ing informed that the prince of Wales had carried it off: "What! faid the king, would he rob me "of my right before my death?" But the prince juft then entering the room, affured his father, that he had no fuch motives in what he had done, went and replaced the crown where he had found it; and having received his father's bleffing, dutifully retired. The king was taken with his laft fit, while he was at his devotions before the thrine of St. Edward the confeffor, in Weftminster Abbey, and from thence he was carried to the Jerufalem Chamber. When he had recovered from his fwoon, perceiving himself in a ftrange place, he defired to know where he was, and if the apartment had any particular name: being informed that it was called the Jerufalem Chamber, he faid, that he then perceived the prophecy was fulfilled, which declared that he fhould die in Jerufalem. Thus faying, and recommending his foul to his Maker; he foon after expired, in the forty-fixth year of his age, and the fourteenth of his reign.

If we confider this monarch on one fide of his character, he will appear an object worthy the higheft applaufe; if on the other, of our warmeft indignation. As a man, he was valiant, prudent, cool, and fagacious. Thefe virtues adorned him in his private character; nor did his vices appear, till ambition brought him within fight of a throne; it was then that he was discovered to be unjuft, cruel, gloomy, and tyrannical; and though his reign contributed much to the happiness of his fubjects, yet it was entirely deftructive of his own. He was twice married; by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, he

had

had four fons, Henry, his fucceffor, Thomas duke of Clarence, John duke of Bedford, Humphry duke of Gloucefter, and two daughters. By his fecond wife he had no iffue.

THE death of Henry IV. gave the people but A. D. very little concern, as he had always go

verned them rather by their fears than

1412. their affections. But the rejoicings made for the fucceffion of his fon, notwithstanding his extravagancies, were manifeft and fincere. In the very height and madnefs of the revel, he would often give inftances of the nobleft difpofition; and tho' he did not practise the virtues of temperance, he always fhewed that he esteemed them. But it was his courage which in that martial age chiefly won the people's affection and applaufe. Courage, and fuperftition, then made up the whole fyftem of human duty; nor had the age any other idea of heroifm, but what was the refult of this combination.

The firft fteps taken by the young king confirmed all thofe prepoffeffions entertained in his favour. He called together his former companions, acquainted them with his intended reformation; exhorted them to follow his example; and thus difmiffed them from his prefence, allowing them a competency to fubfift upon, till he faw them worthy of further promotion. The faithful minifters of his father, at firft, indeed, began to tremble for their former juftice, in the adminiftration of their duty; but he foon eased them of their fears, by taking them into his friendfhip and confidence. Sir William Gafcoigne, who thought himself the moft obnoxious, met with praifes in

ftead

ftead of reproaches, and was exhorted to perfevere in the fame rigorous and impartial execution of justice.

But Henry did not ftop here; he fhewed himfelf willing to correct, not only his own private errors, but those of the former reign. He expreffed the deepest forrow for the fate of the unhappy Richard, and ordered his funeral obiequies to be performed with royal folemnity. He feemed ambitious to bury all party-diftinctions in oblivion, the good men of either party were only dear to him; and the bad, vainly alleged their loyalty as an extenuation of their vices. The exhortations, as well as the example of the prince, gave encouragement to virtue; all parties were equally attached to fo just a prince, and the defects of his title were forgot, amidst the luftre of his admirable qualities.

In this manner, the people feemed happy in their new king; but it is not in the e-power of men to raise himself entirely above the prejudices of the age in which he lives, or to correct thofe abufes, which often employ the fagacity of whole centuries to discover. The vices of the clergy had drawn upon them the contempt and deteftation of the people; but they were refolved to continue their ancient power, not by reforming themfelves, but by perfecuting thofe who opposed them. The herefy of Wickliff, or Lollardifm, as it was call ed, began to fpread every day more and more, 'while it received a new luftre from the protection and preaching of Sir John Oidcastle, baron of Cobham, who had been one of the king's domef tics, and stood high in his favour. His character, both for civil and military excellence, pointed him out to Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury, as the proper victim of ecclefiaftical vengeance; and he applied

F4

applied to the king for permiffion to indict lord Cobham, as a mifcreant guilty of the most atrocious herefy. But the generous nature of the prince was averfe to fuch fanguinary methods of converfion; and he begged leave firft to be permitted to try what effect the arts of reason and perfuafion would produce upon this bold leader of his fect. He accordingly defired a private conference with lord Cobham; but he found that nobleman obftinate in his opinions, and determined rather to part with life, than what he believed upon conviction. The king, therefore, finding him immoveable, gave him up to the fury of his enemies. Perfecution ever propagates thofe errors which it aims at abolishing. The primate indicted lord Cobham; and with the affiftance of his fuffragans, condemned him as an heretic to be burnt alive. Cobham, however, efcaping from the 'Tower, in which he was confined, the day before his execution, privately went among his party; and ftimulating their zeal, led them up to London, to take a fignal revenge of his enemies. But the king, apprifed of his intentions, ordered that the city-gates fhould be fhut; and coming by night with his guards into St. Gile's fields, feized fuch · of the confpirators as appeared, and afterwards laid hold of several parties that were haftening to the appointed place. Some of these were exe. cuted, but the greater number pardoned. Cobham himself found means of escaping for that time; but he was taken about four years after; and never did the cruelty of man invent, or crimes draw down, fuch torments as he was made to endure. He was hung up with a chain by the middle; and thus at a flow fire burned, or rather roasted, alive.

Such fpectacles as these must naturally excite tle difguft of the people, not only againft the

clergy,