The Crufades Acceffion of Henry-Marriage of the king-Invafion by duke Robert-Accommodation with Robert- Attack of Normandy-Conqueft of Normandy Continuation of the quarrel with Anfelm the primate Compromise with him-Wars abroad Death of prince William-King's fecond marriage -Death-and character of Henry. -- Page 309 Acceffion of Stephen-War with Scotland-Infurrection in favour of Matilda-Stephen taken prisonerMatilda crowned-Stephen released-Reftored to the crown- - Continuation of the civil wars- -Compromise between the king and prince Henry vernment CHAP. VIII. Death of the king. 349 HENRY State of Europe-of France-First acts of Henry's go-Disputes between the civil and ecclefiaftical powers Thomas a Becket, archbishop of Canterbury Quarrel between the king and Becket-Conftitutions of Clarendon-Banifhment of Becket-Compromife with him. -His return from banishment Grief-and fubmiffion of the king. murder -His 370 9 State of Ireland Conqueft of that ifland-The king's accommodation with the court of Rome Revolt of young Henry and his brothers -Wars and infurrections -War with Scotland Penance of Henry for Becket's murder-William, king of Scotland, defeated and taken prifoner-The king's accommodation with his fons The king's equitable adminiftration Crufades Revolt of prince Richard-Death and character of Henry-Mifcellaneous tranfactions of his reign. Page 424 THE berland -the Hepof Northum -of Eaft-Anglia of Merciaof Effexof Suffexof Wessex. THE 1. HE curiofity, entertained by all civilized CHAP. nations, of enquiring into the exploits and adventures of their ancestors, commonly excites a regret that the history of remote ages fhould always be fo much involved in obfcurity, uncertainty, and contradiction. Ingenious men, poffeffed of leifure, are apt to push their researches beyond the period in which literary monuments are framed or preferved; without reflecting, that the hiftory of paft events is immediately loft or disfigured when intrufted to memory and oral tradition, and that the adventures of barbarous nations, even if they were recorded, could afford little or no entertainment to men born in a more cultivated age. The convulfions of a civilized VOL. I. B ftate I. CHAP. ftate ufually compofe the most inftructive and most interefting part of its hiftory; but the fudden, violent, and unprepared revolutions incident to Barbarians, are fo much guided by caprice, and terminate fo often in cruelty, that they difguft us by the uniformity of their appearance; and it is rather fortunate for letters that they are buried in filence and oblivion. The only certain means by which nations can indulge their curiofity in researches concerning their remote origin, is to confider the language, manners, and customs of their ancestors, and to compare them with thofe of the neighbouring nations. The fables, which are commonly employed to fupply the place of true hiftory, ought entirely to be difregarded; or if any exception be admitted to this general rule, it can only be in favour of the ancient Grecian fictions, which are fo celebrated and fo agreeable, that they will ever be the objects of the attention of mankind. Neglecting, therefore, all traditions, or rather tales, concerning the more early hiftory of Britain, we fhall only confider the state of the inhabitants as it appeared to the Romans on their invafion of this country: We fhall briefly run over the events which attended the conqueft made by that empire, as belonging more to Roman than British ftory: We shall haften through the obfcure and uninterefting period of Saxon annals: And fhall referve a more full narration for those times when the truth is both fo well afcertained and fo complete as. to promise entertainment and instruction to the reader. ALL ancient writers agree in reprefenting the first inhabitants of Britain as a tribe of the Gauls or Celta, who peopled that ifland from the neighbouring continent. Their language was the fame, their manners, their government, their fuperftition; varied only by thofe fmall differences, which time or a communication with the bordering nations must neceffarily introduce. The inhabitants of Gaul, efpe I. tially in those parts which lie contiguous to Italy, CHAP. had acquired, from a commerce with their fouthern neighbours, fome refinement in the arts, which gradually diffused themselves northwards, and fpread but a very faint light over this ifland. The Greek and Roman navigators or merchants (for there were fcarcely any other travellers in those ages) brought back the moft fhocking accounts of the ferocity of the people, which they magnified, as ufual, in order to excite the admiration of their countrymen. The fouth-eaft parts, however, of Britain, had already, before the age of Cæfar, made the first and most requifite step towards a civil fettlement; and the Britons, by tillage and agriculture, had there increased to a great multitude. The other inhabitants of 3 the inland ftill maintained themfelves by pasture: They were clothed with skins of beafts: They dwelt in huts, which they reared in the forefts and marshes, with which the country was covered: They shifted eafily their habitation, when actuated either by the hopes of plunder or the fear of an enemy: The convenience of feeding their cattle was even a fufficient motive for removing their feats: And as they were ignorant of all the refinements of life, their wants and their poffeffions were equally fcanty and limited. 6. THE Britons were divided into many fmall na-5 tions or tribes; and being a military people, whofe fole property was their arms and their cattle, it was impoffible, after they had acquired a relish of liberty, for their princes or chieftains to establish any defpotic authority over them. Their governments, though monarchical', were free, as well as thofe of all the Celtic nations; and the common people feem even to have enjoyed more liberty among them, than among the nations of Gaul, from whom they were defcended. Each ftate was divided into factions Mela, lib. 3. cap. 6. Cæfar, lib. 6. a Cæfar, lib. 4. Strabo, lib. 4. b Diod. Sic. lib. 4. • Dion Caffius, lib. 75. |