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monasteries. While the Irish factions quarrelled with each other, the English government treated them all alike without mercy. O'Neil, the great northern chieftain, revolted against the new system of church government: his country was given over to fire and sword, and in the many vicissitudes of the war, the territory under the dominion of the English suffered the like evils in its turn.

In 1542, Ireland was raised from a lordship into a kingdom; and in order to attach the powerful native chiefs and great Anglo-Irish proprietors to the crown, many of them were admitted to the honours of the peerage. Ulliac de Burgh became earl of Clanricarde; Murrogh O'Brien, earl of Thomond; and O'Neil, earl of Tyrone,-all consenting to hold their lands by military tenure, swearing fealty to Henry, and accepting from him houses in Dublin, which they were to occupy when summoned as peers to the Irish parliament.

19. On the 12th of July 1543, Henry married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr, widow of Lord Latimer, a woman of ripe years, well educated, and of the reformed faith. He became ambitious of shaking the power of his old rival and friend Francis I., and concluded a treaty with the Emperor of Germany for the partition of France. By great exertions an army of 30,000 men was raised, which invaded France, but accomplished no more than the capture of Boulogne, after a siege of two months' duration.

The continental wars and extravagance of the court had reduced Henry from one of the richest to one of the poorest sovereigns of Europe. The immense plunder of the church benefited him little, but seemed rather to verify the common adage applied to ill-gotten wealth, "that the devil's corn goes all to bran.' The supplies voted by parliament, although of unprecedented mount, were soon spent, and constant recourse was had to illegal means of filling the royal treasury. In 1545, Henry's office to every person rated at £50 a up returns showing the value of each man's estate, and eng a loan to a certain amount. letter was addressed requestind as soon as the money was None dared refuse compliance, an of all sums thus raised,

am

drew

in addition to what he had borrowed sine same slavish body granted him the disposar

his accession. The of all the colleges,

collected, parliament voted a donatio.loyed to the

assurance that

charities, and hospitals in the kingdom, on anloyed to the their wealth of whatever kind should be emp glory of God and the public good. Such wholesa

ele plunder

far exceeds anything that has been witnessed in England since the ravages of the Danes. The king, besides having recourse to forced benevolences, adulterated the coinage, and the standard was so far lowered that the shilling contained twice as much alloy as silver.

Henry was now rapidly approaching his end. For some years before his death, he was subject to a painful disease which made his temper more furious and tyrannical. His queen must have led a life of inconceivable misery, for she knew herself to be marked out for destruction, and was only saved by death overtaking the tyrant. The accomplished Earl of Surrey was his last victim. In December 1546 the earl, with his father the Duke of Norfolk, was arrested and sent to the Tower, and on the following day arraigned on a charge of treason for quartering the royal arms with the coat of his own family. The accusation was trivial, but the private hostility of the Seymour family exaggerated its enormity, and the compliant jury pronounced him guilty. On the 19th of January, he was beheaded in the Tower with extreme privacy, and a studious suppression of all circumstances attending his death. The Duke of Norfolk was destined for A.D. a similar fate, but on the 28th day of January, the

1547.

tyrant himself died in the fifty-sixth year of his age and the thirty-eighth of his reign; and those whose life had been one of terror and uncertainty, could breathe freely. So ended a wicked reign, in which, nevertheless, the seeds of much good were sown. It is a history of little else than tyranny and cruelty, but it must not be supposed that the country at large was subjected to his despotic caprices. None could approach the court or fill any place of high rank and power without danger; but the ordinary people lived quietly, nd the law was administered among them with tolerable mpartiality.

EXERCISES.

1. Mention some of the circumstances attending Henry's coronation. ow did the influence of the two houses of York and Lancaster become ited in his person? Were the people contented? What occurred in eland?

2. What was the conduct of the Earl of Lincoln? How was the impostor mnel crowned? What battle was fought near Newark? In what station Simnel spend the remainder of his days? Describe what occurred in templation of a war with France.

3. Whom did the person called Perkin Warbeck represent himself to be? hat woman of high rank aided him, and what name did she give him? hat steps did Henry take? What was the result of Warbeck's invasion?

4. Describe the conduct of James IV. What occurred in Devonshire? What was the result of Warbeck's descent on Cornwall? What was his subsequent history? What doubts are there about his origin?

5. Mention the peculiar circumstances of the marriages of the young princes. What were the king's own matrimonial projects and their result? What were the circumstances of his death?

6. Was Henry VII. a warlike prince? What did he protect and foster? What discoverer did he send out? What was his main vice? How did he succeed in his extortions?

7. How did the reign of Henry VIII. open? What failings did he soon show? What was the national feeling on a war with France? What affair was called "The Battle of the Spurs?

8. What was Wolsey's origin? Describe his progress and character. How did he recommend himself to the king? Describe the conduct of Henry towards Francis I. What was 66 the Field of the Cloth of Gold "? 9. What was the fate of the Duke of Buckingham? What did the king do in support of the popedom? How was he called "Defender of the Faith"? What league was signed at Calais?

10. What project was arranged between Henry and the emperor? What plans did the King of France devise as to Ireland? Describe the attempts made by Henry and Wolsey to raise money, and their result.

11. What occurred in the year 1527? What induced Henry to profess scruples against his marriage? What was the conduct of the pope? What cardinal legate was sent to England? Where did he hold his court? Give an account of the fall of Wolsey. Repeat Shakspeare's account of his character.

12. What was Cranmer's suggestion? What bodies did the king consult? Give an account of Cromwell. What great step did he counsel? How was England finally severed from the authority of the pope? What domestic change did the king accomplish at the same time? What was the fate oʻ Anne Boleyn? Whom did Henry next marry?

13. Who was the Holy Maid of Kent? What were her prophecies and fate? What other persons were persecuted? Give an account of the bull of Pope Paul III. What arrangements did Henry make for getting possession of the ecclesiastical revenues?

14. State the results of the ecclesiastical changes. What was done in relation to the Bible? How were the changes received by the people? Give an account of Aske's rebellion.

15. How did Henry use the wealth he obtained? What objects of value and interest were destroyed on account of his measures? What was the immediate effect of the alterations? Give an account of Cardinal Pole. What was the fate of the Countess of Salisbury?

16. What induced the king to adopt the Six Articles? What name are they known by? What were the contents of these articles? What other important measure did parliament pass ?

17. What was the history of Anne of Cleves? Who succeeded her? What effect had this new alliance on Cromwell? What was the fate of Catherine Howard? How did Henry proceed with those who differed from him in opinion? What took place as to Wales?

18. Whom did Kildare leave as his deputy in Ireland? What was the conduct of his son? Describe the scene in the council hall. What name did his followers give the young deputy? What was his fate? What else occurred in Ireland?

19. Who was Henry's sixth wife? What warlike attempt? Describe some of Henry's financial schemes. lars of the Earl of Surrey's fate. When did Henry die? from destruction by his death? What was the character

operation did he Give the particuWho were saved of his reign?

CHAPTER XVIII.

SCOTLAND FROM THE RESTORATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO THE DEATH OF JAMES V., 1329-1542.

King Robert Bruce-Scottish Independence-Douglas and the King's Heart-David II.-The Stewart Race-The Duke of Rothesay-Battle of Harlaw-The Foul Raid-Death of the Regent Albany-James I.Legislative Reforms-Rebellion of the Lord of the Isles-Murder of the King James II.-Turbulence of the Douglases-Overthrow of th Livingston Faction-Siege of Roxburgh-James III.-War with England-Conspiracy of the great Barons at Lauder-Archibald Bell-the-Cat -Civil War-Murder of the King-James IV.-Perkin Warbeck at the Scottish Court-Battle of Flodden-James V.-Albany made Regent-Hostile Factions and English Intrigues-The Douglas Family banished-Meeting of the Army-Death of the King.

1. WHEN we last left the Scots in order to detail the more important history of England, they had just gained the memorable battle of Bannockburn. On the 17th of March 1329, the independence of Scotland was formally acknowledged by the treaty of Northampton; and on the 12th of July, David, the heir to the throne, was married to Joanna the daughter of Edward II. The brave King Robert Bruce died on the 7th June 1329. But after the soul had departed from it, his body seemed still to connect itself with romantic incidents. His heart was preserved in a silver case, and his faithful follower, the Lord James of Douglas, with a goodly band of Scottish warriors, undertook to convey it to the Holy Land, in compliance with the dying king's request. In Spain they aided the Spaniards against the Saracens, and being hard pressed in the fight, Douglas undid from his neck, where it usually hung, the silver casket containing the heart, and flinging it forward among the enemy, cried out, " Onward as thou wert wont, thou noble heart, Douglas shall follow thee." At the end of the fight he was found lying dead upon the heart. The body of the king was buried in the old Norman abbey of Dunfermline. In the year 1818, a skeleton was there found covered with lead and wax; it was of large and strong frame, and even the bones bore the marks of wounds. These were fully believed to be the remains of Robert Bruce.

and they were again buried with honour and distinction after an interval of nearly five hundred years.

Robert was succeeded by his son David II., a child only four years old, and the government was managed by Randolph earl of Murray as regent. The English made many efforts at this time to repossess themselves of Scotland, and some of their inroads and battles have already been described. They professed to support the claims of Edward Baliol, who was actually for some time in possession of the throne, and was 24th Sept.} crowned as king; within a few months afterwards, however, he was driven from Scotland. When David died he left no children, and the nation was anxious that a descendant of their favourite King Robert Bruce should rule over them. His daughter Marjory had married Walter the steward of Scotland, and their son Robert was A. D. chosen king, thus founding the celebrated royal line 1370. of Stewart, so remarkable for its romantic history, its greatness, and its misfortunes. Robert II. had a son John, who was destined to be his successor; but the populace were partial to the name of the great king who had conquered at Bannockburn, and so his name was changed to Robert.

This amiable and intelligent prince had passed his fiftieth A. D. year before he ascended the throne. He had suffered 1390. from a wound early in life, and gradually became unfit for government, his brother, the Earl of Fife, afterwards Duke of Albany, with the title of Guardian, being ruler both of the kingdom and of the king. As Robert's son, the Duke of A. D. Rothesay, grew up, a strong party of the nobility 1398. rallied round him, and compelled Albany to resign his post; and when Henry IV. invaded Scotland in 1400, the government was in the hands of the heir-apparent. But Rothesay's thoughtless character and licentious life proved A. D. his ruin. The old king gave Albany an order to arrest him; he was imprisoned in Falkland Castle, and there starved to death.

1402.

Hostile operations against England were now resumed; but the battles of Nesbit Moor and Homildon Hill were adverse to the Scottish arms, and not long after, James, Robert's second son, and heir-apparent to the crown, fell into the hands of the English monarch during the existence of a truce between the two kingdoms. Robert died about a year after (1406), and the parliament of Perth continued Albany in the regency.

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