-vours. At length, however, having fettled all controverfies, they fet fail for the Holy Land, where the French arrived long before the English.

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

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

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

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

ney

ney; upon the payment of which Richard was once more reftored to his expecting fubjects.

Nothing could exceed the joy of the English, upon seeing their monarch return, after all his atchievements and fufferings. He made his entry into London in triumph; and fuch was the profufion of wealth fhewn by the citizens, that the German lords, who attended him, were heard to fay, that if the emperor had known of their affluence, he would not fo eafily have parted with their king. He foon after ordered himfelf to be crowned a-new at Wincheftér. He convoked a general council at Nottingham, at which he confifcated all his brother John's poffeffions, who had bafely endeavoured to prolong his captivity, and gone over to the king of France with that intent. However, he pardoned him foon after, with this generous remark, I with I could as easily forget my brother's offence as he will my pardon.

Richard's death was occafioned by a fingular accident. A vaffal of the crown had taken poffeffion of a treasure, which was found by one of his peasants in digging a field in France; and to fecure the remainder, he fent a part of it to the king. Richard, as fuperior lord, fenfible that he had a right to the whole, infifted on its being fent him; and, upon refufal, attacked the caftle of Chalus, where be understood this treasure had been depofited. On the fourth day of the fiege, as he was riding round the place to obferve where the affault might be given with the faireft probability of fuccefs, he was aimed at by one Bertram de Jourdon, an archer, from the caftle, and pierced in the fhoulder with an arrow. The wound was not in itfelf dangerous; but an unskilful furgeon endeavouring to difengage the arrow from the flesh, fo rankled the wound that it mortified, and brought on fatal symptoms. Richard, when he found his end approaching, made a will,

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in

in which he bequeathed the kingdom, with all his treafure, to his brother John, except a fourth part, which he diftributed among his fervants. He ordered alfo, that the archer who had fhot him, fhould be brought into his prefence, and demanded what injury he had done him that he fhould take away his life? The prifoner anfwered with deliberate intrepidity; "You killed, with your own hands, my father, and my two brothers, and you intended to have hanged me. I am now in your power, and my torments may give you revenge but I will endure them with pleasure, fince it is my confolation, that I have rid the world of a tyrant." Richard, ftruck with this anfwer, ordered the foldier to be prefented with one hundred fhillings, and fet at liberty; but Marcade, the general, who commanded under him, like a true ruffian, ordered him to be flead alive, and then hanged. Richard died in the tenth year of his reign, and the forty-fecond of his age, leaving only one natural fon, called Philip, behind him.

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CHA P. X.

J он N.

OHN, who was readily put in poffeffion of the English throne, loft no time to fecond his intereft on the continent; and his first care was to recover the revolted provinces from young Arthur, his nephew. But from the pride and cruelty of his temper, he foon became hateful to his fubjects; and his putting his nephew, Arthur, who had a right to the crown, to death, with his own hands, in prifon, ferved to render him completely hateful.

Hitherto

Hitherto John was rather hateful to his fubjects than contemptible; they rather dreaded than despised him. But he foon fhewed that he might be offended. if not without refentment at leaft with impunity. It was the fate of this vicious prince to make those the enemies of himself whom he wanted abilities to make the enemies of each other. The clergy had for fome time acted as a community independent on the crown, and had their elections of each other generally con firmed by the pope, to whom alone they owned fubjection. However, the election of archbishops had for fome time been a continual fubject of difpute be tween the fuffragan bishops and the Auguftine monks, and both had precedents to confirm their pretenfions. John fided with the bishops, and fent two knights of his train, who were fit inftruments for fuch a prince, to expel the monks from their convent, and to take poffeffion of their revenues. The pope was not dif pleased at these divifions, and instead of electing either of the perfons appointed by the contending parties, he appointed Stephen Langton, as archbishop of Canterbury. John, however, refufing to admit the man of the pope's chufing, the kingdom was put under an interdict. This inftrument of terror in the hands of the fee of Rome, was calculated to ftrike the fenfes in the highest degree, and to operate upon the fuperftitious minds of the people. By it a ftop was immediately put to divine fervice, and to the adminiftration of all the facraments, but baptifm. The church doors were fhut, the ftatues of the faints were laid on the ground. The dead were refufed Chriftian burial, and were thrown into ditches and on the highways, without the ufual rites, or any funeral folemnity.

No fituation could be more deplorable than that of John upon this occafion. Furious at his indignities, jealous of his fubjects, and apprehending an enemy in every face; it is faid, that fearing a conpiracy against his life, he fhut himself up a whole