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ABOUT STEPHEN.

-1135-1140.

5. Why it was given to the house of Anjou, antiquaries are not agreed. One old chronicle tells us, that a prince of that family, having killed his brother, to obtain his possessions, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to expiate his crime; and as a further penance, flogged himself every night with a rod of the plant called broom; whence he became nicknamed planta-genista, or planta-genet.

6. The great love which Henry had for his own children, bore a striking contrast to his want of affection for his brother and his nephew William. That he might be near his daughter, he spent the latter part of his life in Normandy. After living to see her the mo her of three sons, he died on the 1st of December, 1135, in the sixty-seventh year of his age, and the thirty-sixth of his reign.

7. All the precautions which Henry had taken to secure the crown to his daughter proved vain. He had a nephew named Stephen, son of his sister Adela and the Count of Blois. This young man had always been a great favorite with his uncle, who had loaded him with riches and honors.

8. He had been loud in his professions of gratitude, and of his zeal, and fidelity to his uncle's family; and had been amongst the first to swear to maintain the rights of Matilda to be the successor. But no sooner did he hear of the king's death, than he hastened over to England, where he soon procured himself to be crowned at Westminster.

CHAPTER XL.

Proceedings of Stephen.—Miserable State of the Kingdom.—A Civil War.

1. WE are told that Stephen had a very graceful person; he was strong and active, and was very courageous. He was also pleasant in his manners, and in his conversation. He had always been a great favorite with the people, and to this he owed the success of his attempt on the crown. He was kind and indulgent to his own family, and profuse in his kindness to his friends and favorites.

2. His usurpation of the throne had been so totally unexpected, that no preparations had been made against it; and he had time to strengthen himself, before the adherents of Matilda had recovered from their surprise. Malcolm, King of Scotland, was the first to take up arms in favor of his niece. He advanced into England with an army, but Stephen contrived to win him over by giving up to him a large territory in the north of England.

3. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, was the most powerful baron in England at this time, and he was warmly attached to the cause of

second husband? 5. What was the surname of her husband? 6. When did Henry die? What was his age? 7. Who was Stephen de Blois? 8. What did he do after his uncle's leath?

XI-1. What is said of Stephen? 2. What of the friends of Matilda? 3, 4. What

A CIVIL WAR.-1140.

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Matilda; but as the other nobles acknowledged Stephen, he was obliged to yield. But he bound himself to submit to him as king no longer than Stephen kept the promises he had made in favor of all orders of men.

4. The clergy and barons took the oath of allegiance with the same condition, and the latter required for themselves the right of fortifying their castles. In consequence, England was soon covered with fortresses. In these the barons lived like robbers in their dens, and sallied out only to plunder and fight.

5. Private wars arose among the barons, and were carried on with great fury in all parts of the kingdom; the less powerful found themselves obliged to purchase, at any rate, the protection of some neighboring chieftain; the country was laid waste, and the most shocking cruelties were practised upon those taken captive, in order to make them reveal their treasures.

6. Stephen was at length compelled to adopt some measures to check the wickedness of the barons. This occasioned great discontent, which gave courage to Robert of Gloucester, who had now openly espoused the cause of Matilda, to raise the standard of rebellion.

7. Matilda herself soon came over to England, and was kindly entertained by Adelais, the widow of Henry, at her castle of Arundel. Stephen at once laid siege to this castle, and would soon have taken it, had it not been represented to him, that thus to take a castle belonging to Adelais, the queen-dowager, as the widow of a king is called, would show a great want of respect for her.

8. Stephen, who possessed a great deal of that generous and romantic spirit which led to the institution of chivalry, would do nothing which should injure his reputation as a good knight. He permitted Matilda to come out, and to proceed in safety to Bristol, another castle equally strong with the one which she had left.

9. Matilda made use of the freedom which she owed entirely to the generosity of the king to raise an army against him. England was now for several years desolated by one of the most calamitous wars ever known. War and tumult were spread in every quarter. Instead of an open contest, it was a miserable kind of hostility, and displayed all the worst evils of the feudal system.

10. Each baron, shut up in his own castle with his own retainers, kept up a petty war with his nearest neighbor of the opposite party. The land was left untilled, and a grievous famine was the consequence. At length, on the 2d of February, 1141, the king and the Earl of Gloucester met in battle, in which the latter was victorious, and Stephen was taken prisoner.

did the nobles require? 5. What is said of the state of the country? 6. What did Ste phen do? What was the consequence? 7. What did Matilda do? 8. What instance of the generosity of Stephen? 9. What is said of the war that followed? 10. What was the result?

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MATILDA ACKNOWLEDGED AS QUEEN.-1141.

CHAPTER XLI.

Matilla acknowledged as Queen.-Her Escape from Stephen.-Peace restored.-Death of Stephen.

1. AFTER this great victory, Matilda, or Maude, as she was called by the Normans, was acknowledged as queen. Instead of acting with prudence, or even with gratitude, she became puffed up with her success, treated her friends very rudely, and her opponents very insolently. She conducted towards Stephen while in prisou with great inhumanity, and when his queen begged her to release him, she replied only by insult.

2. She so disgusted all orders of people by her behavior, that even while she was making preparations for her coronation, she was obliged to fly from London, and seek refuge in Winchester. Here she was soon besieged by Stephen's brother, Henry, Bishop of Winchester.

3. The castle being in danger of being taken, she mounted a swift horse, and with difficulty escaped. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, in attempting to follow her, was made prisoner. He was, however, soon after exchanged for Stephen, and thus, by both being taken prisoners, both regained their liberty.

4. Matilda soon after had another narrow escape; for being pursued by Stephen, she saved herself by being borne in a litter, like a dead body, to Oxford. Stephen continued before Oxford three months, having sworn not to raise the siege till he had taken Matilda prisoner.

XL1.-1. What was the consequence of the capture of Stephen? How did Matilda be have? 2. What was the consequence of her behavior? 3. What procured the release

DEATH OF STEPHEN.-1154.

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At last the garrison was reduced to extremity by famine. Still the queen's spirit was too proud to allow her to surrender.

5. It being now the middle of winter, the ground was covered with snow. Matilda and three of her trusty knights, attiring themselves wholly in white, passed out of the castle by a postern gate. After crossing the frozen river, and walking six miles, they reached Abingdon in safety, where they procured horses to carry them to Wallingford.

6. At this place she was met by Earl Robert, on his return from Normandy, with her son, Prince Henry, a fine, promising boy of eleven years of age; and she soon forgot all her fatigues and alarms in the joy of that happy meeting.

7. The fatal and ruinous warfare continued for some years longer. Indeed, it seemed as if the people were become so much accustomed to fighting, that they did not know how to leave off. In 1147, Robert, Earl of Gloucester, died; on which, Matilda, wearied out with the struggle, resigning her claims to her son Henry, retired to Normandy, and passed the remainder of her life in quiet, seldom interfering in public affairs.

8. Matilda left one memorial of herself in England, which is worth mentioning. Stow, an old chronicler, gives this account of it: "This Matilda, when she saw the forde to be dangerous for them that travelled by the Old Forde over the river Sea (for she had herself been well washed in the water), caused two stone bridges to be builded, of which the one was over the Sea, at the town of Stratford, now called Bow, because the bridge was arched like a bow."

66

9. This, he tells us, was a rare piece of worke; for before that time the like had never been seen in England.” All former bridges had been made of wood. In 1153, Prince Henry arrived from Normandy with an army. Stephen, with his forces, met him at Wallingford.

10. The two armies remained near one another for several days without engaging in battle. Some of the barons, who deplored the miseries of the country, had thus an opportunity of proposing an accommodation, to which Stephen the more willingly assented, having a short time before lost his eldest son, Eustace.

11. It was agreed that Stephen should remain king during his life, and that Henry should be his successor. The news of the treaty was received with the greatest joy. Stephen did not long survive. He died on the 25th of October, 1154, upon which Henry II. peaceably took possession of the throne.

of Stephen? 5. How did Matilda escape from Oxford? 6. Who met her at Walling. ford? 7. When did Robert, Earl of Gloucester, die? What did Matilda do soon after? 8, 9. What memorial remains of her? When did Henry return to England? 11. How were the difficulties settled? When did Stephen die? Who succeeded him?

7

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LADIES IN THE TIME OF HENRY II.-1150-1200.

CHAPTER XLII.

How the Ladies employed themselves in the time of Henry II.

1. OUR readers may be curious to know how the ladies were oc cupied during the stormy times we have been describing. The daughters of noblemen were generally educated in nunneries till they were married. These were societies of women, who had taken upon themselves vows similar to those of the monks.

2. These religious houses were respected by both parties, and the young ladies, besides being instructed in the branches then considered essential to female education, such as surgery, needlework, and cookery, were also saved from the dangers to which the violence of the times would have exposed them.

3. After they were married, they lived in their husbands' castles, and were often besieged, and taken prisoners. In times of battle they employed themselves in making salves, and attending upon the wounded.

4. If there were none of these requiring their care, they occupied themselves in embroidery and needlework. They used to sit in the great ball, surrounded by their damsels, working with them and setting them their tasks, like the mantua-makers and milliners of the present day.

5. Some specimens of their work are yet preserved. At Caen, in Normandy, there is a very curious piece of the kind, called the Bayeux tapestry, which is said to have been the work of Queen Matilda, the wife of the Conqueror; though others suppose it to have been the work of her grand-daughter, Maude, or Matilda, of whos disputes with Stephen we have just been telling you.

6. Upon it is represented the Conquest of England, worked with worsted in a series of pictures. The faces are supposed to be portraits, but it is not possible that they can be very good likenesses.

7. Though the wives of the barons never went out visiting, they were very far from leading a solitary life. Every lady had a number of damsels attendant upon her, who were daughters of inferior nobles, or gentlemen, or perhaps her own relatives.

8. Besides this, the castle of every powerful baron was a school for the young nobles. They had nothing to do with books; but were instructed in everything that a soldier should know. They were taught to take care of horses, horsemanship, and the use of arms.

9. To every castle belonged an enclosed space called the tilt-yard, where the young men practised all the exercises requisite to make good warriors. Their games were calculated to improve their strength and agility. Riding at the ring was one of these; the object of which was, while riding at full speed, to run the point of the lance through a small ring that hung suspended from a high post.

XLII.-1. How were the young ladies generally educated? What is said of nunneries? 2. In what were young ladies instructed? 3, 4. How were they employed after marriage? 5. 6. What is said of the Bayeux tapestry? 7. By whom were the ladies attended? 8. What is said of the education of the young nobles? 9. What was