apparel for that purpofe, when fhe was feized by the king's order, and put into confinement. Thus Henry faw all his long perfpective of future happinefs totally clouded; his fons, fcarce yet arrived at manhood, eager to fhare the fpoils of their father's poffeffions; his queen warmly encouraging those undutiful princes in their rebellion, and many potentates of Europe not ashamed to lend them affiftance to fupport their pretenfions.

It was not long before the young princes had fufficient influence upon the continent to raise a powerful confederacy in their favour.

Henry, therefore, knowing the influence of fuperftition over the minds of the people, and, perhaps, apprehenfive that a part of his troubles arofe from the difpleafure of heaven, refolved to do penance at the fhrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury, for that was the name given to Becket upon his canonization. As foon as he came within fight of the church of Canterbury, alighting from. his horfe, he walked barefoot towards the town, and proftrated himself before the shrine of the faint. Next day he received abfolution; and, departing for London, was acquainted with the agreeable news of a victory over the Scots, obtained on the very day of his abfolution.

From that time Henry's affairs began to wear a better afpect; the barons, who had revolted or were preparing for a revolt, made inftant fubmiffion, they delivered up their caftles to the victor, and England, in a few weeks, was restored to perfect tranquillity. Young Henry, who was ready to embark with a large army, to fecond the efforts of the English infurgents, finding all disturbances quieted at home, abandoned all thoughts of the expedition.

This prince died foon after, in the twenty-fixth year of his age, of a fever, at Martel, not without the deepest remorfe for his undutiful conduct towards his father.

As

As this prince left no pofterity, Richard was be-. come heir in his room; and he foon difcovered the fame ardent ambition that had misled his elder brother.

A crufade having been once more projected, Richard, who had long wifhed to have all the glory of fuch an expedition to himself, and who could not bear to have even his father a partner in his victories, entered into a confederacy with the king of France, who promised to confirm him in thofe wishes, at which he so ardently aspired. By this, Henry found himfelf obliged to give up all hopes of taking the crofs, and compelled to enter upon a warwith France and his eldest fon, who were unna-, turally leagued against him.

At laft, however, a treaty was concluded, in which he was obliged to fubmit to many mortifying conceffions. But ftill more fo, when, upon demanding. a lift of the barons that it was ftipulated he should pardon, he found his fon John, his favourite child, among the number. He had long borne an infirm ftate of body with calm refignation; he had feen his children rebel without much emotion; but when he faw that child, whofe intereft always lay next to his heart, among the number of thofe who were in rebellion against him, he could no longer contain his indignation. He broke out into expreffions of the utmoft defpair; curfed the day in which he had received his miferable being; and bestowed on his ungrateful children a malediction, which he never after could be prevailed upon to retract. The more his heart was difpofed for friendship and affection, the more he refented this barbarous return; and now, not having one corner in his heart where he could look for comfort, or fly for refuge from his conflicting paffions, he loft all his former vivacity. A lingering fever, caufed by a broken heart, foon after terminated his life and his miferies. He died at the castle of Chinon, near Saumur, in the fiftyeighth

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eighth year of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign; in the courfe of which he difplayed all the abilities of a politician, all the fagacity of a legiílator, and all the magnanimity of a hero.

CHAP. IX.

RICHARD I. furnamed COEUR DE LION.

RICHARD, upon

his acceffion to the throne, was ftill inflamed with the defire of going upon the crufade, and at length, the king having got together a fufficient fupply for his undertaking; having even fold his fuperiority over the kingdom of Scotland, which had been acquired in the laft reign, for a moderate fum, he fet out for the Holy Land, whither he was impelled by repeated meffages from the king of France, who was ready to embark in the fame enterprife.

The first place of rendezvous for the two armies of England and France was the plain of Verelay, on the borders of Burgundy, where, when Richard and Philip arrived, they found their armies amounting to an hundred thousand fighting men. Here the French Prince and the English entered into the moft folemn engagement of mutual fupport; and having determined to conduct their armies to the Holy Land by fea, they were obliged, however, by ftrefs of weather, to take fhelter in Meffina, the capital of Sicily, where they were detained during the whole winter. Richard took up his quarters in the fuburbs, and poffeffed himfelf of a small fort, which commanded the harbour. Philip quartered his troops in the town, and lived upon good terms with the Sicilian king.

Many were the miftrufts and the mutual reconciliations between these two monarchs, which were

very probably inflamed by the Sicilian king's endeavours. At length, however, having fettled all controverfies, they fet fail for the Holy Land, where the French arrived long before the English..

Upon the arrival of the English army in Paleftine, however, fortune was feen to declare more openly in favour of the common caufe. The French and English princes feemed to forget their fecret jealoufies, and to act in concert. But fhortly after, Philip, from the bad state of his health, returned to France, leaving Richard ten thousand of his troops under the command of the duke of Burgundy. Richard, being now left] fole conductor of the war, went on from victory to victory. The Chriftian adventurers, under his command, determined to befiege the renowned city of Afcalon, in order to prepare the way for attacking Jerufalem with greater - advantage. Saladin, the moft heroic of all the Saracen monarchs, was refolved to difpute their march, and placed himself upon the road with an army of three hundred thoufand men.. This was a day equal to Richard's wifhes, this an enemy worthy his higheft ambition. The English crufaders were victorious. Richard, when the wings of his army were defeated, led on the main body in perfon, and restored the battle. The Saracens fled. in the utmoft confufion; and no lefs than fortythousand of their number perifhed in the field of battle. Afcalon foon furrendered after this victory; other cities of lefs note followed the example, and Richard was at laft able to advance within fight of Jerufalem, the object of his long and ardent expectations. But juft at this glorious juncture his ambition was to fuffer a total overthrow; upon reviewing his forces, and confidering his abilities to profecute the fiege, he found that his army was fo wafted with famine, fatigue, and even with victory, that they were neither able nor willing to feconde

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views

views of their commander. It appeared, therefore, abfolutely neceffary to come to an accommodation with Saladin; and a truce for three years was accordingly concluded; in which it was agreed, that the fea-port towns of Palestine fhould remain in the hands of the Chriftians; and that all of that religion fhould be permitted to make their pilgrimage to Jerufalem in perfect fecurity.

Richard having thus concluded his expedition with more glory than advantage, began to think of returning home: but being obliged to take the road through Germany, in the habit of a pilgrim, he was arrefted by Leopold duke of Auftria, who commanded him to be imprifoned, and loaded with fhackles, to the difgrace of honour and humanity. The emperor foon after required the prifoner to be delivered up to him, and ftipulated a large fum of money. to the duke, as a reward for this fervice. Thus the king of England, who had long filled the world with his fame, was bafely thrown into a dungeon, and loaded with irons, by thofe who expected to reap a fordid advantage from his misfortunes. It was a long time before his fubjects in England knew what was become of their beloved monarch. So little intercourfe was there between different nations at that time, that this discovery is faid by fome to have been made by a poor French minstrel, who playing upon his harp near the fortress in which Richard was confined, a tune which he knew that unhappy monarch was fond of, he was answered by the king from within, who with his harp played the fame tune; and thus difcovered the place of his confinement.

However, the English, at length, prevailed upon this barbarous monarch, who now faw that he could no longer detain his prifoner, to liften to terms of accommodation. A ranfom was agreed upon, which amounted to an hundred and fifty thoufand marks,

or