164 WICKLIFFE SEFORE AN ECCLESIASTICAL COUNCIL. about begging; and who seemed to think that poverty ana beggary were the essence of religion. 4. Wickliffe afterwards attacked the corruptions of the monks in general; and, proceeding by degrees, as his knowledge of the Scriptures increased, he came at last to deny the authority of the pope, and the truth of many of the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. 5. As he likewise denied the validity of the claims of the clergy to temporal authority, his doctrines were highly acceptable to the nobles, and he was openly favored by John of Gaunt, who, after the death of Edward III., was, as we have before stated, the most powerful man in the kingdom. 6. The boldness and success with which Wickliffe pursued this work excited the alarm of the churchmen; and he was summoned to appear before an ecclesiastical counsel, to answer for his conduct in publishing such heretical opinions. 7. At the day appointed he was conducted to St. Paul's Church in London, the place where the council met, by the Duke of Lancaster, and Sir Henry Percy, the Earl-Marshal of England, one of the chief officers of the crown, and attended by an immense concourse of people. 8. We may well suppose that these marks of respect and favor were not very pleasing to the clergy, and many angry words passed between the duke and the Bishop of London. At length the nobles and the clergy took their seats, whereupon the earl-marshal invited Wickliffe to sit down; "for," said he, "you have much to answer, and need a convenient seat." 9. The rest we will give you in the words of an old historian: was he favored? 6. What did the clergy do? 7, 8, 9, 10. Relate what occurred at the "The Bishop of London told him that it was against all law and reason, that he who was cited before a council should sit. Hereupon, contumelious words arose between the marshal and the bishop. The duke takes the marshal's part, and sharply reprehended the bishop. 10. "The bishop returns the like to the duke, who, in a great rage, said he would pull down the pride of him, and of all the bishops in England. The duke and the marshal standing thus stiffly for John Wickliffe, there was nothing done against him at that time." 11 There were a great many proselytes to the doctrines of Wickliffe. These were called Lollards, a name given them in derision, the word meaning noisome weed. Various attempts were made to root out the noisome weed of the reformed faith in religion, and even the fire and fagot were used to extirpate it; but without success. It continued to exist until the reign of Henry VIII., when it was decided by that potentate to be a wholesome plant, and the Roman Catholic belief itself to be the noisome weed. 12. Wickliffe employed many of the latter years of his life in making a translation of the Bible into English. This had been done before by the Venerable Bede; and the old Saxon bishop, Aldhelm, in the year 706, translated the book of Psalms into Saxon; but when the pope began to rule the affairs of the English church, none but Latin Bibles were allowed to be used, and these were to be found only in the hands of the priests. 13. The people were therefore kept from reading the Scriptures, so that the priests and monks might make them believe what they pleased. This work of Wickliffe, therefore, while it was highly acceptable to the laity generally, was disapproved of by the bishops and all who were attached to the established rules of the church. 14. An attempt was made to obtain an order from parliament for the suppression of the English translation; but it was unsuccessful, in consequence of the warm remonstrances of the Duke of Lancaster, who concluded by saying, “We will not be the dregs of all, seeing that other nations have the law of God, which is the law of our faith, written in their own language." Wickliffe died, December 31st, 1384. CHAPTER XCIII. Henry IV. keeps the Throne in Defiance of the Rights of Edmund Mortimer, the true Heir.-He puts down the rebellious Barons.— Owen Glendower. 1. THE life of Henry IV. furnishes a striking example of the sudden vicissitudes to which human life is subject. Within the short space of three months, he had been wandering about without a council. 11. Whence the name Lollard? 12. How did Wickliffe employ the last years of his life? 13, 14. What o' the use of the Bible? When did Wickliffe die? 166 CONSPIRACIES AND REBELLIONS.-1400-1403. home, an outcast from that country of which he was now the sov ereign. His life 2. But his situation was far from being an enviable one. was made miserable by constant apprehensions of plots and conspiracies, of which he was really in much danger, and the evil was aggravated by his own jealous and suspicious temper. 3. Even after the abdication of Richard, he had no legal title to the crown, for the undoubted heir was Edmund Mortimer, a descendant of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, the elder brother of John of Gaunt. To secure himself from any attempts on the part of Edmund, who was only seven years old, to recover his rights, Henry caused him to be confined in Windsor Castle. 4. He had possessed the throne only three months when a very dangerous conspiracy was entered into against him, by some nobles attached to Richard. A man named Maudlin was dressed up to personate him; but a quarrel having arisen among the leaders, the conspiracy was soon and easily crushed. 5. All the nobles taken in arms were beheaded; a very different treatment from that which the rebellious barons received in the reign of King John, when they were forgiven as often as they offended This difference of treatment shows the change which had taken place in the relative power of the king and the barons; for John, had he dared to do so, would have acted precisely as Henry did. 6. To secure himself from any more attempts of this kind, Henry caused Richard to be murdered, as we have already stated; and to XCIII.-2. By what was Henry's quiet disturbed? 3. Who was the true heir to the BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY.-1403. 167 prevent any one from pretending in future to personate him, made known the certainty of his death, by causing his body to be brought to London, and exposed with the face uncovered for three days. 7. A few months afterwards the king had a very narrow escape. One night he perceived, concealed in his bed, just as he was stepping into it, a steel instrument with three sharp points, which would either have killed him, or wounded him severely, had he laid down upon it. 8. Besides his secret enemies, Henry had a very formidable open foe in Owen Glendower, a Welsh gentleman, of great spirit and courage, who proclaimed himself Prince of Wales, in right of his ancestors, and invited his countrymen to attempt the recovery of their independence. 9. They accordingly flocked to his standard, and Glendower, favored by the mountainous nature of his country, maintained himself for seven years against all the efforts of Henry to subdue him. CHAPTER XCIV. Several Rebellions against Henry IV.-All finally subdued.-Instance of the Superstition of the People. 1. THE Earl of Northumberland and his brother, the Earl of Westmoreland, were two of the most powerful barons in England, and it was chiefly by their means that Henry had been able tó ascend the throne. Instead of taking pains to secure their support, he gave them just occasion of offence. 2. The Earl of Northumberland and his son, Henry Percy, defeated the Scots in a battle fought at Homildon Hill, and made prisoners of Earl Douglas and many others. Immediately on hearing of this victory, Henry sent orders to the earl not to admit any of his prisoners to ransom; an interference with his rights which the Percys highly resented. 3. By conferring together upon the subject, they became more and more angry; and Henry Percy, who was surnamed Hotspur, from his fiery temper, urged on his father and uncle till they resolved to dethrone King Henry, thinking that they could do this with as little difficulty as they had found in dethroning Richard. 4. Douglas was released, and engaged to assist them in their enterprise, and an invitation was also sent to Glendower to join them Douglas and Hotspur were first in the field, but before they coul be joined by Glendower, King Henry was already upon them. 5. A decisive battle was fought at Shrewsbury, July 21st, 1403. Henry commanded his forces in person, assisted by his son Henry. The greatest bravery and skill were shown on both sides, and the event of the contest was long doubtful. throne? 5. What circumstances show the change in the relative power of the king and the barons? 7. What danger did the king escape? 8, 9. What of Owen Glendower? XCIV.-2. How did Henry offend the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland? 8,4. What did their resentment lead them to do? 5. When and where was the decisive 168 SEIZURE OF THE YOUNG PRINCE OF SCOTLAND.—1406. 6. The king had caused several of his attendants to wear armor resembling his own, and Douglas, who ardently desired to engage with him personally, sought him over the field, and often thought he had fought with him and slain him; but he as often found himself deceived, and was at last himself taken prisoner. Hotspur was killed, and the royal army remained masters of the field. 7. The king, remembering the former services of Northumberland, and pitying the poor old man's bereaved condition, granted him his life, and soon after restored to him almost all his honors and estates. 8. Scarcely was one rebellion quelled before another broke out, at the head of which were Scrope, Archbishop of York, and Thomas Mowbray, the Earl-Marshal of England. Northumberland had also once more taken up arms against the king; but before he could join his forces to those of the others, their followers were already dispersed, and themselves in the power of the king. 9. This was effected by an act of the grossest perfidy and falsehood on the part of the king's general, sanctioned by himself. The chief rebels were beheaded, even Scrope himself; which was the first instance in England of a bishop's being punished with death. 10. The common people looked upon this as an act of gross impiety, and as the king was soon after afflicted with a loathsome eruption in his face, they considered it as a direct punishment for the offence against Heaven. 11. Northumberland, after several years of exile and wandering, was killed in a last attempt to overthrow the power of Henry. The repeated ill success of these rebellions at length subdued all the king's enemies. Even the Welsh, in despair of recovering their independence, abandoned Glendower, who wandered about in various disguises during the rest of his life. CHAPTER XCV. Henry seizes the young Prince of Scotland, and keeps him a Prisoner eighteen years.-Character of James I. of Scotland. 1. It would be thought very strange, at the present day, if a king should seize upon the infant son of another king, with whom he was at peace, as the prince was passing on the sea from his own country to another, and should keep him a prisoner for a great number of years; yet such a procedure was in perfect accordance with the notions of justice held in the time of Henry IV. 2. Robert III., King of Scotland, was a prince of a very feeble character, and the affairs of the nation were ruled by his brother, the Duke of Albany, a restless and ambitious man, who governed in a What was battle fought? 6. What expedient did Henry adopt to deceive the enemy? the fate of several leaders? 8. Who were engaged in the next rebellion? 9. What was the result of it? What did the common people think of the punishment of Scrope? 11. What became of the rest of the king's enemies? XCV.-2 What is said of Robert II. of Scotland? What of the Duke of Albany? |