the tenth year of his reign, and the forty-second of his age leaving only one natural son, named Philip, behind him. Questions for Examination. 1. With whom did Richard embark for the crusades? 2. Of what number did the armies consist? 4. On Philip's return to France, who was left to conduct the war? 5. Who opposed Richard on his march to besiege Jerusalem? 6. Can you repeat the particulars of the battle? 8. What circumstance induced Richard to come to an accommodation with Saladin? 9. In returning home, what happened to Richard? 11. How was it discovered that Richard was a prisoner? 12. By what means did Richard recover his liberty? 13. Who endeavoured to prolong Richard's captivity? and what was his remark on this occasion? 15. Can you relate the singular accident which caused the death of Richard! 17. What was the answer of the person who shot the king Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury. Henry Fitzalwyn, first lord mayor of London. William Longchamp, bishop of Ely, regent in Ricnard's absence Robin Hood and Little John, the celebrated outlaws. CHAPTER X. JOIN. Born 1165. Died October 7th, 1216. Began to reign April 6th, 1199. Reigned 17 years. SECTION I. When faithless John usurp'd the sullied crown, 1. (A. D. 1190.) John,* who was readily put in pos. session of the English throne, lost no time to second his interest 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 soon became hateful to his subjects; and his putting his nephew, who had a right to the crown, to death, with his own hand, in prison, served to render him completely hateful. 2. Hitherto John was rather hateful to his subjects than contemptible; they rather dreaded than despised him. But he soon shewed that he might be offended, if not without resentment, at least 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 some time acted as a community independent of the crown, and had their elections of each other generally confirmed by the pope, to whom alone they owed subjection. 3. However, the election of archbishops had for some time been a continual subject of dispute between the suffragan bishops and the Augustine monks, and both had precedents to confirm their pretensions. John sided with the bishops, and sent two knights of his train, who were fit instruments for such a prince, to expel the monks from their convent, and to take possession of their revenues. 4. The pope was not displeased with these divisions; and, instead of electing either of the persons appointed by the contending parties, he nominated Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury. John, however, refusing to admit the man of the pope's choosing, the king. dom was put under an interdict. This instrument of terro in the hands of the see of Rome was calculated to strike the senses in the highest degree, and to operate upon the * Surnamed Sans Terre or Lockland. superstitious minds of the people. 5. By it a stop was im mediately put to divine service, and to the administration of all the sacraments but baptism. The church-doors were shut; the statues of the saints were laid on the ground; the dead were refused Christian burial, and were thrown, into ditches on the highways, without the usual rites, or any funeral solemnity. 6. No situation could be more deplorable than that of ohn upon this occasion. Furious at his indignities, jealous of his subjects and apprehending an enemy in every face, it is said that, fearing a conspiracy against his life, he shut himself up a whole night in the castle of Nottingham, and suffered none to approach his person. But what was his consternation when he found that the pope had actually given away his kingdom to the monarch of France, and that the prince of that country was actually preparing an army to take possession of his crown! 7. John, who, unsettled and apprehensive, scarcely knew where to turn, was still able to make an expiring effort to receive the enemy. All hated as he was, the natural en mity between the French and the English, the name of king, which he still retained, and some remaining power, put him at the head of sixty thousand men-a sufficient number indeed, but not to be relied on-and with these he advanced to Dover. 8. Europe now regarded the important preparations on both sides with impatience; and the decisive blow was soon expected, in which the church was to triumph or to be overthrown. But neither Philip nor John had ability equal to the pontiff by whom they were actuated; who appeared on this occasion too refined a politician for either. He only intended to make use of Philip's power to intimidate his refractory son, not to destroy him. 9. He intimated, therefore, to John, by his legate, that there was but one way to secure himself from impending danger; which was to put himself under the pope's protection, who was a merciful father, and still willing to receive a repentant sinner to his bosom. John was too much intimidated by the manifest danger of his situation not to embrace every means offered for his safety. assented to the truth of the legate's remonstrances, and took an oath to perform whatever stipulation the pope should impose. 10. John having thus sworn to the performance of an unknown command, the artful Italian so well managed the barons, and so effectually intimidated the king, that he He persuaded him to take the most extraordinary oath in all the records of history, before all the people, kneeling upon his knees, and with his hands held up between those of the legate. 11. "I John, by the grace of God, king of England, and lord of Ireland, in order to expiate my sins, from my own free will, and the advice of my barons, give to the church of Rome, to pope Innocent, and his successors, the kingdom of England, and all other prerogatives of my crown. I will hereafter hold them as the pope's vassal. I will be faithful to God, to the church of Rome, to the pope my master, and his successors legitimately elected. I promise to pay him a tribute of a thousand marks yearly; to wit, seven hundred for the kingdom of England, and three hundred for the kingdom of Ireland."-12. Having thus done Fomage to the legate, and agreed to reinstate Langton in the primacy, he received the crown, which he had been supposed to have forfeited, while the legate trampled under his fert the tribute which John had consented to pay. Thus, by this most scandalous concession John once more averted the threatened blow. In this manner, by repeated acts of cruelty, by expedi tions without effect, and humiliations without reserve, John was become the detestation of all mankind. Questions for Examination. 1. What was the conduct of John on succeeding to the throne? 2, 3. Of what nature was the disagreement between the king and the clergy which produced such serious consequences to the nation? 4 Why was the kingdom put under an interdict? 5 What were the consequences of it? 6. To what distress was John reduced? 9 To what humiliating concessions did John submit? What oath did the king take? 12. What degrading ceremony followed? SECTION II. This is the place Where England's ancient barons, clad in arma, 1. (A. D. 1215.) THE barons had long been forming Confederacy against him; but their union was broken, or their aims disappointed, by various and unforseen accidents At length however they assembled a large body of men at Stamford, and from thence, elated with their power, they rched to Brackley, about fifteen miles from Oxford, the place where the court then resided. 2. John, hearing of their approach, sent the archbishop of Canterbury, the eari of Pembroke, and others of the council, to know the particulars of the request, and what those liberties were which they so earnestly importuned him to grant. The barons delivered a schedule, containing the chief articles of their demands, and of which the former charters of Henry and Edward the Confessor formed the ground-work. No sooner were those shown to the king, than he burst into a furious passion, and asked why the barons did not also demand his kingdom? swearing that he would never comply with such exorbitant demands! But the confederacy was now too strong to fear much from the consequences of his resentment. 3. They chose Robert Fitzwalter for their general. whom they dignified with the title of "mareschal of the army of God, and of the holy church," and proceeded without further ceremony, to make war upon the king. They besieged Northampton; they took Bedford; they were joyfully received in London. They wrote circular letters to all the nobility and gentlemen who had not yet declared in their favour, and menaced their estates with devastation, in case of refusal or delay. This 4. John, struck with terror, first offered to refer all differer.ces to the pope alone, or eight barons; four to be chosen by himself and four by the confederates. the barons scornfully rejected. He then assured them that he would submit at discretion; and that it was his supreme pleasure to grant all their demands: a conference was ac cordingly appointed, and all things adjusted for this most important treaty. 5. The ground where the king's commissioners met the barons was between Staines and Windsor,* at a place called Runimede, still held in reverence by posterity as the spot where the standard of freedom was first erected in England. There the barons appeared with a vast number of knights and warriors, on the fifteenth day of June, while those on the king's part came a day or two after. Both sides encamped apart, like open enemies. The debates between power and precedent are generally but of short continuance. 6. The barons, having arms in their hands, would admit but a few abatements; and the king's agents being for the most part in their interests, few debates Here is the strongest castle in England: it was the general residence of his late majesty, and originally built by William the Conqueror |