE BOOKS, - -PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE BY - -HENRY F. ANNERS, - -_No. 48 North Fourth Street_, - -BELOW ARCH, - -PHILADELPHIA. - - -Booksellers, Country Merchants and Dealers, - -SUPPLIED AT A LIBERAL DISCOUNT ON - -RETAIL PRICES. - - -Single Copies of any of the WORKS named in this Catalogue will be -sent per Mail, carefully done up, “_postage paid_,” to any part of -the United States, upon the receipt of the sum as annexed. Postage -Stamps will be found very convenient for remittances. - - - - -T. S. ARTHUR’S - -MORAL TALES FOR THE PEOPLE. - - -VOL. I. - -THE MAIDEN. - -A STORY FOR MY YOUNG COUNTRYWOMEN. - - -VOL. II. - -THE WIFE. - -A STORY FOR MY YOUNG COUNTRYWOMEN. - - -VOL. III. - -THE MOTHER. - -A STORY FOR MY YOUNG COUNTRYWOMEN. - - -VOL. IV. - -MARRIED AND SINGLE; - -OR, MARRIAGE AND CELIBACY CONTRASTED. - -IN A SERIES OF DOMESTIC PICTURES. - - -VOL. V. - -LOVERS AND HUSBANDS. - -A STORY OF MARRIED LIFE. - - -VOL. VI. - -SWEETHEARTS AND WIVES; - -OR, BEFORE AND AFTER MARRIAGE. - - -VOL. VII. - -MARY ELLIS; - -OR, THE RUNAWAY MATCH. - -AND - -ALICE MELVILLE; - -OR, THE INDISCRETION. - - -VOL. VIII. - -BELL MARTEN. - -AN AMERICAN STORY OF REAL LIFE. - - -VOL. IX. - -MADELINE; - -OR A DAUGHTER’S LOVE AND OTHER TALES. - - -VOL. X. - -THE HEIRESS. - - -VOL. XI. - -THE MARTYR WIFE. - -THE RUINED GAMESTER; - -OR, TWO ERAS IN MY LIFE. - - -VOL. XII. - -FAMILY PRIDE; - -OR, THE PALACE AND THE POOR HOUSE. - -A Romance of Real Life. - -PRIDE OR PRINCIPLE. - -WHICH MAKES THE LADY. - - -The above twelve volumes, 18mo., Muslin, Gilt Back, may be had -separately, or in Boxes containing the sett. 38 Cents per Volume. - -Also, in Four Volumes, 18mo., Muslin, Gilt Back. 75 Cents per Volume. - - “They are the very best of Mr. Arthur’s moral tales, and should - be a fixture in every household, being not only pleasant stories, - but the purest moral lessons. If such fictions only as these were - placed in the hands of our young people, and adopted as models, we - would have no reason to fear for them, whatever their condition in - life might be.”--_City Item._ - - “The honorable and virtuous sentiments, and the practical good - sense which pervades all the works of Mr. Arthur, are conspicuous - in the contents of the moral library.”--_Godey’s Lady’s Book._ - - “Mr. Arthur’s moral stories have justly received high commendation. - Their object is to improve, refine, and elevate the mind and the - manners.”--_Alexandria Gazette._ - - “They are all of thrilling interest, and high moral tendencies, and - should be in every family.”--_Fredricksburg, Va. News._ - - - - -Moral Popular Tales. - -BY T. S. Arthur - -COMPLETE IN FOUR 18mo. VOLS. - -_Fine Frontispiece Steel Plate to each Volume._ - - -THE FOLLOWING VOLUMES ARE PRINTED ON FINE WHITE PAPER, AND NEATLY -BOUND IN - - Embossed Cloth, gilt back, at 75 Cents each; or, - Embossed Cloth, gilt back, edges and sides, at $1 each. - - -Three Eras in the Life of Woman. - -CONTAINING - -THE MAIDEN. THE WIFE. THE MOTHER. - - -Tales of Married Life. - -CONTAINING - -LOVERS AND HUSBANDS. SWEETHEARTS AND THEIR WIVES. MARRIED AND SINGLE. - - -Tales of Domestic Life. - -CONTAINING - - MADELINE. - MARTYR WIFE. - HEIRESS. - THE GAMESTER. - - -Tales from Real Life. - -CONTAINING - - BELL MARTIN. - PRIDE AND PRINCIPLE. - FAMILY PRIDE. - MARY ELLIS. - ALICE MELVILLE. - -_Sent per Mail, at above prices, postage paid._ - - - - -JUVENILES. - - -MORAL LIBRARY. - -EDITED BY JACOB ABBOTT. - -These volumes may be had separately, and are well calculated for -Sunday and District Schools, as also FAMILY READING, of a standard -moral excellence. - - -VOL. I. - -Little Mill Dam, &c. - -Select and Original Tales. - - -VOL. II. - -NARINA. - -The Story of a Little Princess and her Silver Feather. - - -VOL. III. - -The Little Gardener. - - -VOL. IV. - -Perseverance under Difficulties. - - -VOL. V. - -Henry of Eichenfels, - -AND OTHER SELECT STORIES, - -ILLUSTRATING THE POWER OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE. - -18mo., Muslin, Gilt Backs, 31 Cents each. - - “An admirable series of little books, full of interest and - instruction. It is plain that the Editor has taken especial pains - to secure a useful tendency for these works in all the selections - he has made.”--_City Item._ - - “Five of the choicest books for children. The very name of Abbot, - is sufficient to ensure every one of their excellence. They are - truly moral tales, and may be put into the hands of the young with - perfect safety.”--_Godey’s Lady’s Book._ - - -The Young Cadet, - -BY MRS. HOFLAND. - -18mo., Muslin, Gilt Back, 38 Cents. - - -THE YOUNG PILGRIM, - -BY MRS. HOFLAND. - -18mo., Muslin, Gilt Back, 38 Cents. - - -FRANK FAIRFIELD, - -OR THE YOUNG SAILOR. - -BY M. H. BARKER, THE OLD SAILOR. - -18mo., Muslin, Gilt Back, 38 Cents. - - “This is an excellent nautical autobiography of a Cabin Boy, who - rose to the rank of Admiral. Well told, with historical incidents, - Nelson, the Nile, &c.”--_Jeffersonian (N. O.) Republican._ - - “This is an interesting story of one Frank Fairfield, a brave and - good lad, who went to sea, where he saw lots of strange sights, and - learned much of the world. A wholesome tone pervades the book, and - it may be read with pleasure and profit.”--_City Item._ - - “A charming sea story for the Juveniles. It reminds us of - Jack Halyard, and the Swiss Family Robinson and is quite as - interesting.”--_Godey’s Lady’s Book._ - - -STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, - -BY MISS ELIZA LESLIE. - -CONTAINING - - The Tell Tale. - The Boarding School Feast. - The Week of Idleness. - Madeline Malcom. - -_18mo., Muslin, Gilt Back. Price 38 Cents._ - - “These stories are from the accomplished pen of Miss Leslie, - who, in addition to her well earned fame in other departments - of literature, possesses the rare power of writing in a manner - calculated to interest the juvenile reader.”--_Saturday Museum._ - - “Well written and adapted to youthful minds.”--_Philadelphia North - American._ - - -KEEPSAKE STORIES, - -BY MISS ELIZA LESLIE. - -18mo., Muslin, Gilt Back. Price, 38 Cents. - - -BOY’S OWN WEEK-DAY BOOK, - -FIFTY-TWO WOOD CUTS. - -16mo., Muslin, Gilt Back. Price 63 Cents. - - - - -ANNALS AND OCCURRENCES - -OF - -New York City and State - -IN THE OLDEN TIME. - -BEING A COLLECTION OF - -Memoirs, Anecdotes, and Incidents, Concerning the City, Country and -Inhabitants. - -_From the Days of the Founders_: - -Intended to preserve the Recollections of Olden Time and to exhibit -Society in its changes of manners and Customs, and the City and -Country in their local changes and improvements. - -With Pictorial Illustrations. - - -“Oh! dear is a tale of olden time.” - - -BY JOHN F. WATSON, - -_Author of Annals of Philadelphia, and Member of the Historical -Societies of Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts_. - -One Octavo Volume, Muslin, Gilt Back. Price, $2 00 - - “WATSON’S ANNALS OF NEW YORK.--To those who are already familiar - with his former work, the Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, - (and who is not?) we need only say, that the present work even - surpasses it in interest.”--_Philada. North American._ - - - - -POETICAL WORKS - -OF - -MRS. FELICIA HEMANS. - -_Complete in Two vols. 18mo. Fine Steel Plates._ - -1200 PAGES. - -Muslin, Gilt Back, $2 25; Muslin, Gilt Sides & Edges, $2 75. - - -2. - -CABINET EDITION. - -ONE VOLUME 18mo. 650 PAGES, WITH PORTRAITS. - -Muslin, Gilt Back, $1 00. Muslin, Gilt Edges, $1 25. - - -3. - -MINIATURE EDITION. - -ONE VOLUME 32mo. - -IN VARIOUS STYLES OF BINDING. - - -L. E. LANDON’S - -POETICAL WORKS. - -Cabinet Edition. - -18mo. 384 PAGES. - -Muslin, Gilt Back, 75 cts. Muslin, Gilt Sides & Edges, $1 25. - - -2. - -MINIATURE EDITION. - -32mo. 384 PAGES. - -VARIOUS STYLES OF BINDING. - - -POETICAL WORKS - -OF - -THOMAS CAMPBELL. - -Cabinet Edition. - -ONE VOLUME 18mo. FINE FRONTISPIECE. - - Muslin, Gilt Back, 75 cents. - Muslin, Gilt Back, Side and Edges, $1 25. - -ALSO, - -MINIATURE EDITION OF THE SAME. - -ONE VOLUME, 32mo. - -VARIOUS STYLES OF BINDING. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, - and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. - - Occurrences of ‘every body’, ‘any body’ and ‘no body’ have been - changed to ‘everybody’, ‘anybody’ and ‘nobody’. - - For consistency, a few occurrences of ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ have been - changed to ‘king’ and ‘queen’. - - Table of Contents: - Pg 8 Chapter X: ‘1216 to 1399’ replaced by ‘1216 to 1377’. - Pg 8 Chapter XI: ‘1392 to 1422’ replaced by ‘1377 to 1422’. - Pg 8 Chapter XIV: ‘1558 to 1613’ replaced by ‘1558 to 1603’. - Main text: - Pg 75: ‘te whichever of’ replaced by ‘to whichever of’. - Pg 81: ‘that the peeple’ replaced by ‘that the people’. - Pg 93: ‘was obiged to’ replaced by ‘was obliged to’. - Pg 95: ‘1216 TO 1399’ replaced by ‘1216 TO 1377’. - Pg 98: ‘was to conquor’ replaced by ‘was to conquer’. - Pg 107: ‘there. fore, his’ replaced by ‘therefore, his’. - Pg 110: ‘1392 TO 1429’ replaced by ‘1377 TO 1422’. - Pg 122: ‘youth of oighteen’ replaced by ‘youth of eighteen’. - Pg 123: ‘to bo very much’ replaced by ‘to be very much’. - Pg 130: ‘the poor pesantry’ replaced by ‘the poor peasantry’. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHILD'S PICTORIAL HISTORY OF -ENGLAND *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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