southern counties, was not willing to return home without making a struggle for the English crown; but the Barons who had invited him had now changed their minds, and instead of favouring his plans, raised all their forces to oppose him. He was completely defeated at Lincoln. His fleet was also destroyed off the coast of Kent, the sailors being blinded by quicklime which the English threw into their faces. Louis was therefore compelled to return to France.

Henry then invaded France, to regain those provinces which John had lost; but through his cowardice and weakness he returned without success.

17. The King at length lost the esteem of his subjects by showing favour to foreigners; and a great rebellion was raised, headed by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. A battle was fought at Lewes in Sussex, the King's army was defeated, and he and his son Edward were taken prisoners.

18. During their imprisonment Montfort called together a Parliament. This consisted not of nobles only, as before, but also of members from towns and cities, chosen by the people. This is the first outline of Parliament as we now have it.

19. Edward was not long before he found means to escape from confinement. Being allowed to ride out with his guards, one day he set them to ride races with each other, until all their horses were tired; then putting spurs to his own, which he had kept fresh, he soon left them far behind. He quickly collected a large army, marched to meet Montfort, and fought the Battle of Evesham. Montfort, knowing Edward's bravery, and fearing he should lose the battle, basely placed the King in front that he might be slain. Henry, however, saved himself by crying out, “I am Henry of Winchester, the King!" Edward knew his father's voice, and ran to his assistance. In this battle Montfort was killed, and almost torn to pieces.

20. Young Edward afterwards went to the Crusades, taking with him his wife Eleanor, who saved his life by sucking the venom from a wound he received from a poisoned arrow. During his absence his father died, after having reigned longer than any English monarch except George III.

b. Linen manufacture introduced. Mariner's compass invented; also magic lanterns and magnifying glasses by Roger Bacon, a learned English monk. It was ordered that the houses of London should be covered with tiles or slates: before this they were thatched with straw. A license to dig coal was granted to the people of Newcastle; but the use of it was forbidden in the next reign as a public nuisance, there being no proper chimneys to take away the smoke.

EDWARD I.-LONGSHANKS.

A.D. 1272 to A.D. 1307.-35 years.

21. Edward I., eldest son of Henry III., was a wise and prudent King. He began his reign by restoring order in the kingdom, and making many wise laws.

22. He next led an army into Wales, as the Welsh had been very troublesome. He gained a great battle over them, in which their Prince, Llewellyn, was slain. In the conquest of this country he committed one act of great cruelty. There were at that time a great number of musicians in Wales called bards, who went about the country playing on their harps, and singing songs of liberty. Edward did not like this, as he wished to subdue the Welsh. He therefore ordered all the bards in the country to be slain.

23. The Welsh, however, were not easily conquered. For a long time they held out amongst the mountains, and would not consent to acknowledge Edward as their King. But at last, Edward had a little son born in Wales at Carnarvon Castle, which he had just built, and him they promised to obey as King. Ever since that time the eldest son of the sovereign has been called Prince of Wales.

24. Edward now turned his attention to Scotland. As there were several who claimed the Scottish crown, he soon found an excuse to try for it too, and ravaged Scotland from north to south with his armies. But there was at that time a very brave warrior in Scotland, named Sir William Wallace, a man of great stature and strength, who resolved that his country should never be ruled by an English King. Being joined by numbers of his countrymen, he gained a great victory over the English near Stirling, and for several years defied the armies of Edward. But at last he was betrayed into the hands of his enemies, carried to London, and cruelly put to death.

25. The next great hero of Scotland was Robert Bruce, who drove the English forces out of his country, and was crowned King. This so enraged the warlike Edward that he set out for Scotland with a large army, swearing he would never return until he had subdued it; but before he reached Scotland he was taken ill and died. His last request was, that his body should be carried before the army and not buried until Scotland were conquered.

c. During this reign it was ordered that no tax should be raised by the King without the consent of Parliament. The Jews, who had already

suffered unnumbered cruelties, were banished from the kingdom. Tho first English church-clock was set up in Canterbury Cathedral.

EDWARD II.-CARNARVON.

A.D. 1307 to A.D. 1327.-20 years.

26. Edward of Carnarvon took little notice of his father's dying wish. He buried his body at Westminster, and gave up the war with Scotland.

27. He lost the esteem of his people by bestowing all his favours upon worthless foreigners; and so roused the anger of the nobles, that they seized his three chief favourites and put them to death.

28. In the seventh year of his reign he renewed the war with Scotland, and crossed the Border with an army of 100,000 menthe largest that had ever marched out of England. He was met at Bannockburn, near Stirling, by Bruce with 30,000 men, and completely defeated. Edward himself narrowly escaped with

his life.

29. Edward's Queen, Isabella, was a very wicked woman, and caused the King many troubles, having formed a disgraceful connection with a worthless man named Mortimer. An open quarrel ensued. The Queen fled to France, raised an army, and returned. The Barons declared in her favour, and Edward was forced to flee. He went into Wales, but was taken prisoner; and his son was crowned King in his stead.

30. Edward was removed from prison to prison, and treated with the greatest cruelty. His brutal keepers one day shaved him for sport in the open fields, using filthy water from a ditch. He was at last imprisoned in Berkeley Castle. The stillness of one dark night was broken by fearful shrieks which came from his dungeon; and next morning the body of the murdered King was openly shown to the people of Bristol.

EDWARD III.

A.D. 1327 to A.D. 1377.-50 years.

31. Edward III., eldest son of Edward II., was only fifteen years of age when he came to the throne, and all the power was in the hands of the Queen and Mortimer. But when Edward came of age, he caused Mortimer to be seized at Nottingham

Castle, in presence of Isabella, carried to Tyburn, and hanged on a gibbet. The guilty Queen was imprisoned in Nottingham Castle during the rest of her life.

32. Edward next marched to Scotland, and fought the Battle of Halidon Hill, in which the Scots were defeated, leaving 30,000 dead upon the field.

33. But his greatest desire was to reign over France as well as England; and as there was at that time a dispute about the crown of that country, he collected all the money he could and went over to try for it himself. After fighting several battles, he marched towards Calais, and was met by the French army at Crecy, where a great victory was gained by the English, chiefly through the bravery of Edward, Prince of Wales, a lad of only fifteen years of age, surnamed the Black Prince from the colour of his armour. It was in this battle that cannon were first used. 34. Whilst Edward was carrying on the war with France, David, King of Scotland, invaded England; but Philippa, Edward's wife, bravely put herself at the head of some English troops, defeated the Scottish army, and took the King prisoner.

35. Edward, after the Battle of Crecy, laid siege to Calais. This brave little city held out against him nearly a year; but when all the food was gone, the inhabitants were forced to submit. Edward was so enraged at their resistance, that he demanded that six of the chief citizens should be sent to him, barefoot, with ropes round their necks, ready to be put to death. Six brave men offered themselves, and went to the King, who ordered them immediately to be executed. But his Queen, Philippa, who had just arrived at Calais, threw herself at his feet, and by her prayers and tears obtained their pardon.

36. In the year 1349 a stop was put to the war by a terrible plague, called the Black Death, which, after raging through Europe, visited England, and carried off 50,000 people.

37. Ten years after the Battle of Crecy war was again commenced under the conduct of the Black Prince, and the great Battle of Poitiers was fought, in which a very small English force put to flight the French army of seven times their number. The French King and his son were taken prisoners, and brought over to England. Thus we had at one time two Kings prisoners in this country.

38. In the year 1376 the brave and generous Prince of Wales died of consumption; and the King, his father, was so grieved at his loss that he died the following year, after a reign of half a century. He was brave, wise, and merciful.

It must be remembered that from the sons of Edward III. sprang the Houses of York and Lancaster;-the House of York from Lionel, Duke of Clarence; and that of Lancaster from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, a younger brother. The descendants of these two sons, in their contests for the crown in after years, deluged England with blood.

d. In this reign the Lords and Commons began to sit in separate houses. The title of Duke again came into use, the Black Prince being made Duke of Cornwall-a title since borne by every Prince of Wales. Windsor Castle was no longer used as a fortress, but as a royal residence. The weaving of cloth and blankets introduced. Oil-painting invented. Gunpowder invented by Schwartz, a German monk. Wild beasts were kept in the Tower of London.

RICHARD II.-OF BORDEAUX.

A.D. 1377 to A.D. 1399.-22 years.

39. Richard II., the son of the Black Prince, and grandson of the late King, came to the throne when only eleven years of age; and the kingdom was ruled by a council of twelve nobles until he came of age.

40. The first great event of his reign was a rebellion of the common people, headed by a blacksmith named Wat Tyler. It was caused by a tax of one shilling a head on every person above fifteen years of age. This tax was unjust, as the poor had to pay as much as the rich. A great mob of lawless men, with Tyler at their head, entered London, destroying the houses of the nobility, and murdering every one they met that looked like a gentleman. The King next day met them in Smithfield, when Wat Tyler spoke to him with such insolence that Sir. W. Walworth, the Lord Mayor, struck him from his horse with a blow of his mace, and one of the King's knights rode up and slew him. The rebels were preparing to take vengeance; but the young Richard bravely rode amongst them, and told them not to be concerned at Tyler's death-he himself would now be their leader, and remove all their grievances. This bold and yet gracious address at once quieted the rebels, who soon returned peaceably to their homes. Richard, however, did not keep his promises; and many hundreds of the rebels were afterwards hanged on the gibbet.

41. When Richard came into power, he was found to be a vain, weak, and foolish King quite unable to rule the fierce spirits of the time. He soon therefore lost the esteem and affec