the monks, and took to himself the revenues. The pope laid the kingdom under an interdict, and threatened to give the crown to the son of Philip II. of France. John became alarmed -after six years' delay submitted to the pope's authority— recalled the bishops and clergy whom he had banished-and did homage at Swinfield, near Dover, to Pandulph, the pope's legate, for his crown, which was restored to him at the end of five days. Shortly afterwards the earl of Pembroke and other barons, with the bishops and cardinal Langton at their head, compelled John to sign Magna Charta, a code of laws compiled from the old Saxon laws of Edward and Alfred, of which the original is now in the British Museum. It was the greatest enterprise the nation had yet undertaken-one of enormous difficulty, but there was no shrinking from the duty these patriots had in hand; the bishops and barons represented the great council of the nation, and their combined efforts obtained the charter on which the freedom of the subject rests, and which is the foundation of the British Constitution. John was at Windsor on the 10th of June, and signed it at Runnemede, near Staines, June 19, 1215.

To these, our ancestors, we owe Magna Charta; not the result of "a squabble between the king and the barons," but the assertion of liberties as large in their range as could come into existence in England at the beginning of the thirteenth century the barons certainly had not only public wrongs to redress, but the private outrages of the king's licentiousness.

:

To the great meeting at Runnemede came many of the citizens of London, with their knights in armour, to witness the signing of the great charter of our liberties—the basis of English freedom; it was a recognition of the principles of preservation and progress, which has been in the process of development during the six subsequent centuries. The first object was to remedy the lasting evils of society; it did not abolish villanage and slavery-this result was the labour of subsequent centuries; the patriots of this period nobly did the work which they took in hand, "with the help of God and holy church, but they left to future generations the duty to continue and perfect their labours."

London Bridge-the one previous to the present structure— the same bridge which has been traversed by hundreds of thousands now living, the identical erection which was proof against every trial for more than six centuries-was finished in 1209. In a letter to the architect, the king exhorted him-he was a learned ecclesiastic-to use the same diligence in its erection as he had done in numerous other works of beauty and utility. The endowment of the Cinque Ports with additional privileges; the first standing army; and the annual election of a lord mayor and two sheriffs by the citizens of London, date their origin from this reign. The first lord mayor was Henry Fitz-Alwyn. Chimneys were first used in houses; there was only one in the centre of the great hall of the building, until about A.D. 1300.

The Jews, from their chiefly engrossing the commerce of the kingdom, were generally wealthy, but held in much detestation by the people. Our early kings, when they wanted money, often imprisoned all the Jews throughout England, until they discovered their treasures; and if the latter pleaded poverty, they were punished with the most cruel tortures. John, to carry on his civil wars, demanded ten thousand marks from a Jew at Bristol, and on his refusal, ordered one of his teeth to be drawn out every day until he should comply: the Jew lost seven teeth, and then paid the sum at first required.

Names of Note.- Prince Arthur; Pandulph; Robert Fitz-Walter, general of the barons' army; John de Courcy, earl of Ulster, famous for his strength and prowess-to him and his descendants John granted the privilege of wearing their hats in the king's presence (their present representative is lord Kinsale); cardinal archbishop Langton (A.D. 1151—1228), who divided our Bible into chapters and verses; and Gervais, a monk and historian (A.D. 1133-1205).

(29.) HENRY III., surnamed WINCHESTER.

Birth and Reign.—He was the eldest son of John, and being a minor, the earl of Pembroke, a wise, powerful, and prudent man, was made protector. The king was born at Winchester, A.D. 1207, crowned at Gloucester, and was king from 1216 to 1272; he enjoyed the longest reign in our history, excepting George III.

Marriage.-In 1236, he was married at Canterbury, to Eleanor, daughter of Raymond, earl of Provence. The nuptial festivities were of extraordinary magnificence; the citizens of London came forth in mantles worked in gold, on their newly caparisoned horses, carrying gold and silver cups as they rode in processional troops.

Issue.-Edward, who succeeded him; Edmund, earl of Lancaster; Margaret, married to Alexander III. of Scotland; and other children who died young.

Death.-Overcome with the infirmities of age, he died on November 20, 1272, at Bury St. Edmund's, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Character. A prince to whom the term worthless seems the most applicable, as being a man who, without committing any great crimes, was insincere, ill-judging, and cowardly; he was, however, a good husband and father. He was about the middle stature, compact and muscular; his countenance had a peculiar cast, from his left eye-lid covering part of the eye.

:

Wars.-(1). Louis, who brought over a fleet with recruits from France, was defeated at Lincoln, May 19, 1217; he was again beaten off the coast of Kent, by Hubert de Burgh, who had obtained the assistance of forty vessels from the Cinque Ports; he, gaining the windward side of the French, threw powdered quick-lime into the air, which the wind carried into the faces of his enemies these and other losses compelled Louis to leave England. (2). The barons, displeased at the king's partiality for foreigners, revolted, under the leadership of Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, the king's brother-in-law. The armies met at Lewes, in Sussex, May 14, 1264, when the king, his brother Richard, and son Edward, were taken prisoners; but Edward effecting his escape, collected an army, and fought the battle of Evesham, in Worcestershire, Aug. 4, 1265, in which De Montfort (the popular leader, adored by the commons and respected by the clergy) was slain, his army routed, and the king released. Henry had been placed in front of the battle, and saved his life by crying out, "I am Henry of Winchester, kill not your king." The sovereign's life was spared, but he caused the remains of De Montfort and his son to be shockingly mutilated.

Mem. Events.-In 1217 Magna Charta was again confirmed: and in 1264 appear the first rude outlines of the present House of Commons, when two knights from every shire, now called county members, and one or two burgesses from each borough town, were summoned to assemble in parliament at Westminster, in addition to the barons and clergy.

In 1264, Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, kept his Christmas at Kenilworth; in the king's name, he issued writs to call the first parliament of England together; they were directed to the sheriffs, ordering them to elect two knights for each county, two citizens for each city, and two burgesses for each borough; eleven bishops and twenty-three peers were also summoned; to Montfort is due the glory of having seen the necessity and wisdom of a general council of the nation, to guide and control the kingly power; or, as sir James Mackintosh puts it, "The earl saw the part of society which was growing in strength, and with which a provident government ought to seek an alliance:" this parliament met on January 28, 1265.

Prince Edward joined the crusade of St. Louis, and was highly distinguished for his bravery (1270). Thomas à Becket's bones were enshrined in gold, and pilgrims from all parts paid their devotions at his tomb at Canterbury: it was however destroyed in the reign of Henry VIII.

Many improvements were made in domestic life: coal being substituted for wood, a license was granted to the people of Newcastle to dig coal-this is the first mention we have of that useful mineral, for domestic uses, though it must have been used for scientific purposes in much earlier times; candles were used instead of wooden splinters; linen shirts were introduced by the Flemish, woollen ones having been previously used; leaden pipes for conveying water were introduced.

Magnifying glasses, magic lanterns, and gunpowder, were invented by Roger Bacon, a Franciscan monk; philosophy and science were much expanded by the discoveries of this great and good man-he studied nature in a truthful and inquiring spirit; his discoveries opened a wide field for the exercise of the human mind; though in the midst of the surrounding darkness, his researches were not duly appreciated

E

in his own time, still he saw a distant future when his teaching and writings would add additional lustre to his name, and assist in an expansive development of the truths which he had pursued with so much diligence and zeal.

About the same period an instrument, the "mariner's compass," was introduced from the East; it became to the commerce of the world for this and subsequent centuries, what the steam vessel is in our own times. Gold coin was first introduced; the art of distilling was learnt from the Moors; the average price of wheat was four shillings per quarter; a sheep was one shilling; an ox ten shillings.

London in the middle of the thirteenth century had a flourishing commerce with various continental ports; though her merchants were rich, the houses in the city were mostly thatched with wood and straw; but in this reign it was ordered that all houses in the city should be covered with tiles or slates, more especially such as stood in the best streets, which were then very few when compared with modern London-for where Holborn now stands were green fields, the principal part of the city lying more eastward. From Temple Bar to the village of Westminster was a country road, having gentlemen's houses adjoining it. This was the case for many years afterwards.

This king rebuilt Westminster Abbey, enclosing the body of St. Edward in a chapel with a new and splendid shrine; the chapel was made the burial place of our kings till the time of Henry VII. who erected one for himself and successors.

Names of Note.-Earl of Pembroke; Hubert de Burgh, a great statesman, and governor of Dover Castle, where he bravely stood a long siege by Louis; Peter des Roches, a Poictevin, bishop of Winchester; Simon de Montfort, founder of the House of Commons; friar Roger Bacon, a philosopher (A.D. 1214-1294); Matthew Paris, a benedictine monk, and celebrated historian of the annals of our country between 1066 and 1259, in which year he died; Robert of Glo'ster, author of a History of England in rhyme (A.D. 1230-1285); Bracton, a lawyer.

(30.) EDWARD I., surnamed LONGSHANKS.

Birth and Reign.-He was the eldest son of Henry III.,