Henry', pc- 



M&ccat 

 Bctket'j 



Williim, 

 king of 



Icfeaudrad 

 taken pri- 



\.D. 1175. 



A.D. mo. 



(HO 



till the most wanton drprrd.ttion*, but was compelled 

 to reire.it by Richard de l.ucy, who had Ixvn left guar- 

 dian of the realm during the king's absence. Lucy had 

 alO defeated . with great slaughter, a numerous array of 

 Flemings, who had landed in Suffolk under the Earl of 

 ter, and had taken the Earl himself prisoner. 

 The insurgent*, however, were still numerous, and de- 

 pended greatly upon the assistance of the king of Scot- 

 who had again entered the kingdom with an army 

 of 80,000 men. Henry hastened home to oppose him ; 

 but he first endeavoured to conciliate the fa\ our of hea- 

 ven, to whose indignation he ascribed the dissensions 

 in his family, by making atonement to the ashes of Tho- 

 uuw-a-Becket. When he came within sight of the church 

 of Canterbury, he dismounted from his horse, and walk- 

 ing barefoot to the tomb of the saint, remained there, in 

 fasting and prayer, during a whole day and night ; and 

 eren presented his bare shoulders to be scourged by the 

 monks. After having submitted to this humiliating 

 Bounce, he received absolution, and departing for Lon- 

 don, received the agreeable news of the defeat of the 

 Scots, which being gained on the day of his absolution, 

 was attributed to the favour of Thomas-a-Becket. Wil- 

 liam had encamped at Alnwick, and thinking himself 

 secure from any attack, had weakened his army, by 

 sending out numerous parties of pillagers. But Ralph 

 de Glanville, the famous justiciary, having got intelli- 

 gence of his situation, hastened forward by forced 

 inarches, and attacking the Scottish camp at unawares, 

 threw the enemy into confusion, routed them with great 

 slaughter, and took their king prisoner. This victory 

 at once destroyed the hopes of the confederates. The 

 English barons immediately submitted, and in a few- 

 weeks all England was restored to tranquillity. Louis, 

 however, had again invaded Normandy, and laid siege 

 to Rouen ; but I lenry hastened to its relief, and, after 

 having obtained various advantages over the enemy, at 

 last compelled the King of I-' ranee to think seriously of 

 peace. Henry received the submission of his children, 

 upon bestowing upon them some castles for their resi- 

 dence, with suitable pensions ; and granting an indem- 

 nity to all their adherents. The King of Scotland was 

 the severest sufferer on this occasion, and obtained his 

 liberty only with the loss of his independence. He stipu- 

 lated to do homage to Henry for all his dominions ; and 

 engaged that all the nobles and bishops of his kingdom 

 should do the same; and also agreed, that the fortro-cs 

 of Berwick and Roxburgh should be put into the hands 

 of the English. These humiliating terms were rigor- 

 ously exacted ; and William, with all his barons and 

 prelates, did homage to the King of England in the ca- 

 thedral of York, and acknowledged him their superior 

 lord. 



Henry being now freed from the toils of war, em- 

 ployed several years of peace in regulating the internal 

 affairs of his kingdom. He made considerable altera- 

 tions in the trial by water ordeal, which, though con- 

 demned by the church, still subsisted. He also mode- 

 rated the trial by duel, allowing only either of the par- 

 tie.- to challenge a trial, by a jury of twelve freeholders. 

 He enacted severe penalties against murder, robbery, 

 false coining, and fire raising ; and having partitioned 

 the kingdom into four district?, he appointed a just ice, 

 who was either a prelate or a nobleman, to go the cir- 

 cuit in each division, and decide the causes in the coun- 

 ties. But he was interrupted in the execution of tlic-e 

 wise measures, by new dissensions in his family. Philip, 

 king of France, had succeeded his father, while only a 

 vontli of kixteen, and had been greatly indebted to Uie 



E N T G L A N D. 



interference of Henry, in fomposing the quftrrtl* which 

 had arisen in the royal family of I mice on the death 

 of Louis, and in establishing him upon the throne. 

 But he requited these services, by fomenting discords 

 among the children of his Ix-ncfactor. At hi< instaiuv. Nrwdii^a.. 

 young Henry renewed his demand of the cession of :, n in 

 Normandy, and when refused, he found protection at H <"''?'> t- 

 the court of France. Philip, however, not being at that WU J' 

 time disposed to support his pretensions, he mule sub- 

 missions to his father, and wan reconciled. Richard al- 

 so, who had received the duchy of < inienne, had refu- 

 sed to do homage for his dominions to young Henry, 

 as had been agreed upon, which occasioned a war be- 

 tween the two brothers. And this difference was scarce- 

 ly settled between them, when the king discovered, that 

 his eldest son was again engaged in a conspiracy against 

 himself. His unnatural designs, however, were <ii 

 ed by his death, which was occasioned by a fever in tin- 

 28th year of his ago. Before he expired, he expressed 

 great compunction for his undiitiful conduct, and ear- 

 nestly entreated to see his lather, that he might obtain A ! 

 forgiveness. Henry, who had lH.-en so fri-i|iiently di - 

 ceived by the pretended repentance of his children, sus- 

 pected that his sickness was feigned, and would not 

 trust himself in his son's power. But when he heard 

 of his death, he was affected with the deepest Borrow, 

 and reproached himself with hardheartedncss, in refu- 

 sing the dying request of his son. Young Henry dy- 

 ing without issue, Richard became heir to all his domi- 

 nions ; but not content with what belonged to his bro- 

 ther, he wished also to retain the duchy of Guiennc, 

 which Henry had intended for his youngest son John. 

 He even proceeded to take up arms in support of his 

 claim ; but dreading an insurrection of the Gascons in 

 favour of his mother, he returned to obedience. Geof- 

 frey, who had been put in possession of Brittany, and 

 who was the most vicious of Henry's children, being 

 known among the people by the name of the Child oj 

 Perdition, next demanded that the county of Anjou 

 should be annexed to his territories. This being refu- 

 sed, he prepared for war. But he was soon after killed 

 in a tournament at Paris ; and his soil Arthur, who was 

 born after his death, was invested in his dominions un- 

 der the guardianship of his grandfather. 



About this time, the attention of all was directed to 

 the progress of the Infidels in Palestine. Saladin, King 

 of Egypt, had spread his conquests over the East ; and, 

 through the treachery of the Count of Tripoli, who 

 commanded the Christian army, had reduced Jerusalem, 

 and had almost entirely subdued the kingdom of Anti- 

 och. This intelligence filled the Western Christians 

 with sorrow and dismay ; and every effort was made to 

 excite the sovereigns of Europe to undertake another 

 crusade for the recovery of the Holy Land. The Arch- 

 bishop of Tyre having procured an interview with Phi- 

 lip and Henry near Gisors, gave such a pathetic de- 

 scription of the sufferings of their fellow-Christians in 

 Asia, that they mutually laid aside their animosity, and 

 immediately took the cross. But Richard, pursuing the 

 dictates of ambition rather than of nature, was again se- 

 duced from his duty by the King of France, who was 

 still jealous of Henry's power. He entered itito an ul- netxllion 

 lianc'e with Philip against his father; and when a ncgo- of Kichar* 

 ciation was proposed to accommodate their differences, 

 Philip required that Richard should be crowned during 

 tlie lifetime of Henry, should be invested in all his fo- 

 reign dominions, and should immediately espouse Alice, 

 Philip's sister, to whom he had formerly been affianced. 

 These proposals were rejctcd by the king of England, 





