FIRST- STEPS INTH HISTORY- OF JEL IN \JJLi\ii kJ "l S HflHHUlP 1 ''' S1LVERBURDETT 8 COMR ■ • ' ■■ ;' • . i in ,.: ill Class. Book_„. CopyrigM COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. s J ^ - First Steps in the History of England By ARTHUR MAY MOWRY, A.M. Author of "The Dorr War. or the Constitutional Struggle in Rhode Island," and joint-author of "A Historyof the United States for Scl Is," "First Steps in the History of Our Country," and "American Inventions and [nventors." SILVER, BURDETT AND COMPANY NEW YORK: BOSTON CHICAGO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Twr> Cos'-* RfcfiveO MAY. 22 1902 Copyright fntry CCASS tf^XXc No. COPY B. For the Study of American History FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY By William A. Mowry, Ph.D., and Arthur May Mowry, A.M. 334 pages. 219 illustrations and maps. Introductory price, 60 cents. A unique elementary history of the United States, which groups the important events in the nation's progress about the life-stories of forty leaders from Columbus to McKinley. A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES FOR SCHOOLS By William A. Mowrv, Ph.D., and Arthur May Mowry, A.M. 468 pages. Numerous illustrations. Introductory price, $1.00. A valuable and workable book for upper grammar grades and high schools, strictly up-to-date, accurate in statement, clear and graphic in style, patriotic and unpartisan in spirit. AMERICAN INVENTIONS AND INVENTORS By William A. Mowry, Ph.D., and Arthur May Mowry, A.M. 298 pages. Fully illustrated. Intro- .**! . dustory pruse^ r»<; oents. *•.!•£ fascination Jr£sifm£ of American improvements in heat, light, clothing, food, travel and letters, that shows most clearly t the.coBjra.st. between life in colonial and in modern times, and ;aift*s$i rjew JhterestlcJ e^ery-day matters. Copyright, 1902, by SILVER, BURDETT AND COMPANY Preface. In writing this book the author has followed the same plan as in " First Steps in the History of Our Country," and, as in that book the history of the United States is told by relating the life-stories of the men who made that history, so in this volume the events of English history are described by making prominent the men who best represent their periods. In English history, however, it is impossible to make the stories strictly bio- graphical, because of the extent of time covered and the necessity for giving a continued narrative in order to bring out clearly the cause and effect of the steps taken by the people to enlarge their liberties. At the close of each chapter are suggestions for topical study, which will be helpful in preventing close repetition of the text in recitations. These topics are followed by thought questions, which are designed to bring out some hidden truth contained in the chapters, and to promote discussion and individual thought. These questions are in no sense ""seek further" questions, for nearly all can be answered after a thought- ful study of the text. It is believed that teachers and pupils will find pleasure and profit by thus searching below the covering of words and grammatical phrases. The book is sent out into the world in the hope that the lives of these patriotic Englishmen may inspire boys and girls to higher ideals of citizen- ship, and to a greater desire to help the unfortunate and the oppressed. Thus not only all classes of people, but all nations, will be brought into a closer bond of brotherhood, and injustice and discontent will pass away. Hyde Park, Massachusetts, 1902. Key to Pronunciation. When the simple division of a word into syllables and proper accentuation make the pronunciation evident, diacritical marks are omitted. a as in ale. e as in yet. tl as in use. a, as in am. I as in ice. li as in up. a as in father. i as in ill. do as in moon. e as in eve. 6 as in no/r. do as in foot. 6 as in not. I. — Caradoc, II. — King Arthur, III.— B^da, .... IV. — Alfred the Great, V. — William the Conqueror, VI. — Thomas a Becket, VII. — Richard Lion-heart, VIII.— John, . IX. — Simon de Montfort, X. — Robert Bruce, XI. — The Black Prince, XII.— Wat Tyler, . XIII.— Prince Hal, . XIV. — Warwick the King-Maker, XV. — John Cabot, XVI. — Cardinal Wolsey, . XVII. — Francis Drake, XVIII. — William Shakespeare, XIX. — John Hampden, XX. — Oliver Cromwell, XXI. — Isaac Newton, PAGE 22 28 38 49 59 7i 82 90 98 107 117 12S *3& 148 156 166 175 187 197 208 8 CONTENTS. CHATTER PAGE XXII. — Lord Chatham, . . . . „ . . .219 XXIII. — Robert Clive, „ . .231 XXIV. — Wellington, 241 XXV. — William Wilberforce, 249 XXVI. — Daniel O'Connell, 259 XXVII.— Robert Peel, 268 XXVIII. — William Ewart Gladstone, 278 XXIX.— Cecil Rhodes, 289 Chronology of Events in English History, .... 303 Genealogy of the English Sovereigns from William the Con- queror to Edward VII. . „ . . . following 312 Index, . . . .313 " England expects Every Man to do his Duty." Frontispiece. Julius Caesar 13 Roman Soldier with Standard . 13 Britons 13 The Landing of Caesar .... 15 Dover Cliffs 16 Ruins of the Roman Wall ... 19 A British Scythed Chariot . . .21 Knight of King Arthur's Time . 22 Harper 22 Pirate Ship 22 The Barbarians Driven to their Ships by Vortigern .... 23 A Jutish Coat of Mail .... 25 Statue of King Arthur .... 26 An Old English Spoon .... 27 York Cathedral 28 Monks Preaching 28 Captive Angles in Rome ■ • ■ 33 St. Augustine Preaching to Ethel- bert 34 Ruins of the Monastery at Jar- row yj Alfred the Great 38 Book-making 38 Soldiers, Ninth Century ... 38 A Monk Making a Book ... 41 Alfred and the Burning Cakes . 44 The Statue of Alfred .... 46 Alfred's Jewel 48 William the Conqueror . ... 49 Normans Landing 49 Norman Soldiers 51 The Battle of Hastings .... 53 Rochester Castle 56 A Norman Galley 58 Henry II 59 Thomas a Becket 59 Canterbury Pilgrims .... 59 The Saracen Maiden in London . 63 Canterbury Cathedral .... 66 The Attack on Archbishop Becket 68 The Sign of a Canterbury Pil- grim 69 A Spray of the Broom-Plant . . 70 Richard 1 71 Saracens 7 l Saladin 75 Richard at the Siege of Acre . . 77 Richard Lion-heart 79 The Royal Arms of England from Richard I. to Edward III. 81 IO ILLUSTRATIONS. King John 82 Slinger . 82 King John and the Barons . . 82 Prince Arthur and the Ruffian . 84 King John Signing Magna Carta. 87 Fac-simile Extract from Magna Carta 88 Sword and Helmet 89 Henry III 90 Earl Simon de Montfort ... 90 The Castle of an English Baron . 92 The Royal Standard Bearer . . 94 The Capture of Richard of Corn- wall 95 The Seal of Simon de Montfort . 97 Robert Bruce 98 Battle of Bannockburn .... 98 Bruce and his Followers ... 98 The Coronation Chair .... 101 William Wallace 103 Bruce and the Loyal Scotch Dame 105 Scottish Armor 106 Edward III 107 Battle of Crecy 107 An English Archer no A Genoese Crossbowman . . .111 Philippa Pleading for the Bur- ghers of Calais 113 Cannon in the Battle of Crecy . 116 Richard II 117 London Street, 1380 117 Peasants Marching to London . 117 A Fourteenth Century Gallant . 119 A Merchant's House, Fifteenth Century 123 King Richard II. Addressing the Mob 125 PAGE Costumes, 1350-1400 .... 127 Henry V 128 Costume, 1420 128 Ships, 1415 128 Westminster Abbey 130 The English Standard . . . .132 Joan of Arc's Victorious Entry into Orleans 135 The Saddle of Henry V. . . . 137 Henry VI 138 In the Tower of London . . .138 The Earl of Warwick .... 138 Warwick Castle 139 The Tower of London .... 142 The Young Princes in the Tower 145 Temple Gardens 147 Henry VII 148 Cabot's Ship 148 Caxton Printing 148 The First Sheet from the Print- ing Press 149 An Early English Grammar School 151 The Cabot Memorial Tower at Bristol • . . 153 Caxton's Advertisement . . .155 Cardinal Wolsey 156 The Field of Cloth of Gold . .156 Cardinal Wolsey and his Suite . 159 Henry VIII 161 The Trial of Queen Katharine . 162 Knights in Tourney 165 Sir Francis Drake 166 Queen Elizabeth Knighting Fran- cis Drake 166 The Armada 166 The Home of Sir Francis Drake 168 Queen Elizabeth 171 ILLUSTRATIONS. II The Fight against the Spanish Armada Queen Elizabeth's Autograph . Shakespeare Street Costume May Day The Grammar School at Strat- ford A Horn Book The Birthplace of Shakespeare The Globe Theater The Theater in Shakespeare's Time Boys' Sports John Hampden The Parliament The King James I A Gold Coin of James I. . . . A Cavalier's Tale of the Battle of Edgehill Signature of King James I. . . Oliver Cromwell Roundheads Cromwell Dissolving Parliament Charles I The Children of Charles I. . . Cromwell Refusing the Crown of England The Commonwealth Flag . . Sir Isaac Newton Musketeer, 1660 Sedan, Seventeenth Century . . Dr. Harvey Demonstrating the Circulation of the Blood to Charles I A Sun-Dial The Great Fire of London . . The Royal Observatory at Green- 173 wich 174 The Birthplace of Newton . . 175 Lord Chatham 175 The Young Pretender . . . . 175 The Stamp Act in America . . A Cornet of Horse 176 A Knight of the Order of the 179 Garter 181 George III 183 American Colonists Burning the Stamp Seller in Effigy . . . 185 British Stamps for America . . 186 Robert Clive 187 Clive in India 187 Court Dress, 1750 187 Clive Leading a Charge in India 189 The Rock of Trichinopoli . . . 192 An East India Steamship . . . Wellington 195 Napoleon 196 Lord Nelson 197 Wellington Leading the Decisive 197 Charge at Waterloo .... 197 A Soldier and a Sailor, 1800 . 199 Wilberforce 200 Slave Ship At Work in the Coal Mines . . St. John's College, Cambridge . Chimney Sweeps Mrs. Fry Reading to the Prison- ers in Newgate A King's Ship Chasing a Slaver Daniel O'Connell Irish Chieftain, Twelfth Century O'Connell Speaking An Irish Peasant's Home . . . 215 George IV 205 207 208 208 208 210 212 216 218 219 219 219 221 223 227 230 231 231 231 234 237 240 241 243 245 246 248 249 249 249 25' 254 256 258 259 259 259 261 263 12 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE The Trial of O'Connell . . . .264 The Banner of the Royal Arms . 267 Sir Robert Peel 268 Town Watchman, 1820 . . . 268 Steamship and Man of War, 1840 268 Stamping Calico 269 Victoria Taking the Oath . . . 272 An English Country Home . . 275 The Birthplace of Sir Robert Peel, Sr 277 Gladstone 278 The School, 1825 278 The Newspaper, 1825 .... 278 PAGE The Houses of Parliament . . 280 " London's Gazette here " . . . 282 Hawarden Castle 285 Queen Victoria 287 Windsor Castle 288 Cecil Rhodes 289 View in Egypt 289 View in South Africa .... 289 An Australian Sheep Farm . . 292 Open Workings in the Kimberley Diamond Mines 297 King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra 299 The Evolution of the Union Flag 301 Maps. PAGE PAGE The Home of the Anglo-Saxons 30 English Possessions in France England in 600 31 under Edward III 109 England after the Treaty of Wed- Territorial Possessions in Amer- more 45 ica 224 English Possessions under Henry India in the Time of Robert II 61 Give 239 The Route of the Third Crusade 74 The British Empire 295 Caradoc. FIRST CENTURY. The history of England! We need not ask where or what England is. Every boy and girl can tell us that England is the largest of the three part^ of the island lying west of the conti- nent of Europe, called Great Britain. Everyone knows that England is the center of that great empire upon whose terri- tory the sun never sets. Agriculture and manufactures flourish there; good roads, schoolhouses, churches, and hospitals abound. England is a civilized, a Christian nation. Once England was far different. Centuries ago the Christian religion had not reached its shores; the signs of civilization did not exist; hunt- ing and fighting were the most common employments of its peo- ple. Indeed, it was not England; the inhabitants were not Eng- lishmen, nor did they speak a language at all like English. The island then had the name of Britain, and the people were called Britons. The story of the wonderful changes that have made early Britain the England of to-day is the history of England. 14 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. In very ancient times we read of Egyptians and Israelites and Phoenicians (Fe-nish'-ans); but these people knew little, if anything, of the small island near the edge of the continent of Europe. Twenty-five hundred years ago Greece Was the center of the civilized world ; but its historians do not mention the island of Britain. Twenty centuries ago Rome was becoming the great power of the world, and still the island remained almost unknown. It was not until about fifty years before the birth of Christ that the first account of the isle of Britain and its inhabitants, the Britons, was written. After four years of hard fighting, Julius Cresar, the Roman general, had conquered the province of Gaul, now called France. At last he reached the shores of the English Channel, and saw the white cliffs of Britain across the water. With the soldier's desire to conquer more territory and with the student's eager- ness to learn unknown things, Caesar decided to cross the chan- nel and visit the island. Me prepared vessels for the voyage, and set sail about the middle of August, B.C. 55. This is the first date in English history — the first event to which any definite date can be given. In a few hours Caesar's vessels approached the shore near Dover and anchored not far from land. The cliffs were lined with Britons watching the boats draw near. They had heard from the Gauls something of the ever-conquering Caesar, and were determined to keep the Romans from landing on their shores. Therefore their warriors had been summoned from far and near. Strange-looking soldiers were they, with their flow- ing hair and long, heavy mustaches that nearly covered mouth and chin. Their bodies, naked to the waist, were freshly daubed with blue paint, and were protected by shields, neck- laces, and arm-pieces of wicker-work covered with a thin plate of metal. How could they expect to withstand the powerful Roman, whose very name was enough to strike fear in the CARADOC. 15 hearts of his enemies ? But they were tall and muscular; they had fought with one another and with wild beasts from child- hood ; and their strong right arms knew how to wield the sword and the javelin with deadly force. They were not afraid. As the ships neared the shore, they were greeted with a From the fainting by Blakey. THE LANDING OK C.1SAK. flight of arrows tipped with bronze or flint. The water was too shallow for the boats to land, so it became necessary for the Romans to wade ashore. The Britons, some on the beach and some in the water, stood with their daggers, short swords, and heavy clubs ready to resist the landing. No wonder that the Romans, always victorious though they had been, hesitated to leap from their boats. They had fought i6 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. foes under almost every circumstance, but never before had they met desperate savages in the waves and on slippery sand. An eagle-bearer set the example. He jumped into the water, shouting, " Leap down, men, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy." To lose the standard was the worst dis- grace a Roman soldier could suffer. The army to a man sprang from the boats, swam to the shallow water, and attacked the DOVER CLIFFS. enemy. A long struggle followed, but the invaders reached the shore and drew up in line of battle. It was an undisciplined, helter-skelter army that was opposed to the Romans. There seemed to be no general plan of battle, and each warrior apparently fought for himself. Most of the Britons were on foot, though a few rode on horseback. The infantry and cavalry were aided by war chariots, to which were harnessed horses trained by their rash drivers to instant obe- dience. With tremendous speed they were driven through the CARADOC. 17 opposing lines, while a curved scythe, fastened to each wheel, mowed the enemy down like grass. Suddenly the horses were halted in their mad rush, and the drivers leaped down and fought in hand-to-hand encounter. Their foe slain, they mounted the waiting chariots, which plunged ahead once more. Such was the army that Csesar fought. But the Britons could not hold their own against the steady onward march of the Roman legions, and the battle was soon lost. Caesar spent only two weeks in Britain, and then returned to Gaul. The next year he came again, won victories, and made a treaty with the king, Caswallon (Kas-wal'-lon). He then left the island, and for a hundred years it was undisturbed. Caesar's visit, however, brought Britain to the attention of the world. A small commerce sprang up between Gaul and Britain; the inhabitants began to come in contact with civilization, and they lost something of their barbarous nature. When the Romans came again; they found the islanders less fiercely brave, perhaps, but with better weapons and a disciplined army. The Britons made no resistance to the landing of the army sent by the Emperor Claudius, but gathered their forces and took a stand on the north bank of the Thames, where the Romans defeated them in battle, though at great loss. Claudius himself now arrived from Rome. He captured the British cap- ital, defeated a large army, and returned to Rome to receive a splendid triumph. Britain was not conquered, however. For eight years a des- perate resistance was made by the king, Caradoc (Ka-ra'-dok). Step by step he was driven inland, until he took his last posi- tion on a hill near the border of what is now Wales. Here he fortified himself and awaited the Romans. Caradoc hastened here and there cheering his men. ' To-day," he said, " will de- cide whether Britain shall remain free or be subject to Rome." 2 1 8 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Caradoc had chosen his position so well that the Roman general hesitated to order an attack. Crossing a deep river, the army began the march up the hill, while the Britons show- ered missiles upon them. Holding shields over their heads for shelter, the Romans proceeded steadily upwards, until they met their foe. As usual, the Britons could not hold their own, and they lost the battle. The queen and the princes were taken captive, and the king's brother surrendered. Caradoc escaped, but was soon captured, and the royal family was sent to Rome. As Caradoc passed through the streets of Rome in the pro- cession formed to gratify the populace, who were anxious to see the king that had so long resisted the Roman legions, he noted the costly palaces and temples. " Strange," he ex- claimed, " that those who own possessions, so many and so splendid, should envy us our poor huts." Slowly the proces- sion moved into the field of Mars, where the Emperor Claudius and the Empress Agrippina (A-grip-pi'-na) sat upon two thrones surrounded by their household troops. Weeping and imploring mercy, the captives prostrated themselves at the feet of the emperor — all but Caradoc. He stood in haughty pride before the ruler of the world. Briton," said Claudius, " knowest thou not that thou must die ? All who bear arms against Rome, as thou hast done, are doomed to death." The heroic Briton replied: " Had my moderation in pros- perity been equal to my noble birth, I should have entered this city as your friend rather than as your prisoner; and you would not have declined to welcome as an ally a king of illustrious descent who ruled many nations. My present lot is as glorious to you as it is degrading to myself. Had I surrendered to your power, neither my fall nor your triumph would have been as great as now. Put me to death, and my story will be forgot- ten. Spare me, and your mercy will be remembered forever. CARADOC. 19 As for me, I have nothing to live for; I fear death no more here than on the field of battle." This noble speech and the dignified bearing of the cap- tive king appealed to the emperor's sense of justice. He at once ordered that he be set at liberty. Whether Caradoc ever returned to Britain is not known, but we may be sure that this country-loving patriot spent the rest of his life in sad- ness, as he watched the complete subjection of his native race. Not many years passed before the Ro- mans were in firm pos- session of Britain. In the north of Scotland some unconquered natives called Picts still remained in arms against the Romans, but elsewhere the island was practically at peace. As a protec- tion from the northern savages, a wall was built across the island from sea to sea. This so-called wall consisted of a trench thirty- six feet wide and fifteen deep ; a wall built of stone seventy-three miles long, eight feet wide, and fifteen feet high; and a road parallel to the trench and wall. Beyond were military camps four miles apart, each with its own wall and trench, while on the main wall were castles a mile apart, with watchtowers every three hundred feet. So firmly was the wall built that portions of it stand to-day after all these centuries. What terrible war- riors these Picts must have been, to inspire such fear in the hearts of Roman soldiers! ;q*~ J=*~j» RUINS OF THE ROMAN WALL. 20 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. For three or four centuries the Romans ruled Britain, and the island became a Roman province like Gaul and Spain. In many ways the conquest seems to have been of advantage to the Britons. They were taught to keep peace among them- selves, and to settle disputes by law instead of by fighting. Good roads were constructed, and travel from one part of the island to another was made easy; towns were established, coun- try villas were built, and the inhabitants were brought into fre- quent contact with the civilized world. Agriculture and manu- factures were encouraged, until Britain produced more than was needed at home. In fact, the Roman occupation, to a consid- erable extent, made civilized beings out of barbarians; and with civilization, Christianity also came. Nevertheless there was much discontent. To make these changes money was needed. Taxation was heavy, and this seemed a great burden to people who had never known what taxation was. That the Romans compelled their young men to be soldiers, and employed them in distant lands, was a serious grievance. Men were forced, against their will, to work on the roads and in mines. In fact, the Britons suffered the usual evils of a subject race ruled by those who thought only of their own interests. Still, all remained quiet until the Romans were compelled to abandon the province. Name some of the changes that have made the England of to-day. State the circumstances which caused Caesar to visit England. Describe the appearance of an early British soldier, (live an account of the battle when Caesar first landed in Britain. Describe a British war chariot and how it was used. Give an account of Caradoc's resistance to the Romans; his battle on the hills; his visit to Rome. Describe the great Roman wall. Tell what were the advantages and the evils of Roman rule in Britain. Why did the ancients know so little of Britain? How many years CARADOC. 21 have passed since Caesar landed at Dover? What was a Roman eagle- bearer? What was the important quality in a Roman army that made it victorious? Did the Romans envy the Britons their huts? What did Caradoc mean by his expression " moderation in prosperity " ? What is taxation? Why were British soldiers in the Roman army sent to other countries? ->.£3- Draitinfrom an old print. A BRITISH SCYTHED CHARIOT, King Arthur. SIXTH CENTURY. Nearly fifteen hundred years have passed since the last Roman soldiers sailed away from the isle of Britain. Doubtless the Britons watched their departure with great pleasure. At last they were free from heavy taxation ; no longer were they a subject race ; they were at liberty to govern themselves. But it was not long before they wished the Romans back again ; they even sent messengers to Rome beseeching them to return. The Roman conquerors had not taught the Britons the art of self-protection. Large armies of Roman soldiers had been stationed in different parts of the island, and these had furnished complete security to the natives. If their young men showed themselves soldiers by nature, they were at once drafted into the Roman army. But the British legions thus formed were never employed at home; they were sent to perform mili- tary service in other parts of the great Roman Empire, where they often proved themselves the bravest of the brave. When the Romans were gone, the warlike Picts, who had KING ARTHUR. 23 been kept back so long, swarmed across the wall and fiercely attacked the Britons from the north. The barbarous Scots crossed the Irish Sea and drove the Britons inland from the west. Bands of roving pirates ravaged the east and south coasts, plundering and burning wherever they went. ' The barbarians drive us to the sea; the sea throws us back on the barbarians. Thus two From an old engraving. THE BARBARIANS DRIVEN TO THEIR SHIPS BY VORTIGERN. modes of death await us, we are either slain or drowned," the Britons cried. Sorely pressed, they fought the invaders as best they could, but they were not such warriors as their ancestors had been, and they were seldom victorious. At last the leading king of the Britons, Vortigern (Vor'-ti- gern), asked certain of the barbarians to assist him in conquer- ing the others. He offered to give a part of Kent to Hengist and Horsa, leaders of a band of Jutes (Juts), if they would 24 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. defeat the Picts. This the Jutes quickly did, and then, turning on the Britons, they drove them from the whole of Kent. Emboldened by the success of the Jutes, another band of barbarians, called Saxons, landed on the south coast west of Kent, forced the natives inland, and settled there. A third tribe, called Angles (An'-g'lz), came also and captured a portion of the eastern coast. Thus the Britons, though obtaining tem- porary freedom from the barbarians of the north, found that they had welcomed an enemy far more dangerous. Little by little the foreigners pressed inland, driving the Britons before them and destroying the signs of Roman civilization. " And still from time to time the heathen host Swarmed over seas, and harried what was left. And so there grew great tracts of wilderness, Wherein the beast was ever more and more, But man was less and less, till Arthur came. And through the puissance of his Table Round, Drew all their petty princedoms under him, Their king and head, and made a realm, and reigned." " Till Arthur came ! " Finally a leader arose, worthy of the name of Briton. Unfortunately we know with certainty very little about King Arthur, though many are the tales that are told of him. No history was written by the Britons, and the Saxons in their Chronicles made little mention of their own defeats. Therefore only the most general facts can be told. It was Arthur's first task to make himself king. The Britons were looking for a leader, and Arthur's deeds of skill and valor easily placed him at their head. Other British chieftains at- tacked him, but his victories over them won their followers to his. ranks. At last he deemed himself strong enough to encoun- ter the Saxons as they pressed inward from the coast. After a KING ARTHUR. 25 fierce and long-contested battle he won a lasting victory, completely routing the enemy. Arthur was now truly king; none dared to oppose him, and all yielded obedience. The Saxons remained quiet within their borders, and the Picts and Scots for the first time dreaded to make attack. For many years Arthur and his people were left in comparative peace. But at length Arthur died, and his warriors died also. The Angles and the Saxons took up arms again, and little by little the Britons gave way before them. A century had hardly passed after Arthur's great victory, before the intruders obtained possession of the greater part of England. The Britons were confined to the coast districts along the Irish Sea, in what was known as Wales, Corn- wall, and Strathclyde (Strath- klld'). They were called Welsh, or foreigners, by the victorious barbarian invaders, and so hereafter we must call them. Would you know more of King Arthur and his Round Table? Then read Tennyson's" Idyls of the King," or that popular book for boys, Malory's" King Arthur." Do you won- der where Tennyson and Malory obtained their stories ? They are simply English versions of the songs the Welsh bards used to sing during the long winter evenings in the highlands of Wales; they are English forms of the stories that the early British story-tellers used to repeat in the coast districts of Cornwall. Shall we accept all the stories of King Arthur and his Round Table ? No boy of to-day would believe that an arm, stretched A JUTISH COAT OF MAIL. 26 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. out of the sea, handed to Arthur his wonderful sword, Excali- bur. But are none of the reasonable tales true ? Very likely, but we do not know which ones. In ancient times, before the art of printing was known, poems were read or sung by traveling bards as they spent the night in village or palace hall. Most of these songs were probably based upon some incident, some heroic act, that had really happened ; but as they were sung over and over again, they came to vary more and more from the original and truth- ful account. Still more changes would be made by younger bards as they sang the poems which they had heard the old bards sing. In time little resemblance remained between the story as sung and the incident as it happened, yet there was always some- thing of truth in the most improbable story. So it was with the legends about King Arthur. Though there is more fiction than truth in these tales, still they teach us much about the character and deeds of the heroic British king. Arthur was a Christian fight- ing with success against the heathen ; he contended for God and native land ; he rep- resented civilization holding barbarians at bay. Arthur was the last of the great Brit- ons, a worthy representative of the noblest characteristics of the people that dwelt so long in old England. Describe what happened in Britain after the Romans left. State how and why the barbarians settled in Britain. Tell what is known of King Arthur. STATUE OF KING ARTHUR. KING ARTHUR. 27 Give an account of what took place in Britain after Arthur's death. Explain how stories of real incidents lost their truthfulness by con- stant repetition. Should the United States employ Porto Rican soldiers to protect that island? What is a pirate? Ought Vortigern to have expected the result that followed his invitation? Why was Arthur victorious? Why did the Britons fail after Arthur's death? What was the Round Table ? AN OLD ENGLISH SPOON. CHAPTER III. Basda. 672 (?)-735 (?). The Britons had been driven from their native land, and their places had been taken by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. These people had come across the English Channel from the continent of Europe. The Angles and the Saxons came from the coun- try near the mouths of the great rivers of northern Germany; the Jutes lived further north in Jutland, now called Denmark. These three tribes spoke the same language, had similar habits and customs, and were considered very much the same people. The Romans had been compelled to leave Britain because barbarian tribes were everywhere attacking the Empire of Rome. These barbarians belonged to the Teutonic race whose home was in Germany. They easily conquered Gaul, Spain, and Italy, and at once made themselves at home there. They mixed with the native people, adopted many of their habits and cus- toms, and became somewhat civilized and Christianized. Their descendants were, therefore, but partly Teutons, and might BiEDA. 29 perhaps be called cousins of those Teutons who remained in Germany. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes — that portion of the Teutonic race which crossed the water to Britain — met with more resist- ance than those who had attacked Gaul. They came in smaller numbers in boats, and the war of conquest was more bitterly fought. When the contest was over, the newcomers did not mix with the natives, for the latter had been exterminated or driven out. They therefore retained the language, the customs, the habits, and the low civilization that they had had in Ger- many. They were, we might say, brothers of the Germans. * This people gave a new name, eventually, to the land which they had adopted, and to themselves as well. The Angles brought over their entire tribe, leaving the old Anglia in Ger- many uninhabited. They overspread the largest portion of the new country, and Britain in time became Angleland, or England. The people came to be known as English. The Saxons who came to Britain were but a small portion of their tribe ; the larger part remained in Germany, and are now known as the Saxons of Saxony. For a long time the double term " Anglo-Saxon " was used instead of English, and even to the present day the descendants of these conquerors of Britain are often called Anglo- Saxons, whether living in England or elsewhere. The Jutes, under Hengist and Horsa, landed at Ebbsfleet on the island of Thanet (Than'-et) in 449 A.D. This is the second important date in English history — the first arrival of the Eng- lish upon the shores of England. The Jutes conquered Kent, which remained their home. The Saxons came in different bands and established several kingdoms: the South Saxons in Sus-sex; the East Saxons in Es-sex; the West Saxons in Wes-sex ; and the Middle Saxons in Middle-sex. The Angles also settled in different divisions of the country. In the very north, on the eastern coast, was 3o FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Bernicia; the region next south was called Deira (Dl'-ra); the central portion of the island received the name of Mercia (Mer'- she-a); while the East Angles settled the eastern point, and were divided into the North Folk and the South Folk, or Nor- folk and Suffolk. Many of these divisions of England remain to this day in the form of counties. We speak of the English of the fifth century as savage war- riors, as pirates, and as barbarians. Yet they were more than THE HOME OK THE ANGLO-SAXONS. barbarians, and they had other interests than those of war; they were proud of their skill as sailors, and they hunted the wal- ruses and whales of northern seas. They did not cross the water merely for the love of plunder or the sake of conquest; they were attracted by the fertility of the island. There were skilled workmen among them, smiths who forged iron imple- ments of war, and jewelers who made gold rings and bracelets. They lived in houses far better than the huts of which Caradoc spoke, as he walked in the streets of Rome. In fact, the Eng- lish, though called barbarians by the civilized Romans, were far bjeda. 3i ahead of the Britons of Caesar's time in the necessities and com- forts of life. The Anglo-Saxon religion was much like that of the other Teutons; and the titles of their divinities have come down to us in the names of the days of the week. Their chief god was called Woden, and they named the middle day of the week for him, Woden's day or Wednesday. Thor,thegod of thunder,and Tiw (Te'-o), the god of war, were honored in Thursday and Tuesday. Friday was named for Frigu, the god- dess of love; and Sunday and Monday for the sun and the moon. After having conquered the Britons, the English began to wage war on each other. When the Berni- cians had made themselves masters of northern Eng- land, they attacked and conquered the region south of them, occupied by their brother Angles, the Deirans. Not content with making the Deirans a subject race, the Bernicians sold numbers of them in the slave markets of Europe. One group of these captives was standing in the market place of Rome when a Christian priest, named Gregory, passed by. The youths, with their fair com- plexions and golden hair, presented such a contrast to the peo- ple of Rome that they attracted Gregory's attention. ENGLAND IN 60O. 32 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ' Who are those boys ?" lie asked of the trader who had them for sale. " They are Angles," was the reply. ' They might well be named Angels, for they have the faces of angels, and they should be co-heirs with the angels in heaven. From what province do they come ? " ' They come," said the slave dealer, " from Deira." " De ira!" (Latin words which mean " from wrath") ex- claimed the priest. " Ay, they are to be rescued from the wrath of God and given to the mercy of Christ. And what is the name of their king ? " Ella," was the answer. Yea," said Gregory, " alleluia shall be sung in Ella's land." The Roman priest himself helped to hasten the fulfillment of his prophecy. Many years afterwards, when Gregory had become Bishop of Rome, he learned that Bertha, the wife of King Ethelbert of Kent, was a Christian, and had been given a church in which to worship. Seizing this favorable oppor- tunity, he sent fort}- monks with a Roman abbot named Augus- tine to preach the gospel of Christ to the English people. Theirs was a long and difficult missionary journey. As the priests slowly found their way across Gaul, meeting with many obstacles and hearing many stories of the savagery of the Eng- lish, their courage oozed away. They sent their leader back to Rome to explain to Bishop Gregory the difficulties and the dan- gers ahead, and to ask if they might not be assigned to some other task. Gregory, after listening patiently to the com- plaints, only said, " The more difficult the labor, the greater the reward," and bade the missionaries continue their journey. At last they reached the shores of the English Channel, and secured boats to carry them across. Almost one hundred and fifty years after Hengist landed at Ebbsfleet, the missionaries came ashore at the same place. These two landings are of the B.EDA. 33 utmost importance to England. The first saw the beginning of the overthrow of civilization and Christianity. The second saw the return of Christianity, with civilization as an inevi- table result. Augustine sent messen- gers to Ethelbert, asking for an interview. The king called together his wise men for a council, and they decided that it would be discourteous to refuse the request. For fear that the strangers might be magicians, it was thought safer to receive them not within doors, but in the open air. Accordingly Ethelbert gave them a royal audience under a lone oak in the open fields, and patiently listened to the long sermon Augustine preached. " Your words are fair," replied Ethelbert, " but they are of new and doubtful mean- ing." The king was unwilling to give up the gods of his an- cestors, but he offered shelter and protection to the Chris- tian ministers. Day by day hymns were sung in the city of Canterbury, and the monks proclaimed the gospel and minis- tered to the rich as well as to the destitute. Within a year 3 CATTIVE ANGLES IN ROME. 34 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Ethelbert yielded to the preaching of Augustine and was bap- tized. The people followed the example of their king, and soon the Christian faith was triumphant in all Kent. Sometimes victorious, sometimes temporarily de- feated, Chris- tianity pushed itswaythrough- out England. Essex and East Anglia were under the over- lordship of the king of Kent, and they at once followed the example of that country. B e r n i c i a and Deira had been united under the name of Northumbria (Nor-th um'- bri-a), that is, the territory north of the Humber River. Its king, Edwin, who is noted as the founder of Edwinsborough or Edinburgh, married the daughter of the king of Kent. On the verge of a great battle, Edwin promised his wife that if he ■ \ . : r ^ _J^»*a 5 '"> &1fi^fl ■ jgmd '" t^^B fer''"-? In 1 1 ir " "^"^sflH 1 ih If Fro)): the painting by Tresham. ST. AUGUSTINE PREACHING TO ETHELBERT. B.EDA. 35 succeeded he would become a Christian. He returned in triumph and publicly thanked the Lord for the victory. When his wise men met to deliberate concerning the new faith of their king, one old councilor thoughtfully said: " A man is sitting at meat in winter-tide, with the warm fire lighted on the hearth, but a chill rainstorm without. A spar- row flies in at one door and tarries for a moment in the light and heat of the hearth fire, and then, flying forth from the other, vanishes into the wintry darkness whence it came. Such is the life of man. It tarries but a moment in our sight, but what is before it, what after it, we know not. Does the new religion teach us anything with certainty of the future life ? Then let us follow it ! " His words greatly impressed the council. They accepted the new faith, and Christianity spread throughout Northumbria. As Canterbury was the center of religious life in the south of England, so York became the great religious city of the north. Near York was the largest and best library in England, and also several monasteries and schools for priests. The best known of these schools was Jarrow on the Tyne, and it became famous because of the teachings of one man, Baeda, or the Venerable Bede, as he is sometimes called. Baeda was born almost under the shadow of the monastery. When he was only seven years old his father gave him to Abbot Benedict to be educated as a monk. The rest of his life was spent in the monastery of Jarrow, where he was a diligent stu- dent and became remarkably learned for those times. Slowly, letter by letter, book after book came from his pen. Most of the books were on religious subjects, but the most important of all was his history, from which we obtain nearly all that we know of the early Anglo-Saxons in England. He was the first English historian. The monks wished to make him abbot of their monastery, 36 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. but he declined the honor, as it would take his time from study and teaching. Though he remained a simple monk, his name made the monastery of Jarrow famous; from far and near young men came to study at the feet of the Venerable Bede, until at one time there were six hundred students in the monastery school. Baeda was skilled in many languages, but he loved his own English tongue the best. His great desire was to make the Bible and its teachings understood by his pupils, and his last work was the translation into English of the Gospel of St. John. He was on his deathbed before the task was completed. One morning after a sleepless night, he was told that one chap- ter remained to be written. It is easily done," said Baeda; " take thy pen and write quickly." The work was frequently interrupted by the tearful farewells of the aged teacher's pupils, and it was almost night when the scribe said, " There is yet one sentence unwritten, dear master." Write it quickly," was the response. It is finished now," said the boy at last. ' You speak truth," said his master, " all is finished now." Baeda had finished his life with his task. State the location of the early home of the English. Tell how the descendants of the Teutons who traveled southward differed from those who went westward. Explain the origin of the words England, English, and Anglo- Saxon. State where the English settled and explain the names given to the various sections of the country. Describe the occupations of the English in the fifth century. Explain how the days of the week received their names. Tell the story of Gregory and the Dei ran boys. (live an account of Augustine's missionary journey; his reception by Ethelbert ; the result of his mission. IJ/EDA. 37 Tell how Christianity was adopted in Northumbria. Give the story of Baeda as a youth ; as a writer; as a teacher If the Italians are only half Teuton, from what other race are they descended? Can a man be Anglo-Saxon and not English? What is the first great date in English history? Why were Ethelbert's wise men afraid of magicians within doors? What influence had women in Christianizing England? Who did the more for Christianity in Eng- land, Augustine or Breda? RUINS OF THE MONASTERY AT JARROW. T pje.5Ut.lTrt. CHAPTER IV. Alfred the Great. 849 (?)-901. CENTURIES passed after the Britons had been driven to Wales and Cornwall, and still there was no true England. When St. Augustine landed at Ebbsfleet, the king of Kent was obeyed by some of the neighboring Saxon kingdoms; but he was not king of England. When Ba^da taught and wrote at Jarrow, all the north was under the rule of Northumbria; but this king was not king of the English. At length Egbert became king of the West Saxons. He had been exiled from Wessex, and had spent seventeen years at the court of Charlemagne (Shar'-le-man), who at that time ruled over a large portion of Europe. There Egbert obtained the preparation that made him a real king, for at the court of the great emperor all the learning of the day was centered. He studied the art of government as well as the science of warfare, so that when he ascended the throne he was in every way supe- rior to the other kings on the island. Before his death he had ALFRED THE GREAT. 39 united England under his single overlordship, and could truth- fully call himself king of England. When Egbert died, his son Ethelwulf succeeded him as the overlord of all England. The youngest of Ethelwulf's four sons was born just four hundred years after the landing of Hengist and Horsa at Ebbsfleet. This boy was named Alfred, and was from babyhood the favorite of everybody. Though his older brothers surpassed him in strength and physical vigor, Alfred was more thoughtful and earnest. When the boy was but five years of age, his father sent him on a visit to Rome. The king had been victorious in his wars, and wished to present a thank-offering to the Pope. Unable to go himself, Ethelwulf chose his youngest son to represent him, the king of England, at the court of the Pope, the head of the Christian Church. So Alfred, with a large retinue of princes and nobles, crossed the Channel, traveled the entire length of France, pushed over the Alps into Italy, and on to Rome. What a journey for a boy of five ! The Holy Father warmly received the child, adopted him as his own son, and anointed him king of the West Saxons. In later years, when Alfred was fleeing for his life in the forests of England, what courage he must have received from the memory of the journey to Rome! Was he not the true king, crowned by the head of the Church ? Must he not succeed in regaining his kingdom ? One day, soon after his return from Rome, Alfred and his brothers were seated around their mother, who was reading to them some poems. The book she held in her lap was of more value than the most expensive holiday edition of to-day. It was not a printed book; every letter had been carefully drawn by hand, and the first letter of each poem was almost a picture by itself, so beautiful had the writer made it. Hoping to lead her children to enjoy reading, the queen said 40 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. to them, " Whichever of you shall first learn this book shall have it for his own." The older boys said nothing. Itdid not interest them ; but Alfred instantly asked, " Will you really give that book to the one of us who can first understand and repeat it to you ? " His mother smiled and told him she would. Alfred took the book to his teacher, who read the poems until the child could repeat them from beginning to end. He received the promised reward, and more; he had learned to study and to love books. Two years after his journey to Rome, Alfred again visited the great city. This time he went with the king, who carried rich presents to the Holy Father. The English king spent the winter in feasting and being feasted, and at Easter time started on his homeward journey. Reaching France, he was cordially received by King Charles the Bald, and was easily persuaded to spend several months at the brilliant French court. These long months at the two centers of European civilization greatly influ- enced young Alfred, and gave him an education which he could never have obtained in England, just beginning to emerge from barbarism. Scarcely had the royal part}- reached England again, when King Ethelwulf died. Who should be his successor ? To-day there would be no question. Whenever a monarch dies his old- est son, if living, succeeds to the throne; if he dies before his father, the crown passes to this son's oldest son. A thousand years ago, however, this law, which is called the law of primo- geniture (a Latin word that means first-born), had not become fixed. It was necessary, merely, that the new king should be a member of the royal family. In those warlike days no child, no weakling, no one who had not shown himself brave and heroic, could hope for the throne. The people usually chose for their king that member of the royal family who had proved himself best fitted to be king. ALFRED THE GREAT, 41 King Ethelwulf on his deathbed advised that the throne should pass to each of his four sons in the order of their ages. The people of Wessex had no objection to the eldest son, who quietly became king. He died after a very short reign, and was succeeded by the second son, whose reign was but a little longer than his brother's. When the third son, Ethelred, came to the throne, Alfred, the next in succession, was a youth of seventeen. For many years the kingdom had been at peace, and Alfred had had no direct ac- quaintance with warfare; but this happy condi- tion was not destined to last. During Ethelred's reign a new enemy, the Danes, ap- peared upon the border of Wessex, and the West Saxons were com- pelled to fight for their homes and for their very existence. When, centuries be- O- fore, the Jutes had sailed across the North Sea from Denmark, they left behind them their broth- ers and cousins, the Danes. Four hundred years had had little ef- fect upon these warlike;, pagan seamen, and now they, in turn, crossed the sea and plundered the coast of England. They speedily attacked the churches and monasteries, because they held treasure that had been accumulating for years. The priests were in such deadly fear that they added this prayer to the liturgy, "From the fury of.the Northmen, good Lord, deliver us." A MONK MAKING A HOOK. 42 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. The motto of the Danes was, " I trust my sword, I trust my steed, but most I trust myself at need." Therefore it is no wonder that these self-reliant men carried all before them; and wherever their sacred flag appeared, the people fled panic- stricken. This flag had embroidered upon it a black raven that was thought to have wonderful prophetic powers, and was always consulted before going into battle. If the raven's wings pointed upward, it meant victory; if they drooped, defeat was foretold. At first the Danes came merely for plunder, but the fertile land was so attractive that it soon mastered their love for Den- mark. They landed in large numbers, and almost before the king of England realized their presence, they had conquered Northumbria and East Anglia. They next attacked Mercia, whose king bought them off. His cowardice was equaled by their treachery ; the Danes accepted his presents, but immedi- ately renewed the attack, until Mercia became Danish territory. Strengthened by new forces from Denmark, the Danish king, Guthrum, turned his attention to the strongest of the Saxon kingdoms, Wessex itself. Ethelrcd and Alfred led the Saxons against him, and in one year nine pitched battles were fought. Alfred showed himself as brave as his Saxon ancestors had been. It is related that one day the Danish army was stationed on a hill all ready for the attack, but Ethelred was at prayer. Again and again Alfred appealed to his brother to give the word of advance, but the king replied, " Not until my prayers are heard." Fearing that inaction would weaken the courage of the men, Alfred would wait no longer, but led his part of the army against the Danes. His courage and enthusiasm were im- parted to the troops, and they drove the enemy from the hill. Just as the victory was in Alfred's grasp the king's prayer ended, and he led his men to the success which was already assured. ALFRED THE GREAT. 43 In the last of these battles King Ethelred was killed, and Alfred, at the age of twenty-three, became king of the English, or, rather, king of the West Saxons. The united England over which his grandfather reigned had ceased to exist. Only the southern portion of England, Wessex and Essex, Middlesex and Kent, remained to the throne, and even this was being overrun by the Danes. The West Saxons had no standing army; they came from their fields to fight, and, the battle over, returned to their har- vesting. On the other hand, the Danes had nothing else to do but to fight and ravage these very harvest fields. Alfred was therefore at a great disadvantage, and was compelled to make terms by which Guthrum and the Danes agreed to withdraw from Wessex. Treacherous again, the Danes, having strength- ened their bands, made a sudden attack upon Wessex, con- quered the West Saxons, and drove their king into the forests. Defeated, a fugitive, hunted, Alfred wandered through the woods. He came upon the hut of a cowherd and begged for shelter and food. While he was sitting before the fire, so the story goes, the goodwife asked him to watch the cakes and turn them that they might not burn. She doubtless thought that the beggar should do this much to pay for her hospitality; but the royal guest had weightier thoughts than the turning of cakes, and he let them burn to a crisp. When the goodwife returned, she called to him in anger: " There, don't you see the cakes on fire ? Then wherefore turn them not ? You're glad enough to eat them When they are piping hot." Alfred lost no time in preparing for the renewal of the con- test. A few trusty friends still clung to him; even the cow- herd, though his wife knew it not, assisted the king in many 44 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ways. Messengers were sent throughout Wessex to summon once more the sturdy Saxons to support their king. Secretly, a few at a time, they gathered in the forest, and at last formed a great camp at Athelney (Ath'-el-ney). Alfred, sure of his own forces, desired to know exactly how strong his enemy was, y U)P .'i.^w»j"i Ln m ' l ®W*"HS 1 ■J pf *•♦ f- #1^" ! ^l^xwY Z3IH wr' 1 HAS I INGS. than a contest between two men; it was a struggle of two civili- zations. On the one side were the Saxons, pure representatives of the old Teutonic race; on the other side were the Normans, partly Teuton and partly French. Much depended upon the leaders, upon the ability which each showed in grasping favor- able opportunities. 54 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. The Saxon army was drawn up on a gentle elevation, and was protected by a thick palisade of trees and branches bound firmly together. When William was ready for the attack, his infantry marched with steady ranks up the hill, only to be driven back in confusion by the Saxons. The Norman horsemen gal- loped up the hill; but they, too, retreated in disorder. Time after time the Normans returned to the contest only to suffer defeat. The battle began in the morning, but the middle of the afternoon arrived, and the Normans had accomplished laoth- ing. The Saxons became overconfident, and a portion of them ventured to leave their palisades to pursue the Normans. Wil- liam saw his opportunity. Two or three times he drew the Saxons from their protecting wall by pretended flight, and as soon as their opponents were in the open, the fleeing Normans turned and easily destroyed them. At last, towards dark, Wil- liam ordered his bowmen to shoot their arrows into the air, so that they might come within the palisades from above. Many of the Saxons were thus wounded, and King Harold himself was killed by an arrow that pierced his eye. The Normans then burst through the fortifications, and though the king's body- guard fought until not a man was left, the Saxons were unable to resist, and the victory belonged to William. William had killed his rival and had destroyed a large Saxon army, but this did not make him king of England. He did not wish to receive the crown as a conqueror, but desired that the Witan should elect him even if he must force it to do so. He knew that the people would more readily receive him as king if he were elected by the Witan. Herein, as always, William showed an able and quick mind. Many stories are told of how the duke, by the quickness of his wit, accomplished much where most men would have failed. When he first stepped on British soil, in all the pride of a duke of Normandy, William fell flat upon the ground. His followers WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 55 were frightened, thinking that bad luck must follow such a fall; but William, grasping the soil with both hands, exclaimed, " I thus take possession of the soil of all England." Again it is said that, while making hurried preparations before the battle of Hastings, he began to put on his coat of mail back side front. His friends exclaimed at the evil omen, but William laughed and said, " See how the battle is to turn me around. No longer duke, I shall be king." The Witan, immediately after the death of Harold, met to choose his successor. Harold's children were too young, and his brothers were dead ; the Witan had no thought of choosing William, so it gave the throne to the boy Edgar, a distant rela- tive of Edward the Confessor. When William heard of the election of Edgar, he did not immediately march upon London, the capital of the kingdom. By leading his army in a round- about way he hoped to show the English nobles how strong his forces were, and how useless it would be to hold out against him. All southern England was at the mercy of the foreigner, for Edgar was too young to be a soldier, and had no uncle or other relative to raise an army in his behalf. He hastened to William's camp to yield himself, renouncing all claim to the throne. Now and then a noble joined the ranks of the con- queror, but for the most part they remained shut up in their castles. Duke William entered London in triumph, called the Witan together, presented his claims to the throne, and requested that he be elected king. The Witan was compelled to follow his bidding, and William the foreigner, the duke of Normandy, the vassal of the king of France, was crowned king of England in the year 1066. This is the third great date of English history — the last conquest of England by a foreign foe. Three years passed before William conquered the whole of England. Every noble who resisted him was declared a 56 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. traitor, and his lands were confiscated to the crown. These lands William divided among the Norman and French nobles who accompanied him, thereby changing the nobility from Saxon to Norman. This made a great revolution in English affairs. The new nobility spoke French, and pretended to have no knowledge of the English language; they had no interest in the common people, and were often tyrannous in their dealings with them. Their customs and habits were those of France, and thus England was drawn into closer rela- tions with the rest of Europe. The English people had now been made. Whatever changes have taken place since the time of the Conqueror have been due to the ordinary growth of a people, not to the ad- dition of a new race. We might say that they are such changes as make a boy into a man, for, as compared with the Englishmen of to-day, the people of England nine hundred years ago were but children. Let us see of what these English were composed. The Britons had been practically driven out by the Saxons. Their influence in later years was very slight, except in the extreme western portion of the island. We need scarcely consider them at all. Roman civilization had been destroyed by the coming of the Saxons. Was that an injury to England ? When pagan bar- ROCHESTER CAS'l II, WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. 57 barism took the place of Christian civilization, was it a serious disaster to England ? Perhaps not. Something in the stern in- dividuality of the Saxons — in their idea that one man was the equal of another, in their custom of permitting all the people to take part in governing the country — was of greater value than Roman civilization. Saxon civilization when it came, and it came soon, was founded on the idea that each citizen was a free man. Roman civilization had made the common man a slave or a serf, and granted rights and powers only to a few. Later came the Danes. During all these years of quiet pos- session of the island, the Saxons had become slothful, dull, lack- ing in energy. The Danes, in whom flowed the same blood as that of the Saxons, had retained their energetic manliness, and they waked the Saxons into life again. Though the coming of the. Normans was at first a curse to the English people, in time its good effects were seen. Though the Norman nobles remained aloof from the common people for a century or more, eventually they saw that their own interests would be best served by helping what they called the lower ranks. When the English thus became united, the old Saxon belief in the rights of the individual man was still active, while the Norman interest in the outside world kept the people in touch with Europe. Give an account of the Sagas. Tell the story of Rollo. Describe the accession of William to. the dukedom of Normandy. Tell the story of William's first battle. (live a brief account of the history of England from the time of Alfred to William. State William's pretended claims to the throne of England. Show how William made his preparations for the invasion of Eng- land. Describe the battle of Hastings. Tell the stories of William's tact. Describe William's plan for winning an election by the Witan. 53 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Show the character of the new nobility. State the effects upon the. English people of each of the foreign immigrations. Why did Rollo sail up the Seine rather than some other river? What was it that made a man of the young Duke William? How did Edward the Confessor prepare the way for William? If Harold had promised to aid William in his attempts to obtain the throne of England, was he morally bound to refuse the kingship himself? Which is of more im- portance in battle, courage or a strong position? Which is of more importance, numbers or a leader able to seize opportunities? Why did the arrows shot upwards do more harm than those shot straight? What are the first two great dates in English history? Front an old print. A NORMAN GALLEY. W mBSA CHAPTER VI. Thomas a Becket. 1117-1170. When William the Conqueror lay upon his deathbed, he divided his possessions among his three sons. He made Robert, the eldest, Duke of Normandy ; he gave to William the crown of England ; he asked Henry to be content with five thousand pounds of silver. William was naturally satisfied with his share. Robert demanded that England as well as Normandy be given to him, but Robert had frequently revolted against his father, and the Conqueror was only willing to give him that which he felt he must. Henry asked, " What good will the treasure do me if I have neither land nor house nor home?" " Take com- fort, my son," replied his father ; " it may be that one day thou shalt be greater than all." William II., or William Rufus, as he was named because of his red face, was one of the most cruel of kings. The thirteen years of his reign were chiefly given up to the gratification of his own pleasures. He traveled in various parts of England, stealing Go FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. and plundering wherever he went, and acting more like an out- law or a brigand than a king. He did not hesitate to take the widow's last ewe-lamb or to seize the last wisp of hay from a cow- herd's stable. His death was a fitting end to such a life. He went into the great forest one day for a hunt, and did not return. That night his body was found by a charcoal burner, who brought it to Winchester in his rude cart. Henry, William's younger brother, who was with the hunting party, hastened to London, where within four days he was anointed and crowned king. Henry the First, as he is called, because eight Henrys have been kings of England, immediately began to make himself more popular with the people than his brother had been. No objection had been made to the accession of William Rufus by the people of England, or to that of Henry I. The power of the Witan was gone; the nobles were quiet, and dared make no resistance. Robert of Normandy, however, laid claim to the throne of England, and attempted to take possession; but Henry defeated him and conquered Normandy besides. Thus the Con- queror's words of comfort to his youngest son proved to be prophetic. Robert was for a time Duke of Normandy ; William for a few years ruled England; and Henry for nearly thirty-five years reigned over both countries. Henry was very proud of his children, and, being an am- bitious man, he desired to make himself more powerful through their marriages. For his son William he asked the hand of Alice, who was called the "noble maid of Anjou " (On-zho6). Anjou, one of the central provinces of France, was an important country, and would make a strong alliance with England and Normandy. Accordingly William, then seventeen years of age, was married with great splendor and pomp to the twelve-year- old Alice. As the bridal party was ready to set sail for England, Thomas Fitz-Stephens, a seaman, approached the king and stated that his THOMAS A BECKET. 61 0/. "£^g \.jiZ I father had had the honor of carrying the king's father, William, to the conquest of England. He begged that his beautiful new vessel, the White Ship, with fifty strong oarsmen, might carry the present king. Henry replied that his arrangements had been made, but that perhaps Prince William would accept the offer ; and the king sailed away, taking the little bride with him. The imprudent, open-hearted Wil- liam presented to the crew of the WJiite Ship three casks of wine to drink to his health and the success of the voyage, and, as might be expected with a drunken crew, the noble ship with its royal passenger went upon the rocks, and all were lost. Terrible was the grief of King Henry. Both his sons had died, and his daughter Ma- tilda alone was left him. 'His pride and love were now cen- tered in her, and he determined that she should succeed him and be queen of England. For this purpose he sought a powerful prince to whom he might marry her, and chose Geoffrey, the young Duke of Anjou, brother of Alice. Geoffrey and Matilda had been married six years when Henry, the hope of his grandfather, was born. When Henry I. died, Matilda was at the court of her hus- band in Anjou. The nearest claimant to the throne of Eng- land, after Matilda, was her cousin Stephen. He claimed the throne on the ground that, while Matilda was a woman, he was a man, and while Henry was a babe, he was of age and in the English Possessions in_1185 P 1 fiLonrritnrie front 4 G 62 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. full powers of manhood. Though the barons had sworn to support Matilda, Stephen was welcomed by the people and was proclaimed king. His coronation was followed by a devastat- ing civil war. Matilda was long unsuccessful in her attempts to obtain the throne of England for herself or her son, but finally an agreement was reached by which Stephen disinher- ited his own children and made young Henry his heir. The next year Stephen died, and Henry II., already Duke of Nor- mandy and Count of Anjou, became King of England. By his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine (Ak'-we-tan'), he added that vast province to his domain, making himself the greatest ruler in Europe, — the whole of England and more than half of France forming his possessions. Stephen was the last of the four Norman kings. Henry II. was the first of a new line called the Angevin kings, or the fam- ily of Anjou. He was also called Plantagenet (Plan-taj'-e-net), because the counts of Anjou wore in their helmets a bit of broom-plant — plantc being the French word for " plant," and genet for " broom." Henry II. was a foreign king, but he was also partly English. His grandfather, Henry I., had married Edith of Scotland, who could trace her line back to Alfred the Great, and this drop of English blood endeared Henry to his English subjects, making it much easier for him to govern his kingdom. As soon as he came to the throne, Henry found that there was plenty of work for him to do. The long wars between Matilda and Stephen, the frequent struggles between Stephen and the barons, and Stephen's own worthlessness as king had left England weak and discouraged. The treasury was empty, and the people were taxed to the utmost ; the laws were not enforced, and life and property were nowhere safe. Henry proved himself an able king. He was ever busy. He never sits down," said a friend; " he is always on his legs THOMAS A BECKET. 63 from morning till night." During his long reign England grew and prospered in spite of frequent quarrels between the king and his subjects. In the administration of the government he was greatly assisted by his right-hand man, the chancellor, Thomas k Becket. An interesting and per- haps true story is told about Thomas's father and mother. Gilbert a Becket was a young and rich London merchant who, with a single com- panion named Richard, traveled in the far East. He fell into misfortune, was captured, and was enslaved by a Saracen prince. While in captivity, Gilbert was be- loved by his master's daughter, who offered to help him escape, and with his compan- ion he succeeded in returning to England. Though he forgot the black-eyed Saracen maiden, she remembered him and deter- mined to follow him even to the ends of the earth. Leaving home, she hastened to the wharves, and by crying, " Gilbert! Gilbert!" attracted the attention of some English sailors. The only other English word she knew was " London," and the sailors, taking com- passion on her, carried her to the capital of England. Here again she took up the cry of " Gilbert ! Gilbert!" and after days of wandering chanced to meet Richard as she was passing Becket's house. Her wanderings were over, for Gilbert, on the THE SARACEN MAIDEN IN LONDON. 64 FIRST STEPS IX THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. advice of the bishop, married her, and she became the mother of Thomas a Becket, the future chancellor and archbishop of England. Young Thomas was well educated as a rich man's son, and at his father's death inherited great wealth. He was of a re- ligious nature, but was not trained as either priest or monk. Though his outer robes were soft and rich, he wore next to the skin a hair shirt, in order that its roughness might remind him of his sins. lie was a strong, athletic man of fine countenance and striking appearance. With the nobles he was very popular, and even the king attended his banquets. Such a man quickly attracted the attention of King Henry. He saw that Becket would be of great assistance to him, and he accordingly made him his chancellor, or prime minister. What- ever the king determined, the duty of the chancellor was to see that it was done. The wealth of Becket was also of advantage to the king; it prevented the chancellor from desiring to make use of the royal money, and it permitted him to rival kings in his pomp and magnificence. On one occasion Henry sent his chancellor to the king of France to ask him to give his daughter Margaret in marriage to Prince Henry, the heir of England. Becket set out, attended by two hundred men on horseback clad in armor and gay robes. Following them, each drawn by five horses, came eight wagons filled with provisions and necessities for travel. Two contained only casks of ale, an English drink which, the French greatly prized; one was fitted up for a kitchen, and another for a chapel. The procession was magnificent in the extreme, and it caused the people to say, " If such be the chancellor, what must the king be ! " Closely associated as the king and his chancellor were, the king did not understand Becket. As chancellor, Becket knew no law save that of his king, and Henry supposed that this THOMAS A BECKET. 65 would be true in whatever position Becket was placed. In order to be absolutely supreme in England, Henry found that he must accomplish one more thing. He must make the Church subordinate to him. The head of the Church in England was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he claimed to be as surely the spiritual ruler of the people of England as Henry was their temporal king. It so happened that the A-rchbishop of Canter- bury died while Becket was at the court of France. Henry determined to make his faithful chancellor the new archbishop, trusting that thus he could control the Church. He sent for Becket and privately offered him the position. Becket, point- ing to his gorgeous apparel, said, " You are choosing a pretty dress to figure as the head of your monks of Canterbury. If you do as you say, my lord, you will soon hate me as much as you love me now, for you assume an authority in church affairs to which I should not consent." Henry did not heed the warning; perhaps he thought the chancellor was joking. Becket was chosen for the position and duly consecrated. The magnificent banquets were at an end, the gay robes were laid aside, and the archbishop's dress was assumed. Becket was consistent and honest. As chancellor he obeyed every order of his master the king; as archbishop he devoted every energy to the strengthening of the Church. A quarrel was not slow in coming. For many centuries the Church had had a peculiar privilege; it had been permitted to try all churchmen who had been accused of any offense. By churchmen were meant not only bishops and priests and monks, but every clerk and servant in their employ. For example, if an ignorant woodsman, cutting wood for his master, the bishop, was accused of murdering a fellow-laborer, he was tried only in the church courts. This law had some peculiar results. Among the worst was that rogues and crim- inals were able to escape due punishment from the king's courts 5 66 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. by claiming that they were churchmen. The king and his friends asserted that the church courts were not just; that their punishments were not always in proportion to the crime; and that all the people should be treated alike and tried in the same courts. King Henry was honest in his beliefs and claims, and his ideas are accepted in civilized countries to-day. Archbishop AM ERBURV CA 1 lll.i'K VL Becket, though we think him mistaken, was also honest and sincere. He believed that he was upholding God and His will in preventing the first step toward weakening the power of the Church. Henry summoned his councilors to meet at Clarendon to revise the ancient laws. He presented a set of resolutions called THOMAS A BECKET. 6/ the Constitutions of Clarendon, which distinctly set forth the laws and powers of the king's courts, and asked his councilmen to sign an agreement to these resolutions. The bishops at first agreed among 'themselves that it was a just request, but they carried the matter to the archbishop for advice. Strongly and persistently Becket said, " No." Me would sign the constitu- tion only after the words "saving our order" were inserted. By this he meant that he would uphold all laws of the kingdom, except those that interfered with the privileges of the Church. The king was even more persistent than the archbishop, and Becket finally yielded and signed. Hardly had the ink become dry upon his pen, when Becket repented of what he considered his sin. He inflicted severe penance upon himself, and re- mained concealed at Canterbury until he had persuaded the Pope to absolve him. Then he announced to King Henry that his signature was valueless because of the absolution granted him by the Pope. The quarrel became very bitter. Becket feared for his life and fled to France. Here he remained several years, sometimes upheld by the Pope, sometimes urged by him to yield; some- times supported by the king of France, sometimes in great dan- ger when King Louis wished to please the king of England. Finally Henry found that he must have an archbishop of Can- terbury. During Becket's absence there was no government of the Church, and human nature showed itself in quarrels among the bishops and priests; so Henry called Becket back to Eng- land. The archbishop returned, realizing that it was at the risk of his life. Becket at once incurred the hatred of the king by punishing some bishops who had obeyed the king's orders. When Henry heard of this act, he forgot himself in his anger, and exclaimed. " Will none of the cowards who eat my bread rid me of the low- born priest ?" Four knights who heard this complaint consid- 68 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. ered it an order and hurried at once to Canterbury. Becket knew of their coming, but refused to let the churchmen barri- cade the cathedral. When the knights burst into the church, they called out, "Where is the traitor Becket ?" In all his dig- nity, Becket stepped before them, saying, " Here is the arch- bishop, but no traitor." In spite of the sanctity of the place the knights murdered him with shocking brutality. THE ATTACK ON ARCHBISHOP BECKET. Henry's hasty remark had brought its natural result. At the same time it proved a death-blow to the Constitutions of Clarendon. The Pope declared the dead bishop a saint. ^ The churchmen considered Becket a martyr in a righteous cause, and were thereby strengthened in their determination to resist the king. The people of England, feeling that Becket was one of them, as he had risen from the common ranks, and remem- THOMAS A BECKET. 6 9 Bering the archbishop's liberality to the poor and his kindness to all classes, almost without exception agreed with the churchmen that he was a martyr. Henry was displeased by the reverence paid to his memory, and ordered that he should not be called Saint Thomas of Canterbury, but Bishop Thomas a Becket. thesis, Misfortunes seemed to follow Henry for terbury pilgrim.* several years after the murder of Becket, and he felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to Canterbury, and even to order the monks to beat him over the shoulders with a knotted cord. As a final absolution, he began preparations to go on a crusade to help recover Jerusalem from the infidels. King Henry's command made little change in the attitude of the people. No saint in England was ever more popular than Saint Thomas of Canterbury, and the successes that followed the king's penance were thought to be due to the intervention of the saint. A magnificent chapel was erected to his memory in the new cathedral at Canterbury, and miracles were claimed to be wrought at his grave. For centuries pilgrimages were made to his tomb by rich and poor, by kings and by the common people. The first great poem in the English language, Chau- cer's " Canterbury Tales," is the story of one such pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas a Becket. Tell how William the Conqueror divided his possessions among his three sons. Describe the character of William Rufus. Explain the fulfillment of the Conqueror's prophecv. Tell the story of the White Ship. State the claims of the two rivals to the throne of England — Stephen and Matilda. Explain the meanings of the words "Angevin" and " Plantagenet." * These "signs," or brooches, on which was represented the head of Saint Thomas, were worn by Canterbury pilgrims. JO FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Describe Henry's character and the beginning of his reign. Tell the story of the Sara< en maiden. Describe Becket's character: his extravagance ; his journey to France; his appointment as archbishop. Explain the quarrel between Henry and the Church. (live an account of the Constitutions of Clarendon. Describe Becket's remorse ; his flight; his return; his death. State the results of becket's death. liy the law of primogeniture, to whom did the throne belong — Stephen or Matilda? Of what nationalities were the kings of England previous to limn [I.? We are nol certain of the truth of the story of the Saracen maiden ; is it a probable story? Is a rich man less likelv to steal from the government than a poor man? What was meant by becket's expression, " saving our order "? A SPRAY 01 I III. BROi >M-P1 AN I . CHAPTER VII. Richard Lion-heart. 1157-1199. While Henry II. was strengthening his kingdom and quar- reling with his former friend the archbishop, he was having plenty of trouble in his own family. Each of his four sons was at one time or another engaged in rebellion against him. Henry, the eldest, gave his father the most anxiety. At one time the king unwisely had young Henry crowned, so that there might be no question of the succession when he himself should die. After a time Prince Henry quarreled with his father and fled to France. There he called himself king of England, claiming that in crowning him his father had yielded the throne to him. The prince was married to a daughter of Louis VII., and con- sequently obtained assistance from France. A petty war fol- lowed, broken now and then by pretended reconciliation be- tween father and son, but not really ended until Prince Henry died, several years before his father. The second son. Richard, was associated with his older 72 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. brother in this quarrel with their father. The third son, Geof- frey, was also engaged in the rebellion, and died two years before his brother Henry. Even after both Henry and Geoffrey had died, Richard continued the war, until finally King Henry determined to make peace on whatever terms he could. A treaty was drawn up in which Richard was acknowledged as heir, and Richard's followers agreed to swear allegiance once more to Henry. At the end of the treaty were the signatures of the leaders of the rebellion. ' Who are they, the ungrateful traitors ? Let me hear their names," cried the king, when the treaty was read to him. The secretary began, " John, Count of Montain." 'John! John! It cannot be true! My beloved son; he whom I cherished beyond the rest! Can he also have deserted me ? " When told that it was true, he said faintly, " Let the rest go as it will ; I care not what becomes of me or the world." King Henry, after a brilliant reign of thirty-five years, died deserted by all his family. His last words were, " Shame, shame on a conquered king. Cursed be the day I was born." Richard alone mourned for his father; in the agony of his re- morse he cried, " Yes, it is I who killed him." Richard succeeded his father as king of England and ruler of half of France. England saw little of her new king; during the eleven years of his reign Richard spent but eight months on the island, making two short visits. The first was for the coronation and to obtain the necessary funds to carry out his father's wish to go on a crusade. The crusaders were bands and armies of men who " took the cross," as it was said, and went to rescue the Holy Land from the Saracens. The first crusade had taken place about a century before the time of Richard, and had resulted in the capture of Jerusalem and the establishment of a Christian king- RICHARD LION-HEART. 73 dom in Palestine. A few years before the accession of Richard, however, the Mohammedan Turks had attacked and conquered the kingdom, and had made Jerusalem a Turkish province. It was to recover Jerusalem to Christianity that Richard and his allies undertook this third crusade. Richard entered into the expedition with the greatest en- thusiasm, seeming to care more for the crusade than for his own kingdom of England. He made use of every means for obtain- ing money; he sold rights and favors to the nobles, and allowed many cities to purchase the privilege of self-government. When some one criticised the king for selling so much, Richard ex- claimed, " I would sell London itself if I could find a purchaser." When all was ready, Richard crossed the Channel with a large army, and made a union with Philip Augustus, king of France. The two armies set out together and marched to the Mediterranean coast. There they embarked in two great fleets and set sail for Sicily. Meanwhile Emperor Frederick of Ger- many, who had also taken the crusader's vow, had preceded his allies. He reached Asia Minor, only to be drowned in a little river in Cilicia (Se-lish'-e-a). From Sicily the allied fleet sailed eastward. Philip Augus- tus arrived safely at Acre in Syria, but one of Richard's vessels was separated from the others in a storm, and wrecked upon the coast of the island of Cyprus. Comnenus, the so-called emperor of the island, showed the shipwrecked people great discourtesy, ill-treated the crew, and forbade the princesses to land. When Richard heard of his cruelty, he forgot the crusade for a time, and sailing at once for Cyprus, he conquered the entire island, and captured the Emperor Comnenus. To please the captured ruler, Richard granted his one request, that his chains should be of silver and not of iron. These chains Com- nenus bore with great dignity the four remaining years of his life. 74 FIRST STEPS IN" THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Expecting to receive aid from Europe, Guy de Lusignan (Gl deh Lu-sen-yon'), the former king of Jerusalem, had already laid siege to the city of Acre, a formidable stronghold on the coast. Leopold of Austria arrived first with the remnant of Frederick's ami}-; next came Philip Augustus. These addi- tional forces simply increased the famine among the besiegers; but when Richard arrived, he brought supplies from the newly captured island of Cyprus. King Richard took up the siege with energy, but troubles ■ - i/5sT JsJf. - Wf, 'J CRETF __ i/Ilolilliais THE Koi i E ' >! I Mi: 1 IIIRD CRUSADE. soon broke out in camp. Philip Augustus became jealous because so many of the French soldiers deserted to join the English, attracted by Richard's brilliant deeds of daring. The climate also proved unhealthful, and both kings were attacked by fever. A story that is told of how Richard obtained the nourishing food he needed, better illustrates the courtesy of the enemy than the truthfulness of the English. Richard sent a deputy to the canij) of Saladin, the Mohammedan caliph, who had come to the neighborhood in the hope of relieving the city. The dep- uty, meeting Saladin's brother Aftal, said: " It is the custom of RICHARD LION-HEART. 75 our kings to make each other presents even in time of war. My master wishes to offer something worthy of the Sultan." ' The present shall be well received," replied Aftal, " so that we offer other in return." We have falcon and other birds of prey," said the deputy, " which have suffered much from the voyage and are dying of hunger. Would it please you to give us some poul- try to feed them ? When recovered they shall be a gift to the Sultan." Say, rather, ' ' re- turned Aftal, " that your master is ill and wishes for poultry. He shall have what he will." Not only was the promise kept, but pres- ents of Damascus pears, Syrian grapes, and moun- tain snow were sent to the camp. On his recov- ery, King Richard pushed the siege with vigor, and Salad in was compelled to surrender the city. After a three years' siege the Christians entered Acre, and the French and English standards were planted on the tallest towers. One act of King Richard at this time had great effect upon his future life, as we shall see. When Duke Leopold of .Aus- tria, assuming the rights of a king, planted his standard also upon the wall, the anger of Richard was aroused. lie ordered that the flag be torn down and thrown into the ditch. Leopold SALADIN. y6 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. was unable to retaliate, but he brooded over the insult, and waited his time for revenge, that came all too soon for Richard. Philip Augustus became more and more jealous of the grow- ing popularity of King Richard, and when Acre was taken, he declared that he had fulfilled his vow and was going home. When Richard heard of Philip's intentions, he said, " If my brother, the king, feels ill, or is afraid of dying in Palestine, I should be loath to keep him, but I should consider it an eternal disgrace to turn back before the work is accomplished." The king of France returned to his country, however, while Richard attacked and conquered Ascalon (As'-ka-lon). Before proceeding fur- ther, he determined to repair the fortifications of that city. The soldiers grumbled at doing this work, but Richard worked with them, and called upon Duke Leopold to do the same. Leo- pold's sulky reply, " I am not the son of a mason," so angered Richard that he struck the duke. Thereupon Leopold also left the army, and led his forces home. Richard continued to march toward Jerusalem, but he was again taken sick with the fever. His army had been so weak- ened by the withdrawals of Philip Augustus, Leopold, and other leaders, that it was evidently much too small to accomplish its purpose. The king reached the very neighborhood of Jeru- salem, but felt compelled even then to give up the contest. When the soldiers asked to proceed a short distance and see Jerusalem, Richard replied, " Alas! those who are not worthy to win the holy city are not worthy to behold it." During the entire crusade Richard had met with many dis- couragements, but he ever earned the right to be called " the lion-hearted." At one time he with a small band was separated from the main army, when he was attacked by the Saracens with a force seven times his own. Undaunted, the king formed his little band into a compact body, the knights resting on one knee, holding their shields over them, and pointing their lances RICHARD LION-HEART. 77 outward. Between each two knights he placed an archer with an assistant to load his crossbow; he himself stood in the cen- ter encouraging his men, and threatening to kill the first who showed fear. Attack after attack was made by the Saracens, but each time they were repelled. Finally Richard ordered his force to advance, keeping close to- gether as before, and the Sara- cens were driven from the field. Many similar acts showing great bravery and a fearless KIU1AKI) AT THE SIEGE OF ACRE. courage placed him, in the opinion of the Saracens, in the first rank of the Christian warriors. His name was feared, as well as respected, by all the Turks of Asia. In fact, it is said that for many centuries Saracen mothers used to quiet their children with King Richard's name. " Behave, or Melik Rik will be 78 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. after you," was sufficient to frighten the naughtiest child into obedience. A treat}- was made between the Sultan and Richard, by which pilgrims were to be allowed free access to Jerusalem. The treaty was drawn up in accordance with certain peculiar customs of the Saracens, to last for three years, three months, three weeks, three days, three hours, and three minutes. When Richard sailed from Palestine, shedding tears as its shores re- ceded in the distance, he exclaimed, " Oh, Holy Land, I com- mend thee and thy people unto God! May He grant me yet to return and aid thee." Richard's misfortunes were not ended. Having been ship- wrecked, he was captured by Duke Leopold and imprisoned in one of the castles in Germany. A pretty story, that may be true, is told of the way in which he was found by his friends. Richard had been educated in southern France, and was skilled in composing the troubadour songs of that region. One of these songs that he prized highly was known only to himself and his companion Blonde) i Blon'-del'). When Blon- del learned that Richard was confined in some German castle, he sought out these castles one by one, and standing under the windows, sang the first stanza of the favorite song. One day his patience was rewarded, for as he stood by a castle wall, even before he began to sing, he heard the voice of his be- loved friend singing that first stanza. Blondel immediately took up the second stanza, and thus Richard knew that his imprisonment would soon be over. Nor was Richard mistaken, for all England, except his brother John, greatly loved its warrior king. The Pope was appealed to, that he might influence the emperor to release King Richard, and vast sums of money were collected for his ransom. Henry, the emperor, was compelled to bring him to trial on the charges which were brought against him, and all of RICHARD LION-HEART. 79 them were quickly found to be causeless. Henry set free his captive and accepted the ransom. On his return to England Richard was received with the greatest rejoicing. His brother John had attempted to obtain the kingdom during his absence, but had failed, and had even been convicted of treason while Richard was on his way home. John hastened to declare his repentance, and beg his brother's forgiveness. Richard, remembering his own rebellion, frankly for- gave him, saying, " Would that I could forget your offense as soon as you will forget my forgive- ness ! " Richard had been in England less than two months when war with Philip Augustus called him to Normandy. Philip was defeated in this war, but Richard was obliged, by continued rebellions, to remain in France. Nor- mandy, especially, was restless under the rule of a duke who was considered a foreigner. In order to hold Normandy, Richard built a huge fortress, whose ruins still show it to have been one of the strongest of the Middle Ages. Richard was very proud of it and called it his " pretty child " ; but Philip watched its walls rise with increasing anger. " I would take it, were its walls of iron," he exclaimed. " I would hold it, were its walls of butter," Richard returned. RI< HARD LION-HEAR 1 . 8o FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. The ransom of the king was so enormous that every English- man was compelled to contribute a fourth part of his property ; the many wars and Richard's new castle nearly drained the country of money, and at last the people refused to furnish more. Once, when in special need, Richard heard that a treas- ure had been discovered by one of his barons. According to the laws of the day, the finder should turn over such treasure to the king; but the baron refused, saying that " treasure in gold belonged to the king, while treasure in silver should be halved." In the attack on the castle that followed the king was fatally wounded by an arrow shot from the walls. The fortress was captured, and all the garrison were put to death, except the youth who shot the arrow. He was brought to King Richard as he lay dying. ' What have I done that you should seek my life ? " said the king. " With your own hand you slew my father and my two brothers," replied the youth. ' Torture me as you will, I shall die content, if I know that I have slain one who has inflicted so many miseries on mankind." Richard always admired bravery wherever he saw it. " Take off his chains," he ordered. " I forgive him because he believes he has been wronged." With this act of generosity, Richard Lion-heart, the hero of the third crusade, died after a reign of eleven years. Describe Henry's rebellion ; Richard's rebellion. Tell the story of the last days of Henry II. Explain the crusades. Describe Richard's preparations. Give an account of the shipwreck of the crusaders and its results. Describe the siege of Acre. Give an account of the interview between the Turk and the Christian. State the causes for the departure of Philip Augustus ; the departure of Leopold. RICHARD LION-HEART. 8 1 Give an illustration of Richard's bravery. Describe the treaty with the Turks. Tell the story of Blondel's quest. Give an account of the last days of King Richard. Why did King Henry love John the best of his sons? Which did Henry consider of more importance, a successful reign or a happy family? How did Richard help the common people of England? Was the help intentional? Was the request of Comnenus a sensible one? Are truly brave men jealous of the bravery of others? Were the Turks always without humanity? How strong was the crusading spirit in the hearts of Philip Augustus and Leopold? Was it physical courage alone that won Richard's battles? Are there any improbabilities in the story of Blondel's quest? THE ROYAL ARMS OF ENGLAND FROM RICHARD I. TO EDWARD HI. ""•WS BftR<2>»$- CHAPTER VIII. John. 1166 1216. During the many hundreds of years of its history, England has had many rulers. Its kings, like other men, have been of all sorts and descriptions — some good, some bad, and some of little account. If we were asked to name the model king of England, we should agree on Alfred as being all that a king ought to be. If we seek for a ruler who was all that a king should not be, we find him in John. Alfred was a model king be- cause he was unselfish; whatever he did was for the best in- terests of the nation. As a result, he established his kingdom firmly, and at the same time made his own power secure. John, on the other hand, was selfish, and cared for no other interest than his own. As a result, the country grew weaker throughout his reign, and he himself lost all power. One of Alfred's most noticeable traits was his ability to win the friendship of all classes. He desired to make a united king- dom, to have each of his subjects ready to stand by him in all JOHN. 83 emergencies. John, both before and after taking the throne, quarreled with everybody. We have read how his rebellion broke his father's heart ; and we have seen how, when his brother was a captive and in prison, John showed himself a traitor. When Richard died, John seized the throne and ignored the claims of his nephew Arthur. This young prince was called Arthur of Brittany, because his mother was the duchess of that province. His father was Geoffrey, the third son of Henry II. According to modern custom, he alone had the right to the throne. John, being the youngest son of his father, had no right whatever so long as Arthur lived. Notwithstanding, the people of England, though they hated John, could not, or did not, make any opposition when he seized the throne. John was on the spot and was a man grown, while Arthur was across the sea in France and was a child. In France, conditions were different. On the death of Rich- ard, Arthur was immediately proclaimed Count of Anjou. Nor- mandy also would not accept John, and the king of France upheld the rights of Arthur. Naturally, John was not content to rule only the smallest part of his kingdom. In the war that followed, Arthur was defeated and fell into the hands of his uncle, who immediately began to scheme how to destroy him. With Arthur dead there would be no longer a claimant to the throne. The twelve-year-old prince was shut up in a castle. For- tunately his keeper became attached to the boy, and for some time he was able to frustrate the plans of the wicked uncle. At one time John tried to persuade Arthur to trust himself to him. " Will you not trust to the gentleness, the friendship, and the truthfulness of your loving uncle ?" asked the king. " Let him restore to me my kingdom of England, and then come and ask the question," replied Arthur. 8 4 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. This spirited answer greatly incensed the king, who deter- mined that nothing should now prevent the death of the prince. Once he sent a ruffian to put out Arthur's eyes, knowing that the English people would never accept a blind ruler. The kind jailer prevented this cruel deed. Sev- eral other attempts failed, but at last the boy disappeared. It was whispered that the king himself had killed Arthur. Whether this was so or not no one was ever able to discover, but John surely would not have hesitated to do so dreadful a thing if he thought it was for his interests. At any rate there was no longer a claimant to the Eng- lish throne; John had reached the height of his ambition, and was sole ruler of all his father's possessions. Many years before, when he was a child, his father had divided his possessions among the three oldest boys, and had laughingly said to his youngest, " We shall have to call you Lackland, for there is nothing left for you." Now John had it all; but he was not to keep it. The king of France, who claimed to be the overlord of all the French provinces, whether owned by French noblemen or From the painting by Nartluote. PRINCE ARTHUR AND THE RUFFIAN. JOHN. 85 the king of England, began to investigate the ugly rumors con- cerning John. He ordered the king to come before him for trial for the murder of Arthur. John did not dare to go. There- fore the French king declared that John's territories in France were forfeited, and with a large army he took possession of Nor- mandy and Anjou, leaving to John nothing but a small province in the southern part of France. The story is told that John, while on a hunting trip, became mired in a slough near the ancient town of Alnwick (An'-nik). His anger was terrible, and from spite he swore that all the freemen of the town should have the same experience. Con- sequently, when the young men became of age, they were com- pelled, in all their holiday dress, to flounder through this stag- nant pool. This strange ceremony, called " going through the well," continued almost up to the present day. It is not surprising that a man with such a temper should be in a continual quarrel. The power of the old council, the Witan, had ceased, and there was no high authority to say him nay in anything. John ruled without law; he oppressed all classes. lie compelled the nobles to give him their treasure, and sought to control the Church in order that he might use its wealth. He set about this in very much the same way as his father had. The bishops had elected a new archbishop of Can- terbury; the king declared this election void, and demanded that one of his own dependants should be appointed to fill the position. This was done. The matter being referred to Rome, the Pope declared both elections illegal, and ordered the bishops to elect Stephen Langton, a man of great learning and holiness. Now, of all men in his kingdom, John hated Langton the most. The quarrel waxed hot and furious. John refused to permit Langton to act, and the question was once more referred to the Pope. Consequently, because John refused to obey the command of the head of the Church, who assumed power over 86 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. all kings and princes, he was excommunicated. Not only was the king excluded from the communion and all other rights and privileges of the Church, but the whole nation was forced to suffer for the wilfulness of its ruler. England was placed under an interdict. For six years no church-bells were rung through- out the land, church services were not held, and the dead were buried only in unconsecrated ground. Not in the least cared John. He had no more reverence for God than he had for man. Finally, as a further punishment, the Pope deposed him and gave England to the son of the king of France. Even then John laughed at the Pope, but when an army was collected to attack England, he became frightened and yielded everything. He begged the Pope's forgiveness; he promised to receive Langton ; and even took the extraordinary step of giving his kingdom to the Pope and receiving it back as a fief. Thus by humiliating himself and his kingdom he won the goodwill of the Pope and saved himself at the last moment. Every act of John made him enemies. The barons had been opposed to him from the beginning of his reign, and he had taken no pains to gain their friendship. They were becoming more powerful every year, and more and more Englishmen, with English interests and tastes. They saw that John was doing as great an injury to the whole people as to themselves. At last, under the leadership of Stephen Langton, they de- manded that John sign a paper stating what were the rights of the English people, and restoring to them their liberties. The plans of the nobles were made so secretly that John was taken completely by surprise. ' Why do they not ask my kingdom ? " he cried. ' I will never grant such liberties as will make me a slave." When he found that not only the barons, but the whole people were against him, and that on his side were but seven knights, he was forced to yield. A council was held on a marshy meadow, called Runnymcde (Run'-i-med), JOHN. 87 > by Chappel. KING JOHN SIGNING MAGNA CARTA. on the banks of the Thames. John was angry and vowed ven- geance, but the barons were firm. Sulkily he placed his name at the foot of the paper which they had drawn up. The great charter, or Magna Carta, as it is called from its Latin name, 88 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. was thus signed on the 15th of June, 121 5. This is the fourth great date of English history — the laying of the foundation of English liberties. By the charter the king promised that no person should be imprisoned unless he had a legal trial, and that all English- men, peasant and noble, should have the same free and speedy justice. He also agreed that henceforth no taxes should be % V I A f r Ml 1 Wnn^VtU guji lW. Was byk D^i^nu^ 4{-f4Lrf ?fyi .0». jt rcnota^.lj7>rnlU$ .^cmmVj OuIum stt\-h!b I'TJ^ii $$1 C^wiffAut AUciuo raoNs ocHroat-.tifclupcum WmafiiccluH cum. tmrtemul mftj? Fe 1 iiwfim pNnurtj -(uou tup tc«