application but, being at last persuaded to concur, a parliament was called, in which the king assumed his former authority. 2. This being considered as a breach of the late convention, a civil war ensued, in which, in a pitched battle, the earl of Leicester became victorious, and the king was taken prisoner, but soon after exchanged for prince Edward, who was to remain as a hostage to ensure the punctual observance of the former agreement. 3. With all these advantages, however, Leicester was not so entirely secure, but that he still feared the combination of the foreign states against him, as well as the internal machinations of the royal party. In order, therefore, to secure his ill-acquired power, he was obliged to have recourse to an aid till now entirely unknown in England, namely, that of the body of the people. 4. He called a parliament, where, besides the barons of his own party, and several ecclesiastics, who were not immediate tenants of the crown, he ordered returns to be made of two knights from every shire; and also deputies from the boroughs, which had been hitherto considered as too inconsiderable to have a voice in legislation. This is the first confused outline of an English House of Commons. The people had been gaining some consideration since the gradual diminution of the force of the feudal system. 5. This parliament, however, was found not so very complying as he expected. Many of the barons, who had hitherto stedfastly adhered to his party, appeared disgusted at his immoderate ambition; and many of the people, who found that a change of masters was not a change for happiness, began to wish for the re-establishment of the royal family. 6. In this exigence, Leicester, finding himself unable to oppose the concurring wishes of the nation, was resolved to make a merit of what he could not prevent; and he accordingly released Prince Edward from confinement, and had him introduced at Westminster-hall, where his freedom was confirmed by the unanimous voice of the barons. But though Leicester had all the popularity of restoring the prince, yet he was politic enough to keep him still guarded by his emissaries, who watched all his motions, and frustrated all his aims. 7. The prince, therefore, upon hearing that the duke of Gloucester was up in arms in his cause, took an opportunity to escape from his guards, and put himself at the head of his party. A battle soon after ensued; but the earl's army having been exhausted by famine on the mountains of Wales, were but ill able to sustain the impetuosity of young Edward's attack, who bore down upon them with incredible fury. During this terrible day, Leicester behaved with astonishing intrepidity; and kept up the spirit of the action from two o'clock in the morning till nine at night. 8. At last, his horse being killed under him, he was compelled to fight on foot; and, though he demanded quarter, yet the adverse party refused it, with a barbarity common enough in the times we are describing. The old king placed in the front of the battle, was soon wounded in the La shoulder; and, not being known by his friends, he was on the point of being killed by a soldier; but crying out, "I am Henry of Winchester, the king!" he was saved by a knight of the royal army. 9. Prince Edward, hearing the voice of his father, instantly ran to the spot where he lay, and had him conducted to a place of safety. The body of Leicester, being found among the dead, was barbarously mangled by one Roger Mortimer; and then, with an accumulation of inhumanity, sent to the wretched widow, as a testimony of the royal party's success. 10. This victory proved decisive; and the prince, having thus restored peace to the kingdom, found his affairs so firmly established that he resolved upon taking the cross, which was at that time the highest object of human ambition. In pursuance of this resolution, Edward sailed from England with a large army, and arrived at the camp of Lewis, king of France, which lay before Tunis, where he had the misfortune to hear of that good monarch's death before his arrival. The prince, however, no way discouraged by this event, continued his voyage, and arrived at the Holy Land in safety. 11. He was scarcely departed upon this pious expedition, when the health of the old king began to decline; and he found not only his own constitution, but also that of the state, in such a dangerous situation, that he wrote letters to his son, pressing him to return with all despatch. 12. At last, being overcome with the cares of government, and the infirmities of age, he ordered himself to be removed, by easy journeys, from St. Edmunds to Westminster, and that same night expired, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and the fifty-seventh of his reign; the longest to be met with in the annals of England, until that of George the Third '. The interest paid in this reign, money in the East Indies, amounted, it is said, to twenty-five, and even sometimes to thirty-six per cent. But instances occurred in England of fifty per cent. being paid for money. No wonder, therefore, that the Jews, who were the only money-lenders, should be tempted to stay in the kingdom, notwithstanding the grievous extortions that were practised on them. Henry granted a charter to the town of Newcastle, in which he gave the nhabita nts a licence to dig coal. The houses of the city of London were till this period mostly thatched with Questions for Examination. 1. What were the circumstances which warranted the hopes conceived by Prince Henry? 2. What was the result of the battle between the king and Leicester? 3, 4. By what means did Leicester endeavour to secure his power? 5. Did the parliament comply with his wishes? 6. Why did Leicester resolve to release prince Edward? 7, 8, 9. Can you relate the circumstances which took place in the action between prince Edward and Leicester ? 10. What were Edward's determination and conduct after this victory? 11. During Edward's absence, what was the situation of the king and the nation? 12. At what age did Henry die? and how long did he reign? uses therein should straw; for it appears that an order was be covered with tiles or slate, instead of straw more especially such as stood in the best streets, which were then but few in comparison with the present: for where Cheapside now stands (which is the heart of the city) was at that time a field, the principal part of the city lying more eastward. From Temple Bar to the city (then the village) of Westminster, where the Strand now stands, was no more than a mere highway or country road, having, however, many noblemen's houses and gardens adjoining to it; which have since given names to streets there erected. This, indeed, was the case in severa subsequent reigns. Richard Magnus, Edmund of Abingdon, Boniface, and Robert Kilwarby, archbishops of Canterbury. Des Roches, bishop of Winchester, and Lord Chancellor. Earl of Pembroke, Protector. Montford, earl of Leicester, general of the barons. In the reigns of the earlier Norman kings the Lord Chancellor was usually a clergyman, and was frequently styled the keeper of the king's conscience. The Court of Chancery did not exist under the Saxon dynasty. Waltham Cross erected by order of Edward I. in memory of his Que en "The red cross flies in Holy Land, Seek proud renown, or glorious graves."-DIEDIN. 1. Moham'medan, s. a follower of the religion 2. Transfer'red, part. made over to another. 4. Uncontam'inated, a. pure, not corrupted. 5. Bul'warks, s. fortifications. 7. Incur'sive, a. invading. 12. Compet'itors, s. rival candidates. 1. (A.D. 1274.) WHILE the unfortunate Henry was thus vainly struggling with the ungovernable spirit of his subjects, his son and successor, Edward ', was employed in the holy wars, where he revived the glory of the English name, and made the enemies of Christianity tremble. He was stabbed, however, by one of those Mohammedan enthusiasts, called Assassins, as he was one day sitting in his tent, and was cured not without great difficulty. 2. Some say that he owed his safety to the piety of Eleanora, his wife, who sucked the poison from the wound to save his life, at the hazard of her own. Though the death of the late king happened while the successor was so far from home, yet measures had been so well 'From the great length and slenderness of his legs, he was surnamed Longshanks. |