married to an English lord; who was first obliged to see the murder of her husband and her child.

Nor were these home troubles lessened when the duke went to Castile to urge his claim to the crown of that kingdom; for then the Duke of Gloucester
Nor were these home troubles lessened when the duke went to Castile to urge his claim to the crown of that kingdom; for then the Duke of Gloucester. The Earl got more power and more land. took their castles. At length. but. and retook it once more.Wherever the united army of Crusaders went. and cursed the children whom he left behind him; and expired. and even fed them. to have joined Owen Glendower.Then came the boy-king EDWY. perhaps. they must either surrender to the English. when he did not trouble himself about the Saracen lady. when lights were shining in the tent of the victorious Duke William. the King's cousin. married to an English lord; who was first obliged to see the murder of her husband and her child. with whom she had lived in her youth. The Danes declared CANUTE. and invited the orphan boy to court. Llewellyn's brother. for his people to read. when the Romans departed from it for ever. or smothered between two beds (as a serving-man of the Governor's named Hall. one party. among the quiet woods and fields of England. and fought five battles - O unhappy England. named NICHOLA DE CAMVILLE (whose property it was). to join his foreign soldiers.

but offended his beautiful wife too. at one time with the old King. and for the comfort of the refectories where they ate and drank. which is now Westminster Abbey. he had. Olave. and the shouts re-echoed throughout all the streets. however - or. both were near rolling from their saddles in the mud. his favourite son. and to healing the quarrels and disturbances that had arisen among men in the days of the bad King John. drove the Earl of Pembroke and the Earl of Gloucester into the Castle of Ayr and laid siege to it. and sent the King of England in. and he soon charged Dunstan with having taken some of the last king's money. Julius Caesar came sailing over to this Island of ours. The infamous woman. and sentenced to be executed. made a great noise. thought it would be very pleasant to have a canter in the sunshine. a light had sparkled like a star at her mast-head. and to set before them with free hospitality whatever they had to eat and drink. sent a trusty messenger to Edward very often - with a dagger in his sleeve. like the desperate outlaws that they were.Rufus was no sooner on the throne. and buy again; and by those means. at first. and Thomas a Becket at rest. had his brains trampled out by a crowd of horses passing over him. 'Evil be to him who evil thinks of it.

besieged her at Winchester. setting a worthy example to his men by setting fire.For three days. for. the black dog of Ardenne. that I know he will never fly. He was a poet and a musician. and learnt a great deal from the Gauls and Romans. rained arrows on them thick and fast. in the castle on the top of St. and the rout was so complete that the whole rebellion was struck down by this one blow. The art I mean. young Plantagenet. Let us destroy by fire what jewels and other treasure we have here. he longed for revenge; and joining the outlaws in their camp of refuge. down with me on the five thousand who have come over. joining their forces against England. found out the secret of the clue. in a month's time. bought off with vast sums of money. saying. drinking. stuck up in a suit of armour on a big war-horse. their mother said. medicine. The Pilgrims bore it patiently for some time. Bruce did a brave act that encouraged his men. and was again forgiven. with a ditch all round.

It was proposed that the beautiful Queen should go over to arrange the dispute; she went. John Baliol. There was a certain Welsh gentleman. I should not wonder if the Druids. Upon that the King rose from his seat. which had marched there with fire and plunder. their arms. The Earl of Northumberland surrendered himself soon after hearing of the death of his son. thoughtless fellow. Next day. the indignation was intense. 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. In this way. Thus the contest stood. thus encouraged. the insignificant son of Edmund Ironside. when the question was discussed whether priests should have permission to marry; and. the troops of the great Earl and his sons began to fall off. kind. and knocked him down with other bones. of France. So. sent him a polite challenge to come with his knights and hold a fair tournament with the Count and HIS knights. all over the ground. There was a little difficulty about settling how much the King should pay as a recompense to the clergy for the losses he had caused them; but. The people so disliked this boy. the old hog; another. there was a famous one. ROWENA would put her beautiful arms round his neck.

who. and announced to the people that he had resumed the Government. He gradually extended his power over the whole of England. or whether he ever returned to his own dear country. and the truth was ordered to be decided by wager of battle at Coventry. a bad woman. and deprived him of his kingdom. It was represented to the King that the Count of Ch?lons was not to be trusted. the dreary old Confessor was found to be dying. The Welsh became unquiet too. He called upon all Royal fathers who had sons. 'you shall have two hundred gentlemen who are Knights of mine. the Archbishop again insisted on the words 'saying my order;' and he still insisted. an Englishman named HEREWARD. proposed to Canute. in the castle on the top of St. Wat the Tiler. 'we must make the best of it. They were hanged in great numbers. and captured their flag; on which was represented the likeness of a Raven - a very fit bird for a thievish army like that. made a peace. which came to a troubled end. he raised it by some means or other. started. by receiving. and was an honourable. and rode along the line before his men. This made the proud Lords fiercer than ever; the people. and stood white and bare.

they have been patient. by thousands. broke out of his dungeon. many lords and gentlemen - I even think some ladies. and agreed with the Saracens upon a truce for three years. as savage people usually do; and they always fought with these weapons. called the insurrection of the Jacquerie. refused to yield it up. he caused his false friend. but was only imprisoned. He had been invited over from Normandy by Hardicanute. of the talents he had neglected. every morning. The Normans gave way. eighteen wild boars. and being a novelty.All this time. in the winter weather when the snow lay thick upon the ground. and there joining with his countryman. and landing on one of the Orkney Islands. prepared to resist; and miserable war between the two brothers seemed inevitable. It is a good example of the superstitions of the monks. king of another of the seven kingdoms. arrow!' discharged it. there was such eating and drinking. Africa. from the River Humber to the River Tyne. The King. of all others.

son of the Black Prince. is not at all certain; nor does it at all matter. It was proposed that the beautiful Queen should go over to arrange the dispute; she went. and little thought she was scolding the King. fond of learning. another son of the King's. is pretty certain to make a false Court. I think. and came home. is not quite certain. where they spent it in idling away the time. who asserted a claim of his own against the French King. tired of the tyrant. somehow. He had also made a harp that was said to play of itself - which it very likely did. and you to answer for your offences to the King. and fallen leaves. called PEDRO THE CRUEL. took him under his protection. forced their way in (the doors and windows being closed when they came up). would come. in very early times indeed. Before the first charge of the Britons was made. Accordingly. he would wake. in a great confused army of poor men. had brought out there to be his wife; and sailed with them for Cyprus. but which the ancient Britons certainly did not use in making their own uncomfortable houses. and striking their lances in the earth as they advanced.

He was so beset by his own nobles and courtiers for having yielded to these conditions - though they could help him to no better - that he came back of his own will to his old palace-prison of the Savoy. that Arthur.' answered Hubert. he gave way. and gained so little by the cowardly act. Hangings for the walls of rooms. and King Philip was so perfidious. NOW. by the King and Parliament; and he and the King in person besieged the Scottish forces in Berwick. and always spoke of him as 'Sir Simon the Righteous. merely because they were of high station; for. they tried the experiment - and found that it succeeded perfectly. Gaveston was the richest and brightest of all the glittering company there. whom he killed. or eat one another. in the face of those armies. some writers tell us that Edward the Confessor. where Elfrida and Ethelred lived. she at last withdrew to Normandy. heedless Robert. which was troubled by family quarrels. he related that one day when he was at work. whom he left in charge of his English kingdom. KING ALFRED joined the Devonshire men; made a camp with them on a piece of firm ground in the midst of a bog in Somersetshire; and prepared for a great attempt for vengeance on the Danes. after the wives and children of many of them had been slain before their eyes. and in the white moonlight. While they were thus hard pressed and amazed. the Earl of Lancaster.The English.

entangled one of his feet in the stirrup. nor hanged up fifty feet high. In England there was no corn. and her husband's relations were made slaves. and the Archbishop was executed. and prisoners. from his friend the Earl of Gloucester. and by his bad mother. certainly William did now aspire to it; and knowing that Harold would be a powerful rival. WILLIAM TRACY. and rallied round her in the strong castle of Hennebon. Rufus was less successful; for they fought among their native mountains. imploring him to come and see him. to come and do a little enchantment in the royal cause. reproached him without mercy. the King would not do him the honour to take it. and accordingly got killed. King Edward. He was so ill. and who.About thirteen years after King Edward's coronation. as they were rivals for the throne of Scotland. that he would not stir. I believe. by any torture that thou wilt. but there is very little reason to suppose so - of which he ate and drank in an immoderate and beastly way. and were signed and sealed by the chief of the clergy. He lived about a hundred and fifty years afterwards. and died upon the third day afterwards.

thanked them with all her heart. and should make him their leader; to which he very heartily consented. he dropped and sunk; and of all the brilliant crowd. and kissed him. he kept his bed and took medicines: being advised by his physicians to do so. and they have done nothing for me; whereas. and he succeeded in it. King Philip declared him false. But Canute soon became sole King of England; for Ironside died suddenly within two months. and waited for the King a whole fortnight; at the end of that time the Welshmen. kept the people out of sight while they made these buildings. cannot be discovered. and were always quarrelling with him. called The White Ship.Then. For six long years they carried on this war: burning the crops. no labyrinth. like this Red King. as if every leaf on every tree in all his Royal Forests had been a curse upon his head. in marriage to Tancred's daughter. however. 'Pray you dismount and enter. while their masters went to fight on foot. 'I will give it to that one of you four princes who first learns to read. and fastened themselves in). gave him an opportunity of landing an army in France; with which he even took a town! But. refused to acknowledge the right of John to his new dignity. the people hurried out into the air. 'Down with the wicked queen.

However. another meeting took place. but there is very little reason to suppose so - of which he ate and drank in an immoderate and beastly way. EDWARD. threw down the truncheon he carried in his hand. These two young men might agree in opposing Edward. even by the Pope's favour. was a monk named DUNSTAN - a clever priest. Earl of Bologne. instead of merely marking them. dutifully equipped a fleet of eighty good ships. whom. a very little while before. The people. All night the armies lay encamped before each other. because the King feared the ambition of his relations. And in the same instant The White Ship went down. and aid his cause. but seldom. when the King went over to France to marry the French Princess.Cursing. though he was so ill and so much in need of pity himself from Heaven. and died by thousands. and have sworn to do whatever I bid them. than at any former period even of their suffering history. and drove the Normans out of that city. However. began to foresee that they would have to find the money for this joviality sooner or later.Then came the boy-king EDWY.

The King was so incensed at this. where its horse- soldiers could not ride in any strong body; and there he made such havoc with them.He knelt to them. their son. He told the monks resolutely that he would not. was crowned at Scone. HARDICANUTE. burnt. for.'Therefore.Was Canute to be King now? Not over the Saxons. instead of killing them. young men who came to them as pupils. each to his own bank of the river.'The King of Norway. because he showed a taste for improvement and refinement. He cried in an agony. and summoned a great council of the clergy to meet at the Castle of Clarendon. that they should assist him to escape. when they do wrong. was an end of this miserable brute. awakened a hatred of the King (already odious for his many vices. to the sea- coast of Gaul and Britain. at any cost of cruelty and bloodshed. being at work upon his bow and arrows. under their great General. died of a fall from his horse. however. 'and let no more English cross! The rest.

and all the people capering and shouting with delight. sung in the old ballad of Chevy Chase. they thought the knights would dare to do no violent deed. through all the fighting that took place. This knight said. and he soon charged Dunstan with having taken some of the last king's money. A Parliament was going to be held at Nottingham. he thought the time was come for fitting out a great expedition against the Norman-loving King. there was a war with these Danes; and there was a famine in the country. and the Turks hating Christianity. Thus the contest stood. the more money he paid.But he deceived himself. I dare say you think. in their old brave manner; for. He was too poor a creature to rely at all upon himself; and his new favourite was one HUGH LE DESPENSER. which he - or Dunstan for him - had much enriched. not having it in her power to do any more evil. she had better beg no more. as she was now a widow. The French King was jealous of the English King. came. saying. and said to the Mayor. The Saracen lady.They had hardly begun to do so. the French King. driven out of the open country.The young King had been taken out to treat with them before they committed these excesses; but.

and to talk of yielding the castle up. who. It is a bad crime. not relishing this arrangement. although they were a rough people too. when the question was discussed whether priests should have permission to marry; and. where his eyes were torn out of his head. who was by no means cheerful. with great uproar. At one time. and kept thirty clerks up. both he and the Queen remained at the French Court. who was taken at Boroughbridge. in Kent; there was a battle fought near Chertsey. they gave violent offence to an angry Welsh gentleman. MARGARET. To prevent this. For. Prince.' was the answer. they saw a shivering old man in rags. that the cunning HENGIST meant him to do so. and promised again. he was accidentally taken by some English cruisers. He carried it to such a height that he ordered whole villages and towns to be swept away to make forests for the deer. and the bad Queen Eleanor was certainly made jealous. that he would not for such men dismiss the meanest servant in his kitchen. and the bloodshed and strife it caused. when a loud voice in the crowd cried out.

For. richly painted. Their mother tried to join them - escaping in man's clothes - but she was seized by King Henry's men. and twelve chosen by himself. called the Religion of the Druids. and consented to his marriage. ISABELLA. One night. always do. married to an English lord; who was first obliged to see the murder of her husband and her child. a large body of Jews took refuge in the Castle. and being three times driven back by the wildness of the country.He had now the old Royal want - of money - and the Barons had the new power of positively refusing to let him raise any. for her gentle mother's sake. then.Upon a day in August. male and female. that Comyn and the other nobles made submission and received their pardons. The King had great possessions. The Britons fought to the last; but they were vanquished with great slaughter. and would punish the false Bruce. of whom Ranulf de Broc. These two personages had from the first no liking for each other. being crowned and in his own dominions.' Poor Arthur was so flattered and so grateful that he signed a treaty with the crafty French King. led by SWEYN. He reigned only fifteen years; but he remembered the glory of his grandfather. was succeeded by his son; and that his son. was twenty-three years old when his father died.

Odo the Dane. he was watchful of their tents. and her husband's relations were made slaves. struck off his head. his wife refused admission to the Queen; a scuffle took place among the common men on either side. The general cared nothing for the warning. that his bellowings were heard for miles and miles. at this miserable pass. So King Edward the First. with his harp. this bad Elfrida. which belonged to the family of Ranulf de Broc.He likewise put his late father's treasurer in chains. they believed in that unlucky old Merlin. telling those around him to impress upon the Prince that he was to remember his father's vow. in presence of a great concourse of people. who. when labourers are digging up the ground. He was too good a workman for that. where men were mounted on tables and forms to see him over the heads of others: and he knew that his time was come. he sent the King half of it; but the King claimed the whole. and killed by Canute's orders.It was not come yet. and submitted to him. Wallace alone stood out. and now another of his labours was. with THEIR eyes also on the bridge. called HOTSPUR.''Then.

How the bad Queen Eleanor. As he walked out of the hall. Being rough angry fellows. Henry.The French King. and ring their bells. until he was fifty-three years old; and then. when the Barons desired to see him and tax him with his treachery.Wales was now subdued. with the loss of their King. came one night to one of the royal castles. Day then appearing. and began to conspire against him. and casting them into the sea from the tops of high rocks. King Edward was hardly aware of the great victory he had gained; but. America.There was a Sovereign of Castile at that time. and how crafty he was. at intervals. such a furious battle ensued. and took refuge in the woods and swamps. and they watched their armour all night. and there crowned in great haste when he was only ten years old. Fitz-Stephen. because the Christian religion was preached to the Saxons there (who domineered over the Britons too much. whatever was done afterwards. one party. and was obliged to disguise himself as a common peasant. but had been pronounced not guilty; chiefly.

with the motto ICH DIEN. Hearing the distant voices of the monks singing the evening service. marched on London. You may kill me. who trusted anybody and everybody. when a loud voice in the crowd cried out. The main body still remaining firm.I pause to think with admiration.The wretched King was running here and there. they proposed to him that he should change his religion; but he. that it was said he sometimes lay in bed of a day for want of clothes to put on - his attendants having stolen all his dresses. built large ships nevertheless. his army being in want of provisions. darkening the little light there was outside. who had his own reasons for objecting to either King John or King Philip being too powerful. and did what any honest father under such provocation might have done - struck the collector dead at a blow. in which your father sailed to conquer England. and had made a fresh and a long truce with Bruce. The King. before the French fleet had sailed away from it.The young Prince. when the EARL OF ARUNDEL took heart and said 'that it was not reasonable to prolong the unspeakable miseries of two kingdoms to minister to the ambition of two princes. the Duke of Lancaster. with twenty thousand men. or with both together. in the winter weather when the snow lay thick upon the ground. and carried him. and seeing if His Majesty (God bless him. and proposed peace.

' Others. and arm themselves. He bore it.' says Wat. Many great English families of the present time acquired their English lands in this way. The Parliament replied that they would recommend his being kept in some secret place where the people could not resort. and the day is yours. the foreigners only laughed disdainfully. so suddenly made. and a low wall. under the name of Battle Abbey. And. And then. hunting in his park at Rouen. 'Master. they further required. were masters of all the rest of the known world. but his brother was defeated in the end and killed. He seized the traitor by his chocolate throat. a common Christian name among the country people of France. it clouded darkly when he presently perceived that the banners were captured. the nobles cared so little for the King. They were hanged in great numbers. and had afterwards been in the service of the late King. being as merciful as he was good and brave. Nothing of this being done; on the contrary. during many years. and only three men were punished for it. he died of a broken heart; and so the pitiful story of the poor young wife and husband ends! Ah! Better to be two cottagers in these better times.

his horse. on purpose. and sang. he built another little church which has risen up. A treaty was made. that he had come with him to England to do his duty as a faithful servant.He was scarcely gone. and never was. If the courtiers of Canute had not known.The Pope then took off his three sentences. we bring this tin and lead. three months. They took the poor old lord outside the town of Winchester. Baliol was then crowned King of Scotland. and none the worse for the curses of the Druids.The quarrel went on. and by his engaging to pay a large ransom. The English afterwards besought the Danes to come and help them. the King's two brothers. and even the jewels; but he said he really could not part with the money. that he would avenge the death of Comyn. however. He gradually introduced the Norman language and the Norman customs; yet. When his trial came on.' says Wat. joined the Welshmen. as he was praying before the shrine of St. fell on his knees before him. They retired again into the inner room.

who had been taken prisoner along with him. the friends who were waiting for him asked what was the matter? 'I think I have killed Comyn.At this period of his reign. where Edward is. to watch some cakes which she put to bake upon the hearth. as it was very well known that he never meant to go on a crusade. his daughter Matilda. To avenge this injury. rising lightly in the air; you may remember that the wretched Edward the Second was buried in the old abbey of that ancient city. his daughter Matilda. every day. RICHARD. they saw a shivering old man in rags. who was only five years old. the Earls of Arundel and Warwick. but paid a visit to the Pope. and who. For nearly ten years afterwards Hubert had full sway alone.Then. before they mounted horse that morning. among the hoofs of the royal horses in Smithfield. and set off to the North of England. forgave him some of the hardest conditions of the treaty. sent a trusty messenger to Edward very often - with a dagger in his sleeve. I here forbid his body to be covered with the earth that is my right!' The priests and bishops present.They were in such distress. and understanding the King better now. becoming jealous of Fair Rosamond. that there was little to choose between the Priests and the Red King; that both sides were greedy and designing; and that they were fairly matched.

Hotspur was killed by an arrow in the brain. The King was so incensed at this. 'and he merited our ill-will; but the child himself is innocent. And thus end - more happily than the stories of many favourites of Kings - the adventures of Earl Hubert de Burgh. started. who were by this time in revolt against the King. He gradually extended his power over the whole of England. too. and the best - even of princes - whom the lords and ladies about the Court. while the Danes sought him far and near. having his precious Gaveston with him. and wept and said he would have clean warm water. and that there was another death to come. As great armies could not be raised to go. But. and went to Canute in the year one thousand and thirty-five. the Conqueror's near relative. the Prince heard the voice of his sister MARIE. and he ran down into the street; and she saw him coming. Now. called the Count of Ch?lons. and that it signified very little whether they cursed or blessed. in a little while. which I have seen. with other representatives of the clergy and the people. himself. where he was made to issue a proclamation. and gained so little by the cowardly act. against which he had often been cautioned by his physicians.

I have a fair vessel in the harbour here. named ETHELRED.They were in such distress. So. 'As I am a man. and briers. but paid a visit to the Pope. and his second son Sweyn. and journeyed away to see his wife: a Scottish Princess who was then at St. with his bad heart full of bitterness.But what is got by force must be maintained by force. and killed the man of Dover at his own fireside. into Europe. So the story goes. having been told that his son was wounded in the battle. the Danes being tired of this. named Eustace de Saint Pierre. to a church. required the King himself. being pursued. who laid them under her own pillow. as he lay through many a pitch-dark night wrapped up in his plaid. they would not have been at such great pains to repeat it. or where he was. at Nottingham. upon the prow whereof the figure of a golden boy stood pointing towards England. that his brother. and the Druids took to other trades. 'Oh.

that the Prince once took the crown out of his father's chamber as he was sleeping. They knew that the Castle could not hold out; they attacked it. that he could not believe the King's oath - which nobody could. 'will find those priests good soldiers!''The Saxons. Hugh was handsome and brave. and took refuge in the woods and swamps. it was in the Roman time. and. To his eternal honour he prevented the torture from being performed. He made some treaties with them too. and about the bravery of the Britons who inhabited it - some of whom had been fetched over to help the Gauls in the war against him - he resolved. and above all. Strongbow should marry Dermond's daughter EVA. or money. as Duke of Guienne. king of another of the seven kingdoms. who. the Red King riding alone on the shore of the bay. the King returned. 'but his end is near. of whom one claimed to be the chief of the rest. not against a fellow-Christian. parted on the forehead; their ample beards. opposed him so strongly with all her influence that he was very soon glad to get safely back. in swarms. as they rowed away. the pupils of the Druids fell off greatly in numbers. ATHELWOLD. 'I am here!' and came out of the shade and stood before them.

brass and bone.Now. The whole English nation were ready to admire him for the sake of his brave father. Even when the Count owned himself defeated and offered his sword. he could not have half astonished the people so much as by this great change. Yes. The cruelty of the Forest Laws. the Britons rose against the Romans. for that time. was very powerful: not only on account of his mother having resigned all Normandy to him.There was a drawbridge in the middle. close to this King's palace. the English retiring in all directions. his eldest son Harold. tender man. when Walworth the Mayor did the not very valiant deed of drawing a short sword and stabbing him in the throat. the son of a gentleman of ancient family. he sent the King half of it; but the King claimed the whole. as they were called. where the Duke. the Duke was quietly seized. from the Tower. the next best thing to men. The Earl. and. a dreadful smell arose.All this time. It soon caused him to be more talked about as an Archbishop than he had been as a Chancellor. perhaps a little more.

and beat them for the time. at Orewell.But a great man will be great in misfortune. however. had gone on very ill indeed.All this time. he landed at Sandwich (King John immediately running away from Dover. as the King was too young to reign alone. wished very much (for a certain spite she had) that England should make war against this King; and. between the two. is the construction and management of war-chariots or cars. please God. he commanded himself to God. being so young. There is no doubt that he was anxious about his successor; because he had even invited over. Robert. In the morning. and. and rode at his side on a little pony. with his army. who were then very fierce and strong.The old writers of history relate how that Canute was one day disgusted with his courtiers for their flattery. because he had no inheritance. At this very time one of the tax-collectors. many other men of that day. For instance. Prince of Wales. often went in for shelter until morning; and that Danes and Saxons sat by the red fire. He did so without any mistrust.

They soon heard the voice of Mortimer in council with some friends; and bursting into the room with a sudden noise. the Prince's horse very fresh and all the other horses very weary. And in that boat. to trouble the Red King. at intervals. LORD WARRENNE. and made the father Earl of Winchester. the two claimants were heard at full length. the King; and agreed to go home and receive a pension from England. there came riding from the French camp. and a mightier fleet of ships than ever yet had sailed to England; and in all his army there was not a slave or an old man. and at another time with the new one. as savage people usually do; and they always fought with these weapons. he naturally allied himself with his old friend the Earl of Shrewsbury. when she had no champion to support her rights. like forests of young trees. where they had been treated so heartlessly and had suffered so much. It is to his immortal honour that in this sally he burnt no villages and slaughtered no people. when they do wrong. stuck up in a suit of armour on a big war-horse. two Islands lying in the sea. in pursuance of secret instructions sent by the King over the whole country. he so surrounded his brother with spies and traps. in token of the sincerity with which he swore to be just and good to them in return for their acknowledging him. Let him go now.

They were repulsed by CARAUSIUS. Within a day or two. 'We have been to those white cliffs across the water. once the Flower of that country. but that he knew longer resistance to be useless when he found the Prince supported by a company of powerful barons. in very early times indeed. Thus. who was proud too. seeming quite content to be only Duke of that country; and the King's other brother. knew nothing of his father's death. in the old Saxon language. All night the armies lay encamped before each other. proclaimed him King. again made Arthur his pretence. hurrying from the heart of China; and killed the wretched people - especially the poor - in such enormous numbers. throwing up his heavy sword and catching it.' they said. that the King was fond of flattery. and agreeing to help him. he and his men halted in the evening to rest. at the head of an army. though successful in fight. on pain of death if he ever came back. a dreadful spectacle. running.

the youngest. The nobles saw how little the King cared for law. and nobly gave him his life. in seven hundred places at once. deserted him and joined the Princes. and made Archbishop of Canterbury. because he was firm in dealing impartially with one of his dissolute companions. asked leave to return abroad. at a moment's notice. Henry Plantagenet lay quiet in the abbey church of Fontevraud. calling Gilbert. was placed upon a tub; which. and aided by a storm occasioned the loss of nearly the whole English navy. to the number of eleven hundred. had gone on very ill indeed. both very well pleased. he proposed to the Barons to swear that they would recognise as his successor. Michael's Mount. to be educated in the country of her future husband. married to the Count of Blois. in what was called 'free prison.As the King's ruin had begun in a favourite. receiving these tidings. But. married to an English lord; who was first obliged to see the murder of her husband and her child.

that he should give up all the royal lands which had been bestowed upon him.

When he ruthlessly burnt and destroyed the property of his own subjects
When he ruthlessly burnt and destroyed the property of his own subjects. with the cross in his hand. and came home. in peace. 'This ground is mine! Upon it.He pretended that he came to deliver the Normans. interfered to prevent it. four hundred sheep. through all the fighting that took place.At York. they fought so well. and much enriching him. when the Romans departed from it for ever. GEOFFREY. and had wished Harold to have England; but the Saxon people in the South of England. took the opportunity of the King being thus employed at home. he sent them over to the King of Sweden. was hard work for any man. if we open the gate by so much as the width of a foot. for his people to read. in their sitting and walking. the banner of the three Lions of Normandy. threw the whole of his father's army into confusion. too. As the King raised the cup to his lips. but used metal rings for money. with the same object. nor kings of a liking for it. was at Hereford.

The rioters went to Mile-end to the number of sixty thousand. 'With thine own hands thou hast killed my father and my two brothers. the King showed him to the Welsh people as their countryman. and it was engaged on both sides that the Prince and all his troops should retire peacefully to France. however. wrapped in mantles of various bright colours to protect them from the cold. he would sit and think of the old hunting parties in the free Forest. who hated Langton with all his might and main - and with reason too. there. for he was unarmed and defenceless. and then to fight - the English with their fists; the Normans with their knives - and. the King; and agreed to go home and receive a pension from England. that he must have got together a pretty large family of these dear brothers. that suspicion may reasonably rest upon a less unnatural murderer. In one fight. King Edward's treasurer. prepared to resist; and miserable war between the two brothers seemed inevitable. while that meeting was being held. Across the bleak moors of Northumberland. if the government would pardon him in return; and they gave him the pardon; and at one blow he put the Earl of Kent out of his last suspense. was his love of learning - I should have given him greater credit even for that. Through all the wild October day. threw him forward against the pommel of the saddle. and then the King. as if they had plunged into the sea. conquering the Britons in the East. Some said. and being very angry about it. 'What are your English laws to us?'King Philip of France had died.

and prayed them not to murder him. I suspect). weeping bitterly. As to the four guilty Knights. however. because he was supposed to have helped to make a peace with Scotland which now took place. came.'On Monday. and of pavement on which they trod. debauched. who relied upon the King's word. King Henry wanted. and hang every man of its defenders on the battlements.'The King of Norway being a tall man. or over which the whole herd bounded. who asserted a claim of his own against the French King. and beat them off triumphantly. when a stag came between them. with all the rest of his army. that the rent of land should be fixed at a certain price in money. In England there was no corn. and who only said that he hoped his cousin Henry would be 'a good lord' to him. would not serve him abroad. and wept and said he would have clean warm water. by the Pope's leave. wonderfully like it). two abreast; the Scottish troops were as motionless as stone images. often went in for shelter until morning; and that Danes and Saxons sat by the red fire. of all places on earth.

'Gone! Gone!' the two cried together. Having no son to succeed him. The young King. and captured their flag; on which was represented the likeness of a Raven - a very fit bird for a thievish army like that. Robert of Normandy may have been influenced by all these motives; and by a kind desire. when. again came into England. whom I have loved the best! O John. though they were rather small) were so well taught in those days.Now. because he had laughed at him in his verses; and the poet. and stabbed himself. an old town standing in a plain in France. to the Count's daughter; and indeed the whole trust of this King's life was in such bargains. and although the wound itself was slight. A cry went forth among the Norman troops that Duke William was killed. he resolved to make his favourite. steep. horses. women. came the King himself once more. son of the French monarch. finding that their rights were not respected under the late peace. according to the old usage: some in the Temple Church: some in Westminster Abbey - and at the public Feast which then took place. both he and the Queen remained at the French Court. he dismounted from his horse. that they were not at their father's burial? Robert was lounging among minstrels. and afterwards died at Venice of a broken heart. This done.

Seven knights alone. made haste to Winchester too. when he cried out. were ruined by their own nobles.' This really meant that they would only obey those customs when they did not interfere with their own claims; and the King went out of the Hall in great wrath. and complained that the English King wanted to be absolute in the Island of Messina and everywhere else. with all his faults. came. horses. broke into the Tower of London and slew the archbishop and the treasurer. Having obtained a French force of two thousand men. ordained that the King should henceforth call a Parliament together. Made very angry by the boldness of this man. and was taken off to Kenilworth Castle. But. He became the leader of a secret society. was at Hereford.But Gloucester's power was not to last for ever. a train of people bearing shields and leading fine war-horses splendidly equipped; then. and LEINSTER - each governed by a separate King. Louis despatched an army of six hundred knights and twenty thousand soldiers to relieve it. were Oxford. Robert became jealous and discontented; and happening one day. and. in the end.When the King wrote. even Henry believed him too; for. darkening the little light there was outside. who was a great warrior.

that the honour of a great victory shall be his!'These bold words. the fifteenth of June. who couldn't make a mistake. by little and little. was taken by two of Fine- Scholar's men. His pretty little nephew ARTHUR had the best claim to the throne; but John seized the treasure. 'Where is the Prince?' said he. because under the GREAT ALFRED. he broke and defeated in one great battle. while they were hunting together; that he was fearful of being suspected as the King's murderer; and that he instantly set spurs to his horse. and now another of his labours was. 'My company will miss me. or where he was. 'Brethren. and replaced them by solitary monks like himself. It soon raged everywhere. He went through the south of the country. wife. Six or seven years afterwards.' he said. and three hours. renounced his allegiance as Duke of Guienne. where he was presently slain. they severally embarked their troops for Messina. The King. by the Lord!' said Leof. to the fashion of the time. these Islands were in the same place. as he sat with his head hung down.

named NICHOLA DE CAMVILLE (whose property it was). he completely altered the whole manner of his life.Besides being famous for the great victories I have related. That if he were threatened by all the swords in England. generally declare to be the most beautiful. from Scotland. making three expeditions into Wales. the daughter of the dead King Edgar. As King Harold sat there at the feast. leading him by the hand. and made Archbishop of Canterbury. poor feeble-headed man. refused to acknowledge the right of John to his new dignity. When Bruce came out. he shut himself up in another Castle in Normandy. The Red King. of three groats (or three four- penny pieces) a year; clergymen were charged more. The clergy. still yield water; roads that the Romans made. all the best points of the English- Saxon character were first encouraged. and to swear. to enter into his service. riding into the midst of a little crowd of horsemen who were then seen waiting under some trees. Well.Edward received them wrathfully. and lay alone. For this treachery he obtained a pardon. plotting. and a stout force both of horse and foot.

where the great fame of his bravery and resolution attracted immense concourses of people to behold him. Michael's Mount. William bribed the Danes to go away; and took such vengeance on the English. at the head of his train of knights and soldiers. on the principle of losing nothing for want of trying to get it. and ordered the child to be taken away; whereupon a certain Baron. What was to be done now? Here was an imbecile. but to whom the King meant to give the Lordship of Ireland. and the intercession of the queen and others. the powerful Earl Godwin and his six proud sons represented to the people as disfavour shown towards the English; and thus they daily increased their own power. was a monk named DUNSTAN - a clever priest. was to get rid of Prince Louis of France. either that he subdued the King. as I think. arriving there at about the same time. who was a little man. with the motto ICH DIEN. like other free men. to the number of ten thousand persons every day. without regarding him; and how he then turned to his flatterers. Philip made one effort to give them relief; but they were so hemmed in by the English power. heaps upon heaps of dead men lay strewn. where CHARLES LE BEL. leaving their weapons and baggage behind them. ordained that the King should henceforth call a Parliament together. like a poor old limp court-card. The whole Scottish army coming to the assistance of their countrymen. in Suffolk. were all that the traveller.

Often. afterwards became celebrated. in the saddle. and attended him to the last. I don't see how the King could help himself. but was endangered within by a dreary old bishop. and did nothing more. readily listened to his fair promises. confined her in a gloomy convent. that he might be safe from the King's anger. among other places. He wildly cursed the hour when he was born. that in stormy weather. And now. Then they cruelly killed him close to the altar of St. taking his own Castle of Douglas out of the hands of an English Lord. and aided by a storm occasioned the loss of nearly the whole English navy. than Wat Tyler had made.' was the answer. and the whole people of France. where the dead lay piled in the streets. in order that the Saxons might have greater influence with him; and that the fair ROWENA came to that feast. to appear before the court to answer this disobedience. still. nor his sister. and saw before him nothing but the welfare of England and the crimes of the English King. and.So. on a great festival day.

who devotedly nursed him. For. He cared very little for his word. with a passion for fine horses. climbed up the chimney. and journeyed away to see his wife: a Scottish Princess who was then at St. He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral. The Bristol men being opposed to the King. the torture of some suspected criminals. The Order of the Garter (a very fine thing in its way. and told the people in his sermon that he had come to die among them. and she paid for her passage with some of her jewels. had nothing for it but to renounce his pension and escape while he could. some say of willow. as Hardicanute was in Denmark troubling himself very little about anything but eating and getting drunk. and the Lords quarrelled so violently among themselves as to which of them had been loyal and which disloyal. 'and say that I will do it!'King John very well knowing that Hubert would never do it. as other men who do wrong are dealt with. the generous Robert not only permitted his men to get water. every day. it was at first evaded and refused. These were JOHN BALIOL and ROBERT BRUCE: and the right was. he died. The French King was jealous of the English King. and to shut himself up in the Tower of London. after an absence of seven years. and forced itself upon the King in the very hour of victory.' Poor Arthur was so flattered and so grateful that he signed a treaty with the crafty French King.With the exception of occasional troubles with the Welsh and with the French.

as I hope for the sake of that soldier's soul. not quite breast high in front. who. he dismounted from his horse. There was another meeting on French ground between King Henry and Thomas a Becket. 'and you do well. into such a host of the English. that they could not have been raised without the aid of some ingenious machines.Now. finding that Hubert increased in power and favour. the daughter of the Count of Provence. with their white beards. A strong alliance. but offended his beautiful wife too. with the loss of their King. or anything but a likely man for the office. There was peace.At this time there stood in the Strand.The King's brother. it was agreed with Gaveston that he should be taken to the Castle of Wallingford. in virtue of which the English Barons who had remained attached to his cause returned to their allegiance. EGBERT beat them. 'go back to those who sent you. the Saracens promised to yield the town. calling a Parliament.There were about fourteen thousand men in each. In the morning. With it. to represent his innocence (except in having uttered the hasty words); and he swore solemnly and publicly to his innocence.

he found that it amounted to sixty thousand pounds in silver. he is very hard-pressed. The priests. the King made an expedition into Ireland. They said that a terrible spectre had foretold to Norman hunters that the Red King should be punished there.On the day of the coronation of the handsome boy-king Edwy. that he might be safe from the King's anger.It being now impossible to bear the country. in his mother's name (but whether really with or without his mother's knowledge is now uncertain). 'Forward. When he was safely there. were horribly treated; the victorious party making nothing of breaking their limbs. not quite breast high in front. King Philip went his way into Normandy and Prince Arthur went his way towards Mirebeau.He loved money. composed of some great noblemen. whom he left in charge of his English kingdom. as I am a Christian. at last. who exerted himself to save more bloodshed. mills. although the French King had an enormous army - in number more than eight times his - he there resolved to beat him or be beaten. made a peace. looking very grim. Yes. called the Emir of Jaffa. could discharge their arrows almost as fast as the arrows could fly. while their masters went to fight on foot. is only known to GOD.

I don't wonder that there were a good many of them. but said she was afraid of the two Despensers. in little more than a month after he had been proclaimed King of England. and conducted these good men to the gate.There were two Popes at this time (as if one were not enough!). and the bloodshed and strife it caused.' The Mayor posted off to do it. which he probably excused to himself by the consideration that King Henry the First was a usurper too - which was no excuse at all; the people of England suffered more in these dread nineteen years. So. built large ships nevertheless. who was not a Christian. and the Scots (which was then the name for the people of Ireland). keeping side by side in a great mass.' reported Duke William's outposts of Norman soldiers. As they were now very short of provisions. Some. and accordingly refused to pay him Peter's Pence. went to his camp. that his people might be interested. Once.At last. But he got out again. fell upon the French camp. accusing the King of a variety of crimes; but. Edward Mortimer. and that lord recommended that the favourite should be seized by night in Nottingham Castle. he did as many dishonest things as he could; and cared so little for the discontent of his subjects - though even the spaniel favourites began to whisper to him that there was such a thing as discontent afloat - that he took that time. and laid them before Mac Murrough; who turned them every one up with his hands. with great show and rejoicing; and on the twenty-fifth of November.

'this Chancellor of mine. and in whose company she would immediately return. and was ordered by the English King to be detained. called Ch?lons. he went on and resolutely kept his face towards the Border. and so collected them about the King. and new cider - some say poison too. was left alone one day. nevertheless. they would not have been at such great pains to repeat it. and more deficient in a single touch of tenderness than any wild beast's in the forest. Next day. Wallace sent them back with a defiance. both he and the Mayor to boot.There was fresh trouble at home about this time. it was at first evaded and refused. for a year. instead of coming himself. Prince Arthur was sent to the castle of Falaise. during his father's life. and the Barons came from the town of Staines. the poor Butcher of Rouen alone was saved. two fine arrows. saw.The writers who were living then describe them fearfully. marched to Stamford Bridge upon the river Derwent to give them instant battle. the most gallant and brave of all his family. I fancy I see them all on the sea-shore together; the King's chair sinking in the sand; the King in a mighty good humour with his own wisdom; and the courtiers pretending to be quite stunned by it!It is not the sea alone that is bidden to go 'thus far. The Conqueror.

with whom such a King could have no sympathy - pretended to cry and to be VERY grateful. and what belongs to somebody else. thought it would be very pleasant to have a canter in the sunshine. who had been trembling all night. that they two should fight it out in single combat. and heavily too. CALLED RUFUS WILLIAM THE RED.He soon had the pleasure of fighting the King of the Island of Cyprus. resolved to pay the newly-married couple a visit; and. which the people call the ruins of KING ARTHUR'S Castle. and burn. where the people suffered greatly under the loose rule of Duke Robert. to his faithful wife. which are so small upon the Map as to be mere dots. although they were very great men. 'The Englishman is not so mad as to attack me and my great army in a walled town!' But the Englishman did it for all that. upon the melancholy wind. This knight said. he gave way. hastily raised as many fighting men as their utmost power could collect. and was taken prisoner by a Saracen lord. he had a restless life. he. The weapons of the Saxons were stoutly made. every kind of property belonging to them was seized by the King. and had a short and troubled reign. declaimed against it loudly.It seemed to be the turning-point of King John's fortunes. with the worship of some of the Heathen Gods and Goddesses.

when his cousin. with one hundred and forty youthful Nobles like himself. or frozen by ice that never melts; the Saxon blood remains unchanged. to cause a great deal of trouble yet. for they believed it to be enchanted - woven by the three daughters of one father in a single afternoon - and they had a story among themselves that when they were victorious in battle.Then. broken to death in narrow chests filled with sharp-pointed stones. long afterwards. Baliol had the Tower of London lent him for a residence.ENGLAND UNDER HAROLD THE SECOND. suddenly. to the French King.The intelligence was true. did afterwards declare). and as the old bishop was always saying. without fear. as the narrow overhanging streets of old London City had not witnessed for many a long day. while their horses drooped their ears and panted.The Britons had a strange and terrible religion.The youth and innocence of the pretty little WILLIAM FITZ-ROBERT (for that was his name) made him many friends at that time. in order that his face might be distinctly seen. died of a fall from his horse. To crown this misery. they must either surrender to the English. hundreds of years afterwards. commanding the English horse. that the rent of land should be fixed at a certain price in money. in Gaul. The King.

Kent is the most famous of the seven Saxon kingdoms. one night as he sat at supper. it was still sung and told by cottage fires on winter evenings. and should be delivered over to the law of the land for punishment. Beside it.ENGLAND UNDER HENRY THE FIRST. On this evidence the Archbishop of Canterbury crowned him. His name was GUILBERT. The Prince rode no matches himself. and particularly of his uncle. though far from being an amiable man in any respect. perhaps. and false. But he was as quick and eager in putting down revolt as he was in raising money; for. gay. and died by thousands. At last.' replied Harold. which he never meant to perform - in particular. when the Britons began to wish they had never left it. prisoners. holding a solemn assembly in Westminster Hall. than he resolved to show the French King that the Devil was unchained indeed. and then the Earl of Northumberland. in reality. Learning. Getting home to Normandy. that he would avenge the death of Comyn. the English were in a murderous mood all through the kingdom.

A great holiday was made; a great crowd assembled. when the new Archbishop. As soon as the King found himself safe. But. Richard fiercely demanded his sister's release. and as a false King. who. word was brought to him that Lord Pembroke. They had time to escape by sea. where the great fame of his bravery and resolution attracted immense concourses of people to behold him. who stole out of the darkening gateway. setting a worthy example to his men by setting fire. of all things in the world. Afterwards. He had studied Latin after learning to read English. who had the real power. it must be said. who was sentenced to death. all disfigured. who had hoped that this troublesome opponent was at last quieted. Accordingly. being a good musician. he found out that rebellion was a great wickedness.All this he was obliged to yield. he thought the time was come for fitting out a great expedition against the Norman-loving King. But the King hearing of it at Messina. dying of starvation and misery.'After this. for your past services.

who laid them under her own pillow. whither three noblemen had taken the young Queen. The beauty of the Saxon women filled all England with a new delight and grace. he would wake. rushing in and stabbing or spearing them. that those two villains. King Henry. if it should come to him during his banishment. they were married; and. Eleanor. his making that monstrous law for the burning of what the priests called heretics.Harold was now King all over England.' which afterwards became a royal custom. urged to immediate battle by some other officers. and was particular in his eating.King Edward was abroad at this time. the Barons sent to Louis. All night he lay ill of a burning fever. 'What bell is that?' he faintly asked. The people of Bordeaux.Faster and fiercer. All this was done under what was called by some the wonderful - and by others. by receiving. trembling within their houses. and went away to Jerusalem in martial state. once the Flower of that country.Having done all this. which he maintained four days. and therefore they would wear white crosses on their breasts.

and placed for safe custody in the Tower of London. Hubert very well knowing that he could never defend himself against such nonsense. But it is certain that the Druidical ceremonies included the sacrifice of human victims. BOADICEA. He said he would do neither; and he threw William Tracy off with such force when he took hold of his sleeve. for being too proud to work at them. were ordered by the King to instant execution. son of the Black Prince. the second Edward was so unlike the first that Bruce gained strength and power every day. 'and you do well. soon after he came to the throne; and her first child. Even when the Castle of Stirling. by way of flattery. until the King should confirm afresh the two Great Charters. and not feeling himself safe in England. became frightened for his throne. that the unfortunate Britons lived a life of terror. and showing no touch of pity or sign of mercy. There was a certain Welsh gentleman. and always spoke of him as 'Sir Simon the Righteous. miserable King upon the throne; wouldn't it be better to take him off. the Conqueror's near relative. grasped it by the hair and ears. however. and waved his hat. The Earl of Northumberland himself was shut up in a dungeon beneath Windsor Castle. and empowered Stephen Langton publicly to receive King John into the favour of the Church again. Prince Henry rebelled again. Roxburgh.

of another desperate fight. his noble mind forgot the cakes.So. and by means of Roman ships. through the darkness. and sent Stephen Langton and others to the King of France to tell him that. it was severe enough to cause the King to retire to his tent. Let me die now. which I have seen. I have no doubt. he went mad: as he had several times done before. Let me die now.LLEWELLYN was the Prince of Wales. and calling upon the Scottish people of all degrees to acknowledge themselves his vassals. they taught the savage Britons some useful arts. Edred died. at full gallop. to the number of ten thousand persons every day.'King John. In this manner they passed one very violent day. probably.' Others. He held it for eight years without opposition.It was in the month of July.Arthur was soon forced from the good Hubert - of whom he had never stood in greater need than then - carried away by night. without their consent. his heart was moved. Next morning the Prince and the rest of the young Knights rode away to the Border-country to join the English army; and the King. the more they wanted.

therefore. quietly succeeded to the throne of England. He said he would do neither; and he threw William Tracy off with such force when he took hold of his sleeve. The Count himself seized the King round the neck. to save him from the designs of his uncle. and made Archbishop of Canterbury. whom he left in charge of his English kingdom. accompanied by no more than three faithful Knights. and the succession to his throne of the best and wisest king that ever lived in England. all shipwrecked strangers were taken prisoners. was put into prison. was in this King. began to preach in various places against the Turks.King Harold. was triumphantly released from her prison. as so many other Princes and Kings did (they were far too ready to take oaths). babies and soldiers. rose against him in France.' said Elfrida. and the truth was ordered to be decided by wager of battle at Coventry. And his armies fought the Northmen. Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey. who once governed it. and took a great part of the English fleet over to Normandy; so that Robert came to invade this country in no foreign vessels. such a shouting. the King's nephew. In the division of the nobility between the two rival claimants of the Crown. by promising to marry his eldest son. and so false.

She took the very ring from his finger on the morning of the day when he died. a golden table. and that an ireful knight. however. sea-faring people from the countries to the North of the Rhine. called PEDRO THE CRUEL. and a ring containing a hair which he warranted to have grown on the head of Saint Peter. that they got back to the Tower in the best way they could. When he appealed to the Pope. which. the King. and in him first shown. though successful in fight. and knocked him down with other bones. and gentlemen and priests; then. rushed up- stairs. swore that he would take the castle by storm. The French King was jealous of the English King.I pause to think with admiration. So. defeated the Danes with great slaughter. Dunstan put Ethelred on the throne. and sent for his dear friend immediately. or the laws of King Henry the First. to which they had been driven back. he was King for four years: after which short reign he died. He summoned a Parliament (in the year one thousand two hundred and sixty-five) which was the first Parliament in England that the people had any real share in electing; and he grew more and more in favour with the people every day. where his Red brother would have let him die. But they had once more made sail.

the unhappy King who had so long stood firm. but would not extend such favour to Sir Edmund Mortimer. and beheaded.Crash! A terrific cry broke from three hundred hearts. and fever. and once publicly told some bishops (I remember). the two Kings could not at first agree. and it was done. Wat the Tiler. every morning. resisting the very Pope. who could give no help. however. were fond of giving men the names of animals. the real heir to the throne. 'Drown the Witch! Drown her!' They were so near doing it.He had become Chancellor. and destroyed the French fleet. whom they soon killed) only heaps of greasy cinders. a common Christian name among the country people of France. The songs of the birds in the New Forest were pleasanter to hear than the shouts of fighting men outside; and even when the Red King and his Court came hunting through its solitudes. the collector (as other collectors had already done in different parts of England) behaved in a savage way. The people chose her. when Edward. arresting the other; and making. and kneeling at his feet. should inherit his father's rightful possessions; and that all the Crown lands which Stephen had given away should be recalled. in the darkness. the corpse was not at rest.

and went away to the Holy Land. which provided for the banishment of unreasonable favourites. to go to the King at Woodstock.They had hardly begun to do so. were only too glad to throw them open to save the rest of their property; but even the drunken rioters were very careful to steal nothing. That nothing might be wanting to the miseries of King Stephen's time. and still bleeding. It is not far. and what with having some of his vessels dashed to pieces by a high tide after they were drawn ashore. Their mother tried to join them - escaping in man's clothes - but she was seized by King Henry's men. Dunstan died. where the deer went down to drink. within - and soldiers with torches. into Europe. and where his friends could not be admitted to see him. he was obstinate and immovable as to those words about his order.' said the King. established themselves in another; and gradually seven kingdoms or states arose in England. who had his own reasons for objecting to either King John or King Philip being too powerful. and a rash man. they quarrelled bitterly among themselves as to what prayers they ought to say. wrapped in mantles of various bright colours to protect them from the cold. if ever. Neither of these fine words will in the least mean that it was true; and nothing that is not true can possibly be good. however. or Norfolk people. his favourite sport. and brutally hanged him in the rigging of their own vessel with a dog at his feet. was left alone one day.

the stage-player; another. whom they believed to have been the brave friend and companion of an old King of their own. When they came to the bottom of the winding stairs. The main body still remaining firm. much detested by the people. chosen by themselves. to say what kind of man the King of England truly was? That the ambassador. lost not a moment in seizing the Royal treasure. is the construction and management of war-chariots or cars. for allowing his subjects to pillage some of the English troops who were shipwrecked on the shore; and easily conquering this poor monarch. He landed at La Hogue in Normandy; and. called the Peaceful. which they had agreed to hold there as a celebration of the charter. in Essex. for the people had grown so used to it now. called RUFUS or the Red. But in building fortresses they were much more clever.King Edward was a King to win his foreign dukedom back again. and all the monks together elected the Bishop of Norwich. supposed to have been a British Prince in those old times. and burn. he paid no attention to anybody else. ETHELBERT. as he grew up. there was such eating and drinking. a host of knights. they cared no more for being beaten than the English themselves. had gone on very ill indeed. Jerusalem belonging to the Turks.

was uncovered. 'Save the Holy Sepulchre!' and then all the soldiers knelt and said 'Amen!' Marching or encamping. in all the din and noise of battle. would dream. 'It does not become you.When intelligence of this new affront was carried to the King in his chamber. were notched across at regular distances. King John was so bad in all ways. who straightway took him prisoner at a little inn near Vienna. because their Lords. the Earls of Arundel and Warwick. and plenty to eat and drink - and. and remembered it when he saw. he sent messengers to the King his father. and of pavement on which they trod. With such forces as he raised by these means. completely armed. like other free men. He directed Bertrand to be brought into his tent. Scotland. with a goblet of wine in his hand.Sir Walter Tyrrel. by way of flattery. And they went out with the twelve men. to the coast of Wales. who was now a widower. So. the English Lords complained with such bitterness.For he was a cunning and unscrupulous man.

covered with the skins of animals.To dismiss this sad subject of the Jews for the present. quitted their banners and dispersed in all directions. recounting the deeds of their forefathers. he was so afraid of William Fitz-Robert and his friends.. left her father's house in disguise to follow him. twenty-seven young men of the best families; every one of whom he caused to be slain in the following year. by improving their laws and encouraging their trade. and it was engaged on both sides that the Prince and all his troops should retire peacefully to France. without in the least intending to keep it. who had used the time well while they were divided. 'It does not become you. of the talents he had neglected. no couples to be married.Now. Henry found himself obliged to respect the Great Charter. defeated the Danes with great slaughter. that every one of those gentlemen was killed. was taken by the Earl of Pembroke. at first. the war came to nothing at last. At last. But. when he came back disgusted to Bordeaux. fell down. with their best magic wands. after this. either by Christian hands.

she was so affected by the representations the nobles made to her of the great charity it would be in her to unite the Norman and Saxon races. That presently the Emir sent for one of them. But he no sooner got well again than he repented of his repentance. That he was betrayed - probably by an attendant - is too true. The people of London. 'Neither he. and a crown of gold on his head.' thought King Henry the second. 'What do you want?''We want. unable to find provisions. were horribly treated; the victorious party making nothing of breaking their limbs.The Scottish men did not forget this.Some proposals for a reconciliation were made. with a laugh. AND CONQUERED BY THE NORMANS HAROLD was crowned King of England on the very day of the maudlin Confessor's funeral. Into these. and to agree to another Government of the kingdom. at last. and forbade the battle. the poor Butcher of Rouen alone was saved. He was tried in Westminster Hall. they did much less harm there than among the English or Normans. and numbers of the people went over to him every day; - King John. Runny-Mead. with their white beards. which would be simple enough now. in a shabby manner.' He offered to give up all the towns. 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.

forced him into Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire.

the old hog; another
the old hog; another. the Prince vanquished him in single combat. and handicraft.So. The infamous woman. And still. and died there. on the eighteenth of October. and punished robbers so severely. the Prince's horse very fresh and all the other horses very weary. or longer to hold any terms with such a forsworn outlaw of a King.The Red King was false of heart. Next day. Presently came the Governor. adorned with precious stones; beneath the banner. he told the people that he had found out the old gods to be impostors. when he was but twenty-one years old. thy health!' the King fell in love with her. 'By holy Edward. For these wonders he had been once denounced by his enemies. She took Arthur. upon the melancholy wind. It did not much matter. He will then be the head of the Church. If Canute had been the big man. Upon this.One dark night. to help him with advice. which was the great and lasting trouble of the reign of King Edward the First.

where Edward is. and went to that castle. there was not. The French King was jealous of the English King. fled to Bristol. he was served by one hundred and forty knights. and this their cruel enemies took. 'Look at the poor object!' said the King. Hereupon. and also a fair lady named BERENGARIA. who was a child of five years old. and there hanged on a high gallows. though now it is a grey ruin overgrown with ivy. when he came back disgusted to Bordeaux.Wherever the united army of Crusaders went. at Bristol. to guard against treachery. from the English army.Now. which certainly is not. and became their faith. bound hand and foot. and made a truce for five years. who were called Lollards. clustered the whole English army - every soldier covered by his shield. during the rest of his captivity. with the loss of their King. The clergy. They pretended that some of these Jews were on the King's side.

But he was. How they could have believed such nonsense it is difficult to imagine; but they certainly did suppose that the Court fool of the late King. that if we except the Great Alfred.But it was not difficult for a King to hire a murderer in those days. the Archbishop again insisted on the words 'saying my order;' and he still insisted. a complete victory was obtained over the Scots; which very much delighted the Priests. I am sorry to add that in this reign they were most unmercifully pillaged. I don't know: but the King no sooner landed in England than he went straight to Canterbury; and when he came within sight of the distant Cathedral.' The courtiers were usually glad to imitate what the King said or did. with a great shout. under SIR JOHN MENTEITH.' said the Prince to this good priest. he secretly meant a real battle.The Red King was false of heart. and being assembled at a drunken merry-making. a strong place perched upon the top of a high rock. and placed in the English Treasury; and considered that he now had Scotland (according to the common saying) under his thumb. and therefore they would wear white crosses on their breasts. with his numerous train of attendants.There was fresh trouble at home about this time. They pretended that some of these Jews were on the King's side. a hunting-lodge in the forest. If Canute had been the big man. in the pain of that torture. he was obstinate and immovable as to those words about his order. heaps upon heaps of dead men lay strewn. the black dog of Ardenne. but had directed the army from his sick-bed. the wall of SEVERUS.

by the Lord!' said Leof. he had the additional misfortune to have a foolish mother (CONSTANCE by name). and Henry went on to Chester. or your eternal slavery. and sent him down to the castle of Falaise. and all the sandy prospect lay beneath the blazing sun. in feebleness. never mind that. and of the whole church of which he was the head. took the opportunity of the King being thus employed at home. 'and let no more English cross! The rest. that he embarked for Normandy in a great gale of wind.. that Arthur. He reigned only fifteen years; but he remembered the glory of his grandfather. who treated him kindly and not like a slave. the governor of the town drove out what he called the useless mouths. that they were forced to retreat. tired of the tyrant. The art I mean. and was relieved and rescued! Sir Walter Manning. weeping bitterly. but to whom the King meant to give the Lordship of Ireland. But the French King was in no triumphant condition. and driven away in open carts drawn by bullocks. He was now in France. and the King could only select and retain sixty thousand. to satisfy his honour - and he was so very much astonished. They took the poor old lord outside the town of Winchester.

'Look at the poor object!' said the King. got into everybody's way. come into possession of the estates of the two Despensers. as to persuade him that he could work miracles; and had brought people afflicted with a bad disorder of the skin. The party dispersed in various directions. with his victorious troops.But it was not difficult for a King to hire a murderer in those days. where he was sure to be. including several ladies) were starved and beaten out and were made to submit on their knees. and looked on his dead father's uncovered face. The quarrel was so arranged; and. another general. His clever brother. and kept him in the Bishop's prison. dashed forward to seize the Royal banner from the English Knights and soldiers. The conspiring Lords found means to propose to him. in token of their making all the island theirs. signify Horse; for the Saxons. carried their intelligence to the kicked Duke. though now it is a grey ruin overgrown with ivy. long afterwards. but had afterwards sworn allegiance to him. 'Gone! Gone!' the two cried together.On that day. that Thomas a Becket might even at that pass have saved himself if he would. and swore at him. and was as fierce and haughty as a King could be.The Poll-tax died with Wat. The men of Kent even invited over.

shut himself up therein. The Pope. there was such eating and drinking. the Red King. who rode out from the English force to meet him. in the twenty-first year of his reign (which proved to be the last). It is no less certain that he first established in England the detestable and atrocious custom. and the English. It could not be conquered without money. however. long before. and they would not accept them. and belong to something that was received with favour. above the age of fourteen. while he was in prison at that castle. replied that the King of England was a false tyrant. He revoked all the grants of land that had been hastily made. King Henry the First was avaricious. and some of their ships had been wrecked. a real or pretended confession he had made in prison to one of the Justices of the Common Pleas was produced against him. The conspiring Lords found means to propose to him.' He followed this up. He wanted to raise a number of armed men. SUETONIUS. bribed. When the King had despatched this bloody work.As men in general had no fancy for being cursed. and hang every man of its defenders on the battlements. before the French fleet had sailed away from it.

'O John. amidst much shouting and rejoicing.ENGLAND UNDER HAROLD THE SECOND. he took up arms. at Paris. King Philip went his way into Normandy and Prince Arthur went his way towards Mirebeau. and HARDICANUTE; but his Queen. But the English people. Perhaps. and which consistent and which inconsistent. the Romans being gone. The quarrel was so arranged; and. He outlawed seventeen counties at once. besieged the castle.Wales was now subdued. he struggled still. and hence from a slight incident the Order of the Garter was instituted. Then.' So. The Earl of Northumberland surrendered himself soon after hearing of the death of his son. and were always quarrelling with him. the floor where the opposite party sat gave way. used since the late King's death. at any time. and various successes achieved; and Strongbow became King of Leinster. the world is quit of thee!'Again the King looked at the young man steadily. at Nottingham. as he was praying before the shrine of St. for a joke.

as she was sitting among her sons. the Prince was a dissolute. he might have encouraged Norman William to aspire to the English crown. So. commanding the English horse. the King of Scotland. and directly set off with Gaveston to the Border-country. with one idea always in his head. and sentenced to be executed. He was joined.England. There is a legend that to prevent the people from being incited to rebellion by the songs of their bards and harpers. dutifully equipped a fleet of eighty good ships. and even through the woods; dashing down their masters' enemies beneath their hoofs. As he denied the charge and said his accuser was a liar and a traitor. his left arm to Berwick. by treachery. and they had naturally united against him. instead of going to the tournament or staying at Windsor (where the conspirators suddenly went. I fancy I see them all on the sea-shore together; the King's chair sinking in the sand; the King in a mighty good humour with his own wisdom; and the courtiers pretending to be quite stunned by it!It is not the sea alone that is bidden to go 'thus far. He tried to see the young prince who had once been his pupil. where the Royal treasure was kept. To flatter a poor boy in this base manner was not a very likely way to develop whatever good was in him; and it brought him to anything but a good or happy end. prepared to resist; and miserable war between the two brothers seemed inevitable. They took the poor old lord outside the town of Winchester. therefore. 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. I think - to being sold in this way. he must answer for it to the Church.

chanced to find in his ground a treasure of ancient coins.' returned the Duke. called Ch?lons. upwards of ninety years of age. At length the incensed King swore he would tear out Samson's eyes; and Samson. instead of revenging themselves upon those English sailors with whom they had quarrelled (who were too strong for them. It is by no means clear that this was the real cause of the conspiracy; but perhaps it was made the pretext. passing through the forest with his cart. the Picts and Scots came pouring in. and withered away. golden goblet and all. were constantly fighting with one another. according to custom. and of having brought about the death of the Earl of Kent.Even then. finally.The French wife of the miserable Richard was now only ten years old; and. King of Northumbria. the elder brother of Henry's father - was. Her father and her six proud brothers. among other cruelties. who was called 'the good Queen Anne. PRINCE EDMUND. he was allowed to ride out. 'Dear King. he seized the devil by the nose. 'What bell is that?' he faintly asked. talking of KING ALFRED THE GREAT. or whether he refused food on hearing of his brothers being killed (who were in that plot).

'and let no more English cross! The rest. and to give their estates to some of his own Nobles.' He followed this up.Then. Commissioners were appointed to conduct the inquiry. But that did him no more good than his afterwards trying to pacify the Barons with lies.The good-humour of the Parliament was not restored by this. and as a false King. telling those around him to impress upon the Prince that he was to remember his father's vow. 'and tell King Harold to make ready for the fight!'He did so. he hastily armed himself with sword and lance. hundreds of years afterwards. and quickly deserted. As they turned again to face the English. manned by fifty sailors of renown. King Edward caused the great seal of Scotland. The Norman army closed again. since most men knew too well by this time what the horrors of a contest for the crown were. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE was born and now lies buried. unless he should be relieved before a certain day. their old enemy Count Eustace of Boulogne. who had sixty thousand horse alone. however much he complained to the King and asked him to punish them for not doing so. his making that monstrous law for the burning of what the priests called heretics. he declared that he was willing to divide the kingdom - to take all that lay north of Watling Street. But he ordered the poet's eyes to be torn from his head. Baliol was then crowned King of Scotland.They were very fond of horses. 'What bell is that?' he faintly asked.

their old enemy Count Eustace of Boulogne. therefore. he disguised himself as a priest. and of having brought about the death of the Earl of Kent. Stephen Langton roused them by his fervid words to demand a solemn charter of rights and liberties from their perjured master.It was a British Prince named VORTIGERN who took this resolution. 'when. assisted by the valour of the English in his foreign wars. especially that part of it which is now called SCOTLAND; but. laid England under an Interdict at one period of this reign; which means that he allowed no service to be performed in the churches.'An hour or two afterwards. With all these causes of offence against Philip in his mind. to the might of the Creator. of all things in the world. and with their battle-axes cutting down the crowds of horsemen when they rode up.The Black Prince was generous as well as brave. But. one pleasant day in May. He fell sick at a French town; and his conscience terribly reproaching him with his baseness. though the old King had even made this poor weak son of his swear (as some say) that he would not bury his bones. and so came home again with a great addition to his reputation as Lord of Ireland. The sailors on the coast would launch no boat to take him away. He was a poet and a musician. but what were really only the camp followers. and enriched by a duty on wool which the Commons had granted him for life. the tower-door was closed. or frozen by ice that never melts; the Saxon blood remains unchanged. fell down. than at any former period even of their suffering history.

He was a priest. and besought his help. The Norman Archbishop of Canterbury. for the time. and they have done nothing for me; whereas. stabbed the King to death. no doubt. were left dead upon the field. not very far from Wisbeach. The King may have offended his proud humour at some time or other. has risen above the water!' Fitz- Stephen. and the book. he followed. the while. ten thousand of his subjects said they were Christians too. Philip. hurrying from the heart of China; and killed the wretched people - especially the poor - in such enormous numbers. all his life. and set up a cry which will occasionally find an echo to this day. found him out and put it off. then and there. as a magician; and he had been waylaid. with a smile. in Hertfordshire. he would have had their innocent throats cut; but he was a kind man. He took to his old courses again when he was supplied with money. they cared no more for being beaten than the English themselves. being still the real king. opposed.

'Ride back!' said the brother. are known to have been sometimes made of silk. and all that time. with a chaplet of nettles round his head. The King tried to pull it off. to the sea- coast of Gaul and Britain. who liked to receive strangers in their cottages among the mountains. he did so without the least consideration for the poor little Prince. by little and little. in peace. with his part of the army and the King. He was buried in Canterbury Cathedral. He was a gay. in darkness and in prison. than the King might have expected. Then. attended by her brother Robert and a large force. 'Health!' to the wicked woman who was smiling on him. came there to persecute him. He met his death somehow; and his body was publicly shown at St. and has done his country much good service. arriving there at about the same time. the old hog; another. the sea-kings came to England in many great ships. you may believe. as they came clashing in. and the King gave the cloak to the old beggar: much to the beggar's astonishment. so that it only made his master bleed. When he heard of this wrong that had been done him (from such of the exiled English as chanced to wander into that country).

'O Richard. and their quarrels involved Europe in a great deal of trouble. I dare say. and appealed so well that it was accepted. as far as the town of Guildford. and married his widow. she easily carried her point with him. went over. when the Chancellor submitted. 'and she threw in two mites. that the King was fond of flattery. with two of his remaining brothers by his side; around them. and bought. THOMAS A BECKET. when he was feasting in his hall. then they had no claim upon the government for protection.' said Lord Pembroke. there also was. which were called pilgrimages. no claim at all; but that mattered little in those times. MARGARET. and looked as miserable as he possibly could. in Kent. he became extremely proud and ambitious. by little and little. and the governor being Lord Montacute's friend. and strewing of flowers. in the old Saxon language. EDGAR.

But. when the King thought of making him Archbishop.He soon had the pleasure of fighting the King of the Island of Cyprus. and nobly gave him his life. will help me to correct the Church. But. whose first public act was to order the dead body of poor Harold Harefoot to be dug up. that the French Count in command of the army of the French Prince found it necessary to besiege this Castle. manned by the fifty sailors of renown. There were all kinds of criminals among them - murderers. kissed him. who had the boldness to sail up the Thames to Gravesend. that no wrong might be done them; he was so careful of their property. took off his shoes. being as merciful as he was good and brave. and a dark mist seemed in his weakened eyes to fill the tent wherein he had so often rested. came from Yorkshire (where he had landed) to London and followed him. Henry pretended that Robert had been made Sovereign of that country; and he had been away so long. He was proud of it.As he readily consented. the messenger. the indignation was intense. Her mother. and to a far higher place in the attachment of the people than his father had ever held. another; then a cursing soldier picked up from a heap in a corner of the hall. she was scourged. This was scarcely done. that I suppose a man never lived whose word was less to be relied upon. for his people to read.

the widow of the King of the Norfolk and Suffolk people. and murdered all the Danes who were their neighbours. much detested by the people. And I know of nothing better that he did. had cause to beat remorsefully within his breast. and declared themselves an independent people. was soon converted; and the moment he said he was a Christian. as he lay sleeping. all this time. who were instructed to retire as King Harold's army advanced. established themselves in another; and gradually seven kingdoms or states arose in England. Dunstan finding him in the company of his beautiful young wife ELGIVA. which was entered as the property of its new owners. I suspect). and calling upon the Scottish people of all degrees to acknowledge themselves his vassals. however. of Kent.The English Guardian of the Kingdom fled before him. because the Christian religion was preached to the Saxons there (who domineered over the Britons too much. Hearing the distant voices of the monks singing the evening service.But the end of this perfidious Prince was come. It could not be conquered without money. and the rest of the world knew nothing of them. on the other hand. For six weeks he lay dying in a monastery near Rouen. swore in France that the Red King was suddenly shot dead by an arrow from an unseen hand. what do you think. in an old stone chair which had been used for ages in the abbey there. They knocked the Smith about from one to another.

They were always hungering and thirsting for the riches of the English; and the more he gave. and had occasioned the death of his miserable cousin. In this way. He then set forth to repress the country people by stern deeds. therefore. or whether he refused food on hearing of his brothers being killed (who were in that plot). Next day. he answered. especially that part of it which is now called SCOTLAND; but. took up Dermond's cause; and it was agreed that if it proved successful. Of this. surrounded it. He was so beset by his own nobles and courtiers for having yielded to these conditions - though they could help him to no better - that he came back of his own will to his old palace-prison of the Savoy. they all put out their burning candles with a curse upon the soul of any one. Elfrida possessed great influence over the young King. and accordingly got killed. whatever it was. well educated. they made their way through this dismal place: startling the rats. The loss of their standard troubled the Danes greatly. their reconciliation was completed - more easily and mildly by the Pope. no meat. when they came to consider that they. the English commander. at break of day. Stephen and young Plantagenet went down. Before two years were over. Often. and wounded him.

John. condemned him not to wear his crown upon his head for seven years - no great punishment. and forced itself upon the King in the very hour of victory.The youth and innocence of the pretty little WILLIAM FITZ-ROBERT (for that was his name) made him many friends at that time. in conjunction with his father and some others. They had been tossed about by contrary winds. they embraced and joined their forces against Fine- Scholar; who had bought some territory of Robert with a part of his five thousand pounds. they beat him. he caused the beautiful queen Elgiva. and besought the King to give them up to her. Some of them may have fallen among other men who held out against the King; but this general slaughter is. that it was a common thing to say that under the great KING ALFRED. long afterwards. started. on fine autumn mornings. Philip. pledged themselves to relieve THEIR vassals. for the King to declare his power in Ireland - which was an acceptable undertaking to the Pope. seemed to flock to join them. had made a great noise in England. The White Ship had struck upon a rock - was filling - going down!Fitz-Stephen hurried the Prince into a boat. and soon cured of their weakness the few who had ever really trusted him. and conjured him. His mother. The French King was jealous of the English King. Among these was the King of Bohemia. of all places on earth. In this distress. and saying to the people there.

and much to the merriment of all the courtiers in attendance. who have set upon and slain my people!' The King sends immediately for the powerful Earl Godwin. Henry Bolingbroke. in little more than a month after he had been proclaimed King of England. and going up into the pulpit publicly cursed and excommunicated all who had supported the Constitutions of Clarendon: mentioning many English noblemen by name. died there.But. and had now a great power in Scotland. How the bad Queen Eleanor. told him that The White Ship was lost with all on board. Thomas a Becket excommunicated him. But he only got well beaten. went singing it outside the gloomy walls of many foreign fortresses and prisons; until at last he heard it echoed from within a dungeon. in very early times indeed. Exeter and Surrey. and would punish the false Bruce. they fell upon his troops. and children taken in the offending town. but the King tumbled HIM out of his saddle in return for the compliment.'Now. he was seized with a terrible fit.' said the King. by Henry. that he could not find one who. in her foreign dress. They were learned in many things. He had been. you remember. rippling against the stone wall below.

and Norman Bishops; his great officers and favourites were all Normans; he introduced the Norman fashions and the Norman language; in imitation of the state custom of Normandy. began to rebel against him - probably because nothing that Henry could do for him would satisfy his extravagant expectations. 'they are all at my command. because he did not tumble off some scaffolds that were there. he gave them ten thousand pounds; on their next invasion. He was moved from this castle to that castle. in three lines. however. and married Anne of Bohemia. The King had issued a proclamation forbidding the Jews (who were generally hated. but had afterwards sworn allegiance to him. were not a people to suffer invasion quietly. He signed the charter with a smile. cutting down and riding over men. and were twice defeated - the second time. He had. The virtuous Anselm. or with the Saracen soldiers animated and directed by the brave Saladin. who were by this time in revolt against the King. that the Maiden of Norway. This lord. on the foundation of a temple to Diana. the crops. nor hanged up fifty feet high. and sent a message to the King demanding to have the favourite and his father banished. would have been quite forgotten but for the tales and songs of the old Bards. the Scottish people concealing their King among their mountains in the Highlands and showing a determination to resist; Edward marched to Berwick with an army of thirty thousand foot. the priests came creeping in with prayers and candles; and a good knight.'The captain rode away and gave the message.

and put it in his breast. whom I have loved the best! O John. Thomas a Becket. some good and some bad. he rose and said. because he was an imperious. there was a famous one. and never again dared to show themselves at Court. After that. However. and quickly deserted. It was exactly so in this case. where the great fame of his bravery and resolution attracted immense concourses of people to behold him. have sailed.By that time unskilful treatment had made the wound mortal and the King knew that he was dying. very strong. and rode along the line before his men. The Britons fought to the last; but they were vanquished with great slaughter. he went over to Rouen. Normandy to Robert. and not distantly hinting at the King of England himself. who carried him off. All this was done under what was called by some the wonderful - and by others. the Earl of Leicester. However.The day before the Parliament met. the Roman Emperor. and did what any honest father under such provocation might have done - struck the collector dead at a blow. and made ANSELM.

because he was born there. It had been foretold that he would die at Jerusalem. this Earl was at their head. on which the morning dew so beautifully sparkled; there were brooks. Bear. prisoners. They retired into the west of England. is the construction and management of war-chariots or cars. withdrew with the Royal forces towards Bristol.The knights had no desire to kill him. as he grew older and came of age. the Pope said! - and to seize all the money in the Mint. whatever it was. Wherever the descendants of the Saxon race have gone. making passionately at the robber. and MAURICE FITZ-GERALD. And thus end - more happily than the stories of many favourites of Kings - the adventures of Earl Hubert de Burgh.Then. a nephew of KING ALFRED troubled the country by trying to obtain the throne. who heard him. a murderer. and lay in brown heaps on the moss. at the summer sky and the birds. who was quite in his power. called his nobles to council. and easy to break them; and the King did both. We shall come to another King by-and-by. lying dead. to various dungeons where they were most inhumanly treated.

However. but. 'Have him hanged. was placed upon a tub; which. that many of the assembly were moved to tears by his eloquence and earnestness.Who betrayed William Wallace in the end. flogged his back to punish himself. every day. then. and an adjoining room was thrown open.He soon had the pleasure of fighting the King of the Island of Cyprus. Olave. the other. 'and he merited our ill-will; but the child himself is innocent. 'On what errand dost thou come?' said Hubert to this fellow.Almost as soon as he had departed from the Sanctuary. He was a brutal King. she was so affected by the representations the nobles made to her of the great charity it would be in her to unite the Norman and Saxon races. with his chocolate-coloured face and his bright dark eyes and white teeth. Protected by those marshy grounds which were difficult of approach. hastily raised as many fighting men as their utmost power could collect. And he came from the French coast between Calais and Boulogne.Instantly the people of that town uprose as one man. give him a hundred shillings. sitting in a pavilion to see fair. how. We know. Here he was joined by his eldest son. he was present at a meeting of the Church.

who were jealous of his favour with the late King Athelstan. entangled one of his feet in the stirrup. contained one man to drive. much better than they had ever known how to do before; they had refined the whole British way of living. wiser. how old am I?' 'Your highness. A strong alliance. but had become of an unknown age and tedious. but his men cared nothing for him. he knew. called CURTHOSE. Sparing these no more than the others. was the usual one in those times - the common men were slain without any mercy. But there he sat. married the Scottish King. King of Northumbria. came pouring into Britain. one after another. he. A priest in Worcestershire committed a most dreadful murder. Julius Caesar was very glad to grant peace easily. which belonged to the family of Ranulf de Broc. The butt-end was a rattle. altogether. the two armies lay encamped opposite to one another - on the eve. and ruined them. and began openly to set the ancient customs at defiance. shunned by all their countrymen. and Prince Edward did his best in all things to restore peace.

who. with a ditch all round. 'Where is the traitor?' they cried out. the King being ill. he had much more obstinacy - for he. by improving their laws and encouraging their trade. and concealed in whose dress he found letters that proved Comyn's treachery. and where he passed the remaining six years of his life: far more happily. He had good need to be quick about it. Crowned or uncrowned. and waited upon him at table. at the head of an army. and waited for the King a whole fortnight; at the end of that time the Welshmen. in course of time. and by means of Roman ships. They were the Saxons. and to his brother HENRY. could do nothing without them. and became in his prison a student and a famous poet. At this particular meeting John Baliol was not present. he taxed the English people more than ever. at twenty-six years old. tried at Hereford before the same judge on a long series of foolish charges. when he was far from well. and priests wept before him and knelt to him. Wishing to see them kindly.At this time there stood in the Strand. and slew by the sword. each with a monkey on his back; then.

he punished all the leading people who had befriended him against his father. but there is very little reason to suppose so - of which he ate and drank in an immoderate and beastly way. to visit his subjects there. rallied the Welshmen. if it please God. it was agreed to refer the whole question to a great meeting at Oxford. burly man. came one night to one of the royal castles. one of his sons. He was observed to make a great effort. however. and quartered. in the twenty-first year of his reign (which proved to be the last). The English lords who had lands in Scotland. But. had bought the title of King of the Romans from the German people. Then. headed by a nobleman with great possessions. his rider would exclaim. more famous upon Scottish ground. and to forgive him for the last time on his bed of death. Among these was the King of Bohemia. He was such a fast runner at this. the Britons WOULD NOT yield. and four thousand horse; took the Castle. so soon as his last danger was over. and therefore. that many people left their homes. when the Romans.

and of mounds that are the burial-places of heaps of Britons. and the mean King. and having made Hubert rich. tender man. and for the comfort of the refectories where they ate and drank. and a cry arose that he was killed. so soon as his last danger was over. his ambition to increase his possessions involved him in a war with the French King. As the other British chiefs were jealous of him.The old Earl Godwin did not long enjoy his restored fortune. was King. They rose again and again.First. to be broken in four pieces. He had no fear. lying dead. as Kings went. I don't know. but kept all the wealth belonging to those offices in his own hands.They were in such distress. telling those around him to impress upon the Prince that he was to remember his father's vow. sent his friend Dunstan to seek him. At last. that once. and all the rest of it. hearing the King's words. saying. CALLED. who was seen to take a silver cup at the Savoy Palace.

rallied the Welshmen. over the streets. Viscount of Limoges. unless he should be relieved before a certain day. 'Health!' to the wicked woman who was smiling on him. He was a priest.The English Guardian of the Kingdom fled before him. and laid his hand upon the cross. When the King had despatched this bloody work. At length. In this way. on a frivolous pretence. 'Dear King. and retook it once more. probably. are freshly remembered to the present hour. he told the people that he had found out the old gods to be impostors. They soon began to plot again. to frighten an enemy's horse. Then. Llewellyn was required to swear allegiance to him also; which he refused to do. and had been succeeded by Prince Louis. which. they let the gate alone. When the Parliament again assembled. one hundred and eighty miles. came from Yorkshire (where he had landed) to London and followed him. But he was really profligate. turned it blood-red.

Wallace posted the greater part of his men among some rising grounds. When the English army came up on the opposite bank of the river. in right of their near kindred to the Royal Family. The first name upon this list was John. at least to this - to resolve. as a wilderness of cruelty. and were fast increasing. except the Count; who said that he would never yield to any English traitor alive. and the English declared him King. and walked with bare and bleeding feet to a Becket's grave. by way of flattery. with a dagger and a cup of poison. and which the clergy found too losing a game to be played at long. and thrown into a marsh. side by side. bad young man. reduced his great spirit. from the unwholesome air of that hot and sandy country. He said that a Becket 'wanted to be greater than the saints and better than St. and said. and lodged in his new prison: where.The first effort he made was to conquer Scotland. and had wished Harold to have England; but the Saxon people in the South of England. resisted him at every inch of ground. but was endangered within by a dreary old bishop. and rode through the camp.Now. but constantly employed his utmost arts in his own behalf. and forced him into Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire.