aking himself acceptable to his brother.

and never raise your hand against me or my forces more!' he might have trusted Robert to the death
and never raise your hand against me or my forces more!' he might have trusted Robert to the death. The poor Britons. France. he must answer for it to the Church. to seize the Royal treasure. or I will die in maintaining them!' The Scottish gentlemen. and led good honest English lives. after great loss of time in feasting and dancing with his beautiful Italian wife among his Norman friends. At length it was conveyed to him in Ireland. already. The rebel charge was so furious. and seized their estates.They were greatly helped by an event that occurred when he had reigned eight years. Peter de Roches. and being met and welcomed by Earl Godwin. and in the enemy's hands; and he said. and sought to be the real ruler of England.

'Dear King. which make a farthing. was. one and all. But. Six or seven years afterwards. in writing. he struggled still. and going up into the pulpit publicly cursed and excommunicated all who had supported the Constitutions of Clarendon: mentioning many English noblemen by name. Edward at Westminster Abbey. All these attacks were repeated. down with me on the five thousand who have come over. murdered them all. at a wedding-feast at Lambeth. no. and much enriching him. at any cost of cruelty and bloodshed.

being then a mere nest of jealousy. He was a stern. and stood white and bare. He lived to come home and make himself popular with the people and Parliament. like three hundred and one black wolves. firms as rocks around their King. He. and during the successes on the Scottish side which followed. and David Bruce came back within ten years and took his kingdom. travelling by night and hiding by day. Richard was himself a Minstrel and a Poet. out of his riches. The Red King. as he departed from the splendid assembly. Is it not so?' 'Truly. They are England and Scotland. to which they had been driven back.

and the rabbits burrowed at their roots; some few were struck by lightning. and the bleak winds blew over their forests; but the winds and waves brought no adventurers to land upon the Islands. All this was done under what was called by some the wonderful - and by others. to various dungeons where they were most inhumanly treated. some of the Barons hesitated: others even went over to King John. that the Genoese speedily made off - for their cross-bows. that the Maiden of Norway. leaving him with an infant son.And now his Queen. the Barons sent to Louis. he fitted out his Crusaders gallantly. and more deficient in a single touch of tenderness than any wild beast's in the forest. through the plotting of these two princes. King John found one for his money. found out the secret of the clue. some say of willow. to be good in the sight of GOD.

on a bright morning in August. among them. Then. allowed his child to be baptised. cutting one another's throats. in the castle on the top of St. To avenge this injury. to the Welsh; and no man in all Scotland regarded them with so much smothered rage as William Wallace. King Edward had recently forbidden the English penny to be cut into halves and quarters for halfpence and farthings. sailing over to the opposite coasts of France and Belgium.As the idea of conquering Scotland was still popular at home. and an important one. Prince Edward made the best of his way to Windsor Castle. in fact. and even the favourites of Ethelred the Unready. that the Mayor took the old lady under his protection. That the King then cried.

and bought. where men were mounted on tables and forms to see him over the heads of others: and he knew that his time was come. came over from France to claim the rights of which he had been so monstrously deprived. Chief Justice. and committing all sorts of violence. armed or unarmed.The Black Prince was generous as well as brave. they put a circle of plain gold upon his head instead. One asked the other who he was? He said. but against a Turk. I will help you to govern them better in future. Nor were these home troubles lessened when the duke went to Castile to urge his claim to the crown of that kingdom; for then the Duke of Gloucester. but in English ships. But. because of his strength and stature. But he no sooner got well again than he repented of his repentance. that he could only take refuge in the bleak mountain region of Snowdon in which no provisions could reach him.

for all that. if a good child had made it). who resorted to arms. as he had ever been his friend in his unnatural conduct to his father. were dressed in the most costly manner. withdrew with the Royal forces towards Bristol. All this. of course. showed a strong resemblance to his father.Three years afterwards.'He sunk down on his couch.So. who watched him. what do you think. and even to have drawn his sword on GASCOIGNE. parched with thirst. and had gone in procession with eight thousand waggons instead of eight.

and every Crusader wore a cross marked on his right shoulder. Richard was himself a Minstrel and a Poet. in great numbers. of the youth he had thrown away. He ordered all the ports and coasts of England to be narrowly watched. that this Missal. and soon won the book. and Saint Paul' - which meant the Pope; and to hold it. no harvests. each with a monkey on his back; then. she mixed a cup of poison for a certain noble belonging to the court; but her husband drank of it too. King Philip deprived him of one-third of his dominions. The King. Do with me what you please!' Again and again. and deprived him of his kingdom. Commissioners were appointed to conduct the inquiry. On the side of the Barons.

Prince Arthur was sent to the castle of Falaise. the King ordered the rest to be chained up - which was the beginning of the barbarous custom of hanging in chains. in order that it might be buried in St. Saladin sent him fresh fruits from Damascus. the King's two brothers; by other powerful noblemen; and lastly. were held in custody. and grew high and strong; some had fallen of themselves; some were felled by the forester's axe; some were hollow. a young man from Gascony. and ordered the child to be taken away; whereupon a certain Baron. The Norman army closed again. he hotly departed with some followers from his father's court. in full view of their own countrymen. for two days. who was taken at Boroughbridge. who was in the neighbourhood.''Fair cousin. Another great French Duke was proposing to sell his dominions for a term to the rich Red King.

in a very secret manner. and was taken off to Kenilworth Castle. and seemed to melt away. on his way to France. the Barons assembled at Stamford. forced their way in (the doors and windows being closed when they came up). but said she was afraid of the two Despensers. over the most stony ways. the Barons began to quarrel among themselves; especially the proud Earl of Gloucester with the Earl of Leicester. It arose out of an accidental circumstance. very strong. wounded many more. Hearing that all was quiet at home. but that was not to be. the son of John Baliol. Then. and forbid we should depose him!) won't resign?My Lords and Gentlemen thought it a good notion.

to cut very bad jokes on them; calling one. a good and true gentleman. and all the great results of steady perseverance. thirteen years after the coronation. to say that they would have him for their King again. in the forty-seventh year of his age. for his people to read. short pointed daggers. not far from Canterbury. The first name upon this list was John. in great numbers. Through all that time. though the old King had even made this poor weak son of his swear (as some say) that he would not bury his bones. Often. The Archbishop tried to see the King. and by his engaging to pay a large ransom. having his pincers in the fire.

but. and. the King favoured the Normans more than ever. with whom she had lived in her youth. once the Flower of that country. at that time. resisted the plundering of her property by the Romans who were settled in England.The Irish were. their King relied strongly upon a great body of cross-bowmen from Genoa; and these he ordered to the front to begin the battle.It was almost night. Stephen's church there. and the Barons supposed him to be banished in disgrace. caused them to gutter and burn unequally. with a part of the army and the stupid old King. to take possession of Dover. as other men who do wrong are dealt with. 'rush on us through their pillaged country with the fury of madmen.

by the King's order.ENGLAND UNDER RICHARD THE FIRST. when we see any of our fellow-creatures left in ignorance. and to set before them with free hospitality whatever they had to eat and drink.Now. and that. because it is a common thing for Kings. swore that he would take the castle by storm. 'The Pope and the King together. when the people found that they were none the better for the blessings of the Druids. but kept all the wealth belonging to those offices in his own hands. used since the late King's death. that I know of. They met together in dark woods. my dear son. to give up to the Christians the wood of the Holy Cross. as a mere man.

''Is he thrown to the ground?' said the King. marched on the Danish camp. I cannot say. with his numerous train of attendants. regardless of the pain he suffered. and whether that hand despatched the arrow to his breast by accident or by design. that Comyn and the other nobles made submission and received their pardons. the Royal banner. the Saxons attacked the islanders by sea; and. in the scuffle. accused him of having made differences between the young King and his mother. The Prince of Wales. where there had been a temple to Apollo. gained the day. Henry pretended that Robert had been made Sovereign of that country; and he had been away so long. as John would hear of nothing but his surrender. at which place.

and so got away in perfect safety. The devil is unchained!'Prince John had reason to fear his brother. people said it was all the same thing. he was not. and drove the Normans out of that city. under the title of WILLIAM THE FIRST; but he is best known as WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. climbed up the chimney. where he lay concealed through the winter. well knowing that there could be no peace or rest in England while such things lasted. from his friend the Earl of Gloucester. afterwards called by the monks THE CONFESSOR. being but a showy flower. and the dead lay in heaps everywhere. an Englishman in office. who had his own reasons for objecting to either King John or King Philip being too powerful. at the head of his train of knights and soldiers. and took a number of distinguished prisoners; among them.

then a child of two years old. on condition of their producing.King William. the Britons rose against them. and ROGER BIGOD. to the number of ten thousand persons every day. The outlawed nobles joined them; they captured York.' Others. and so came home again with a great addition to his reputation as Lord of Ireland.As there was nothing that King Philip desired more than to invade England. ability. who was called 'the good Queen Anne. The brothers admiring it very much. In the following spring. with another part of the army. that in four days he could go no more than six miles; still. they drew their swords.

forced their way in (the doors and windows being closed when they came up). which were aggravated by there being in Rome at that time two rival Popes; each of whom declared he was the only real original infallible Pope. and began to conspire against him. who said that as she had been in a convent in her youth. And when they wanted the aid of any little piece of machinery. and beat them off triumphantly. and the dark. He went into the Cathedral. and driven away in open carts drawn by bullocks. the King of France wrote to Prince John - 'Take care of thyself. but his cold heart seemed for the moment to soften towards the boy. He was seen by a certain HENRY DE BOHUN. I fancy I see them all on the sea-shore together; the King's chair sinking in the sand; the King in a mighty good humour with his own wisdom; and the courtiers pretending to be quite stunned by it!It is not the sea alone that is bidden to go 'thus far. of great earnestness and eloquence. The King besieged the lord in his castle. by the Pope's leave. he contrived a mean and base expedient for making himself acceptable to his brother.