ENGLAND. (CIVIL HISTORY.) 



the power of his nobles, had alienated from him the 

 uflections of almost all his subjects. In this situation, 

 he undertook what had hitherto been found too diffi- 

 cult for the most prudent kings, supported by the 

 undivided influence of the civil authority: he attempt- 

 ed to wrest from the ecclesiastics several of their 

 privileges. The measures he adopted for this arduous 

 undertaking, were, like his character, violent and 

 imprudent. He forcibly ejected the monks from their 

 o >n\ ents. The pope laid an interdict upon his king- 

 dom, and excommunicated himself, absolving his 

 subjects from their duties of allegiance. Had John 

 been esteemed in England, the fulminations of the 

 pope would not have been formidable ; but labour- 

 ing under their universal hatred, he was compelled 

 to submit to the will of the pontiff, and was under 

 the necessity of relinquishing his crown, and again 

 receiving it as a gift from the haughty bishop of 

 Home. Resenting the defection of his subjects in 

 this unsuccessful dispute, John was eager to revenge 

 upon them the indignities which he had undergone 

 I'rom the pontiff. He hoped, that, in this design, the 

 clergy, to whom he had yielded so far, would second 

 him with all their influence. His subjects on the 

 other 1 1: n nl, had learnt to entertain very despicable 

 notions of their sovereign; they saw that he had 

 neither prudence to form a good project, nor fortitude 

 to accomplish one which was bad. His nobles 

 formed a resolution of compelling him to accede to 

 such terms as might be necessary to secure their own 

 privileges, and to abridge the prerogatives of the 

 crown. The clergy, instead of aiding him by their 

 influence, entered warmly into the designs of the 

 barons. John, after making a feeble and irresolute 

 resistance, was obliged to yield to his nobles, as he 

 formerly had done to the pope ; and at Runnymead, 

 yet revered for the important event, he signed the 

 Great Cliarter, which continues to be accounted the 

 foundation of British liberty. Though John had been 

 compelled to sign the charter, he scrupled not to 

 endeavour to avoid observing it. He raised a new 

 army for the purpose of reducing his barons to what 

 he called more reasonable terms. The barons, 

 resolving not to lose what they had been so anxious 

 to gain, invited to their assistance the king of 

 France, and offered the English crown to his son. 

 A body of French troops were landed. The barons 

 joined them with their forces,, and John would, per- 

 haps, have been deprived of 1 his crown ; but, before 

 the matter could be decided by arms, he died. This 

 event took place in 1216. 



The turbulent reign of John was succeeded by 

 that of Henry III., almost equally turbulent. The 

 French prince, after some attempts to preserve .his 

 influence, was compelled to leave the island. Henry 

 was but ten years of age when he was crowned ; but 

 the abilities of the earl of Pembroke, who was 

 declared regent, retained the kingdom in tran- 

 quillity. Henry at length assumed the reins of 

 government, and almost at the same instant, showed 

 himself Incapable of managing them. His great 

 desire was to procure money from his subjects, 

 not for the purpose of advancing national power, 

 and national prosperity, but to lavish on his plea- 

 sures, which were far from being the most refined. 

 He often confirmed the charter which had been ex- 

 torted from his rather : he even added to it new pri- 

 vileges; but he as frequently broke through every 

 part of it The nobles, provoked by his breach of 

 laith, had recourse to arms. Henry was compelled 

 to grant everything required of him. A parliament 

 was sumn.oned for the purpose of redressing griev- 

 fmces. They confirmed the charter of privileges for 

 v hich the nation had so long contended ; but hav- 

 ing acquired the sovereign power, they were unwill- 



ing to give it up. It was agreed tliat a commit toa 

 should carry on the national business, during the in- 

 tervals in which the parliament did not meet. The 

 earl of Leicester engrossed the sole power. Prince 

 Edward opposed the barons with an army, but was 

 defeated. Leicester, to give an appearance of right 

 to the manifold usurpations of the nobles, called a 

 new parliament ; and, by summoning to it represen- 

 tatives of the people, he took into the legislature a 

 body formerly unknown there ; laid the foundation of 

 the house of commons, and, consequently, of British 

 liberty. Leicester, perceiving that his undissembled 

 ambition was equally offensive to the nobles and to 

 the common people, and that the restoration of legal 

 authority would soon be demanded, resolved to accom- 

 modate his actions to the public opinion, and to rest 

 his ambitious projects on a new foundation. He re- 

 leased the prince from the confinement in which he 

 had for some time been kept; and, pretending to re- 

 store him to his influence in the state, resolved to 

 govern under the appearance of loyalty. The prince, 

 who continued to be a prisoner, though he enjoyed 

 the name of freedom and authority, found means to 

 escape from his guards; he vanquished Leicester, 

 who had, for some time, governed England accord- 

 ing to his pleasure ; and restored his Father, Henry, 

 to that freedom and power of which he had long been 

 deprived. The king enjoyed not long the authority 

 which had been restored to him by his son. He died 

 in 1272. 



Edward received information of his father's death 

 when returning from a crusade, in which his love of 

 military feme had engaged him. When he ar- 

 rived in England, he succeeded to the crown without 

 opposition. He restored to the civil administration 

 that regularity, which, during the weak reign of his 

 father, and the civil wars which lately prevailed, had, 

 in some degree, been forgotten. He even added to 

 the laws a severity which had seldom before been 

 experienced. He undertook, and accomplished the 

 conquest of Wales ; a country, which since that pe- 

 riod, has given a title to the king of England's eldest 

 son. When he attempted to reduce Scotland, he was 

 not equally successful. Though frequently van- 

 quished in battle, and reduced to the greatest distress, 

 the Scots were never subdued; and several times, 

 when he imagined the arduous undertaking to be ac- 

 complished, he learnt that his armies were completely 

 expelled, and the nation as independent as when he 

 made his first attack. The wars in which the king 

 was almost perpetually engaged with Wales, with 

 Scotland, and with France, made him require fre- 

 quent supplies of money from his people, and com- 

 pelled him to grant them many privileges in return 

 for the money with which they furnished him. The 

 common people daily rose into more importance ; 

 and the parliament, during this reign, also acquired 

 more power. Edward had advanced as far as Car- 

 lisle with a great army, to complete the conquest of 

 Scotland, which he so anxiously desired, when he 

 was seized by death, in 1307, and was succeeded by 

 his son, Edward II. 



The whole of the reign of Edward II. was unfortu- 

 nate to himself, and calamitous to his kingdom. His 

 father's last and most earnest request of him, was to 

 prosecute the war with Scotland, and never to desist, 

 till he had annexed that kingdom to his English 

 dominions ; but Edward's disposition and his capacity 

 were both unlike those of his father. The war with 

 Scotland was carried on, but the English were almost 

 constantly unfortunate ; and at length, at Bannock- 

 burn, they received a defeat from Robert Bruce, which 

 ensured the independence of Scotland, and prevented 

 the English for many years from distressing that coun- 

 try by their almost continual invasions. Had the mis- 



