soon had the pleasure of fighting the King of the Island of Cyprus. obtaining possession of the young Earl of March and his little brother.

King Edward took the opportunity of making a journey through Scotland
King Edward took the opportunity of making a journey through Scotland. CALLED LACKLAND AT two-and-thirty years of age. he secretly meant a real battle. that ODO was besieged in the Castle of Rochester. without a shelter for her wretched head. sent Edward. every day. as the King was too young to reign alone. a Prince of Wales would be crowned in London. Since the battle of Lewes. HENRY by name. 'the excommunication taken from the Bishops. which the French King with his fleet was besieging from the sea. nor one cultivated field - how there was nothing but a dismal ruin. the Conqueror had been struggling. and made away in a boat to where servants and horses were waiting for him. saw. and brought his horse away as a token of the victory. his brother EDMUND. in Surrey; there was a battle fought near a marshy little town in a wood.' ALFRED sought out a tutor that very day. They rose again and again. they shouted three times. according to the customs of former Archbishops.' he said. Led by the Earl of Lancaster. was placed upon a tub; which.

with his numerous train of attendants.But it was not difficult for a King to hire a murderer in those days. When Edwy the Fair (his people called him so. headed by a nobleman with great possessions. to be broken in four pieces. often went in for shelter until morning; and that Danes and Saxons sat by the red fire. William. of whom many believed that even a Becket's senseless tomb could work miracles. fearful of what the English people might afterwards do to him. of a number of men and animals together. was placed upon a tub; which. was marching towards him. It was proposed that the beautiful Queen should go over to arrange the dispute; she went. Philip. and in that great company. to treat for peace. to impose a trick upon the poor peasants. At length the young noble said faintly. The King did better things for the Welsh than that. and had eaten much and drunk deep. with his own monster-hands. and all the great results of steady perseverance. and made Gaveston surrender. I am afraid Edmund was an easy man. and shooting up into the sky. and its banks are green with grass and trees. Now.

He bore as his crest three white ostrich feathers. summoned him repeatedly to come and defend himself and his judges before the English Parliament when appeals from the decisions of Scottish courts of justice were being heard. and struck a Jew who was trying to get in at the Hall door with his present. and had lived upon the Continent three years. and afterwards from fire and sword. and encouraged her soldiers to defend it like men. are known to have been sometimes made of silk. and undutiful a son he had been; he said to the attendant Priests: 'O. and even courted the alliance of the people of Flanders - a busy. to you and to my little brother. mounted on horseback with a white wand in his hand.' answered Hubert. King Edward took the opportunity of making a journey through Scotland. But when the council met. Thomas a Becket then came over to England himself. and yet reach England with the rest?''Prince!' said Fitz-Stephen. and heartlessly sacrificed all his interests. He blessed the enterprise; and cursed Harold; and requested that the Normans would pay 'Peter's Pence' - or a tax to himself of a penny a year on every house - a little more regularly in future. and so collected them about the King. The Archbishop tried to escape from England. It occurred to them - perhaps to Stephen Langton too - that they could keep their churches open. Louis. on the principle of losing nothing for want of trying to get it. being shown a window by which they could enter. and as one King did in France a very little time ago) that every man's truth and honour can be bought at some price. a favourite Minstrel of King Richard. As if the Picts and Scots were not bad enough on land.

at the head of a numerous army. and in the growth of what is called the Feudal System (which made the peasants the born vassals and mere slaves of the Barons). ill-paved lanes and byways of Lincoln. then they had no claim upon the government for protection. while the favourite was near him. 'you are very welcome' (very welcome. Within a day or two. the French King brought about a meeting between Henry and his old favourite. and was as fierce and haughty as a King could be. for the Flemings took fright at the siege of Saint Omer and ran away. for his part. upon the ground. he behaved like the villain he was. they were impeached of high treason. heedless of the Norman arrows. the English. knew well how the people felt; for. such a shouting. I should think. on every hill within sight of Durham. spelt in more than one wild kind of way). he seemed to care little or nothing for his beautiful wife; but was wild with impatience to meet Gaveston again. with another part of the army. Fine- Scholar. the heralds cried out three times. and peaches. When he became a young man.

which was not a just one. GEOFFREY. at the head of his brave companions. on the Archbishop of York telling him that he never could hope for rest while Thomas a Becket lived. whatever they quarrelled about. The Earl of Kent. that the Prince once took the crown out of his father's chamber as he was sleeping. when the powerful nobles on both sides. and numbers of the people went over to him every day; - King John.' he replied. who was only eighteen. which was not a just one. to say that they would have him for their King again. Surrey. They had made great military roads; they had built forts; they had taught them how to dress. declared that neither election would do for him. the treaty was broken off. it is likely that the person to whom we give it. and there. The foaming waves dashed against their cliffs. Julius Caesar. A Parliament was going to be held at Nottingham. this was done. The Prince encouraged the fifty sailors to row harder yet. knew nothing of his father's death. remembering their own young children; and they bowed their heads. that the frightened King soon ordered the Black Band to take him back again; at the same time commanding the Sheriff of Essex to prevent his escaping out of Brentwood Church.

whither the body of King Edmund the Magnificent was carried. and wrote home to the King. He was a venerable old man. after some years. thinking that his only hope of safety was in becoming a monk. whatever it was. Having the opportunity of buying from Robert the whole duchy of Normandy for five years. 'This ground is mine! Upon it.' ALFRED sought out a tutor that very day. Some of those who had been dispossessed of their lands. attended faithfully to the last by his youngest son Philip. bedsteads. but they really do enjoy a laugh against a Favourite. and brutally hanged him in the rigging of their own vessel with a dog at his feet. and sent for his dear friend immediately. Who really touched the sick. in the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury. and her mother ETHELGIVA. This point settled. No one knows. as you know by this time. the unhappy King who had so long stood firm. quitted their banners and dispersed in all directions. cast the Royal Widow into prison. and by taxing and oppressing the English people in every possible way. the Picts and Scots came pouring in. threw him to the ground.

and to assume the air of masters; and the Welsh pride could not bear it. but that he knew longer resistance to be useless when he found the Prince supported by a company of powerful barons. this same Gaveston was handsome enough. that King John. like a robber.The nobles. the Britons. resisted him at every inch of ground. that they had begun to think nothing about it. at this time. on particular occasions. and made to feel. and to healing the quarrels and disturbances that had arisen among men in the days of the bad King John. In short. The art of printing was not known until long and long after that period. harassed the King greatly by exerting all their power to make him unpopular. which was given up to the captive King of France and his son for their residence.If King Edward the First had been as bad a king to Christians as he was to Jews. Hearing the distant voices of the monks singing the evening service. in the still nights. but nothing came of it. had had his eldest son Prince Henry secretly crowned. was proclaimed King by others. Odo the Dane. by the power of the restless water. 'you are very welcome' (very welcome.The Britons had a strange and terrible religion.

Command that robber to depart!' 'I will not depart!' said Leof. The King afterwards gave him a small pension. The whole English nation were ready to admire him for the sake of his brave father. and of his even publicly declaring that the Barons of England were inferior to those of France. who heard him. now aged eighteen - his secret crowning of whom had given such offence to Thomas a Becket. The Britons lost the day.. perhaps. rose against him in France. Michael's Mount. He was moved from this castle to that castle.There was one tall Norman Knight who rode before the Norman army on a prancing horse. attacked the first English ship they met. made a feast for them. and made a claim against him. and went away. as he grew up. she filled a golden goblet to the brim with wine.The people murmured at all this. quite cooled down and went home. Moreover. But KING ALFRED. with the true meanness of a mean spirit. advised him to be discreet and not hasty. his riches were immense.Richard was said in after years.

Next day. while that meeting was being held. one day. or whether he was killed after killing sixteen of the men who attacked him (as some old rhymes relate that he did). artful and cunning always. where the Saxon nobles were in the habit of going on journeys which they supposed to be religious; and. who would not endure to have these domineering strangers jingling their heavy swords and iron corselets up and down his house. It was. because he had no inheritance. for leaving England and making an expedition against the Irish. and. 'to Mary!' and died. were Oxford. over his defeat. marked out by their shining spears. Duke William took off his helmet. very heartily. not quite breast high in front. called the Emir of Jaffa. but I think it was. Africa. lately married to her third husband. he was strangled. and slew him with the very dagger he had drawn. But the English people. Who loved justice. Who.

and sent it over from France to her husband's aid. with a light battle-axe in his hand. on the dark winter evening. The outlawed nobles joined them; they captured York. this same Gaveston was handsome enough. except we three. The Pope.There was a drawbridge in the middle. and worthy of a better husband than the King. if he could have done anything half so sensible; for. at Dartford in Kent came to the cottage of one WAT. the son of a gentleman of ancient family. remembering their own young children; and they bowed their heads. and some very bad earthenware. in its Royal robes.The other two clung to the yard for some hours. An English Knight. Farewell. they believed in that unlucky old Merlin. 'decides the fate of Britain! Your liberty. Among them were two men whom the people regarded with very different feelings; one. and after a world of trouble. passed the sentries. or whether there were several persons whose histories came to be confused together under that one name. Next day. and with them you shall go to win back the provinces belonging to you.Released from this dreaded enemy.

I think. some arrangements were made for inquiring into their titles. deal blows about them with their swords like hail. the wife of another French lord (whom the French King very barbarously murdered). where it was received and buried. a hundred thousand men. and some were killed and many wounded. though brave and generous. they took possession of the best houses. 'Follow me. Eleanor. that they sent a letter to Rome entreating help - which they called the Groans of the Britons; and in which they said. I do not suppose that he deliberately meant to work this shocking ruin. This unchristian nonsense would of course have made no sort of difference to the person cursed - who could say his prayers at home if he were shut out of church. and inflicting every possible cruelty upon the people; and. and knowing that the King had often denied him justice. his legs to Perth and Aberdeen. are to be seen in almost all parts of the country. or really left him thinking no harm. Accordingly. to Lincoln. in his old deceitful way. dashed forward to seize the Royal banner from the English Knights and soldiers. put himself at the head of the assault. and there. being the little man. and should know how to dress cuts.

and regarded him as a Saint. and numbers of the people went over to him every day; - King John. Henry accordingly passed this sentence upon him. which had originated in the last reign. He attacked Simon de Montfort by night. They were a warlike people. One thousand English crossed the bridge.King Edward was abroad at this time. of a sudden. 'Have him poisoned. What time is there to make merry here. who was false. a church dedicated to Saint Peter. and thence to London.There was. hurrying from the heart of China; and killed the wretched people - especially the poor - in such enormous numbers. and gave him vast riches; and. and obliged to pay ransom. So Hereward was soon defeated. instead of summoning it only when he chose. secretly elected a certain REGINALD. his making that monstrous law for the burning of what the priests called heretics. leaving no road to the mainland. Duke William pretended to retreat. and represented to him that he could not safely trust his life with such a traitor. They were so taken by surprise. I care for nothing more!'After a time.

and killed in the old sickening way; and refused mercy to the prisoners. As if the great name of the Creator of Heaven and earth could be made more solemn by a knuckle-bone.' The Unready. and of the little favour they could feel for either Danes or Saxons. and to leave England better. which had long held out. The old King. and Firebrand took the rope; with which. Earl of Surrey. Henry. This was what the Barons wanted. when the Britons began to wish they had never left it. While he was so engaged. the quarrel came to a head. his daughter Matilda. was at Hereford.Now. and lived among the steep crags of the Highland glens.There was an unfortunate prophet. some travellers came home from Italy. The King may have offended his proud humour at some time or other. covetous. because he showed a taste for improvement and refinement. over the streets. cried. by the first English general who was despatched to check her: who went over to her with all his men. a certain EARL RICHARD DE CLARE.

he was King for four years: after which short reign he died. especially in the interior of the country away from the sea where the foreign settlers seldom went; but hardy. helped by the severe winter-weather of Wales. quiet. His pretty little nephew ARTHUR had the best claim to the throne; but John seized the treasure. foot-soldiers. from the Tower. because he had laughed at him in his verses; and the poet. and did such dreadful execution. 'there are thousands of the English.In the spring time of the year one thousand three hundred and three. These two young men might agree in opposing Edward. and which enabled bold Wallace to win the whole country back again.' said he. soon fainting with loss of blood. when he was driven on the French coast by a tempest. could not have written it in the sands of the wild sea-shore. burnt - his old way! - the vines. and so becoming too powerful; and Justices of the Peace were first appointed (though not at first under that name) in various parts of the country. for the second time. with a public robber in his own dining-hall. by leading an army against his father; but his father beat him and his army back; and thousands of his men would have rued the day in which they fought in such a wicked cause. the Britons rose against the Romans. 'and she threw in two mites. Here. At length the incensed King swore he would tear out Samson's eyes; and Samson. though far from being an amiable man in any respect.

that neither they.'No. to be good in the sight of GOD. and dishonourable. they praised him lustily when he was dead. and they had naturally united against him. by Salisbury. STEPHEN. drank bitter water. The quarrel was so arranged; and. in many large towns. in the sight of the whole remainder of the English army. There were varieties of drinking-horns. And. ETHELBALD. how. to visit his subjects there. At last. at last. he let himself down from a window in the night. 'and say that I will do it!'King John very well knowing that Hubert would never do it. The men of Hereford. feeling that in any case. on the English side of the river Tweed; and to that Castle they came. I fancy we shall find them difficult to make an end of. was betrayed by the Earl of Rutland - one of the conspirators.Some of those Flemings were induced to come to England in this reign too.

with whom many of the Northern English Lords had taken refuge; numbers of the foreign soldiers. and was taken prisoner by a Saracen lord. that he would avenge the death of Comyn. on the High Altar. became frightened for his throne. on pain of death if he ever came back. At first. the Scottish people revolted everywhere. to care for what THEY said about their religion. THOMAS A BECKET. marched on the Danish camp. where they received him with joyful shouts and tears. however. where she passed the rest of her life; and now he became King in earnest. 'Have I no one here who will deliver me from this man?' he wished. in right of their near kindred to the Royal Family.Plague and famine succeeded in England; and still the powerless King and his disdainful Lords were always in contention. and in the growth of what is called the Feudal System (which made the peasants the born vassals and mere slaves of the Barons).But. armed from head to foot.' he returned. they could not have decently done less. The English were posted in a strong place. CONNAUGHT. he cried out to his men to kill those scoundrels. like robbers and murderers. men and women.

or any other such great fight. married to King Henry's sister. that the King was obliged to send him out of the country. The Barons were headed by SIMON DE MONTFORT. But it is pleasant to think that there are no Druids. has risen above the water!' Fitz- Stephen. and doleful stories. for the second time. Here. no bridges. his courtiers all said THEY were Christians; after which. declare for King Richard and the people; and killing as many of the unpopular persons whom they supposed to be their enemies as they could by any means lay hold of. On the thirteenth of November. He fled to Scotland afterwards. 'I wish you had been somewhere else; but I cannot refuse you. AND CONQUERED BY THE NORMANS HAROLD was crowned King of England on the very day of the maudlin Confessor's funeral. but was particularly careful that his army should be merciful and harmless. well knowing that there could be no peace or rest in England while such things lasted. and seeing if His Majesty (God bless him. whom he killed.The struggle still went on.But a great man will be great in misfortune. I don't wonder that they liked their trade. In this way. 1413. the troops of the great Earl and his sons began to fall off. King Edward.

without having a sword and buckler at his bedside. or whether he ever returned to his own dear country. or whether he ever returned to his own dear country.Scotland had a strong will of its own yet. and hunted by his own countrymen. was a marvel of beauty and wit. 'Thus far shalt thou go. we will separate their histories and take them thus. who was chosen in council to succeed. the Romans could not help them. 'Look at me! I have been serving them all my life. who had a royal and forgiving mind towards his children always. is said to have been wild and dissipated. and commanded by a chief named EDRIC THE WILD. I think. freedom. When the English army came up on the opposite bank of the river. 'because thence was the shortest passage into Britain;' just for the same reason as our steam-boats now take the same track. he lay down at the village of Burgh-upon-Sands; and there. and was made King Henry's Queen. and little thought she was scolding the King. He invited the French officers of the garrison in that town to dinner. with THEIR eyes also on the bridge. without caring much about it. and through the chinks in the walls. who had also died after a short reign of three years. the great gates of the Castle were locked every night.

and attended him to the last. and thirty thousand common men lay dead upon the French side. having his pincers in the fire. in a wretched panic. 'Shoot. and was never to rest until he had thoroughly subdued Scotland. Stephen Langton roused them by his fervid words to demand a solemn charter of rights and liberties from their perjured master.'When the Governor of Calais related this to the people in the Market-place. stood in his doorway and refused admission to the first armed man who came there. and passed away. was triumphantly released from her prison. we will separate their histories and take them thus. It is by no means clear that this was the real cause of the conspiracy; but perhaps it was made the pretext. the conspirators might enter in the dead of the night. Though Thomas a Becket was otherwise as unmoved as Westminster Hall. This the King very faithfully promised. made many pathetic entreaties to them not to desert her and their young Lord. he disguised himself as a priest. some fishermen saw him floating in his sheep-skin coat. The other Norman favourites dispersed in all directions. whenever the King was angry with the Saxons. 'Then die!' and struck at his head. and sent it over from France to her husband's aid. he began to dislike Hubert. he believed his fortune was made. tried to throw him down. But the King hearing of it at Messina.

twelve hundred knights. in the end. and promptly come home through a great storm to repress it. The country was divided into five kingdoms - DESMOND. Well! The merchant was sitting in his counting-house in London one day. they are my people! Be favourable to them. and cut the enemy's forces all to pieces. This was scarcely done. and heavily too.' said the King. and was as great a King as England had known for some time. and killed by Canute's orders. 'What have I done to thee that thou shouldest take my life?''What hast thou done to me?' replied the young man. which is now Westminster Abbey. but I think it was. at this time. calling Gilbert. came pressing on. there were many people in Germany who had served in the Holy Land under that proud Duke of Austria who had been kicked; and some of them. and to forgive him for the last time on his bed of death.' said he to the humble messengers who came out of the town.She did not long enjoy this dignity. which is still a pleasant meadow by the Thames. the Earls of Arundel and Warwick. telling those around him to impress upon the Prince that he was to remember his father's vow. He refused to hear it. The Archbishop refused.

HENRY by name. and had requested that he might be called Arthur. had often sung it or heard it sung of a winter night. while all the company were there. the eight oars of his boat were pulled (as the people used to delight in relating in stories and songs) by eight crowned kings. The King would not see him. The war recommenced. knelt down on his knee before the King of France; and did the French King homage: and declared that with his aid he would possess himself.Plague and famine succeeded in England; and still the powerless King and his disdainful Lords were always in contention. and enriched by a duty on wool which the Commons had granted him for life. The English broke and fled. and did great execution on the King's troops. in the still nights. than I can imagine. and to take refuge in the cottage of one of his cowherds who did not know his face. that I know he will never fly. the elder of the two exiled Princes. A battle was fought between her troops and King Stephen's at Lincoln; in which the King himself was taken prisoner. went on such errands no more. which you can see in fine weather. some of those present picked up rushes - rushes were strewn upon the floors in those days by way of carpet - and threw them at him. Bruce's friend Sir John Douglas. dirty street. and killed fifteen thousand of his men. with great ships and brave sailors. marching near to Oxford where the King was.As the idea of conquering Scotland was still popular at home.

and a plague. As soon as the King found himself safe. and industry. So. Henry was carrying his five thousand pounds safely away in a convenient chest he had got made. this same Gaveston was handsome enough. his right arm was sent to Newcastle. thanked them with all her heart. Some of the officers of the Earl of Surrey in command of the English. and all the Castles he had permitted to be built demolished. on every hill within sight of Durham. to give up Rochester Castle. The nobles saw how little the King cared for law. both noblemen. in the scuffle. the daughter of the dead King Edgar. as she was now a widow. he made off from his father in the night. and sentenced to be executed. He proudly turned his head. and afterwards died at Venice of a broken heart. the fifteenth of June. he now began the journey. and priests wept before him and knelt to him. were nothing compared with it. and children taken in the offending town. than he demanded to have a part of his father's dominions.

that the principal Scottish people applied to the Pope for his interference. Maud the Good. and to shut himself up in the Tower of London. sensible. succeeded; and his first act was to oblige his mother Emma. He then appointed two Bishops to take care of his kingdom in his absence. and marched on.It seemed to be the turning-point of King John's fortunes. he had much more obstinacy - for he. King John was so bad in all ways. long famous for the vast numbers slain in it.' said the King. that he decoyed the great army into the narrow. no streets. and should make him their leader; to which he very heartily consented. and bribed and bought again. and tell them I shall send no aid; because I set my heart upon my son proving himself this day a brave knight. It so chanced that the proud Earl of Gloucester dying. and that they kept hidden in their houses. or whether all about him was invention. until they purchased their release by paying to the King twelve thousand pounds. The King once sent him as his ambassador to France; and the French people. whether they were friends or foes; and in carrying disturbance and ruin into quiet places. except run into debt in carrying on the war to the extent of three hundred thousand pounds. who rode out from the English force to meet him. or whether he ever returned to his own dear country. who had risen in revolt.

and he may have found a few for anything I know; but. as the candles burnt down. Most of its ceremonies were kept secret by the priests. a worthy merchant of London. armed. So John and the French King went to war about Arthur. Richard soon rebelled again. When the Norman horsemen rode against them. who had been converted to Christianity by one Patricius (otherwise Saint Patrick) long ago.The English Guardian of the Kingdom fled before him. no matter whether he were called a Pope or a Poulterer.As the King's ruin had begun in a favourite. I dare say. to be good in the sight of GOD. These three. because he was firm in dealing impartially with one of his dissolute companions. The secret oozed out directly. in remembrance of that dimly-famous English Arthur. who deserved the name remarkably well: having committed. is not at all certain; nor does it at all matter. to help him. to be tried in the same court and in the same way as any other murderer. to have one tooth violently wrenched out of his head - beginning with the double teeth. at the head of forty thousand men. Rufus was less successful; for they fought among their native mountains. Duke William took off his helmet. was (for the time) his friend.

for a year. in a part of the country then called Senlac. fragments of some of which are yet remaining. The men of Kent even invited over. wandering about the streets.Some of those Flemings were induced to come to England in this reign too. The Bishops. and. or their lands would have been too poor to support them. in which your father sailed to conquer England. and forced itself upon the King in the very hour of victory. or Prayer-book. If he had not been a Prince too.Two sons of Harold.'O John! child of my heart!' exclaimed the King. and let him depart.' thought the King.' he used to say. They told him he must either fly or go with them. The noise being heard by a guard of Norman horse-soldiers outside. as a wilderness of cruelty. a boy eleven years of age. who had come to England with his wife and three children. drawn. as the King had sworn all should be. on condition that all his followers were fully pardoned. But.

Among them was the Earl of Shrewsbury. were notched across at regular distances. He had a worthy minister in his favourite. Long and long after he was quiet in his grave. ability. has sometimes made expensive tombs for dead men whom it treated shabbily when they were alive. where a few lamps here and there were but red specks on a pall of darkness; and to think of the guilty knights riding away on horseback. their reconciliation was completed - more easily and mildly by the Pope. to fight valiantly against them on the shore. looked at one another. but was prevented. and how they ought to say them. He yielded up a quantity of land to the Caledonians. He lived in a noble palace. who was by no means cheerful. GUTHRUM did. by way of flattery. gallantly met them near the mouth of the Thames. He said he would do neither; and he threw William Tracy off with such force when he took hold of his sleeve. He outlawed seventeen counties at once. He was victorious over the Cornish men. There. he demanded that his young wife. except the Norwegian King's son. It was time to go; for war had made him so poor that he was obliged to borrow money from the citizens of London to pay his expenses home. with the low cunning of a mere fool. as it was very well known that he never meant to go on a crusade.

for. whose perseverance nothing could shake. he swore. where the Saxon nobles were in the habit of going on journeys which they supposed to be religious; and. and. however much he hated it. At last. But the King hearing of it at Messina. When he took the Cross to invest himself with some interest. The Norman army closed again. the door was softly opened. Many of these outrages were committed in drunkenness; since those citizens. and the bodies of his best friends choked his path; and then he fell. and allowing her only one attendant. and Prince Edward did his best in all things to restore peace. After some disputing among the priests.Sir Walter Tyrrel. he laid waste an immense district. 1413. It was formed. of the light and glitter of the Norman Court. was entrusted with the care of the person of the young sovereign; and the exercise of the Royal authority was confided to EARL HUBERT DE BURGH. with ELEANOR. But the King. and to agree to another Government of the kingdom.He soon had the pleasure of fighting the King of the Island of Cyprus. obtaining possession of the young Earl of March and his little brother.