Hume. Henry was of the middle fize and robuft make, and his countenance had a peculiar caft from his left eye-lid, which hung down fo far as to cover part of his eye. The particulars of his character may be gathered from the detail of his conduct. He was certainly a prince of very mean talents; irrefolute, incon in the hands of his own minifters and favour- | Died November 16, 1272, aged 64. Reignites, and as little at his own disposal, as whened 56 years. detained a captive in the hands of his enemies. From this fource rather than from $ 40. Another Character of HENRY III. infincerity and treachery, arole his negligence in obferving his promifes; and he was too eafily induced, for the fake of prefent convenience, to facrifice the lafting advantages arifing from the truft and confidence of his people. Hence were derived his profufion to favourites, his attachment to ftrangers, the variableness of his conduct, his hafty refent-itant, and capricious; proud, infolent, and ments, and his fudden forgiveness and return of affection, Inftead of reducing the dangereus power of his nobles, by obliging them to obferve the laws towards their inferiors, and fetting them the falutary example in his own government, he was feduced to imitate their conduct, and to make his arbitrary will, or rather that of his minifters, the rule of his actions. Inftead of accommodating himself by a ftrict frugality, to the embarraffed fituation in which his revenue had been left, by the military expedition of his uncle, the diffipations of his father, and the ufurpations of the barons; he was tempted to levy money by irregular exactions, which, without enriching himfelf, impoverished, or at least disgusted, his people. Of all men, nature seemed leaft to have fitted him for being a tyrant; yet are there inftances of oppreflion in his reign, which, though derived from the precedents left him by his predeceffors, had been carefully guarded against by the great charter; and are inconfiftent with all rules of good government: and, on the whole, we may fay, that greater abilities with his good difpofitions, would have prevented him from falling into his faults; or, with warfe difpofitions, would have enabled him to maintain and defend them. arbitrary; arrogant in profperity, and abje& in adverfity; profufe, rapacious, and choleric, though deftitute of liberality, economy, and courage; yet his countenance was praiseworthy, as well as his averfion to cruelty for he contented himself with punishing the rebels in their effects, when he might have glutted his revenge with their blood. He was prodigal even to excefs, and therefore always in neceflity, Notwithstanding the great fums he levied from his fubjects, and though his occafions were never so preffing, he could nothelp fquandering away his money upon worthlefs favourites, without confidering the difficulty he always found in obtaining fupplies from parliament. Smollet § 41. Character of EDWARD I, The enterprizes finished by this prince, and the projects which he formed, and brought very near to a conclufion, were more prudent and more regularly conducted, and more advantageous to the folid interests of this kingdom, than those which were undertaken in any reign either of his ancestors or fucceffors. He reftored authority to the go. vernment, difordered by the weakness of his father; he maintained the laws against all the efforts of his turbulent barons; he fully annexed annexed to the crown the principality of Wales, he took the wifeft and moft effectual measures for reducing Scotland to a like condition; and though the equity of this latter enterprize may reasonably be queftioned, the circumstances of the two kingdoms promifed fuch fuccefs, and the advantages was fo vifible, of uniting the whole ifland under one head, that thofe who give great indulgence to reafons of ftate in the meafures of princes, will not be apt to regard this part of his conduct with much feverity. But Edward, however exceptionable his character may appear on the head of juftice, is the model of a politic and warlike king. He poffeffed induftry, penetration, courage, vigour, and enterprize. He was frugal in all expences that were not neceffary: he knew how to open the public treafures on proper occafions; he punished criminals with feverity; he was gracious and affable to his fervants and courtiers; and being of a majestic figure, expert in all bodily exercife, and in the main well proportioned in his limbs, notwithstanding the great length of his legs, he was as well qualified to captivate the populace by his exterior appearance, as to gain the approbation of men of fenfe by his more folid virtues. Died July 7, Reigned 35 years. 1307. aged 69. Hume. § 42. Another Character of EDWARD I, He was a prince of a very dignified appearance, tall in ftature; regular and come ly in his features; with keen piercing eyes, and of an afpect that commanded reverence and efteem. His conftitution was robuft; his ftrength and dexterity perhaps unequalled in his kingdom and his shape was unblemished in all other refpefts, but that of his legs, which are faid to have been too long in pro 200 portion to his body: whence he derived the epithet of Long Shanks. In the qualities of who have fat on the English throne. He was his head, he equalled the greatest monarchs cool, penetrating, fagacious, and circumspect, The remoteft corners of the earth founded with the fame of his courage; and all over Europe he was confidered as the flower of chivalry. Nor was he lefs confurnate in his legiflative capacity, than eminent for his prowefs. He may be ftyled the English Jufwere enacted in his reign, he new-modelled tinian: for, befides the excellent ftatutes that the adminiftration of juftice, fo as to render it more fure and fummary; he fixed proper bounds to the courts of jurifdiction; fettled a new and eafy method of collecting the revenue, and established wife and effectual methods of preferving peace and order among his subjects, Yet, with all thefe good qualities, he cherithed a dangerous ambition, to which he did not fcruple to facrifice the good of his country; witnefs his ruinous war with Scotland, which gave rife to that rancorous enmity which proved drained the kingdom of men and money, and fo prejudicial to both nations. Though he is celebrated for his chastity and regular deportment, there is not in the whole courfe of his reign, one inftance of his liberality and muniwithout the leaft fpark of heroifm. ficence. He had great abilities, but no genius; and was an accomplished warrior, Smollett. § 43. Character of EDWARD II. cent or inoffenfive than this unhappy king; nor It is not cafy to imagine a man more innoa prince lefs fitted for governing that fierce. and turbulent people fubjected to his autho rity. He was obliged to devolve on others the weight of government, which he had neither ability ability nor inclination to bear: the fame indolence and want of penetration led him to znake choice of minifters and favourites, which were not always best qualined for the truft committed to them. The feditious grandees, pleafed with his weakneis, and complaining of it, under pretence of attaching his minifters, infulted his perf n, and invaded his authority; and the impatient populace, ignorant of the fource of their grievances, threw all the blame upon the king, and increafed the public diforders by their faction and infolence. It was in vain to look for protection from the laws, whofe voke, always feeble in thofe times, was not heard in the din of arms: what could not defend the king, was lefs able to give fheiter to any one of his people; the whole machine of government was torn in picces, with fury and violence; and men, inticad of complaining against the manners of the age, and the form of their conftitution, which required the most steady and the most Skilful hand to conduct them, imputed all errors to his pet fon who had the misfortune to be entrusted with the reins of empire, Murdered 21 September, 1327. Hume. Another Charager of EDWARD II. 44. Thus perished Edward II. after having stored by his fufferings for all the errors of is conduct. He is laid to have refembled his father in the accomplishments of his perfon, as well as in his countenance; but in ether refpects he feems only to have inherited the defects of his character: for he was cruel and illiberal, without his valour or capacity. He had levity, indolence, and irresolution, in common with other weak princes; but the diftinguithed foible of his character was that naccountable paffion for the reigning favoursy to which he facrificed every other con fideration of policy and convenience, and at lait feil a milerable victim. Smollet, §. 45. Character of EDWARD III. The English are apt to confider with peculiar fondnes the history of Edward the Third, and to eftcem his reign, as it was one of the longeft, the most glorious alfo, which occurs in the-annals of the nation. The afcendant which they began to have over France, their rival and national enemy, makes them caft their eyes on this period with great compla cency, and fanctifies every meafure which Edward embraced for that end. But the do meftic government is really more admirable than his foreign victories; and England enjoyed, by his prudence and vigour of adminiftration, a longer interval of domeftic peace and tranquillity, than the had been blef with in any former period, or than the experienced for many years after. He gained the affections of the great, and curbed their licentioufnefs: he made them feel his power, without their daring, or even being inclined to murmur at it; his affable and obliging behaviour, his munificence and generofity, made them fuband conduct made them fucccfsful in moft of mit with pleafure to his dominion; his valour their enterprizes; and their unquiet fpirits, directed against a public enemy, had no leifure to breed difturbances, to which they were naturally fo much inclined, and which the form of the governinent feemed fo much to authorize. This was the chief benefit which refulted from Edward's victories and conquefts. His foreign wars were, in other refpects, neither f unded in juice, nor directed to any very falutary purpose. His attempt against the king of Scotland, a minor, and a brother-in-law, and the revival of his grand-father's claim of fuperiority over that kingdom kingdom, were both unreasonable and ungenerous: and he allowed himfelf to be too foon feced by the glaring profpccts of French a aqueft, from the acquifition of a point which was practicable, and which might really, if attained, have been of lafting utility to his country and to his fucceffors. But the giory of a conqueror is fo dazzling to the vulgar, and the animofity of nations fo extreme, that the fruitless defolation of fo fine a part of Europe as France is totally difregarded by us, and never confidered as a blemish in the character or conduct of this prince: and indeed, from the unfortunate state of human nature, it will commonly happen, that a fovereign of great genius, fuch as Edward, who ufually finds every thing cafy in the domeftic government, will turn himself towards military enterprizes, where alone he meets oppofition, and where he has full exercife for his induftry and capacity. Died 21ft of June, aged 65, in the 51ft year of his reign. Hume. 45. Another Chara&er of EDWARD III. Edward's conftitution had been impaired by the fatigues of his youth: fo that he began to feel the infirmities of old age, before they approach the common courfe of nature: and now he was feized with a malignant fever, attended with eruptions, that foon put a pe riod to his life. When his distemper becaine fo violent, that no hope of his recovery remained, all his attendants forfook him as a bankrupt no longer able to requite their fervices. The ungrateful ALICE, waiting until the perceived him in the agonies of death, was fo inhuman as to ftrip him of his rings and jewels, and leave him without one dometic to close his eyes, and do the laft offices to his breathlefs corfe. In this deplorable condition, bereft of comfort and affiftance, the mighty Edward lay expiring; when a priest not quite fo favage as the reft of his domeftics, approached his bed; and, finding him till breathing, began to adminifter fome comfort to his foul. Edward had not yet loft all perception, when he found himself thus abandoned and forlorn, in the last meinents of his life. He was juft able to exprefs a deep fenfe of forrow and contrition for the errors of his conduct, and died pronouncing the name of JESUS. Such was the piteous and obfcure end of Edward the Third, andoubtedly one of the greatest princes that ever fwayed the fceptre of England; whether we refpect him as a warrior, a lawgiver, a monarch, or a man, He poffeffed all the romantic spirit of Alexander; the penetration, the fortitude, the polished manners of Julius; the liberality, the munificence, the wifdom of Auguftus Cæfar. He was tall, majestic, finely fhaped, with a piercing eye and aquiline vifage. He excelled all his contemporaries in feats of arms and perfonal addrefs. He was courteous, affable, and eloquent; of a free deportment, and agreeable converfation; and had the art of commanding the affection of his fubje&s, without feeming to folicit popularity. The love of glory was certainly the predominant paflion of Edward, to the gratication of which he did not fcruple to fa- . critice the feelings of humanity, the lives of his fubjects, and the interefts of his country. And nothing could have induced or enabled his people to bear the load of taxes with which they were encumbered in his reign, but the love and admiration of his perfon, the fame · of his victories, and the excellent laws and regulations which the parliament enacted with his advice and concurrence. Smollett. 847- Charakter of RICHARD II. difference may be remarked between them, we fhall find the authority of the crown, being more legal, was commonly carried, when it prevailed, to lefs defperate extreurities than those of aristocracy *. Hume. § 48. Another Character of RICHARD II All the writers who have tranfmitted to s the hiftory of Richard, compofed their works during the reign of the Lancaftrian princes; and candour requires that we shouldnot give entire credit to the reproaches which have been thrown upon his memory. But Such was the laft conclufion of Richard II. after making all proper abatements, he ftill a weak, vain, frivolous, inconftant princes appears to have been a weak prince, and without weight to balance the fcales of gounfit for government; lefs for want of natural vernment, without difcernment to choose a parts and capacity, than of folid judgment good miniftry; without virtue to oppofe the and good education. He was violent in his meafures, or advice, of evil counfellors, even temper, profufe in his expences, fond of idle where they happened to clash with his own how and magnificence, devoted to favourites, principles and opinion. He was a dupe to and addicted to pleafure; paffions, all of flattery, a flave to oftentation, and not more them, the most inconfiftent with a prudent apt to give up his reafon to the fuggeftion of economy, and confequently dangerous in a fycophants, and vicious minifters, than to limited and mixed government. Had he pot facrifice thofe minifters to his fafety. He was feffed the talents of gaining, and, ftill more, idle, profufe, and profligate; and, though of overawing his great barons, he might have brave by ftarts, naturally pufillanimous, and efcaped all the misfortunes of his reign, and irrefolute. His pride and refentment promptbeen allowed to carry much further his op-ed him to cruelty and breach of faith; while preffions over his people, if he really was guilty of any, without their daring to rebel, or even murmur, against him. But when the grandees were tempted, by his want of prudence and rigour, to refift his authority, and execute the most violent enterprizes upon him, he was naturally led to feck for an opportunity of retaliation; juftice was neglected; the lives of the chief nobility facrificed; and all thefe evils feem to have proceeded more from a fettled defign of eftablishing arbitrary power, than from the infolence of victory, and the neceffities of the king's fituation. The manners, indeed, of the age were the chief fources of fuch violence; laws, which were feebly executed in peaceable times, loft all their authority in public convulfions. Both parties were alike guilty; or, if any his neceffitics obliged him to fleece his people, and degrade the character of his dignity and fituation. Though we find none of his charities on record, all his hiftorians agree, that he excelled all his predeceffors in ftate hofpitality, and fed a thousand every day from his kitchen. Smollett. § 49. Another Character of RICHARD II. Richard of Bourdeaux (fo called from the place of his birth) was remarkably beautiful, and handfome in his perfon; and doth not feem to be naturally defective, either in courage or understanding, For, on fome, occa He was starved to death in prifon, or murdered, after having been dethroned, A. D. 1399. in the year of his age 34; of his reign 23. |