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CHA P. XII.

EDWARD I

HILE the unfortunate Henry was thus vainly ftruggling with the ungovernable spirit of his fubjects, his fon and fucceffor, Edward, was employed in the Holy Wars, where he revived the glory of the English name, and made the enemies of Chriftianity tremble. He was ftabbed however by one of thofe Mahometan enthusiasts, called Affaffins, as he was one day fitting in his tent, and was cured not without great difficulty. Some fay that he owed his fafety to the piety of Eleanora his wife, who fucked the poifon from the wound to fave his life at the hazard of her own.

Though the death of the late king happened while the fucceffor was fo far from home, yet measures had been fo well taken, that the crown was transferred with the greatest tranquillity.

As Edward was now come to an undisputed throne, the opposite interefts were proportionably feeble. The barons were exhausted by long mutual diffenfions; the clergy were divided in their interefts, and agreed only in one point, to hate the pope, who had for fome time drained them with impunity: the people, by fome infurrections against the convents appear to hate the clergy with equal animofity. Thefe difagreeing orders only concurred in one point. that of efteeming and reverencing the king. He therefore thought this the most favourable conjuncture of uniting England with Wales. The Welth had for many ages enjoyed their own laws, language, cuftoms, and opinions. They were the remains of the ancient Britons, who had escaped the Roman and Saxon invasions, and still preserved their freedom and

their country, uncontaminated by the admiffion of foreign conquerors. But as they were, from their number, incapable of withstanding their more powerful neighbours on the plain, their chief defence lay in their inacceffible mountains, thofe natural bulwarks

of the country. Whenever England was diftreffed

by factions at home, or its forces called off to wars abroad, the Welsh made it a conftant practice to pour in their irregular troops, and lay the open country wafte wherever they came. Nothing could be more pernicious to a country than feveral neighbouring independent principalities, under different commanders, and purfuing different interefts; the mutual jealoufies of fuch were fure to harrafs the people, and wherever victory was purchafed, it was always at the expence of the general welfare. Senfible of this, Edward had long wifhed to reduce that incurfive people, and had ordered Lewellyn to do homage for his territories; which fummons the Welth prince refufed to obey, unlefs the king's own fon fhould be delivered as an hoftage for his fafe return. The king was not difpleafed at this refufal, as it ferved to give him a pretext for his intended invafion. He therefore levied an army against Lewellyn, and marched into his country with certain affurance of fuccefs. Upon the approach of Edward, the Welsh prince took refuge among the inacceflible mountains of Snowdon, and there refolved to maintain his ground. without trufting to the chance of a battle. Thefe were the steep retreats, that had for many ages before defended his ancestors against all the attempts of the Normand and Saxon conquerors. But Edward, equally vigorous and cautious, having explored every part of his way pierced into the very centre of Lewellyn's territories, and approached the Welth army in its laft retreats. Here after extorting fubmiffion from the Welsh prince the king retired. But an idle prophecy, in which it was foretold by Merlin,

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that Lewellyn was to be the restorer of Brutus's em. pire in Britain, was an inducement fufficiently ftrong to perfuade this prince to revolt once more and hazard a decifive battle against the English. With this view he marched into Radnorfhire; and paffing the river. Wey, his troops were furprifed and defeated by Edward Mortimer, while he himself was absent from his army, upon a conference with some of the barons of that country. Upon his return, feeing the dreadful fituation of his affairs, he ran defperately into the midst of the enemy, and quickly found that death he fo ardently fought for. David, the brother of this unfortunate prince, foon after fell in the same cause; and with him expired the government, and the diftinction of the Welth nation. It was foon after united to the kingdom of England, made a principality, and given to the eldest fon of the crown. Foreign conquefts might add to the glory, but this added to the felicity of the kingdom. The Welth were now blended with the conquerors; and in the revolution of a few ages, all national animofity was entirely forgotten.

Soon after the death of Margaret, queen of Scotland, gave him hopes of adding alfo Scotland to his dominion. The death of this princess produced a moft ardent difpute about the fucceffion to the Scottish throne, being claimed by no lefs than twelve competitors. The claims however of all the other candidates were reduced to three; who were the defcendents of the earl of Huntington by three daughters; John Haftings, who claimed in right of his mother, as one of the co-heireffes of the crown; John Baliol, who alledged his right, as being defcended from the eldest daughter, who was his grandmother; and Robert Bruce, who was the actual fon of the fecond daughter. This difpute being referred to Edward's decifion, with aftrong degree of affurance,he claimed the crown for himself, and appointed Baliol his deputy.

Baliol being thus placed upon the Scottish throne, lefs as a king than as a vaffal, Edward's first step was fufficient to convince that people of his intentions to ftretch the prerogative to the utmost. Upon the moft frivolous pretences, he fent fix different fummonfes for Baliol to appear in London at different times in one year; fo that the poor Scottish king foon perceived that he was poffeffed of the name only, but not the authority of a fovereign. Willing, therefore, to fhake off the yoke of fo troublefonie a mafter, Baliol revolted, and procured the pope's abfolution from his former oaths of homage.

But no power the Scotch could bring into the field was able to withstand the victorious army of Edward. He overthrew their forces in many engagements, and thus becoming undifputed mafter of the kingdom, he took every precaution to fecure his title, and to abolifh thofe diftinctions, which might be apt to keep the nation in its former independence. Baliol was carried a prifoner to London, and he carefully deftroyed all records and monuments of antiquity that infpired the Scotch with a spirit of national pride.

Thefe expeditions, however, terminated rather in glory than advantage: the expences which were requifite for carrying on the war, were not only burthenfome to the king, but even, in the event, threatened to shake him on his throne. In order at first to fet the great machine in movement, he raised considerable fupplies by means of his parliament; and that auguft body was then first modelled by him into the form in which it continues to this day. As a great part of the property of the kingdom was, by the introduction of commerce, and the improvement of agriculture, transferred from the barons to the lower claffes of the people, fo their confent was thought neceffary of the raifing any confiderable fupplies. For this reafon, he iffued writs to the fheriffs, enjoining them to fend to parliament along with two knights

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knights of the fhire, (as in the former reign) two deputies from each borough within their country; and thefe provided with fufficient powers from their conftituents, to grant fuch demands as they fhould think reasonable for the fafety of the state. One of the firft efforts, therefore, was to oblige the king's council to fign the Magna Charta, and to add a claufe, to fecure the nation for ever againft all impofitions and taxes, without the confent of parliament. This the king's council (for Edward was at that time in Flanders) readily agreed to fign; and the king himself, when it was fent over to him, after fome hesitation, thought proper to do the fame. Thefe conceffions he again confirmed upon his return; and though it is probable he was averfe to granting them, yet he was at laft brought to give a plenary confent to all the articles that were demanded of him. Thus, after the conteit of an age, the Magna Charta was finally esta. blished: nor was it the leait circumstance in its favour, that its confirmation was procured from one of the greatcft and boldest princes that ever fwayed the English fceptre.

In the mean time, William Wallace, fo celebrated in Scottish story, attempted to rescue Scotland from the English yoke. He was younger fon of a gentle, man who lived in the western part of the kingdom, He was a man of a gigantic ftature, incredible ftrength, and amazing intrepidity; eagerly defirous of independence, and poffeffed with the moft difinterested fpirit of patriotifm. To this man had reforted all thofe who were obnoxious to the English government; the proud, the bold, the criminal, and the ambitious. Thefe bred among dangers and hardships themfelves, could not forbear admiring in their leader a degree of patience, under fatigue and famine, which they fuppofed beyond the power of human nature to endure; he foon, therefore, became the principal object of their affection and their esteem.