ENGLAND. 



631 



History. 



Battle of 

 Shrews- 

 bur)-, 

 July 81. 

 H03, 



where Per- 

 cy is slain, 

 and Dou- 

 glas taken 

 prisoner. 



A. D. 1405. 



Northum- 

 berland 



again rebels. 



and is slain. 

 A. U. 1407. 



Henry take* 



part in the 

 <W:njon 

 J* France. 



A. D. 141?. 



chievements. The battle was consequently long and 

 fiercely contested. Henry and his gallant son, then on- 

 ly about fifteen years of age, exposed themselves in the 

 hottest of the fight; and Percy and Douglas outrivalled 

 their former deeds, by their desperate valour in that 

 bloody day. Douglas seemed determined that the king 

 should that day fall by his arm. He sought him all over 

 the field ; but as Henry had accoutred several of his cap- 

 tains in the royal garb, the sword of the Scottish chief- 

 tain devoured many pretended kings. The death of 

 Percy, however, who fell by an unknown hand, decided 

 the victory in favour of Henry; and Douglas, with many 

 of the rebel leaders, were taken prisoners. 



When Northumberland heard of the fate of his army, 

 he disbanded some reinforcements, with which he was 

 hastening to join his son ; and came with a small retinue 

 to make his submission to the king at York. He pre- 

 tended that his sole intention in arming, was to mediate 

 between the parties, which Henry thought proper to ac- 

 cept as an apology, and granted him a pardon. The 

 only persons that perished by the hands of the execu- 

 tioner in this rebellion, were the Earl of Worcester and 

 Sir Richard Vernon, who were considered as the chief au- 

 thors of the insurrection. The clemency of Henry, how- 

 ever, could not attach Northumberland to his interests. 

 That nobleman soon after ongaged to join another rebel- 

 lion, headed by the Earl of Nottingham and the Archbi- 

 shop of York ; but they betook themselves to arms with- 

 out waiting for their more powerful auxiliary. The Earl 

 of Westmoreland, with a small body of royalists, met 

 them at Shipton, and desiring a conference between the 

 two armies, persuaded them, by a promise of pardon, and 

 a redress of all their grievances, to disband their forces 

 on the field, which he engaged also to do on his part; 

 but he had secretly given contrary orders to his own men, 

 and when the rebels were dismissed, he seized their 

 loaders, and carried them to the king, who was advan- 

 cing with an army to oppose them. Henry still confined 

 his severity to the heads of the party, and the prelate 

 and Earl were the only persons that suffered. The Earl 

 of Northumberland and Lord Bardolf, upon being inform- 

 ed of this disaster, fled to Scotland ; but afterwards re- 

 turning with some forces, they were defeated at Bram- 

 ham by Sir Thomas Rokesby, and both fell in the ac- 

 tion. 



Henry, being now freed from his domestic enemies, 

 began to look abroad to find some employment for the 

 restless and disorderly spirits of his people. The dissen- 

 sions which then agitated the monarchy of France, first 

 invited his attention. During the indisposition of Charles 

 VII. who, though a prince of great spirit and genius, was 

 subject to frequent fits of insanity, which totally incapa- 

 citated him from regularly exercising his authority, the 

 administration of nffairs in that kingdom was disputed 

 between the dukes of Orleans and Burgundy. Henry 

 first entered into an alliance with the Duke of Burgundy, 

 and sent him a small body of troops to defend him 

 against his enemies ; but he soon after received more ad- 

 vantageous proposals from the Duke of Orleans, which 

 he accepted, and dispatched n greater force to the sup- 

 port of his party. The opposite factions, however, had 

 been brought to a temporary accommodation, when the 

 exertions of the king of England were rendered fruitless 

 and vain ; and the declining state of his health prevent- 

 ed him from renewing the attempt. 



Though Henry was yet in the flower of his age, his 



end was visibly approaching; and before his death he History, 

 became subject to fits, which. at times robbed him of his '*~""Y" P/ 

 senses. As his constitution decayed, his fears of losing his The king's 

 crown increased; and such was his anxiety, that he always ulncss - 

 sleeped with the royal diadem beside him on his pillow. 

 The Prince of Wales, happening one day to enter his fa- 

 ther's chamber, found him in a deep sleep, and supposing 

 him dead, carried off the crown. The king, when he 

 awoke and missed his crown, asked the prince, with marks 

 of great displeasure, if he meant to rob him of his dig- 

 nity before his death ? " No," replied his son, " sup- 

 posing your Majesty dead, I took the crown as my law- 

 ful inheritance ; but since I see you recovered, I restore 

 it with much more pleasure ; and may God grant you 

 many happy days to enjoy it in peace." The king was 

 seized with his last fit while at his devotions before the H;S ^ , 

 shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey, 20th March 

 and expired in the 46th year of his age, and 13th of his 1413, 

 reign. 



Had Henry IV. come to the throne by the right of inhe- 

 ritance, he would have been considered one of the great- 

 est monarchs that ever held the sceptre of England. He and cha. 

 possessed great military talents, and his political wisdom racter. 

 has seldom been surpassed. Though surrounded with 

 enemies who were continually plotting against his govern- 

 ment, yet such was his vigilance in detecting a conspi- 

 racy, and his activity and prudence in suppressing it 

 when it rose to rebellion, that his authority was strength- 

 ened by every effort that was made for its over- 

 throw. His usurpation was certainly in many respects 

 beneficial to the English nation. During his reign, the 

 administration of justice became less arbitrary and less 

 venal ; the limitations of the government were more care- 

 fully maintained; the House of Commons assumed powers 

 which it did not before possess, and rose in importance 

 and independence. But while we are pleased with the ex- 

 ercise of his authority, we cannot but detest the unjustifi- 

 able means by which it was obtained. Rebellion against his 

 sovereign ; the deposition and murder of his lawful king ; 

 and the exclusion of the rightful heir, are crimes that 

 can never be regarded but with abhorrence. It was 

 these that drew upon him the hatred of his subjects, 

 and from being one of the most popular noblemen in 

 the kingdom, Henry became one of the most unpopular 

 kings that ever sat upon the throne. The intelligence 

 of his death was received without regret, and was im- 

 mediately forgotten in the sincere rejoicings that were 

 made at the accession of his son. 



Henry V. came to the throne with the tide of popularity Henry v. 

 flowing full in his favour. His noviciate in arms, which 

 he performed at the battle of Shrewsbury, gave indica- 

 tions of a great and military genius ; and these were 

 strengthened by several advantages which he gained over 

 the brave Glendour in Wales. But his lather, who 

 was infected with all the jealousies natural to an usurper, 

 had entertained unreasonable suspicions of the fidelity of 

 his gallant son ; and during the latter years of his reign, 

 had excluded him from the command of his armies, and 

 even from all public business whatever. The active and 

 enterprizing genius of Henry, being thus restrained from 

 its proper exercise, broke out in the extravagancies of 

 riot and dissipation. Surrounded by a crew of low and 

 profligate companions, he indulged in all their disorder- 

 ly humours and amusements. When heated with wine, 

 he sometimes encouraged anil seconded his associates in 

 attacking and robbing the passengers on the streets and 





