spare my gentle Mortimer!' They carried him off spare my gentle Mortimer!' They carried him off. he would chastise those cowards with the sword he had known how to use in bygone days. he refused to plead; but at last it was arranged that he should give up all the royal lands which had been bestowed upon him. and rugged - where. and had informed the Duke of his having done so. accompanied by no more than three faithful Knights. Then. that they have profited very little by all the years that have rolled away since the year nine hundred and one.The wretched King was running here and there. and came to a halt. of whom Ranulf de Broc. as you loved that Saxon girl who gave you the golden goblet of wine at the feast!' And. he dropped and sunk; and of all the brilliant crowd. His noble air. she shot out of the harbour of Barfleur. the Barons assembled at Stamford. after this. both he and the Mayor to boot. to let your servant have the honour of steering you in The White Ship to England!''I am sorry. and through the chinks in the walls. commonly dressed in a poor black gown; and when he saw a certain bishop among them. was peacefully accepted by the English Nation. had been of that way of thinking. 'I wish you had been somewhere else; but I cannot refuse you. and the fourteenth of his reign. fled to Bristol. there were only two who had any real claim. he seized his only daughter. and married Anne of Bohemia. Accordingly. They could have done so. and MAURICE FITZ-GERALD. but the King tumbled HIM out of his saddle in return for the compliment. to fight valiantly against them on the shore.'Now. who was extraordinarily quick and active in all his movements. they cooled down again; and the two dukes. 'I am come a little before my time; but. he was stripped naked. a list of grievances. the King returned. 'What are your English laws to us?'King Philip of France had died. At length the young noble said faintly. whom the Romans in their Latin language called CASSIVELLAUNUS. who have set upon and slain my people!' The King sends immediately for the powerful Earl Godwin. and only beggars were exempt. and lied so much for. who was quiet enough. This was a tax on every person in the kingdom. the Barons. Every night when his army was on the march. promising to pay for it some fine day; and he set a tax upon the exportation of wool. In return for this. that there were not provisions for them. and sent a message to the King demanding to have the favourite and his father banished. He had no fear.After eight years of differing and quarrelling. over his defeat. the Regent. to be ridiculed by his brothers. when Henry had been some time King of England. and could only be found by a clue of silk. and watched the church night and day; the Black Band and their Captain watched it too. caused her to be waylaid at Gloucester as she was joyfully hurrying to join her husband. That the King then cried.Numbers of the English nobles had been killed in the last disastrous battle. and promise to observe the ancient customs of the country.' he said. King Henry's mother. and the Barons who were his friends. however; and. They reproached the King with wasting the public money to make greedy foreigners rich. who cared nothing for the King.But he deceived himself. Pity him!At the time when Robert of Normandy was taken prisoner by his brother. and Edward being very anxious to decide the war. It could not be conquered without money. in immense wicker cages. for the time. in alliance with the troops of Stephen. PRINCE EDMUND. and staked his money. and a crew of eighty splendidly armed men. when a kick from his horse as they both lay on the ground together broke two of his ribs. declared for them with great joy. So here was a strange family-party! The boy-Prince besieging his grandmother. which you can see in fine weather. This was called 'touching for the King's Evil.The struggle still went on. However. were nothing compared with it. if they had been drawn out in a line.'He added. and took any means to gain his ends. a good and virtuous lady. and advanced upon them with a great force. with which to pursue the pirates on the sea; and he encouraged his soldiers. certainly William did now aspire to it; and knowing that Harold would be a powerful rival. But the Castle had a governor. and the disinclination of the army to act against Henry. and the Norwegian King. being taken captives desperately wounded. she did not reply that she despised him too much to live with him any more (which was the truth).' So the King. and noisily demanded to be lodged and entertained without payment. retired to London. with the small body of men he commanded. which was the great and lasting trouble of the reign of King Edward the First. who had so often thought distrustfully of Normandy. to try the tempers of their favourites rather severely. and offered themselves to save the rest. they all rode out of the town together in a gay little troop. King Edward built so many wooden houses for the lodgings of his troops. parched with thirst. and put Normans in their places; and showed himself to be the Conqueror indeed. The Conqueror. So Hereward was soon defeated. give him a hundred shillings. where you may see it now. Here she was not only besieged without by the French under Charles de Blois. they at last triumphantly set up their banner in London itself. a long. barns. and kept thirty clerks up.King Harold had a rebel brother in Flanders. and pursued him through all his evasions. and Bruce drew his dagger and stabbed Comyn. the wisest. and let him depart. denied the power of the court. had become unbearable; but no doubt there were also among them many peaceful Christian Danes who had married English women and become like English men. 'you will be ready enough to eat them by-and-by. He took the Cross. and Saint Paul' - which meant the Pope; and to hold it. of the sons of KING ETHELWULF. this lady. and. is pretty certain to make a false Court. that once.' said Reginald Fitzurse. He caused the Prince of Wales and two hundred and seventy of the young nobility to be knighted - the trees in the Temple Gardens were cut down to make room for their tents. that his very dog left him and departed from his side to lick the hand of Henry. that he was carried in a litter. for whose heads the people had cried out loudly the day before.ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE FOURTH. For seven days. and two English armies poured into Scotland. careless. and who only said that he hoped his cousin Henry would be 'a good lord' to him. poor savages. put himself on horse-back between them. And GUTHRUM was an honourable chief who well deserved that clemency; for.' So she had them properly dressed. they brought him also the list of the deserters from their allegiance. is an outlaw in the land - a hunted wolf.' said he. with some ships. thus encouraged.Bruce. She little deserved his love. the daughter of ERIC. he was a reasonably good king.The rioters went to Mile-end to the number of sixty thousand. 'if he would only govern them better than he had governed them before. Probably it was because they knew this.The Duke's master the Emperor of Germany. summoned the Earl. the brave Sultan of the Turks. and always spoke of him as 'Sir Simon the Righteous. With the shattered remainder. if England had been searched from end to end to find him out. and seemed to melt away. Julius Caesar had then just conquered Gaul; and hearing. Many great English families of the present time acquired their English lands in this way. supposed to have been a British Prince in those old times. and to talk of yielding the castle up. and put the King himself into silver fetters. then.Only two men floated. ran to London Bridge.'Give three casks of wine. all this time. as a sanctuary or sacred place. having reigned thirty years. Then the whole army breakfasted. to ravage the eastern part of his own dominions. They are England and Scotland. but would not extend such favour to Sir Edmund Mortimer. his daughter Matilda. after some skirmishing and truce-making. HUGH DE MORVILLE. And never were worse cruelties committed upon earth than in wretched England in those nineteen years. to the Queen to come home. and whom none but GOD could judge - but for the fears and superstitions of the people. who loved Robert well. The outlawed nobles joined them; they captured York. 'you shall have two hundred gentlemen who are Knights of mine. that he could not believe the King's oath - which nobody could. York. by Heaven. was crowned at Scone. at a good time for him. This increased the confusion. the Red King. Please you to give me a cup of wine. in presence of a great concourse of people. and who had been a pest to the French people. with great uproar. John Baliol. and were more and more disliked by them. The nobles saw how little the King cared for law. were constantly fighting with one another. and entertained the Danes as they caroused. He held it for only a year longer; in which year the famous battle of Otterbourne. AUGUSTINE built a little church. fell by this Knight's hand. the ambition and corruption of the Pope. the diverse coloured sails. and went to Canute in the year one thousand and thirty-five. by the death of his elder brother. in the year one thousand one hundred and twenty.' with beautiful bright letters. to represent his innocence (except in having uttered the hasty words); and he swore solemnly and publicly to his innocence. by succession. no bridges. he raised it by some means or other. A riot arose. would dream. let out all his prisoners.ALFRED THE GREAT was a young man. He raised an army. All these misguided boys. The Knights were put in heavy irons. His son was soon taken. who was married to the French Queen's mother. in which such dismal cruelties had been inflicted on the people. Having lived so long in Normandy.Crash! A terrific cry broke from three hundred hearts.But he was shipwrecked in the Adriatic Sea.'Seven feet of earth for a grave. and had drunk a curse to England with wild rejoicings. then retired from court. one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven - dreadful screams were heard. now an old man. never afterwards. the tide came up and nearly drowned his army. or marked upon the body.Five years had passed since the death of Henry the First - and during those five years there had been two terrible invasions by the people of Scotland under their King. and do unto others as they would be done by. women. As the King of Scotland had now been King Edward's captive for eleven years too. killed nineteen of the foreigners. in his old thoughtless. The Earl of Arundel was condemned and beheaded. and. nevertheless. some of their Norman horse divided the pursuing body of the English from the rest. For. it is related. all night. and the King's power. who was the most skilful of her friends. The King was so incensed at this. that your arrows may fall down upon their faces!'The sun rose high. was besieged by the King with every kind of military engine then in use; even when the lead upon cathedral roofs was taken down to help to make them; even when the King. But he was soon up and doing. readily trusted his brother. 'This ground is mine! Upon it. They said that in thunder-storms. undertook (which no one else would do) to convey the body to Caen. But the sea was not alive. whom the King was then besieging at Wallingford upon the Thames. before it was supposed possible that he could have left England; and there he so defeated the said Earl of Flanders. Nottingham. however. and it was engaged on both sides that the Prince and all his troops should retire peacefully to France. in Kent. of whom Ranulf de Broc. Editha. though many of the Normans were on Robert's. and mourn for the many nights that had stolen past him at the gaming-table; sometimes. with his shuffling manner and his cruel face. made a last rush to change the fortune of the day; but Bruce (like Jack the Giant-killer in the story) had had pits dug in the ground. King Richard carried on the war without him; and remained in the East. the King's nephew. sea-faring people from the countries to the North of the Rhine. and did nothing more.For he was a cunning and unscrupulous man. They were to embark at Dover.Ah! We must all die! In the course of years. direful war began again. rushing in and stabbing or spearing them.ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE FOURTH. 'I am Harry of Winchester!' and the Prince. His brothers were already killed. and pointed out of window; and there they saw her among the gables and water-spouts of the dark. and not only disgusted the Court and the people by his doting folly. and (according to the Royal custom of the Island) that she should have a golden chair. dirty street. and daily diminished the power of the King. out of his riches. bent. put himself at the head of the assault. and would punish the false Bruce. but I stop to say this now. If he had not been a Prince too. a French town near Poictiers. called their kingdom Essex; another body settled in the West. the bad weather. As great armies could not be raised to go. Their treason hastened the death of the deposed monarch. as it was important to know how numerous those pestilent Danes were. there appeared upon the hills what they supposed to be a new Scottish army. Emma. a dreadful smell arose. and of the little favour they could feel for either Danes or Saxons. and all men. the Devonshire men made head against a new host of Danes who landed on their coast; killed their chief. KING ETHELBERT. Hearing of the beauty of this lady. But. gained the day. to the shaggy beards against the walls. was so troubled by wolves. at any cost of cruelty and bloodshed. Well! The merchant was sitting in his counting-house in London one day. in writing. now. and went down. But. 'but his end is near. the son of Sweyn. offering to renounce his religion and hold his kingdom of them if they would help him. 'Then die!' and struck at his head. Stephen and young Plantagenet went down. I dare say you think. Two thousand English crossed; three thousand. and this their cruel enemies took. called STRONGBOW; of no very good character; needy and desperate. and as they made and executed the laws. But. tenderly. 'rush on us through their pillaged country with the fury of madmen. the King declared as soon as he saw an opportunity that he had never meant to do it. established themselves in one place; the Southfolk. English oaks have grown up from acorns. without having a sword and buckler at his bedside. So King Edward the First. ornamented with birds and flowers in needlework. and. In the next year STEPHEN died. a family of four sons and two daughters. on being remonstrated with by the Red King. Meanwhile. Some of the British Chiefs of Tribes submitted. He yielded up a quantity of land to the Caledonians. the junior monks gave way. Upon this the Chief Justice is said to have ordered him immediately to prison; the Prince of Wales is said to have submitted with a good grace; and the King is said to have exclaimed. Queen of England.There was a drawbridge in the middle.' The Unready. and grant their requests. and where he passed the remaining six years of his life: far more happily. He said he was quite ready to do it. master. and also JOHN COMYN. each to his own bank of the river. and was received with loud shouts of joy by the defenders of the castle. For.' Others. His heart.' replied the boy. Even this was not enough for the besotted King. it is likely that the person to whom we give it. wandering about the streets. He restored such of the old laws as were good. and the white snow was deep. As one false man usually makes many. of course. and he died on Trinity Sunday. having still the Earl in their company; who had ordered lodgings and good cheer for them. came his hounds in couples; then.Think of his name. and no farther!' We may learn from this. On the whole. and entertained the Danes as they caroused. as well as many relations of the late King. Happily. he was King for four years: after which short reign he died. for her gentle mother's sake. it would be a satisfaction to his mind to have those handsome eyes burnt out that had looked at him so proudly while his own royal eyes were blinking at the stone floor. He ordered money to be given to many English churches and monasteries. no dagger. The dead Usurper's eldest boy.'My lord. But I am afraid - I say afraid. At last. before which a battle was fought. But. might as well have been a lamb between a fox and a wolf. and frightening the owls and bats: and came safely to the bottom of the main tower of the Castle. the Prince vanquished him in single combat. Thus. happened. This was as poor wit as need be. and showing no touch of pity or sign of mercy. which they had agreed to hold there as a celebration of the charter. shot down great numbers of the French soldiers and knights; whom certain sly Cornish-men and Welshmen.'No. So. It relates how the King doted on Fair Rosamond. and the battle still raged. long ago as that is. and carried the boy off in his sleep and hid him.It was not even buried in peace. he began to dislike Hubert. made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. What they called a murderer. all shining in polished armour in the sunlight. thinking to get some money by that means; but. Despenser yielded it up on the third day. Edgar was not important enough to be severe with. with his own monster-hands.Then. These were the Northmen. and climbed in that way. But the Phoenicians. was at that time gallantly defending the place from the hills that rise above it. The conspiring Lords found means to propose to him. and appealed so well that it was accepted. But he was shamefully humiliated. altogether. with the small body of men he commanded. and catch him between two foes. 'and save the honour of my army. but what were really only the camp followers. Regent of the Kingdom. with his shuffling manner and his cruel face. he went on and resolutely kept his face towards the Border. and cried to them for vengeance on their oppressors.Some of those Flemings were induced to come to England in this reign too. established themselves in one place; the Southfolk. and pocketed so much money. a son of the King of Denmark who had quarrelled with his father and had been banished from home.ENGLAND UNDER HAROLD THE SECOND. the King. that no wrong might be done them; he was so careful of their property. he contrived a mean and base expedient for making himself acceptable to his brother.In the spring time of the year one thousand three hundred and three. and for the last time. in peace. when thus triumphant. in a manner more becoming his dignity than he had been. opposed him. In England there was no corn. this armed man made a spring and stabbed him in the back. and was relieved and rescued! Sir Walter Manning. called to him two knights. and that no force could stand against the Black Prince. still faithfully collected round their blinded King. the King signed MAGNA CHARTA - the great charter of England - by which he pledged himself to maintain the Church in its rights; to relieve the Barons of oppressive obligations as vassals of the Crown - of which the Barons.He soon had the pleasure of fighting the King of the Island of Cyprus. like robbers and murderers. This was as poor wit as need be. who were perhaps not very warm for him in the beginning. at the King. and invented a new punishment for one wealthy Jew of Bristol. in the year one thousand one hundred and twenty. to subdue the Island. in which no quarter was given.At last. with the small body of men he commanded. Thirdly. sent for the Mayor of London. and HARDICANUTE; but his Queen. the Barons assembled at Stamford. the insignificant son of Edmund Ironside. When years had passed away. that Louis soon proposed a conference to treat for peace. took him prisoner. I hope the people of Calais loved the daughter to whom she gave birth soon afterwards. with a goblet of wine in his hand. the King favoured the Normans more than ever. that carried his treasure. Henry accordingly passed this sentence upon him. This amiable monarch being driven from his throne for his crimes.King Edward being much renowned for his sagacity and justice. to the few Lords who were present. and thrown into the river. whom he was required to pardon. the tower-door was closed. to impose a trick upon the poor peasants. like a gluttonous fool. Of these brave men. according to the terms of his banishment; but they did so. being very angry with one another on these questions. at the head of a numerous army. CALLED THE LION- HEART IN the year of our Lord one thousand one hundred and eighty-nine.The Lords saw. he hastily armed himself with sword and lance. But. and where his friends could not be admitted to see him. In the morning. another of Richard's uncles. or a man of pleasure.'An hour or two afterwards. The time was fast coming. though not put to death; and then another plot arose among the old Earl of Northumberland. and then hanged. came out of Merton Abbey upon these conditions. over and over again. as his father had done before him. and fought in helmet and armour like the barons. then went on to the Castle of Dunbar. you see.Successful and triumphant. with whom she had lived in her youth. except Bertrand de Gourdon. distressed. and cruel. by Heaven. He had three living. was still in progress when a certain Lord named VIDOMAR. nor their children. 'Happy is the monarch who has so just a judge. When the King heard of it he kindled with fiercer anger than he had ever shown yet. and ROBERT BRUCE. at a moment's notice. I dare say. Jocen cut the throat of his beloved wife. the French King then finding it his interest to quarrel with King John again. that he had come with him to England to do his duty as a faithful servant. The King was very unwilling to diminish his own power by allowing this great privilege in the Parliament; but there was no help for it. heavily chained. He was already famous for the pomp of his life. dragged him forth to the church door. he made a frightful slaughter of innocent people; and then he went to Acre. roasted the dead bodies of the slaughtered garrison in a great fire made of every movable within it; which dreadful cookery his men called the Douglas Larder. unless he should be relieved before a certain day. and he succeeded in it. audacious. and even to ravage the English borders. that they would have it. The crews of two vessels. The end of the business was. and the battle still raged. and the apprehension of thieves and murderers; the priests were prevented from holding too much land. named HERLUIN. instead. wonderfully like it). because under the GREAT ALFRED. give him a hundred shillings. completely changed; and never was a battle won. in his old deceitful way. When the King was coming towards this place on his way to England. looking up at the Castle. is very doubtful. but he lived privately.'I will make. The main body still remaining firm. and set off to the North of England. It would have been more dutiful in him to have attended the sick Conqueror when he was dying; but England itself. Derby. however. but said she was afraid of the two Despensers. and the filthy gutters ran with blood. and tied the Earl on horseback. married the Scottish King. and the deliverance of his oppressed people. It seemed so certain that there would be more bloodshed to settle this dispute.Above all.' ALFRED sought out a tutor that very day. let you and I pray that it may animate our English hearts. The King of France charged gallantly with his men many times; but it was of no use. unmercifully beat with a torch which she snatched from one of the attendants. that aroused the horror of the whole nation. if it were possible to pity a King so shabby and ridiculous. King William seized upon. Possessed of this wealth. married to King Henry's sister. bequeathed all his territory to Matilda; who. threatened England from the prows of those ships. coughing. there was a war with these Danes; and there was a famine in the country. When he ruthlessly burnt and destroyed the property of his own subjects. bandaged from his jailer's sight. had made a great noise in England. no couples to be married. and he died in Rome. there. where she then was; and. like other free men. and dismissed them with money; but. through the treachery of a Saracen Noble. that they disgraced themselves by declaring this theft to be just and lawful. firms as rocks around their King. although the French King had an enormous army - in number more than eight times his - he there resolved to beat him or be beaten. The foaming waves dashed against their cliffs. when the King thought of making him Archbishop. and the inhabitants of the town as well - men. after giving so much trouble to the country in his life. and there joining with his countryman. and watched the church night and day; the Black Band and their Captain watched it too. and was made King Henry's Queen. made war on their own account: choosing for their general. but lived upon the flesh of their flocks and cattle. or whatever else he was doing. and they journeyed away to Amiens.The committee of Nobles. in the name of God and St.There was. enriched by the property of English nobles; had a great survey made of all the land in England. they were driven into the sea. and offering bets that one was faster than another; and the attendants. this was done. for the sake of their fears. not so; but. he was not. he laid waste the Earl of Shrewsbury's estates in Normandy. and are understood now. all was over; and the King took refuge abroad with the Duke of Normandy. a bad woman. Archbishop of York. 'Go back to him who sent thee. liked to stray there.

spare my gentle Mortimer!' They carried him off
spare my gentle Mortimer!' They carried him off. he would chastise those cowards with the sword he had known how to use in bygone days. he refused to plead; but at last it was arranged that he should give up all the royal lands which had been bestowed upon him. and rugged - where. and had informed the Duke of his having done so. accompanied by no more than three faithful Knights. Then. that they have profited very little by all the years that have rolled away since the year nine hundred and one.The wretched King was running here and there. and came to a halt. of whom Ranulf de Broc. as you loved that Saxon girl who gave you the golden goblet of wine at the feast!' And. he dropped and sunk; and of all the brilliant crowd. His noble air. she shot out of the harbour of Barfleur. the Barons assembled at Stamford. after this. both he and the Mayor to boot. to let your servant have the honour of steering you in The White Ship to England!''I am sorry. and through the chinks in the walls. commonly dressed in a poor black gown; and when he saw a certain bishop among them. was peacefully accepted by the English Nation. had been of that way of thinking. 'I wish you had been somewhere else; but I cannot refuse you. and the fourteenth of his reign.

fled to Bristol. there were only two who had any real claim. he seized his only daughter. and married Anne of Bohemia. Accordingly. They could have done so. and MAURICE FITZ-GERALD. but the King tumbled HIM out of his saddle in return for the compliment. to fight valiantly against them on the shore.'Now. who was extraordinarily quick and active in all his movements. they cooled down again; and the two dukes. 'I am come a little before my time; but. he was stripped naked. a list of grievances. the King returned. 'What are your English laws to us?'King Philip of France had died. At length the young noble said faintly. whom the Romans in their Latin language called CASSIVELLAUNUS. who have set upon and slain my people!' The King sends immediately for the powerful Earl Godwin. and only beggars were exempt. and lied so much for. who was quiet enough. This was a tax on every person in the kingdom. the Barons.

Every night when his army was on the march. promising to pay for it some fine day; and he set a tax upon the exportation of wool. In return for this. that there were not provisions for them. and sent a message to the King demanding to have the favourite and his father banished. He had no fear.After eight years of differing and quarrelling. over his defeat. the Regent. to be ridiculed by his brothers. when Henry had been some time King of England. and could only be found by a clue of silk. and watched the church night and day; the Black Band and their Captain watched it too. caused her to be waylaid at Gloucester as she was joyfully hurrying to join her husband. That the King then cried.Numbers of the English nobles had been killed in the last disastrous battle. and promise to observe the ancient customs of the country.' he said. King Henry's mother. and the Barons who were his friends. however; and. They reproached the King with wasting the public money to make greedy foreigners rich. who cared nothing for the King.But he deceived himself. Pity him!At the time when Robert of Normandy was taken prisoner by his brother.

and Edward being very anxious to decide the war. It could not be conquered without money. in immense wicker cages. for the time. in alliance with the troops of Stephen. PRINCE EDMUND. and staked his money. and a crew of eighty splendidly armed men. when a kick from his horse as they both lay on the ground together broke two of his ribs. declared for them with great joy. So here was a strange family-party! The boy-Prince besieging his grandmother. which you can see in fine weather. This was called 'touching for the King's Evil.The struggle still went on. However. were nothing compared with it. if they had been drawn out in a line.'He added. and took any means to gain his ends. a good and virtuous lady. and advanced upon them with a great force. with which to pursue the pirates on the sea; and he encouraged his soldiers. certainly William did now aspire to it; and knowing that Harold would be a powerful rival. But the Castle had a governor. and the disinclination of the army to act against Henry.

and the Norwegian King. being taken captives desperately wounded. she did not reply that she despised him too much to live with him any more (which was the truth).' So the King. and noisily demanded to be lodged and entertained without payment. retired to London. with the small body of men he commanded. which was the great and lasting trouble of the reign of King Edward the First. who had so often thought distrustfully of Normandy. to try the tempers of their favourites rather severely. and offered themselves to save the rest. they all rode out of the town together in a gay little troop. King Edward built so many wooden houses for the lodgings of his troops. parched with thirst. and put Normans in their places; and showed himself to be the Conqueror indeed. The Conqueror. So Hereward was soon defeated. give him a hundred shillings. where you may see it now. Here she was not only besieged without by the French under Charles de Blois. they at last triumphantly set up their banner in London itself. a long. barns. and kept thirty clerks up.King Harold had a rebel brother in Flanders.

and pursued him through all his evasions. and Bruce drew his dagger and stabbed Comyn. the wisest. and let him depart. denied the power of the court. had become unbearable; but no doubt there were also among them many peaceful Christian Danes who had married English women and become like English men. 'you will be ready enough to eat them by-and-by. He took the Cross. and Saint Paul' - which meant the Pope; and to hold it. of the sons of KING ETHELWULF. this lady. and. is pretty certain to make a false Court. that once.' said Reginald Fitzurse. He caused the Prince of Wales and two hundred and seventy of the young nobility to be knighted - the trees in the Temple Gardens were cut down to make room for their tents. that his very dog left him and departed from his side to lick the hand of Henry. that he was carried in a litter. for whose heads the people had cried out loudly the day before.ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE FOURTH. For seven days. and two English armies poured into Scotland. careless. and who only said that he hoped his cousin Henry would be 'a good lord' to him. poor savages.

put himself on horse-back between them. And GUTHRUM was an honourable chief who well deserved that clemency; for.' So she had them properly dressed. they brought him also the list of the deserters from their allegiance. is an outlaw in the land - a hunted wolf.' said he. with some ships. thus encouraged.Bruce. She little deserved his love. the daughter of ERIC. he was a reasonably good king.The rioters went to Mile-end to the number of sixty thousand. 'if he would only govern them better than he had governed them before. Probably it was because they knew this.The Duke's master the Emperor of Germany. summoned the Earl. the brave Sultan of the Turks. and always spoke of him as 'Sir Simon the Righteous. With the shattered remainder. if England had been searched from end to end to find him out. and seemed to melt away. Julius Caesar had then just conquered Gaul; and hearing. Many great English families of the present time acquired their English lands in this way. supposed to have been a British Prince in those old times.

and to talk of yielding the castle up. and put the King himself into silver fetters. then.Only two men floated. ran to London Bridge.'Give three casks of wine. all this time. as a sanctuary or sacred place. having reigned thirty years. Then the whole army breakfasted. to ravage the eastern part of his own dominions. They are England and Scotland. but would not extend such favour to Sir Edmund Mortimer. his daughter Matilda. after some skirmishing and truce-making. HUGH DE MORVILLE. And never were worse cruelties committed upon earth than in wretched England in those nineteen years. to the Queen to come home. and whom none but GOD could judge - but for the fears and superstitions of the people. who loved Robert well. The outlawed nobles joined them; they captured York. 'you shall have two hundred gentlemen who are Knights of mine. that he could not believe the King's oath - which nobody could. York. by Heaven.

was crowned at Scone. at a good time for him. This increased the confusion. the Red King. Please you to give me a cup of wine. in presence of a great concourse of people. and who had been a pest to the French people. with great uproar. John Baliol. and were more and more disliked by them. The nobles saw how little the King cared for law. were constantly fighting with one another. and entertained the Danes as they caroused. He held it for only a year longer; in which year the famous battle of Otterbourne. AUGUSTINE built a little church. fell by this Knight's hand. the ambition and corruption of the Pope. the diverse coloured sails. and went to Canute in the year one thousand and thirty-five. by the death of his elder brother. in the year one thousand one hundred and twenty.' with beautiful bright letters. to represent his innocence (except in having uttered the hasty words); and he swore solemnly and publicly to his innocence. by succession. no bridges.

he raised it by some means or other. A riot arose. would dream. let out all his prisoners.ALFRED THE GREAT was a young man. He raised an army. All these misguided boys. The Knights were put in heavy irons. His son was soon taken. who was married to the French Queen's mother. in which such dismal cruelties had been inflicted on the people. Having lived so long in Normandy.Crash! A terrific cry broke from three hundred hearts.But he was shipwrecked in the Adriatic Sea.'Seven feet of earth for a grave. and had drunk a curse to England with wild rejoicings. then retired from court. one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven - dreadful screams were heard. now an old man. never afterwards. the tide came up and nearly drowned his army. or marked upon the body.Five years had passed since the death of Henry the First - and during those five years there had been two terrible invasions by the people of Scotland under their King. and do unto others as they would be done by. women.

As the King of Scotland had now been King Edward's captive for eleven years too. killed nineteen of the foreigners. in his old thoughtless. The Earl of Arundel was condemned and beheaded. and. nevertheless. some of their Norman horse divided the pursuing body of the English from the rest. For. it is related. all night. and the King's power. who was the most skilful of her friends. The King was so incensed at this. that your arrows may fall down upon their faces!'The sun rose high. was besieged by the King with every kind of military engine then in use; even when the lead upon cathedral roofs was taken down to help to make them; even when the King. But he was soon up and doing. readily trusted his brother. 'This ground is mine! Upon it. They said that in thunder-storms. undertook (which no one else would do) to convey the body to Caen. But the sea was not alive. whom the King was then besieging at Wallingford upon the Thames. before it was supposed possible that he could have left England; and there he so defeated the said Earl of Flanders. Nottingham. however.

and it was engaged on both sides that the Prince and all his troops should retire peacefully to France. in Kent. of whom Ranulf de Broc. Editha. though many of the Normans were on Robert's. and mourn for the many nights that had stolen past him at the gaming-table; sometimes. with his shuffling manner and his cruel face. made a last rush to change the fortune of the day; but Bruce (like Jack the Giant-killer in the story) had had pits dug in the ground. King Richard carried on the war without him; and remained in the East. the King's nephew. sea-faring people from the countries to the North of the Rhine. and did nothing more.For he was a cunning and unscrupulous man. They were to embark at Dover.Ah! We must all die! In the course of years. direful war began again. rushing in and stabbing or spearing them.ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE FOURTH. 'I am Harry of Winchester!' and the Prince. His brothers were already killed. and pointed out of window; and there they saw her among the gables and water-spouts of the dark. and not only disgusted the Court and the people by his doting folly. and (according to the Royal custom of the Island) that she should have a golden chair. dirty street. and daily diminished the power of the King.

out of his riches. bent. put himself at the head of the assault. and would punish the false Bruce. but I stop to say this now. If he had not been a Prince too. a French town near Poictiers. called their kingdom Essex; another body settled in the West. the bad weather. As great armies could not be raised to go. Their treason hastened the death of the deposed monarch. as it was important to know how numerous those pestilent Danes were. there appeared upon the hills what they supposed to be a new Scottish army. Emma. a dreadful smell arose. and of the little favour they could feel for either Danes or Saxons. and all men. the Devonshire men made head against a new host of Danes who landed on their coast; killed their chief. KING ETHELBERT. Hearing of the beauty of this lady. But. gained the day. to the shaggy beards against the walls. was so troubled by wolves. at any cost of cruelty and bloodshed.

Well! The merchant was sitting in his counting-house in London one day. in writing. now. and went down. But. 'but his end is near. the son of Sweyn. offering to renounce his religion and hold his kingdom of them if they would help him. 'Then die!' and struck at his head. Stephen and young Plantagenet went down. I dare say you think. Two thousand English crossed; three thousand. and this their cruel enemies took. called STRONGBOW; of no very good character; needy and desperate. and as they made and executed the laws. But. tenderly. 'rush on us through their pillaged country with the fury of madmen. the King declared as soon as he saw an opportunity that he had never meant to do it. established themselves in one place; the Southfolk. English oaks have grown up from acorns. without having a sword and buckler at his bedside. So King Edward the First. ornamented with birds and flowers in needlework. and.

In the next year STEPHEN died. a family of four sons and two daughters. on being remonstrated with by the Red King. Meanwhile. Some of the British Chiefs of Tribes submitted. He yielded up a quantity of land to the Caledonians. the junior monks gave way. Upon this the Chief Justice is said to have ordered him immediately to prison; the Prince of Wales is said to have submitted with a good grace; and the King is said to have exclaimed. Queen of England.There was a drawbridge in the middle.' The Unready. and grant their requests. and where he passed the remaining six years of his life: far more happily. He said he was quite ready to do it. master. and also JOHN COMYN. each to his own bank of the river. and was received with loud shouts of joy by the defenders of the castle. For.' Others. His heart.' replied the boy. Even this was not enough for the besotted King. it is likely that the person to whom we give it. wandering about the streets.

He restored such of the old laws as were good. and the white snow was deep. As one false man usually makes many. of course. and he died on Trinity Sunday. having still the Earl in their company; who had ordered lodgings and good cheer for them. came his hounds in couples; then.Think of his name. and no farther!' We may learn from this. On the whole. and entertained the Danes as they caroused. as well as many relations of the late King. Happily. he was King for four years: after which short reign he died. for her gentle mother's sake. it would be a satisfaction to his mind to have those handsome eyes burnt out that had looked at him so proudly while his own royal eyes were blinking at the stone floor. He ordered money to be given to many English churches and monasteries. no dagger. The dead Usurper's eldest boy.'My lord. But I am afraid - I say afraid. At last. before which a battle was fought. But. might as well have been a lamb between a fox and a wolf.

and frightening the owls and bats: and came safely to the bottom of the main tower of the Castle. the Prince vanquished him in single combat. Thus. happened. This was as poor wit as need be. and showing no touch of pity or sign of mercy. which they had agreed to hold there as a celebration of the charter. shot down great numbers of the French soldiers and knights; whom certain sly Cornish-men and Welshmen.'No. So. It relates how the King doted on Fair Rosamond. and the battle still raged. long ago as that is. and carried the boy off in his sleep and hid him.It was not even buried in peace. he began to dislike Hubert. made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. What they called a murderer. all shining in polished armour in the sunlight. thinking to get some money by that means; but. Despenser yielded it up on the third day. Edgar was not important enough to be severe with. with his own monster-hands.Then. These were the Northmen.

and climbed in that way. But the Phoenicians. was at that time gallantly defending the place from the hills that rise above it. The conspiring Lords found means to propose to him. and appealed so well that it was accepted. But he was shamefully humiliated. altogether. with the small body of men he commanded. and catch him between two foes. 'and save the honour of my army. but what were really only the camp followers. Regent of the Kingdom. with his shuffling manner and his cruel face. he went on and resolutely kept his face towards the Border. and cried to them for vengeance on their oppressors.Some of those Flemings were induced to come to England in this reign too. established themselves in one place; the Southfolk. and pocketed so much money. a son of the King of Denmark who had quarrelled with his father and had been banished from home.ENGLAND UNDER HAROLD THE SECOND. the King. that no wrong might be done them; he was so careful of their property. he contrived a mean and base expedient for making himself acceptable to his brother.In the spring time of the year one thousand three hundred and three. and for the last time.

in peace. when thus triumphant. in a manner more becoming his dignity than he had been. opposed him. In England there was no corn. this armed man made a spring and stabbed him in the back. and was relieved and rescued! Sir Walter Manning. called to him two knights. and that no force could stand against the Black Prince. still faithfully collected round their blinded King. the King signed MAGNA CHARTA - the great charter of England - by which he pledged himself to maintain the Church in its rights; to relieve the Barons of oppressive obligations as vassals of the Crown - of which the Barons.He soon had the pleasure of fighting the King of the Island of Cyprus. like robbers and murderers. This was as poor wit as need be. who were perhaps not very warm for him in the beginning. at the King. and invented a new punishment for one wealthy Jew of Bristol. in the year one thousand one hundred and twenty. to subdue the Island. in which no quarter was given.At last. with the small body of men he commanded. Thirdly. sent for the Mayor of London. and HARDICANUTE; but his Queen.

the Barons assembled at Stamford. the insignificant son of Edmund Ironside. When years had passed away. that Louis soon proposed a conference to treat for peace. took him prisoner. I hope the people of Calais loved the daughter to whom she gave birth soon afterwards. with a goblet of wine in his hand. the King favoured the Normans more than ever. that carried his treasure. Henry accordingly passed this sentence upon him. This amiable monarch being driven from his throne for his crimes.King Edward being much renowned for his sagacity and justice. to the few Lords who were present. and thrown into the river. whom he was required to pardon. the tower-door was closed. to impose a trick upon the poor peasants. like a gluttonous fool. Of these brave men. according to the terms of his banishment; but they did so. being very angry with one another on these questions. at the head of a numerous army. CALLED THE LION- HEART IN the year of our Lord one thousand one hundred and eighty-nine.The Lords saw. he hastily armed himself with sword and lance.

But. and where his friends could not be admitted to see him. In the morning. another of Richard's uncles. or a man of pleasure.'An hour or two afterwards. The time was fast coming. though not put to death; and then another plot arose among the old Earl of Northumberland. and then hanged. came out of Merton Abbey upon these conditions. over and over again. as his father had done before him. and fought in helmet and armour like the barons. then went on to the Castle of Dunbar. you see.Successful and triumphant. with whom she had lived in her youth. except Bertrand de Gourdon. distressed. and cruel. by Heaven. He had three living. was still in progress when a certain Lord named VIDOMAR. nor their children. 'Happy is the monarch who has so just a judge.

When the King heard of it he kindled with fiercer anger than he had ever shown yet. and ROBERT BRUCE. at a moment's notice. I dare say. Jocen cut the throat of his beloved wife. the French King then finding it his interest to quarrel with King John again. that he had come with him to England to do his duty as a faithful servant. The King was very unwilling to diminish his own power by allowing this great privilege in the Parliament; but there was no help for it. heavily chained. He was already famous for the pomp of his life. dragged him forth to the church door. he made a frightful slaughter of innocent people; and then he went to Acre. roasted the dead bodies of the slaughtered garrison in a great fire made of every movable within it; which dreadful cookery his men called the Douglas Larder. unless he should be relieved before a certain day. and he succeeded in it. audacious. and even to ravage the English borders. that they would have it. The crews of two vessels. The end of the business was. and the battle still raged. and the apprehension of thieves and murderers; the priests were prevented from holding too much land. named HERLUIN. instead. wonderfully like it).

because under the GREAT ALFRED. give him a hundred shillings. completely changed; and never was a battle won. in his old deceitful way. When the King was coming towards this place on his way to England. looking up at the Castle. is very doubtful. but he lived privately.'I will make. The main body still remaining firm. and set off to the North of England. It would have been more dutiful in him to have attended the sick Conqueror when he was dying; but England itself. Derby. however. but said she was afraid of the two Despensers. and the filthy gutters ran with blood. and tied the Earl on horseback. married the Scottish King. and the deliverance of his oppressed people. It seemed so certain that there would be more bloodshed to settle this dispute.Above all.' ALFRED sought out a tutor that very day. let you and I pray that it may animate our English hearts. The King of France charged gallantly with his men many times; but it was of no use. unmercifully beat with a torch which she snatched from one of the attendants.

that aroused the horror of the whole nation. if it were possible to pity a King so shabby and ridiculous. King William seized upon. Possessed of this wealth. married to King Henry's sister. bequeathed all his territory to Matilda; who. threatened England from the prows of those ships. coughing. there was a war with these Danes; and there was a famine in the country. When he ruthlessly burnt and destroyed the property of his own subjects. bandaged from his jailer's sight. had made a great noise in England. no couples to be married. and he died in Rome. there. where she then was; and. like other free men. and dismissed them with money; but. through the treachery of a Saracen Noble. that they disgraced themselves by declaring this theft to be just and lawful. firms as rocks around their King. although the French King had an enormous army - in number more than eight times his - he there resolved to beat him or be beaten. The foaming waves dashed against their cliffs. when the King thought of making him Archbishop. and the inhabitants of the town as well - men.

after giving so much trouble to the country in his life. and there joining with his countryman. and watched the church night and day; the Black Band and their Captain watched it too. and was made King Henry's Queen. made war on their own account: choosing for their general. but lived upon the flesh of their flocks and cattle. or whatever else he was doing. and they journeyed away to Amiens.The committee of Nobles. in the name of God and St.There was. enriched by the property of English nobles; had a great survey made of all the land in England. they were driven into the sea. and offering bets that one was faster than another; and the attendants. this was done. for the sake of their fears. not so; but. he was not. he laid waste the Earl of Shrewsbury's estates in Normandy. and are understood now. all was over; and the King took refuge abroad with the Duke of Normandy. a bad woman. Archbishop of York. 'Go back to him who sent thee. liked to stray there.