MAGNA CHARTA SIGNED.-1215.

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the nobles were relieved from much of the oppressive tyranny of the feudal system. This had been constantly increasing, till no subject could act in the commonest affairs of life without the king's consent, which could be obtained only for money.

5. We can understand the sort of interference the king had in every person's concerns, when we learn that no one could marry without his consent, and that he could oblige heiresses to marry whom he pleased. Enormous sums were paid by females, either for leave to marry, or, more commonly, that they might not be forced to wed against their will.

6. Thus we read of a Countess of Chester, who paid King Stephen five hundred marks, that she might not be obliged to marry for five years; and of a Countess of Warwick, who paid King John five hundred marks that she might not be compelled to marry till she pleased. This sum would be equal to forty or perhaps fifty thousand dollars at the present day.

7. The great charter contains sixty-three articles, and yet only one of these is for the protection of the laboring people. It provides that " even a farmer shall not by any fine be deprived of his carts, ploughs, and implements of husbandry." The invidious word even shows plainly how little they were considered or

thought of at this period.

8. John signed the charter with great reluctance; as soon, therefore, as he quitted Runimede, he retired, sullen and out of humor, to the Isle of Wight, where he spent three months in planning schemes for revenging himself on the barons. He courted the

5, 6. What instances of the king's power? 7. What of the great charter? 8. What did

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DEATH OF KING JOHN.-1216.

favor of the common sailors, and sent agents into foreign countries to hire troops. He also despatched a message to Rome, to complain to his liege lord, the pope, of the violence with which he had been treated by the rebellious barons.

9. The pope was highly incensed at the audacity of the barons, and as he had formerly excommunicated the king, so he now proceeded to excommunicate the nobles of England. As soon as this decree of the pope, or bull, as it is called, was published in England, John, starting from his concealment, appeared before Rochester with an army of foreign soldiers.

10. The barons were taken completely by surprise, for, despising the king too much to believe him capable of any vigorous measures, they had made no preparations against him, and were amusing themselves with tournaments, bull-baitings and feastings, the usual diversions of the times. They were soon reduced by the king to great extremities, and in their distress they did the same thing that the pope had done before; they invited the French to invade England, offering to accept Prince Louis, the son of Philip, as their king.

11. Philip did not dare openly to accept the invitation; but whilst in public he prohibited his son from making war against the vassal of the pope, he privately supplied him with men and money. Louis landed in England, May 23d, 1216, and entered London in a sort of triumph, the citizens doing homage to him as their proper sovereign.

12. The foreign troops who had supported John were principally the subjects of France, and they now refused to fight against their prince. Deserted by his troops, John was compelled to fly. Every place submitted to Louis, until he came to Dover. This was bravely defended, and time was thus given to the barons to reflect on their error in calling in the aid of foreigners.

13. Many of them again joined John, who was thus enabled to muster a considerable army, with which he marched from Lynn into Lincolnshire. His route lay across the mouths of two small rivers along the coast. These are called the Washes. At low water they are nearly dry, and may then be crossed with safety; but the difficulty is, after you have crossed one, to be in time to cross the other before the tide rises.

14. The rear of the king's army was overtaken by the tide, and his carriages, money, provisions, and baggage of every sort were lost. This accident, added to his previous anxieties, threw the king into a fever. With great difficulty he reached Newark, where he soon after died, of a fever occasioned by fatigue and anxiety. This event occurred October 19th, 1216, in the forty-ninth year of his age, and the eighteenth of his reign. He left two sons, Henry and Richard, and three daughters.

John do after he quitted Runimede? 9. What did the pope do? 10. How were the barons occupied? What did they do to secure themselves from John? 11. What did Philip of France do? 12, 13, 14. Give an account of the king's affairs. When did John die! What was his age? How long had he reigned?

COATS OF ARMS, OR ARMORIAL BEARINGS.-1216.

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CHAPTER LXI.

Henry III.-Coats of Arms, or Armorial Bearings.

1. WHEN King John died, his son Henry, called Henry of Winchester, was only eight years old. As he grew up, he was found to be in character the opposite of his father. He was gentle, merciful, and humane, kind and affectionate to his family, and liberal to his friends.

2. Had his abilities been equal to his disposition, he would have made a very good king; but the weakness of his conduct rendered him contemptible. His personal appearance, too, was exceedingly disadvantageous; for, though he was of a tolerable height, he had no dignity in his manner; his countenance was not pleasing, and his left eyelid drooped so much as almost to cover the eye.

3. The Earl of Pembroke, who was a sagacious and good man, was made governor of the young king, and protector of the kingdom. By his wise and prudent conduct, the rebel barons were brought back to their allegiance to the king, and Louis soon found himself deserted by all but his French troops.

4. These were soon after defeated by the Earl of Pembroke at Lincoln. In this battle, which decided the fate of Louis in England, only three of the French knights were killed. Indeed, a knight completely armed seldom ran any other risk than that of being dismounted, and it could only be by some chance if he was wounded.

5. It is said that Philip, King of France, in a battle with the Germans, after being knocked from his horse, was a long time surrounded by the enemy, and received blows from all kinds of weapons without losing a drop of blood. It is even said that while he lay upon the ground, a German soldier wanted to pierce his neck with a dart, but could not accomplish his object.

6. The reader may wonder how people could know one another when they were thus covered up in armor. Each knight ornamented his helmet, or his shield, with some figure, such as an animal, a flower, a warlike weapon, or any other thing that pleased his fancy. It may be suggested that it would have been as easy for each one to have written his name upon his shield at once.

7. This might have been a good plan, if all had been scholars; but though every man could distinguish an eagle from a lion, there might not have been one in a thousand who could have distinguished the name of Henry from that of Louis.

8. Before the crusades, every knight adopted what crest on his helmet, and device on his shield, he liked best; but the sons of those who had fought in the Holy Land had a pride in adopting the devices their fathers had borne there; and thus coats of arms, as they were called, became hereditary in the families of the crusaders.

LXI.-1. Who succeeded John upon the throne? What is said of Henry III.? 3. What of the protector? 4. What was the success of the French invaders? What is said of defensive armor? 6. How were knights distinguished from one another? Why not write the names? 8, 9. What of coats of arms?

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DISTURBED STATE OF ENGLAND.-1223.

9. But coats of arms, or armorial bearings, as they are also called, have long ceased to be confined to the descendants of crusaders; and what was, at first, an honorable distinction, is, at present, little more than an unmeaning ornament.

CHAPTER LXII.

Disturbed State of England after the Death of Pembroke.-By what means the King obtained Money.-Of Benevolences.

1. AFTER the defeat of the army at Lincoln, Louis was glad to make peace, and to withdraw into France. The Earl of Pembroke continued to govern the kingdom with honor, wisdom, and success, till 1219, when, to the misfortune of England and its king, he died.

2. In 1223, when Henry was sixteen years old, he was declared of age to govern for himself. His want of ability now became apparent, and he was found totally unqualified for maintaining a proper sway among the turbulent barons.

3. Those who had been intrusted with the keeping of the royal castles refused to give them up, and broke out into open rebellion when forcible means were used to compel them to do so. The king would then purchase their return to allegiance by concessions.

4. But the nobles were most highly offended by the favor shown to foreigners by Henry. By the advice of Peter, Bishop of Winchester,

LXII.--1. When did the Earl of Pembroke die? 2, 3. What was the state of the

OF BENEVOLENCES.-1236.

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a native of Poictou, the king invited over a great number of the people of that province, and bestowed upon them the chief offices of the state, being persuaded that they were more to be relied on than the English, and that they would serve to counterbalance the great power of the barons.

5. The resistance of the nobles proved vain; their measures were disconcerted, and the most violent among them were obliged to flee the kingdom, and their confiscated estates were bestowed upon the odious foreigners. At length the clergy took offence at the conduct of the Bishop of Winchester. The primate, as the Archbishop of Canterbury is called, formally demanded the dismission of all foreigners, threatening the king with excommunication if he did not comply with the demand.

6. Henry knew full well that an excommunication, in the existing state of public feeling, would be very dangerous to him, and was obliged to submit. The foreigners were banished, and natives were appointed to office in their stead.

7. But the English in vain flattered themselves that they should be free from foreign influence. In 1236 the king married Eleanor, daughter of the Count of Provence, and immediately raised her relations to the highest offices. Many young ladies also came over from Provence, and were married to some of the chief noblemen in England.

8. The king was so profuse in his generosity to these favorites, that his treasures were soon exhausted, and he was often obliged to apply to parliament (as the great council of the nation began about this time to be called) for a supply of money. This body took advantage of his necessity to extort from him a confirmation of the Magna Charta, and the grant of new rights.

9. To render himself independent of them, Henry resorted to various modes of procuring money. He would invite himself to the houses of his subjects, and always expected a present at the door; he extorted from the Jews, wherever he found them; he demanded benevolences, or forced contributions from his nobility and clergy; but all these expedients proving insufficient, he was at last obliged to sell his jewels and his plate.

CHAPTER LXIII.

The King and the Pope unite against the Churchmen.—Illustrative Anecdote of the Times.

1. THE pope, profiting by the weakness of Henry, made great encroachments on the privileges of the Church of England. The

kingdom after his death? 4. What gave particular offence to the nobles? 5, 6. What induced the king to banish the foreigners? 7. Whom did the king marry? 8. What is the parliament? What did the parliament obtain from the king? 9. What were benevolences?