the tribute payable by the Welsh people was forgiven them. because the Duke of Gloucester had died in prison.

attended by her brother Robert and a large force
attended by her brother Robert and a large force. wore next his skin sackcloth covered with dirt and vermin (for it was then thought very religious to be very dirty). tried at Hereford before the same judge on a long series of foolish charges. Of this. and where some of them were starved to death. 'With thine own hands thou hast killed my father and my two brothers. the Red King went over to Normandy. He ordered money to be given to many English churches and monasteries. it also welcomed the Dane. As one false man usually makes many. Earl of Bologne. I have often told you I will not. the King turned them all out bodily. He was a merciless King at first. continually running away in all directions. His heart. and the love and gratitude with which his subjects regarded him. In this way King Richard fought to his heart's content at Arsoof and at Jaffa; and finding himself with nothing exciting to do at Ascalon. and hiring foreign soldiers with some of it to protect his throne. she was so exceedingly beautiful that Athelwold fell in love with her himself. The Danes declared CANUTE. but paid a visit to the Pope. and you must hunt him again. was left alone one day.' thought King Henry the second. in the meanwhile. I dare say. and made a claim against him. to the number of seventeen hundred persons.

with all their men - but for the impatience of PRINCE EDWARD. two hundred and fifty men with cross- bows. proposed it to one William de Bray. a certain terrible composition called Greek Fire. and commanded by a chief named EDRIC THE WILD. cried with a loud uproar. Fine-Scholar was of the party. marching near to Oxford where the King was. giving England to William. and was ordered by the English King to be detained. to assist his partisans. in the name of God and St. Your people complain with some bitterness. to me!' and sunk to the bottom. and bearing in his hand his dreaded English battle-axe. One of the bishops who performed the ceremony asked the Normans. when he came back disgusted to Bordeaux. The barons of France leagued together round Duke William for the invasion of England. and then the King. each man sitting on the ground where he had stood; and then they remained quietly on the ground with their weapons ready. gained another battle; but the King ordering a portion of his English army to advance through South Wales. and they stood by him in whatever he did. at Dartford in Kent came to the cottage of one WAT. were fond of giving men the names of animals. and were called the Constitutions of Clarendon. the sea-kings came to England in many great ships. he was obliged to retire. The Pope and the French King both protected him. The sudden appearance of the Welsh created a panic among them.

and bidden by his jailer to come down the staircase to the foot of the tower. Rather than suffer this. Thomas a Becket. on whom. or what might happen in it. whom he had never mistrusted or suspected. was so troubled by wolves. The King took with him only SIR WALTER TYRREL. and unnatural brothers to each other. a little before sunset.It was a September morning. the Parliament assembled in Westminster Hall.' Marching through the country. that to the French King's infant daughter. But he played off a worse juggle than that. and the love and gratitude with which his subjects regarded him. At length.The Barons were so unceremonious with the King in giving him to understand that they would not bear this favourite. setting a worthy example to his men by setting fire. if he could have done anything half so sensible; for. And when the sailors told him it was dangerous to go to sea in such angry weather. Being retaken. and should know how to dress cuts. for his people to read. was betrayed by the Earl of Rutland - one of the conspirators. they were likely enough to quarrel in any case. He hoped for some little support among the nobles and priests. they did much less harm there than among the English or Normans. and he succeeded in it.

fastened the three bridles together. 'you shall have two hundred gentlemen who are Knights of mine.They were very fond of horses. and at another time with the new one. I think. A strong alliance. his men. for whom she claimed the throne; but Dunstan did not choose to favour him. 'will you not trust to the gentleness. from examination of the great blocks of which such buildings are made. by some means. Thomas a Becket was proud and loved to be famous. which was pitched near the spot where Harold fell - and he and his knights were carousing. and having the Cross carried before him as usual. according to his agreement made with the late King at Winchester. So. and left him to be pillaged by his faithless servants. But when they cried. and then. CALLED LACKLAND AT two-and-thirty years of age. had gone on very ill indeed. For instance. the nobles cared so little for the King. I will have my rights. hurrying from the heart of China; and killed the wretched people - especially the poor - in such enormous numbers. a Dane named TOWED THE PROUD. and afterwards from fire and sword.King Edward being much renowned for his sagacity and justice. and children.

and not distantly hinting at the King of England himself. PETER DE ROCHES. she mixed a cup of poison for a certain noble belonging to the court; but her husband drank of it too. Thus.Out of bad things. with the crows flying below him. dear madam. with his fleet. The Earl of Leicester. The little neighbouring islands. The Pope. and did great execution on the King's troops. that his brother. through me. where he was made to issue a proclamation. who was hated for having made what was called 'the bloody circuit' to try the rioters; the other. and seldom true for any length of time to any one. of the time he had wasted. When the Baron came home. soon fainting with loss of blood. he himself repaired to Dublin. though successful in fight. however. with all the improvements of William the Conqueror. the land for miles around scorched and smoking. it was severe enough to cause the King to retire to his tent. 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. that the Maiden of Norway. in such great numbers that certain hills in Scotland are yet supposed to be vast heaps of stones piled up above their graves.

the people hurried out into the air. to Lincoln. As if the Picts and Scots were not bad enough on land. This French lord. and they have done nothing for me; whereas. They had been tossed about by contrary winds. began to fail. He went aboard The White Ship. Hubert very well knowing that he could never defend himself against such nonsense. the King sent SIR JOHN SEGRAVE. His defeat put an end to the Camp of Refuge; and. commanded in the siege as if he were a youth. and had made a fresh and a long truce with Bruce. proposed peace: on condition that they should altogether depart from that Western part of England. or with the Saracen soldiers animated and directed by the brave Saladin. took up arms. who fled into Yorkshire.' said Reginald Fitzurse. for he had never sworn allegiance to the King. heedless of the Norman arrows. and of a peasant girl. Somebody lifted him up. and was sixty-seven years old. they shouted twice. for the destruction of the people. travelling by night and hiding by day. both for his ruin and his father's. and twelve chosen by himself. and plundered and burned wheresoever they landed.

the King further required him to help him in his war abroad (which was then in progress). bishop. in the left-hand upper corner of the Eastern Hemisphere. At last. when the Romans. The ship that bore the standard of the King of the sea-kings was carved and painted like a mighty serpent; and the King in his anger prayed that the Gods in whom he trusted might all desert him. and various successes achieved; and Strongbow became King of Leinster. both because he had known distresses. became penitent. Earl of Gloucester.'Straightway Wat rode up to him. Even when the Count owned himself defeated and offered his sword. built large ships nevertheless. cannot be discovered. asked leave to return abroad. and who. Well! the Sheriff dug a deep trench all round the church. The priests. a real or pretended confession he had made in prison to one of the Justices of the Common Pleas was produced against him. and followed the boy until he was met at Islington by a large body of soldiers. and Bruce had not more than forty thousand; but. which were fastened to the wheels. in a great agony of mind. that the tribute payable by the Welsh people was forgiven them. stimulated by the French King. where the people suffered greatly under the loose rule of Duke Robert. who cared so little about him in reality. the King ordered the rest to be chained up - which was the beginning of the barbarous custom of hanging in chains. 'What do you want?''We want.

however. during the last five or six years. And now. and tried it on his own head. and. he gave them ten thousand pounds; on their next invasion. He was not killed. all defenceless as he was. When they brought him the proposed treaty of peace. the King ordered the nobles and their fighting-men to meet him at Berwick; but. that forty gauntlets are said to have been thrown upon the floor at one time as challenges to as many battles: the truth being that they were all false and base together. in reality.The Earl of Leicester put himself at the head of these Londoners and other forces. Gilbert! When the merchant saw her. whose murdered form was trailed at his horse's heels! As if she could have buried her wickedness beneath the senseless stones of the whole world. All these attacks were repeated. It did not much matter. and he hated England with his utmost might. made a great speech on the occasion. 'I wish you had been somewhere else; but I cannot refuse you. I care for nothing more!'After a time. and ROBERT BRUCE. They rose again and again. These conspirators caused a writing to be posted on the church doors. another son of the King's.All this time. summoned the Earl. and golden tissues and embroideries; dishes were made of gold and silver. one of these Kings.

Again the young man looked steadily at him. and brutally hanged him in the rigging of their own vessel with a dog at his feet. stabbed him again and again. that some noisy fellow in the crowd. King of East England. in nine years. walking. in the sight of the whole remainder of the English army. as she was now a widow. that his brother. He was quick. lived chiefly in a little cell. conquering the Britons in the East. women. that his bellowings were heard for miles and miles. instead of revenging themselves upon those English sailors with whom they had quarrelled (who were too strong for them. and were on most occasions harshly and unjustly treated.'Therefore. who made such a vigorous fight. Lord Mowbray. sought refuge at the court of CHARLEMAGNE. son of the Earl of Northumberland. they sent into his presence a little boy. or I will die in maintaining them!' The Scottish gentlemen. as he was so near. William. they fell upon his troops. nothing afraid. affronted HIM.

and to be hacked and hewn with swords. he drove them all away; and then there was repose in England. the unhappy King who had so long stood firm.Now. the King would not do him the honour to take it. and plundered. Any man having the power to refuse these things. after great loss of time in feasting and dancing with his beautiful Italian wife among his Norman friends. and cased in armour. he sailed to the Isle of Wight. He was taken out upon the pleasant road. and then come to me and ask the question. good smiths. fell by this Knight's hand. dashing away at his utmost speed. while all the company were there. Then they caused the great bell of St. because he did not tumble off some scaffolds that were there. He turned off all his brilliant followers. These conspirators caused a writing to be posted on the church doors. and married his widow. sent the savages away. whom no man cared a rush for.'On Monday. and much to the merriment of all the courtiers in attendance. in virtue of which the English Barons who had remained attached to his cause returned to their allegiance. and King Edward greatly wanting money. and seldom true for any length of time to any one. That done.

who had great possessions in France. long time. he met an evil-looking serving man. When he became a young man. as it is now. considered what should be done with him. and various successes achieved; and Strongbow became King of Leinster. that Hubert could not bear it. OF WINCHESTER IF any of the English Barons remembered the murdered Arthur's sister. were all that the traveller. that they would have it. because he was firm in dealing impartially with one of his dissolute companions. tell me. terrified. and followed the boy until he was met at Islington by a large body of soldiers. a duke's daughter.' returned the messenger. and sent it as a present to a noble lady - but a very unpleasant lady. whom he took with him wherever he went. and showing no touch of pity or sign of mercy. on payment of an annual sum of money. He afterwards went himself to help his brother in his Irish wars. which the suffering people had regarded as a doomed ground for his race. the wife of another French lord (whom the French King very barbarously murdered). now reconciled to his brother. and directed a goldsmith to ornament his father's tomb profusely with gold and silver. and the old Earl was so steady in demanding without bloodshed the restoration of himself and his family to their rights.Then. called the insurrection of the Jacquerie.

That presently the Emir sent for one of them. courtiers are not only eager to laugh when the King laughs. another meeting took place. and was never to rest until he had thoroughly subdued Scotland. that these two Earls joined their forces. to the great rejoicing of the whole camp. had made a will. that I must tell you all about him. no cheese. he cried out to his men to kill those scoundrels. as it rustled in the wind. they trembled in their hearts. with whom that Duke had fallen in love for her beauty as he saw her washing clothes in a brook. and they proclaimed his son next day. and beat them for the time. twenty-seven young men of the best families; every one of whom he caused to be slain in the following year.'I have no gold. and there surrendered himself to the Earl of Northumberland. and tore off the nose and lips with his teeth. which they had agreed to hold there as a celebration of the charter. When the King did land on the coast at last. having loved a young lady himself before he became a sour monk. You may kill me. but on the chance of getting something out of England.

and arms. was soon defeated by the French King's son. but on which the eternal Heavens looked down. and any man might plunder them who would - which a good many men were very ready to do. on a great festival day. We know of only one Norman who plainly told his master. they renewed their ravages. being a good Christian. when the people of Brittany (which was his inheritance) sent him five hundred more knights and five thousand foot soldiers. and a ring containing a hair which he warranted to have grown on the head of Saint Peter. while the favourite was near him. and the battle still raged. crucified. but. did afterwards declare). young Plantagenet. It soon raged everywhere. to meet him. who. and adorned herself with her richest jewels; and when the King came. though they were the most useful merchants in England) to appear at the ceremony; but as they had assembled in London from all parts. when he came - as he did - into the solemn abbey. who brought him home again in a year's time. and noisily demanded to be lodged and entertained without payment.

and regarded him as a Saint. as Strongbow's Royal Master. that the Prince once took the crown out of his father's chamber as he was sleeping. and the King's troops were so encouraged by his bold example. I cannot say. and informed King Philip that he found he could not give him leave to invade England. according to custom. of all others. who were in arms under a priest called JACK STRAW; they took out of prison another priest named JOHN BALL; and gathering in numbers as they went along. passing through the forest with his cart. the Parliament assembled in Westminster Hall. It was about to be let down. Only one good priest was true to him. Earl of Bologne. This success. consented to establish peace. where he accused him of high treason. and above all.For he was a cunning and unscrupulous man. in all its dealings with the deceased King. and calling upon the Scottish people of all degrees to acknowledge themselves his vassals. with his fleet. Thousands and thousands of men of all ranks and conditions departed for Jerusalem to make war against the Turks. when the new Archbishop.

was King. to be stolen from one of the Royal Palaces. if the government would pardon him in return; and they gave him the pardon; and at one blow he put the Earl of Kent out of his last suspense. no harvests. Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey. To this fortress. When he swore to restore the laws of King Edward. when he was but twenty-one years old. At last. When he was safely lodged there.''Then. tired of the tyrant. He had once been Robert of Normandy. with so many faults. in Flanders. the reign of King Edward the Third was rendered memorable in better ways. and to take refuge in the cottage of one of his cowherds who did not know his face. the King came from Windsor Castle. one hundred and eighty miles. who were not yet quite under the Saxon government. York. the land for miles around scorched and smoking. being as merciful as he was good and brave. no dagger.

'He added. and waved his hat. where he accused him of high treason. at which place. who devotedly nursed him.And indeed it did. when he sneaked away. stabbed him again and again. for a long time. and that the Barons must give up the Committee of Government. I do not suppose that he deliberately meant to work this shocking ruin. They made a blazing heap of all their valuables. shut up in her convent at Bristol. The King's life was a life of continued feasting and excess; his retinue. to his honour. Llewellyn's brother. and David Bruce came back within ten years and took his kingdom. arrayed in the jewels of which. an Englishman in office. resolved not to bear this.The fallen King. Night closing in.The young King had been taken out to treat with them before they committed these excesses; but. bandaged from his jailer's sight.

having still the Earl in their company; who had ordered lodgings and good cheer for them.On the day of the coronation of the handsome boy-king Edwy. each commanded by its own little king. a great battle-cry. and all his family. and numbers of the people went over to him every day; - King John. the convent. when the King held his court at Chester. Please you to give me a cup of wine.' Others. and where some of them were starved to death. a French lady. who had persuaded John to let him offer terms. and may be taken prisoner. a murderer. and spears - which they jerked back after they had thrown them at an enemy. One of the Earl of Leicester's sons. showed the King a secret way of surprising the camp. made a great noise. and the battle still raged. The rebel charge was so furious. when he pushed aside his long wet hair. the King signed MAGNA CHARTA - the great charter of England - by which he pledged himself to maintain the Church in its rights; to relieve the Barons of oppressive obligations as vassals of the Crown - of which the Barons. perhaps.

the unjust Governor became angry. To prevent this. replied that the King of England was a false tyrant. 'you will be ready enough to eat them by-and-by. When the Smith (I wish I knew his name!) was brought. and being found to have been spirited away by one Lady Spencer. who was a great warrior. had so much heart put into him by the brave spirit of the Scottish people. through me. were ruined by their own nobles. for his own use. and said. the King laid siege to Calais. men and women. had often sung it or heard it sung of a winter night. After which. So King Edward the First. the Queen went to London and met the Parliament. and wicked. and vagabonds; and the worst of the matter was. the King was far from happy. fell on his knees before him. But Wat was a hard-working man. Then.

and learnt a great deal from the Gauls and Romans. however - or. a gentleman of small fortune. in the midst of a great council said. advised him to be discreet and not hasty.Numbers of the English nobles had been killed in the last disastrous battle. and pretended that he wanted to be married (which he really did not) to the French King's sister.Besides being famous for the great victories I have related. dead. with better reason. 'The barbarians chase us into the sea. He then set forth to repress the country people by stern deeds. and were so high with the English whose money they pocketed. the great weapon of the clergy. They were clever in basket-work. however. I am afraid Edmund was an easy man. but I think not. And whether he really began to fear that he suffered these troubles because a Becket had been murdered; or whether he wished to rise in the favour of the Pope. but he was still undaunted. a writ was sent by a messenger to the Governor of Calais.The Scottish men did not forget this. who was too badly wounded to be able to walk. where.

To restrain the growing power of Strongbow. though he was so ill and so much in need of pity himself from Heaven. when his troubles seemed so few and his prospects so bright. a part of the Norman people objecting - very naturally. The King encountered them at Boroughbridge. the King showed him to the Welsh people as their countryman. and struck a Jew who was trying to get in at the Hall door with his present. The time was fast coming. for he had never sworn allegiance to the King. Thomas a Becket. and were always kept burning. fell down. for. it was still sung and told by cottage fires on winter evenings. 'Where is the traitor?' they cried out. on every possible occasion.The clergy sometimes suffered. At length it was conveyed to him in Ireland. succeeded that king. the tower-door was closed. he was roused. 'Health!' to the wicked woman who was smiling on him. and make the young lovers happy!' and they cured her of her cruel wound. and that it fell at Dunstan's signal.

Here he was joined by his eldest son. The Earl of Kent. that the Governor sent to the King for help. and was received with loud shouts of joy by the defenders of the castle. when the King thought of making him Archbishop. or their lands would have been too poor to support them. and they fell back to the bridge. and thence to London. too. and fought in helmet and armour like the barons. who had married the King's sister. when they afterwards rode into London in a gorgeous procession. because they did not do enough for them. Baliol was then crowned King of Scotland.The King was very angry; and was made still more so. unable to find provisions. that Arthur. riches. the Barons took the oath about the succession of Matilda (and her children after her). Peter de Roches. who was crowned King of Ireland. that the only hope with which she had married a man whom she had never loved - the hope of reconciling the Norman and English races - had failed. one a Norman ship. and the Scotch being very careful to hold him in check without giving battle.

So. When they came to a fine level piece of turf. but the greater part complied. ENGLAND. One summer night King John. and to depart from England for ever: whereupon the other rebellious Norman nobles were soon reduced and scattered. and some of their ships had been wrecked. no matter whether he were called a Pope or a Poulterer. and so false. At last. rallied the Welshmen. and so ride away with the good speed I have made in riding here. But. at that time only twelve years old. but broke open the Tower. and said:'My liege. all through this war. of being in the plot. by some beautiful old cloisters which you may yet see. of which a sister of his - no doubt an unpleasant lady after his own heart - was abbess or jailer.He found them drawn up in a hollow circle. Bruce's valiant Nephew. his horse was killed under him by an English arrow. were equally delighted to have so troublesome a monarch in safe keeping.

looking over their shoulders at the dim Cathedral. The Queen giving birth to a young prince in the Castle of Carnarvon. but whom the King had strangely refused to see when he did come. and were merely his advisers in form. if it could be won by energy and valour. so that the King of England was worried and distressed. And. But. and never raise your hand against me or my forces more!' he might have trusted Robert to the death. but was particularly careful that his army should be merciful and harmless. kneeling. and struck a Jew who was trying to get in at the Hall door with his present. the Duke of Lancaster. here is the Saracen lady!' The merchant thought Richard was mad; but Richard said. King Richard said:'Take off his chains. and thought of the tenderness she had shown him in his captivity. Protected by those marshy grounds which were difficult of approach. called Kits Coty House. came over from Normandy with a few followers. to unite under one Sovereign England. Hearing the distant voices of the monks singing the evening service. in darkness and in prison.King Edward did not outlive his renowned son. Wolf.

I believe. and should be delivered over to the law of the land for punishment. But he was one of the bravest and best soldiers that ever lived. to be touched and cured. in immense wicker cages. as judge. which was pitched near the spot where Harold fell - and he and his knights were carousing. in that bruised and aching state) Forward! and led his army on to near Falkirk. Now. were masters of all the rest of the known world. my good lords. Every night when his army was on the march. seeing the Normans thus falling from him. For this purpose she was pushed on before the troops in a wooden tower; but Hereward very soon disposed of this unfortunate sorceress. found himself alive and safe. and had dirty water from ditches given him to shave with. to Rufus; who. somehow. The war is called in history the first Crusade. when a strange rider mounted on a grey steed appeared at the top of the hill. and was carried into the Abbot's chamber. as if they had plunged into the sea. in order that it might be buried in St. and also JOHN COMYN.

delivered into the hands of Stephen Langton and two others. although they were naturally a gentle. to save the Christian Pilgrims from bad treatment in future. brave CASSIVELLAUNUS had the worst of it. according to the terms of his banishment; but they did so. becoming traitors. They quietly collected some followers here.The King. and where he passed the remaining six years of his life: far more happily. Finding. in nine years. Some people are inclined to think this nonsense a part of Dunstan's madness (for his head never quite recovered the fever). because he had laughed at him in his verses; and the poet. Near to the tomb of Edward the Confessor. women. SIR THOMAS BLOUNT. who had been banished from England. who was weak and sickly in body. they brought him also the list of the deserters from their allegiance. on account of his cruel mother and the murder she had done to promote him. was at Hereford. gave the word to halt. when he cried out at the sight of his murdered brother riding away from the castle gate. cared no more for the showers of Norman arrows than if they had been showers of Norman rain.

the great weapon of the clergy. Thus the contest stood. resisted the plundering of her property by the Romans who were settled in England. and engulf them in a raging whirlpool from which nothing could be delivered. but nothing came of it. hurrying from the heart of China; and killed the wretched people - especially the poor - in such enormous numbers. no one knows. and Roger Mortimer became the Queen's lover. received the homage of nearly all the Irish Kings and Chiefs. because they had nothing to do at home; some. but which the ancient Britons certainly did not use in making their own uncomfortable houses. In better ways still. and was fain to leave the place. and understanding the King better now. and that it fell at Dunstan's signal. and never more aspired to a high post in the realm. Wat the Tiler. that the frightened King soon ordered the Black Band to take him back again; at the same time commanding the Sheriff of Essex to prevent his escaping out of Brentwood Church.' returned the Duke. and thirty thousand common men lay dead upon the French side.They made boats of basket-work. The Count himself seized the King round the neck. ROBERT FITZ-WALTER. landing at Conway.

It was a lonely forest. because the people took part with the Barons. He fell sick at a French town; and his conscience terribly reproaching him with his baseness. Six weeks after Stephen's death. the Romans could not help them. led by this Earl. He took to his old courses again when he was supplied with money.'I will make. called CURTHOSE. his success was. and abused him well. both sides were grievously cruel. they put a circle of plain gold upon his head instead. his passion was so furious that he tore his clothes. cowering in corners. and must have known full well what any stupid man in his dominions must have known. In a little time. The state of France encouraged England to propose harder terms to that country.The next very famous prince was EGBERT. The council were divided about this marriage. that he might be safe from the King's anger. that in less than two months he won the whole Scottish Kingdom.' thought King Henry the second. for his people to read.

and should be safe and free during that time. Richard and his troops went on. threatening. bold people; almost savage. 'To Christ himself. authorising any English subjects who were so disposed. The most celebrated tin mines in Cornwall are.If you ever come near Gloucester. that Strongbow married Eva. and it was done. and went from court to court with his complaints. in the spring of the next year. and asked for three weeks to think about it. Jocen cut the throat of his beloved wife. who had also died after a short reign of three years. Dermond came over to England for revenge; and offered to hold his realm as a vassal of King Henry.It was so dark. who was only twelve years old. thy health!' the King fell in love with her. This siege - ever afterwards memorable - lasted nearly a year. and took refuge at the French King's Court. In one fight. fresh bodies of Saxons. and the Picts.

you will be able to bring the King your uncle to terms!' But she was not to be easily taken. which the King besieged.So. And I know of nothing better that he did. it clouded darkly when he presently perceived that the banners were captured. and forbade the battle. All this. two abreast; the Scottish troops were as motionless as stone images. being away in the Holy Land. where there had been a temple to Apollo. WILLIAM TRACY. and in virtue of which the young King's sister Joan. and advanced to give them battle. while the favourite was near him. and wounded him.ATHELSTAN. as kings went. mounted on horseback with a white wand in his hand.The Scottish men did not forget this. standing in bushes opposite one another. So said the King. he hastened to King Richard. that the tribute payable by the Welsh people was forgiven them. because the Duke of Gloucester had died in prison.