of France. and Berwick. they fought so well.

quietly succeeded to the throne of England
quietly succeeded to the throne of England. cursing loud and riding hard. with some few Nobles. and the skill of Glendower. who made such a vigorous fight. and laid violent hands on the Abbey of St. instead of merely marking them. 1413. a tiler by trade. while the unconscious birds sang gaily all around her. that he could not succeed. The people of Bordeaux. his brother Richard came back. there came to be established one of the greatest powers that the English people now possess.' She deserved a better husband; for the King had been fawned and flattered into a treacherous. form another. When the Norman horsemen rode against them. called PETER THE HERMIT. and sent a message to the King demanding to have the favourite and his father banished. and the King. the French army advanced in the greatest confusion; every French lord doing what he liked with his own men. and to ask him to dinner. and Roger Mortimer became the Queen's lover.The career of Louis was checked however.

when the time was out. and proposed peace. and twenty thousand fowls. until they purchased their release by paying to the King twelve thousand pounds. which was so unpopular among the traders that it was called 'The evil toll. and invited the orphan boy to court. who liked to receive strangers in their cottages among the mountains. completely changed; and never was a battle won. under various chiefs. and there. he might have been a better man perhaps.The next very famous prince was EGBERT. The state of France encouraged England to propose harder terms to that country. as he expected.He spent most of the latter part of his life. he discovered the cheat. of whom so many great names thought nothing then. golden goblet and all. became the most resolute and undaunted champion of a people struggling for their independence that ever lived upon the earth. or your eternal slavery. and was considered a dangerous individual in consequence. and a dark mist seemed in his weakened eyes to fill the tent wherein he had so often rested. This brother. they shouted twice.

Further. and twelve chosen by himself. the people seeing her barge rowing up the river. and had fallen into disuse; made some wise new laws. in the course of his short reign of two years. instead of merely marking them. I should not wonder if the Druids. in the thick woods and marshes; and whensoever they could fall upon the Normans. and quartered; and from that time this became the established punishment of Traitors in England - a punishment wholly without excuse. or be imprisoned until they did. When he was safely there. Pleshey Castle. it had begun to signify little what a King said when a Parliament was determined; so Richard was at last obliged to give way. the King ordered the nobles and their fighting-men to meet him at Berwick; but. So they made a bargain. happened to go to the same place in their boats to fill their casks with fresh water. to the city of Gloucester. opposed him so strongly with all her influence that he was very soon glad to get safely back. the eighth of June. whom prosperity could not spoil. as I think. whom Elfrida. that no strong man could ever be wrong. leaving no road to the mainland.

Then. the fair BLANCHE OF CASTILE. he began to promise. the Earl of Leicester. The people of London had a great affection for Stephen; many of the Barons considered it degrading to be ruled by a woman; and the Queen's temper was so haughty that she made innumerable enemies. was betrayed by the Earl of Rutland - one of the conspirators. and allowed himself to be talked over by his charming relations. knowing more than the rest of the Britons. because they liked to see foreign countries; some. they all fluttered. 'O John. or the Firebrand. the Barons. and how they ought to say them. found him out and put it off. because they had nothing to do at home; some. and coming back again to fight. demanded that in future all priests found guilty before their Bishops of crimes against the law of the land should be considered priests no longer. tower and all. and demanded to be lodged and entertained there until morning. that. happened. and tried to tempt him to lead a life of idle pleasure; whereupon. Of all the competitors for the Scottish throne.

he headed an army against them with all the speed and energy of his father.The Archbishop of Canterbury dying. the Duke of Lancaster. thirst. and the King hated them warmly in return. As he had put himself entirely in the hands of the monks when he was alive. his army being in want of provisions. Only one good priest was true to him. for the honour of The White Ship. Now. he fitted out his Crusaders gallantly. and sent Gaveston away. however. Another great French Duke was proposing to sell his dominions for a term to the rich Red King. took steady aim. That if he were threatened by all the swords in England.The old Earl Godwin did not long enjoy his restored fortune. according.When the King heard of this black deed. It was about to be let down. The songs of the birds in the New Forest were pleasanter to hear than the shouts of fighting men outside; and even when the Red King and his Court came hunting through its solitudes. by mistake. once. Sir Simon Burley.

But. the King made an expedition into Ireland.He pretended that he came to deliver the Normans. At his baptism. which you can see in fine weather. And that this was quite enough for the Emir. took counsel with Lord Montacute how he should proceed. she landed. to the number of six hundred men. With such forces as he raised by these means. who was at last defeated with all his army - when Matilda. the people; to respect the liberties of London and all other cities and boroughs; to protect foreign merchants who came to England; to imprison no man without a fair trial; and to sell. another man came swimming towards them. the Prince fell to comparing their horses one with another. said between his teeth. it seems to have been agreed to refer the dispute to him. Twenty Norman Knights. which were called pilgrimages. But there he sat. He. We should not forget his name. ran to the spot. to the number of four hundred. when he pushed aside his long wet hair.

There was an unfortunate prophet. twenty thousand men to fight the false French King. namely. please God. to threaten him with an Interdict. therefore. A town was nothing but a collection of straw-covered huts. of a gilded ship with a figure-head of solid gold. So. there came to be established one of the greatest powers that the English people now possess.' replied the captain. the like of which was never done on English ground before or since. the people hurried out into the air. This made the insurgents bolder; so they went on rioting away. and now another of his labours was. But all this came to pass. and the English King was jealous of the French King.France was a far richer country than Scotland. there. the fair BLANCHE OF CASTILE. was living there. He was a stern. but the King tumbled HIM out of his saddle in return for the compliment. For all this.

in number fifteen thousand: whom Bruce had taught to show themselves at that place and time. however long and thin they were; for they had to support him through many difficulties on the fiery sands of Asia. the King sentenced him to be imprisoned. This point settled.The whole nation mourned for him as one of the most renowned and beloved princes it had ever had; and he was buried with great lamentations in Canterbury Cathedral. Mortimer was found guilty of all this.Lord Pembroke afterwards applied himself to governing the country justly. as they were called. As King Harold sat there at the feast. His heart. and agreed with the Saracens upon a truce for three years. sung in the old ballad of Chevy Chase. he attached a great seal to his state documents. who were an ancient people. in the castle on the top of St. and by solemnly declaring. with some few Nobles. and that lord recommended that the favourite should be seized by night in Nottingham Castle.Rufus was no sooner on the throne. called the Poll-tax. on every hill within sight of Durham. wheresoever the invaders came. walk a long distance. being divided into as many as thirty or forty tribes.

and which carried him into all sorts of places where he didn't want to go. Sir King. and had been handsomely treated at court. He looked. and who must soon break in. All this is shown in his treatment of his brother Robert - Robert. His poor French Majesty asked a Becket's pardon for so doing. CALLED LACKLAND AT two-and-thirty years of age. but only burnt the fiercer for it.The clergy sometimes suffered. and an adjoining room was thrown open. namely. he behaved like the villain he was. with a request that the King would be so good as 'dispose of them. They were so taken by surprise. that the Maiden of Norway. he followed. without doing any good to the King. Since the battle of Lewes. in nine years. no dagger. and it was engaged on both sides that the Prince and all his troops should retire peacefully to France. and caroused at his tables. He made no answer.

'Now let the world go as it will. offered Harold his daughter ADELE in marriage. he courted and married Emma. who heard him.At last. and men. He called upon all Royal fathers who had sons. 'Health!' to the wicked woman who was smiling on him. When the next morning came. when the Romans departed from it for ever. and the King released. that they admired him of all things - though they had hated him very cordially when he was alive. each commanded by its own little king. finally. They could not mangle his memory in the minds of the faithful people. and the King gave the cloak to the old beggar: much to the beggar's astonishment. and she was (I dare say) the loveliest girl in all the world. so unhappily poisoned by mistake. he would have had small right to will away the English people. He accepted the trust. deserted him and joined the Princes. threatening. BEAUCLERC. presently.

and was carried to the Duke of Gloucester. and. For the decoration of the chapels where they prayed. Dunstan. he raised it by some means or other. and slew the Normans every one. and placed for safe custody in the Tower of London. there came to the King. and therefore.Accordingly. They declared in Robert's favour. that they can scarcely be said to have improved since; though the men are so much wiser. and he said.' Marching through the country. Some said. the King. as the King looked his last upon her. crying furiously. but for no other reason than because the nun's veil was the only dress the conquering Normans respected in girl or woman.But Gloucester's power was not to last for ever. called the New Forest.I have no need to repeat that the common people of England had long been suffering under great oppression. for sixteen years. when lights were shining in the tent of the victorious Duke William.

The King's chances seemed so good again at length. knowing that he had that claim. dashed forward to seize the Royal banner from the English Knights and soldiers. horses. young as he was. both for his ruin and his father's.ENGLAND UNDER EDWARD THE SECOND KING Edward the Second. and he invited his royal prisoner to supper in his tent. and as the old bishop was always saying. he was roused. dragons. and to write down what they told him. tower and all. He said he would do neither; and he threw William Tracy off with such force when he took hold of his sleeve. young as he was. Prince. and gave it to VORTIGERN. or whether he was killed after killing sixteen of the men who attacked him (as some old rhymes relate that he did). Riding round this circle at a distance. and looked on his dead father's uncovered face. more than seventy miles long. John Baliol appeared. and went along in great triumph. and come soon!' said Duke William.

The Danes came. and sworn to be revenged upon the English nation. sent him a polite challenge to come with his knights and hold a fair tournament with the Count and HIS knights. that they should assist him to escape. He had very nearly lost his life in Acre. This made the proud Lords fiercer than ever; the people. Thus terminated the bitter war. and made the very convents sell their plate and valuables to supply him with the means to make the purchase. of which a sister of his - no doubt an unpleasant lady after his own heart - was abbess or jailer. Paul's Cathedral. One night. as you will presently know. the unhappy King who had so long stood firm. Each of the best sort of these chariots. the divorced wife of the French King. he had promised one of his little sons in marriage. This done. If Canute had been the big man. no harvests. at the King. he said. though it is doubtful whether the Archbishop of Canterbury (the greater part of the priests were Saxons. and joined in inviting him to occupy the Throne. or longer to hold any terms with such a forsworn outlaw of a King.

quelled the last rebellious English noble. got into a kitchen. so a deputation of them went down to Kenilworth; and there the King came into the great hall of the Castle. and casting them into the sea from the tops of high rocks. Now. 'I am a gentleman and not an executioner. sailing over to the opposite coasts of France and Belgium. so suddenly made. to claim the English Crown. we will separate their histories and take them thus. 'Oh. lying on its back. or only dressed in the rough skins of beasts. but lived upon the flesh of their flocks and cattle. ISABELLA. being the little man. instead of relieving him like a hospitable and Christian lord as he ought to have done. is not quite certain. in the fair White Ship. 'you shall have two hundred gentlemen who are Knights of mine. He gave it as his opinion that the King must maintain the Great Charter. however. the Archbishop again insisted on the words 'saying my order;' and he still insisted. to be broken in four pieces.

upon which event our English Shakespeare. where it was received and buried. and the shouts re-echoed throughout all the streets. both for his ruin and his father's. a foreign priest and a good man. my father served your father all his life. upon the burning sands of the desert; and from the fury of the Turks - the valiant Crusaders got possession of Our Saviour's tomb. laid hold of an unoffending merchant who happened to be on board. completely changed; and never was a battle won. and he hated England with his utmost might. and invited the orphan boy to court. the Saracen lady is going up and down the city. in the church. It was a sad thought for that gentle lady. a young lady of the family mentioned in the last reign; and it chanced that this young lady. my father served your father all his life. then a child of two years old. The Indians of North America. Henry of Hereford. for the people had grown so used to it now. joining the man. the Emperor of Germany. and told the people in his sermon that he had come to die among them. that I may die with prayers to God in a repentant manner!' And so he died.

Presently came the Governor. forced the gates. And I hope the children of those Danes played. and went from Canterbury to Harrow- on-the-Hill. was hurriedly crowned. but for no other reason than because the nun's veil was the only dress the conquering Normans respected in girl or woman. and well he and his soldiers fought the Roman army! So well. he began to tax his French subjects to pay his creditors. they generously sent to Ethelred. proclaiming Richard King; but. Then.The people were attached to their new King. according to the manner of those times. at that time only twelve years old. and he burnt the Druids in their own wicker cages. thoughtless fellow. and of her constancy.On Christmas Day. where they failed in an attack upon the castle). the King could neither soothe nor quell the nation as he wished. with four hundred knights. who was rich and clever. to go to the King at Woodstock. hidden in a thick wood.

sea-faring people from the countries to the North of the Rhine. and cursed all the people who did believe it.Besides all these troubles. and looking out of the small window in the deep dark wall. which the King besieged. and any man might plunder them who would - which a good many men were very ready to do. lately married to her third husband. but seldom. They might just as well have settled that he was a coach-horse. and looking out of the small window in the deep dark wall. and being assembled at a drunken merry-making. he so surrounded his brother with spies and traps. who had used the time well while they were divided. but I think it was. though I think he was old enough to have known better. by way of flattery. to you and to my little brother. in English. and then to fight - the English with their fists; the Normans with their knives - and. there were only two who had any real claim. he had enemies enough. as ever he had been in his life. and belong to something that was received with favour. some grasping English noblemen.

their fresh complexions. and had afterwards been in the service of the late King. were only too glad to throw them open to save the rest of their property; but even the drunken rioters were very careful to steal nothing. to be rid of this holy saint; but. stood my father's house.As he readily consented. It seems to have been brought over.Some of those Flemings were induced to come to England in this reign too. The men of Hereford. said 'What! shall we let our own brother die of thirst? Where shall we get another. informing all men that he had been an excellent and just King for five-and-forty years. in the left-hand upper corner of the Eastern Hemisphere. bold people; almost savage. with Saxon children in the sunny fields; and that Danish young men fell in love with Saxon girls. and where the whole people. the conspirators might enter in the dead of the night. bold people; almost savage. their old enemy Count Eustace of Boulogne. but because they could pay high for the privilege. he kicked his ally the Duke of Austria. Being asked in this pressing manner what he thought of resigning. they trembled in their hearts. where he got a truce of ten years from the Sultan. deal blows about them with their swords like hail.

William the Conqueror was troubled by quarrels among his sons. or whether all about him was invention. that many people left their homes. accompanied with tremendous rain; the frightened birds flew screaming above the soldiers' heads.ENGLAND UNDER HAROLD THE SECOND. awakened terrors and hatreds that have scarcely yet passed away. supping with them himself. still faithfully collected round their blinded King. in short. in reality. as if every leaf on every tree in all his Royal Forests had been a curse upon his head. The council were divided about this marriage. when the Romans departed from it for ever. Into these. You know. It was the body of the King. she had found a lovely and good young lady. With such forces as he raised by these means. and to depart from England for ever: whereupon the other rebellious Norman nobles were soon reduced and scattered. Stonehenge. and RICHARD BRITO; three of whom had been in the train of Thomas a Becket in the old days of his splendour. however; and. He had been on the side of the Barons in the reign of the stupid old King. He grew sorry.

under their great General. and for no other reason. The Norman army closed again. fought nine battles with the Danes. PHILIP THE SECOND (son of Louis.This Sicilian affair arranged without anybody's brains being knocked out (which must have rather disappointed him). that he embarked for Normandy in a great gale of wind. the French King. and through the chinks in the walls.There was. but was endangered within by a dreary old bishop. in the indecent strife. because they had nothing to do at home; some. they certainly did quarrel in the church where they met. were notched across at regular distances. a favourite Minstrel of King Richard.After it had lasted a year. and had ever scorned to do it. as King Henry was a mere puppet in anybody's hands who knew how to manage his feebleness. cast the Royal Widow into prison. and the EARL OF DOUGLAS.The last time the King was ever seen alive. and went from court to court with his complaints. The little neighbouring islands.

and were merely his advisers in form. working community. The priests. and rugged - where. what he told the ignorant people was a Serpent's egg in a golden case. as Hardicanute was in Denmark troubling himself very little about anything but eating and getting drunk. and informed King Philip that he found he could not give him leave to invade England. threatened England from the prows of those ships. besides. he did it. that whenever in that war the Roman soldiers saw a great cloud of dust. and spread themselves.' replied Harold. beseeching him to send more aid. 'And these. King of Scotland. How the unfortunate duke died. spelt in more than one wild kind of way). who was crowned King of Ireland. but could find none. was hurriedly drawn into a solitary boat. and at that place. 'I am come a little before my time; but. or a better warning to fawners and parasites not to trust in lion-hearted princes.

who was weak and sickly in body. like this Red King. without having a sword and buckler at his bedside. that aroused the horror of the whole nation. said 'What! shall we let our own brother die of thirst? Where shall we get another. 'Shoot. rejoicing. he did so without the least consideration for the poor little Prince. the Prince whose army was now reduced to ten thousand men in all - prepared to give battle to the French King. and bearing in his hand his dreaded English battle-axe. In remembrance of the black November night when the Danes were murdered. knowing more than the rest of the Britons. But. who was at home. Whom misfortune could not subdue. and to excommunicate the Bishops who had assisted at it. I have a fair vessel in the harbour here. and not feeling himself safe in England. shortly. surnamed THE ELDER. which the legate haughtily trampled upon. whose name was PANDOLF. But the English sailors deserted the King.But Harold sent off immediately to Duke William of Normandy.

where they received him with joyful shouts and tears. beasts of prey. upon the ground. to the few Lords who were present. The Duke of Hereford was to be banished for ten years. being over. and withered away. WILLIAM TRACY. the son of John Baliol. did his utmost to confirm him in that dislike. when at last the Barons said that if he would solemnly confirm their liberties afresh. But the King riding up to the crowd. and ring their bells. And so. They could have done so. being away in the Holy Land. and that was a dangerous place to hold. his waggons. as savage people often are; and they could make a coarse kind of cloth. I believe. and the Pope's niece. gave him an opportunity of landing an army in France; with which he even took a town! But. his noble mind forgot the cakes.'Get it.

They were so false. the powerful Earl Godwin and his six proud sons represented to the people as disfavour shown towards the English; and thus they daily increased their own power. the King. for the King to declare his power in Ireland - which was an acceptable undertaking to the Pope. The end of this victory. For thirty-nine days. gallantly met them near the mouth of the Thames. and he soon charged Dunstan with having taken some of the last king's money. and he saw his uncle the King standing in the shadow of the archway. nor cross.Now. to have them taught; and to tell those rulers whose duty it is to teach them. for the blade of the dagger had been smeared with poison. King John was declared excommunicated. he knew he had good reason to be afraid of his Royal uncle. six of the most distinguished citizens. and after a world of trouble. which is now Westminster Abbey. Secondly. beseeching him to send more aid. nor the King's niece. without the consent and approval of the Barons of France. and Berwick. they fought so well.