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that he had perished, "then I will not outlive nim," said the captain, and immediately sunk to the bottom. The shrieks of these unfortunate people were heard from the shore, and the noise even reached the king's ship, but the cause was then unknown. 17. Henry entertained hopes, for three days, that his son had put into some distant port in England; but when certain intelligence of the calamity was brought to him he fainted away, and was never seen to mile from that moment till the day of his death, which followed some time after at St. Dennis, a little town in Normandy, from eating too plentifully of lampreys, a dish he was particularly fond of. He died in the sixty-seventh year of his age, and the thirty-fifth of his reign, leaving by will his daughter Matilda heiress of all his dominions.

Questions for Examination.

1. On the death of Rufus, what was the conduct of Henry?

2. What method did Henry take to ingratiate himself in his subjects' fa vour?

4. To whom was Henry married?

5. Was there any other claimant to the crown of England?

6, 7. What was the conduct of Robert at this time, and to what disaster did it lead ?

9. In what way was the captive Robert treated by his brother?

11. What was the situation of Henry at this time?

12. For what purpose did Henry carry his son to Normandy? 15. Relate the fatal accident that befel many of the nobility 17. What was the cause of the king's death?

CONTEMPORARY SOVEREIGNS.

Popes. A. D.

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Pascal II.... 1099 John Comnenus... 1118 Louis VI......... 1108 Gelastius II............. 1118

1056

Calixtus II........ 1119 Emperors of the West.
Honorius II....... 1124 Henry IV....
Innocent II....... 1130 Henry V..

Emperors of the East.

.....

....

Lotharius..

Kings of France.

Kings of Scotland.

1106 Donald VIII...... 1068 1125 Edgar....

Alexis 1.......... 1081 | Philip I.......... 1060

EMINENT PERSONS.

1108

Alexander.
David...

.....

1117

1124

Anselm and Radulph, archbishops of Canterbury. William Crito, son of duke Robert of Normandy. Robert earl of Shrewsbury. The Empres Matilda.*

"She was the only daughter and surviving legitimate child of Henry she was married to Henry V. emperor of Germany, but having become a widow in the year 1126, she returned to her father's court, and continued to receive the honorary title of empress. In the following year Henry, wh'le

CHAPTER VII.

STEPHEN

Born 1104. Died Oct. 25th, 1154. Began to reign Dec. 26th, 1135. Reigned 18 years.

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1 (A. D. 1135.) No sooner was the king known to be dead, than Stephen, son of Adela, the king's sister, and the count of Blois,* conscious of his own power and influence, resolved to secure himself the possession of what he so long desired. He speedily hastened from Normandy, and arriving at London, was immediately saluted king by all the lower ranks of people. 2. Being thus secure of the people, his next step was to gain over the clergy; and, for that purpose, his brother, the bishop of Winchester, exerted all his influence among them with great success. Thus was Stephen made king by one of those speedy revolutions which ever mark the barbarity of a state in which they are customary.

3. The first acts of an usurper are always popular. Ste phen, in order to secure his tottering throne, passed a char ter, granting several privileges to the different orders of the state-To the nobility a permission to hunt in their own forests; to the clergy, a speedy filling of all vacant benefices; and, to the people, a restoration of the laws of Edward the Confessor. To fix himself still more securely, he took possession of the royal treasures at Winchester, and had his title ratified by the pope with a part of the

money.

4. It was not long, however, that Matilda delayed asserting her claim to the crown. She landed upon the coast of

n Normandy, became attached to Geoffry Martel, the young count of Anjou who had changed his name to Plantagenet, from his custom of wearing in his helmet a bunch of flowering broom (plante-de-genêt) instead of a plume, not content with becoming his godfather in chivalry, the king resolved that Matilda should receive the young count of Anjou as her second husband. This marriage was contracted without the consent of the estates of the realms of England and Normandy; being therefore deemed illegal, it afforded Ste phen a pretext for usurping the throne.-William of Malmesbury.

A city in France.

+"Stephen was a man of great facetiousness, and much of his success is to be imputed to the familiar pleasantry of his conversation.' --William of Malmesbury

Sussex, assisted by Robert earl of Gloucester, natural so of the late king. The whole of Matilda's retinue, upor this occasion, amounted to no more than one hundred and forty knights, who immediately took possession of Arunde castle; but the nature of her claim soon increased the number of her partisans, and her forces every day seemed to gain ground upon those of her antagonist. 5. Mean time Stephen being assured of her arrival, flew to besiege Arundel, where she had taken refuge, and where she was protected by the queen dowager, who secretly favoured her pretensions. This fortress was too feeble to promise a long defence; and would have soon been taken had it not been represented to the king that, as it was a castle belonging to the queen dowager, it would be an infringement on the respect due to her to attempt taking it by force

6. There was a spirit of generosity mixed with the rudeness of the times that unaccountably prevailed in many transactions. Stephen permitted Matilda to come forth in safety, and had her conveyed with security to Bristol, another fortress equally strong with that from which he permitted her to retire. 7. It would be tedious to relate the various skirmishes on either side, in pursuance of their respective pretensions; it will suffice to say that Matilda's forces increased every day, while her antagonist seemed every hour to become weaker and a victory gained by the queen threw Stephen from the throne into a prison, and exalted Matilda in his room. Matilda was crowned at Winchester with all imaginable solemnity.

8. Matilda, however, was unfit for government. She affected to treat the nobility with a degree of disdain to which they had long been unaccustomed; so that the fickle nation once more began to pity their deposed king, and repent the steps they had taken in her favour. The bishop of Winchester was not remiss in fomenting these discontents; and when he found the people ripe for a tumult, detached a party of his friends and vassals to block up the city of London, where the queen then resided. 9. At the same time measures were taken to instigate the Londoners to a revolt, and to seize her person. Matilda, having timely notice of this conspiracy, fled to Winchester, whither the bishop, still her secret enemy, followed her, watching an opportunity to ruin her cause. His party was soon suf ficiently strong to bid the queen open defiance, and to be viege her in the very place where she first received his

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benediction. 10. There she continued for some time; but the town being pressed by a famine, she was obliged to escape; while her brother, the earl of Gloucester, endeavouring to follow, was taken prisoner, and exchanged for Stephen, who still continued a captive. Thus a sudden revolution once more took place; Matilda was deposed, and obliged to seek for safety in Oxford. Stephen was again recognized as the king, and taken from his dungeon to be replaced on the throne.

11. But he was now to enter the lists with a new opposer, who was every day coming to maturity, and growing more formidable. This was Henry, the son of Matilda, who had now reached his sixteenth year; and gave the greatest hopes of being one day a valiant leader and a consummate politician.

12. With the wishes of the people in his favour, young Henry was resolved to claim his hereditary kingdom, and to dispute once more Stephen's usurped pretensions; he accordingly made an invasion on England, where he was immediately joined by almost all the barons of the kingdom.

13. In the mean time, Stephen, alarmed at the power and popularity of his young rival, tried every method to anticipate the purpose of an invasion; but finding it impossible to turn the torrent, he was obliged to have recourse to treaty. It was, therefore, agreed, by all parties, that Stephen should reign during his life; and that justice should

be administered in his name: that Henry should, on Ste phen's death, succeed to the kingdom; and William, Stephen's son, should inherit Boulogne and his patrimonial estate. 14. After all the barons had sworn to this treaty, which filled the whole kingdom with joy, Henry evacuated England; and Stephen returned to the peaceful enjoyment of his throne. His reign, however, was soon after terminated by his death, which happened about a year after the treaty, at Canterbury, where he was interred.

Questions for Examination.

1 Who succeeded Henry the first?

2. What measures were taken to secure the throne? 3. What were the first acts of Stephen?

4. Was there no opposition to Stephen?

6. What was Stephen's conduct towards Matilda? 7. Did Matilda succeed in recovering the throne?

8. Had Matilda's conduct any serious consequences? 10 Whither did Matilda flee for safety?

In what manner did she escape?

11. Had Stephen any new opposer?

12. Who joined Henry when he invaded England?
13. Of what nature was the treaty between the two parties?

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John of Salisbury, Henry of Huntingdon, Roger de Hoveden, Geoffrey of Monmouth, (historians.) Curboil and Theobald, archhishops of Canterbury Thurston, archbishop of York, and lieutenant to the king who appointed Ralph, bishop of Durham, his general against the Scots. Rovert, Earl of Gloucester, Ranulph, earl of Chester.

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